Melissa is afraid of dogs including Swizzy who is her sister’s dog with a taste for people’s jeans. Of course Colleen and Cesar jump in to help.

Since her sister Melody decided to have Swizzy be a ring bearer at her wedding it is only due to have Swizzy and Melissa befriended which has to start with rehabilitating Swizzy from his nervous aggression.

Colleen is a great dog trainer and an excellent teacher. Let’s take a look at how Colleen and Swizzy and all others got along.

- Colleen Steckloff

Rhona Mitra has a lovely French bulldog named Oscar. While she did her breed research and took all precautions to get a dog that suits her lifestyle and her work, she could not control events that unfolded. On a lovely sunny day, while playing on the beach, Oscar got attacked by a much larger dog and as a result became aggressive when encountering other dogs.

In care for her canine companion Rhona sought after professional dog training help for Oscar and Colleen and Cesar jumped in.

- Colleen Steckloff

Kathy Griffin got worried about Pom Pom who seems to be grieving over a loss of Chance who was Kathy’s other dog.

Pom Pom seemed lost, confused and aggressive around other dogs which made Kathy apprehensive about getting a new dog and bringing it to her pack.

Kathy asked Colleen to come in and help with Pom Pom. Between some aggressive introductions and humorous comments Pom Pom has done well as it seems.

Let’s take a peek at what that was like:

- Colleen Steckloff

Colleen Steckloff and Cesar Millan had to join their knowledgeable dog trainer’s forces to help this wonderful, talented but hyperactive, troubled and even potentially dangerous dog Maury.

In Part 3 of this Dog Whisperer Episode Maury gets his faith decided for him. He is facing euthanasia and there are only a handful of options left to save his life!

Cesar and Colleen take their last strides to save his life…

- Colleen Steckloff

Colleen Steckloff and Cesar Millan had to join their knowledgeable dog trainer’s forces to help this wonderful, talented but hyperactive, troubled and even potentially dangerous dog Maury.

In Part 2 of this Dog Whisperer Episode Cesar and Colleen observe Maury and make a decision to move forward with hopes of rehabilitating him in the company of Cesar’s pack…

Let’s take a look at what happens next..

- Colleen Steckloff

Colleen Steckloff and Cesar Millan had to join their knowledgeable dog trainer’s forces to help this wonderful, talented but hyperactive, troubled and even potentially dangerous dog Maury.

In Part 1 of this Dog Whisperer Episode Colleen tells you a little bit about Maury in the time he stayed with her and her overall experience with dogs.

Let’s meet Colleen and Maury…

- Colleen Steckloff

Inevitably, teaching the “Sit” command is one of the first things we are tempted to do when we bring a puppy to our home.

We communicate with our dogs through affection, exercise and discipline and through these we build the connection with our dogs. These are the foundation for any form of dog training. I am passionate about psychology of the dog, and primarily concerned for overall balance of the dog which is why I find that it is important to prevent or correct problem behaviors before working with the dog’s capability to learn and respond to most common commands, such as “sit”, “stay”, “come”, “down”, and “heel”.

There is no doubt that the mentioned commands are important in the behavior of a domesticated animal, however, the foundation of communication with the dog is in understanding and applying the idea of pack leadership. Every dog in my pack is raised through use of body language and energy, simple sounds and touch and of course, in such way that it most resembles ways in which a dog communicates most naturally.

Dogs don’t understand words in a literal sense. They don’t understand the word “sit” in ways in which humans do. To an unconditioned dog, “sit” is no different then “lasagna”, yet through conditioning we can help them associate the sound with a particular behavior which then results in a dog who obeys commands.

To successfully teach a new command to a dog you clearly must have your dog’s attention. It is also important that you stop teaching before you lose that attention. The dog should always be kept in a state where they want more of what you are communicating in order for communication to be effective.

You may have seen or experienced a situation where a dong runs away from you or the trainer and starts romping around the yard or the house after the training session. This is not to be interpreted as if the dog is “celebrating their liberation from the annoying trainer”. This is quite literally a way in which the dog is saying “I am overstimulated therefore I am hyperactive”. This, naturally, is even more true for puppies which are in a hyperactive and overstimulated state as it is.

Through your conditioning and leadership your goal should always be to lead the dog into a calm and relaxed, submissive state of mind.

To bring a dog in such state of mind you must show them YOUR calm and assertive energy and you must demonstrate that you are in charge. This behavior on your end will get most dogs to willingly sit and took for direction from you.

To teach a “sit” command you have to take the dog through a process filled with patience, repetition and reward. Generally, I would encourage everyone to teach the “sit” command silently, using energy and body language before adding sound or the word “sit” into the mix.

Have treats ready. When in the process a dog sits, reward them. Every time they repeat the behavior you are seeking for, reward them with a treat.

Some dogs do not respond actively to food as treats. In such cases try a toy, play, belly rub, or something that you know your dog likes.

Do try and avoid too much affection. Command learning is a time when you are exercising discipline and affection is not consistent with discipline.

End your training sessions with a success and then repeat the exercise at a later time.

Not everyone teaches the basic commands like “sit” in the same way. Various trainers have various approaches. Some use the technique refereed to as “clicker training” in which they make a “click” noise in order to acknowledge that the dog performed the desired behavior and then they give the dog a reward.

This training technique leads the dog to associate the click sound with a treat so when they perform a behavior that gets a “click” they desire to keep doing the behavior over and over again. An easy analogy that I heard of that can be applied to this technique is to think of it as if the “clicker” is a camera and when the dog does what you intended the “click” is the moment when you capture the image of the behavior.

In all of this, it is most important that you practice patience, that you are not too hard on yourself NOR THE DOG and that you understand that everyone, human and canine, learns at a different time and pace. Also remember that every second of the time you spend with your dog, filled with patience that you put it will greatly help in building the bind between you and the dog for many years ahead of you.

- Colleen Steckloff

Firstly, you have to know that the purpose of a puppy mill is to crunch out the highest number of gods, for the least amount of money for the highest profit possible.

You would say, is that not what all businesses strive to do?! The most of x for the least of $ spent for the highest $$ earned.

Well, what is good for “puppy mill” business is unfortunately not good for puppies nor families wanting to adopt a new dog.

In fact a decision to adopt from puppy mill can be a dangerous decision and it is all due to substandard breeding conditions and inbreeding that can and does bring about disastrous results among which are:

• Health Problems Due to Genetic Diseases
• Behavioral Problems
• Pet Overpopulation and Euthanasia

So let’s take a more in depth look at these three…

Health Problems Due to Genetic Diseases

Puppy mills frequently take no adequate precautions when they are breeding dogs which results in occurrences of genetic diseases that could have otherwise been identified during professional medical screenings. These genetic diseases are then passed down onto future dog generations. Many among conditions that are caused by genetic issues are not visible until later in life of the dog and these in turn can result in very veterinary bills.

Behavioral Problems

At puppy mills, a concept such as temperament selection is not taken into consideration. When a puppy is separated from a mother too soon the puppy is likely to have developmental ad socialization issues that can cause serious behavioral problems later in life.

Pet Overpopulation and Euthanasia

As I said, a puppy mill is an inhumane breeding ground that strives to sell and not to care for the dog. When a parent dog is no longer able to give (birth) more puppies, the dog is given to the nearest shelter, abandoned or put down (murdered).

Puppies that are produced at puppy mills don`t have safe and healthy homes pre-selected for them, ahead of time. They are not planned for. Because of this, too many of them suffer the same fate as their parents do before they even reach adulthood. In other words, if no one buys them they are “gotten rid of”.

Ever since 1980s, thus for 30 years now, the Humane Society of Unites States is fighting to have facilities that are committing these horrific acts, shut down. The least you can do to contribute to this effort and to take your part in becoming the part of the solution is to educate and inform yourself before you decide to adopt a dog.

A good place to look into more information on becoming a responsible dog owner and dog breeder is humanesociety.org guide.

- Colleen Steckloff

Choosing a dog is a decision too often made too lightly. Puppies are cute and lovely when they are small, helpless, sweet and fluffy. When they grow up they are dogs, not puppies.

Dogs are not accessories to the newest fashion fad. They are living, breathing, sensing, intelligent beings that should be treated with respect.

When you adopt a dog you absolutely must be aware that the dog will stay with you for many years to come as a friend and companion to you and your family. Therefore making the decision to adopt a dog should be done with exactly the same amount of attention and concern as making a decision to get married or not, to have children or not or any other decision that is committing and requires dedication and responsibility.

It is unfortunately too often that dogs are adopted for all the wrong reasons such as the fact that they are “cute” or “fashionable” and not for their characteristics. This in turn creates situations where dogs are dumped to shelters, kennels or returned to the pet stores and as it goes, every time this happens a dog is viewed as slightly more un-adoptable. If a dog is returned more then once or several times they become more likely to be euthanized.

The truth is, if we were euthanizing people for their “likability” or lack there of “in the eye of the adopter”, we would be justly viewed and treated as criminals. Bot the euthanizers and the adopters. Possibly, considering this view would help in educating people who are adopting dogs for inappropriate reasons.

Selecting a dog needs to be a task in which you will take some time to self reflect. Just picking a dog because they are a breed that you like to look at is, again, not a very good way to approach the decision process.

You have to ask yourself who you are and what you are like. If you are a “couch potato” and not likely to run a marathon worth of miles every week it is likely that having a high energy dog would be a challenge for you. More so, it would be a challenge for the dog as well. Thus it is your job to be realistic and truthful to yourself and pick a dog breed that will match your own energy level. If you are not a runner don’t get a runner dog because they will run you up the walls. The repercussions of making the wrong “energy levels” decision can be quite serious for both the human and the dog so take into consideration how your own energy should affect your decision.

In all this, you must know that a dog breed does not mean that we are able to pre-determine the dog’s personality, but once you have identified what you are like and what your energy levels are like, you should begin doing some research. While you can’t pick out a personality, in the most general sense, dog breeds are known for their general pre-dispositions. Doing the pre-informative research will be of great help when you are seeking out the dog that is the right match for you.

If you make a decision to check out dog shelters and to offer a home to a dog that needs it you should have in mind that appraising the dog and their energy levels in a dog shelter will not be a simple task. A human in a cage gets frustrated and edgy and the same holds true for a dog which is an active and social being. Considering that shelters can be tense in gauging the dog it may be useful to have a professional at hand to help you with it.

The rescue staff at the shelter can also be of great help. These people are not concerned with getting the dog out of the shelter at earliest convenience and at just any cost. They rescued the dog and they have no desire to un-rescue it by giving it away to a NON matching adopter. It works for the dog you and the rescuer to find the right dog for the right person, otherwise the dog gets returned and no one wins. Bottom line, you can be reasonably confident that they will give you useful and straight forward dog history as they know it.

There is a number of things it may help to ask them so to help you in understanding what you need to know here are some of the questions you could ask:

• What the dog is like? – Expect a generic but revealing answer.
• How they get along with the staff?
• How they get along with other dogs?
• How do they act at mealtimes?
• What are they like when people come to view other dogs?

Answers to these and alike questions will give you a better idea of what the dog would be like with you and your family at your home.

You can also ask the staff if they will let you take a dog for a walk. Say,, a “test walk”. You can take the dog for a brief walk around the shelter which can give you an opportunity to see how you two get along, what the dog’s underlying temperament is like and how your energies come together. This will also allow you to free the dog of the frustration and energy build-up due to being caged and you’ll be able to see and sense the truer nature of the dog.

Finally, if at the shelter, it is important that you leave your emotions at the door. Shelters are a display of cruel reality of abandoned dogs and for most people walking in is a heart breaking experience making you want to adopt and save all of them, and those that are not there yet, at once.

For the sake of the dog you chose and your sake and of your family, you can’t afford to choose a dog on the bases of becoming emotional and sorrowful. The match has to be good, otherwise the adoption is not going to be successful and will cause more grief down the road.

Stay open minded, patient and do your research and you will find a dog that is good for you and that you are good for too.

- Colleen Steckloff

Animal shelters around the country are overpopulated and animal euthanasia is at estimated 4.5 million pets a year. Adopting is one of the best things you can do to become a part of the solution to this horrific problem.

Before you adopt a pet however there are steps to take and things to consider ranging from educating yourself on how to chose a dog to learning the “how to” in developing a healthy and harmonious relationship with your chosen dog.

To summarize the steps these are some things to keep in mind:

• Consider your family and children.
• Evaluate yourself too. Especially yourself.
• How does your schedule come across to you.
• What about your neighborhood.
• Consider a dog with energy level equal to or lower than yours.
• Should you foster first?
• Do consider senior dogs.
• Learn the meaning of being a pack leader.
• Take on the process with joy.

Let’s break these down a little bit to gain more clarity.

Consider your family and children!

If you have a family or you plan to have a family then you must consider your family members and their schedules and personalities as well as your own. Taking a dog into your home is like bringing a new family member into the home. You have to observe yourself and you family and determine some things such as..

• Do you have a routine in place?
• Do you have structure in your life?

Dogs are sensitive to their environment and the environment we bring them into is truly important.

• Who is going to be the one to walk the dog?
• Who is going to feed them?
• Who is going to take them to the vet?
• Is everyone in the house “all for” taking a dog into the home?

If your whole family is not on board with adopting a dog, DO NOT do it. Dogs are strongly empathic and they will sense the negative energy which will result in difficult or impossible situation.

Evaluate yourself too! Especially yourself!

Ask yourself where you are in life and what you state of mind is like.

• Do you understand what being calm and assertive is?
• Why do you want a dog in your life? Be honest!

Your own behavior will be reflected in dog’s behavior. I would advise you to look at your life and seek out clues that can show you where you are in your head.

• For example, are you neat and organized?
• Is that how you live your life?

Our actions tell a story. Often the state of things we handle on day to day bases are a testament to our ability to provide a dog with structured life with rules, boundaries, and reasonable limitations.

How does your schedule come across to you?

• What does your professional life look like?
• Are you punctual or not?

If you can’t be honest with yourself, ask people who could give you answers you need like your friends and plead with them to be honest. If your time management skills are poor or you often make excuses for running late, you might also be the person that will makes excuses for not walking the dog when needed or not going to the park. While this may seem minor, when it comes to your dog’s physical and mental health these oversights are everything BUT minor! In fact a person with issues in this department would be better of without a dog.

What about your neighborhood?

• Are there dogs in your neighborhood and how many (roughly)?
• What are the dogs that live close to you like?
• Is there a park nearby or maybe hiking trails?
• Where’s the closest vet and 24-hour emergency?
• Do you interact with your neighbors?
• Are your neighbors’ dogs socialized?

Weather your neighbors’ dogs are socialized or not may be somewhat of an indicator of what you may expect for your dog’s behavior. Ultimately this is going to be up to you as the leader of your pack and this will not define your dog’s behavior but if your neighborhood dogs are well socialized it may prove to be a useful opportunity to give your dog a good learning experience.

Consider a dog with energy level equal to or lower than yours.

Don’t choose a dog whose energy is higher then yours. They will become frustrated and so will you. Consider the age of the dog as well as your own age too. Read a more in depth breakdown of “How To Choose The RIGHT Dog For YOU?” to further educate yourself.

Should you foster first?

Fostering could be a really smart thing to do. It is possible that you are uncertain whether the dog you chose at the shelter is a good match for you or not. Fostering is a very important element in the process of rescuing a dog from abandonment. It is also a great way for you to spend time with the dog and to give a dog a fighting chance.

Look at it like this.

Fostering takes a dog out of the shelter and out of the cage and if you educate yourself properly you can be of great help in transitioning the dog from a shelter to a new home. It is also a responsible and thorough way top learn whether you are ready for a permanent dog companion in your life or not.

Choosing a brand new puppy is really only for people who are certain that they can and are able to take a dog and commit to that relationship. With a fostered dog, if you decide that this dog is not the best possible match for you they may be a perfect match for a different person but either way you will have given the dog and yourself what you both need.

Do consider senior dogs!

Senior dogs need homes. They need homes as badly as the cute puppies do. It may surprise you to know this but adopting a senior dog can have numerous advantages.

They may not be suited to a home with very young children. They’re not as accustomed to being around high energy level of children. They are however wonderful companions for homes that are not as active. They also may need less exercise and more health care, but the love that they give in return is better then a reward.

Learn the meaning of being a pack leader!

From the very first moment you adopt a dog, BE the leader of the pack. Do your homework!

Take on the process with joy!

The love, joy, calm and peace that balanced dogs can bring into your life are immeasurable. Relish that and your dog will love you and appreciate you exactly as much you give to them and care for them. Every moment of it is worth it and if you are the right person they will be the right dog for a life long experience filled with happiness and fulfillment.

- Colleen Steckloff