I’ve gone from a dog watcher to a dog walker. Meet Lucy, the newest addition to the Krause family.
Recent lessons from Lucy:
When in doubt, go outside – A walk around the block can improve just about any mood.
Excercise is good for both the body and state of mind – This is something Robert never forgets, he runs to clear his head daily. I need to be reminded that I feel so good after I have excercised. Lucy helps me to do it.
Sniff more – Lucy spends alot of time sniffing, which I at first thought would lead to a bathroom break, but it never does. I caught myself as thinking of this as unproductive sniffing, then realized that this is how she enjoys the world. I too can give myself and my family some sniffing time, activities that get us off the path to explore and see where it will lead us.
Treats help – Motivation requires a bit of incentive. When Lucy or any of the Krauses accomplish a landmark or task, a treat (or ice cream) is a proper way to mark it as special.
Time is rewarded – Spending time with anyone will deepen your relationship with them. I shouldn’t expect to be close to anyone if I am not willing to share time with them.
I love this dog! Does anyone have a great treat they use for training? Lucy isn’t crazy about milkbones and acts like she is doing me a favor by eating them. I may even be willing to cook something…
Molly Krause Creates 
I use a couple different versions of the kong. I stick dog food in a ball which my dog must roll around the room with his nose. The little pieces fall out intermittently and this keeps him entertained. The other treat my dog loves is peanut butter. Put a little bit in the middle of a bone, or other toy and he loves it!
Molly,
Lucy has that attentive, I am aware of EVERYTHING going on, look. Dropped off some Hill’s Science Diet treats (training, oral, skin and coat) with Robert at La Esquina last night. (Great tacos, by the way!) We have had great luck with these. If Lucy is not food motivated, then a pat on the chest, or scratch behind the ear may help supplement the reward. If this doesn’t work, let us know an we will hook you up with a behaviorist….
By the way, never stop sniffing….every place has it’s smells. Ever notice how a dog’s nostrils are flared when riding in the car with the window open. Reminds me of the ol’ Krause dining experience….sensory heaven.
Good Luck!
Andrea & Dave
Thank you for the treats! She LOVES them…
Freeze-dried liver is a perfect treat, and I suggest you use it only for training. Dogs love it, and Lucy will soon learn that she only gets it while she’s at “school.” Only give her a reward when she does what you want. In other words, no treat for an “almost” sit.
You’ve probably trained dogs before, so forgive me if you already know this: it’s important to be absolutely consistent in giving a command. Dogs don’t understand “words,” they learn to recognize sounds. So, to a dog, “Sit” is a completely different message from “C’mon Lucy, sit…sit” etc. Embellishing your command doesn’t emphasize it for a dog, it just creates confusion. Keep it very clear and simple, and always use the same tone of voice when you give a command.
I have tons of dog-training books and you’re welcome to borrow them.
Good luck! Lucy looks like a real sweetheart!
Our dogs love the freeze dried liver training pieces….also cooked chicken is always a hit!
We have a CCI dog for my son since he is disabled. We ran out of dog food and I fixed brown rice, peas, carrots and mixed it. He loved it! And I often see homemade dog treats
that we buy at the Apple farm. His favorite treat is always being told that he is a good dog and given lots of pets. Since he was trained by the CCI org. he would only go to the bathroom when we told him on command. Thought this was great, the command word they use is “Hurry”. Do you have any idea how many times in a day that word is used???? I soon learned that it was much better for everyone in the family to be punctual and ready so as not to use “hurry” so often. Have a great day!
Molly, Congratulations on your new addition! Is she a Australian? We have two and you are in for a busy, rewarding relationship. The two treats that work great for our two Aussies are Science Diet Traning treats since they break into small bites so you dont end up with a weight problem! Also turkey hot dogs can have a powerful attention getting effect….
Good luck!
We have a cat named Lucy! After Dad’s love of “I Love Lucy”. Perhaps you should haved checked the family’s pet names before choosing one! Is your Lucy named after anyone?
A wooden spoon with peanut butter….they will usually follow you anywhere. You can even grind your own organic peanuts!
In addition, our “kids” love Three Dog Bakery PB or Vanilla woofers. They can be broken for little guys.
Hi Molly
Congratulations on the new member of the family. Can’t wait to meet her and speaking of sniffing neither can our dog Abby! I guess I’m probably not the best resource on treats as our dogs will eat virtually ANYTHING! Like the previous post, liver treats are especially effective and following this line of thought things like bacon, fish etc.– the smellier the better. Interestingly, some of our dogs like carrots so we’ve been able to use a healthier bribe now and again. Have fun with Lucy and I love all your comments. Dogs never lie about love. Jim
I use Zuke’s for training because they are small and tasty. You can get them at Sunflower Natural pet food near the Merc.
http://www.doggiefood.com/zukesmininaturals.html
We use Zuke’s for training, peanut butter for medication-it is easy to hide pills in. Piglet absolutely loves fresh strawberries, his just because treats. Stella’s anytime treat is an ice cube. Go figure. She loves them.
Hotdogs. Hands down Bodhi’s favorite. One caveat – they only get a tiny piece of they execute exactly. I used them for recall, which is super important to me. When I call, I want him to come. When he does, or did, as we no longer need them, he got one, ok, maybe two, pieces as a reward. It took, no exaggeration, two trips to the dog park and he had it down. No matter how far away, he came roaring back. I divided each hotdog into quarters lengthwise then each slice yielded four little pieces. I cut up the whole pkg and freeze them. Then, when we’re ready to go I just grab a bag and the leash and we’re off.
Molly,
Lucy looks like a doll! Since you are ao involved with food I thought I’d mention to you to read the labels on Lucy’s food. Generally the first 5 ingredients make up the bulk of animal food. I readily admit I am somewhat of a pet food freak. I can control what I put in my mouth and make these choices, they cannot.
Here are the first 5 on one of the Hill’s treats: Wheat flour, soy flour, sucrose, corn gluten meal, water.
We all know that dogs will eat some of the worst things, but this doesn’t sound very good. Please read the labels on all the food that Lucy eats, you may not like what you see.
PS. My favorite dog treat is simple dehydrated meat. I use chicken breast or liver usually. You may add a touch of garlic powder (not salt) if you like but it’s not necessary. Do be careful to give in small quantities of the liver as it is rich and can cause diah.