Comprehensive Puppy Behavior Consultation


I know that bringing a new puppy home is one of the most exciting events in anyone’s life! I also know that sometimes you need help organizing your thoughts. Having a plan of action ready to go will avoid frustration and those “what do I do now” moments. Puppy classes are great for socializing with other dogs and humans and exploring some basic skills in a distracting environment but they usually do not provide enough information about how to raise your puppy to avoid nuisance or problem behaviors as your puppy matures.
At Dog Relations, I help you integrate your puppy quickly and easily. Puppy training touches upon all aspects of raising and managing your puppy successfully, including: housetraining, crate training (if desired), reinforcing polite manners, addressing and preventing fear and anxiety triggers and much more!
I help you raise your puppy in a kind, force-free atmosphere and teach you to communicate with them as clearly as possible. Gaining an excellent understanding of how positive reinforcement actually works can empower you to shape your dog’s behavior throughout your lives together.
Behavioral puppy training allows you to find a path that satisfies both your and the puppy’s needs by providing a clear path forward. You can influence your puppy’s behavior through well-timed, proper reinforcement and clear body language and, in doing so, help your puppy understand the polite behaviors that will reward them. This atmosphere of conflict-free understanding builds a strong foundation for trust and voluntary cooperation.
Informing guardians how to introduce their puppy to the whole gamut of new experiences in a thoughtful and stress-free way. This allows your puppy to grow into a confident and even-keeled companion who is able to adapt to new situations.
Knowing how to interact and reward your puppy can give you the tools to prevent nuisance behaviors in the first place. By observing your puppy closely and rewarding/reinforcing them appropriately, you can build on good habits and manners that your puppy already offers naturally and use that to build a foundation for a harmonious life for both you and your puppy.
A Comprehensive Behavior Consultation gives you the knowledge and the hands-on tools to both prevent and/or modify possible nuisance behaviors.
When you learn how positive reinforcement actually forges a very clear line of communication and teaches your dog how to earn reinforcement, you can both establish great habits from the get-go, and modify nuisance behaviors into polite behaviors. Behaviors such as barking, jumping up, pulling on a leash, begging at the table, or restlessness at home can easily be avoided in the first place but they can also be replaced by building a great reward history for replacement behaviors.
The Comprehensive Behavior Consultation will allow you to solve and prevent problems by giving you insight into how behaviors work and allowing you to understand the functions of behaviors. Thinking from the dog’s point of view will allow you to fulfill both your dog’s and your own needs at the same time.
What’s wrong with leaving food out and letting the dog graze throughout the day?
Anything that requires an effort is more appreciated. Things that are taken for granted are not as desirable. So if food is available all the time it becomes much less likely to be a motivating force and is more likely to create a fussy eater.
Fussy eaters are more difficult to reward and can therefore develop behavior issues that are harder to remedy. However, that fussiness can be prevented or remedied easily by making food a valuable commodity.
Additionally, teaching your dog that he does not have to worry about his food or his bowl will prevent resource guarding. For guidance and solutions to this important topic, let DogRelations give you a private dog behavior lesson and show you the many ways you can make feeding fun and educational at the same time.
Destructive chewing should be considered in context and relationship to when the behavior occurs.
If you have a puppy who is teething, the puppy will try to get his teeth on pretty much anything to alleviate teething pain or simply chew on something because it is available and tasty and calming and fun for the puppy. So really the key to solving puppy chewing is: Limiting access to tempting and/or dangerous temptations. Keep your puppy crated or gated and provide him with great chew toys and do not underestimate a puppy’s need to run, play and exercise!
If, however, you find that your dog is chewing on things when left alone you might be dealing with a more serious problem, either boredom or possibly separation anxiety. If your dog tears up the apartment by chewing on couches, door and window frames or desperately tries to get out of the crate you should definitely call a professional trainer for help, especially if you think you have provided the dog with good exercise and mental stimulation and something appropriate and delicious to chew on before you leave the house.
Contact us at DogRelations to learn how you can safely and happily raise your puppy without having your belongings destroyed, prevent separation anxiety. If you have a puppy or dog who might be suffering from separation anxiety, please call us so we can help you and your dog.
Jumping up and nipping are normal dog behaviors among dogs!
Of course when humans get into the mix these behaviors can become a lot less cute and, depending on the intensity, problematic and unacceptable.
Reprimanding or physically pushing back your puppy or dog really only engages you more with the dog when they are behaving inappropriately and therefore reinforces those behaviors especially when they do not know what to do instead!
Of course your best practice for jumping up would be to make staying on the floor far more rewarding for your dog. Ideally that actually means: reinforcing the dog when they are not jumping in order to make the jumping behavior less attractive in general. Behaviors that don’t fulfill the dog’s goal will become less interesting very quickly. As soon as the dog offers an acceptable replacement behavior by even just having all four paws on the floor, reward your dog highly. Additionally, always reward your puppy highly when they are calm, have all four paws on the floor or play nicely with one of their toys.
Help your dog by providing enough mental and some physical exercise and appropriate things to chew and nibble on so they can have an outlet for those very natural urges.
For specific advice and how to time your reinforcements properly contact us at DogRelations and I will be most happy to consult with you, give you individualized advice and teach your dog all the skills they need in private in-home dog lessons.
Pulling on the leash is a natural behavior. Dogs usually like to explore what is up ahead and all around them. The leash obviously constricts freedom of space. Allowing the leash to be tight all the time or pulling the dog back will only increase that behavior:
The easiest way to stop leash pulling is to teach the dog to walk on a loose leash next to you by rewarding the dog whenever he is at your side. Walking on a leash is a learned skill for the dog.
For personalized instructions or private dog lessons to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash next to you contact DogRelations.
Separation anxiety is unfortunately not uncommon.
Observable behaviors might include:
These and other behaviors happen when left alone or sometimes even only if a particular family member leaves or when sleeping separated from the rest of the family.
Teaching the dog to be more confident and optimistic can play a big role in helping them overcome their anxiety. I can help you analyze how you can start turning around this frustrating situation. I will support you through this process and replace the worry with practical and goal oriented advice. Please choose a Comprehensive Behavior Consultation to address this behavior issue successfully.
Teaching your dog to ask politely for food, toys and attention allows you to prevent nuisance behaviors like “begging”. In fact you can replace annoying “begging” by teaching your dog to “beg” in a way that is pleasing to you and gives them the opportunity to earn the things they value most in life by displaying polite and calm behaviors.
This will also prevent resource guarding in a fun and playful way. That means your dog will not “defend” their bowl, food or chew toy when someone walks nearby because they will learn there is only more and better stuff to be had.
For more games and tips to help with this very important topic let DogRelations give you a private dog behavior lesson and show you the many ways you can make feeding time fun and educational at the same time.
Is your dog barking often or uncontrollably? Too much barking can be a major annoyance.
If your dog is basically not aggressive then most likely the excessive barking is a behavior that has been inadvertently reinforced.
How on earth could that have happened?
Well, if you admonish your dog when he barks, you are giving him attention for an undesirable behavior. Your dog however, smart as he is, immediately notices that in a certain way barking works in his favor because it makes you notice him. So, when he feels bored or ignored he decides to try this again…he barks: and miracle of miracles!! You start to engage with him again! In the dog’s mind this is a great discovery and so, since practiced and rewarded behaviors get stronger: Voila! Your dog has successfully found a way to get your attention and you have inadvertently reinforced a nuisance behavior!
For a consultation on how to re-educate your dog and find being quiet more rewarding, please call DogRelations for comprehensive dog training consultation.
The carefully thought out and well-proportioned design of the Haqihana harness guarantees maximum comfort in all situations. Any kind of pressure would be safely distributed onto the dog’s sternum and thorax only, even when the dog is pulling, jerking or being restrained. The harness therefore never causes pain or skin chafing. If properly used in combination with the longer leash the dog feels free of restriction and allows the dog to move naturally. The two buckles on the dog’s back make putting on and removing the harness easy for both the dog and the handler.
No one ever wants to admit that dog training can be very dull for the dog and for us. Not so with Elisabeth! She turns training into a fascinating exercise! The dogs can’t wait for her to walk into the room. Elisabeth sees the world from the dogs’ perspective and she will give you a whole new view of your canine friend. She views “training” as education. This is a significant distinction. Suddenly, with her help, you and your dog are speaking the same language, learning and playing on the same page. I make sure that Elisabeth meets every new dog who walks into my life. She’s helped me solve what appeared to be unsurmountable behavioral problems. She’s a brilliant and sensitive trainer. Get her in as early as possible!
We’re so thankful to have met Elisabeth and we’re incredibly appreciative for all of her tremendous insight with our puppy. We have a one-year-old morkie who was experiencing various behavioral issues. With Elisabeth’s training methods, we’ve noticed significant improvement in our puppy’s behavior in only a couple days after one training session. Elisabeth also promptly provides a comprehensive report, detailing training techniques. We’re eternally grateful for all of Elisabeth’s continuous support and help!
Elisabeth Weiss is a gifted trainer and a true animal lover. When I adopted my adorable and lovable cock-a-poo from the AC&C he came with a host of challenging behavior issues. Elisabeth has successfully helped me resolve his problems. What I liked most was that she made it easy for me.
The lessons for my dog were so much fun that my smart cat started to participate in the dog’s lessons. I then asked Elisabeth to set aside some time to train the cat as well!
Both dog and cat training have been huge successes! We all look forward to their lessons every week!
The turn around has been amazing!
This is a message from our walker…
“Okay, who is this new dog I’m walking, and what have you done with Maddie? She is a whole different girl!”
This is just after the initial consultation!
My ex-wife and I have a now 11 year-old Border Collie named Oreo. In late September, 2013 she completely tore her ACL and partially tore the medial meniscus on her left hind leg. Needless to say, we were besides ourselves. She had surgery the next day, and did well in the post-op period. One thing the vet made clear from the beginning was the importance of good physical therapy and rehab starting a few weeks post-op. We did some research, and ended up with two referrals: the physical therapist in the animal hospital, and Elisabeth Weiss of DogRelations. We had Oreo see both, to figure out which one we liked better. Elisabeth started off with a comprehensive evaluation of Oreo and her needs from a very holistic approach. She gave recommendations about Oreo’s feeding and her weight, her general behavior, and her rehab plans. After a few sessions with Elisabeth, we dropped the other PT like a hot potato. What can I say about Elisabeth? She’s phenomenal! She has a great rapport with our dog and is constantly giving Oreo praise and TLC. Oreo responded to her right from the get-go. Over the past three months, Oreo is a changed dog! She’s running around, dancing sideways and is clearly more agile now then she was before the injury. Elisabeth has gone from focusing primarily on the injury, to working on Oreo’s arthritis and even working on some of her “bad” behaviors. Oreo loves to see Elisabeth and is always exhausted after her workouts. Quite simply, Elisabeth is great. You can tell that she truly loves dogs, and is working with a great deal of knowledge in the field. Parenthetically, she’s extremely professional, reliable, and trustworthy. Thanks, Elisabeth for everything that you’ve done for Oreo!!
As you can see from the picture the feedings are going a lot better now that they are doing sit and stay before their meals. I can even put them next to each other, no problem………..a million thank you’s. Bella is so much more confident, coming out to greet customers and showing much more affection. We noticed this after 2 days. Amazing!
I am not certain it is possible to have a puppy without Elisabeth! To me Elisabeth does what no other trainer can (or is willing to commit to) and takes customer service to an entirely new level. I secretly think she has Petzi and Cosi trained to answer emails – it’s the only explanation. She has become such a support system providing me with endless skills, knowledge and tranquility through all the magical little “puppy crisis” moments along the way. To Madison, she is playtime!
Having grown up in a house surrounded by horses and dogs I was reluctant to get a trainer, as I clearly knew what I was doing.
Think again! Madison was a far cry from the “I’ll do anything for you” labs I grew up with. She was a pint-sized ball of nervous fun with so much enthusiasm that needed directing. From the day we first met Elisabeth I knew this would be the best thing I could do for myself, and my dog.
Before Elisabeth I was worried I would be evicted because my little Pomeranian screamed and barked as soon as I walked out of her line of sight. After 2 sessions and a couple emailed instructions Madison learned that sitting, not screaming, gets her everything she desires.
It is amazing to watch Elisabeth interact with Madison because you can see how she listens to the dog and tailors the training to them.
In the beginning of our training when Madison was literally bouncing off her, she used that energy and made her focus on tricks that played to Madison’s innate ability to spin around. Once trust was gained she progressed to more “serious” games and now I can proudly say that my pup will sit still whenever she needs to; something I know would not have happened without Elisabeth.
Maddie and I are so grateful a Google search placed her in our lives and can’t imagine life without her!
My cats panda and teddy loved her instantly and after only one consultation with her and the extensive advice she provided my big problems with my cats was solved. My cats had taken to using my couches and valuable rugs as their bathroom! Thank you for your great help! www.morganelefay.com
I came to Elisabeth with an older dog that had some behavior issues that were inadvertently reinforced by me and somehow defied the skills of various trainers over the years.
Elisabeth is one of those unusual and special people whose personality, temperament, interests and talents all come together in her work in a profound way.
She has an unlimited repertoire of creative techniques to keep my very smart dog engaged and loving to learn instead of searching for situations to react to. The behavior issues become non issues over time.
I’ve learned so much thanks to Elisabeth’s generosity of time and support and willingness to share information. And her positive reinforcement approach is at the forefront of current behaviorist thinking.
Working with Elisabeth and Dog Relations has far exceeded my expectations. I can’t imagine that she won’t be a part of our lives for a very long time.
Working with Elisabeth was a life changer. I recently developed a health condition that required a number of big lifestyle changes in order to accommodate everyday tasks, with a few of them requiring the emotional and physical support of my Australian Shepard. I knew that my particular dog was capable with training (personality and breed wise) of helping me in these tasks, but I needed structure and guidance. After careful review of a number of trainers in NYC for service dog certification, I chose to work with Elisabeth and I couldn’t be more grateful of the experience. In just the first session my dog took to the training, it was an absolute pleasure working with her. I thought it would be a much more stressful process. She also helped by pointing me in the right direction for all of the other requirements needed for bringing her into public spaces/on transportation as a service dog. I could not recommend working with her more for this, she’s the best of the best.
This is the perfect story of why training helps a dog be a good dog and makes life easier for them. I received a call from a woman who said she needed help with her six-month-old Malamute. Read more!
Why does your puppy need to wear a leash in the house? This blog post tells you all there is to know about this