The Dumb Dog.com Blog

Yes, it’s a real sport for real dogs.  It’s called Flyball, and here is how it works:

You get two teams of 4 dogs and they line up on a racing lane.  There is a set of Christmas Tree Lights, just like at a drag race.  The light changes to Green, and you send the first dog.  He runs over 4 jumps, 10 feet apart. At the end of the run is a box.  When the dog hits the box, it shoots out a tennis ball.  The dog catches the ball, then returns across the 4 jumps.  Once they cross the finish line, you send the second, then third and fourth dog.  First team back wins!

Now it is 50 feet to the box, and fifty feet back.  The world record for all four dogs is UNDER 16 SECONDS. Here is a link to a YouTube Video that shows a team from Hutto Texas having fun.  Why is this sport so popular? Well, ANY dog can play Flyball.  All breeds, pure and mixed, are welcome.  Small dogs are sought, as jump height for the team is determined by the smallest dog on the team.

It’s all about the dogs.  Humans get little recognition for there efforts.  In fact, the NAFA (North American Flyball Association) database only keeps records of the dog’s scores and points.  What makes this sport so FUN?  Ask the dogs.  Nothing is finer than Dogs Racing Dogs … and yes, they know its’ a DRAG RACE.

More info:  http://www.flyballdogs.com http://www.flyball.com

http://www.xcergy.com (boxes and jumps)

This is a fun trick that your dog probably already knows.  This trick is
from one of the cards in the board game My Dog Can Do That!

Have your dog sit. Then have him lie down.  From the down position, have the dog sit, then lie down. Do this three times and the dog has done 3 doggie pushups!  For the advanced dog trainer, do this without verbal commands.  Use the palm of your hand facing up for the sit command, and palm facing down for the down command.

Be sure to give them treats and ear rubs from me.

Next blog subject? An easy way to clean muddy feet!

Here is a neat trick, that once established, you can make a new spot in 1 minute or less.  What is GOTO Your Spot?  Simply put, it is a place or location where you want your dog to go and park themselves and enjoy being in one spot.  You probably have already mastered this trick and don’t even know it.  I’ll explain that later.

Let’s get to the training;

Pick a spot where you want to park the dog, say somewhere in the Living Room. It could be a corner, next to your chair, near the TV.  It does not matter, but make sure it is a Spot they can call their own.  Call the dog to that Spot and have them lie down.  Reward with a treat or toy.  Tell them this is their spot. If they get up, say  “GOTO Your Spot!” Grab the collar, and lead them back to that Spot, them have them lie down again.  Reward with a treat or toy.  This may take 5 times or 20 times, but they will learn where their Spot is.

All it takes is learning this command in one room.  Once mastered, you can establish Spots in other rooms.  You can use the same command, or just tell them where you want them to go.  The Spot in the computer room?  All I say is “Computer Room” … he knows where to go.

As I said, you probably have already mastered this trick and didn’t realize it.  What do you say when you take the dog for a ride in the car? “Get in the Car”? “Go for a Ride?”  They jump in the car and lie down, right?  You just discovered a GOTO Your Spot command. Want another example?  What about bedtime?  I can say “Night Night” and Batai (my Border Collie) will go in his crate, another GOTO Your Spot command.

Once the command is mastered, you can go to a neighbors house, direct the dog to a Spot, tell them This is your SPOT and they will know exactly what to
do.  Your friends will be amazed with this simple trick.

Be sure to give your dog ear rubs from me.

People see me and my dog and the #1 comment I get is how well behaved my dog
is.  "Can you teach my dog to do that?" they ask

Sure, all you need to do is join your Neighborhood Watch Program.  You
should see the weird stares I get when I mention that.  No, you don’t
really need to join, although it is a good program.  My point being that
you should go out and walk your dog for 30 to 45 minutes.  And you should
do this everyday.

That is the time you work on the basics of obedience.  Need help with
training?  I have many books
and DVDs to
help out. While walking, you get to bond with your dog, explore the world, and
get exercise for you and your dog. Exercise for your dog is the best therapy
around.  It provides for a calm submissive state when they are home, and
they are more eager to please. Lastly, they become an obedient dog that others
will admire.

So what’s with the Neighborhood Watch program? Well, on your daily walks, you
observe. You find those neighbors that does not want dog poop in their yard. You
meet new friends, and you can tell when something is different, because it does
not fit that daily routine.

Don’t forget your dog leash and poop bags.  Now get out there and Walk
That Dog.  Be sure to give them ear rubs from me.

And that is the word "OK"

Now you need to teach your dog a release command.  That is a command to
tell your dog they have finished the command, to get unfocused to what you (or
they) are doing.  Now this is a needed command, just don’t choose the word
"OK" to do it.  

Here are the consequences:

• Dogs don’t know you are on the phone (well some do, but most don’t) 
  Say the word "OK" in a conversation and watch the dog take off.
• Same goes with talking to your neighbor.  If the dog hears you
  say  "OK" they do not know it was not directed at them, and
  off they go.
• My wife tells me it’s dinner time, so I’ll say "OK Dear". 
  Well, I just sent the dog to the house.

You see the dilemma.  Using everyday conversational words as commands
will not only confuse the dog, it can also produce unintended results.

When choosing a release command, but sure it is one that is not commonly used
in a human conversation.  Better still to come up with a dog voculably.

My favorite command is used by sheep herders. Since I own a Border Collie,
it’s a natural command:

That’ll DO!!

That’ll Do!! can mean many things, but the primary command means this: 
‘I’m telling you that you are done with what you are doing, now quit!’ That
includes herding animals, running through the house, begging, as well as usual
or unusual behavior.  The best part is that it is a dog specific
command.  You won’t confuse a dog if they hear That’ll Do!

I will introduce more commands later. All are designed to make life easier
for you and your dog.

I got an email the other day from a customer who bought one of my dog whistles:

It doesn’t work, he says. I tried it on all of my dogs and non of them would pay attention to it.

This is a common problem I hear. The trick is this. Train one dog at a time. In a home with a pack of dogs, a new sound can mean nothing more than the sound from the TV set. It’s just another sound. They have no reason to react because you have not made the sound of the whistle relate to a command.

Take one dog outside. If you have the dog trained to come, then have them sit/stay. Move to the other side of the yard and toot on the whistle, then call your dog. After several 10-15 minute sessions, the dog will come to the sound of the whistle. This style is called cross training.

Once you get dog #1 to learn that the sound of the whistle means something, move on to dog #2. Dog #1 should be able to help out, as he can show dog #2 what to do!

More FAQs about my whistles can be found here:
http://www.thedumbdog.com/whistle/whistle-faq-remington.htm