SuiteDigs.com Dog Blog

To Suite or not to Suite. That is the Question!

2007-12-15T11:37:00.001-05:00

Ask not what a SuiteDigs suite might cost.
Ask what not having one might cost you!

Couch, love seat, recliner
Coffee tables, end tables
Shoes, belts, purses, remotes
Wooden table and chair legs
Carpet, wood flooring, linoleum
Drywall, paint, trims, doors and wallpaper
Cabinet drawers and doors
Curtains, draperies, mini-blinds
Albums, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, video games
Books, magazines, photo albums
Exercise equipment
Extension cords, wires, lamp cords,
Computer cables, entertainment center wires, cables and cords
Socks, pants, shirts, and coats
Toilet paper, plunger, bowl brush, shower curtain
Towels, soap, personal items, bathroom trash
Drier vent, 220 volt drier cord, water hoses
Garage insulation, stairs, antifreeze, chemicals
Boxes, keepsakes, important documents

Homework, lots and lots of homework

Emergency stomach surgery
Accidental poisoning
Electrocution

Stress on you!
The loss of a special companion.
Your pet's pain and suffering.

It could easily be cheaper to have SuiteDigs than to not have SuiteDigs!

The 4 traditional options to keep your puppy while you are out and why they don't work.

2007-12-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

1. Baby Gates

Who wants to have to negotiate over and through these unsightly obstacles? The main problem with baby gates is that they only protect one side of the gate. Which ever side of the gate the puppy is on is the side subject to puppy destruction. Also when your puppy figures out that he can climb over, knock down, or jump over the gate, neither side of the gate is protected.

2. Exercise Pens

These ungainly contraptions are a bigger eyesore than they are solid containment. They are flimsy and easy to push around. Ex pens, as they are called, may scratch your floor more than the puppy inside! Exercise pens have no floor of their own leaving your floor vulnerable to clawing, digging, and soiling. There is no ceiling so they can be climbed or jumped over allowing your puppy to chew, claw, soil all over your home.

3. Crates

Who can feel good about leaving their companion in a box just big enough to turn around in? It’s true that dogs like to sleep in small dark confined “dens” but please, 8 or 10 hours with no chance to relieve himself other than to soil right in his own bed then have to lay in it? 8 week old puppies can’t hold it nearly that long. So are you supposed to recruit your friends and neighbors to come into your home and take your dog outside for however long it takes for the dog to go potty? What if something comes up and no one comes to tend to your dog? How much pain and discomfort does your dog have to endure before he can relieve himself? Besides these crates never look good in your home ant their swing out doors tend to tear holes in your clothes as you walk by.

4. Just put him in a room and close the door

Those doors are made of wood. Hello! Ever seen what a dog can do to a room? Nothing in the room can take what even a small dog can dish out. Linoleum and hardwood floors can be clawed and shredded. Drywall can have holes chewed right in it. Wood trim may be the first to go. Carpet is one of the most difficult items for your vet to surgically remove from your dog’s digestive tract. That’s major surgery likely to cost $1,500 to $2,000.

A SuiteDigs suite is a home for your dog with a room for every purpose. A place to eat and drink, a place to sleep, room to walk around and stairs to climb, and a place to relieve himself when he wants to go. And it looks great and won’t tear your clothes!

Toilet Drinking! Yuk!

2007-11-27T11:26:00.000-05:00

Does your dog drink from the toilet? Does it make your skin crawl?

It may be because the toilet water is cooler and fresher than what is in the dog's water bowl. Think about it, the water in the toilet is changed several times a day. It's fresh! How about the dog's water bowl? Do you wash and refill it twice daily or do you just top it off as needed and wash it out only when it looks scummy?

Try having a number of bowls. Get in the habit of putting down a clean bowl with fresh water and picking up the old bowl and putting it in the dish washer. Just as you would for your own glasses. Your dog might like that water better and forget the toilet.

It's one of those things that make you say "Hmmmmm".

Scent Marking vs. Potty Training

2007-11-24T08:33:00.001-05:00

Does your adult dog still have accidents? Maybe its not potty training in the sense that your dog has to relieve himself. It may be insecurity.

Our modern domestic dog (Cannis Familiaris) is descended from wolves. Many of their behaviors are rooted in their wolf ancestry. Wolves in the wild are territorial. They feel safe when they are with their pack and in their established and marked territory. How is the territory "marked"? The alpha male and female use their urine as well as other scent glands to mark their pack's territory. See the equation? Marked territory = security.

An insecure or fearful dog may mark in your house. Its no accident. Ask yourself, does your dog act skiddish, wary, afraid of strangers, nervous, shy? He may be fear marking. If so you can solve the marking by boosting your dog's self confidence. You have to reestablish trust if you lost it between the two of you. If the fear comes from sources other than you, a family member, other pets, etc. you must address them.

Here are a few quick tips:

Don't physically punish your dog.
Establish a consistent daily routine such as sleep, eat, play, sleep, eat, play, etc... (in any order)
Wolf puppies lick their superiors lip's in a sign of submission and to gain acceptance. This equals security too. so let him plant a big sloppy one on you.
Desensitise your dog to any sources of fear. This requires a qualified trainer. There are books on the subject meant for experienced trainers. A novice can further traumatize the dog and make matters worse.

Look for Your Dog Doing Something Right

2007-10-23T17:18:00.000-04:00

Everyone wants their dog to be well behaved, so we correct our dogs whenever they screw up. If he bugs you to play when you are trying to concentrate, you say "NO!" If he begs at the table we say "SIT!" If he jumps up, we say "DOWN!"

Did you ever notice that when the dog lies down in the corner to sleep, we ignore him? If someone comes over and the dog remains calm, we don't notice? When is the last time that you caught your dog doing something right and rewarded him?

Try this... Next time you catch your dog minding his own business, give him a treat. Next time he eliminates outside, give him a nice piece of hot dog. You will probably surprise and excite him. He will wonder what he did to deserve such a prize. If you do the hot dog thing again under the same circumstances, he might begin to notice a pattern. The final outcome? You have reinforced and defined the behavior you want. You will get it more often.

I called my wife a dog!

2007-10-21T08:22:00.000-04:00

I was trying to think of a way to express my love for my wife of 20 years. I told her she was a dog because she loves me no matter what. She loves me regardless of how I look, what I wear, what kind of job I have, how much money I make, where we live, what kind of house we live in. what clothes I wear, the car I drive, the mistakes I make.. she loves me unconditionally.

Singles ad

2007-10-21T08:16:00.000-04:00

This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal.

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Daisy, I'll be waiting....

The funny part is that Daisy is a black labrador retriever. The phone number was for an animal shelter. Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society...

A Tale of Two Puppies: Part 1

2007-10-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

Blacky and Whitey were two puppies from the same litter of seven little pups. Their breeder, Jane, was a nice lady. She kept the puppies clean and warm. She touched and petted the puppies often. The puppies frolicked between naps. Jane insisted the litter stay together until they were eight weeks old.

On pick up day, two different gentlemen came to take Blacky and Whitey to their respective new homes. Whitey's new owner, Roger, just invested in a SuiteDigs indoor canine habitat. Roger fully stocked the habitat with everything a new puppy could want, a soft bed, food and water bowls, and puppy training pads. As an extra mesure, a week earlier, Roger brought a special stuffed squeaky toy named "Fluffy" to Whitey. All the puppies loved Fluffy and everyone played with it. The breeder only left the toy with the puppies for short times during the day so it didn't get dirty. Blacky's new owner, Dodger, made all the traditional preparations like a bed, two bowls, leash, collar, some toys and so on but no Fluffy, SuiteDigs suite or training pads. Both gentlemen had the next two days off from work and dedicated their time off to acclimating their new puppies into their new homes.

Jane gave each gentleman a small bag of puppy food and said if they wanted to change to a different brand or type of food to do so gradually, mixing the new food with the old food in gradually greater proportions. She let the gentlemen know that the pups haven't eaten for a while so they won't get car sick during the ride home. "Roger,' Jain said. "Here is Fluffy the stuffed animal. I made sure It did not get near any poop or pee so it won't confuse Whitey about where he is to go potty." Jane went over all the information in the puppy packs with the gentlemen and suggested a vet visit within the next week to establish the puppies' health care routines.

When Whitey arrived at his new house he began to explore all the new sights and sounds. Roger had remembered to bring the stuffed animal from the breeder's place. Seeing and sniffing the stuffed animal made Whitey feel good. He liked to make it squeak, it reminded him of his old home. Roger put a couple of pieces of his familiar old food down in front of his new SuiteDigs suite. "Who can think of eating at a time like this?" Whitey thought. even though his tummy was growling. Soon though hunger took over and Whitey gobbled up those pieces of kibble. Roger put some more down but this time it was in the suite, just inside the door. Whitey peered inside. It was kinda dark but smelled familiar. "Have I been here before?" Whitey thought to himself. Looking around he saw his stuffed toy in the suite. "Oh that explains it!"

Whitey could just reach the food inside the suite so he took a piece, brought it out and crunch, crunch, it was gone. He reached in for another, pulled it out like the other and crunch, crunch, it was gone also. "It takes too long this way!" Whitey thought. So he stepped in the suite and started eating right there. "This is more like it!" Roger kept putting more pieces in each time in different spots. Soon Whitey was moving all around the suite picking up food and exploring his new home. "Well roger seems to approve of my being in here." Whitey thought. "I can tell he is happy from the sounds he makes and the way his eyes look."

Soon Whitey's tummy was full and he needed to go potty, as puppies do, soon after eating. Roger nudged and coaxed Whitey into a part of the suite with soft puppy training pads. Whitey sniffed around and circled around until he pooped and peed. Boy was Roger happy! Roger let Whitey know it too. He praised Whitey a lot. Soon Whitey was sleepy. Roger escorted Whitey to the part of the suite where there was a nice soft bed to sleep on. There was fluffy the stuffed animal waiting for him. He smelled like his litter mates. The suite felt safe and protective. Dogs are naturally den animals and like to be in their dens. Whitey soon fell asleep.

Whitey dreamed his little puppy dreams. When he woke, he had to remember that he was in a new home now. Roger was nearby and greeted Whitey. Roger knew that wake up time was potty time so he coaxed Whitey into that same area of the suite where there were puppy pads. Except this time there was a piece of the old pad still in there. It smelled like poop and pee. As soon as Whitey smelled that, he did his thing. Roger was again happy and praised Whitey as he took Whitey out to play. Playing, eating, drinking, sleeping, and going potty became a predictable cycle for Whitey and Roger over the next two days. Roger would purposely be absent from Whitey for short times and gradually longer periods to get Whitey used to being alone from time to time. Fluffy helped.

Blacky's first two days went much the same as Whitey's except Blacky's bed was out in the open, and so were his food and water bowls. He didn't feel secure like Whitey. There was no "Fluffy" to calm Blacky's fears when he missed his litter mates. Every time Blacky needed to go potty, Dodger took Blacky outside. When Blacky went potty, Dodger gave him lots of praise. So far both couples are doing well.

Then came Monday.

You Are The Boss!

2007-10-02T19:27:00.000-04:00

Dogs are happy as long as someone is in charge. Like you might feel when you are in an airplane high in the sky. You don't feel a need to be the pilot but you will take over the controls if no one else will. Face it, you would be a lot happier knowing there is a pilot flying while you relax.

You have to assume command in your relationship with your dog. If you don't, the dog will. After millions of years surviving in the wild, wolves know someone has to be the leader. Much posturing takes place in the pack to ensure the most qualified dog is the pack leader. You have to do some posturing of your own. Owners who insist on being a friend to their dog and not being the boss often find themselves being controlled by their dog. Consider the case where the 26 pound terrier decided that the Lazy Boy recliner was his and would not let anyone take his spot. Any who reached toward the dog while he was in the chair would see bared teeth and and get a nasty snarl. Now imagine that is a 120 pound German Shepherd! Someone could get really hurt! The dog might ultimately be put down. It's a situation that can get out of hand and become quite tragic.

So you have to assume command, but how? When we were in school, bullies used to beat up the other kids to show them who was in charge. Everyone was afraid of the bullies and did their best to avoid them. Well, that is definitely not what you want for you and your dog!

There are better ways to stay on top of the org chart while increasing the level of trust and closeness you feel from your dog. Here are some techniques...

Always eat first. Have your meal while your pup is in a down stay near you or at his bed.
When you feed your dog, make him sit and stay first, put the bowl down, then give your dog the release cue to let him come to eat.
Always go through doorways first, then turn and give your dog permission to follow you through.
When opening the door to let the dog out, don't let him barge his way past you. Again make him sit and wait until you have fully opened the door and give the release when you decide.
Same goes for letting the dog back in. Open the door and let the dog pass when you gesture to him that it's OK.
Give tummy rubs, the dog rolling over and exposing his belly to you is a submissive gesture on his part. encourage it.

Don't let it get out of hand, If you do then try reign it back in you might get bitten! Call a pro if your dog becomes more aggressive than you feel safe handling. Be in charge from day one, your dog will be happier and more at ease letting you be the pilot!

Puppy Puzzle Solved!

2007-10-01T11:08:00.000-04:00

SUITEDIGS SOLVES NEW PUPPY NIGHTMARES
New doggie condos equipped with webcams, feeders and bathroom facilities

Pocono Mountains, PA, October 1, 2007 – There has been an exciting development that is sure to create significant demand among those who love dogs! What can it be? An all inclusive dog habitat! In a stroke of pure genius SuiteDigs, Inc. has combined the good old dog crate with the exercise pen and the indoor potty training devices that have been hitting the market lately. The combination creates an indoor canine habitat. Now you can enclose your beloved companion in an escape proof apartment that contains within its boundaries everything your dog needs to be comfortable! (Except you)

Everything? Yes, it’s got everything! A place to sleep, a place to eat and drink, a place to play, and even a separate place to go potty! That’s not all, you can look in on your dog via the internet through a web cam! Then if your pup looks bored, you can dispense a fun toy or yummy, chewy treat to the dog! Then watch the little guy enjoy the treats from your office computer! And the best part? You don’t have to be made of money to afford it!

The way it works is you purchase one or more modules and connect them together. Then you furnish each module to fit its purpose. Put a custom tailored bed in the “bedroom”. Put food and water bowls in the “dining room”. And if you have a young puppy, senior dog, or a rescue dog that needs more frequent potty breaks than you can easily accommodate, you can put house training pads or puppy litter in the “bathroom”.

The intelligent design allows you to stack the modules one atop the other and put in a staircase so the pup can go upstairs to the bedroom or down to the potty. This space saving arrangement takes about as much room as a medium sized fish tank. The suites even incorporate a sliding door so when you are home you can leave the suite open without having to trip over the swung open door!

Put one in the office at work! Keep your dog under control while you need to attend to business matters when the dog can’t come with you!

The materials that make up the suites are the best you can buy. These tough suites are constructed of heavy duty ABS composite, brushed aluminum, and stainless steel. The inventor demonstrates their strength by standing on top of them. He weighs just over 200 pounds!

What does this mean to us puppy lovers? No more chewed up furniture, soiled carpets, and damaged woodwork. It may be cheaper to have the suites than not to. Now you can leave your pup at home and not have to feel guilty about the little guy having to stay in a cramped little box. Or worry that he might get out of the baby gate or exercise pen. Or destroy what ever room you have penned him up in. Problem solved!

Unfortunately for those with large breed dogs, those pups will have to move out by the time he reaches adult size SuiteDigs is only for dogs that fit under its 25 inch high ceiling. But by then, the maturity factor might kick in and you can give you dog free reign. Then sell your suites, you probably will do well. Keep the treat dispenser though, it works without the suite just as well. On the other hand the company does speak custom, so if you want something larger, talk to them.

Go to http://www.suitedigs.com/ to see all the stuff and be sure to click their blog link. There are some great dog training tips!

Puppy Shopping? Don't Support a Puppy Mill!

2007-09-30T20:05:00.000-04:00

So you decided to get a puppy! Congratulations! Be sure you know where it came from. Puppy mills are the most barbaric torture chambers for dogs that you can imagine! They are filthy disease ridden pits! The breeding stock commonly suffer from a multitude of genetic defects that often do not surface until the dog matures to adulthood. That is because the only thing that concerns these breeders is money. Quality of life for their breeding stock or that of the offspring are the last thing on their minds. I see puppy mills on the same level as dog fighting. I considered posting photos from these horrid hell holes, but I won't. I can't bear looking at the neglected dogs in their deplorable cages. If my words do not illustrate the conditions I am trying to describe well enough, go to http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ . I've seen enough.

Gaining first hand knowledge of your puppy's origin guarantees that you are not financially supporting this awful industry. By first hand knowledge I mean FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE FOR CERTAIN! Don't just ask the help at the pet store and accept their answer. Don't be fooled by a fancy web page.

Reputable breeders will not sell puppies to pet stores because they want to be sure the puppy goes to a good home. So search out these breeders. Be prepared to answer many questions the breeder will ask you about the home their puppies will be going to. Be sure to ask the breeder questions to satisfy your standards as well. We'll cover those questions another time. Reputable breeders do commonly have websites, but you must be positive that the breeder you find on the web is the good kind.

If you rescue a dog from a shelter, you are doing a wonderful thing! You are not always going to know the origin of the puppy or dog you adopt. You might get a dog that originated from a puppy mill but it's OK. That dog deserves all the love and compassion any of us do. The difference here is rescue groups do not pay for the dogs that come to them like pet stores do. Therefore no money flows to the puppy mills.

Why Does My Dog...?

2007-09-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

Does your dog perform an annoying behavior like barking at you while your family tries to eat dinner? Does he pull on the leash? Does he jump up on your guests? Learn to think like a trainer!

To get the thought process started, use this fill in the blank statement:

My dog won't stop ____________ing (behavior) because sometimes he gets ___________(thing or activity he needs or wants)

It may be obvious or you may have to really think hard about what he might have gotten in the past that makes this behavior persist.

Here is a partial list in no particular order of the things dogs commonly want, need or instinctivly do:

To eat, to drink, to get a treat, to be with its human, to get attention, (even if it's negative attention some think its better than no attention), to play, to exercise, to chase, to be chased, to investigate new places, to chew, to see others (dogs, people, and animals), to mate, to feel safe, protect its territory, to mark its territory, to protect its toys, to protect its food, to protect its human, to protect itself, to stay warm, to stay cool, to have fun, to get some rest, to belong to a pack, to dominate, to submit, to hunt, to track, to herd, to hide augment, or cover its own scent.

Try filling the second blank in with any of the above items and see if it makes sense to you.

Not on the list: To seek revenge or to spite, be bored, be alone.

Suppose your dog barks at you while you eat. In this case the dog probably has gotten treats and attention in the past as a result of barking. You have to make sure this stops so the barking no longer works for the dog, but it takes patience...

Animal behaviorist B.F. Skinner found that if a chicken randomly discovers that if it pecks at a target and immediately a piece of food would fall into its enclosure, the chicken would repeat the behavior quite frequently. After the chicken is accustomed to pecking the target and receiving food, he rigged the machine to not give food anymore. What is interesting is there would be a flurry of increased target pecking even though no food would come. Only after complete frustration was reached would the chicken finally stop pecking the target. The behavior was then called extinct. The "flurry" was called an extinction burst.

I wonder how often we don't have the patience to outlast the extinction burst. I can say that making the food come out to the chicken randomly during the extinction burst strengthens the behavior of target pecking and makes future extinction bursts last longer.

So if you sometimes give in and give the dog attention when he barks you will strengthen the behavior.

The good news is the same strategy can be turned to our advantage when we are training our dogs to do something we want them to do. It has to do with how often you give the reward. Those who think you always have to give your dog a treat every time he does what you ask are simply wrong. The only time you need to do that is during the original teaching of the behavior. After that, one treat in five to ten acts of the behavior works better. It strengthens the behavior and makes it more extinction proof.

Why Are Dogs So Important?

2007-09-28T09:45:00.001-04:00

I was recently in a conversation with someone who never had a companion dog. She was interested in getting her first pup but wanted to know what makes people so crazy for these particular animals. I told her that I can't speak for everyone, but when I really dwell on the whole concept of "dog" I think...

Dogs save us. They pull us out of avalanches. They find us among the rubble of disasters. They save us when we are drowning. They will take a snakebite for a toddlers. They have pulled our loads. They have put food on our tables. They have tended our flocks. Dogs protect our homes. They put smiles on our faces when we are in the hospital or nursing home. They are our arms and legs when we are paralysed. They lead us when we are blind. They can warn an epileptic before they will experience a seizure. They find our lost children and escaped convicts. They find bombs and drugs. And they can smell your cancer.

When they are not voluntarily helping us survive they are our constant companion. I have never known another animal that craves me like my dog does. It makes me feel good about me. It truly is unconditional love. Unconditional as in no conditions. They don't care what kind of car you drive, what kind of job you have, what kind of house you live in, what kind of clothes you wear, how much money you make, what color you are, what you look like, or even what you smell like. Its where the saying "The more people I meet, the more I like my dog!" comes from.

Corrections and Punishing Your Dog

2007-09-27T08:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a controversial subject. Much has been learned since our ancestors rolled up newspapers to whack the family dog. In more recent years "all positive dog training" has made it's mark on the dog training scene.

Positive dog training theory is that you can train any desired behavior through rewarding the dog for doing it. (nothing new there) And for any misbehavior, you ignore it and it will eventually stop. If ignoring it doesn't work, interrupt it and redirect it to some other activity. What is new is... purely positive training allows no aversives of any kind be administered to the dog. My pendulum has not swung quite that far, but close, very close.

Why not beat your dog? It seemed to work when the old timers did it. The theory is that you can cause fear and aggression within your dog making him less of a companion. I do remember the family dogs seemed to like to play with us kids, and kinda' steered clear of the adults. As kids we never punished the dogs, that was the old folks territory. As a young adult, I too would punish my dog as I had seen done in my childhood. I soon regretted doing it as the dog's attitude toward me changed. I lost the closeness with him. The dog was cautious around me and seemed more distant. He didn't seem as happy and I had to really show playful signals just to get a little tentative wag from his tail. Times have changed and so have I.

Here is a common scenario: A man comes home and upon walking in is mobbed by his loving dog who has waited for his master for nine and a half hours. After the lavishly happy greeting subsides the man smells something. "What's that smell?" he asks the dog. He knows it's poop. He looks around and sees it there on the carpet by the side door. "Why you little S.O.B.!" He grabs the dog's collar and drags his dog, four legs skidding and digging in, to the scene and stuffs his nose right in it! Then for the next 30 seconds he hits and smacks the dog with uncontrolled rage while the dog yelps in fear and pain! Then the man drags the dog to the side door and kicks the dog outside. He then stands there and proceeds to yell a few more profanities at the dog before slamming the door. He makes the dog stay outside for an extended time. The dog scratches at the door to come back in but is told "No!" repeatedly. When the man finally lets the dog back in, the dog cowers and slips past the man trying to avoid him. "Yea you better stay away, you filthy mutt!" The man says.

Day 2. The man walks in and the dog is standing, somewhat cowering, several feet away. The man's expression upon entering is pensive, wondering if there is any poop like the day before. He is hoping that the dog has learned his lesson. He squints at the fearful dog and interprets his cowering posture as guilt. "Why do you look so guilty? I hope you don't have anything to hide..." He takes a sniff, he senses there is something not right. "Please don't let it be..." he says to himself. He peers around the corner to where the accident happened the day before. And there it is again... POOP! He looks back at the dog with that angry face from the day before. The dog turns and slinks away. "You did it again!" "And you know you did it!" "Look at your guilty ass!" "You spiteful little mutt!" He chases the dog until he is cornered, then the beating begins. This time harder than last. The dog is nearly injured.

Sad isn't it. What the man does not understand is that dogs don't reason the way humans do. If a parent walks in on a human child and finds the child doing his homework but there is a open cookie jar and cookie crumbs all over the child's face. As two humans, it is easy for the parent to establish to the child that they are proud of the child having done their studies but the child was wrong to get into the cookies. The human child can understand through common speech and human reasoning that the parent likes the studying but not the cookie stealing. Not so with a dog. We humans cannot separate out what the dog did wrong for the dog. Even sticking his nose in it does not get the point across. I have even heard it said that the dog might even interpret being shown the mess as where you want the dog to defecate! It is impossible to know exactly what a dog is thinking. So don't even try. All one can do is measure observable behaviors.

From the dog's point of view (and this is only one theory based on the dog's response to the punishment) here is what the dog's thought process might be: I was wondering if my pack leader on whom my life depends will ever come back. I have been worried sick to the point my stomach felt pain. All at once he returned! Thank god! I was so happy to see him and at first he was happy to see me too. But something I did suddenly made him very angry! I can't be sure what I did that was so wrong. I jumped up and down and licked his face, barked a few times but I always do that. I thought he liked that. But for what ever reason he suddenly gave me this terrifying look and choked my neck as he drug my body all around. then he rubbed my nose in some poop, then he attacked me and beat me, then he expelled me from the pack to be alone and vulnerable. I felt unprotected and afraid for my life. I wanted to get back to our territory but the door would not open as before. Finally the door opened and my pack leader did not seem to want me but I came back to our pack's territory anyway being sure to avoid my pack leader. The next day I was alone in our territory as happens a lot. I never like being alone but this time I was not sure I was looking forward to my leader's return. When he finally arrived, he didn't seem happy, I stayed away and did nothing like I did the time before. I didn't run to him or jump up and lick his face or bark or anything. It didn't work, he beat me harder than the last time. Those hands the humans have really hurt! He beat me and gave me frightening looks of hatred. His growls and barks were most fierce. among other things, he did that poop smear thing to me again. Then he pushed me out of our territory. I can't trust my leader, he is unpredictable and dangerous. You never know when he will become aggressive. Out of the blue, it seems like he will just come after me. Later that night, one of the little ones approached me with a hand up and I almost bit him to keep him from beating me. Maybe this is where I am supposed to find a new pack. I wish I knew what I did or what I can do to make it better.

Now fear and aggression enters the dog's life. Make room at the shelter, if the poor dog in the above story has enough survival instinct, someone's gettin' bit. And its all just a big misunderstanding.

You see how wrong we might be. We can't be sure how another species interprets our actions. The best thing the man could do when he first found the poop is to clean it up with an enzyme cleaner and reward the dog for pooping outside next time it happens.

You see, dogs only seem to relate punishment and reward with what is happening now this minute. If you catch the dog in the act of pooping, I mean mid log pooping, and you corrected him at that instant, you will probably succeed in getting the dog to understand that you hate seeing him poop there. The keys words there are seeing and there. You can't even be sure that the dog will understand that you want him to poop outside, he might think you just hate seeing it. So next time he'll be sure to do it when you are not looking, like in another room. Or he might think that you don't like it in that spot but any where else would be OK. It is far more effective to catch the dog doing something right and reward him. When is the last time you really rewarded the dog for going where he is supposed to? And what kind of reward are we talking here? A nice treat or just "attaboy... let's go..." Or even worse, "Finally dammit!" actually showing some displeasure.

Punishment is a phenomenon found among plants and animals, so you can call it natural. Plants are not known for cognitive ability but they have thorns and poisons that do punish other beings. We know them as defenses, they evolved over time. Plants also have rewards like nectar to advance their reproductive cause albeit on an unconscious level. Alpha male and female wolves use punishment and reward to maintain pack order. So is it ever OK? I'd say so but with some rules. Only when in the act of the crime and only lightly and briefly.

If you watch a wolf give an aversive to another pack member, it is very brief and normally stops when the lesser wolf submits. In the example above the man kept on beating the dog long after the point of submission. There is very little if any real biting going on in the wolf pack. Most of the pack's behavior is posturing and thereby avoids physical punishments. Also the wolves only give punishment in real time. not for something that happened hours ago. The man in the above story was punishing the dog for something that happened too long ago for the dog to put it together as we would. Lastly, the wolves' punishments happen around the neck area.

So what would a good correction look like? During the act of the "crime", anything from ignoring the dog thereby denying him the attention he craves, to a stern look, a sharp "No", and in extreme cases, a quick fingertip poke using two or three fingers as if they were "teeth" to the dogs neck with just enough force that you would need to tip a glass of water over. Or if on leash, a light jerk and release. All simultaneously lasting about half a second.

The positive purists might disagree but there are some behaviors that dogs do that give them gratification but really get under our skin. Like marking territory in the house. When a dog lifts his leg and pees on the couch, he is doing something he wants to do. Its self rewarding. So ignoring the dog during this behavior will not stop it. It requires at least a sharp "No!" and interruption.

Pulling on the leash is another hard to ignore behavior. Here you can use treats to keep the dog beside you, but light leash corrections greatly speed the process of training to walk with a loose leash. To me its like the child's game of hot and cold. Directing someone by telling them they are getting warmer as they near a target and colder as they start to go the wrong direction is probably a little quicker than just using the word warmer alone. With dogs doubly so. As long as your corrections are a communication and not a punishment. If it were punishment the game is no longer fun and nor dog or human would want to play. When it comes to training you want your dog to play!

Technology Forum

2007-09-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Hi there folks!

I published this posting for the primary purpose of providing a forum by which we can attempt to answer your questions about the technology end of the SuiteDigs line of products. Please post a comment here, and since we will be monitoring this blog, we (as well as other savvy users out there) will attempt to give you the information you are seeking.

- Steve

Teach your dog to come on command! (Presented in fine detail!)

2007-09-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Teaching the come command is one of the most important if not the most important commands to teach your dog. If your dog ever gets loose and starts off toward traffic or is likely to get just plane lost, you will have to have a strong come command or "recall" to prevent disaster. This is a lesson that can begin as soon as your puppy comes home at 8 or 9 weeks old. It is actually an advantage to do it then because you can still outrun your pup if he goes astray during training. As a matter of fact, this is the time when you can show your dog that you can out run him and catch him at will so he better listen! My largest dog "Smoke" can run 35 to 40 MPH but still thinks I can out run him! If you are working with an older dog, use a leash and a long rope about 30 feet long is good for this exercise.

Start with teaching the dog his name. Dogs don't identify with their names like we do. Rather it's a signal that you, the pack leader, is about to give a command, so pay attention. When you say the dogs name, say it in a firm but non threatening tone. A tone that will allow for a range of volume so that you can say the name in normal voice for indoor use or you can shout it across a field without significantly changing the sound of the name so the dog will always recognize your signal to him.

Here are some tips for names by the way... Choose a name with 1 or 2 syllables that ends in a vowel sound. It helps the dog recognize our alien speech pattern. My dog's name is "Ironmaster's Fire Up The Grill" or "Smoke" for short. But day in and day out, it's just plain "Mo". When I draw out the O sound at the end, it makes his recall sound like a wolf's howl, which is how wolves call each other over vast distances. And if you haven't read any material on how our domestic dogs still posses many traits from their wolf ancestry, read up! It will give you many insights as to your pet dog's behavior. Any vowel will work A,E,I,O,U, or Y.

Now that you have thought of a name to signal your up coming commands,wait for a time when the pup is alert, has not eaten for a while so he is a little hungry (it make s the treats that much more appealing) and at a time when he has recently gone potty. Be sure you are relaxed and in a good mood as well. Your dog is very perceptive and can read the slightest twitch of your facial muscles even the ones you don't know about. So be sure you are in a positive frame of mind. Position your dog in front of you in a confined space with no distractions and be quiet for a minute. Try to corral yourself and the puppy in a small space like a lit closet but where there is nothing fun for him to do or interesting for him to see. Sit down and keep your back to the wall or in a corner. Have a small quantity of treats ready. Its OK if he wanders around a bit but he stays in reach and cannot get behind you. If this space is not easy to find, use a collar and leash to keep the dog in your grasp, but find a corner so he can't get behind you. Sit on the end of the leash so your hands are free.

Do nothing briefly to let a little boredom set in, then say the dog's name in a firm but non threatening way. As soon as the dog looks at you, give him a high value treat. What do I mean by a high value treat? Something he really likes!! Not some lame piece of kibble, I mean something special! Like meat! But not a big piece. just enough that he is finished eating it in one second. Giving a dog something that takes too much time to consume breaks the rhythm of the training. Also don't use anything crumbly because the crumbs become a distraction and the dog won't pay attention to you when he is sniffing all around for crumbs. There is a special way to give the treat also. Put the treat in the palm of your hand and have it there in advance so you can give it to the dog immediately when he does the behavior. As soon as the dog looks at you in response to you saying his name, give him the treat. Timing is everything!

Use both hands to give the treat. Have the treat in the slightly cupped palm of one hand and the other hand, palm down, hovering 3 or 4 inches over the treat. When the puppy takes the treat from the one palm, his head is between your hands, like a puppy head sandwich! Your other hand is automatically in position to pat him on the head. It's better than treating with one hand because the first time you substitute a pat on the head for a treat, you are coming at him with high hand descending down to his head instead of a underhand motion coming up with a treat. The difference usually makes the dog back up so he can keep his eyes and nose focused on your hand in order to find the treat. You are trying to reach behind his ears to give him physical praise and the farther you reach, the farther back the dog's head goes until he backs up completely and it just results in confusion.

When I say pat on the head I really mean a good scratch behind the ears, and rub his neck, and love him up good, but very briefly. So at first give the treat and pat on the head with lots of praise! This technique makes it easy for you to decide in the future weather to give a treat or just a pat on the head. Either way you use the two hand method so the dog never knows what he will get. Then say his name again, as soon as he looks at you, give him the treat and pat on the head. Keep doing this for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then take a break. Don't make your training sessions too long. Puppies have a short attention span and small stomachs that might get upset with too many treats. In stage 2 you will give the treat 2 out of three times that the dog gives you the correct behavior. First time give a treat, second time just a pat on the head, third time a treat. You eventually wean the pup from getting a treat every time. Face it, you cannot carry treats with you all the time.

I find that for most behaviors dogs seem to weigh the odds of a treat or reward stemming from a behavior based on it's historical frequency. No really, I saw Smoke with a calculator figuring the probability!! (just kidding of course) But your dog does have a sense that tells him "If I do this behavior sometimes it results in some degree of pleasure for me". So he always does it even if it does not always pay off as hoped. The trick for the owner is to know what that interval is and stay inside it. Also recognize that food treats are not the only payoff. Just plain old attention is a great reward! Attention can be a pat on the head, throw a ball, a quick game of tug, what ever you find your dog likes that is available at the time. Typically food treats are used to begin training because it is the briefest and timeliest way to give the highest value reward.

If at any time during the training the dog does not look at you when you say his name, tug his leash or poke him and get him to look at you. Always be gentle and playful. Training should always be fun for you and your dog. Don't yell, whack or choke your dog! Believe me if you do you will teach your dog to fear you and seek to avoid your company!

There is such a thing a as corrections, we will get into that another time. For now I'll say don't use corrections in the process of teaching a dog to do some thing new like respond to his name, use corrections (properly) to teach him not to do something that he finds self rewarding like scent marking in the house. There are rules here too so don't try it until you know the rules!

Once you have the dog responding to his name by looking at you, you can move on to the recall command. Get a friend to help you. Sit in a hallway so the dog has no choice but to stay between you and your friend. Sit about 4 feet apart with the dog between you. If there is no hallway available, use a long leash with one of you sitting on the handle end. Make sure there are no distractions. Both people have treats ready and use the two handed treat presentation I described above. Which ever handler has the dog farthest away, say the dog's name. The dog should look at that handler. That's good, give a treat and pat on the head just for that. Even though that handler was the most distant from the dog he can still reach the dog because both handlers are only 4 feet apart even if the dog did not move closer to that handler. We just re-established the name recognition. Next which ever handler is closest to the dog, says the dog's name in a firm but not intimidating voice followed by the command "Come!" in the same tone. (you can use any command you like in any language you like especially if you are training the dog only to come to you or those you trust who know the secret commands) But be consistent. Don't alternate between "Come" and "Com'ere" and "here boy", pick one command and stick to it. The dog should look at that handler but doesn't have to move because he is already there! See, he did it! Treat and pat on the head and praise lavishly. Fun isn't it. Now the other handler's turn. The other handler says "Dog's name, Come" The command follows the dogs name immediately. If the dog so much as looks at that handler, that handler will show the treat, pat on the head and praise while using the treat to draw the pup closer to him. Then the other handler who calls the dog waits for the look from the dog then praises and draws the dog near. Gradually increase the distance between the handlers until the dog is crossing the length of the available space. Be careful as you expand the training area as the number of distractions increase. As you increase the training distance you may not realize that you now have included an old sock, a tennis ball, the TV remote, and the potato chip someone dropped under the couch that needs to be investigated, into the new larger training area. Don't get down on the dog if things start to unravel. He only has two more weeks to see and investigate everything, so given the opportunity, he has to check everything out to be a balanced dog. Blame yourself for providing a distracting environment. Back up, move closer together, remove the distractions and keep practicing until the dog associates the word come with a reward provided he comes to collect it.

Then play hide and seek. Have one handler hold the dog while the other handler hides. The handler that is hiding should be the one with whom the dog has the closest relationship. Normally the dog is eager to get back with that person and is struggling to get away. The hiding handler is not far away and there is a scent trail pointing right to him so the pup will not take long to find his master. Peek out from your hiding place so the dog can see half your body and say "the dog's name, Come!" At that instant the holding handler releases the dog who races to find his master. Treat, pat and praise. Repeat using greater distances and more challenging hiding spots. Remember as the days and weeks of short practice sessions continue, cut down on the food treats and rely more on the physical praise.

You have just laid the groundwork for all training to follow. Good Job! But I should warn you of one common mistake dog owners make. Suppose your dog runs off. You call him and tell him to come but he doesn't come right away. You start to get mad, it's natural. Finally what ever distracted him goes away and he decides to come back to you. You are angry that he ignored you the first 10 times you called him. Finally on the 11th call he comes back. Give him praise. Yes, that is what I said, tell him he is a good boy! Don't scold your dog when he comes back to you. All your dog can comprehend is how the last thing he did resulted in his praise or punishment. You do not have the ability to tell your dog that you are happy that he came back but you are mad that before that he was misbehaving. All he will get from punishing him now is that you were somehow mad about the last thing he did. He learns not to come when called. You missed the opportunity to correct him, it's all over. Praise him for coming, go back to recall training and practice again once you are calmed down.

Take your dog to work! 2

2007-09-26T08:03:00.000-04:00

More and more people are bringing their dogs to work. Employers recognize the advantage they get through having a staff that is happier, less stressed, and more fulfilled while on the job. Dogs adapt easily to the office environment, curling up in a corner of a cubicle or office and napping between work breaks and lunches. Or some dogs like to go visiting from employee to employee collecting affection from and spreading happiness on each stop on the tour.

Sadly for some, not all dogs are great office workers. Young puppies, poorly socialized dogs, and dogs that cling to their masters, are a handful, make to much distraction and wear out their welcome. There are times when a dog seems aggressive toward other dogs or people. Some dogs jump up on visitors, or steal co worker's lunch. Still other dogs have too much energy. There are times when the dog has to stay behind while the master takes a client to lunch but shouldn't have run of the whole office.

Gladly for all, any of these problems can be solved through simple training. And one great training tool is SuiteDigs indoor canine habitat. The suite modules are 25" high allowing them to fit under any work surface. Or stack two suites against a wall allowing the dog twice as much room as is taken by the suite. Best of all, the suite looks professional. The suite allows you to maintain control of your pup while he is learning proper office edicate. The suite contains everything your dog might need like a place to sleep, a separate place to eat and drink and a place to go potty, so the owner can relax and focus on their work knowing fido is close and under control. See http://www.suitedigs.com/

Indoor potty training. The time has come.

2007-09-25T07:59:00.000-04:00

Cat owners have been doing it for years. In fact, of all the pets in the world, dogs are the only kind of pet that people commonly take outside to do their business. Taking the dog outside to go potty is often inconvenient. Think about the times when its pouring rain, or those miserable snowy, sleeting, windy days. The dog has to go when he has to go no matter what. What if your dog starts whining at the door in the middle of the night or at 4:30 AM? Many dogs learn to whine at the door as if they need to go just so we let them out so they can investigate some new noise, or to visit a neighbor's dog, chase a cat, or just because it's fun to fool the stupid human. Dog's are smart and often its the human who gets trained. I was a victim of that one. As soon as I tell the dog "No, you don't need to go out!" is when I'll find out he has an upset stomach and diarrhea. And that is the worst kind of mess to clean up.

Still one more scenario is when the dog is back at home alone and the owner who is at work has to come home daily at set times (like lunch break) to let the dog out. From time to time, something comes up where the owner cannot get home on time. Either something came up at work, they got an irresistible lunch offer, there is a traffic jam, the car won't start, or what ever... who wants to worry about that? Besides, Its costly, what ever your commute expense is... double it. Let's not mention the added traffic and pollution, besides aren't you supposed to relax at lunch time? Enter the dog walker. They don't work for free. And are they reliable? Do they not also suffer from the same delays and emergencies that we all do? Of course they do.

Then there is the city dweller. Are they supposed to get up and race to the elevator every time their puppy has to go? Please! You just got out of the shower and there is your dog at the door looking like he needs to go. Quick! You have less than a minute to dress, throw on some shoes, grab a leash, pooper scooper, the dog, don't forget the keys, lock the door wait for the elevator, so you can stand out on the street with your wet hair in cold, wet, weather with no real guarantee that spot even really has to go! Suppose he does go. If he pees its kinda smelly for everyone else. If he poops you have to pick it up. It's a little gross and somewhat undignified but you love your pet and you do it with a positive attitude so onlookers wont risk snickering and being themselves seen as petty. Now you make your best effort to give your dog a sincere praising for not messing in the apartment. Pick up the poop and dispose of it. Take up the leash or the dog and your poop smeared pooper scooper and head back up the elevator. Hopefully there is no one else on the elevator 'cause you are in no mood to be seen by anyone. Get back in the apartment, dry your wet dog, clean the pooper scooper then resume your life. Whew!

I live in the country. I have lost two dogs to passers by on my little country lane. So I fenced in my yard, I'm still the only one in my area that has their dogs in a fenced yard. That was expensive. and I hate pulling the weeds that grow around the fence because I can no longer mow the grass where the fence line runs.

Just train the dog to go indoors. The dog should have continuous access to a place to go potty where it is OK to go potty in the comfort and privacy of your own home. You do! Use the puppy pads that are on the market now, they are absorbent, leak proof, and have odor controllers. If your dog likes to shread the pads, use the puppy litter like Purina's second nature puppy litter. Designate a place and teach the dog to use it. Wouldn't is be great if your dog's crate was connected to another crate where it was OK to go potty? This is a feature of SuiteDigs indoor canine habitats. See http://www.suitedigs.com/ With SuiteDigs, you dog has his own "habitat" that contains everything he needs, a comfortable, safe, "den" to sleep in, a place to eat and drink and a place to go potty. The potty module has puppy pads or litter in it and you teach the dog to go on the pads or in the litter. The dog learns to go only on the pads or litter through "surface association". Its a process of elimination. (pardon the pun) Dogs have a natural instinct not to go potty near where they eat or near their bed. So if you had two suite modules one could have a bed and food and water bowls, (no room to potty here) and the other had nothing but puppy pads or litter and a little piece from the last pad or litter for scent purposes, it is easy to teach the dog to go in the correct suite module. You will have to do some training here as with any housebreaking routine. We'll cover the actual training techniques in another article.

Now you can put your dog in his suite when you go to work confident that there will be no mishaps in your home of any kind. No amount of chewing, peeing, pooping, clawing, vomiting, will damage your stuff. If you are unavoidably detained, no worries! Your dog has everything he needs, he and you will be OK! When you are home, You can leave the doors to the suites open because SuiteDigs and only SuiteDigs has a patent pending sliding door so you don't have to avoid a door that is hinged to swing out into your living space. It saves space and you don't have to worry that you or one of your family, friends, or guests will tear their clothes on or have a painful encounter with the swung open door. That way your dog has continuous access to food, water, bed and potty while you are home as well.

You are not off the hook for walking your dog daily though. You and your dog need it and benefit from it. Not exercising your dog will bring a host of other issues. Not exercising you will bring on a host of issues. Go! Get out! Walk! It's fun! At least now that your dog can go either way you take the drudgery out of it.

Now life is good, you and your dog can relax because some of the biggest pet dog issues are positively solved!

Tip for bringing the new puppy home

2007-09-24T13:02:00.000-04:00

When you bring your new puppy home for the first time, It can be a stressful event for the pup. After all, everything familiar is gone. The bed he is used to, his litter mates, the smells and sounds of the breeder's place. One thing you can do is leave a stuffed squeaky toy with the breeder a week before the actual go home date. The breeder can let the puppies play with the toy and fill it with the scents of their world. The key is not to leave the toy with the litter too long or it will get more than familiar scents, It will get down right gross! The breeder will know what to do to get the desired effect. Then when you take the puppy home there is at least one thing that looks, smells, tastes, feels, and sounds familiar to comfort your new youngster.

Is your dog bored while at home alone?

2007-09-23T13:11:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder what your dog does while you are gone? Not much. The toys you left him in the morning are old news by mid morning.

Why not get a SuiteDigs internet controlled toy and treat dispenser? It lets you go on the internet any time and release a toy or yummy treat to your pet back at home. Use it with a web cam to see all the excitement. Can you picture being at the office and being able to go on the web and see live streaming video of your beloved companion reciving a toy or treat from the dispenser you have placed either on the SuiteDigs indoor canine habitat or in your living room? You will feel so much better knowing you can give your pet some much needed mental stimulation and exercise during those long boring days at home alone. You will also be able to see all is well in your absence.

The stainless steel design allows up to three dispenses between reloadings. The cargo bays are large over 100 cubic inches each so you can stuff them with some really fon toys and some really yummy treats! And the dispenser separates for easy cleaning.

Take your dog to work!

2007-09-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

Want to take your dog to work? Afraid that he will be too much distraction? Afraid you will have a pee or poop mess in your office? Need to be able to go to lunches and meetings where your dog cannot go?

Get a SuiteDigs indoor canine habitat for the office! It's a great place for your little guy to stay when you are too busy to supervise him. It looks great and takes very little space. This bi-level has a stairway so your pup can go upstairs or down giving him twice as much space as you have taken up in your office.

Go to http://www.suitedigs.com/ for more info.

Puppy problem solutions

2007-09-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

What do you do with your puppy when you have to leave him home for several hours? You can't leave him in his crate, he can't hold it that long and he will be forced to soil his bedding. You can't give him run of the house, he is too young, you haven't had time to teach him what he can and can't chew on. Its too dangerous for him and he will probably destroy something expensive. Not to mention the mess, You don't want your house to smell like pee and poop. You can't leave him outside, he might find a way to escape or worse he could be stolen. Stolen dogs are sometimes used to train fighting dogs! You can't let that happen! He will be bored while you are gone and puppies love to chew. If you put him in the laundry room or kitchen he may chew the cabinets, scratch the wood door and trim. Your friend can come and check him for you but he can't stay the whole time. Day care is expensive, and you don't know if you can trust the day care to keep sick or aggressive dogs away from your dog.

The solution is the SuiteDigs indoor canine habitat.

What is an indoor canine habitat? It is a place for your companion dog to live while you are away during the day. What makes it a habitat? It is a habitat because it provides for all the needs of it's occupant, your dog. The dog can snooze in the bedroom section, eat and drink in the dining room section, and if the need arises, can answer natures call in the bathroom section. But he cannot get out until you come home. The sections are purchased separately and you can connect them side to side, front to back or stack them up to form a multi-level apartment with a stairway to access each "floor". Think of it, room to move about and stairs to climb, it's a little like exercise.

How can it work? Won't my puppy pee and poop in any section? Not usually, dogs are born with an instinctive aversion to pee and poop. The are taught in the litter to do it away from the sleeping and eating areas. So for a dog living in the suites it's a process of elimination. (pardon the pun) If you don't want to go potty in the bed or near the food and water bowl the only place left is the area where there is absorbent puppy training pads on the floor. You can leave a small piece of soiled padding in the potty section to help stimulate the puppy to eliminate in the potty section. There is some training needed and it van vary from dog to dog but if there is an accident it will be in the dog's house not yours.

Now you are free! Free do do your shopping and other errands where dogs are not allowed without worrying about your beloved pet's safety. You don't have to worry that your pet is chewing the house apart. You don't have to worry that your house will be covered in pee and poop. (and hair for that matter)

Go to www.suitedigs.com for more info.