Originally posted: August 14, 2016 We were introduced to a versatile little treat pouch in 2016 by a dog training client who was tired of carrying a plastic baggie of chicken, her clicker, her phone, a collapsible water bowl, poop bags… and then some. After some online research, she arrived to her next training session with an intriguing little treat pouch made by Vaun Duffy. More recently, Amazon has many more treat pouch options and no longer offers the Vaun Duffy treat pouch. But we still love this basic design of pouch and recommend the very similar Lanney Treat Pouch (among others) to clients and class students. Some features of this treat pouch include: 3 options to wear it – clipped on your pants, belted around your waist or over your shoulder, like a purse The pouch itself is made of a very sturdy, woven nylon Mesh pocket in the front … Read More
Treat Hack: Dogs with Allergies & Special Diets
Originally published: July 13, 2017 When you are training positively, it’s a given that you’ll be dispensing a lot of small, meaty treats to your dog for good behavior. But what if your dog is allergic to common proteins, like Chicken, Beef and Lamb? Or worse, what if you are strictly limited to feeding your dog one type of food… and that’s it? Concepts like “low-value vs. high-value” get thrown out the window rather quickly when you’re strictly limited to kibble as treats. Dogs with Protein Allergies The great news is that, in the last few years, pet food manufacturers have recognized that allergies to best-selling proteins are becoming more and more common and have started making novel proteins available. It’s not uncommon now to find proteins like rabbit, venison and even alligator available in your local pet specialty store. A word of caution: Always read the ingredient label. Just because a treat … Read More
“Guy Walks Into a Bar”… Alternatives to Doggy Confrontation
So if you’ve spent any time with your dog attached to a 20 foot cotton lead, in a nice little park in Webster Groves, running away from other dogs, you’ve probably heard my “guy walks into a bar” analogy. Yes, it starts like a bad joke that should be followed up with a priest and a rabbi, except it doesn’t really have a punchline. Seriously though, for those lucky ones who haven’t heard, you might ask what’s the significance? Often times I’ll break out my “guy in a bar” routine to help dog owners identify with how their dog might be feeling when faced with challenging situations and doggy confrontation. We’ve all had one of those days, right?… Maybe it’s a Friday morning and you’re headed into work. It should be an easy breezy commute being at the end of the work week, but instead, you hit a major wreck on 270 … Read More
Meet Nicole Berthold!
We had the pleasure of meeting Nicole Berthold back in Fall 2014 when she was a volunteer at the St. Louis County Pet Adoption Center in Overland, MO. She had called asking to pay out of her own pocket for private lessons so she could teach the dogs at the shelter better manners and they could find, and stay in, their forever homes more successfully. Nicole was a wonderful natural trainer and picked up clicker training concepts very quickly. Fast forward to February 2016 when obedience class started at Petsway. We knew exactly who to ask to assistant with class, and Voila!, she accepted. Meet Nicole and you’ll see, too, why The Persuaded Pooch is so proud to have her as our Assistant Trainer! How did you get your start in dog training? Reward based training was introduced to me with a variety of different animals during an internship at a … Read More
Charitable Feature: Best Friends Animal Society
In April, I was presented with the opportunity to visit Best Friends’ Animal Society in Kenab, Utah. For those who don’t know where Kenab is, it’s about 3.5 hours northeast of Las Vegas, NV by car. Best Friends is a national organization that serves a couple functions. Not only do they operate several animal shelters across the country, but they financially support a network of about 1,400 other shelters nationwide, all with a mission to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets, and a vision of a better world through kindness to animals. (You may remember that Best Friends hosts an annual “Strut Your Mutt” fundraising walk here in St. Louis every fall.) In my time there, I was able to tour the sanctuary, Best Friends’ flagship shelter facility and headquarters, home to about 1,700 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, pigs, goats, mules, sheep and 1 … Read More