My dog has me so well trained, I sometimes wonder who is really in charge. The true love in my house pack of three is my girl Chloe. She is a French Mastiff (Dog de Bordeaux) and most of you may recognize her as the dog in the movie Turner and Hooch with Tom Hanks. Chloe came at a time when my heart was breaking at the slow demise of my other girl Sasha. Just when you thought you could not love any harder, along comes another and steals your heart. Chloe was the answer to bring me joy during a time, when I thought I could never love another dog again. But guess what, here I am writing about how my heart has once again been pierced with the outpouring of love for my girl Chloe.

Within the last two days, our rescue Rott, Diamond has had an opportunity to show her true colors to the Lafayette Journal and Courier and TV 18. Over a year ago, Diamond and her sister Nico (renamed Nala, who is now deceased) were to be sentenced to death because of numerous complaints of the animals roaming free and the accusation that they bit a young boy. Just because a dog bite occurs, does not always mean that a dog is vicious and dangerous. We are extremely grateful that Nala and Diamond received a second chance at life. What a horrible mistake it would have been to put these dogs to sleep. Nala and Diamond were mislabeled. Yes, they did something wrong due to lack of supervision, but they did not have the temperment that they were accused of having. It saddens me to think of the many dogs that are put in the same situation of being put to sleep because there is not enough room at the Inn, the financial burden is considered too great, or the odds of the type of breed being adopted is too slim. Let's Talk Dogs values life and we would rather see more attempts at rehabilitation then simply resorting to what the demands of the community think ought to happen. We saw so many comments from readers that passed judgment on the Rottweiler breed just because it has become the social norm to stereotype this type of breed. Many Rott owners will tell you just the opposite. Any dog that is raised with rules, expectations and limits can be great family pets. The majority of the dogs that we work with have issues because rules are never enforced and proper behavior is never expected. People love their animals, but sometimes love alone is not enough. If the love you feel for your pet is so great that you think they should never have limits, you are eventually going to experience a problem. The reason is when we give an inch, they take a mile. They will keep taking control until there are limitations put on their behavior. By the time the owner has had enough, the dog is usually so out of control, that the owner does not know what to do to fix the situation. Some owners will then begin to feel as though they have been taken hostage by their pets. They can't eat at the dinner table in peace, they can't have company over, they can't watch TV without their pets demanding attention, they can't leave the house without distruction occurring, they can't sleep in their beds without their dogs dictating where it is ok for them to sleep, they can't seem to figure out how to solve potty training issues, and on and on. Dogs need rules to live by and these rules are taught in the form of pack structure.

How exciting it is to get a new dog or puppy. Sometimes we get a new pet for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong. When we shop impulsively and don't think about all the time, money and committment involved in owning a pet, the consequences can be dire. More dogs end up at shelters due to misunderstood behavior and ill prepared owners in not knowing how to handle problematic behaviors. Too many dogs end up on death row because they do not understand their role or place in the home. The saddest part about this dynamic is the uneducated owner's role in contributing to bad behavior in their pets. I am sure this is probably making some of the readers angry, but sometimes the truth hurts and it needs to be told. We the people are to be good stewards in caring for our pets. In fact God gave us dominion over all the animals of the earth. What are we doing to uphold our promise in valuing the lives of the very pets we rescue? They were cute enough to bring home, but not valued enough to deserve patience, time and attention. Dogs living in shelters could almost be compared to kids living in foster homes. The dogs and the kids are scared in their new environment and are looking for some compassionate soul to show them the ropes in a loving and patient manner. We the people however, are sometimes more prone to harsh methods, thinking if a pet fears us, they will be less likely to challenge us and will therefore, come to know their place. This may work some of the time, but the bond saddenly enough is not built on love, trust and respect, but fear. Pent up fear usually leads to an unhealthy submissive dog or an unpredictable aggressive dog. Who is at fault for fostering this type of behavior in a dog? Who is at fault when a child in the system begins to act out. The owner and the parent is the correct answer. Whoever answered this question right, gets a pat on the back from Let's Talk Dogs and a free canine evaluation.

Is there something in your life you could do better at, but you simply have not shown consistency or every day discipline in practicing? I know I have a few things that greatly challenge me, one being how to work my new smart phone. I see now why they call it a smart phone, because often times it seems smarter than the person using it. Any way back to dogs and how consistency applies in their lives. Consistency is a critical component in the learning of new things in a dog's life. It's funny how such a basic principle can be so challenging.

Socialization is defined as "to make fit for living in a group." In the dog world, socialization revolves around getting your pooch exposed to as many people, environments and situations as your time will humanly allow. This is so your pet understands how to behave primarily around other people and dogs. Socialization is a key component in raising your dog, but it is not the ONLY component and MORE importantly, what predicts heathy socialization is how we react during such life experiences with our dogs. So let's explain this further in more detail.

Let's Talk Dogs is now open at 7334 S 1200 East Otterbein, Indiana. If interested in private or group training sessions, consults or seminars please contact Rebecca at 765-413-5270 to schedule an appointment. We have a variety of services to choose from to meet your canine needs and the greatest part is we won't empty your wallet. Let's Talk Dogs is committed to teaching our clients about optimal dog ownership. This includes pack structure education, obedience and socialization practices, safety and prevention tips, and the fundamentals of diet and nutrition to keep your pet living a long and healthy life.

Why is it when a dog bites someone, the dog gets the blame?  This is a question I have been asking myself for years.  Let's ponder the logic of why society naturally blames the dog. 

Pretend a dog was at fault for biting someone.  This would lead us to believe that the dog knew what it was doing at the time of the bite, hence being able to reason like a human.  As a professional educated in the realm of dog training, I have to come to know, dog's either act in reaction to something or through repetition.  Since this is a true statement, how can dogs be held responsible for their actions?

People have come to expect dogs to behave and react to situations in the same way a human would.  As humans, we can express our emotions with words and we have the ability to reason.  Dogs however, only have repetition and natural instincts to react.  If a dog has not been taught repeatedly that a certain behavior is wrong, how will he know how to react?  A dog's instincts are not based on human logic.  A dog's instincts are based on survival.  If a person owns a dog and abuses the dog daily, what will be the reaction from the dog? The dog can either submit or fight.  If a dog senses his life is in danger, he will automatically fight or flee because nature has provided no other instincts innate for survival.