Owning a Dog: Turning Challenges into Joys
January 23, 2010 by Michelle Robert
Filed under Pets
Are you a dog owner? If so, then you will undoubtedly agree that sharing your life with a dog has it\’s shares of ups and downs. There are wonderful moments, and then there are others that are extremely challenging for all kinds of reasons. The fact remains however, that through it all, dogs are still \”man\’s best friend\” in my opinion…it is just harder to make friends with some dogs than with others.
With our current dog, an eight year old miniature schnauzer, we have definitely faced a few challenges. Within a short time of him coming into our lives, we discovered that, while a smart and loving little guy, he also:
1. Growled and jumped on anyone who came to visit, and barked at absolutely everything he saw.
2. Was completely and totally terrified of visiting the groomers for his monthly clipping.
So what did we do? We did some research and spoke with our vet to discover some strategies and techniques that we could use to help make him a \”good friend\”. Here is how we resolved these issues.
1. His barking/jumping/growling problem took a little time, because as a schnauzer, he was a bit territorial like many terriers tend to be. While it was important to him to protect his territory, it was important to us to be able to have visitors to our home! So we tried many different ways to improve this: reward systems, squirting water, coins in a can, newspaper, and more. You name it, we tried it, but nothing worked. We finally discussed the situation with our vet who suggested a remote training collar. After more research, we settled on the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer for a couple of reasons. Probably most important for us, we liked that it has 9 stimulation levels so that we could very carefully control the settings to use the least amount of stimulation that would be effective. We also liked the tone-only training option, that gave us even more versatility. We also decided to get the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer, 300 yds., which provided us with a 300 yard range to be able to train from a distance. And I can say that it worked! In a very short period of time, the Innotek Ultrasmart helped our little guy to become the model doggie citizen, and our friends were now happy to visit us.
2. Achieving a stress-free grooming experience each month has involved training as well…but it was training us, not our dog. We determined that by clipping him at home each month, he would be happier and more comfortable, so we decided to purchase a good set of dog clippers. We ended up choosing the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper due to the Oster reputation for lasting years, and because of the many positive product reviews stating that they worked smoothly, quickly, and quietly, all important qualities for us. And I have to say that we could not be more pleased with how well the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper has worked out for us and for our dog. Other than it getting warm at times, which we easily solved by cleaning and changing the blades, and using Oster Kool Lube, it has worked out great. It is amazing that such a simple product that is so easy to use has made such a difference in our little dog\’s life, and once we learned how to get the cut right, it has been smooth sailing for us all.
Having a dog can, and should be a joy, but it often takes a little work to get to that point. In our case, we had a little help from the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer, and the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper. But the investment and time we took to use these tools to help make life with our dog better for us and for him have been so worthwhile. The reward has been a merry, little schnauzer whose intelligence, loving nature, and desire to please truly make him our best friend!
Discover how your dog can learn to become a happy and well-mannered best friend. Read all about about the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer and the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper, read the product reviews from other happy dog owners, and see if they are right for you and your dog.
