I wish I could hear your radio, but I am deaf. Do you have articles or transcript of your shows that I could read. I have two dogs, 10 year old Choc Lab and 1 year old Chessie. Chessie needs to be trained and so does my children (8,4,2). Its been challenging lately with the puppy and kids. For example, my 8 year old is upset that I put a pinch collar on the Chessie but it works when used. We could use the help and guidance. My biggest problem is the Chessie and food. He is always looking for food (we do feed him 2x a day). I tried using the block method as instructed by “Me or my dog” program. He will be good for 2 sec then find another way. I have seen him on the table a few times.
Thanks for any ideas about reading your articles. Good luck with your radio show; sounds awesome!!
Dear Patricia – I’m so glad you found me but sorry I do not have a way to make my shows available to you in a written form. Perhaps there are organizations for the deaf which have technology that transfers spoken words to written ones? The first thing you should do is get a copy of THE DOG BIBLE (send me your mailing address and I’ll send you a signed bookplate inscribed to your dogs). The reason I tell you to buy my book is because I think you need to understand some basics of dog training and communication which you can certainly not get by copying the “quick fix” techniques of professional dog trainers on TV. This is why these shows worry me, because people do not take the time to learn the thinking and theory behind training methods and get the false impression from the television shows that there are a few quick tricks that will solve everything. Can you imagine if such a trick were available to teach table manners, for example, to those kids of yours? Instead, it takes hundreds of repetitions to train them to use a napkin instead of the back of their sleeve or cutlery instead of their fingers. So it is with dogs. Your 8 year old is a smart cookie – “pinch” collars are wicked – they do a lot more than “pinch,” they actually drive a series of sharp stiff metal spikes into the dog’s neck. And despite this pain some dogs will learn to ignore it and pull just the same. I urge you to look at the page for Canny Collar on my website and get one immediately. Even the 2 year old could walk the dog with a Canny Collar! A nice place to buy it is from www.Smartpak.com which is now carrying the collar, which works like a harness on the dog’s face without pain for either of you. As for food, I imagine the dog is actually really hungry because you’re probably feeding the dogs just bowls of dry food. THE DOG BIBLE and my website will explain clearly why this diet of only highly processed carbohydrates makes dogs hungry and ultimately fat. So please learn why you need to feed a diet with at least 1/3 high quality protein and only 1/3 kibble at most. There are loads of postings on my blog and on the Q&A section of the DOG BIBLE section of my website which explain all this. Also, without a huge amount of daily exercise, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever is going to be rambunctious and miserable. I’m hoping you learned something bout the breed before getting one and are prepared to give him that exercise that his body and mind require. SO being deaf will not hamper you from learning any of this from my extensive website or book – please take advantage of them and then let me know if you need further assistance. Best of luck with your brood!
Tracie
