Hello Reader,

Summer is finally here...Hooray! 🎉 Our dogs love summer as much as we do!

🐶Delicious summertime cool dog delights!

As the days get warmer, our dogs should get to enjoy some summer treats on the patio too. Here are some simple, healthy and delicious treat ideas for your dog.

• Frozen cubes of homemade or low-sodium chicken broth, which you can add to your dog’s water bowl or simply give to your dog to lick.
• Frozen watermelon slice or cube (delicious, but a bit high in sugar, so don’t give too many at once).
• Frozen pumpkin cubes (mix plain canned pumpkin with low-sodium chicken broth and freeze in an ice-cube tray).

🐕 Dog Training Tip - "Look-at-me"

This is a super valuable cue for your dog to know, especially during the busy summer months when there are so many competing motivators for your dog (think squirrels). If you can get their attention onto you, that's a great first step to asking for another behaviour.

Step 1. Grab a handful of small, delicious treats. Have your dog in front of you (they can be sitting, lying down, or standing).

Step 2. Take a treat in your fingers and hold it up to your dog’s nose (don’t let them grab it!) and then bring the treat right up to your eyes so that your dog follows the treat and looks you in the eye. Mark with a ‘yes’ and quickly reward your dog with a treat.

Step 3. After your dog is doing this successfully about 5 times, remove the treat lure from your fingers and just use your finger by moving it in the same way from your dog’s nose to your eyes. Reward from your opposite hand.

Step 4. When your dog figures out that looking at your eyes earns him a treat (when he gets his treat and immediately looks at you again), begin to train a longer watch by waiting for 2-3 seconds before rewarding.

Step 5. Adding your verbal cue. Try to anticipate the moment that they are going to look up at you. When they do, use your hand signal, say ‘look at me’ (or “focus”) and immediately mark and treat.

Repeat this many times to ensure your dog is fluent. Have fun!

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Training Classes

We have in-person classes for puppies and dogs starting on July 12th. The classes are in Richmond, at the Cambie Community Centre.

For details and registration, click here.