How You & Your Dog Click

By Brian Arial

How much do you love dogs? How deep is this connection? This book accompanies your journey with your canine companion. The purpose here is to fit the two of you like inseparable puzzle pieces. You have found each other and you will CLICK eternally. 

 

Doubts linger. Training gets hard. You are not alone. Entertaining true stories and carefully detailed training guides will include you. You will feel how deeply we are united in a community of dog enthusiasts.

 

Follow Angel's journey as a rescue dog from discovery through shared experiences with her friends. Countless breeds of dogs enter her life and bring fullfillment to their favorite humans. Enter the Ten Step True Story. Each chapter brings you one step closer to that ultimate CLICK where you complete each other as family. You took the leap and made one of the greatest decisions of your life.

 

Allow this book to join you on your journey to create the strongest bond with a dog that will overcome all the hurdles of training to enter the deepest and warmest depths of your heart. 

 

The Ten Step True Story

1. GIVE
2. RECEIVE
3. ENJOY
4. HELP
5. LEAD
6. LIMITED
7. COMMIT
8. CONSISTENT
9. UNITE
10. CLICK

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arial Books
• Release date: Dec 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201495275

Brian Arial

Brian Arial is a professional writer dedicating his work to pets, homes and families. His work is scattered throughout the internet on various training websites, but his passion revolves around bringing dogs and humans closer together.  This book means the world to him because it aims to connect the community of dog enthusiasts to each other through shared experiences.   

Book preview

Chapters

(The Ten Steps)

GIVE

RECEIVE

ENJOY

HELP

LEAD

LIMITED

COMMIT

CONSISTENT

UNITE

CLICK

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: GIVE

Unboxing

6 Steps for Taking in a Free-Roaming, Abandoned or Adopted Puppy

The Vet

7 Tips For Walking A Dog

A Temporary Home

4 Things To Not Buy A New Puppy

10 Reasons To Get A Crate

The Best News

To Pee Pad Or Not To Pee Pad?

3 Main Ways To Give Praise

The Day From Hell

Click Training

10 Ways to Click Train So We Can All Click With Our Dogs

Lemon: The Porch Queen

The Price is Right: The Pet Population

The Beach Dogs: Sky, Hot Wheels and Happy

Top 6 Best Dog Treats

CHAPTER 2: RECEIVE

Top 10 Ways to Assist A Dog to Give Up Excessive Barking

CHHHHHHH

Kyle: The Runner

Dogs, Wolves and Foxes

Top 5 Best Breeds of Dogs for First Time Dog Owners

Solving the Puzzle: Top 6 Best Dog Puzzles

Dogs Are Investigators

Angel and Kyle Are Stinky Friends

Top 7 Ways to Clean a Stinky Dog

Angel Has a Boyfriend

7 Ways to Help a Terrified Dog

Dog Dating

Top 5 Benefits Dogs RECEIVE from Dogs

Smoke: The Little Gray Wonder

Top 8 Benefits We Receive From Dogs

CHAPTER 3: ENJOY

Marble Leads the Way

The Learning Process

Top 5 Ways to Help an Over Excited Dog

The Bond

Top 6 Ways to Assist with Impulse Control

Think First Before You Move

ENJOY the Training: Even the Destruction

Chewing Overdose

5 Chewing Trial and Errors Tips

Play

10 Fun Indoor Games to Play Together

Angel Snorkels?

Angel Kayaks?

Top 10 Outdoor Activities with Dogs

Hugs and Cuddles

Belly Rubs and Leg Twitches

Angel Sticks Her Head WAY Out of the Car Window

CHAPTER 4: HELP

The First Move

Helping the Dog Community

What Does it Mean When My Dog Does This?

Social Proof

Help! Why is my Dog Dragging his Butt on the Floor?

Help! How Can I Stop my Dog from Chewing on my Stuff?

Help! Can my Dog Stop Snoring?

Help! Can This Dog Be Saved From Scratching That Never Ending Itch?

Help! How Can I Save Money on Pet Costs?

Help! Bath Times and Grooming are an Absolute Nightmare!

Nail Cutting

Teeth Brushing

Help! My Dog Takes a Snap at People. Is She Trying to Bite?

We Built These Cities

Screams, Yells, Armageddon

Help! My Dog Whines A Lot

ANGEL IS LOST

The Community Helps

Dog Hacks

CHAPTER 5: LEAD

Richard Parker and The Slip Trick

6 Tips for Dogs That Get Away

Lead by Example

Why Lead?

After You. Just Kidding. I Go First

Angel and Elevators

The Doors

Car Doors

Ceasar’s Feast

Ignore Angel

LEAD to Relieve: The Poop Chronicles

Why Does It Take So Long?

How Angel Poops on Command

Our Leadership How We Work At This Together

5 Ways to Boost Our Dog’s Confidence

The Pack Leader Debate

A Critical Balance or a Happy Medium?

CHAPTER 6: LIMITED

Ms. Samford’s Grandmother & Pilot

Joanna’s Vet Clinic Assistant Rocky

Rocky’s LIMITED Employment

The Time Will Come

Lucky: The G.O.A.T. of Dogs

4 Things We Shouldn’t Do After Someone’s Dog Passes

Surrendering a Dog

Angel Says Goodbye to Her Best Friend Kyle

An Interview with Chris & Dakota

Angel Goes to School

Angel and the Mouse

Marble’s Squirrel Sighting & Screen Door Shenanigans

Marble is Lost!

The World Loses Marble

CHAPTER 7: COMMIT

Valerie’s Cafe

Pandemic Commitments

Kids Prefer Dogs

Victoria and Bubbles

10 Tips to Commit to Dog Training

15 Years Give or Take

Have You Heard of Puppy Raisers?

Adopting Older Dogs

Pet Sitting

Top 20 Commitments We Make To Our Dogs

Doggie Vows

CHAPTER 8: CONSISTENT

What Happens When a Dog Forgets Their Training?

Anxiety

Exercise

10 Ways to Improve A Dog’s Recall

Shisha’s High Jumps

Consistent Together

CHAPTER 9: UNITE

Two Puzzle Pieces That Fit

One Of Us Has a Phone

Unite Online

The Middle of Nowhere

Something is Cooking

Dog Holidays

National Walk Your Dog Day = Exercise

National Puppy Day = Training

International Guide Dog Day = Physical Challenges

National Rescue Dog Day = Selflessness

National Mutt Day = Diversity

National Dog Day = Inclusion

Social Media For Dogs

E-UNITE?

Dog Blogs

Community

CHAPTER 10: CLICK

Caesar On His Throne

Nature 1. Pee Pad 0

Angel And The City

Sunsets in Brooklyn

The Final CLICK: Angel’s New Favorite

A Rosa Ending

Rosa & Angel Meet: The Puzzle Completes Itself

Matrimony

A Ten Step True Story

Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION

THE PHONE BUZZES.

Hey, you need to come downstairs and see this.

Four flights of stairs separate me from my neighbor frantically smashing letters into his phone.

My phone is buzzing its way off the coffee table. 

Hurry up! Downstairs. Now.

The balls of my feet barely touch the steps on my way down. The door is open and a box rests on the floor. I quickly notice that it’s moving.

The tattered cardboard box is riddled with scratches and holes.  It’s located just outside the front door that leads out to a small park. 

Can you believe this? Someone abandoned them in the park. Grab the other side.

Half asleep from the fact that it’s past 11pm and half stupefied by what I’m seeing, I squat down and help pick up the damp, worn out box. My neighbor directs me, Put it down here and we’ll let them out.

Three tails whack the sides of the box creating a beat too fast to hold a rhythm. The copper one is a female and she looks absolutely freaked out, worried and untrusting. She’s the only one barking. The male with the largest paws and darkest coat of fur is taking the lead.

If he could bark out a language for the three of them to have a quick meeting, he would say, Keep it down girls, these two might save us. On my count, we give them our trademark puppy dog eyes. 3, 2, 1, go!

Three sets of innocent eyes glare at us with pleading intent. They were cast aside late at night and now they’re ready for something to eat.  The four story townhouse apartment opens into a generously sized entrance hall that is empty and unoccupied.

Three hungry puppies are in need of shelter. It’s time to fill this space. Inexperience leads to my only assumption that these whimpers and yelps have something to do with food. 

I’m going to 7-11. Should I get wet or dry dog food?  This is crazy.

PUPPY EYES ARE WATCHING you. Maybe it’s time for a walk. Maybe it’s time to explain.

This book is a journey of one dog that guides us through her experiences. She is joined by many dogs who will accompany us on this long walk to the finish line. Each chapter will take us down the road to that final CLICK.

This is when all the pieces fit; where both of you connect like nothing else. The bond that glues you and your dog together will make this journey complete. 

The first chapter is called GIVE. Dogs give us loyalty wholeheartedly. They are  the best. People also give back to dogs in profound ways. These are the stories that will be shared to support anyone who is struggling or doubting their decision to GIVE.

Dogs give humans the strongest of connections and a few slobbery licks in the face to go with it. When the opportunity comes for you to give back to these selfless canines, it’s up to us to take action.

Feel free to skim or skip your way through this book as you see fit. You will notice guides, lists and most importantly, the true stories wrapped in ten steps leading us to our shared destination. This is when you and your canine companion connect like puzzle pieces that snap together perfectly to CLICK.

Each chapter contains sections depicting advice and suggestions from the dog community, but it’s the actual stories that I’m most proud of. The reason being is that they are dedicated to the best dogs in the world. I wish for the dog next to you to be included as well.

Please enjoy the stories and the process of advancing through the ten steps. As you progress, you will notice the lists and guided topics will decrease and the relationships will take over.

Chapter 6 is called LIMITED and this is where our connection gets heavy. Many writing breaks were taken and emotional breakdowns occurred during this time. A friend had to put down his favorite dog in the world today as I type these words. Kidney failure. It’s just terrible, but we are there for him and our thoughts go out to Kiwi who lived her best life.

You are an awesome person for deciding to take on the challenge of giving your time, energy and effort to a dog that is sure to enter the depths of your heart. This is not only when you fully CLICK with your dog, but when you become a key member in this global dog community that unites us.

Chapter 1

GIVE

Unboxing

THE CENTRAL CHARACTER of this book is being taken out of the box with her brother and sister. They’re settling into their new or temporary home. The visit to the vet will help determine that tomorrow morning. Their bellies are full and they seem ok for now. The landlord has been informed and she is giving her consent. Let’s figure this out.

Take these baby wipes and paper towels. Take the spray bottle over there. It’s dog soap mixed with water inside it. Help me out.

It sounds like my neighbor has done this before. Pools and stains begin to spread over the ceramic tiles . Thankfully, there is no carpet or anything around that isn’t easily wiped up. Lots of messes need to be cleaned up between 3 puppies, every hour.

My neighbor replies with confidence, but he’s talking and moving too fast for me to keep up. They gotta be about a month or two old. Hopefully they stayed with their mother for 8-12 weeks.

Puppy One keeps barking. She’s copper and beautiful. Puppy Two is standing up with his shiny brown and black coat and checking to see if everything is alright. Her barks alert him. He’s on guard because he’s acting as their leader.

No two dogs are alike. Especially not Puppy Three. This golden one here, yelling back at my neighbor. She’s following me around. She doesn’t seem to care about anything else. She’s so playful and carefree. She won’t let me out of her sight.

This is her at this very moment. This is Angel and she has never stopped following me.

DO I LIKE WHAT’S HAPPENING? This dog is entering into a relationship with me. Either planned or not, this is what’s happening right now and do I like it? I’m saying yes without thinking for now. I’m just going with the motions. Let’s see what happens.

6 STEPS FOR TAKING in a Free-Roaming, Abandoned or Adopted Puppy

1. GET SUPPLIES

Pick up some dog food, paper towels, pee pads, dog soap, tug toys, a ball, and maybe consider a crate (aka: a dog’s bedroom).

2. Prepare The Space

It’s time to sniff around in the only area they are allowed to be in. No sniffs or going anywhere else (not yet). For now, they’re basically your tenants with their own limited spot in your territory.

3. The Vet

Meet your vet. Call ahead. Let them guide you through the essentials.

4. Pee Schedule

A one month old? Then this puppy might need to pee once per hour. Two months old? Pee every two hours. Three months old? Every three hours. And just like this until the pee schedule is five or more hours apart.

5. Do Some Homework

Keep researching and reading. This book counts.

6. Open Up To It

This is going to be hitting you on many stages and  levels.  Surrender to all possibilities and likelihoods. If we already had the perfect picture of how this is supposed to go, get ready for the opposite of that and be ok with it.

THE VET

JOANNA IS A COOL VET. She takes on a huge responsibility like all vets who choose to give back to as many animals as they can. She handles it with grace, humility and confidence. All three dogs check out healthy, but some work will be needed.

No tags or microchips. Let’s go for one shot a month for the next three months. Then you can decide to spay or neuter immediately after the final shot. In the meantime, it’s best to keep the dogs on a leash at all times when going out and stay mostly on paved paths, roads and sidewalks. Grass and sandy areas provide a perfect environment for germs or illnesses to interact with unvaccinated dogs.

Joanna is an expert but she doesn’t push her expertise as undeniable facts. She doesn’t demand from us or our dogs. We will follow her lead. Nothing said in this book will ever be forced, strongly advised or commanded for any of us to do.

We’ll ingest the words of vets, trainers, scientists or dog whisperers, but we will always continue to gather knowledge and use our amazing ability to internally sort through all of it to make our own choices. No one needs to tell us exactly what to do. We’re going forward with it. We’re taking it one step at a time. Let’s keep going.

The three puppies are placed back into a newer cardboard box where they seem more comfortable together on the way back to the apartment. It's time to use the three simple leashes we bought from the clinic attached to three small collars and go for a walk.

We decide to stay off the grass for now. We have to surrender to the continuous indoor cleanups at our place for a little while longer. Potty training would have to wait and will come up in a later chapter.

There is also a sandy beach nearby, but swimming or showing off adorable puppies will also have to wait. Let’s take puppy steps first.

7 TIPS FOR WALKING A Dog

1. A NECK COLLAR OR Front Clip Harness

These help to prevent pulling on the leash compared to harnesses that clip on their back.

2. Dog Need To Investigate

The dog should be allowed to sniff around during the walk. This is as much of an exercise for the mind as it is for the body. There are limits to the sniffing or else we’ll never get home.

3. Rethink Retractable or Stretchy Leashes

In case of an emergency, you need to react and pull back. These leashes are more comfortable for us or the dog, but they limit our control and care during urgent times.

4. Bring Treats With You.

Keep them in your pocket and out of sight. They’ll smell them and they’ll know what’s up. We have the good stuff and if they’re doing good things, they’ll get to have some. More on treat training later.

5. Make Eye Contact With People Walking Dogs

Nod or ask if it’s ok to approach each other for a sniff. Hopefully you’re asking only for the dogs. The sniffing mechanism is thousands of times stronger in canines and more important for them to get to know their local dog community. For us? Not so much. That would be creepy.

6. Walk Together

If we walk with our friends or family, don’t we usually walk side by side? This is not a rule. This book is not about rules. Walking alongside a dog helps promote the friendship between you both and shows that there’s no need to protect us or lead us from harm.

7. Pick It Up

There are so many reasons for this. Right now, I’m walking three puppies with my neighbor and we’re being told that since they haven’t had their shots, going near random dog poo could influence early illnesses that no one wants to invite home. Let’s go back home. 

A TEMPORARY HOME

MY NEIGHBOR ALREADY has a French bulldog.  His name is Seymour and he farts a lot. Seymour doesn’t like other dogs. He enjoys his little colored rug and he snores a lot too. Seymour is already home and we can’t keep three dogs.

We aren’t not in a rush because the landlord is being very lenient because she loves dogs, but we need to do something. We’re taking pictures of them and posting them online to our friends and local dog groups.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO pictures being posted. I’m being tailed. She’s on me. Her eyes lock onto my movements and her paws try desperately to keep up with me. She’s my shadow. She’s making me glow. I’m seeing a halo over her head. She’s an angel.  She’s here for a reason and I don’t know it yet.

I decide to keep her. There will be no pictures of her posted today.