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Tom’s book, "Dog Training Diaries," was judged as one of the three best training books by Dog Writer’s Association of America. Tom Shelby, The Dog Charmer Cooperstown author, answers pet owners' questions on training their dogs. E-mail your questions to dogsrshelby@msn.com…
The Dog Charmer Housebreaking Zeke Dear Dog Charmer, I adopted Zeke, a very active poodle mix in January. He is not my first dog as I am 73 and had dogs most of my adult life. I cannot seem to house break him. I am growing tired of walking him, and failing; at least once every couple of days he either poops or pees in the house. I fenced in a patch of grass and he will not go down…
Dog Charmer: Dakota is smart, but the woods distract him We have a beautiful and smart six-month-old male Rottweiler named Dakota. He is really good with the basics of sit, lay down and stay. We love to go hiking and the goal is to be able to take him off leash. He loves to be out in the woods. How do we get him to be more attentive to us when walking? We need him to come back to us…
Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby Terrier Afraid of Everything Tom, We have a 7-month-old Boston Terrier, Maggie, who is fearful of everything including me. She loves me but is afraid if I talk too loud or move fast. Also big-time stranger-danger to anyone new. We also have a 10-year-old Boston, Chloe, who is the best dog, loves everyone and is so laid back. I want Maggie to be happy and not in fear. If I put a Thundershirt on her,…
Letter by Katie Huntington I just wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying the “Dog Charmer” column that Tom Shelby writes for All Otsego. My husband and I have a rescue dog of our own, and it’s been really helpful to hear other people’s experiences and Tom’s advice for them. I had a question that was answered one week, and Tom gave some wonderful feedback that I hadn’t considered before.…
Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby Old dog Eddie is a P.I.T.A I would love some behavioral support for 11-year-old Eddie. I live alone with Eddie and Annie, my 2 dogs. My 90-year-old parents moved out in March. I work full-time. They get walks in the a.m. and p.m. I come home mid-day to let them out into a fenced-in yard. Eddie is very demanding of me when I’m home, and even worse if someone is here with me.…
Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby How do I stop nipping when I encouraged the behavior? Dear Tom, We have a two-year old, 17-pound Cavapoo with a bad owner: me! Since she was a pup, we have played rough, wrestling and playing “dodge the nips” with my sleeves and forearms. We both have had a blast. Because of social distancing during the worst of the pandemic, this aggressive play at home was not a problem. But, predictably, as our…
Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby What do you do about a biting, jumping dog? Hi, Mr. Shelby: We have a soon to be four-month-old black female lab puppy who is very persistent with her jumping and biting. Do you have some suggestions for us? Marcia…
Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby My Yorkie won’t go upstairs Hi, Mr. Shelby: I recently adopted a sweet little nine-year old Yorkie named Abbey from Susquehanna SPCA. She speeds up my front and back porch steps with no problem, but refuses to climb the 15 steps to my upper floor sleeping quarters (both hers and mine!) Come to find out, her previous owner had a one-floor home, and when they often visited the owner’s sister’s home, Abbey was prohibited from…
Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby Dog is depressed over death of companion Dear Tom, We have two goldens, Chloe, 6, and Bonnie, 14½. They have been together since Chloe was a puppy. Sadly, Bonnie died suddenly this past Wednesday. Along with our anguish and moping about, Chloe seems to have picked it up also. She seems very flat. Is this normal? Can you suggest anything we can do or just wait it out? Appreciate your comments, Al…