Worth the Read?

Worth the Read?
By Melissa Warner
Publication: FrontPageMilwaukee.com
Issue Date: October 1, 2007
Section: Review
Word Count: 655

Worth the Read?

Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs

Living with a hyper dog is quite the experience. At times it is so stressful you wonder why you are bothering. Sometimes it even feels like training is pointless because you are getting no where. I know from personal experience, Kirby, who is part Coonhound and part Beagle, joined our family just over a year ago.

Kirby is quite the handful. I cannot tell you how many pairs of socks, shirts, newspapers and books Kirby has chewed up in the last year. He constantly wants to play and sleeps no more than three hours at a time. After cleaning up all the toys he has destroyed and all the paper he ripped up at the end of the day, angry thoughts cross my mind, but then I look at my cute little guy wagging his back end at me, and realize all the terror is worth it.

After reading Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs (Howell Book House, 2007) by Amy Ammen and Kitty Foth-Regner I feel that I understand my dog better and have been exposed to not only new, but creative activities and training to share with my dog.

Ammen and Foth-Regner’s book is an incredibly user friendly handbook teaching you how to live with hyper dogs. It is organized in a chronological fashion beginning with how to recognize if your dog is hyper. Once you determine if your dog is hyper, the authors explain various tools and techniques to use with the different sized breeds to deal with the dog’s personality.

The authors explain how to gain the most important part of all training and relationships with dogs- communication. There are various stages and techniques used to do this which are clearly demonstrated through words and pictures. Some of the techniques are obvious, like basic obedience training, and other techniques are more complex.

After you gain control the following chapter offers great ideas to help your hyper dog release energy. A few of the ideas are not original; however, some of them are quite creative. Exercise is a given, but it’s more than just exercising your animal, it’s adding an intense element to the exercise you do. For example instead of walking your dog, go for a bike ride with your dog in tow.

One of my favorite ideas was playing kickball with your dog. It’s a great way to avoid touching a wet, drool filled ball. Another original idea was playing Hide and Seek with your dog. It’s an excellent way to test their listening skills and wear them out at the same time.

Following exercise and playtime, or at the end of the day, there are many suggestions on how to relax your dog. Grooming your dog and petting/massaging your dog are a few suggestions. There are even items like lines of oils specially geared to settle down your dog.

Not only is important to physically relax your dog, but it is important to have a soothing environment. The authors propose ways to arrange your home not only to make it hyper dog-friendly, but also ways to avoid situations like separation anxiety. I found these suggestions most helpful.

Kirby hates staying home by himself, when I leave he starts howling and continues to howl until I return. In this situation the authors suggest you give your dog a tasty treat before you leave. When I did this, he was distracted as I left the house, there was no howling.

Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs is written clear and simple. The pictures and graphics make it very comprehensible. The instructions are not too vague or too detailed and they are organized by chapters so information is easy to find.

Unlike many other obedience books, this book is truly full of new ideas to create an even closer bond with your animal.

Ammen and Foth-Regner’s have successfully created an effective manual for many dog owners.

Back to School

Back To School

Publication: milwaukeedoglovers.com

Date: September 2007

Word Count: 621

Picking the best obedience school for your dog is not an easy decision. There are a few factors most people do not consider. To begin, it is important to recognize what kind of training you are looking for.

The most common type of training is obedience. Obedience training is basic commands, housebreaking, walking on a leash, teaching your dog how to properly act.

Another type of training is competition. Dogs compete in many activities such as flyball and agility games. Agility training is teaching your dog to follow commands through an obstacle course. Whereas flyball is a sport where dogs race across hurdles to catch a tennis ball that drops from a box.

The competition courses teach you how to train your dog to communicate during such activities. Both forms of training share the need for a trusting master/dog relationship.

In order to decide what training and what school is appropriate it is important to recognize specific characteristics in your dog. There are specific classes and trainers who work with dogs who are timid, aggressive or hyper. Classes are often divided by age as well.

“You should pick a school where you are working with your dog, not someone else,” Patti Muraczewski, owner of For Pet’s Sake, said. “Training is about the relationship you create.”

In the Milwaukee area there are a variety of obedience schools to choose from. One of the most well known establishments is the Milwaukee Dog Training Club. The club originated in 1929 and is the oldest training club in the Midwest. The Milwaukee Dog Training Club offers training in obedience and competition. All the classes are led by dog enthusiast instructors. Not only are instructors dog enthusiasts, but the club is certified by the American Kennel Club and follows all training is based on their guidelines. All dogs- purebred or mixed breed- ages six months and older are welcome.

Another trainer in the Milwaukee area is Chas Rooney. Rooney has been training dogs for 22 years. Over that time period he has trained over 7,000 animals. He believes hands on training is the best way to train dogs. “Most people show you to train your dog,” Rooney said. “You do not get physically involved with your dog.” Rooney is much different. He works one on one with you and your dog, guaranteeing results.

The “Duh Method” is what Rooney bases his training off of. “You do something wrong, watch me to see what you’re doing wrong and say ‘duh,’ realizing what you need to change,” he said. In his sessions he works with real life distractions like toys and balls because it is realistic. Classes begin at $195.

Perhaps the most well known training school is For Pet’s Sake out of Muskego. Patti Muraczewski began training dogs over 25 years ago. Muraczewski belongs to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, only 236 trainers belong to this. Her company is located in Muskego but provides classes at locations all over Southeastern Wisconsin. Like other training companies, For Pet’s Sake offers training in obedience and competition.

Using reward-based training, all instructors work with dogs and dog owners to gain control and communication with your dog. For Pet’s Sake specializes in shy dogs, even offering social events like puppy parties.

For more information visit these Web sites:

For Pet’s Sake: http://www.forpetssake.cc/

Milwaukee Dog Training Club http://www.milwaukeedog.com/

Chas Rooney: http://www.dogsbestfriend.net/

MilwaukeeDogLovers.com recommends that you do plenty of research on your own prior to selecting a training class. Bottom line: you have to be comfortable with the way you train your dog.

Melissa Warner is a student and freelance writer who attends the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She lives in New Berlin with her black lab, Rocky, (pictured)and Coonhound/Beagle, Kirby.