Nip it in the Bud

The key to preventing aggression in adolescents is praising them for acting appropriately during puppyhood. Puppies need a chance to meet and play with other dogs, and they need to be praised and rewarded when they do so in a friendly manner. Too many owners ignore all of their dog's positive interactions with other dogs, and only give feedback when their dog is acting fearful or aggressive. Make sure you give your pup plenty of opportunities to socialize, and always praise or reward them when they do so positively. Ian Dunbar

When should you start socializing your puppy? The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends starting puppy classes 7 days after your puppy’s first set of shots, in most cases. Socialization is a never ending process, continue through adolescence and adulthood and be especially aware of critical periods. How you manage puppyhood and the teenage dog is critical to a behaviorally healthy adult dog.

Learn what are good and questionable play behaviors and give feedback by praising good behavior, interrupting questionable play and ending the play session to prevent rehearsal of bad behavior.

Dog Parks can be places that bad habits can be picked up so be aware that there are pros and cons to spending time there. 

Puppy Program

This is an excellent series of videos by David the Dog Trainer that demonstrates training techniques that prepare a puppy for the realities and challenges of modern life like spending time alone, acclimatization to the leash, developing good habits like playing with interactive toys and discouraging undesirable ones like jumping up.
You don't have to use a clicker- that can be replaced with a YESS! which is a marker to indicate to the puppy that they did something right. Using a clicker however intensifies the reinforcement and speeds up the learning process.

The Kindle - An Important New Training Resource

You and your dog's new best friend could well be the kindle. Why? because nothing improves quality of life for dog and dog owner more than better mutual understanding and communication. To achieve that - both dog and dog owner need the knowledge on how to do this. Knowledge, as it has for centuries comes from books. Since dogs can't read books - they'll have to rely on you to take care of that. The Kindle is a new technological advance that changes not only how we read books but makes it fundamentally easier to acquire and store them.

Don't have a Kindle?
No Problem. Kindle does an app for your iphone, ipad or your android- but that's not all- you can now even read kindle books on a computer- all you need to do is download their free reading application for any device you own including your computer or laptop.

Why Kindle Books?
They're usually cheaper than physical books and there's no shipping costs and there's no actual physical book. That's better for you and better for the planet. All you need is an email and you can recieve a kindle book - and there's no wait time- it's delivered right away. If you have an iphone or android phone, you could always be carrying books with you- ideal for a dog owner at the dog park or while waiting for a certain someone to find the perfect spot, to catch up on some reading.

What books should I get?
Good question. There's a lot of books out there and not all of them are either from credible sources on the subject or current. Take a look at the ones we recommend. We have general books on dog behavior - if you are new to dog ownership. We also recommend targeted behavior books that deal with very specific behavioral issues like reactivity or resource guarding or are specifically for new puppy owners or owners with multiple dogs.

For as low as $9.99 you could have the knowledge tools provided by reputable experts, based on their years of study and experience - like Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnell renowned author, ethologist and behaviorist on the subject of a very common problem - inter dog reactivity- full of humane and effective dog training solutions to a common dog problem. Feisty Fido is also a short read - by tomorrow you could have received and read this book and begun the process of change that would improve you and your reactive dog's life. 

Many of the books in our specific behavior section are similar- short reads with clearly explained training methods and techniques to solve problem behaviors which are the exact same ones that professional trainers use to deal with many common problems like  prey drive, housebreaking and separation anxiety.

I know someone who could really benefit from those books.
Send a kindle book as a gift. All you need to know is their email address. Any Kindle book available for purchase in the Kindle Store can be given as a gift to anyone with an e-mail address. You do not need a Kindle to send or receive Kindle book gifts, and the recipient can read their gift on a registered Kindle device or any free Kindle reading application. To gift a Kindle book, click the Give as a Gift button located under the Buy button on Kindle Store product detail pages. Full instructions here.

Leash Walking Equipment

Always use a harness with a Frenchie for walking. The video below describes good reasons why any dog is better served by using a harness for walking- but for frenchies who are breed disposed to disc problems, muscoskeletal issues and sensitive tracheas- harnesses should be the first choice for collar safety when walking. 

The Sensations or Easy Walk harness are good choices(the Sensations may be a better fit for frenchies) but an inexpensive basic harness from Petco works fine too- especially since it has a front ring where a leash can be attached.

A significant percentage of Frenchies tend to be pullers- for them attaching a leash to the back of the harness actually makes this worse- so make sure you use a harness that has a front attachment or ring for them. A significant percentage of Frenchies are also dawdlers and brakers - a front pull keeps the momentum going easily in the right direction when you sense a slowing down. See how Minnie has her leash attached to a basic petco harness.

Never use aversives like a prong or choke collar. When prong collars are graded down to fit a smaller dog like a frenchie - the prongs also get sharper and more likely to pierce the skin. Choke collars increase the possibility for trachea and nerve damage. These are aversive tools that cause pain- we know now that dogs learn best with positive methods and there is no longer any need to be using these outdated methods.  For frenchies with serious behavioral issues involving lunging and reactivity while out walking a Snoot Loop combined with a sound training plan is the best choice.

Retractible Leashes are not a good idea in urban areas with human, automobile or dog traffic but make sense in large open areas with little traffic. See the Pros and Cons of retractible leashes.