R-E-L-A-X and B-R-E-A-T-H-E

Another great video teaching a dog to relax by cueing his breathing! This time they are watching his nostrils flare instead of watching the rib cage. Interesting how he learns to calm himself! Breathing exercises are being taught to clients with dogs that are over excited, anxious and reactive however, I think it is great for everyone to learn! You never know when your dog will need it. My own dog Banjo is learning how to relax!

Kyle Dyer Interview

What a class act and brave lady! I have alot of respect for her, realizing the situation, the mistakes that were made and encouraging everyone to learn from her experience. We continue to pray for her healing.

To read her interview, please click the following link:   Kyle Dyer

NEW CLASS: Puppy II

Puppy II is a six-week course that builds on the skills learned in Puppy I. Exercises are now taught using low-level distractions working our way to control with high-level distractions. Puppies will now be entering adolescence. This class is designed to help you manage adolescent behavior.

Date: March 11th - April 29th (Please note: We will not have class on April 1st or April 8th)

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Location: Taming the Wild Side Training Facility

Cost: $100 for a 6 week class. Cash or checks only please.

Equipment: Easy to eat treats for your dog, water bowl

Prerequisite: Puppy I

NOTE: This class will be limited to 6 dogs.

To sign up for this class, please click the following link: Puppy II

NEW CLASS: Puppy I

Six week course in which puppies will learn sit, down, leave it, recalls off of distractions and loose leash walking. You will also learn crate training, teaching your puppy bite inhibition and getting them comfortable being handled. Puppies will be able to socialize and play with other puppies. This is very important towards good manners as they grow through adolescence. We will also teach targeting exercises and confidence building exercises.

Please Note: This class will be limited to 6 puppies. This class is only open to puppies 8 to 16 weeks old. Proof of vaccinations will be required - please bring your vaccination records to the first class session.

Date: Sunday, March 11th - April 29th (Please note: We will not have class on April 1st or April 8th)

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Location: Taming the Wild Side Training Facility

Cost: $100 for a six week class. Cash or checks only please.

Equipment: Easy to eat treats for your dog, water, water bowl

To sign up for this class, please click the following link: Puppy I

NEW VIDEO: Recall with Distractions!

Check out our new video showing you how to start teaching a recall around a distraction! Watch Dixie come when called even with one of her biggest distractions in front of her ... FOOD! This game is from Susan Garret's "Brilliant Recall" program. Play and have fun!

Turn it OFF!

Do you have a dog that gets too excited about everything or a dog that becomes anxious easily? Here is an "off switch" from "Controlled Unleashed" that we teach many of our dogs! The more you reward this behavior the more the dogs begin to calm down on their own! Reactivity class pay close attention, we are working on this next week!

Warning Signs!

Having a tough time knowing what body language to watch for when dogs meet? Here is a great video showing very clear communication between two dogs. Watch and learn!

Is it play? Or is is confict?

This is what healthy dog play looks like. If you have multiple dogs or go to play sessions, this is a great video to learn from. Watch for the conflicts and see the differences in behavior! The more you learn about body language the safer your dog is with other dogs and people!

Oh No Banjo! Not the Corn Cob!

Ended the evening with an excellent set of classes, came in to eat dinner, and had just sat down when we realized that Banjo had eaten some turkey and unfortunately one cob of corn! The problem - the cob from corn does not digest well. As soon as we realized what he had done off to the emergency vet we went. One stomach surgery and four hours later, Banjo's stomach was empty and we had the cob. It was broken into a couple of pieces but still large enough to have caused a blockage in his intestine. He is now asleep and we may be able to pick him up tomorrow. He will be on bland food and in the "cone" for two weeks!

I wanted to share this story so that everyone would be aware of how dangerous corn on the cob can be for dogs. If they are in the trash it is wise to take the trash out immediately. If they are on the counter, remove them from the counter or place them where you dogs cannot reach them.

I have seven dogs and two are trash eaters and counter surfers! If you have a counter surfer, management and training is the key. Banjo is two and just started surfing off and on about 2 months ago. Remember, everytime they get something off the counter it reinforces this behavior. We have helped Banjo's behavior by picking up and making sure nothing is in his reach in the kitchen, however last night we let our guard down. We will continue to work with Banjo and his surfing but wanted to give you some incentive to manage and train if you live with a dog where food is a level 10 distraction!

Below is a picture of Banjo's stomach contents. The pink thing is a Valentine's Day dog treat that is still in the shape of a heart! The rest is turkey and the cob that the vet removed from his stomach.  Little man is doing well and resting at the vet's office, hopefully he will come home later today!

Loose Leash Walking is No Joke!

Have you tried several methods to teach your dog to heel - pinch collars, choke collars, leash pops etc.?  Have you attended loose leash walking classes that used these methods?  Teaching your dog to heel is no joke, but it can be a lot of FUN!  Grab a clicker and some treats and come to our loose leash walking class that starts February 21st!  There are only two slots left, don't miss out!

For more information on our Loose Leash Walking class, please click the following link:  Tell me more!

To sign up for the Loose Leash Walking class, please click the following link:  Sign me up!

RAIN!

Rain, rain, go away we wanna hike on Saturday!!!  We need the rain, but hopefully we can have our rain and go hiking too! 


Remember, Saturday, February the 25th is our hike at the Fort Worth Nature Center!  There are a few spots left, so sign up before they are all gone.  This Saturday was spent indoors, spend next Saturday OUTSIDE with your friends from the Wild Side!

For more information on the hike, please click the following link:  Tell Me More!

To sign up for the hike, please click the following link:  Sign Me Up!

A BIG Wild Side Welcome!

Help us give a BIG Wild Side Welcome to our new students!

Jessie

Kawi

Oliver

Tapper



Daisy

To see more photos of our new students, please click the following link:  Welcome to the Wild Side Family!

Do You Know the Warning Signs Dogs Give Before Biting?

I watched the video of this dog biting the news anchor a couple of days ago. I feel terrible for her and the injuries she sustained and I feel terrible for the dog that gave so many signals that he wanted to be left alone. After watching the video, I called my family in and wanted them to see it. I slowed it down and showed them all of the body signals that this dog used to give a warning that he was going to bite. So many times when dogs bite we hear that the dog gave no warning he just bit. That is always untrue, it is just that people do not know what signals to watch for. Please take the time to watch this video, it is a great breakdown on all the signals this dog gave. Learn them and use them with your own dogs. Even the most easy going dog can bite when put in the right situation.



The video of a dog biting a Denver anchor person live on the air is shocking and disturbing to watch. But a careful analysis of the video reveals many warning signs the dog gave ahead of time.

Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/living/myfox_pets/120210-anchor-bitten-by-dog#ixzz1mJOC8yFY

Analysis of Anchor Bitten by Dog: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

Take a Hike!

Take a hike with the Wild Side gang! We'll work on loose leash walking, eye contact, management of our dogs around high level distractions, doggy manners (pulling off the trail for other hikers while staying under control) and most of all, just enjoying our time with our dogs and our Wild Side friends!

Day: Saturday, February 25th

Time: 10:00 Please meet at the Training Facility at 9:30. If you would like to meet us at the Nature Center, please call the morning of the hike to determine a meeting location.

Location: Fort Worth Nature Center

Cost: $10 / person; this covers any entry fees for the park, drinks and snacks. All other proceeds will be used to support dog related services in our community. (Currently we are purchasing pet oxygen masks for the Aledo Fire Department.)

Equipment: Easy to eat treats for your dog, water, water bowl, six foot leash

To sign up for this hike, please click the following link:  Fort Worth Nature Center Hike

Please Note:  In the event of rain the week of the hike, please check your email or call us.  We may change the location of the hike due to muddy conditions.

Have You Heard??

Today was a big day at Taming the Wild Side! We have been planning this for over a year and today was the day! The new rubber flooring is down and sealed!! Thanks to the help of the most amazing friends in the world, we knocked it out in NO time!!! Your dogs are going to love it!!


Miami Vice has NOTHING on this crew!

To see more pictures, please click the following link:  Here Comes the Floor!

Way to Go Thor!

Thor passed his Canine Good Citizen evaluation today!! Our congratulations goes out to Mike and Patty for all their hard work and consistent training with Thor! What a great team! It has been an honor to work with the big boy as a puppy and now as a big man!!

Loose Leash Walking with Banjo!

Many of you have asked how Banjo's training is going. I have spent the last several weeks walking him in the neighorhood and parks where he can handle the distractions. He has not been put into situations where he was over his threshold. Well today I took him to a set of trails where he has never walked before with a small group of dogs that he is familiar with. It was the first walk I could relax and enjoy with him. His pulling was minimal and he came back to heel position anytime I slowed. We passed barking dogs behind a fence and played the "Look at that" game. He looked at the dogs, did not pull towards them and checked back in with me, we played this game until we passed them. He played in a waterfall, he was told to sit and then released to go sniff, which is his favorite game and I guarantee because of the reward of sniffing, he has the best sit ever! He saw goats and instead of becoming out of control he offered a sit. Sit has become his way of asking if he can go and see or sniff something. It has almost stopped his lunging completely at distractions. Hats off to Banjo today and the dogs that walked with him, they were very patient!! I will keep you updated, we still have many months of training ahead!