5 tips to welcome a new dog into your family

Wisconsin humane societies and pet rescues all over the state are emptying out as people are taking the Safer At Home order as an opportunity to adopt new pets. Welcoming a new pet into your home can be such a fun and exciting experience for the entire family. It can also become overwhelming if you don’t have a plan in place to teach your new dog appropriate household behaviors. Here are five tips to make sure that your dog will be a happy and healthy member of your family.

  1. Start a routine right away. Your new dog is going through a lot of changes right now. Help ease their stress by making their day predictable with consistent bedtimes, playtimes, and boundaries in the home.
  2. Don’t assume a dog at any age is fully potty trained. Even a fully potty-trained dog can have accidents under stress. Make sure you let your puppy outside 30 minutes after eating or drinking, and one hour for older dogs. Most importantly, don’t get mad at your dog for having an accident. Instead, take them outside quickly and show them where they can go potty.
  3. Crate train your new dog. The crate is a great place for your dog to relax and recharge in their own space. Crate training your dog will be helpful for having guests over, traveling to pet-friendly hotels, and sleeping peacefully through the night.
  4. Supervise your dog’s free time. There are so many new and exciting sights and smells in your home, and your dog is going to want to explore them all! Until you know how your dog will treat your belongings, don’t leave them unattended. They need to be taught that your jacket is not a chew toy, and that the new rug isn’t a substitute for going potty outside.
  5. Start slow and give your dog time to adjust. As we’ve said, joining a new home is a lot to process. Your new dog will need time to adjust to your routines, your family, and your expectations. Be patient and allow them time to warm up to their new surroundings without forcing new experiences on them.

It can be so rewarding to bring a new dog into your home. Help your new family member adjust to your home by taking things slow and allowing them time to understand appropriate household behaviors.

If you have any questions on how to implement these tips or any other strategies, please reach out to us at 608-561-3314 or info@copperridgetraining.com. We are here to help make this a smooth transition for your family!

Teach Your Dog to Sit Pretty

This is a more advanced trick that needs to be taken slowly. For the “Sit Pretty” command, we’re asking your dog to sit in an upright position on its hind legs only. This takes a lot of muscle strength and stability that your dog needs to develop in order to hold this position safely. Take your time between each step and make sure that your dog is safely performing the command before moving on to the next step.

This command should not be taught to young puppies as they are still developing and this would be too tough on their growing bodies.

Trick Training – Spin Command

Are you looking for something new to do this weekend? Trick training is such a great way to build a relationship with your dog while keeping them mentally engaged and moving around. Take your time at each phase of this video and make sure that your dog understands what you’re asking of it before moving to the next step. If you notice your dog getting confused or frustrated, slow down, go back a step, and try again. With patience and repetition, this will soon become a favorite trick for both of you!

Structure Leads to Sanity

Dogs are creatures of habit. When your dog has a clear and consistent routine, it allows them to relax because they know:
a) what will come next in their day,
b) that you have control over the situation, and
c) that they do not need to worry about their day.
With structure, you can have a calm and relaxed dog. Without it, you can expect chaos, anxious energy, and problem behaviors.

So how do we create structure for our dogs, especially when everyone’s routines are inconsistent right now? Go back to your normal daily routine before the Safer At Home order was put in place. If your dog was crated while you went to work, start doing so again while you’re home. If you would come home for a lunch walk, start doing a midday walk again. If you used to practice some training in the evenings, start adding in a few minutes each day. If you let your dog run crazy through the house all day… maybe it’s time to start implementing some of these routines.

Most people will be on board with reinstating structure, especially if it helps ease their own stress level, too. The hardest point to get owners on board with, however, is crating their dog during the day while they’re working from home. We get it -you feel bad leaving them locked up when they could be snuggling at your feet, especially when they flash those puppy eyes your way. However, let’s not think about it in terms of feelings, but in terms of need. Your dog needs a calm space to recharge mentally and physically. Your dog needs structure, and giving them that time in their crate provides it more than letting them aimlessly roam around the house looking for something to get into. Your dog needs to know what to expect from their day in order to feel relaxed, and if you take away the routine of kenneling during the day, you’ve taken away a huge part of their routine. Your dog needs boundaries, and the crate is a perfect way to establish them. And let’s not forget your needs: you need to focus on your job, your kids, and your sanity without also worrying about the dog all day.

So even though it might be hard and uncomfortable, pick one thing that you can do today to add structure to your dog’s day. You might find that the structure helps add some peace to your day, as well.

What is the best dog training collar?

What is the best dog training collar? You will get a wide range of answers to this question based on who you ask, how much you want to spend on a dog training collar, and what you want to use it for. For the vast majority of dogs that we work with, we believe that The Mini Educator E Collar from E-Collar Technologies is the best available on the market right now.

ET-300 Mini Educator

What we love about the Mini Educator E Collar:
• Levels range from 0-100, allowing you to fine-tune the collar for your dog
• Remote and collar are water-proof
• System has a ½ mile range
• Easy to manipulate buttons and comfortable to hold
• Collar has an LED light for nighttime visibility

When coupled with fair and effective training practices, The Mini Educator E Collar is a valuable tool for training your dog. However, even with the right tool, training takes time, patience, and correct timing to help your dog understand it and respond appropriately. We recommend hiring a trainer to help you and your dog understand and use the collar effectively.

Smaller ratios are better for everyone!

We limit our training numbers to make sure that you and your dog are getting the most out of your training… and your money! By keeping our numbers small, your dog gets to stay in our home where they can feel comfortable and relaxed. Our training room is quiet and comfortable, just like they -and we- like it. Your dog also get less time in the crate because there are fewer dogs that need our attention throughout the day. And the best part? Fewer dogs means that your dog receives more one-on-one training with our team, stretching your training dollars even farther!

Beating boredom during COVID-19

As our schedules are changing with so many of us working from home, I bet your dogs are starting to get a little antsy. Their routines are changing, too, and that can have a big effect on them. When a dog’s routine is changed dramatically, they can become anxious, whiny, clingy, and destructive.
To help our dogs maintain normalcy during the changes that COVID-19 has brought, try to give your dog’s day some structure. Go on your usual walks, give them time to decompress in their kennel, and provide some extra mental stimulation by playing games, teaching tricks, or offering treats or toys that take some time to figure out.
At Copper Ridge Dog Training, we love filling a Kong with some wet dog food, put it in the freezer for about an hour, and then let your dog enjoy. You could also fill the Kong with peanut butter, but freezing the food prolongs the time it takes the dog to work on this task. This can easily keep your dog’s energy focused in a healthy way for long stretches of time. Just make sure that you are using healthy food that compliments their normal diet!

Open for business April 1!

Welcome to Copper Ridge Dog Training!

Copper Ridge Dog Training will be open for business April 1, 2020! We are excited to offer professional, individualized training programs to meet the needs of your family.

In an attempt to comply with social distancing guidelines as a result of COVID-19, we will be offering free video consultations in place of our in-person meetings. We will also be conducting our private lessons as virtual lessons with a trainer. Clients that sign up for private lessons will still receive individualized training programs developed specifically for their family, and will continue to work one-on-one with a trainer.

We are excited to get to know your family and can’t wait to start helping you and your dog live the best life possible together!