Dogs | Preventive Vet | Benefits of training

Teach Your Dog Leave It

Authored by Cathy Madson, MA, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

May 1, 2019

Leave It is one of the top 6 most important dog training commands that keep your dog safe, and it's easy to start training! Leave It training is a great impulse control exercise for your pup and teaches them that not everything in the world is theirs for the taking.

It's extremely useful for when food or medication falls on the floor, which can be toxic for dogs. Some dogs think of themselves as vacuum impersonators and will try to eat everything they encounter on the ground, whether at home or out on a walk. Being able to tell them to leave something alone prevents ingestion of harmful items or possible intestinal obstruction. Leave It is also an important skill to have in your training toolkit if you live in an area where your dog might come in contact with snakes. See this article about teaching your dog snake avoidance to learn how to apply Leave It in those potentially dangerous situations.

Topics: Dog Training, Dog Safety, Behavior & Training, Puppy Training, Puppy, Training, Dog, Benefits of training

Teach Your Dog Drop It

Authored by Cathy Madson, MA, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

May 1, 2019

Dogs seem to love putting anything and everything in their mouths, and often they grab items that could be quite dangerous to their health. One training client of mine had a pup that loved to swipe kitchen knives off the counter and run around the yard with them. Yikes! Drop It is one of the top 6 most important dog training commands that keep your dog safe, since you don't want your dog swallowing inappropriate items that could be toxic or cause an obstruction or internal tissue damage.

I love training Drop It using play as the main reward, such as a game of tug, fetch, or chasing a flirt pole. This sets you and your dog up to not rely on food treats for such an important, and possibly life-saving, behavior. Using the game of tug to teach Drop It also helps your dog learn proper play manners and builds their impulse control. Plus, playing with your dog is an excellent way to build a stronger bond.

Drop It is used only when a dog already has something in their mouth that you need them to let go. If they haven't picked up an item yet, and you don't want them to, use the Leave It cue instead.

Read on to see how easy it is to teach your dog to drop things on cue.

Topics: Dog Training, Dog Safety, Behavior & Training, Puppy Training, Puppy, Training, Dog, Benefits of training

Teach Your Dog the Automatic Sit

Authored by Cathy Madson, MA, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

February 25, 2019

Imagine walking with your dog around town and coming up to a crosswalk at a busy intersection. Your dog sits automatically with no verbal cue or prompting from you when you stop at the curb — not only do you and your pup look like obedience rockstars, but your dog is safe since they aren’t walking straight out into traffic.

Now imagine you encounter a friend while on your walk around town. Instead of rushing up to them and jumping, your dog sits politely at your side and waits while you two humans stop and chat. This can be your reality with some easy and consistent training!

Topics: Dog Training, Dog Safety, Loose-leash Walking, Behavior & Training, Puppy Training, Puppy, Training, Walking on a Leash, Dog, Benefits of training, Sit & Stay

Lights for Dogs at Night and How to Safely Walk Your Dog in the Dark

Authored by Jason Nicholas, BVetMed ("Dr. J")

September 22, 2017

Nighttime safety for dogs is important any time of year, but even more so as the days get shorter and the dark settles in during autumn and winter.

When waning daylight forces more people to take their dogs on walks in low-light conditions, it’s important to raise awareness that the pre-dawn and post-dusk hours are more dangerous for dogs.

Sadly, it’s not uncommon for dogs to get hit by cars or sustain other injuries resulting from decreased visibility.

Topics: Dog Training, Dog Walking, Benefits of training, Dog Behavior, Blog, Accidents with retractable leashes, Children walking dogs, Dog Leash, Retractable Leash, Self-illuminating dog collars, Walking your dog at night, Nighttime dog collars, Reflective leg bands for your dog, reflective gear for dogs, LED dog collar

Bringing Your Dog to Work, How to Do It Safely

Authored by Colin Rigley

June 21, 2017

Many companies now allow their employees to bring dogs to work, and more workplaces are doing the same. According to the 2015 Society for Human Resource Management survey, 8 percent of American workplaces allowed employees to bring pets to work, which was up from 5 percent that had such a policy two years earlier.

Amazon, for example, has not only opened its own downtown dog park, but “more than 2,000 dogs are brought in regularly to Amazon's main campus where about 25,000 employees work,” according to CNBC.

You could even say that modern workplaces have really... gone to the dogs (cue rimshot).

Topics: Dog Training, Dog Safety, Behavior & Training, Puppy Training, Socialization, Benefits of training, Dog Tips, Pet Hazard, adult dog tips, puppy tips

Retractable Leashes – Useful or Harmful?

Authored by Jason Nicholas, BVetMed ("Dr. J")

October 10, 2014

On any given day you’re likely to see lots of retractable leashes in use. You may use one yourself, or might even be considering getting one?

What you may not appreciate is they are dangerous and can cause harm to both dogs and to people.

Here’s just a sample of injuries that retractable leashes have caused…

Burns and cuts on the fingers, legs, and other body parts of people when the cords or bands of the leash quickly brush by or become wrapped around them. Handlers and passers-by have suffered these types of injuries.

Topics: Dog Training, Dog Walking, Benefits of training, Dog Behavior, Are retractable leashes safe, Dangers of retractable leashes, Accidents with retractable leashes, Children walking dogs, Dog Leash, Retractable Leash

Please do not ask emergency or other specific medical questions about your pets in the blog comments. As an online informational resource, Preventive Vet is unable to and does not provide specific medical advice or counseling. A thorough physical exam, patient history, and an established veterinary-patient-client relationship is required to provide specific medical advice. If you are worried that your pet is having an emergency or if you have specific medical questions related to your pet’s current or chronic medical conditions, please contact or visit your veterinarian, an animal-specific poison control hotline, or your local emergency veterinary care center.

Please share your experiences and stories, your opinions and feedback about this blog, or what you've learned that you'd like to share with others.

Dog Articles

Teach Your Dog Leave It

Teach Your Dog Drop It

Teach Your Dog the Automatic Sit

Lights for Dogs at Night and How to Safely Walk Your Dog in the Dark

Bringing Your Dog to Work, How to Do It Safely

Retractable Leashes – Useful or Harmful?

Here’s just a sample of injuries that retractable leashes have caused…

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