JBB Dog Training

JBB Dog Training James B Barnes 4.22.19    4:20p Earth Day is a great time to start making more earth conscious choices when it comes to shopping, spring cleaning, and more! Today I’m going to try out a handful of different ways to go green with your pup! The first is to make the switch to biodegradable poop bags. This almost feels like a cop-out to me so I started with it to get it out of the way. I am going to switch to biodegradable bags though! They decompose in about the same time it takes for an apple to decompose! How wild is that? Now we’re getting into the fun stuff! Bake your own dog treats! We’ve already done that before but you can try out the ones we made for Mardi Gras last month. It never hurts to have an extra batch or two on hand. What if you suddenly end up with another dog? You have to be prepared to give out snacks! If you’ve got some ratty socks here’s a way for you to recycle them. You can tie two of them into a big knot and stuff treats in be

How to Talk to Your Dogs About Drugs James Barnes 4.20.19   As marijuana legalization pops up across the United States more and more people are asking the  question- can I get my dog stoned too? Ask most stoners and they’ll admit that their dog enjoys the  green dope just as much as they do; unfortunately there aren’t many scientific studies done with canines  and marijuana since on a federal level weed is still illegal. That means studies don’t get funding so they  don’t go any further than a pitch. Since we don’t know the long-term effects of marijuana usage in canines we can only really talk about  how marijuana use actively affects dogs upon ingestion. Similar to humans, dogs will have red eyes,  respond lethargically, have irregular breathing, and maybe their heart will race. Each dog will react  differently, fortunately if you’ve had experience with weed you can safely take your pup through their first  trip. Just be ready for more drool than average. W

JBB Dog Training James B Barnes 3.13.19  3:28p With March and Spring Break starting, the last thing on your mind is brushing your dogs’ teeth. Most pet parents don’t think it’s necessary either, after all the dogs don’t seem to mind the loss. They wouldn’t even know what dental care was if you could ask ‘em, it’s just not part of their world. Recently while speaking with my friends after one had gotten a cavity filled I found that some people also consider dental health care optional for people too. Ladies, date better men. Yuck! The human mouth is very similar to an open sore; which is why it’s so vitally important to take care of it. Tooth infections can spread and move to the eye or further and that can prove fatal. Human mouths have a type of Porphyromonas called P. gingivalis, while canines have a different type called P. gulae. They’re related but not transferable between the species. This means that your dog is also vulnerable to dental related illnesses, just like

JBB Dog Training James B Barnes 3.5.19  3:03p Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! Today is a day to indulge yourself and why not include your four-legged friend in on the fun? The whole idea of Mardi Gras is to celebrate and gorge yourself before your give up vices for Lent. Typically only seriously practiced by the religious for pretty clear reasons, otherwise it’s more like an excuse to forget your calorie limit and have a good time! The first treat recipe I want to share is from a dear friend of mine, Christina. Christina is an awesome mom to two-leggers and four-leggers alike. She sent me this recipe a few months ago and it very quickly became a favorite around the house. I like how easy it is to customize to your dogs’ tastes too! “Bananas, almond butter, chia seeds, hemp hearts (some people add yogurt, I like to avoid dairy) as a base...if you want them more icy & less soft add broth for a more watery base. Now add veggies, meat, &/or dog treats & fr

James B Barnes 2.25.19   12:06p Why do dogs bark? It's a very simple answer really; they're just excited and talking out loud. How else are they supposed to get your attention? Ideally, my dogs come paw at me instead of barking when they want to go out or have something they need to show me but we definitely did not start that way. My Golden girl demand barked at me when I had anything she perceived as edible in my hands. That's not okay. After the first demand bark event I decided to set up a plan to counteract it. Once she decided to start up again, I turned to her and gave her the 'leave it' and the 'park it' cues. 'Leave it' for me is the dog looking away from the item and giving me direct eye contact. Once I've got eye contact I can set her up for her next cue, which was 'park it'. 'Park it' for us means Leery has to go lay down on her bed and stay there. I made sure to give her a puzzle toy to keep he

JBB Dog Training James B Barnes 2.16.19   7:50p Last week we talked about keeping your pup mentally engaged in order to prevent household destruction. This post is going to be a little how-to on creating some inexpensive puzzle toys out of items you probably already have in your home. While there's nothing wrong with store bought puzzle toys, I feel that there's something deeply satisfying about seeing your sweet lil pup have a ball playing with something you made yourself. Items you'll need: -a plastic bottle sized so your pup can paw and spin it -a shoelace or long string that wont tear with lots of spinning and rubbing -a marker to draw squares on the bottle -scissors or something to poke holes and cut squares of plastic out -nail file -chop stick or a kebob stick -chair legs or two items one shoelace length apart -a good book -water (for you) Take the plastic bottle and place it on a clear, steady surface. Next, use the marker to draw on treat-sized