It would seem there has been enough information on the news and other outlets to get the warning out about puppy mills but people just keep on supporting them. I have to assume its still an education issue. I read today about one of the large pet stores that sales puppies in malls for extremely inflated prices are now under investigation for knowingly selling sick puppies. These stores have huge signs in their store that they puppies are not from puppy mills and assume we will just believe them. Thankfully there are passionate dog lovers that dont just take their word and actually did some invesigation. The results were that the puppies do come from puppy mills.

Puppy mills are big business and we need to get the word out. I have been to those stores and just want to shake people that are looking or actually buying one of these poor puppies. I know its not their fault. They dont know any better. The fact is for half if not a third the money you could get a healthy puppy from a reputable breeder. Not only are you rolling the dice with the dogs health if you buy from one of these stores (puppy mills) but you are also very likely to have a very poor representation of the breed.

The demand for dogs are always going to be high. They are an amazing pet and a blessing to mankind. We have to stop the demand for puppies from puppy mills. We have to educate people to go to the dog shelters or reputable breeders only. Until that happens this story will continue on its tragic path. There has to be hope. Lets keep spreading the word!

This seems to be one of the most asked questions so I thought I would try and touch on this a little more today. Lets first understand why they jump up on people? I think there is multiple answers for this but in general it has to do with the instinctive desire to greet pack leaders by jumping on them to get food and to play.

The problem is when these dogs are cute little puppies, this behavior is usually incouraged as the owner picks up the pup and gives it all the love and attention it was looking for. We dont stop and think about the adult version of this dog and the problems that will arise if we dont start the training now. We have to remember that the dogs dont speak english, the speak dog. We need to understand how to speak dog. If we know that the dog is excited and looking for attention than what can you do to help correct it. Is yelling and scolding the dog do the trick? No, the dog just got your attention.

I suggest that you turn and walk away, completely ignoring the dog. You will be surprised how fast they get the hint. Especially with the puppies. The older dogs may be a little more of a challenge but if you stick with it and can get your guests to do the same, you will get the results you want.
If you can, get some neighbors and/or family to come over and do some practicing. You can excelerate the learning with multiple repititions. Remember to praise like crazy when your dog gets it right.

This is a question I have to ask my self as well. Maybe it just has to do with human nature. We all want the quick fix…instant gradification. Its not easy to work hard for those long term goals. But arent those the things that mean the most? Arent those the things that make us into who we are?
I think that if we could all be a little more dedicated to dog obedience training, we would look back and think that it was sooo worth it. The rewards so outweigh the sacrifice.
I think the main obstacle for people is just that they dont have the tools to know what they should be doing. Hopefully I have helped there. So now there are no excuses. This is a member of your family and could be for the next 10 to 15 yrs or longer. All you need is a few 5-15min sessions at first. Who cant come up with that amount of time? If you cant than you should not have gotten a dog. If the time crunch is a recent thing than you just need to do the best you can and may need to consider finding the puppy a new home.
My point is that it really isnt that big of a time requirement, it just might take some planning on your part to make sure the time is scheduled in the day. The great thing about training is you can incorporate it in other things you are doing that day. If you have to take something to the neighbors be sure to take your puppy and do some leash training and socializing with the neighbor. If you are watching a show you can practice some sit stay and down stay while you watch your show. The main point of training is helping your dog know how to live in your environment so what better way than to do the training while you go throughout your normal day.
Of course it will not be as easy or convenient as it was to do it yourself but again IT WILL BE WORTH IT. Lets all commit to put in the time and do better for our dogs and ourselves.