Category Archives: Allgemein

Times have changed. Our dogs have developed from farm animals to family members. That is very nice, but it also has its downsides.

The line between child or partner replacement has become narrow, so that sometimes we completely forget what our dear furry friends actually need.

We struggle with a wide variety of problems and try to solve them in group training at the dog school with dogs of the same age and “cotton ball throwing” trainers.
If one trainer couldn’t help, we run to the next one and try to save a few euros.
In addition, Hasso only deserves the best food and then the vet, dog physio, the new customized leash and collar (or maybe harness), wellness for the dog, etc… but… “what if?” I keep asking myself.
How about “training from the start!”
Training can (and must) be loving!
Giving our dog a clear direction within which he can and should develop freely.
Don’t let problems arise in the first place and if they do, solve them in a targeted manner.
That’s the right way.
Yes, of course, individual training costs money. But nothing more than months of group training, at the end of which you still haven’t reached your goal.
Don’t get me wrong, group training definitely has its place, but without individual training it makes little sense.
Now a question for the trainers… why don’t owners want individual training?
Most people’s answers were:
“Too expensive, I can manage it anyway, it’s just a dog… etc.” Ultimately, it comes down to people having to deal with their own shortcomings and perhaps realizing that the error lies at the other end of the leash.
Yes, maybe.
But maybe it’s just a lack of ignorance and the flood of so-called training guides.
It always looks so easy on TV. Between Rütter, Milan, the puppy trainer and co., I see thousands of people who apply every good tip to their dog and then ask themselves why it doesn’t work. Or it works but the dog is completely confused at the end of the day thanks to the shaker, water bottle and anti-bark device.
This whole odyssey will then be many times more expensive than 2-3 individual lessons!
Yes, that’s right, during those I have to question myself and sometimes let myself be told something that doesn’t correspond to my previous way of thinking.
And? It’s not that bad.
Every now and then one or the other comes up with the idea of ​​trying individual training and, hey presto, a change in behavior occurs.
Of course, this requires the right trainer, many of them know what they’re talking about.
Give them the chance to do it “individually”.
We can only give recommendations, you have to implement it yourself.
So here are my very serious words and the tip of the year: treat yourself to individual lessons, work on the basics. Only then can it work. Listen to your trainer and take the whole thing seriously! Your dog deserves respect and a certain place in your life.
He is not just a dog. He is your dog! That alone should make him infinitely valuable to you! He deserves you to pull yourself together for him and think outside the box!
That would make me very happy!
Best wishes from the sickbed, your Ben!

How do I prepare if a dog is going to move in with me? Do I think about the breed? Male or female? Puppy or adult dog? How much time do I have for the dog? Breeder or animal shelter? Who will take care of it if I am absent? Where do I go with the dog on vacation? Do I have the time and energy to exercise the dog as it needs to?
I would like future dog owners to get honest advice from experts beforehand. With a realistic assessment of what needs the new family member will have.
When I think about it, I have been called exactly twice in the last 3 years and asked for an assessment before buying a dog. And…both times the decision to get the dog was made completely independently of my recommendation.
That is completely fine. I would like future dog owners to at least make the decision with their eyes open and know what they can expect.
Man-dog teams often come to my training and I see two individuals whose respective needs are very different.
Sometimes it is the human’s activity level that overwhelms the dog, sometimes it is the dog’s character that doesn’t suit its owner.
If the breeder describes the puppy as the “best of the litter”, then as an owner you can of course be very proud. However, I should also be aware that this puppy certainly best represents the breed’s typical characteristics. This means that the little Jack Russell will be very lively and ambitious when it comes to hunting. In addition, such a dog is tough. I mean, he will persistently defend his point of view and his owner will have to be much more stubborn than the little one 🙂 that doesn’t make him the ideal family dog. The breeder sees his puppies differently than the human who is looking for a loving, obedient, affectionate and cute puppy.
What I mean by that is, make sure you are well informed about the breed-specific characteristics of your dogs, because they often behave accordingly. However, there is always the exception, the dog that has not read the breed manual. Using a Great Dane as an example, this would mean that the dog is extremely hyper, restless and aggressive. Based on its breed description, the Great Dane is rather calm, relaxed and friendly.
The “newcomers” are often compared with their predecessors and people therefore decide to go for this breed again. The memories are attached to the last years of the well-trained, calm older dog.
I really recommend that you think about it beforehand before a new family member moves in with you and get professional advice. This can help you in your human-dog relationship right from the start.
So, now write your list of which dog you want and what characteristics it should have.
Have fun, your Ben

A new year… and so many topics are running through my head… annual review, new year and good resolutions, new projects… or maybe the New Year’s dogs?
Maybe a bit of everything?
The past year was a special one for me. I married my wife. We met by chance in 2019 and are so wonderfully on the same wavelength that I don’t want to be without her for a single day. Above all, we share our love of dogs and our passion for helping people build a better relationship with their dog. I am very grateful for that (gratitude… also a great topic for the blog).
I learned a lot last year from the dogs in my training and also from meeting special people… that leads me to new projects and new approaches for the new year. I don’t keep many good resolutions for myself because I mostly didn’t keep them and created more frustration than joy. That doesn’t mean that I don’t set goals for myself… they are definitely on my list!
But now I want to get to my real topic… you’ll find out more about my goals in the next few months… The New Year’s Eve dogs… that’s what I call them. I mean the poor frightened creatures that are reported missing around New Year’s Eve. They, frightened by rockets and firecrackers, just run away in panic… headless and no longer responsive.
Before New Year’s Eve, I regularly post videos and posts in which I give tips on how to secure a dog for the last walks before the end of the year, so that they can’t slip out of the collar and harness if a firecracker explodes right next to them. I also regularly recommend keeping dogs on a leash in the days around New Year’s Eve. Ideally, you lead the dog by the collar and harness at the same time. On these special days, I deliberately tighten my dogs’ collars one hole more to make sure that they don’t turn their heads out in an emergency. The typical harnesses are pull harnesses, which means that they fit comfortably and distribute the load across the body when the dog goes forward. However, if the dog goes backwards while the harness is being pulled forwards, it easily slips over the dog’s shoulders and head and you have… whoosh… the leash and harness in your hand and the dog is “naked”.
A so-called additional safety harness has a strap that runs behind the dog’s ribs. This means the dog cannot slip out of the harness. If I also secure it to the collar, I am well equipped for one last walk of the old year.
I take my dogs out for the last time on December 31st between 4 and 5 p.m. Then I go home and they can retreat. We don’t go out again until the morning of the new year.
I had hoped that the New Year’s Eve fireworks wouldn’t be too loud and that people would rather invest their money wisely (although that is certainly in the eye of the beholder), but things turned out differently. Maybe I wasn’t used to it anymore after 2 quiet years due to the pandemic.

As early as December 31st, the first reports came in that dogs had run away in panic on walks as well as from gardens.

I feel for every dog ​​owner who is looking for their furry friend and has done everything they can to find them.

Our furry friends are able to run long distances if something has made them panic. This makes finding them again very difficult.

I find it really horrifying when comments are posted under search messages in which the owners are only blamed and even insulted.

That certainly doesn’t help at this point!

The worries and fears about the dogs and also the grief that the dear friends have lost are terrible.

One of the dogs currently missing is one who was with us in training for some time.

I sincerely hope that he will be found soon and can return home to his family.

If there is one resolution for the new year, it is that people should be more friendly and understanding towards each other. You don’t know each other’s history, you haven’t walked in each other’s shoes.
Look behind the facade and reach out to help.
I think our world is in great need of helping hands right now!
Be good to each other.

The dog park… a place created by people so that dogs can have contact with other dogs, run freely in a fenced-in area and play and have fun with other dogs.
That’s the theory!
I experience every day that the practice is unfortunately completely different.
There are situations where the dogs really have fun and romp around with their fellow dogs.
And then there are the other moments. In which I hear dogs growling behind the fence, others squealing in fear and pain. This is the case when people send their dog onto the meadow where other dogs have already staked out “their” territory and are not happy to welcome the newcomer. In order to make the start on the dog park a good one for everyone, it is important that dog owners show consideration for one another. By calling your dog to you and keeping it with you, you give the other human-dog team the opportunity to enter the meadow and arrive.
I often observe that the dogs do exactly what they were bred for. The German Shepherd controls everyone who enters the dog park, the greyhound chases the other dogs, the Labrador shoots at everything that isn’t in a tree by the count of three without any distance… and their owners… watch. Watch as their darlings are bullied by other dogs without any protection. It is up to the owners to offer their dogs the greatest possible protection… essential for a harmonious human-dog relationship.
I wish that people could read the body language of dogs better and knew that dogs cannot sort out these park situations among themselves. At least not in the way we humans imagine.
There are often loud noises and one of the dogs is bitten, bullied or intimidated.
And then people react… they are surprised, they say things like “he’s never done that before”. Such situations can be avoided if you show consideration for one another, do not give out treats to the dogs (which can quickly become an object worth defending) and do not throw toys into a group of dogs. Especially not if they do not know each other well. A simple “dog park” acquaintance is not so solid that the dogs do not go for each other’s necks if there is possible prey.
I can only warmly recommend attending a body language seminar and reading the exciting body language of our dogs.
I would be happy to translate for you!
Take good care of yourself and your loved ones, and: avoid dog parks if possible.

And suddenly it’s there, the moment when you spontaneously agree… and now you don’t know how to start.
I’m Ben. I’ve been working as a dog trainer since 2013. At first small and mobile, but now for 3 years on a beautiful training area with a small dog daycare center.
I’m married and live in a social community with my wife, two children and four dogs. Yes, classic and sometimes a bit stuffy… in a little house with a garden and charcoal grill. OK, I admit, four dogs are not classic or even stuffy. You’ll find out more about the dogs later.
I’ve been running my dog ​​school Ben’s Dogbe in Karben with the associated dog daycare center for 3 years now. My whole passion is training and seminars. Helping people to understand their dogs better is very important to me. Every customer is different, every dog ​​is different, there is no template that can be applied to the training structure. The most common sentence I have heard from trainers and dozens of others during my training is “you can’t say that in general.” You could proceed like this, or perhaps try the following…” That gripped me from the start. Observing, studying the body language of the dogs and constantly re-evaluating the situation between dog and human and adapting the training accordingly. What works well at the moment can be irrelevant again shortly afterwards. The condition of the dog and its owner must always be taken into account. Whether physical or mental, it doesn’t matter.
In my view, flexibility and individuality are two important elements that I try to adhere to in my training and seminars. In some training groups there are 7 topics that are taught one after the other week after week. However, it can also be the case that for a current reason (e.g. poison bait in the area or problems of dog owners) I completely change the training on one day and then take the acute needs of my group into account.
Jack&Russell offered me the opportunity to understand a regular blog from the world and perspective of a dog trainer.
Well, you’ll be surprised.
I will comment on various topics and hope you enjoy reading. You are also welcome to send me comments.