Dogs have been a part of my life for well over 35 years, and what a roller coaster it has been! There have been great experiences and some sad ones, but through it all, I remain convinced that dogs are truly “man’s best friend”. That being said, some dogs are just easier to make friends with than others.
Currently we share our home with a very smart, and very loving little miniature schnauzer. Although things are great with him, they weren’t always. Shortly after he came to live with us, we learned that he:
1. Barked at everything and jumped/growled at anyone who came to visit us
2. Completely despised his monthly visit to the groomers to be clipped.
So what could be done to help him…and us? Well we did some research, and spoke with our veterinarian to learn some techniques and strategies to help him become a “good friend”. This article will discuss what we learned.
1. The barking/growling/jumping issue took some time because schnauzers, like all good little terriers are territorial, and are adamant about protecting that territory. Still, we could not scare away everyone who came to visit. So we tried all kinds of reward systems, squirting water, coins in a can, newspaper, just about everything. Nothing really worked. Finally our vet suggested a remote training collar, and after a lot more research, we tried the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer. One of the first things that we liked about it was that it has 9 stimulation levels so that we could start with the very lowest one first until we found the lowest one that was effective. It also has a tone-only training option providing more versatility. And we actually got the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer, 300 yds., which has a 300 yard range, allowing us to train from a distance. The best thing about the Innotek Ultrasmart? It worked. Within a short period of time our little guy learned good manners and our friends were no longer afraid to come visit us.
2. Helping our dog overcome the stress of going to the groomers each month involved not really training him. but training us. We figured that if we could learn to do his monthly clip at home, we would be able to help him feel more comfortable, and be able to get the job done quicker, making him happier as well. So we invested in the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper, and it has made all the difference in the world. We chose these clippers because as an Oster product, we knew they would last forever, so we wouldn’t have to buy new ones each year, and because of the reviews on what a smooth, quiet, and fast job they did. I will say that we have been very pleased with how the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper works: other than it getting warm, which we easily solved with cleaning and changing out the blades and using Oster Kool Lube, it has been so easy to do his clipping. Once we learned how to do home grooming, voila, no more schnauzer trauma! In fact, since our dog gets a treat at the end, I actually think he likes getting clipped each month.
It should be a joy to have a dog, and it can be, but at times it can take a little work to get there. For us, we had the help of the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer, and the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper. Making the investment and taking the time to learn to use these simple tools to make life with and for our dog have been so worthwhile. The rewarding result has been enjoying life with our merry, little schnauzer whose desire to please, intelligence and affectionate nature make him a joyous best friend indeed!
Find out how your dog can be trained to be a happy and well-mannered best friend. Learn more about the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer and the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper, read the reviews of the product from other happy dog owners, and see if they are what you and your dog need.
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