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A Christmas Puppy for a Gift? Maybe Not

December 14, 2011 by robertforto Leave a Comment

A Christmas Puppy for a Gift? Maybe Not

Events of this Christmas will have a profound impact on the dog training industry in April.

All those cute puppy-in-a-stocking photos prompt unsuspecting people to give dogs as gifts, inevitably resulting in a high rate of premium business for me and my colleagues.

A Christmas Puppy? Maybe Not

“Christmas puppies” often are impulse purchases, in a spirit of love and giving and generosity that goes with the season, but without the hard self-assessment that goes into asking oneself if one has the time and the energy and the inclination to give the necessary commitment to raising and socializing and educating that puppy. Better to get that new puppy at a less emotionally charged time of the year, when the decision to add a dog to the family is a less impulsive and more carefully considered one, uninfluenced by seasonal generosity of spirit, which might just fade a bit after the tree comes down and the lights are put away.

Realistically and sadly, Christmas puppies tend to be older puppies at the pound a few months later, or that nearly year old dog getting euthanized because someone bought a dog as a “toy” for a child that has no legitimate responsibility for that animal and loses interest. Also, some people have no idea that dogs grow and get bigger, or at least bigger than they expected. Nor do they consider that the dog will require training and they bring them to me at arm’s length saying, “Fix my dog!”

Every April I see frenzied clients at my training center at wits end with their now-adult sized dogs that are totally out of control. They have no leash manners, refuse to come when called, hyperactive from a lack of exercise, obese from too many treats, and unwilling to even acknowledge their name.

Most people think that cute little puppy that was under the tree on Christmas morning will stay that way. On the contrary, they grow up and they grow up quick. Think of it this way. Could you go from the crib to high-school? No way! Puppies need exercise, discipline and affection—in that order. The best gift you can ever give that Christmas puppy is obedience training. This will not only build a lifelong bond but give you the control, leadership and routine that your dog so much desires.

If you are absolutely set upon getting your family a puppy for Christmas, consider this alternative instead: Purchase a leash, a collar, a good book on raising a puppy, a gift certificate for a veterinary checkup, a gift certificate for puppy socialization classes from one of the local obedience instructors, a book or video tape on the topic of how to select the right dog for your family (there are several, including even a computer program that purports to help you do this), or a gift subscription to one of the dog-oriented magazines.

Wrap these up and put them under the tree. As family members unwrap the various pieces of the “puzzle”, their delight and anticipation will grow. They will gradually understand what this present is! Then, after the Christmas tree is taken down and the frenzy of the holiday season is behind, the family can once again enjoy together the anticipation and excitement of discussing and selecting a breed, selecting a breeder, selecting an individual pup, and so on. This will increase the family’s mutual commitment to, and investment in, the well-being of the newest family member. It will be a project the family has done together, which is a wonderful way for any adoption to commence. This will not decrease the enjoyment of your new puppy; I guarantee it. It will increase it by many fold. And it will be a better start both for the puppy, and for the long-term relationship between dog and owner(s). A dog with a good introduction to its adoptive family is much more likely to become a long term companion rather than just another tragic statistic.

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Robert Forto  is the training director for Dog Works Training Centers and hosts a weekly radio program, The Dog Works Radio Show, every Saturday. Forto can be reached through his website at https://robertforto.com

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Filed Under: Daily Post, dog training, Dogs, Robert Forto Tagged With: Christmas, dog, dog training, New Puppy, Obedience training, Pet, Puppy, Recreation

The Future Home of Iditarod Dreams: You Wanted the Best. You Got the Best…

September 18, 2010 by robertforto Leave a Comment

 

I was six years old (my brother Ryan was only about 2 1/2) and my dad took us to our first concert. It was KISS. I was amazed what I saw not only on stage but also in the crowd, lets just say–I asked my dad why the girls didn’t have any shirts on… Maybe THAT is why they got a divorce?

Before the entrance of the band the announcer says” You Wanted the Best. You Got the Best. The Hottest Band in the World–KISSSSSSSS!!!! While I cant remember if they said it way back then on the 1976-77 tour for their album Destroyer, I do know they have made an entrance to that for a long time. I have seen KISS 27 times in my 39 years. Do the math and you will see that some years I saw them more than once. No, I didn’t travel ‘round the country following the band like some people did, namely the ‘Dead-heads’ but I have seen the ‘hottest’ band more than most people I am sure, including this past July when my two teenagers were baptized by a KISS show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

What does this all do with me you may ask? Well friends and fans, I have modified the KISS tagline just a bit throughout my career as a canine trainer– by using We Have the Best and Train the Rest for our dog training centers. It aptly means that we have the best canine trainers in the world and we have trained many others how to be the best as well using our proven methods that has nothing to do with the fad of the day or the popular T.V. trainers that are making millions on selling T-shirts and videos and ironically becoming rock stars in their own right. Nothing against them. More power to them. In fact we receive a lot of business from clients that saw something on the tube Friday night and want to “fix” their dog using the techniques they saw on T.V.

As of yesterday, September 17, 2010 Alaska will now see what it is to have some of the best trained dogs in the world. No folks, I am not tooting my own horn here… wait a second, I do think I am the best and I love to work with others in a friendly competition of dog training skills to see who can pass the mustard. You see, I don’t train dogs to just behave when company comes over and you are embarrassed when Max steals the turkey off the holiday table or jumps up on Aunt Mae in her Sunday best. I train dogs based on the natural instincts of a particular breed and what they were bred to perform. You will be amazed at how differently a German Shepherd respond to commands compared to a Labrador or a Husky. And no, I don’t condone or in fact even work with people that carry a dog in their purse. I call these canines [INSERT NAME HERE] (her last name is the name of a very famous hotel chain) dogs. I don’t dress dogs in costumes and don’t compete in Freestyle. That is just how I roll.

There are many working dogs here in Alaska, namely with the best and fastest sled dog teams in the world. These are not the dogs I am talking about. In fact, most sled dogs have no idea what a loose leash (Heal) command is and you never discourage a sled dog from woofing down his food by making him sit politely while you feed him. Sled dogs are born and bred to do one thing–pull–and your average house dog has been so re-wired and over-bred that they could not do what nature originally planned for them before we brought them into our pack 20,000+ years ago.

So Alaska if you want to have the best trained dog in the world give me a call at 907-841-1686 or send me an email at train@alaskadogworks.com and if you want more information click on the testimonials tab above to see what others are saying too.

I welcome your comments and suggestions. Please comment below.

Robert Forto | Team Ineka | Alaska Dog Works | Mushing Radio

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Robert Forto is the host of The Dog Works Radio Show and is the training director of Alaska Dog Works. Robert Forto can be reached through his website at www.alaskadogworks.com

Filed Under: Robert Forto, The Future Home of Iditarod Dreams Tagged With: alaska dog works, canine training, Denver Dog Works, dog doctor radio, dog training, dog training alaska, dog training denver, Iditarod, KISS, robert forto, working dogs

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