It’s that time of year again! Halloween is coming and we are celebrating with the Second Annual Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop. BIG THANKS to Jodi, Felix, and Kolchak of Kol’s Notes for partnering up with us to host this great hop for the second year in a row!
The Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop is a sponsored by Caru Pet Food, Nature’s Logic, and The Honest Kitchen. The opinions and ideas in this post are my own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business. The individual sponsors are responsible for their giveaway prizes including shipping.
How does the Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop work?
Today (October 20), 15 amazing pet bloggers will each post a dog trick tutorial or offer tips for trick training. Each one is unique, so be sure to check out them all!
When you visit each new blog, you will find a new chance to enter to win a portion of nearly $600 in prizes on top of a new trick tutorial. This year’s prizes are awesome and include high quality dog treats from our sponsors Caru Pet Food, Nature’s Logic, and The Honest Kitchen as well as a $300 PetSmart Gift Card that was funded by all the participating blogs! Visit each and every blog for more chances to win!
Get it? Trick AND Treat! For more details, visit our event page by clicking here!
How to Turn Bad Habits Into Dog Tricks
We all have bad habits; even are seemingly perfect dogs do. Maybe it’s jumping at a house guest. Maybe it’s barking at the door bell ringing. Maybe it’s digging holes. Or maybe it’s constantly stealing socks. I bet you they are there. And if not… want to trade dogs? Just kidding!
Luna’s two biggest vices are barking at unattended food (Hey, you gonna eat that?) and jumping when she is overly excited. I love my little Beagle mix, but I don’t love when she jumps up and steals a slice of pizza out of a house guest’s hand (True story).
I fought back against her bad habits, but associating them with trick commands.
Why would you want to turn bad habits into tricks? They are bad after all, right?
First, teaching a dog a new trick based on something they naturally do is about 10 thousand times easier than training something that is completely brand new. Not all dogs need to be super tricksters, but it’s not a bad idea to build a small arsenal of tricks for your dog.
Practicing (and nailing) dog tricks is a good relationship building activity and great confidence booster for dogs. Both of these things are SUPER helpful if you happen to be combating separation anxiety.
Second, by associating a normally unacceptable behavior with a command you are providing your dog an outlet to still do the behavior, but only when you are ready for it. It also opens up the door for an opposite command such as “Quiet” or “Off”.
So that’s why I taught a Beagle “Speak”.
Since learning this trick, Luna barks a lot less frequently at my half eaten dinner plate. She also actually listens when I ask her to be quiet. But a dog still has to bark sometimes, so we do it for treats and when I can’t find her (because I accidentally locked her out of the bedroom).
For her jumping, we taught Luna “High Five” and “Gimme Ten”. It still gives her an outlet to exhibit excitement, but by channeling her energy into these tricks, she jumps only when I’m not holding a slice of pizza and am ready for it. Another good trick option for jumping is “Touch“.
To turn a bad habit into a dog trick, try identifying the triggers or situations that cause your dog to exhibit the behavior. Create an isolated version of the situation (leave a small bit of food out, ring the door bell) that you have complete control over. When your dog performs the desired behavior, show a hand signal and say a verbal command that you want to associate with that behavior. Then praise, praise, praise.
Now you’ve turned what would normally be a bad experience into a positive one!
Be patient. It won’t happen right away and may take many small training sessions until you get it right. Repetition and positive reinforcement (through treats and praise) will help them recognize the behavior and repeat it on their own without the old trigger.
Keep training sessions small and always end on a positive note. If you notice your dog is starting to get tired or frustrated, then switch over to a trick you know they will get and reward!
Don’t forget to revisit old tricks often to keep them fresh!
For more trick training tips, visit our post on Tips to Teach Your Dog a New Trick!
And Now For the Giveaway Treat!
This year we have three great prize packs and each one is stocked full of super high quality, delicious dog treats (at least according to Ralph and Luna). Both Caru and Nature’s Logic have graciously provided us with high reward meaty nuggets that will be sure to get your dog’s attention.
Plus, The Honest Kitchen are sponsoring a prize pack with a wide assortment of treats including Quickies, which are my favorite low-calorie, super smelly training treat to use with both Luna and Ralph!
And it doesn’t even end there! Our Grand Prize is a $300 Gift Card to PetSmart. Just imagine all the treats THAT could buy.
GRAND PRIZE:
$300 Gift Card to PetSmart
SECOND PRIZE:
14 bag assortment of Caru’s Soft ‘n Tasty Baked Bites and Baked Bars
$100 VALUE – SPONSORED BY CARU
THIRD PRIZE:
1 bag of canine beef lung treats + 1 bag of canine beef liver treats
+ 1 bag of canine beef tendon treats
$80 VALUE – SPONSORED BY NATURE’S LOGIC
FOURTH PRIZE:
Nice Mussels plus Wishes, Pecks (8 oz), Beams (7 oz), Quickies, and Smooches (16 oz)
$72 VALUE – SPONSORED BY THE HONEST KITCHEN
PLUS follow all participating blogs on Instagram for a chance to win a $20 Gift Card to PetSmart + a Custom Bow Tie from Brooklyn Bowtied. Keep an eye on #TrickorTreatDogs for more info!
Blogs To Visit For More Chances to Win!
Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop – Beagles & Bargains
Don’t forget to check out all the other
Tricks AND Treats!
- Happy Birthday Ralph! - July 11, 2019
- How to Entice Your Dog to Eat {Stocking Stuffer Giveaway – Day #10} - December 14, 2018
- Must Have Travel Items for Dogs {Stocking Stuffer Giveaway – Day #9} - December 13, 2018
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