Jumping is one of the most common problems I hear clients complain about. "How do I stop my dog from jumping?"
Let's talk about that, shall we. Jumping or let's say barking are not just do this and it will be fixed - you can read my Help! My Dog is Barking blog post as well about barking.
There are many variables when I hear "my dog is jumping". When, at what, why, what are you doing before, during and after. 
For example: a family complained that their dogs were jumping when family members were coming home but as we discussed it, the reason why was because they were acting excited (very excited) to see them so this just made them more excited which caused them to jump all over them, which then causes them to push them off, which then causes them to think they are playing because when we use our hands it is like them playing with their paws. You get it? Everything in this scenario was playing to them, the dogs did nothing wrong but they are getting yelled at not to jump. 

We all want to have a calm, polite, well behaved puppy. Most families have a picture of a dog that is family dog and goes with the flow. No jumping, biting, chewing, pulling, barking and well perfectly trained. The first couple of months can be well to be honest - frantic. So getting to the calm, well behaved puppy isn't always easy. 

Well, I have some good news. I get calls all the time from clients with puppies with these crazy dogs. After listening to them and talking them off the cliff so to speak. Here are some steps that you can implement if you feel that you are one of these frazzled, at your wits end puppy owners who doesn't know what to do. 

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CoSo first let me explain the all animal food manufacturers are required by law to list the ingredients in descending by bulk weight. So Lamb has the most bulk weight in this food (whew)!
Chicken Meal: Well when it says meal after meat. This could be anything from the animal, not to be gross but in reality it's leftovers rendered, cooked down to remove the fat and well that's what it is. Sorry to be gross but that's what it is. 
Soybean Meal and other Soy ingredients: Soy ingredients are listed 3 times. While soy may be healthy for people, understanding exactly where the soybean meal comes from is where the investigation needs to happen. There has been a lot of controversy with soybeans and in the US a lot of it is GMO. “The soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or ‘antinutrients.’ They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake.Soybeans also contain haemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together.” (Cinderella’s Dark Side, Sally Fallon & Mary G Enig, PhD)
​Corn: So Corn ingredients are listed here 3 times - Corn Gluten meal, Corn germ Meal, Ground Yellow Corn. Why is Corn troubling. Well Corn can cause itchy skin but also hyperactive behavior. So you know your dog that is acting hyperactive all day and you can't figure out why? How much corn are they getting? It is not conducive to a calm state of mind for your dog. 
Caramel Color: Why do you need caramel color in your dog food or any coloring? They don't care what color is. Really it should just turn out brown if it has meat ingredients but with all the corn and soy it seems that they make up the most of this food. 
​Copper Sulfate: While dogs need copper, it has been very controversial using copper sulfate in dog food. Copper sulfate is used typically used to kill fungus and bacteria in crops. While it has been around for many years, there has been debate about the usage in foods especially in pet foods. Some pet food companies have started using other safer copper supplements. Per the National Pesticide Information Center "Signs reported in cats and dogs after ingestion of copper pennies include diminished appetite, depression, vomiting, dehydration and abdominal pain.20,21 Some breeds of dogs are particularly sensitive to copper poisoning due to a genetic defect. These include dalmatians, bedlington, west highland white, and skye terriers, in which ingestion of copper results in weakness, anorexia and vomiting.22 Older dogs may develop liver damage and excess fluid in the peritoneal cavity."

Now some people may say, those all natural foods and dog treats are expensive and not in my price range. I get it. I have been there. I am not telling you to go out and buy the most expensive food and dog treats. What I am saying, is take a look at the ingredients that are in the food now, do your own research and if you want to go raw, make your own meals (sometimes my dogs eat better than I do), or do subtle changes in brands that is up to you. The first step is understand that the ingredients are affecting your dogs behavior whether it is hyperactive or fear related and how you can help your pets. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. 

Wags,
Allison

When I talk to clients and friends, I explain that I follow the Positive Reinforcement, force free dog training method. It's pretty easy to say right? However, what does Positive Reinforcement dog training method mean? I figured I would write about the main types of dog training methodology to explain it better and what it means since different dog trainers follow different methods. Positive Reinforcement aligns with who I am and what I am about. I hope that you as dog parent find this helpful when you are looking for a dog trainer.