I’ve been familiar with The Company of Animals for as long as I can remember. Growing up my parents used the HALTI Headcollar to train our dogs to walk on the leash. Since that product worked so well for us, I had a great expectations for it and for The Company of Animals when I first adopted Luna.
Shortly after bringing her home, I went to the store to pick up a HALTI thinking it would solve all my problems or at least Luna’s terrible leash pulling. The newbie dog owner in me thought that I could put on this magical piece of equipment and Luna would suddenly be the perfect dog on the leash.
Let me tell you. That that is exactly the opposite of what happened. Luna hated it. I mean absolutely hated it. She was so spastic on the leash, flinging her head to try to get it off, that we couldn’t go anywhere, so I quickly gave up.
Was it the HALTI Headcollar’s fault? Absolutely not. I still believe it is a great product for sure!
I didn’t know what I was doing and so I failed. The Company of Animals taught me a few valuable lessons: To never expect perfection on the first try and to never stop training my dog. And of course, to always read the directions first.
There are no magical solutions, but there are tools and tricks that might help solve behavioral problems.
Despite having fallen flat on my face using a product from The Company of Animals, I was thrilled to see them at the Global Pet Expo last year. It was great to see all of the different training products that they offer.
After the Global Pet Expo, The Company of Animals sent a few items our way to give a try. Our favorite by far was definitely one of their puzzles. The Company of Animals works with Nina Ottosson to create some amazing (and challenging) puzzles for dogs.
Luna put her paws to the test with the Dog Spinny puzzle. She got a little frustrated because she couldn’t figure it out right away, but eventually snagged all the treats out of their compartments. I enjoyed watching her problem solve and helping her to find the solution. It is also an added bonus that the puzzles prevent her from inhaling her food in about 0.2 seconds.
Allowing your dog to solve puzzles like these will definitely keep him or her mentally stimulated, which is important especially if you work away from home for long hours like I do. Dogs that are mentally stimulated are less likely to have behavioral issues like barking, destructive behavior, and more.
Sometimes it can be a bit of a challenge to find small training treats that can fit into the hiding spots in the puzzles, so I thought it was great that The Company of Animals thought about this. Their training treats, Coachies, can be used in puzzles, but also for training sessions of course! It is important to find a enticing, but low calorie treat for when you work on training with your dog. This way you can reward often, but they won’t eat all their calories away!
The Company of Animals also has a product to take the situations when mental stimulation from puzzles and regular exercise does not prevent your dog’s poor behavior. The Pet Corrector is a deterrent of bad behavior. It works by emitting a hiss of gas to identify and interrupt your dog’s unwanted behavior. No harm will come to a dog with the Pet Corrector, so it is a far better solution than other aversive training tools like shock collars. However, every dog is different, so keep in mind your own pet. This may not be a good choice for pets who are very sensitive to loud or sudden noises.
If you want to get more insight into the design or reasons behind the products of The Company of Animals, I recommend picking up and reading The Perfect Dog. This is a book written by Dr. Roger Mugford, who is The Company of Animals’ CEO and respected dog behaviorist in the UK. As an expert animal psychologist, Dr. Mugford shares insight into how to care for your pet and gives tips on how to train an raise a happy dog.
How often do you work on training with your dog?
- 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
You may also like:
What the Velociraptors of Jurassic World Taught Me About Clicker Training
Tips to Teach Your Dog a New Trick
6 Tips for Teaching Your Dog a New Trick {Stocking Stuffer Giveaway – Day #8}
Supporting Small Pet Businesses {Stocking Stuffer Giveaway – Day #3}
5 Dog Training Tips to Start the New Year off Right {Stocking Stuffer Giveaway – Day #12}
