Protecting Your Pet

July 20th, 2010

In the warm summer months in the north and all year round in the south, your pets need to be protected from pests. Fleas and ticks thrive in the warm weather. We also travel with our protection dog much more than in the past, which exposes our pets to more opportunities to pick up these nasty little hitchhikers.

There are a few basics that can help keep your friend comfortable and healthy while fending off the dreaded pests.

First it is not enough to just treat the dog or cat. You must treat the areas they frequent. We use a barrier spray around the base of the house and inside on the base boards. Then we use a granular type of insecticide broad cast over the yard.

For dog care we use a quality flea and tick shampoo, then once the dog is dry we will use a top spot type treatment. There are several of these top spot type treatments on the market; it truly is a preference of your vet to choose which is best for your dog or cat.

Caring for your cat can be more strenuous…if your cat needs bathing. I try to keep up with the top spot treatments to save my cats and myself from the trauma of a bath.

Remember if your pet had fleas you need to keep an eye out for tape worms. They get them by eating a flea.

Best results come from treating the house the yard and your pets all on the same day.

By: Wendy Aston, Training Supervisor, Global K9 Group, LLC

Protection Dog Does The Job!

July 12th, 2010

Every now and again, it is so nice to be reminded why we started Global K9 Group. When our clients let us know that the protection trained dog that we provided to them has done the job. Most often the dog is a deterrent and our clients never know that their new family protection dog has had to protect the family.

Here is an email we received from one of our clients, just weeks of the delivery of their new dog.

Nick

Good morning Sharon. Just wanted to let you know that Nick has been extraordinary with the kids.

Someone tried to break into the house again this evening and Nick did his job!  He reacted to someone beating on the door at 11:30 pm and as soon as Chad put his leather collar on and went outside with him, he immediately fired up. The guys took off – Chad actually saw them this time. Of course no chance of the police catching them, since their
response time was 90 minutes (no, that wasn’t a typo, they didn’t get to our house for at least 90 minutes). Unbelievable!

I think the adrenalin rush for Nick was a bit much, he was exhausted
afterward.

Though you might like the update.

Thanks for everything,
S

We believe we supply a peace of mind with our dogs, I guess it is true.

By: Wendy Aston, Training Supervisor, Global K9 Group, LLC

Remembering A Lost Friend

July 6th, 2010

Remembering A Lost Friend

Being in the dog business people seem to think that we don’t have what we call personal dogs. It is truly a passion to work with dogs, and to be able to experience the unconditional love they give us. We at Global K9 Group, all have our own dogs to help us appreciate what a client is going through.

In raising and training personal protection dogs, we get very deep into the personality of the individual dogs. This makes the relationship that much more. With our own dogs we can see the possibilities of every dog that we work with. Knowing that they strive to please us but once they fall completely in love they work even better.

Having a dog that is a partner in your life is such a benefit, that we try hard not to take it for granted. Which as with anything if you have always had it you don’t appreciate it as much as you probably should. This is where having lost a dog that is so special to you, is a reminder that you can’t imagine life without a dog..

We are known for memorializing our dogs after they have past. We will have a private cremation and get just the right box with a brass tag saying who they were to us. We also have graphics and portraits done to keep them in our lives.

One of our clients has started a business with graphics www.pgrafix.com she has found a way to once again keep our best friend in sight even after we have lost them.

By: Wendy Aston, Training Supervisor, Global K9 Group, LLC

Socializing Your Dog To Prepare For Protection Dog Training

June 22nd, 2010

At an early age your dog learns weather people are there to meet you or him. A good way to teach him to be under control is to take your time, and slowly let people and other dogs meet your dog. Every time you go out he doesn’t have to interact with others. Your dog doesn’t need attention from every person he sees.

You can take him to a ball game and stay off to the side so he can see all the activity and remain calm. Then over tie you can move closer to the action. Depending on each individual dog this may be as quick as a few weeks or take considerable time. This all hinges on breed, energy and how much socialization he has been exposed to in the past.

When he is introduced to new people, ask the people not to pet or be overly friendly to your dog. The high pitched voice and physical contact tells your dog is time to play and be wild. These meetings need to be calm at first. Then once he is acting calm with meetings you can make it a little harder for him by having someone tempt him with the high pitched voice. Eventually he will stay calm even while people give him every reason to be crazy.

This will soon translate to control while working in protection dog training.

By Wendy Aston, Training Supervisor, Global K9 Group, LLC

Protection Dog Thoughts

June 17th, 2010

Here I am trying to keep a low profile, due to my earlier discretion’s.  My mind wonders and ponders on a few subjects, which I am hoping to get some kind of answers to.

What’s up with cats? They don’t have to listen, or follow the rules. They have permission to get on the furniture, and when they ask me to play I get in trouble. If I run room to room, it means I need dog training. When the cat does it my people are looking for a camera. They never have to wear a leash.  They get spoiled and they don’t even have protection training.

If my people want me to bark when someone comes to the door, how come they won’t let me show of my protection dog training?

How come the sprinklers don’t stop when I bite them? People always do. Why can’t I chase the lawn mower? Why do people think I don’t want to play in the rain?

Just because I am looking at them while they are eating doesn’t mean I’m a beggar. Maybe I just love to watch them eat.

Translated by: Wendy Aston Training Supervisor, Global K9 Group



Should I Spay Or Neuter My Dog For Training?

June 7th, 2010

Should I Spay Or Neuter My Dog For Training?

Having worked in the dog training field for more than 20 years, I have been asked this question more than once. This seems to be a major concern to most dog owners. They really want to know how it will change their dog.

From the viewpoint of personal protection dog training it really makes no difference, it doesn’t affect the mentality of your dog. However, in some of the small breeds it might aid in housebreaking training.

It is an old wives tale that neutering a male will stop him from wandering. It only affects the ability to perform, not the want. He will still become excited when a female is in season, and try to perform.

With a male dog if you own a pure bread dog and might want a pup from him one day you can leave him intact. If you don’t think that you will want an offspring form your male, neuter him this can save him other health issues in the future. The female on the other hand, if you are not planning on breeding her, you might as well get her fixed. The female heat is quite messy and can be smelly also.

The drawback to spaying your female dog is that she may gain weight. Keep a close eye on her diet once she is spayed, an overweight dog can have many more health issues.

Protection Dogs and Window Cleaning

May 30th, 2010

I have found that having protection dog can cause a rise in the need for window cleaning. Even if there is no one out there our family guard dog feels the need to check out the front windows regularly. This will inevitably lead to nose streaks on the window.

I have found that using the window wipes that come in the canister type containers work the best for the nose prints. I am not sure why, weather they use a different cleaning solution or if it is the texture of the cloth. They just seem to work better.
I also keep a container of the window wipes in my truck. It’s amazing how much nicer the day seems when the inside of the windows no longer have dog prints. They also work great for child finger prints especially after a few French fries or a good snack.

Some have referred to me as somewhat compulsive but I will even use them on the dash and door pulls just to give the truck a better feel. The wipes also see to get rid of some of the dirty car smell. A friend just told me about putting a small amount of coffee in a sock for about a week in the car. It absorbs the odor and leaves the car smelling like coffee until it is removed then just clean car smell.

Having A Protection Dog In An RV

May 24th, 2010

We travel in our RV quite often, finding a pet friendly campground is much easier now a day. The world has become so much more acceptant of people traveling with their pets.bus

Having a family protection dog with us on the road gives us peace of mind.  We also get the enjoyment of, spending quality time with our dog. While on the road we get a chance to brush up on all of our training maneuvers and socialization.

Of course you must remember to obey the park rules regarding leashing your pet and picking up after him. It is really nice when we find a place that has a designated dog run area where we can let him go off lead and play ball and run.

Remember before heading out on the road with your personal protection dog, plan ahead. This way you will have the best experience with your dog, and some freedom for him to enjoy also. Be sure to have extras of any medications your dog may be on. You will also want to carry a copy of his shot records just in case.

Be vigilant these are new surroundings to your dog; he doesn’t have any reference to where home is if you get separated. A good family guard dog will not separate from the family, but curiosity can get the best of us.

By: Wendy Aston, Training Supervisor Global K9 Group, LLC

Outside Activities With Your Dog

May 19th, 2010

As an active hiker and pet owner I find daily outside activities makes for a happy pet and calmer pet at home. It is so much safer for me to hike in remote places having my trained protection dog with me. My protection dog allows me to enjoy every bit of my hike without having to think about my security.Hiking5

When weather is nice I enjoy taking my dog hiking in pet friendly places. This gives me some extra exercise as well as my pet. Keeping him on a long leash allows for him to have a little fun time and stretch him legs. Once in an environment he can be off lead I always have a tennis ball handy to throw for that extra run and exercise.

Look to your local state parks or recreation area’s to find out where you can go with your dog. Of course always follow the rules for leash laws in these facilities.

Come prepared with a copy of your dogs vaccine history and plenty of water to hydrate your pet when outside. You can even get “doggie back packs” for your large breed pets to help you tote around the shot records, water and toys. Enjoy your time outside with your pet and you will find, in return your pet will enjoy time inside with you.

By: Sharon Burch, Senior Trainer, Global K9 Group, LLC

Introducing A Young Puppy To Your Older Dog

May 16th, 2010

When you introduce the puppy to your older dog, have both dogs on a leash so that you can control the situation if it goes a rye.lets us say grace for the cookiesrev

Once they have sniffed each other and you are satisfied with the behavior towards each other you can feel free to remove the leashes. I still wouldn’t leave them unattended; an older dog can intimidate a puppy very easily. Puppies on the other hand can totally annoy an older dog. It may take a while before they can be together unsupervised. Be patient, most of the time they will come to common ground.

I like to have the two dogs together while having quiet time. This lets them get comfortable with each other while trying to head off any jealousy. If they see that the love and affection is evenly disbursed they can relax about competing for all of your attention.

When raising a protection dog we try to get them exposed to as many other animals as possible. Including our cats and the horses down the road, we have even had the chance to get around some alpaca’s.

A good personal protection dog can work with the distraction of other animals.