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.

I will remember that my dog comes from a long line of beggars, scroungers, and clever food-finding survivalists.

I will not hold this survival skill (one my ancestors liked and bred to keep) against my dog.

I will not expect my dog to feign a mere casual interest in food.  

I will try to understand that to my dog, walking around with food (aka: holding an ice cream cone or a sandwich) is practically inviting them to share.  If we wanted to keep it to ourselves we would surely behave this way; bring our food to a quiet corner, hunker down, and eat it quickly! 

I will try to remember that putting food down, or leaving food unattended is the same as putting out an all-points-bulletin "UN-NEEDED, UN-WANTED FOOD!"

Take Home Message: Dogs like food.  Dog's like food a lot.  Dog's don't beg; they ask with their eyes!

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 - Wagatha's Wheat & Lactose Free Breakfast Biscuits

You know what one of the best things about being a pet parent? giving your little loved ones special treats and biscuits, especially when teaching new tricks. If your training and obedience is first thing in the morning, than what better way to start the day than with Wagatha's Wheat & Lactose Free Breakfast Biscuits.

These biscuits are incredibly good.  I learned about them from Hilton Hotels.  Hilton includes Wagatha's biscuits in their fashionable doggie ammenities tote.

Only the very best organic ingredients go into all Wagatha's products.  Human Grade Certified Organic Ingredients: whole spelt flour, oat flour, barley flour, sunflower oil, dried apples, ground flax seed, rolled oats, brown rice flour, whole eggs, dried bananas, cinnamon, maple sugar, sea salt.  Yes, "Human Grade"so I the Secret Shopper did indeed test out the product.  I found them quite good, and even tasted the bananna. 

Each can contains about 32 biscuits, so at $8 per can, thats not bad for a month of super premium biscuits.  Shop online at www.Wagathas.com.

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

et Products Review - PAWZ, Natural Rubber, Waterproof Dog Boots

Well, its winter here on the east coast, and today, New York City had over 8 inches of snow.  My dog Champ simply loves the snow.  He plays and frolicks and digs.  He is truly at his happiest when he is in the snow.  But this does cause concern for me, because all of the harsh chemicals and salts that they put on our city streets are very unhealthy for dogs.

I've tried every boot imaginable, and the only one I've found that works is PAWS all natural rubber and water.  The PAWZ boots are like balloon bladders.  They simply slip over your dogs paws and away he goes.  They are such cute little booties.  They remind me of the rubber nose Rudolph wore to hide his nose.  People stop and stare they are so adorable.

PAWZ boots are disposable but can be used time and time again.  1 package will last a whole season.  Its nice when you can actually throw away a doggie boot rather than lose one.  PAWZ boots stay on.  The package comes with 12 boots. When one wears out, you simply toss it. Plus, they come in sizes, so you know the boots you buy actually do fit your dog.  Not to mention the snappy colors.

PAWZ are not just for winter, they protect angainst harmful elements all year long.  Here are some of the baddies they keep off your pets paws:
Ice, Lawn Chemicals, Salt, Liquid Chloride, Snow, Fire Ants, Pool Liner Tears, Mud, Clay, Pad Rashes, Post-Surgical Infection, Post-Grooming Dirt, Hot Pavement, and solves traction control problems.

My recommendation always keep a package of PAWZ dog boots in the house.  I bought my PAWZ at Spoil Brats in New York, but go to www.pawzdogboots.com for a retailer near you.

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