Friday 25th of June marks another “Take Your Dog To Work Day” – so we’ve put together a list of tips which will help you make sure that your own dog’s trip to the office is a success!

Keep in mind, not every dog is suited to the office, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve taken your own dog’s preferences and temperament into consideration before making the decision to bring them along.

1. A Successful “Take Your Dog To Work Day” starts with a well mannered dog

Check your dog’s reliability with the basics. Is your dog potty trained? Do they like other people and dogs? Can they be separated from you without stressing out?

It’s important to make sure your dog is well mannered and not going to cause problems around the office with unwanted behaviours like resource guarding, separation anxiety or anti-social behavior.

If you’re unsure – it’s probably a safe bet to leave your dog at home.

2. Bring a “doggy bag”

Take a back-pack filled with the necessities:

• Poop bags
• Your dogs favorite treats or chew toy (no squeaky toys please)
• Paw wipes
• Water bowl
• Water

To ensure you’re prepared to take care of your dogs needs while they’re in the office. Bringing a clean travel mat for your dog to lay on is also a good idea.

3. Keep your dog leashed at all times

Arriving at the office with your dog on leash is a must. The new sights, smells, people and dogs can all be very exciting and potentially overwhelming. Having your dog on leash at all times during their visit to the office will allow you to keep control of your dog and prevent them from getting into mischief. It’s also a good idea to have an up to date name tag on your dog’s collar.

4. Hygiene!

Ensure your dog is washed, fresh and clean! (You may not mind the smell of your dog after a few weeks of them not being washed but your work mates and colleagues will probably have different ideas about that!)

5. Advocate for your dog and your colleagues

If possible, take some time when you first arrive at the office, to help your dog settle in. Try to keep excited greetings to an absolute minimum and make sure your dog is respecting the personal space of others, while also ensuring the same is done for your dog’s own personal space.

No one should be forced to “say hi”.

For more information about how to make “Take Your Dog To Work Day” a success, or to learn more on improving your dogs basic obedience skills, you can check out our articles here – or get in touch with us to discuss how we can help. 

What does it mean to place train your dog? Why should you place train your dog? 

1. Reliable Obedience and Impulse Control

Having a solid “place” obedience command, not only helps build your dog’s independence and impulse control, but also can make teaching your dog to be calm around guests or taking your dog to the office, much safer and easier.

A dog with solid impulse control and a reliable place command is an easy dog to take anywhere and a joy to have around both inside and outside as well as at dog friendly cafes, dog friendly bars and breweries and dog friendly events.

2. More Fun Things To Do With Your Dog

Once you’ve taught your dog a solid place command, you can then start using your dogs obedience training for fun while out on walks with your dog, by taking advantage of raised surfaces and uneven surfaces used as a “place”. This can help with building your dogs confidence and trust in the handler, as well as provide “managed risk” and fun challenges for your dog – providing great canine enrichment.

3. Stop Your Dog From Jumping

When your dog is taught to go to their place and stay there, they’re then prevented from jumping up on guests, because your dog will learn that in order to receive their reward, they must remain “in behavior” on their place.

4. Stop Your Dog From Begging At The Dinner Table

When you teach your dog a solid place command; gone will be the days of your dog begging for food from the table. A place command will teach your dog that, no matter what’s going on, even if there’s a fresh roast turkey on the table, staying on their place is required of them.

On top of all the above benefits of place training your dog, there are even more great reason to teach this critical obedience command, such as:

• Preventing your dog from bolting out of open doors (in conjunction with boundary manners training)
• Gives your dog a comfortable spot to rest
• Designates a “chill” zone where your dog learns to go to when they want space
• Can be used to “targeting” and teaching your dog to go to different locations as a fun training exercise

Contact Us

If you’re struggling to teach your dog to go to their place and stay there, or want professional support training your dog to stay on their place, contact us to book your free phone consult and learn more about how we can help.

Looking to crate train your puppy or adult dog?

What is crate training? How to crate train a puppy? How long does it take to crate train a dog?

These are all common questions, among others about dogs and dog crates, which I’m asked by concerned puppy owners or new dog owners who contact us looking to do their utmost to find the best ways to train their dog.

Crate training your dog is an important part of preparing your dog for visits to the veterinarian, for dog grooming, for toilet training your dog and for building your dog’s independence.

Crate training teaches your dog to be comfortable with being confined and gives your dog a safe space to go to if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Crates are also a useful tool to use with storm phobic dogs, as their crate acts like a den, when your dog has been trained to view the crate positively.

Here are some tips to make crate training your dog go smoothly:

• Never use the crate as a punishment
  
• Start small. Don’t jump straight to locking your dog in the crate
  
• Show your dog that going into the crate leads to good things. Drop rewards into the crate whenever they climb in (at the start)
  
• Teach your dog doorway manners at the crate door. They need to know not to barge out when the crate opens
  
• Put your dogs crate in a quiet area in the house where they won’t be constantly disturbed

• If your dog is struggling, start feeding your dog all of their meals (through dog enrichment toys) in their crate

Once your dog has a positive view of their crate, you can start gradually increasing the amount of time (duration) in their crate, with the goal of teaching your dog to be comfortable in their crate for any amount of time.

Doing this will certainly lessen the stress your dog would otherwise feel when visiting the dog groomers or when needing an overnight visit to the vets.

Need further help with how to crate train your puppy or adult dog? We offer in-home private dog training lessons which can make crate training your dog a hassle free experience. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.

When dog owners first move to Queensland, they have a lot of questions about cane toads and if they can negatively affect their dogs. Are cane toads poisonous to dogs? How to identify cane toads? Are dead cane toads still poisonous? What are the signs of cane toad poisoning?

In this article, we’ll cover these questions and more, as well as how to prevent your dog from coming into contact with cane toads.

1. How to identify cane toads

*1The colour of cane toads can vary from grey, yellowish, olive-brown or a reddish-brown, with their stomach being pale with a dark mottling. 

They are large, heavily-built amphibians with dry, warty or bumpy skin who sit upright. However, male cane toads are smaller and have wartier skin than their female counterparts. 

They have a bony head with bony ridges over their eyes which meet above their snout. Their back feet have leathery webbing between the toes, while their front feet are unwebbed. 

On each shoulder behind their eardrums, cane toads have large swellings, these are their parotoid glands where their poison is stored. They cannot jump as high, fast or as far as native frogs can jump.

 2. Are cane toads poisonous to dogs?

YES. The ingestion of cane toad toxin can be fatal, or at least cause serious symptoms, such as:

• Profuse salivation, drooling and/or frothing from the mouth
• Very red and slimy gums
• Pawing at the mouth
• Vomiting
• Disorientation, shivers and/or tremors
• Muscle rigidity, spasms or seizures
• Very rapid heart rate and/or heart beat irregularities
• Death

 3. Are dead toads stills poisonous?

At every stage of the life cycle; they are poisonous. From the eggs and tadpoles, to the adult cane toads and even dried dead cane toads. All are poisonous and consumption can be fatal. After a cane toad is completely decomposed, however, they are considered safe.

 4. What are the signs of cane toad poisoning

*2 Signs of cane toad poisoning can be as follows, and if not treated quickly can be fatal.

• Drooling or foaming at the mouth
• Red and slimy gums
• Pawing at mouth
• Vomiting
• Disorientation
• Dilated pupils
• Increased heart rate
• Panting or difficulty breathing
• Wobbly gait or loss of coordination
• Muscle twitches and tremors
• Part of body (legs) or whole body going rigid
• Seizures
• High body temperature
• Death

If you suspect your dog has eaten or in some form, consumed the toxin of a cane toad, call your vet and maintain close supervision of your dog. Using a damp cloth, wipe the inside of their mouth until the slimy coating has been removed – usually this takes 10 to 20 minutes 

NEVER use a hose to flush the toxin from their mouth – as this can make them to inhale the water causing life-threatening pneumonia 

Take them to the vet immediately

5. How to prevent your dog from coming into contact with cane toads?

• Used raised water bowls or high sided buckets to prevent toads from accessing your dogs water sources
  
• Remove any dog food bowls from your outdoor areas once your dog has finished their meal (if your dog is fed outside)
  
• Use toad traps along your fence line
  
• Install mesh at least 10cm deep and at least 50cm high, upwards on your fence (if there are wide gaps) to block toads from entering your yard
  
• Take your dog for toilet breaks, on leash, and use a torch so you can spot any toads
  
• Keep your dog inside at night time and do not leave them outdoors unsupervised where possible
  
• Teach your dog to ignore toads (some dogs are better at this than others)
  
• Catch and kill toads you find in your yard using products like hopstop from bunnings, dettol sprayed directly onto them, or capturing them and freezing them. (FYI putting their corpses on spikes around your fence line as a warning to other toads doesn’t work and will probably make your neighbors mad or at least very suspicious of you…)

Need help training your dog to leave cane toads alone?

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you prevent your dog from coming into contact with toads this wet season.

sources *1 and 2

Toilet training your puppy or untrained adult dog doesn’t have to be a nightmare or a chore.
With this article, you’ll learn tips on how to toilet train your dog, which will help you teach your dog to go toilet in the correct place, on command, and not in your house.

1. Supervise and Manage Your Dog correctly

This includes crate training your dog, playpen training, tie outs and place training, but let’s start with crate training and playpen training. When done correctly, your dog should view their crate and their puppy playpen positively. “What is crate training” you ask? Crate training your dog, means they’re comfortable in an enclosed dog kennel which leads to, minimized puppy toilet training accidents, less stressful veterinarian visits, dog grooming visits and travel to dog friendly adventures with you.

Check out this link to learn the crate training tips you should know and the best puppy crate training schedule.

2. Create a Puppy Toilet Training Schedule

No matter what your dog’s habits or current toilet training schedule, you’ll need to also understand your dog’s body language and eating /  water drinking habits. To  start understanding your dog’s body language and behaviour, grab this free PDF toilet training tracker.

3. Leash Your Dog

When your dog is on leash during your dogs toilet training, they’re much less likely to become distracted and forget to go potty. Don’t laugh; puppies (and even untrained adult dogs) really do that! 

Take your time (up to 15minutes) when you take your puppy or dog to go toilet, if your dog takes too long, pop them into the crate and give them 15 to 30 minutes, before trying again. It’s important not to allow your dog to roam free if they haven’t gone potty when you’ve given them the opportunity as this is when your dog is most likely to have an accident.

4. Reward Your Puppy For Toileting In The Correct Place

When you start potty training your puppy or adult dog, you’ll want to know the best potty training rewards. I tend to use “Ziwi Peak” in training, as they’re a healthy air dried raw treat for dogs. Before you get to this stage you need to have conditioned markers (internal link here) in place. 

When you take your dog out to their designated “toilet zone” wait for them to successfully toilet and as they are finishing up, use their “release cue” to signal to your dog that they’ve done the correct behaviour and give them a high value reward (food treat).

5. When to use dog training commands

Make sure you’re only “naming” the behaviour (saying your dog’s command) when you’re happy with how your dog is “going potty” i.e the location. If you’re still waiting 10 to 15 minutes for your dog to toilet, they’re not ready for you to start giving their command to “go potty”.

With these toilet training tips in your dog training tool belt, you’ll know the best methods of how to toilet train your dog and how to avoid common puppy training and dog training pitfalls.

Struggling to Toilet Train Your Puppy or Adopted Adult Dog?

If You’re struggling with when to start toilet training your puppy or setting up your puppies toilet training routine, contact us to learn how we can help.

A guide on how to train your dog to be the best office dog in the city.

More and more offices are saying “YES” and allowing their staff to take their dog to work and for good reason!

With stress levels on the rise since the events of “the year which shall not be named” (2020) companies are seeking the best ways to support their staff and are establishing their offices as dog-friendly workplaces.

So the question then is, how do you go about making sure your dog is “office dog material”? Do up a little resume and cover letter? Not quite, but if your employer has an application system in place to vet each dog as a condition of entry, then definitely take care of that first.

To help prepare your dog before seeking the “go ahead” from your employer, we’ve made a list of a few essential skills which will help make your dog the best office companion.

1. Toilet Train Your Dog Before You Take Your Dog To Work

Toilet training your dog and teaching your dog a “go potty” command is an absolute must for office dog training. Your colleagues certainly don’t want to be dealing with messes outside of the scope of the role they were hired for

2. Is Your Dog Friendly

While a dog friendly office sounds like a wonderful time for you; consider how your dog will feel with loads of strangers approaching to pet or interact with them.

You’ll also need to think about whether having your dog in close quarters with unfamiliar dogs is something they can easily handle.

3. Crate Training

A lot of owners ask me, “Should you crate train your dog?” my reply is always along the lines of letting them know why to crate train your dog and all the benefits of doing so.

One of the main reasons to crate train your dog is that you can safely and comfortably take your dog to the office with you, knowing that your dog won’t be getting up to mischief while you sit in on meetings, attend to clients or help co-workers.

When you get a dog crate, choose a crate which is large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably. You can teach your dog how to sleep in their crate here and how to crate train your dog here.

4. Stop Your Dog From Jumping On People

Training your dog not to jump up on people and to only approach and greet people / other dogs when cued, is a great way to make sure that all interactions are appropriately timed and that all parties are comfortable.

You can start to teach your dog not to jump on guests when they come to your home and then take your dog to work when their obedience training is reliable.

5. Dog Chew Toys

Giving your office dog something appropriate to chew on and entertain themselves with can be an easy way to prevent mischief or unwanted chewing of yours or your colleague’s belongings if your dog was to become bored.

The best dog chew toys for your dog can be determined by if your dog is an aggressive chewer or not. Indestructible chew toys like the black “Kong” dog toys are brilliant for dogs like English Staffordshire Terriers, German Shepherd dogs and Siberian Huskies.

If your dog is a more gentle chewer, some tough, plush dog toys from Beco could be a great idea.

Once you have these 5 basic dog training tips in place, you and your dog should be ready to confidently enjoy the perks of your dog friendly office.

If you’re struggling with how to train your dog, get in touch with us and book your FREE phone consultation to find out more about how we can help you train your dog with our in home training sessions and in home puppy training sessions in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.