"Water Proofing" Dog Beds

When searching for a new dog bed for your k9 kids, try to find something that has a zipper cover that can be removed.

After you get your dog bed picked out, pick up some garbage bags that are the same size or bigger than your bed. We use 55 gallon drum liners that fit perfect for our large size beds.
You can also use smaller ones for each side of the bed. 

By placing a garbage bag over the entire cushion it will prevent spills or messes from leaking through. Not to mention it is way easier to clean just the cover and not the entire bed. 

Small beds are doable, but med to large, is just a pain in the butt.

Using a simple garbage bag will also cut down the cost on "water proof" dog beds, which can be expensive due to the size of bed you may need for your pup.

This idea is great if you have a new puppy, a messy dog, dogs that lick their paws, dogs that drool  or for senior dogs. It is also great for people that like to wash their dog beds once a week... 

like us haha.  

Teaching "Down"

As you know, when training a dog, there are several different methods to teaching a behavior or a command. When it comes to our dogs first learning a specific gesture we prefer to use positive reinforcement. Which includes a clicker, small soft treats (or their meal time food) and a happy ready to work pup. There is a communication barrier between us and our k9 kids. They do not understand what you are asking of them UNLESS you show them. Dogs in general are not naturally defiant so if you have to keep repeating a command to your dog over and over and over, that means your dog does not fully understand what you are asking of them. To learn more about clicker training please take time to visit one of our favorite sites Karen Pryor Clicker Training. 

Today we are working with rescue dog Uma. She is learning the basic concept of the "down". We start off by getting her attention and luring her into the position we want, which is - down. At this time you will not be saying the word "down". You want your dog to get the gesture/motion of "down" first. When you give the hand single and your dog downs a few times, then you will be adding the word. Now, some dogs take a while to understand what it is you are trying to get them to do, so have patience and allow the dog some time to think.  You may have to click and reward for the dog just looking at the floor. Eventually, that will bring the dog closer and closer to a "down". It's like a puzzle, you have to figure out all the piece to make it come together. You have to figure out how to HELP your dog understand this new command. It takes time and lots of patience.

Once your dog is getting the hang of the "down" motion, you will then add the vocal command "down" with the hand gesture. Click and treat for them going into position. Keep training sessions short. If you notice your pup getting bored get their attention, lure them into a down and end on a good note. Try again later on :)

Over time your dog will get better and better at understanding what you want of them. You will be able to replace the clicker with the vocal "marker word" - YES and their treat will be a pat on the head or back from you.

Quick break down:
1) Have on hand clicker, treats (or meal feeding) and a ready to work pup.
2) Get your dogs attention
3) Lure your dog towards the ground. When they go into a down (or even look at the ground) CLICK & TREAT.
4) Lure your dog to the ground a few times with OUT saying a word.
5) When they start to grasp the "down" motion THEN add the word "DOWN".
6) Keep sessions short & end on a good note
7) Have patience
8) Have FUN!
9) Do this often

Here is a video of Uma learning the basics of DOWN

**FUN TIP FOR BLIND OR DEAF DOGS:

If you have a deaf dog, use a small flash light in place of your marker/clicker. Flash the light towards their eyes and then treat. Deaf dogs also pick up on face expression so be happy when your dog is learning and gets what you ask of them. Some times we use a "thumbs up" for the dogs we are working with as a marker.

If you have a blind dog, hold the treats to your dogs nose and slowly bring your hand with the treat to the ground. Let your dog try to get it out of your hand, you will see their body get lower and lower to the floor. When they "down" click and open your hand so they can have their reward. 

Tie Downs

Brad Pit & Johnny Royal: "Ha Ha, Uma's on a tie down."

Tie down is another "structure" method we use for the new dogs that enter our program. A tie down, helps the dogs adjust to in door living. It comes in very handy to us since we can not have the dog on leash with us at all times. (Not when chasing a 3 year old and a few other dogs around). 

The tie down's allow us to be hands free, but it also allows the new dog to be involved in all that is going on in our home. Our mentor dogs can walk freely around the new dog with out getting pounced on for play ever 5 seconds, our kiddo can walk passed without having his snack taken off of him or be smothered in kisses every 2 seconds.

Tie downs are a useful tool to help manage dogs that may jump on people, that need house breaking , play a bit too rough with us or our dogs and for dogs that like to jumping on furniture as they please. Tie downs limit your dog's "rude or inappropriate behaviors" and get them adjusted to every day in door living with the rest of the family. Another plus is that, they can be used for is meeting the resident dogs and even the cat.

To make a tie down get a 4-5 foot piece of cable wrapped in plastic with clips at both ends. Attach one end to an eye-bolt and screw it into the baseboard of your wall. Attach the other end to your dog's flat buckle collar or martingale. With Uma we used an extra leash we had and wrapped it around a very heavy piece of furniture. (She doesn't chew the leash other wise we would use the cable like we had to for Johnny when he first came into our program.)

If you use "Uma's way" MAKE SURE that your dog can not pull the furniture around the house or chew on it. Tie downs should only be used when you are home as well, this way you can keep an eye on your pup and make sure they are not getting themselves into any trouble.

In the dogs tie down space, put their bed and some chew toys to keep them buys. Frozen Stuffed Kongs work well as they are learning to adjust.

Let us know how this works for you and if you have any other tips regarding tie downs :)

A Cat Toy for Dogs

The flirt pole is a super-sized cat toy made for our canine buddies

Made of 5ft - 6ft PVC pipe (on the thinner side), 13ft - 15ft rope (adjust as needed), & a favorite toy of your dog's. Total cost? About $9.00 - $12.00!

Besides the treadmill & nose work, this is one of our favorite tools for tiring out our dogs. It is used for basic obedience, training, & positive reinforcement. All the while making the time with your dog fun, exciting, & rewarding!

*To make:
after stringing the rope through the PVC pipe 'pole', simply tie a knot at one end & tie the toy with the other end. 

*Your dog should already be familiar with the following commands:

sit, stay/wait, look, down, leave it/drop it, & take it.

When using the flirt pole, make sure your dog does not grab the toy without your command.

If he/she does, stop the game & calmly ask your dog to leave it/drop it. Remain patient & non-interactive until he/she does so & then start over from a sit or down.

The combination of mind stimulation & exercise will make for

 a very happy & content pup by the end of the session.

& the best part. . .the reward C:

ENJOY!

Canine Good Citizen

We spent the first part of our day touching up on some CGC (Canine Good Citizen) work with two of our lover boys Brad Pit and Petey. We have been so busy these past few months we were slacking a bit on their training... and it showed. All these two wanted to do when they first saw one another was pounce, play and pull. Yikes. 

But, thankfully since these boys are living the "nothing in life is free" way, they bounced back quickly and it was down to business... treats and then play. 

Here they are working on "Reaction to another dog".
During the CGC test, here is what the run down will be.

"Reaction to another dog test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or its handler."

To check out the rest of the CGC test go HERE:

Anyone up for a challenge?
Work with your pup towards passing this test before 2014 begins.

If your pit bull dog accomplished getting their CGC we would LOVE to hear about it and share it with everyone else.

Send clear photos in JPG format of your dog and you holding up their CGC Certificate along with your experience to: modifiedk9@Hotmail.com

Title email CGC Accomplished!

Looking forward to seeing some really big sm:)es!
Much Love
The Modified k9 Family

The "Touch" Command

The "Touch" command is one our favorite exercises to do with our pups.  No only it is a mind stimulating exercise, but you can use this fun game to help you communicate with your dog(s).  Even Deaf dogs can benefit form this. Teaching the "touch command" helps your dog focus on a target and associate that target with something positive.  We use the touch command to guide the dogs on & off the couch, into their crates, heel by our side, sit by our side, go to a mark, go over an agility jump, we use it as a recall, for k9 nose work, to get them into and out of a car and we even use it for our dog reactive dogs just to name a few things you can do with this exercise. 

We first teach our pups to target our hand with their nose, than we teach the dogs to target objects like their toys, leashes and even other dogs. They will understand when they hit the target with their nose they will get rewarded for it. They start to associate things that may have at one time made them shy away or made them "reactive" towards it with something positive and therefor their behaviors will start changing to more of a positive behavior that is very manageable and more tolerable.

Below we are going to show you the basics to the touch command. After your pup picks up the idea of the command then the sky is the limit C:

First you will need to start out with a hungry pup. Try to teach this exercise before meals and with as little distraction as possible. If you  have more then one dog, put the other pup away some place that he/she can not disrupt this training session.

Hungry pup - CHECK!

Next you will need a treat bag ( we get our from Valley Dog ), you will also need a clicker and a food roll. (also available at Valley Dog) We like to use the food rolls because they are a high value treat that can be cut up into small pieces (shown below) and stored for later training sessions. You want to pick a treat that is soft so your pups can eat it fast and still stay focused on the task at hand. You also want the treats to be higher value then their every day dog food.

Food Roll, Clicker & Treat Bag - CHECK

Cut up treats! - CHECK

Once you have your treats cut up and your pup in a nice calm setting (put him/her on a leash if they tend to take off). You are ready to start.

Get yourself set up first. Place the treat bag where the treats will be easy for you to grab & place the clicker in your hand you use most. Take a piece of treat and put it between your fingers of the hand with OUT the clicker

Once you get that in a comfortable position, show your pup the treat. Don't say a word at this point, just show them the treat. As SOON as your pups nose or mouth touches your hand CLICK. Take the treat OUT of that hand and feed it to your pup with the clicker hand. Do this about 5 - 6 times.

Again:
Place treat between finger of hand with OUT clicker, show your pup the treat, as SOON as you feel your pups nose or mouth CLICK, switch the treat to your other hand and give it to your pup....

Note:
Make sure your pup comes to you and you don't shove your hand in your pups face. Also start off close to your pup so you set him up for success.

as soon as he touches your hand CLICK

take the treat with the other hand & feed the treat to your pup

Now that you have done that several times and your pup is going toward your hand as you drop it by your side. The next step is to remove the treat from your hand, hold your hand down, say "TOUCH" and wait till your pup touches your hand with his nose. When he does, IMMEDIATELY click and then offer him the treat.

Offer hand with out treat and say TOUCH to your pup!

Do this a few times. Start moving your hand in different areas, but keep it close to you when 1st learning this exercise. If your pup is doing really well end it on a great note and try it again later on. Try to keep the training sessions short at 1st and try to end them when you pup is still interested in learning.

As your pup get's better and better. Start giving him more of a challenge. Start raising your hand higher, over to the side, behind you, put your pup at a sit from across the room and say TOUCH and watch him come FLYING into your hand! 

When your pup understands the touch you can start adding more challenges to this exercise.
And remember HAVE FUN!!!!

Check out this Video of Johnny Royal doing his touch exercise and how we use it to also work on his "heel".. or "get to my side"  - CLICK HERE

** If you are doing this with a deaf dog, obviously you will not be using the clicker or your voice. Instead you can use a small key chain flash light as the "marker", flash the light at your dog when you feel his/her nose hit your hand and then follow the rest of the steps above :)

Police Respond to Vicious Dog in Baltimore City

Here at Mk9, we receive a lot of emails and messages about Pit Bull and Pit Bull type dogs. News reports and stories from all over. From both sides of the spectrum as well. The good, and the bad. When we find the ones we believe will do good to help further the education of the general public, we "Share" them with hopes that people will be influenced, and motivated to see Pit Bulls and their owners for what they are, and not what the Media would make them out to be.

Today, we received a rather interesting story from a gentleman in Baltimore. It was a story about a Vicious Dog call, and the Police Officer who answered it. The interesting part is, the gentleman who sent the story IS that Officer who answered the call. So here is the account, from the source;


Hey,

I'm a Police Officer in Baltimore City. I am originally from Wilkes-Barre, and I am a fan of your organization and Pit Bulls. Today I received a call while on duty about a vicious dog chasing kids. When I came on the scene, I noticed people yelling out their windows at the dog. I followed the dog into an ally to see how it was acting. Going on my own approach, being a dog lover, I got out of my car and called the "vicious dog" over to me. The dog came over with it's tail between it's legs and panting. I grabbed my water bottle and the dog sat down next to me and began licking my pants. I started giving the dog water. I brought the dog over and waited for the pound to show up. My partner was not a fan of dogs and was startled by my approach. I suggested to him that this dog cannot be put down, and should be taken to a shelter. We took it upon ourselves to take the dog to the shelter, and transported it in the back seat in the back of our patrol car. Then I decided that I wanted to keep the dog, and spoke to the shelter about the steps to take to adopt it. The dog was originally kept outside and was filthy, and now it just might have a new home. I know you like positive pictures so I have attached a few. Have a great day and keep up the good work!

Officer Dan Waskiewicz
Baltimore City Police

When we heard this story we could not help but SMILE, and maybe do a tail shake or two! :)

Then we got to thinking more about it. How awesome is this story! Not only does it have a happy ending to it, but there are also some major applause points:

Instead of assuming the dog to be vicious and shoot it dead, (as we see so many times before) he analyzes the situation, and sees a nervous dog that needs help.

Instead of letting animal control pick up the dog, and let it disappear, or be put down, he personally takes it to a shelter, IN HIS CRUISER!!!

Finally, he offers the pup a new forever home!

So we at Mk9 would like to say Thank You! Officer Dan, for taking the time to be patient and give a dog a chance. And step outside the stereo types and see this for what is was. A loose dog who was nervous, and needed someone to help. Not someone to yell at him and assume him to be dangerous.

Here is "Bo" with his new family. A perfect picture of a perfect ending or an amazing new beginning. 

Photo by Dan Waskiewicz

CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME UPDATE!!  We'll keep it a secret until you click the link ;)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150968546036956&set=a.277239856955.154351.58771761955&type=1&theater

And this :D
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150968544351956&set=a.277239856955.154351.58771761955&type=1&permPage=1

AND THIS!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150958328476956&set=a.277239856955.154351.58771761955&type=1&theater

Time to store the food bowls. . .

We are putting those bad boy bowls up on a shelf, out of reach. . .
Why?

Well, there will be no more "free" meals for our pups.  Dogs in general like to search for their food, they love to work and the mind stimulation is great for a healthy dog. Our normal routine in the mk9 home is to ask our dogs to sit or down before they receive their meals, but we are stepping up the game a bit. Now they will have to work for their entire meal, in a fun tasty way.

What we are about to show you works well for people on the run and don't have a lot of time to do training until their dogs entire meal is finished. This also works well for dogs that are racer eaters (gobble their food in 2 bites), dogs that like to dump their dishes or dogs that get board with their food (picky eaters).

"We can treat boredom using constructive discontent (hunger) to expend energy, and stimulate intelligent problem solving, resulting in pets that are physically healthy, smarter, and more emotionally fulfilled." - Dr Tripp

What you will need is:

-Large (or) x large size Kong Ball (black), Kong Wobbler or a feeding puzzle that your dog really loves.
The reason for these choices instead of your dogs average food bowl, is there is CHALLENGE involved.

-Next you will need your dogs food that you normally feed.

-For Kong Balls we like to add a bit of Peanut butter (optional) to the top to hold in the dog food.

Food puzzles for your pups will vary in difficulty when getting the food out, pick something that best suits your dogs personality. For example: if your pup is a bit over weight or very clever at getting the food out you may want a harder food puzzle like Canine Genius. If your pup is on the thinner side or gets easily frustrated we recommend starting with an easy puzzle or kong ball. If you like to add a bit more variety to their meal time hide the feeding puzzles around your home.

NOTE:
- If you have more then one dog in your home, make sure all dogs are separated during feeding time. We wouldn't want to set our fur kids up for failure by placing a high value item in the middle of two or more driven dogs. So, put your pups in their own crates or designate a specific room for each.

-Do you feed your dog canned/wet food?
If you do, freeze the food in the puzzles or place the feeding puzzle in a x large bowl which makes it more difficult to get the food and keeps the room cleaner. ;)

Here is a list of some of our favorite feeding puzzles.

If anyone would like to donate any of the below feeders to the mk9 rescue dogs we would be grateful.  

Email mk9karen@hotmail.com for address or more details. Thanks all ;)

• Kong toys  
• Molecuball Treat Ball 

• Busy Buddy Toys 
• Crazy Ball 

"Having a job to do, a challenge, a problem to solve that is within your abilities to do is what keeps us alive, aware and engaged in our lives and the same is true for our canine companions." - Dr. Marty Becker