3. I will not punish my dog for behaviors that stem from fear.

I will not punish my dog for barking IF/WHEN my dog is barking because of he/she is afraid or frustrated.  I may have to do some investigating to determine if my dog is afraid or barking to demand something.

I will try and remember that aggression stems from fear.  This means that when my dog is behaving aggressively (barking, growling, lunging) the cause was something that upset/scared my dog.

I will NOT make my dog's fear worse by punishing behaviors that my dog is not in control of (flight/flight is a reflex).

I will consider that my dog is frustrated, upset or fearful and needs Classical Conditioning.

This question came as a comment from the following post.

DECEMBER 27, 2008, 8:57 AM

My rescue dog is a large German Shepherd surrendered to a shelter by her owner in California. She is a good dog and smart but has never been trained. She had a computer name only so does not know her new name. I want her to come when I call her. She has never had treats. She takes them then drops them. I take her and my other rescue dog on walks on a leash but can not trust either to come back if they were loose. Any ideas. Thanks.

For your rescue GS I would recommend the following:

Pet Products Review - Personalized Dog Collar by Orvis

If you're like me, and crazy about your dog, you take every measure to assure he/she will be safe any time even when you're not around.  So like many of you, my dog Champ has the microchip, he has the tattoo, he has an identification dog tag and he's registered at both the vet and the police department.  You might call that ID overkill, a bit.  But when you think about it, most of the identification methods listed above are invisible, or in the case of the ID tag, hard to read.

That thought never crossed my mind until I was reading The Dog Book, a fantastic catalogue of premium pet products by Orvis, and I saw the Personalized Dog Collar.  Such a simple idea, and one that need be will work.  Your name and your contact information is embroidered directly onto sturdy nylon collar with a side-release buckle. You know, my urban neighborhood in New York is multi-lingual immigrant population.  And in the country where I take my dog on weekends, many of the people are elderly or remote.  These people simple may not know there are such things as micro-chipping or tattoo identification.  But a collar with your name and number, that is universally easy.

I like having that extra level of identification on my best friend should for some reason he get lost, perhaps while being watched by friends or family. At $19, a price that includes the embroidery, you can't go wrong.  For $29 you can have the same collar, but on reflective nylon.  Plus, the collars come in 8 great collars and multiple sizes.

Do go to www.Orvis.com and check out this and other great gifts for your dog.

If you've got a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com

Pet Products Review - PatriaPet Collars and Leashes Inspired by World Flags

Mr. Obama, when shopping for your new puppy's collar and leash look no farther than PatriaPet.com.  This past weekend while attending the Horse and Pet Expo at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, I came across an enterprising young company that creates fashionable pet collars, leashes and accessories all inspired by world flags.  It was a U.N. of pet regalia. 

I couldn't help think to myself "what a better way to show pride in your heritage" than with a patriotic collar and leash for your pet.  Surely the American flag collar belongs on every all-American mutt, not just around the 4th but everyday in the White House.

Now if you're not American, how lucky are you?  Flags from every continent are available, nearly 20 in all.  I saw the flags of Greece, Finland, Russia, UK, France, Cuba and many many more.  I do suggest that you go to the website www.patriapet.com for ordering because you do have to consider the size and weight of your pet.  On the site one can find all of those instructions.

As for construction, these collars are very durable, made of permanently dyed polyester.  So, Mr. Obama, these colors won't run! In the price category, well you certainly won't need to worry about breaking the bank.  Collars run about $13 and leashes an economical $19.

If you've got a product that you think will pass the Secret Shopper test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com.

There is no reason to tolerate being pulled by your dog when you walk them on leash.  More importantly you DO NOT need to choke or pinch/prong collar your dog.  For ethical and health reasons I despise these collars.  Pinch/prong collars look downright frightening, but they actually do less damage to your dog's trachea than the traditional choke-chain collar. Both are dreadfully medieval in comparison to the many wonderful, non-aversive (no pain) halters.

FOR STARTERS, LET'S LOOK AT WHY DOGS PULL.

1. Dogs pull because they would like to get to things faster than we walk.

2. Dogs pull because when they are interested in sniffing, seeing, or doing something, pulling us over to it generally works.

3. Dogs pull because we tell them, "Pull.  Pull.  Pull!"  

That's right the very equipment we put on our dogs is making them pull!  

Flat collars and back-hooking harnesses put pressure on two areas of a dog, the neck and chest, which physically prompt a dog to pull.  A dog's body is simply not designed to ease-back into pressure to gain relief.  If pulled back by the neck or chest a dog WILL attempt to fight the pressure by pulling forward.  The name for this is oppositional reflex.  It exists and it is innate in all dogs; you do not need to teach a dog to pull, they come hard-wired to do this all on their own.

ARE WE REALLY TEACHING THE COMMAND HEEL?

HEEL is a position that dogs in obedience will hold while moving with their handler.  Dogs traditionally HEEL on the left and are expected to keep their nose in line with the pant seam.  For the average dog owner, HEEL is ridiculous and unneeded obedience. They just need a dog that doesn't pull when walked on leash and a dog who will demonstrate some patience at doors, crosswalks, and on stairs.

Pinch/prong and choke collars are designed to deliver sharp, jerking corrections each time a dog pulls.  I am against scaring and hurting dogs during the training process; it is unnecessary and cruel.  Furthermore, neither of these collars teaches the dog what the handler wants them to do; they only are used when the dog gets it wrong. Getting HEEL right simply means the torture ends (you stop jerky for a while).  

Imagine if you had to learn a new skill (playing a clarinet) and every time you were wrong I slapped you, not hard, not enough to REALLY hurt you, just enough so that you knew you'd gotten it wrong.  Would you come back for more lessons?  What about when you played a note correctly...  Would you really be elated to have done well, or just relieved that you didn't get slapped that time?  

Unfortunately this is what many dogs must endure when walking on leash.  This is a sad at best, tragic for some.  For many dogs, one walk a day is all they get. Imagine A WALK riddled with corrections you endure because it happens during the single most exciting 20-minutes of your day.

THERE ARE BETTER CHOICES

Hope comes in many forms.  Head Halters are fantastic for controlling jumpers, lungers, and pullers. 

Front-Clipping Harnesses work WITH a dog's anatomy and physiology to humanely prevent pulling.

The other options are old, cruel, and need to be used forever anyway.  Any person who got their dog to walk nicely with a choke or prong can't take off the device and get the same results.  The devices below have the same defect--take it off and the dog will pull.  I urge you, if you are going to use something for the life of your dog,  choose a piece of equipment that does NO HARM!

1.  The Gentle Leader Head-Collar

2.  The Halti

3.  The Sense-ible Harness

4.  The Easy-Walk Harness

5.  The Canny Collar

6.  The Dream Walker