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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. 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. Now the problem of our dog being stressed by going to the groomers was really more an issue of training us as opposed to him. We decided that by learning to clip him each month at home, we could be done with the process much quicker, and he would be more comfortable, and happier as a result. So we invested in the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper, and have to honestly say that doing so has made such a difference in his life…and ours. We chose these clippers because Oster has a reputation for lasting forever, and we didn’t want to buy new ones each year. Plus, the reviews on them stated that they did a quiet, smooth, and quick job, which was just what we wanted. The Oster A5 Turbo Clipper has worked out great for us, with the only slight glitch being that the clippers can get warm, but we easily solved this by cleaning and changing the blades, and using Oster Kool Lube. They are really very easy to use, the challenge for us was just learning to get the cut right! But happily, all the challenges in grooming our little guy each month have completely vanished, and the process is now actually smooth and stress-free for all of us.
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 learn to become a happy and well-mannered best friend. Learn more about the Innotek Ultrasmart Remote Trainer and the Oster A5 Turbo Clipper, read the product reviews from other satisfied pet owners, and see if they are right for you and your dog.
