Sniff & Sit Dog training services. Search and Detection, Obedience and Behavior Dog Specialist.

Diabetic alert dogs are truly amazing. When you watch one of these dogs alert for the first time and see how everyone watching just light up in pure amazement, even the dog. When training them to alert it is really a game that we are playing with the dog, a game which the dog has a natural knack for. We are tapping into the dogs ability to use his nose, after we have him on the scent we train in a specific alert. Depending on the age and request of the client determines the specific alert I will train in.

As I sat this morning with my son, he was trying to get my two dogs (Rosie and Stewie) to sit. He was sitting on the chair at an awkward angle and the dogs were not listening to his voice but most likely wondering why he was sitting at such a bizarre angle. So after he tried several times I told him to use the hand signal for sit. As soon as he did the dogs like marines the dogs answered his request and sat immediately. Then I explained to him why dogs will respond faster to a hand signal rather than a voice command. Dogs have a much easier time reading body language (that is what a hand signal is) than they do a verbal command… They are hard wired to read other members of their own species. They are constantly watching where another dog has their tail, is the other dogs mouth open or closed, is he stiff or is he loose and relaxed, are they rolling over or getting ready to pounce. All of these things and many more are sifted through their minds in a matter of seconds. Now this does not mean that all you have to do is give a hand signal and your dog will know how to understand your request. We need to teach our dog what that hand signal means. Think of this the next time you are telling your dog to sit.
M

Dogs that have a job enjoy their life so much…. When you give them a job they feel that they have purpose in their life. Just like people, we also enjoy having a job, and if we have a job that we are good at it makes our life that much more fulfilling. When I see any of the diabetic alert dogs that I have trained working you can literally see there focus and enjoyment. When I say enjoyment I mean that they are calm but happy. It is a very different emotion than when a crazy lab comes to greet you after you have been gone all day. This is more even the way the dog should naturally experience that emotion. Now some of you may think well I dont have a diabetic alert dog nor do I have diabetes so then what. Well then the game or job changes from hunting for the scent of falling blood sugar to finding toy that you have hid or make it functional and hide your keys or you child. If you start hiding your son or daughter you will have your very own search and rescue dog
M

I get a lot of questions asking what is the best way to get your dog to walk buy your side in New York. My answer is the same to so many questions about training your dog, CONSISTENCY. If we make something routine meaning everyday without fail this is the way it will be done then the dog will eventually pick up on that this is the way things will be done. Walking your dog in NYC is no different. The best place to start is every block that you have to stop at the dog should sit and wait until it is time to walk. This works on so many levels because not only are you training your dog to sit you are teaching them to stay and also ignore distraction. This also teaches them to not just run out into the middle of traffic, which is priceless.
M

Snoop ( one of the diabetic alert dogs that I train ) has progressed so much over this past summer. He has gone from a rambunctious puppy to now a much much calmer adolescent. Now he is starting to make the connection between the diabetic scent article and the child that he is intended to alert. It is a truly amazing to see a dog make that connection and to truly enjoy his work.
M

There are many times where people say that my dog was fine and then turned a year and a half and switched from docile and mellow to now being aggressive to other dogs or people. What happen is the dog at between a year and a year and a half goes through sexual maturity. Your dog is becoming a man or woman, and now feels they have become more confident which in turn can make some dogs more aggressive. One of the key things is to keep socializing your dog during this time with the help of the trainer.
Milard

Next time you are at the dog park, take a Look at how different breeds play in a very different way. The bully breeds play very rough and literally get in each others face, and in their world this is 100% acceptable. Where the average dog with good social skills will look to sniff the rear of another dog. A dog that has poor social skills will come eye to eye with another dog and become stiff. This action can result in aggression in some dogs. This is why sometimes you will see see breeds gravitating toward similar breeds.
Milard

A lot of people ask why their dogs go from happy go lucky to strait up nasty in a matter of months? The answer is that the dog is going through sexual maturity. Most dogs will go through sexual maturity at the age of a year to a year and a half. basically it is similar to humans in the sense that once humans become adults they have more confidence. So think of your one year old dog large breed dog as a youngster, this youngster still doesn’t have the confidence to challenge a older high ranking dog. Now once that dog hits a year and a half picture him as a 21 year old adult who may want to challenge another dog for status. This may lead to what many owners perceive aggression in their dogs. Sometimes this is just for a short while, where the dog is just trying to figure out who he is in his society. Other times this will be a behavior problem that someone who deals with aggressive dogs must be brought in to help mediate a resolution.
M

Many people don’t consider their dogs job before they commit to a breed. For instance, a client of mine recently called me in to work with their Brazilian mastiff for aggression tward people. If you look up the breed you will see that the main characteristic of the breed is that it has an inherent distrust of strangers, and is known for it’s aggressive tendencies. These dogs have been used for years for guarding property. People should do diligent research on the breed they will be getting and make sure that it fits with their lifestyle.

Most dogs are not aggressive by nature. Certain breeds will have tendencies toward a distrust of strangers or an inherent dislike or fear of other dogs. The most common reason for dogs to be aggressive is a lack of socialization. Socialization is an ongoing process that must be taken very seriously. There is something called the critical period of socialization, this is a period starting at week 3 and lasting till week 13. This is a time when your puppy should be exposed to everything, other dogs, kids, men, women, skateboards, vacuum cleaners, and just about every other thing that you can possibly think of.
Milard