, TX
Dog Training Blog
Mon Jan 4 2010
Sat, Jan 27,
07 - Transporting Dogs in Pick-Up
Trucks; Rainy Day Games for Dogs
Sat, Feb 3, 2007 - Doggy Odor
Wed, Feb
14, 07 - Eye Contact Attention Exercise
Mon, March 26, 07 - City of Houston Shelter
Mon, April 16, 07 - Home Alone Dogs and Toy Suggestions
Fri.
May 11, 07 - Where Should Your Dog Sleep
May 18,
07- Mosquito Control; Follow the Leader Training
May 29, 07
- RAISING TRIP
(how I am raising my own puppy)
Fri. June 22, 07
- Playing with
Puppies; Settle & Gentle Restraint
Tues.
June 27, 07 - Confessions of a Dog Trainer: Lessons in Humility From My Puppy
Wed. July 11, 07
- Animal Behavior
Associates free email newsletter
Tues. Aug. 7, 07
- New Loose Leash
Walking Game; Dealing with Thunder Storm Anxiety; New book, "Control Unleashed;"
New technique to reduce fear/reactivity/aggression.
Sat. Aug. 11, 07- Sit Vs. Sit-Stay?
Tues. Aug 25, 07- Teaching Wait at Door; Anniversary of Holly's passing & dream about Holly &
Monty.
Tues. Sept 4, 07 - Using baby food on index
finger as lure for heeling and "Line Up."
Fri. Sept
7, 07 - New Puppy Book & Feeding Puppies & Dogs
Sat Sept 22, 07 -
Beginning Fronts & Finishes
Sat Sept 29, 07 -
Recall (Come) Work
Mon. Oct 15,
07 -
Training Attention in the Face of
Distractions
Thurs. Oct.
18, 07 -
When the Training Doesn't Go Well
Sun. Oct 21, 2007 -
Sometimes I Forget What I Know!-
The Retrieve-Shaping by Approximation
Oct 22, 07 -
How to Add
Either a Verbal or Hand Signal to Your Dog's Bag of Tricks
Sun. Jan. 20, 2008 - Houston, TX- Training Stay Using the Premack
Principle
Thurs. Jan.
24, 2008 - Houston, TX - Why Not Cesar Millan's Way?
Mon. Jan.28, 2008
- Houston, TX - Puppy and Dog Training Videos
Tues. Jan. 29, 2008 - Houston, TX - A Good
Baby Gate
Fri. Feb. 1 2008- Houston, TX -
Thurs. Aug 27 2009
- Teach Your Dog to Retrieve
Sun. Jan 10, 2010 - The
Politics of Animal Protection
Sun Jan 3, 2010 - The Politics
of Animal Protection Laws - The owner of
a local dog sports email list has been using that list to urge people to
actively oppose legislation in
the state of Missouri aimed at the horrific puppy mills that currently operate
there with impunity. The apparent rationale for this position is that animal protection legislation threatens the rights of breeders and pet owners to
do whatever they please in regard to their animals. An organization named
"Responsible Pet Owners Alliance" attracts many like minded breeders - the long record of RPOA
opposing animal protection laws makes it clear that their efforts are geared to
protect the concept of animals as property without any inherent "rights,"
even to humane treatment. I wrote the following to give my take on the issue:
Subject: T
he
campaign that's been started urging everyone fight against efforts to regulate puppy mills in Missouri and elsewhere.
I, for one, do not accept the
proposition that regulating the horrific conditions of puppy mills is a blow
against responsible dog breeders.
There really are
two sides to most stories. For the other side of this one: http://www.maal.org/Puppy-Mills.asp
The best way to find out if a
particular piece of legislation would help or harm animals is to read it for
yourself and use your own common sense to judge it.
Every time there is an effort
to do something about puppy mills or to better conditions for livestock, all the
powerful special interest political lobbies that have a financial stake in
keeping animal protection laws as lax as possible spring into action. Since
they obviously can't garner public support on a platform of continued cruelty to
animals, the propaganda spin they use to fight animal protection
legislation is mud slinging against those trying to change the status quo. By
falsely claiming that all the people supporting animal protection legislation
have a radical "animal rights" agenda, they often succeed in getting a knee jerk
public reaction, esp. in the dog community.
I have been very dismayed over
the years to see the increasing influence of lobbying groups such as the
National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) and Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (RPOA)
making inroads into the dog sports community via list emails crafted to
encourage paranoia about animal protection laws.
What dog enthusiasts
are usually not aware of is who really funds and runs these groups that fight
animal protection legislation on a national, state and local level. For
example, one of NAIA’s handful of board members has been Sharon Beck, past
president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association and head of a committee for the
National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Although I don't object to beef eating,
I strongly object to people flying under false colors, as the NAIA and RPOA do
when they consistently takes positions that cause needless animal suffering
while claiming to be "animal welfare" organizations in order to confuse the
public.
To find out whose interests the
NAIA really represents, you need only take a look at their lobbying record, and
ask yourself, would an animal welfare organization work hand in glove with the
National Trappers Association in opposing trapping with leg hold traps as the
NAIA does? You might also take a look at who their political bed fellows are.
For example, when a bill came up in the state of California to ban the use of
gestation crates for pregnant sows and to regulate the size of stalls for veal
calves (both of which were being kept in inhumane conditions) the NAIA joined
with groups that included the Agricultural Council of California, the California
Cattlemen's Assoc, the California Farm Bureau Federation, the California Grain
and Feed Assoc, the California Pork Producers Assoc, the Pacific Egg and Poultry
Assoc, and Western United Dairymen to fight against more humane treatment for
these animals.
In Texas, Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is
one of the many
state organizations that operate in a similar manner to the NAIA, using the same
tactics of claiming to be animal welfare organizations while consistently using
well honed propaganda techniques to fight against animal protection legislation. RPOA recently (unsuccessfully) opposed a
bill that made it easier for police and prosecutors in Harris Co. to go after
animal abusers and that changed the status of a REPEAT charge of animal cruelty
from a misdemeanor to a felony. Any group can call itself an animal welfare
organization, but the proof is in the pudding and this particular group has a
long documented record of consistently opposing sensible middle-of–the-road
legislation aimed at reducing the suffering of animals. I find it both clever
and diabolical that by going after the support of dog owners and sports
enthusiasts they seek to neutralize and even win over the very people who would
otherwise be the strongest upholders of humane treatment for dogs.
Again, if you
don't know who or what to believe and the issue matters to you, before you allow
yourself to get “herded,” read the legislation for yourself and make up your own
mind about it. Beverly Hebert
Thurs. Aug. 27, 2009 - If
you're reading this you may notice there is a gap of about a year and 7 months
since the last entry. My husband's sudden death in Feb was a life changing
event and I have not been involved in training dogs since that time.
However, eventually I started to work with my own dog Trip again and now I have
something I would like to share about that.
Teach your dog to retrieve -WHY?
What I would like to address today is the problem of how to meet our dogs' need
for exercise when our own life circumstances or external circumstances such as
the weather make that difficult. One solution is teaching puppies to
retrieve.
If your dog likes to retrieve you can
exercise him or her almost any time, anywhere!
I don't know how I would have made it
through the past year as far as taking care of Trip, if I had not been able to
give him some tongue-hanging out exercise through retrieving. Days when I
barely had the energy to get out of bed, I would make myself go out into the
backyard a couple of times a day and throw his ball for an arbitrary number of
times - usually about 20. There were times I was physically sick when I
would just sit and toss his ball or rubber toys from the couch I was sitting on.
Likewise this summer as we have experienced heat waves lasting for weeks at a
time with temperatures over 100 degrees, and a knee problem limited my walking,
our indoor retrieving games made the difference between a dog that would have
been crazy/wild with pent up energy and a dog that still got his exercise needs
met.
Probably almost any dog can be taught
to enjoy retrieving but it is always best to start when the dog is a pup, when
playfulness is at its peak. Other trainers may have more fool proof
regimens but I began with Trip simply by tossing soft toys a few feet away and
encouraging him to return to me - calling "puppy-puppy," patting my hands on the
floor, running backwards away from him, etc. Then I bought a small puppy
size red rubber ball that he could comfortably hold in his mouth and I tossed
the ball into small spaces such as his crate or our hall bathroom where he had
to come back by me to get out. The second I got the ball back I tossed it for
him again - getting to chase the ball/toy again is the dog's reward for
returning to you and timing is important - give that reinforcement immediately!
The first problem -dropping
the ball -I encountered was that Trip would chase after his ball, pick it up
in his mouth, but then drop it before coming all the way back. If at this
point you get up to go get the ball, the dog will quickly succeed in training
YOU to retrieve for him.
Instead you have to patiently wait.
If the dog loves the game, he will usually go pick up the ball again to try to
entice you to play. If he brings it a little closer, you can reach out for
the ball and throw it. But now you have to gradually raise your criteria
(this can take several days) and require the dog to bring the ball closer and
closer before you will reach out for it.
Teaching the Hold - Now you
can begin to teach the dog "the Hold." Purchase a plastic dumbbell or
something equivalent for this. Clicker training is great for teaching the
hold because the click tells the dog he is being rewarded for holding the
dumbbell and not just for spitting it out. However you can also teach this
without a clicker.
Begin by teasing the dog a bit with
the dumbbell until he reaches out to grab it with his teeth and the second he
does, Click or say YES, then take the dumbbell and reward the dog with a treat.
Now repeat, but delay the click/yes by a second or two. (If your dog is
hesitant to open her mouth to take the dumbbell, you can teach her to open her
mouth on cue by using a spoon and a can of dog food. Each time you hold up
a tiny spoonful of food, say "Take It." Do this about 40 times. Then
tell her to Take It as you pop the dumbbell in her mouth - remove it immediately
and follow up with a spoon of food).
When your dog will open her mouth to take the dumbbell,
proceed as follows:
Dog holds dumbbell for one or two
seconds- Click/say YES- Say Out- catch dumbbell as dog spits it out-reinforce
with treat.
Dog holds dumbbell for three seconds-
repeat above sequence. Dog holds dumbbell for 4 seconds, etc.
It may take two or more sessions
before the dog will hold the dumbbell for 5-10 seconds. When the dog will do
this, you can stop clicking/saying yes. Instead give the cue "Hold" as the
dog takes the dumbbell. Before the dog spits it out, tell the dog "Out."
Final step- Take It: Now
when you throw a ball or toy and your dog chases after it, just as he is about
to grab it, say "Take It." Do this consistently and soon you will be able
to send your dog out after an object by throwing it and giving him the cue "Take
it" (or if you prefer you can say "Fetch").
Now you should have a dog who will
run out to grab whatever you throw for him to fetch, take it in his mouth,
return to you and hold it until you tell him to "Out" or "Drop It." Even
dogs who aren't born retrievers will learn to love retrieving as a means to an
end - mental and physical stimulation, play time and interaction with you!
And you can be a couch potato and still give your dog the exercise he needs! For
me an added bonus is that rain or shine Trip races out to fetch the newspaper
every morning!
Fri. Feb. 1 2008- Houston, TX -
It's been an extremely interesting week training Trip with some ups and downs
but mostly ups -and guess whose fault the downs were? (Hint-remember the dog is
always perfect at being a dog!).
So based on what I have been learning
with Trip, here are a few tips:
Recall/COME-If you have done
your foundation work to for Come (making sure something good always happens when
your dog comes when called), and yet your adolescent dog is starting to act like
he would rather test what will happen if he DOESN'T come when you call him, use
something that is very high value to him and hide it on your person. For
Trip, that is his red Kong ball--it is his favorite toy and I don't think even a
pork chop can compete with it. For your dog though, it might be a
bite of pork chop. So call your dog and if he doesn't come, let him see
what you had for him and then let him see you put it away. Wait a few
minutes, and when he isn't watching you, get the ball or food again, hide it,
then give him another chance-call him and if he comes produce the surprise and
throw his ball or give him his extraordinary treat. Let him learn that
when you call him, he just might be rewarded with his very favorite thing.
Tues. Jan. 29, 2008 - Houston, TX-A Good Baby Gate-We often recommend
using baby gates as part of a management plan to our clients. While my
grandchildren were here during the holidays I needed a new (pressure mounted)
baby gate with a door, so I sifted through reviews and buyer’s guides, etc. to
try to make a good choice. I ended up getting one my daughter had recommended
that was used at her children’s day care center. I have been very pleased with
it, so here is the info:
• The First Years Hands Free Gate
Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC
• I also got: The First Years Hands Free Gate Extension
Sold by: target.com
Mon. Jan.28, 2008 - Houston, TX - Puppy and
Dog Training Videos-
Although watching a video is not a substitute for group classes or private
lessons, it can offer reliable guidance about raising your puppy or dog and
reinforce what you will learn in training classes. Be sure to read the customer
reviews on the Amazon sites!
"New
Puppy! Now What?"
http://www.amazon.com/New-Puppy-Now-What/dp/B000GFMBI8
Will
help you navigate the perils of puppyhood with a sense of humor. The
clear instructions, stunning visuals and gentle, light-hearted approach
make it easy for you to learn how to conquer the common challenges of
puppyhood and beyond.
And for your
adult dog:
Train
Your Dog - The Positive Gentle Method
http://www.amazon.com/Train-Your-Dog-Positive-Gentle/dp/B00008O0VO
Starring:
Nicole Wilde,
Laura Bourhenne
Learn how you
can get results in a short time, using praise and treats. A truly interactive
DVD, which reveals many of the best-kept secrets of positive dog training. Two
top Los Angeles trainers guide you step by step, through simple, gentle
techniques that produce amazing results. You'll learn training without ever
laying a hand on your dog. Master the magic of clicker training, used for movie
animals. Discover easy fixes for common behavior problems, and much more. Your
dog will learn all basic and other essential commands. Watch progression in real
time. See puppies as well as adult dogs among the 20 different dog breeds
featured: Beagle, Yellow Lab, Golden Retriever, Jack Russell Terrier, Malamute,
Boxer, Poodle. Most of the dogs have not had previous training.
Thurs. Jan. 24, 2008 -
Houston,
TX - Cesar
Millan's Way vs. Training with Positive Reinforcement- My clients sometimes ask me what I think of Cesar
Milan. On the personal side, I think that Mr. Milan is charming, well
intentioned, genuinely cares about dogs, has enough experience interacting with
dogs to feel very comfortable around them, and uses a training approach that
makes for good television. However, the following links explain why many
professional dog trainers take issue with many of the training methods
portrayed by the popular Dog Whisperer TV series:
http://4pawsuniversity.com/dogpsychology.htm
To read about a position statement by The
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) on punishment-based
training:
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/aahatknt/issues/2008-01-23.html#0
Sun. Jan. 20, 2008 - Houston, TX- Training Stay Using Premack Principle-
Although the holidays are over, I'm
still playing catch up! There are many training issues I could write about
that I have been involved with over the past few months with either my client
dogs or my own dogs, but today I would like to focus on just one of the basic
obedience behaviors I am working on with the Tripster regarding his "Stay"
training.
I taught Stay to my German Shepherds
without using food rewards. That was many years ago. If you don't
motivate a dog to perform a behavior by using positive reinforcement, the only
other way to motivate is through the use of punishment or negative
reinforcement. In their case I gave verbal and physical reprimands for
breaking the Stay. That worked, although it was not much fun for my dogs.
Fortunately, after they learned to Stay, I was able to switch tactics and give
them praise and an occasional cookie for their good behavior.
Now that most professional trainers know more about how to train with positive
techniques, we tend to use food rewards to teach and reinforce the Stay-those
rewards are given while the dog is doing the Stay (not after releasing the dog)
since that is the behavior we want to reinforce.
However, there is another technique
that can be also be used to train Stay: What I have just started doing
with Trip is to put him on Stay, release him with my verbal cue "OK-Break" and
then immediately toss a ball or toy for him to chase/fetch. The latter is
his favorite activity. His other favorite activity is tugging, so
sometimes when he returns his toy to me, we play Tug. (Tip: A great
toy for this exercise is a Hollee ball with a smaller squeaky toy inserted
inside it.) Although this sequence may seem at first blush to be rewarding
the dog for ending the stay rather than for holding it, it is actually utilizing
the Premack Principle, i.e. performing the Stay is the dog's gateway to
doing something else he really wants to do:
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Premack's Principle
(Premack, 1959, 1963) states that more probable behaviors will
reinforce less probable behaviors. Premack's Principle was derived
from a study of Cebus monkeys, but has explanatory and predictatory
power when applied to humans *(and dogs).
This is evidenced by the fact that therapists use the principle in
behavior modification. In pedestrian terms Premack's Principle
suggests that if a student wants to perform a given activity, the
student will perform a less desirable activity to get at the more
desirable activity. In behaviorist terms, activities become
reinforcers. Students will be more motivated to perform a particular
activity if they know that they will be able to partake of a more
desirable activity as a consequence. If high probability behaviors
(more desirable behaviors) are made contingent upon lower probability
behaviors (less desirable behaviors), then the lower probability
behaviors are more likely to occur. More desirable behaviors are those
students spend more time doing if permitted; less desirable behaviors
are those students spend less time doing when free to act. This
psychological principle can be used effectively in certain
controllable situations to dramatically affect the behaviors of
students. In behavioral terms Premack's principle states that any
high-frequency activity can be used as a reinforcer for any
lower-frequency activity. This common statement made by most mothers
easily show us how Premack's Principle is used "You have to finish
your VEGETABLES (Low Frequency) before you can eat any ICECREAM (High
Frequency)."
Trip quickly learned that holding his
Stay predicted being released to play his favorite games, and he became much
more willing to perform his otherwise boring Stays. However, this
also resulted in having to work through another training problem. He
became so aroused if we tugged that he lost calmness and focus and began jumping
up to get his toy or to mouth at me. This created the opportunity to work
on taking him from a highly aroused state back down to a calmer state. Calming
down became a condition for continuing to play.
Mon. Oct. 22, 07- Houston, TX
-
How to Add Either a Verbal or a Hand Signal to
Your Dog's Bag of Tricks -Once your dog will respond to either a verbal
or hand signal, you can teach the other by having the new signal precede the old
one by a second or two. Soon the dog will begin to anticipate, ie. he will
see the new signal as predicting the older signal. So it would go like
this: Dog sees you give a hand signal for Drop (new unknown signal)
followed by hearing the familiar verbal cue. Soon he sees the hand signal,
knows the verbal will come next, and anticipates by dropping before you give the
verbal signal. Or it can work vice -versa, dog learns hears the verbal cue
for a behavior such as "Come", then sees hand signal, after some repetitions of
this sequence dog will come on a hand signal alone. The important point is
that in order for the dog to learn the new hand or verbal cue, it should be
given a few seconds before the older known signal.
Sun Oct 21, 07 - Houston, TX -Sometimes
I Forget What I Know -In this case, it was how to use a technique called
"Shaping by Approximation" to solve a training problem. The problem is
that Trip's herding instincts often interfere with learning the retrieving
skills I want to teach and train. He runs after a ball or toy, brings it part of
the way back and drops it, then runs several feet away and assumes a stalking
position. HE had been training ME to go pick up the item and throw it for
him again! Finally I remembered shaping basics and I began to ignore any
balls or toys that were not returned to my lap or hand. Now he is much
improved about returning the thrown balls and toys to my hand. In
addition, I will be practicing a technique (as more foundation work for the
retrieve) that I got reminded about last night which
is to start with him on leash, toss a pocket with treats in it, then run back
and encourage him to Come, take the pocket and reward him with a treat from the
pocket.
Thurs Oct 18, 07 - Houston, TX - When
the Training Doesn't Go Well
-"Don't be a quitter" is
not always the best advice! One day last week I decided to work on Stays
with Trip who is now 7 mo. old. Since he has been doing a Sit-Stay for awhile
with gradually added increased duration and distance my plan was to begin to add
mild distractions. However, as soon as I placed him on a Down and gave the
hand signal to Stay, he popped up - and that happened over and over again.
At one point I thought perhaps he was confusing the hand signal for Stay with
the hand signal for Sit. After trying everything I could think of to solve
the problem, I began to feel increasingly frustrated, and when I looked at Trip
it was obvious from his facial expression and body language that he wasn't
having fun either. I knew I should stop the training session, but I found
it very hard to let it go without solving the problem. Still, when I could
feel frustration turning to anger (what was going through my mind was something
like, "I'm supposed to be a competent trainer, Border collies are supposed to
be the Einsteins of the canine world, but I can't get even get him to hold his
Down-Stay!") I finally did what I should have done sooner and called it a
day.
I will probably never know all
the reasons that Trip and I had those problems, although I can guess a few.
One thing that may have contributed was that he had been sick and throwing up
the night before and was still not completely recovered. I also wasn't
feeling well. The important
point here is that sometimes people and dogs have off days and if you feel like
you are hitting a brick wall, the best thing to do is back off and take a break
rather than pushing it until you are tempted to take out your bad feelings on the dog.
Since we are the larger brained animals, if the dog isn't living up to our
expectations, guess whose fault it is? There is an adage that goes,
"the dog is always perfect at being a dog."
Next day when Trip and I were both
fresh I tried again and I was able to do
everything with him that I had tried to do the day before, this time with no
problems.
Mon Oct 15,07 - Houston, TX
Training for Distractions
I have run into a very interesting
training challenge with Trip that is a rather more intense version of what most
dog owners encounter when they take their dogs out and about and the dogs become
too excited or distracted to pay attention to obedience cues/commands.
This is a key issue for dogs that are going to be
doing competition obedience because the biggest challenge isn’t usually
teaching a new exercise, even advanced ones such as retrieving over jumps, etc.,
but rather preparing the dog to perform and do the things he knows how to do in
highly distracting and sometimes stressful environments.
Let me start this story by murdering
a metaphor and saying that a Border collie is a bit of "a horse of different
color" from most other dogs, in that the Border collie tends to be mesmerized by
motion.
So, yesterday I had taken Trip out
for a walk and when we passed by our neighborhood club's playing fields, there
was quite a crowd of spectators there watching kids playing little league
baseball in one area and soccer in an adjacent area; lots of kids were
running around the periphery and some of those were also tossing footballs to
each other. As we approached the playing fields I ceased to exist for
Trip. He began to pull on leash, didn't respond to his name, nor did he
respond when I told him to Sit. At one point he did drop into a Down
without being told - but far from being relaxed, he had assumed his "stalking"
down position. All of my attempts to regain his attention using food
and gentle leash tugs, goosing him, playing tug, changing pace and direction,
making noises and trying to get him to chase me, etc. failed. Even using
his squeaky toy and bringing out his ball didn't work their usual magic.
After realizing that regaining his
attention under the circumstances was a lost cause, I followed the usual
prescribed solution of backing up and away, putting more distance between the
dog and the distraction. However, even in the farthest reaches of the
parking lot with the kids and crowds barely in sight, he just wasn't interested
in anything I had to offer, especially my food. I felt like the proverbial
chopped liver and this dog wasn't having any.
There was nothing left to do but
withdraw from the field in defeat, and go home to ponder what to do next.
With my Shepherds, part of my plan would have been to just stay there long
enough, or to keep going back to similar situations time after time, to let them
habituate to the new exciting environment until it was old hat. With Trip,
I could tell that rather than habituating to that environment, letting him
continue to ignore me while watching the fast moving kids and balls in his
stalking mode would only fuel his obsession. I think he could have stayed there
for hours and nothing would have changed and if we went back the next day it
would only be more of the same.
I also know that some trainers
believe the only solution for this kind of problem is to put a prong collar on
the dog and give him some hard corrections. The way I see it, gaining his
attention in that way would not be in keeping with kind of relationship I am
trying to build with Trip- one in which I motivate him to WANT to work with me,
which is a very different mind set from "Do it or else I'll hurt you!"
So that brings me to what happened
today. I took Trip out intending to exercise him on a nearby tennis court
by throwing his ball for him to chase, but when we got there the courts were
locked up. However, on the nearby lawn, there were about 7 kids,
approximately 11-12 years old, playing football. So, seeing a similar but
somewhat dialed down situation from the one of the day before, I decided to try
once again to put Trip through his paces. This time, although he was still
obviously fascinated by watching the kids, he was able to respond to his name,
to cues to Sit and hand target and to walk on a loose leash, etc. Here are
the things that I did differently that accounts for his different response:
-
I had him wear his head halter
which tends to calm him and help him pay better attention.
-
I BEGAN by working with him at a
distance far removed from the kids.
-
Next - and this is key- as we moved
closer to the kids, I got his attention on me by using a ball in motion
- I tossed the ball from hand to hand and in the air, then caught it.
When he began to watch me and the ball, I involved him in play, tossing or
rolling the ball to him as well.
-
I got the idea to adapt a technique
I use for reactive dogs to the problem at hand with Trip, which was to
use the car to create somewhat of a mental barrier between Trip and the kids.
I placed Trip in the front seat next to me, and parked at a closer distance to
the kids. Then I began playing with the ball in motion again, sometimes
clicking and treating Trip for watching me, sometimes letting play itself be
his reward.
-
I also messed around with his feet
and paws in an "I'm Gonna Get You!" game to get and keep his attention.
After a short while, to my delight,
Trip was totally focused on interacting and playing with me and was ignoring the
kids. At that point, I got him out of the car and was able to play with
him and keep him engaged with me only a short distance from the kids. Now
I just have to practice more of this with him about a hundred million times and
we should be all set -- I'll have a dog that can work with me even in the
presence of exciting distractions!
Sat Sept. 29, 07 - Houston, TX
Recall work-Earlier this week I took
Trip out to an enclosed ball field and practiced calling him to Come off leash.
My husband and I had done this the previous week but we had balls and toys with
us and Trip is so ball obsessed that he hung pretty close, preferring to
interact with us than to go off exploring on his own. I wanted to see if
he would still want to stick close and interact with me even if I didn't have
toys to tempt him. I was very pleased to see that although he did go off
to explore the edges of the field, he came running back to me every time I
called him.
But earlier today, right in the
backyard, he decided that he didn't want to come inside when Joel called him -
and he also didn't come when I called him- he was still having too much fun
playing outside. At 6 1/2 months old he is beginning to show signs of
adolescent independence. The first thing I did was walk him down, then I
took him by the collar and the scruff as I looked him dead in the eye and
repeated in a stern tone, "COME." I walked backward, still holding on and
giving him little tugs, until I got to where I had called him from. Then I
released him to Go Play again and I gave him another chance to obey by calling
him again. And again, no dice, the little dickens decided he would rather
NOT come at that particular moment. This time, rather than walking him
down (which could lead to him running from me and avoiding me), I decided to go
inside and get the long line. I went back out, told him to Sit which he
did, and attached it. Then I gave him permission to go play, before
calling him to Come once again. When he didn't choose to come, I took the end of
the long line, and gave some gentle tugs as I repeated COME. It took one
more repetition of this before he did decide to Come the first time I called
him, at which point I whipped out a hidden jar of jar of baby chicken and gave
him some licks. The next time he came when I called I gave him a bite of
cooked hot dog. The next time he came when I called, I whipped out a hidden toy
and played tug with him. Then I repeated this a couple of times with him
once again off leash. I am glad I am getting a chance to initially work
this out in the safety of our own backyard with my stick and carrot approach.
Of course when the distracting temptations are greater (for example the chance
to chase after a squirrel, etc.) I will have to once again be ready to show him
that Coming when called is always the better choice!
Sat. Sept
22, 07 Competition Obedience Fronts & Finishes - Houston, TX
I'm now beginning training for Fronts and
Finishes - some foundation stuff for
Competition Obedience, namely straight sits/lining up in side/heel position, and
the swing/military finish (dog goes from front position to side/heel position).
1) Had success beginning to teach
him to use chutes to walk in for straight fronts and sits, using a
contraption made from PVC pipe (picture a squared off letter U
- the handler stands facing and with toes
almost touching the bottom of a letter U shape, with another UPSIDE down
letter U shape on his/her left side). Anyway, the dog is guided by the chutes to walk/run into the open letter U facing the handler and is in perfect
front position, then does a military/swing finish and ends up in perfect
side/heel position. To help Trip begin to notice the chute guidelines, I started
placing some pieces of food in a center line down the middle of his chute pathway-
that got his head down so he would notice the chutes and he began coming in perfectly straight.
Then as he got more practice coming in straight
I was able to eliminate the food on the floor - he already is trained to Sit and
look up at my face.
After he learns to come in from a straight angle and do a straight sit,
I will begin to to have him come in from side angled approaches and also add the
side finish which will help him learn to sit straight in heel position.
2) In addition, I began clicker
training Trip to move away from the touch of a dowel stick; that went pretty
slow and will take awhile. Problems: At 6 mo. old he is still such a puppy
that he wanted to mouth the stick, so I distracted him with the baby food
chicken I was using as a food treat reward. Other problem was that
he was doing things besides just moving away from the stick (turning his head,
etc.) that made it harder for him to know exactly what he was being clicked for
- but he will catch on eventually.
Fri.
Sept. 7, 07 - Houston, TX
I just finished reading an excellent
new book - Puppy’s First Steps, Faculty of the Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Edited by Nicholas Dodman, BVMS with
Lawrence Lindner, MA (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007, $24.95). Since dog
owners are exposed to a wide range of opinions from peers and the internet,
which are frequently based on misinformation, this book’s strong point is that
the information it provides is firmly rooted in scientific research and clinical
studies. One area where this scientific approach is particularly helpful is
sifting through advice about how to feed dogs. Regarding the growing popularity
of do-it-yourself raw and home cooked diets, the position of the authors is that
nutrition is an exact science, and that it is extremely important to get it
right. In an extensive discussion of the widespread beliefs about the merits
claimed for these diets, versus the possible problems associated with them, they
warn that feeding raw and preparing meals at home from recipes obtained from
sources other than a board-certified veterinary nutritionist can be quite
risky. Serious illnesses can be caused by bacterial contamination with raw
food, and by nutrition deficiencies from not mixing the right foods in precisely
the right proportions. To those who say that wolves and dogs in the wild are
able to manage their own diets, the authors point out that dogs in the wild
rarely manage to have the long and healthy lives that people want for their
pets. Guidelines on how to pick and choose among the many commercial foods
available were also included in this section. Among other things, the authors
caution to look for the “Statement of Nutritional Adequacy” found on the bag to
make sure it says that “AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials)
animal feeding tests” were used, rather than that the food was formulated to
meet an AAFCO profile, which means it has not actually been subjected to the
same rigorous testing indicated by the former statement.
I also found good information here
about how to determine if you should feed a puppy regular or large breed puppy
food.
I always wondered what the
dividing line was, regarding the size of puppies who should be on each kind of
food, and also what the differences were between the two foods. The Tufts’
vets advice is to use the large breed food for puppies that will mature to weigh
50 lbs. or more. And here is a quote about what the difference is:
“Large breed puppy foods have
the same high concentration of nutrients as other puppy foods, but they are
different in two important ways.
-
They have lower calorie density.
-
They have carefully controlled calcium levels.
Fewer calories means the (large
size) puppy will reach adult size more gradually, which is desirable…”
The
text goes on to explain that it is being fed too much calcium rather than too
little that most often causes problems for large size dogs. Since my BC puppy
Trip looks like he is going to be on the large end of the BC size bell curve, I
decided to switch him to the large breed puppy food when he turned 5 mo. old.
Tues. Sept 4,
07- Houston, TX
Over the weekend I got the idea of
using baby food chicken (that comes in a jar) as a food lure for heeling.
Rather than hold a food treat in my hand, I simply dipped the index finger of my
left hand into the baby food and let Trip nose/target my finger; when I wanted
to reward him, I let him lick the food off my finger. Also, instead of
carrying the glass jar around, and perhaps dropping and breaking it, or
contaminating the entire jar with his saliva, I spooned some food from the jar
into a 1/4 size plastic measuring cup with handle and carried that around in my
right hand. One big advantage of this technique is that you can reward your dog
frequently without overloading him with treats!
Tues.
Aug. 25, 2007 - Houston,
TX
So what I am working on with Trip
today is "waiting at the door" instead of bolting outside as described on the
Pup/Basic 1 page on this web site. We did this on leash. I began by
having him Wait at inside bedroom and bathroom doors . He caught on
quickly and then we practiced at the back door and the front door. Now
that he is 5 1/2 months old his brain suddenly seems mature enough for him to be
learning new obedience behaviors very quickly. (Two days ago he suddenly
caught on to ringing his "poochie bells" to let us know when he has to go
outside). I also started working on having him stay in a certain designated
place a few feet from the front door when the door bell rings. This will
take longer to train. Trip will need more practice than he gets just by
waiting for the occasional visitor so we will have to do "set ups" and I will be
enlisting my husband's help to ring the doorbell. I found out when we did it
today that having my husband ring the front door bell is also a good way to set
up loose leash walking practice since hearing the bell makes Trip very excited
and inspires him to try to pull on leash as we walk to the door. Other
things we worked on today were fast sits and drops, sits and drops with a hand
signal, making turns to the right in place and in heel position, and "take it,
hold and out" for the retrieve.
The first year anniversary of my
Holly girl's passing is fast approaching and I am not yet fully over grieving
for her or for my dear Monty who we put to sleep only 12 weeks and a day ago.
Two nights ago I had a magical dream about my two beloved German Shepherds.
I saw a large number of geese flying overhead and had the feeling that Holly and
Monty were among them and that if I called out loud enough and they heard me
they would come. I began calling them both by name as loud as I could, and
as I was calling, sure enough two of the geese dropped away from the others and
began circling overhead. I kept calling and they flew down to me and
as they walked toward me, the first one shook off the goose feathers and it was
Holly and right behind Monty came and shook off his goose covering too. I
was so happy to see them my heart just swelled with love, and then I woke up,
and felt a mixture of happiness and sadness. The only clue I have about where
this dream came from is that I had been thinking what a long way I have to go in
training a reliable recall with puppy Trip, to get him to the same level of
bonding and trust I had after so many years with Holly and Monty.
Sat. August 11, 07 - Houston, TX
Sit VS. Sit-Stay?
A question sometimes argued
among dog trainers is whether dogs should be taught that Sit means "maintain
your sit until I release you" thus making teaching a separate Stay cue
unnecessary; in recent years it has become increasingly common to teach Sit in
this way. However, there was a time when everyone taught a Stay separately from
the Sit and Down and I think there were good reasons to do so that still apply.
Teaching that Sit means hold
your position until released may work fine for professional and competition
obedience trainers who are basically the
only ones who work their own dogs. But for the average pet owner and for
trainers like me, who have other family members who regularly interact with the
dog, walk the dog, etc. here is what happens in real life: People who are not
dog trainers tell their dogs to Sit for one reason or another –maybe because the
dog is jumping up or maybe to give it a treat or maybe just to show
someone else that the dog knows how to Sit. Then they go on about their
business without bothering to give a formal release, so of course the dog
self-releases. I see these scenarios played out all the time- when I
visit friends in their homes who have pet dogs, when I see people with their
dogs out and about in the neighborhood or at Petsmart and PetCo stores, etc. So
now, if the dog’s main trainer says “Sit” and expects the dog to hold that Sit
(essentially do a Stay and not self-release), the dog has to learn this: Sit
means one thing when some people say it and something else entirely when someone
else says it.
Now, it is true that dogs
are capable of learning that when the context is different and the person giving
the cue is different, etc. the same word can have a different meaning. But
this is much harder and more ambiguous for the dog to learn than teaching
the dog a separate Stay behavior/cue.
Most pet owners are simply not
going to be consistent enough (outside of classes in real life) to always
enforce their dogs holding their position after they have told them to Sit, or
to remember to always release their dogs, but on the other hand, if they tell
their dogs to Stay, they are far more likely both to enforce the dog remaining
in position and to remember to release the dog. For that reason, I
believe instructors do pet owners a real disservice if they don’t recognize
this is the case, and teach Stay as a separate exercise. I also believe
that teaching Stay as a separate exercise makes it more simple and less
stressful to learn for most competition dogs.
Tues. August 7,07-Houston TX
When I first started my Blog, I
thought I would be writing more frequently, but between the final illness of my
beloved German Shepherd Monty and taking care of a new puppy I have had less
time to write than I had thought I would.
Loose Leash Walking Game: Last
night I invented a new LLW game to play with the Tripster, my almost 5 mo. old
Border collie pup. Well, they say there is nothing new under the sun so maybe
someone else has already thought of this, but so far I have not heard of it
before. Although (walking to) the Goodie Bowl Game is similar, I had much better
luck with my new version.
First, I am at the point with his training where he will walk on a loose leash
until he is excited, usually by seeing a person or another dog he wants to
greet, and then he starts to lunge and pull. What I have been doing is not
allowing him to greet until he stops pulling but that has been slow going,
mentally speaking. I wanted a way to practice LLW that would really help my
puppy to get the idea more quickly that pulling on leash was not going to get
him where he wanted to go, while giving him practice in impulse/self-control.
So, tonight I put him on leash and alternated throwing toys and treats, which he
wanted to run and grab, just like when we play the Cookie Toss Game off leash (on
Pup/Basic 1 page see Come/Recall Games). I began with a brand new
plush squeaky toy he was very excited about. Of course as long as he pulled
toward the toy or treat, I froze in place. As soon as he let up and there was a
bit of slack in the leash, I clicked and started moving forward. I did not feed
him a treat following the click-his reinforcement was getting to move forward
toward the toy or treat. When he pulled, I stopped again. He very quickly began
to offer a Sit following his pause, so I clicked that and moved forward. If he
had not offered the sit, I would have just continued to click for slack in the
leash. Next he started to sit and orient toward me, so I started clicking that.
But again, if he would not have done that, I would have continued to just click
for slack in the leash. I was very pleased with his progress and intend to keep
playing.
Thunderstorm Anxiety:
Last week
something unfortunate happened to Trip, our new Border collie puppy. My
husband, Joel, had taken him out for his walk and a tremendous clap of thunder
hit right next to them while they were still on our front walk. It scared both
of them and really left Trip spooked. Before this nothing at all has fazed
him-he was not at all noise or sound sensitive but after this incident he came
into the house and ran under the bed. That afternoon he went around with his
ears pinned back and acted wary of every little household noise and on the next
two walks we took, he acted spooked by every noise and by mild rumblings of
thunder. So now I have my work cut out for me to help my puppy overcome
his fear reaction to storms before it turns into an entrenched phobia.
Here is my plan:
-
I have ordered a CD of thunderstorm
sounds so that I can help desensitize & counter-condition Trip to the sound of
Thunder, beginning by playing the CD at a volume low enough to keep from
triggering his anxiety, while pairing the sounds with wonderful treats.
-
I have ordered a DAP collar and DAP
plug in diffuser. DAP stands for Dog Appeasing Pheromone-by mimicking the
pheromone that mother dogs produce, it appears to calm dogs who are feeling
fearful, stressed, excited or reactive.
-
I
have ordered TFLN Homeopathic
Anxiety Remedy (which is administered in liquid drops) to relieve his anxiety
if necessary during storms.
My goals during storms will be to 1)
help him remain as relaxed as possible, 2) to distract him from his fear, and 3)
to help him to begin associating storms with nice things going on such as play
and treats. Although it is OK to cuddle a fearful dog, it is important to
resist the urge to baby or to reassure him in an overly sympathetic tone of
voice. The best way to help a fearful dog is to remain relaxed and
model calmness for him, and to communicate with him in an upbeat cheerful tone
so that he will see there is really nothing to worry about. If your dog is
willing to play and accept treats, by all means keep him distracted from his
fear by playing with him and feeding him. During the most recent mild
storm, I played Tug and retrieve games with Trip in our bedroom and also stuffed
one piece of boiled chicken at a time in a Kong for him to work at getting out.
In a more severe storm, if necessary to help him keep calm, I will take him into
my walk-in closet and play with him there.
Control Unleashed-Great book:
I am currently reading
a wonderful new book named
“Control Unleashed” by Leslie McDevitt. Here what a quote about it from
Dogwise :
Learn how to turn stress to confidence and distraction to focus using methods
that are 110% positive. Leslie McDevitt's versatile Control Unleashed program is
designed to help "dogs with issues" learn how to relax, focus, and work
off-leash reliably in either stimulating or stressful situations.
Although the author is a behavior consultant who does a lot of work with dogs
who are involved in agility, this book is not just for training dogs with
issues-it is very helpful for any trainer who wants to improve their dog’s
attention, focus, confidence, and self-control. Yesterday I used techniques
described in the book to work on two issues with Trip-the way he pulls on leash
whenever he is close to people he wants to greet, and the way (since being
frightened by the nearby thunderclap a few days ago) he has started to bark
reactively at unfamiliar shapes and people passing in the distance-in one short
afternoon I started to see very positive results! I can’t recommend this book
highly enough!
Check it Out-Technique to Reduce
Fear/Reactivity/Aggression: Prior to Trip's bad fright with the thunderclap,
he has always been a self-confident little puppy, extremely outgoing and
friendly, and he had never shown any signs of being noise or sound sensitive or
fearful at all. However, following his thunderclap scare, I soon realized
that I had more than a storm problem on my hands when I took Trip with me to
Petsmart and he spooked at things that had not bothered him on previous store
outings. For example, he was frightened by the sound of someone stacking boxes,
and by light reflections on glass doors. Then even at home he was bothered
by light reflections and patterns on the ceiling and by anything that appeared
new or unfamiliar. For example, he barked at a hat on a coffee table and a
large bowl I had placed on a counter. What was even worse was that he began to
bark at unfamiliar people when he spotted them at a distance, as if they too
were simply more strange objects. This is a problem I definitely
want to nip in the bud, before it mushrooms into general reactivity toward other
people and animals.
The main thing I am doing right now
to help Trip overcome his sudden reactivity to unfamiliar sights and people is
very similar to what trainer Leslie McDevitt in her book "Control
Unleashed" calls the “Look at That” game. This game is about giving your dog
clicks and treats simply for looking at people, dogs, objects, etc. that might
otherwise set off a fit of arousal and barking. The goal of this
game is to train an automatic response in your dog-so that when he sees a
person, dog, etc. instead of staring and becoming aroused, he automatically
orients back to you. The end result is that he learns self control and to stay
relaxed around his triggers. Here’s how:
First, take your dog out and
about: Rather than letting Trip spend day after day not leaving our own home
and yard, I am taking care to get him out every day, not only on his regular
potty walks, but also to different places where he will see lots of people. We
got to parks, out for ice cream, to shopping malls, etc. You don’t have to stay
out for long periods of time, only 10-15 minutes is long enough. What is
important is regular exposure to people, dogs, (whatever your dog’s arousal
triggers may happen to be) and that means getting out once a day whenever
possible. Also, for this game to work, you need to set your dog up
to succeed. At leash initially , before setting out, be sure that
your dog hungry and use really good treats. For example, I got some chicken on
sale and boiled it and cut it up for treats.
Second, go to places where you can
safely control your dog and keep him calm. Although Trip is very friendly
to people I do take care to set him up for success by not overwhelming him with
more stimulation than he is currently ready to handle. If your dog is very
fearful, you will need to go to places that are low key enough that he will not
feel too overwhelmed to eat his treats. If he is highly reactive/aggressive you
need to choose places where you can position yourself far enough from other
people or dogs that he is able to remain calm. For those of you with more
fearful or aggressive dogs, controlling the environment can be as simple
as keeping your dog with you inside of your car (with the A/C running in hot
weather).
Third, Observe your dog – I
watch Trip closely so that I see the moment he notices any people or objects
that might arouse him.
Fourth, the very second that your
dog spots or glances at person, dog, animal or object, give him a Click & Treat.
This is the heart of what makes this technique work. Don’t be late with
your click-timing is crucial! Right now your dog looks at people or other dogs
or animals because she or he may be wary and suspicious, or worried and
fearful, or even just interested and excited. Giving the dog clicks and treats
for looking allows and even rewards him for his natural tendency to check out
the environment, yet can interrupt possible reactive or aggressive responses
while conditioning the dog to associate the sight of people, other dogs, etc.
with good things so that he will eventually relax more around them. In addition
by encouraging the dog to orient and look back to you when he spots a trigger,
you are training your dog to pay more attention to you!
So here is how this has been working
out so far with Trip:
We take Trip out with us as often as
possible- to go get ice cream at Baskin Robbins, and on other various excusions.
When Joel needed some art supplies, we took Trip along with us to the Willow
Brook Mall. Let me describe what happened there:
The art supply store was in a busy
shopping mall area so there was a lot of both car and foot traffic and people
coming in and out of the store were carrying things like boards, large
canvasses, etc. There were also families with kids going in and out of adjacent
stores, people of all sexes, colors, ages, dressed in different ways, lots of
people wearing hats. First some women came out of the store and as he glanced
at them, I said “Check it out” and gave him a click and treat. I repeated
the C&Ts every time he spotted and glanced at anyone (or anything) that he might
alert to. This mall happened to have benches outside some of the
stores, so I took him and sat on an empty bench. We just watched people going
by - when he would first notice them they would be at different distances,
depending on where their cars were parked or which store they were exiting
from. I just kept giving him clicks & treats every time he looked at anyone.
What I found remarkable was that he quickly got calm and started orienting
toward me as soon as he heard the click. Since it was a hot day, I
decided to continue the process from the car with the A/C going. This was also
a good place to work on his behavior because he is also likely to alarm bark as
he sees people from the car - again we saw all sorts of people carrying all
sorts of packages; some were walking far away but others walked right next to
the car. Even then Trip was able to stay relaxed and attentive to my clicks and
treats rather than going into a barking fit.
Subsequently, when I took him for his
potty walk that evening, he saw a man and two little kids on bikes and started
to bark but I immediately clicked and since he was already aroused, I stuck the
treat right under his nose to get him to orient back toward me. The next time
he saw a workman across the street by his truck, all I had to do was click and
he turned to me for his chicken!
What I loved about this technique is
the simplicity! All I had to do was be calm and cheerful and observe him so
that I knew when he noticed someone and I could click that. I was surprised at
what good results I got in such a short period of time just by doing this
seemingly simple thing!
Summing up:
-
Click & Treat for calmly looking at
strangers or other dogs.
-
C&T for looking at you.
-
C&T for self-calming behaviors such
as looking or turning away from his triggers.
-
C&T for any appropriate desirable responses.
Wed. July 11, 07-Houston, TX
Animal Behavior Associates: Husband
and wife team Dr. Dan Estep and Dr. Suzanne Hetts have a wonderful web site
where you can sign up for their free monthly newsletter which I highly
recommend. The topics for July are: Dog Piece-Crating Correctly; Cat
Piece-Carl's Water Fetish; Their Piece-Taking the Emotions Out of Behavior.
Tues. June 27, 07-Houston, TX
Confessions of a Dog Trainer-How
Having a Puppy is Keeping Me Humble-Let Me Count the Ways!
1. What I tell my clients: "Do not
let your puppy/dog escape out the door; until you have trained your dog not to
bolt out the door, as a safety precaution always bring him to the door on
leash."
What I actually did: I went to
answer the doorbell to take a delivery and my puppy bolted out the door!
At least I knew not to chase him-instead I called to him merrily,
"Puppy-Puppy" as I banged my hand against the box that had just been delivered
and turned around to let him see me run inside the house, which as I hoped
made him come chasing after me.
2. What I tell my clients: "Be sure
to puppy-proof your house; until your dog has house manners, he should either
be confined or under your watchful eye at all times.
What I actually did: I was drinking
coffee and reading the morning paper when I suddenly noticed a silence
signifying my puppy had finished his own breakfast and was probably up to no
good-sure enough I caught him chewing on a houseplant in the dining room.
I promptly returned him to his crate where he threw up all his breakfast and
then I spent the better part of the day worrying about him, finding out if the
houseplant was poisonous (it wasn't but it still upset his stomach), cleaning
up the mess, talking to the vet, making a special trip to the vet, etc.
The houseplant is now outside where it should have been in the first place.
3. What I tell my clients: Part of
establishing the right relationship depends on learning to be a benevolent
leader-part of being a leader depends on controlling the resources-part of
controlling the resources means not allowing the dog free access to all the
toys all the time.
What I actually do: My puppy's toys
are at this moment scattered all over the house. However, I do pick up a
couple of his favorites that only come out when he and I play together.
4. What I tell my clients: Do not
allow your dog to jump on people. Use the leash to check jumping up and
proactively teach the dog to sit politely for petting.
What I actually do: When
someone asks if they can pet my puppy, I say, "Sure, but he has to sit first.
" So far so good. My puppy Sits very nicely and the person, who more
often than not is a child, comes up and pets him-at which point he jumps up
and the child laughs in delight. However, in my defense I will add
that I am doing practice sessions with family and friends who follow my
instructions to back away the second he jumps up and he is getting much better
about sitting politely for petting.
Well, I could go on but this is
obviously enough to show that the I am a member in good standing of the "Do as
I say and not as I do" school of thought!
Fri. June 22, 07-Houston, TX
Puppy Play-When you
have a new puppy, one of the best things you can do to build the right
relationship is to play the right games in the right way. When I got my
Border collie puppy Trip, my two initial priorities were to socialize him to the
max and to play with him. There is a wonderful description of how to play
with puppies in a book I reviewed for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers called
"Building Blocks for Performance" by Bobbi Anderson. Although the book is
geared toward people who plan to participate in performance sports such as
agility, competitive obedience or herding trials, the play tips apply to anyone
who wants to build a great relationship with his/her puppy. I have been able to
see how playing with Trip paid off when I took him out this week for some
socialization to a couple of training facilities; in spite of being in a new
exciting environment with other dogs around, Trip was still able to pay
attention to me, play with me, and follow my cues to give eye contact, to Sit,
Down, and to walk nicely on a loose leash. If I had not been playing
with him in ways that fostered a strong relationship, he probably would have
been more likely, in the presence of other new and exciting dogs, to find me
very dull and blow me off.
Here are some of my tips for how to
get the most out of playing with your puppy:
Puppy play tends to fall into chase
games, tug games, retrieve games, and roughhousing. None of these
activities are inherently good or bad-it all depends on how you play them!
Chase games: Instead of
chasing after your puppy, encourage him to chase and come to you by running away
from him. When he catches you, reward him with a tasty treat or a game of
Tug.
Tug Games: Many people fear
playing Tug believing that it increases aggression. If your dog is not
aggressive, you don't have to worry about playing Tug as long as you play by the
rules. The main rules are that you start and stop the game and any time
puppy/dog teeth touch human skin the game stops. You also need to teach
your dog to release the tug object on your verbal cue when you say "Out" or
"Give." Initially teach this with object exchanges, offering a treat right under
his nose as you say, "Out." Later when he has learned to Out in exchange
for a treat, try suddenly releasing your pull pressure as you point the finger
of your opposite hand at his nose and say "Out." Tug is a great way to
give a dog some exercise. One caveat though, this is generally not a good
game for children to play with dogs because they don't have the necessity
maturity to teach and play by the above rules.
Retrieve games: This is
another way to give your dog some exercise, even in the house. If your dog
will chase after an object but not come back with it, try getting him to chase
you, or use two objects, such as two balls or two squeaky toys. When he
picks up the first, call "Puppy Puppy" in a happy voice as your bounce or squeak
the second toy. If he returns with his prize, don't grab it away.
Instead pet and praise him and do an object exchange or tease him a bit with a
second toy and throw that toy when he drops the first.
Roughhousing: Think of
this in terms of getting your dog used to being handled. In spite of the
name, it is very important to keep it GENTLE! Roll on the floor with your
puppy and tumble around; encourage her to jump into your lap (this is OK when
you give permission with a cue such as "Paws Up"), gently grab her paws and her
tail and stroke her sides. Play with her ears and look inside her mouth
and then give her a treat.
Restraint and Teaching Settle
by "Cradling": The Houston Chronicle comes through again with a column
by Dr. Michael Fox with an excellent description of how to use restraint to
teach a dog to settle down. I used this technique on my puppy Trip to
train him to accept being brushed and combed and having his nails clipped: Hold
the puppy and gently restrain him in a cradling position in your arms as you
talk to him in a soothing tone. As he struggles, hold him securely but
don't squeeze or crush him too hard. As he begins to relax and stop
struggling, loosen your hold. When he is quiet, praise and release him.
Tues. May 29, 07-Houston-RAISING TRIP
On
Monday May 21, 2007 about 6:30 we picked up our new puppy Trip at Houston
Intercontinental Airport and another life adventure began!
Journal Notes: First Night Together-I was amazed that the Tripster (formerly
known at his breeder's as the “Screaming Demon”) didn’t cry even once!
This was all the more remarkable because as often happens, I had to be up with
Monty in the middle of the night. Monty is an old man who can no longer
completely control his sphincters. But even with some lights on and being able
to hear our movements, etc. Trip was quiet!!!
I
promised Michelle that I wouldn’t spoil him, but Joel is another story. This
morning Trip stood on his little hind legs in his pen and looked longingly at
Joel and Joel caved. While he was cuddling him, I told him he gets a couple of
free passes like that, but then he has to get with the program and not pick up
Trip if he is either crying or jumping up!
My
biggest single concern about bringing a new puppy into our home is how I would
handle the keeping the puppy safe from Monty (our 12 year old senior German
Shepherd Dog now very weak from spinal arthritis) and keeping Monty from being
bothered and stressed by the puppy.
Steps to Introducing Trip & Monty and Helping
Them Get Along
Goals:
To
Prevent fights and aggressive displays.
For Monty and Trip to feel relaxed and safe (not anxous and worried) around one
another.
For Monty and Trip to tolerate and eventually like each other.
Initial intro
was done down the street rather than in our home. Like most German Shepherd
Dogs,
Monty has instincts to protect his home territory and I did not want his first
reaction to Trip to be regarding him as an intruder on his turf. Trip was in
his crate and Monty, who was on leash, got clicks and treats for peacefully
sniffing at him in the crate. Once home, we held Trip, face away from Monty,
and let Monty sniff him, giving more clicks and treats.
Separation and Supervision
It
would not be safe to give Monty and Trip full access to one another. In
addition to safety issues , even if Monty were a younger and more mellow dog,
giving Trip unlimited access to his company before he had a chance to firmly
bond with us would result in our puppy forming his primary bond with the other
dog.
Management system:
When
Monty is loose inside the house, the puppy is either:
When
the puppy is loose in the house (after he has done his potty duties) then Monty
is:
Note:
This separation is especially important during meal time, if the dogs are
chewing their bones, and when the puppy is playing with toys.
Habituation—The gradual process of habituation can work to promote peaceful
mutual acceptance between a new dog and an older one if you keep interactions
calm, relaxed and positive.
Positive Reinforcement for desirable behavior:
Whenever Monty is close by the puppy, for example when we walk the puppy by
Monty or when he is lying down close to the puppy’s ex pen, we give Monty
positive attention, praise, petting, clicks & treats for being calm. The puppy
gets the same positive treatment for his calm, deferential but non fearful
behavior around Monty.
Promoting Pack Relationship: The
dogs have been walked side by side up and down the driveway on leash, with
praise, clicks & treats for good behavior. (Monty can only walk a short way and
the puppy still has to be protected from contact/exposure to strange dogs and so
is not yet going on longer walks).
Outcome to date: Because his age has
affected his temperament and tolerance and because of their size difference, I
would never trust Monty to be unsupervised around the puppy. However, it was
very gratifying that when we accidentally allowed the puppy to get closer to
Monty
than we had intended on a walk, and the puppy stumbled into him, Monty was
startled but did not snap or show any aggression whatsoever! Although he is too
old to enjoy playing with a puppy he seems to find the Tripster very interesting
to watch. For his part, Trip is being a model of deportment around Monty, in
part I believe because his wonderful breeder took care to give him exposure to her
older dogs so that he would learn to mind his manners around his elders.
Potty Training: To learn more about click here:
HouseTraining
Trip’s breeder started potty training him by using crate training, the ex pen,
and a litter box. I saw videos of him and the other puppies using the litter
box when they were indoors at the breeder’s. This can come in very handy at
night since a young puppy can use the litter box in his ex pen instead of having
to be taken outside. Trip’s litter box at our house is a plastic under the bed
storage box I bought at Target and filled, per the breeder’s instructions, with
newspaper shredded lengthwise. However, since he has been with us, I have never
seen him use it. Instead he waits until we can take him outside to do his doggy
business so I may be eliminating the litter box any day now.
So
far potty training has been a breeze. He spent the first night in his ex pen
with his litter box inside the pen, and he may have used it. However, from then
on he has slept in his crate. Before he goes to bed we take him out
back for one last time, then he goes into his crate for the night. Since he was
9 weeks old when we got him, apparently he was old enough to make it through the
night. In the morning he gives us a wake up call by yelping once or twice. He
then gets quiet because he has learned he only comes out of his crate when he is
quiet. I go pick him up and he wiggles all over and gives me kisses. I have
been carrying him outside and then putting him down and telling him to “Hurry
Up” since that is the verbal cue his breeder used. I don’t play with him until
he takes care of business. Inside again we play for awhile, then he goes back
in his crate for breakfast. About half an hour after breakfast I take him
outside again and he does what a good dog should. Then he can be free to play
in whatever area we are in—either the kitchen while we eat or the bedroom as we
get ready for the day.
Journal notes: First Morning-This morning I got up early and brought Monty
outside first. Trip woke up and sat in his pen but didn’t cry. Then I put
Monty up and got Trip (and his potty box) and let him play in our big bathroom
while I washed my face and brushed my teeth and Joel shaved. Next I put him in
our big crate with some water and his breakfast which he didn’t eat. Made our
coffee and breakfast, then got him out and hand fed him and he ate all of his
breakfast. I kept him on a long leash with me in the kitchen while we read the
paper and drank coffee. I kept him on a leash so that he wouldn’t go up to
Monty who was lying down close by. Meanwhile he played with us and his chew
toys. When I want to let Trip loose to explore, I confine Monty in our bedroom.
Last night he peed out in the yard but other than that, I haven’t seen him pee
or use his box—but no signs of accidents either so I am guessing that he did. I
brought him out for quite awhile again but didn’t see him squat. It's raining
here this morning but if it lets up we will spend some time letting him explore
the yard later.
What comes next? Right now if he is
in his ex pen or crate, Trip alerts us that he needs to go out by giving one or
two short yelps. However, he now needs to learn how to alert us when he is
loose in the house that he needs to go outside. In order to teach him to alert
us by going to the back door, I am going to stop carrying him outside. Instead
I will lead him as he walks by himself to the backdoor and when we get there I
will say, “Wanna go out--Outside” and open the door for him. With enough
repetitions he should learn to go to the back door when he needs to go outside.
Socialization: To learn more about the process of socialization click
here:
Socialization
May 22: First day in new home. Met a
man with a beard in our home who came to fix Joel’s computer. Surfaces: Walked
on tile floors, carpet, cement, grass, pea gravel decking and large pebbles in
flower beds.
May 23: Took a ride to nearby
shopping center and in front of Babies R Us met one mom and little boy about 4
yrs. old, mom and dad and another little boy about 3 years old, and a group of 3
children of various ages.
May 24: In front yard watched yard
crew working across the street. That evening went to visit my son, his
wife, our soon to be 3 year old grandson and their 1 year old black Lab Lucy.
May 25: Had first vet visit, met vet,
receptionist and male vet tech. I got a diet coke at a McDonald’s drive-through
window so he experienced that happening and hopefully won’t bark every time I
stop for fast food the way Monty does.
Sat May 26: Went to a plant
nursery-exposed him to street traffic, carts, and he met various strangers.
Sun May 27:
Today we drove to an area where people have
acreage and keep horses and we happened across a place where there were some
very small donkeys (not much bigger than miniature horses) and two regular size
horses. It was interesting to watch Trip’s reaction. He didn’t bark or try to
approach them too closely (I had him on leash on the other side of a fence). He
looked a bit subdued, but he didn't try to run away or tremble or anything.
I feed him some of his lunch right there in the grass while the horses snorted
and even ran around a bit. Then we drove on a little way until we came across a
small Farmers’ Market. He got to meet several people who all cooed over him and
gave him lots of positive attention, including some men in baseball caps.
*Next week's main goal will be to
have some play dates with other vaccinated friendly pups and dogs.
Introduction to Bath Tub:
I first scattered some tiny pieces of freeze dried liver and turkey hot dogs
around the empty tub. Then I took off my shoes and sat on the edge of the tub
with my legs and feet inside and called Trip. He came running and stood up on
his hind legs to peer into the tub. I lifted him up and put him inside. He
eagerly sniffed around and ate his treats. Then I lifted him out again. He has
already been exposed to the sound of low/gently running water in the tub while
he is playing in the bedroom and in the bathroom. However, the first time I put
him into some water, I will run the water before putting him in and it
will be just a puddle and I will continue to feed him a few treats. By the
time I am ready to bathe him in the tub he should think of it as a fun place and
not be fearful at all.
Chewing
The
key again is management and supervision. Generally Trip only gets the run of
the entire house if we are interacting and playing together. Otherwise if he is
out of his pen he is in a closed room with one of us. If I am folding laundry
in the bedroom, he can be loose in the bedroom where I can keep an eye on him.
When he has grabbed a slipper or a towel I can quickly give him an instructive
reprimand-NO-followed by redirecting his attention and offering him a toy as I say “here, chew
your toy." When he started to nibble at the fringe of the carpet, I quickly
sprayed the carpet with Bitter Apple which is sold in most pet stores.
In addition you can be proactive
about teaching a puppy what is OK to chew--here is way to do that using a
clicker game suggested by Trip's breeder, Michelle Weese:
-
Put out a toy and a shoe. Have the two items
several feet apart.
-
When your pup goes to the toy, click and treat
the pup above the toy. When you are training an animal, where you deliver
the treat at does make an impression on it. They gravitate to where you feed!
-
If the pup goes to the shoe, don't click or
treat, simply walk over to the toy and stand until the pup goes near the toy
again.
-
If your pup tries to pick up the shoe, place your
foot onto the shoe and hold it in place, taking away some of the fun of the
taboo item.
-
Face away from the shoe and towards the toy. Removing the shoe
strings before you start will help it not become a tug toy. Do not speak to or
correct the puppy in any way. Remember, this is a clicker training game.
-
You can add another toy that the pup is allowed
to play with to the training area, but don't add another shoe or other "taboo"
item until the pup has zero interest in the shoe.
-
Make sure you have the BEST treats available for
this game! You will be competing with a stinky ole shoe! Every pup’s favorite
thing!
-
You will want to use a
shoe that isn't one you are going to stress over if the pup mouths it some.
Favorite Toys and Chew Bones
Kong
Balls
Octopus Tug Toy from Clean Run
AKC Large Mallard Duck with squeaker
Petstages toys-especially the cool teethers that can by frozen
Smoked Ham Bone
Flexible Gummybones from Nylabone
Ruffian rubber squeaker toys
Tues May 29-Journal notes
Was up about 4 a.m. with Monty and
this time Trip did wake up so I brought him out to potty after Monty.
Monty could barely stand or walk and I wanted to get some Rimadyl into his
system which meant he needed some food in his stomach. I moistened his
kibble, sprinkled it with freeze dried liver dust and hand fed him. Then
both dogs went back to sleep until they both needed out to potty again around
7. Monty then joined Joel in the bedroom and slept late.
Here is how Trip's morning went:
When he finished his potty duties I preceded him into the house and called him
to Come saying "Puppy-Puppy"--when he came I whipped out a braided sheepskin
toy I had hidden behind my back and played tug with him. The point was
to reward him for coming but not to teach him to depend on seeing a toy to
come running. Then I hand fed him his breakfast, having him either make
eye contact (Look) or Sit for each bite of food. When he began offering
me a Wave, I added that to the behavior mix. After breakfast we played a
few minutes, went outside again where he promptly took care of business.
I then gave him his hambone and a couple of other chew toys to play with while
I made coffee and had breakfast. When he looked sleepy he went back in
his crate for his morning nap.
Building the Relationship
It is important to understand that
training is always going on anytime we are with our puppies. However, most
people don't have the luxury of working at home as my husband and I do. In
addition our children are grown so we no longer have the demands on our time of
caring for them. If someone doesn't have time for a morning routine such
as what I described above, the puppy can always be fed his breakfast in his
crate. Still, whenever possible, it is always a good idea to hand-feed at
least one of your puppy's daily meals by hand during the first two weeks he is
with you.
Hand-feeding promotes
bonding and teaches the puppy in a very concrete way who "butters his bread."
It can also be used to practice some of the behaviors that I want to teach
anyway. Or another way to look at this is that I will be feeding my puppy
his meal during a 10 minute training session-instead of using treat rewards I
will be rewarding his behaviors with his dinner--eliminating the problem of too
many calories or treats spoiling his appetite.
Goal-Prevent Food Bowl Guarding
by starting with some hand-feeding and by sometimes holding the bowl in my
lap as my puppy eats. Other times if he is eating from his bowl, I will
walk by and drop in a special yummy treat so he will learn to welcome having me
approach his bowl. I will try to have other family members do the
same.
Cuddling and Handling-This
comes naturally--I love to pick Trip up and cuddle him and let him give me puppy
kisses! I also make a point of handling his ears, tail, and especially his
paws, touching his nails. He is so flexible and trusting that is is easy for me
to roll him over. I scratch his chest and give him belly rubs. What
is not as natural is making sure that some other people get a chance to do this
too but doing that before he is 12 weeks old is the best insurance against
having him develop undue sensitivity to being touched and handled.
Corrections-Goal is to
teach Trip what is acceptable behavior and what is not, without diminishing his
confidence or his trust in me. I want him to respect me but also to always
feel safe in my presence. Anger is totally inappropriate with a dog or
puppy--because their behavior is almost totally a product of genetics and
training that is beyond their control. However, the only way Trip can
learn what I want is by my giving him feedback on his behavior either while it
is occurring or within one to two seconds afterward--timing is crucial for clear
communication with a dog. And so is tone of voice. Trip can't speak
English although eventually he will build up quite a vocabulary of words/verbal
cues that he can understand. I need to communicate by my tone of voice
whether I am pleased or displeased with an action of his. Because I am
never actually angry at him, it is easy for me to switch from a firm
disapproving tone when he starts to grab my slipper to one rapturous with
delight when he drops it and accepts the chewy bone I offer in its stead.
Teaching Respect--Trip
is already learning that he has to earn his privileges. He has to Sit
before he can come out of his crate. I plan to start asking for eye
contact before beginning to play Tug. Soon I will require him to Sit
before opening the door to go out.
Controlling Toys--Part
of teaching Trip to respect me is by using my power to control the resources he
values such as toys. Rather than letting him have free access to all of
his favorite toys, by picking them up and using them for interactive play
sessions with me--he is learning to look to me for fun and special good times.
Playing with me becomes fun and special. Of course he does get free access
to some chewy bones and toys at all times.
Problem
Prevention-Encouraging Independence:
One area of early training that I
believe is both very important and very overlooked is teaching a dog to tolerate
situations involving being alone and being confined in different environments.
I am very aware of this because I now have a old dog who is losing sphincter
control and who sometimes needs to be kept separated from both our young
grandchildren and from the new puppy. Our old dog Monty
and Joel and I would all be having a much easier time right now if Monty had been
acclimated to being alone for short periods of time when he was a young puppy--but I adopted Monty as a young adult and
he already had some issues that indicated he was not properly socialized as a
puppy. Although I have worked with him and he has come a long way, he
still has some of these problems.
Here are some situations
that Monty does not tolerate well and that will cause him to whine and bark
continuously:
Being confined in the backyard if one
of us is not outside with him.
Being confined in our bedroom if one
of us is not outside with him.
Being confined in any room with the
door closed.
Being left in his crate alone in an
unfamiliar place.
Although I expect Trip to grow up to
be a very social mellow dog there are times when it may be necessary or
convenient to confine him, for example if he should have a temporary bout of
vomiting or diarrhea. Therefore I am beginning to train him now to be
comfortable in his crate, no matter which room it is in. Later I will also start training him to stay alone loose in the
yard for short periods of time, initially keeping a close watch on him from a
hidden place inside. I will do the same about training him to spend
occasional nights sleeping on his bed in our bathroom (where there are easy to
clean tile floors) and to be alone for short
periods of time in different rooms in the house with the door closed.
Obedience Training-Trip
will learn the basic exercises and skills described on this web site--see
Puppy and Basic 1 Lessons.
Eventually he will also learn the more advanced Open and Utility exercises.
Retrieving Tip: Throw a toy
into what I call a box canyon situation such as a large crate or small bathroom,
etc. When the puppy goes after the toy and turns to run with it--there is
only way out--straight to you. Play retrieve games with a variety of
objects. Encourage a good hold by playing Tug. Later teach the pup to
drop/out the object by using the method described in the Puppy-Basic 1 lessons.
What About Tug? Many
people believe that playing Tug can cause a dog to become aggressive. It's
true that Tug is not a good game to play with aggressive dogs, neither is it a
good game for children to play with puppies and dogs. However, every
competition obedience and agility trainer I know plays Tug with their
sports/performance dogs! Tug can not only help release pent up energy,
give your dog some exercise, be a way for the two of you to enjoy some
interactive play, and be used to reward your dog for good behavior, it can also
even help your dog learn self-control IF you play by the rules (read about Tug
rules on the Pup-Basic 1 page).
Fri. May 18, 2007-Houston,
TX
Mosquito control and Heartworm
Preventative-Houston has been enjoying some unusually mild and pleasant
spring weather the past few days and things are shaping up for a glorious
weekend. The only "fly in the ointment" seems to actually be the
mosquitoes that are already out in full force as you may notice whenever the
breeze stops blowing and the air is still. Our son has tried out one
of the expensive mosquito machines but since it didn't do all that was claimed,
he returned it. Meanwhile we are getting the yard ready for our new puppy
by using a can of spray that connects to our hose--we have found this method
rids our backyard of most mosquitoes for a few weeks at a time. Of course our
new puppy will be on monthly heart worm preventative (heart worms are spread by
mosquitoes) just as our older dog Monty is.
How to Play Follow the Leader With
Your Dog
Most problem behaviors including
those of pushy puppies and dogs who have not learned their manners have little
to do with having an inherently "dominant" temperament and even less to do with
true dominance aggression. Contrary to what you may have heard, if your
puppy or dog starts to race out the door ahead of you, that doesn't mean he is
laying the groundwork for taking over the household or challenging you for alpha
status--sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and it is far more likely he is
just doing what comes naturally to an untrained dog, namely releasing some of
his pent up energy and rushing to get where he wants to be in the fastest
possible way. However, if he body slams you as he rushes with single
minded exuberance out the door or knocks your visiting great aunt on her keester,
he is not behaving in what we humans consider a polite and respectful manner.
It is your job as his owner and teacher to help your dog develop the
self-control and good manners that will make him or her a welcome addition to
the family. As the bigger brained animal and the one who is
responsible for your dog's safety and welfare, it is important that you take a
leadership position in your relationship. However, by far the best way to
accomplish this is not through physical bullying but by incorporating a gentle
training approach/regimen I will be using with my own puppy that some trainers
call "Nothing In Life Is Free" or the "No Free Lunch Program" and that I call
"Follow the
Leader."
Meanwhile, heed some advice
from the May 9, 07 Animal
Behavior Associates May 9, 2007 newsletter, published by Dr. Suzanne Hetts and
Dr. Dan Estep--here is some of what they have to say about dominance myths and
the resulting force based training methods they have fostered:
"Intimidation techniques that are often part of the "dominance" mythology can
also work - temporarily at least - with some dogs to suppress behavior. That
doesn't mean intimidation is appropriate or the best way to solve a problem.
It just means that the dog is more afraid of the person doing the intimidating
than he is motivated to perform the unwanted behavior. And intimidation comes
at a cost, which includes the risk of being bitten, when the dog attempts to
defend himself or decides he's had enough of someone grabbing him and throwing
him to the ground in a so- called "alpha roll". It's quite easy for dogs that
have been man- handled in this way to decide that anyone reaching toward them
quickly is going to do the same thing so they bite to prevent it. Then they
get labeled as "dominant dogs" when in reality they are reacting defensively.
Intimidation can CAUSE aggression problems."
Friday, May 11, 2007 -
Houston, TX
Where Should Your Dog Sleep? Last night the Houston area had
severe thunderstorms and lightening--the sort of night that can frighten "both
men and beasts" but my German Shepherd Dog Monty was asleep safe and sound in
his bed next to mine. Soon our new Border collie puppy Trip will be
joining him and sleeping in his own crate in our bedroom.
I am now only a week away from
bringing Trip home and I am following my own good advice to
clients--I am formulating a management plan to ensure that life with our puppy
starts off on the right foot. The first question is where will the puppy
live? Although I am a somewhat of a stickler in my personal need for a
clean, neat and orderly home, our dog will live inside. I am fortunate
enough to work at home, but my plan will be very similar to what I would design
for those who work outside the home. It will consist of keeping our puppy
under my watchful eye when I am home, and safely and happily confined when I'm
not, until the time comes when his house manners are reliable. The
crate and ex pen that I ordered via the internet are ready and waiting for his
arrival--see April entry about using these training aids below:
Monday, April 16, 2007 -
Houston, TX
If all goes well, I will be getting a
new puppy of my own about mid May. Between now and then I will be writing
about what I will doing to prepare for the puppy and then later about raising
the puppy to be a healthy self-confident adult dog. Some care and training
tips will apply to dogs of any age. Let's start with Home Alone Training.
Your Home-Alone Dog
When you are home, you can speed
along you dog’s housetraining by keeping her with you on her leash--attach it to
your belt or loop it around your wrist. But whether on or off leash, when you
are home, she should be under your watchful eye at all times and not allowed to
roam free out of sight until the day comes when you know she is trained enough
to be trustworthy. When she is right under your eye, if she starts to make a
mistake, you are right there to give her an instructive reprimand; if she
starts to jump on the furniture, you can say "Off, go to your mat," and lead her
to her mat. If she starts to grab a shirt to chew, you can say "No--drop it,
here chew your toy" as you hand her a chewy toy, and if she starts to go potty,
you can say--No--outside" as you take her to the door and outside. Even
more important, you can reinforce her with praise and sometimes a treat for
doing the right thing!
Home Alone Training--Using Crates
and Ex Pens
Every dog should be crate trained
(see Crate Training). Soon you will be able to leave
your dog in her crate for up to three hours if necessary. That means you can
take trips to the grocery store, movies, etc. knowing that your dog and your
home are both safe.
However, to avoid over-crating your dog if you have to leave her alone for long
hours while you work, you should also train her to be alone in the house, again
starting in a safe space, such as one of the bathrooms before giving her the run
of the entire house. Another way to create a safe space is by using an Exercise
Pen (Ex Pen) that you can order via the internet. These are (usually) 8
panel metal pens that fold up like a suitcase. Easy to move from room to
room or outdoors, they can be set up in a circular or rectangular configuration.
They come in various heights and the taller ones are available with a door. Begin by putting her the safe space when you are home to
supervise. Provide a mat for her and use a puppy gate to contain her and then
follow the same general idea as crate training. Begin by leaving her there only
a short while, perhaps while you shave or another family member puts on make up,
etc. Give her a chewy toy or stuffed Kong to occupy herself, then come back and
take it away from her before releasing her from the room. What you want is for
her to wish you would stay away longer, so repeat this a few times. Next step
is to begin to go in and out while she is occupied with her Kong, and gradually
lengthen the time you are gone. Again, you do this on weekends and evenings
when you are home, until you feel you can safely leave her alone, beginning with
short test periods of only a few minutes and working up to longer times.
The Backyard
Many of my clients seek my help
because while they are at work, their dogs are getting into trouble when left
alone in the backyard. Although some of these same clients have successfully
crate trained their dogs, they never took the next step and proactively trained
the dogs to be alone in a safe space in the house, then in the rest of the
house, and then in the backyard. Instead they just put the dog in the yard and
hoped for the best.
Start with management-Whether
training a puppy or trying to change already established habits, you are going
to need a good management plan. Your first goal should be to never let your dog
practice the behaviors you are trying to change. To train the young pup or to
turn around a dog that is already being destructive, initially you will have to
bite the bullet and stop letting the dog spend time outside alone and
unsupervised—because every time your dog successfully digs or chews something
when you aren’t around to prevent or stop that behavior, he gets immediate
positive reinforcement that will keep that behavior strong. And forget about
punishment after the fact—almost everyone tries that and if it worked they
wouldn’t need to call in a dog trainer. Likewise, if you depend on some kind
of booby trap to punish the dog in your absence, but don’t teach the dog what
you want her to do INSTEAD of chewing the siding on the house or digging up your
shrubs, the punishment will tend to increase his stress while doing nothing to
relieve the anxiety, boredom and pent up energy that are driving the destructive
behavior—ergo he will probably get very creative about finding new ways to
continue it.
Be proactive-What works best
is a proactive positive approach—go out with your dog so that you can praise her
for good behavior and so that you will be on the spot to interrupt her with an
instructive reprimand when she starts to make a mistake. The first part of the
instructive reprimand should be an interrupter—“Hey--Stop that!” followed
immediately by telling and showing her in an upbeat cheerful way what you want
her to do instead: “Here, chew your toy”—or “Come dig in your pit.”
Digging Pits-Pit? Doesn’t
your home-alone dog have her own digging pit where it is OK for her to satisfy
her natural instinct to dig? If not, no wonder she is excavating your yard!
Get busy as soon as the weather allows and make one for her. Teach her to use
it by burying a couple of toys and chewy bones in the sand (try smoked or
stuffed sterile bones), then call her over and start digging with her. Praise
her for digging in her pit. Now, Keep training her to be alone in the yard in
baby steps. Stay with her and putter around or read a book while she chews her
stuffed Kong or plays with her Buster Cube. Now she is learning to occupy
herself while your attention seems to be elsewhere. Praise her for her good
behavior. The first time you step in the house and leave her outside alone,
make sure she has an interesting interactive toy to keep her occupied, then
return before she can get bored, praise her, and bring her back inside.
After your dog is able to stay alone
in the house or yard without being destructive, you should continue to provide
him with a variety of interactive toys to keep his mind occupied. If he is
going to stay outside when the weather is hot, don’t forget to put out a plastic
kiddy pool where he can play and cool off.
When you get home, remember the dog
trainer’s maxim “tired dogs are good dogs” and be sure to give him some tongue
hanging out exercise. Then let him spend the evening and night inside as part of
the family because dogs are social pack animals and after a day alone, the last
thing your dog needs is any more isolation.
Interactive toys help
satisfy your dog’s needs to use his mind, to chew and to forage. Some can be
used to feed your dog part or all of his meals. Here is a list of my favorite
tough toys that can be found at local pet stores or order them online and see
what they look at:
www.jbpet.com
Home Alone Toys (if you don't
know what any of these are,just google them).
Kongs, Kong balls and hard rubber
balls.
Nylabones & Gummybones
Buster Cubes (interactive treat toy)
Busy Buddies (interactive treat toys)
Ruffian type rubber Squeaker toys
Hol-ee Roller Balls-I put one of those little small ruffian
dinosaurs inside to
make it even more interesting.
Toys & Bones Requiring
Supervision or Interaction:
Smoked bones,
Sterile bones, and Frozen bones available at specialty pet stores that carry
frozen raw diets
Teaser Balls
(hard plastic), Jolly Balls (rubber balls with
handle) and Soft Flex Clutch/Gripper Balls
AKC cloth squeaky animal toys
Donkey Tail Tug
Rhino Rope Toys from Nylabone
Animal Cloth puzzles—I Cube,
Cagey Cube, Animal Puzzles, etc. (dogs love to dissect—you can stuff any of
these with any variety of other smaller toys)
Inside or
Outside—Where Should Your Dog Live?
Note: For those of you
who will not allow your dog to live in the house under any circumstances, at
least consider allowing your dog to sleep in the house, in a crate or bed near
your bed. Spending these 8 hours in your bedroom can help alleviate some of
your dog's loneliness.
Make a plan to meet your dog’s
real needs for exercise, companionship and mental stimulation.
Enrich the back yard environment with a kiddy pool
and a digging pit. Provide your dog with interactive toys such as Buster cubes
and stuffed kongs. Hide biscuits and chewy bones around the yard so that he can
forage for them. Schedule regular walks and outings to places like PetsMart to
change his routine. Schedule regular training sessions to give his brain a work
out and to meet his emotional needs for companionship.
Monday, March 26, 2007 - Houston, TX
Houston takes special pride in being
a "can do" kind of place but there is no reason to take pride in the state of
our city animal shelter which is under-funded and understaffed. The
physical structure is also in dire need of replacement. Hell hole is not
too strong a word to describe the place, although a new director seems to be
trying to improve things now and an organization called Friends of BARC (Bureau
of Animal Regulation and Control) is also working to promote better treatment
and an adoption program. The Houston Chronicle should also be commended
for bringing the situation at BARC to public attention.
Wed. Feb 14,
2007 Happy Valentine's Day -- Houston, TX
Love at a Glance
In her newest book, "FOR THE LOVE
OF A DOG," author and certified applied animal behaviorist Patricia
McConnell, Ph.D., recounts that after noticing that lovers tend to gaze into
each other's eyes, a researcher set up a study to see if this could work in
reverse. Consenting study subjects were asked to make prolonged
eye-contact for two minutes, and sure enough they reported developing feelings
of attachment to each other. But what does this have to do with training
dogs?
It so happens that as a dog trainer,
one of the first training exercises I teach my client dogs is to make eye
contact with me and with their owner on cue, and to maintain it until given a
release signal. So here's an intriguing question: Could this gazing
into each other's eyes be part of the reason that I have never met a client dog
I didn't like, and that I also tend to quickly develop feelings of affection and
bonding to these dogs by the time our first session has ended? In
addition to its usefulness as an attention exercise, could this special eye
contact training also act to deepen the bond between owner and dog?
If you want to test this out for
yourself, click on the Watch
me/Look exercise in Lesson 1 on the Pup/Basic 1 page of this web site, and try it with your own dog. One caveat - don't try staring at either a
human stranger or a strange dog as both are likely to interpret any unsolicited
staring as a threat!
More Recommended Reading for Dog Lovers: "Pack
of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs" by Caroline Knapp.
This book with its beautiful prose generated great reviews from the NY Times,
the Wall Street Journal and The Chicago Tribune. Published in 1998 it's a
timeless story of how coming to love an adopted shelter dog helped the author, a
recovering alcoholic, survive the death of her parents and remain sober as she
discovered her own nurturing self.
Sat. Feb 3, 2007 - Houston, TX
Dogs that Smell Bad Are Telling
You Something - For Your Dog's Sake, Pay Attention
Today in the Houston Chronicle, the
Animal Doctor, Dr. Michael Fox, says that an animal who smells bad even after a
bath is not well and needs a thorough veterinary evaluation. The most
common causes of bad odor in dogs are skin problems, teeth and gum problems, and
ear infections. Doggy odor is something I have some first-hand experience with
because in the past our German Shepherd Dog, Monty, has at times carried around
his own characteristic and distinctly unpleasant Monty smell. We had him
evaluated early on and tests showed that he had a hypothyroid condition that
predisposed him to skin and coat problems manifested by a combination of dry and
greasy skin accompanied by flaky dandruff and frequent skin infections.
The first step was getting him on a thyroid supplement plus treating the
infections with either antibiotics if skin scrapings indicated they were
bacterial in origin, or with Gentamicin with Lotrimin when they were yeast
infections. However Monty continued to have skin problems until we did one
more thing and for some time now he has been sweet smelling and infection free.
What brought about the change? Apparently a change in diet. We
switched him from his former food to a premium kibble called "Ultra" that we buy
at Petsmart and I started adding supplements of Lipiderm capsules (which provide
extra Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids) and Vit. E capsules which I coat with some Cheese
Whiz and a couple of dollops of low fat yogurt. I feed him twice a day and
also give him a few healthy table scraps with his supper (approximately 1 or 2
Tblsp.). Monty is now a happy camper.
Sat. Jan 27,
2007-Houston, TX
Transporting Dogs in Pick-Up
Trucks
Today in a syndicated column carried
by the Houston Chronicle (
http://www.chron.com/
) Dr. Michael Fox known as "the animal doctor" wrote the following about
transporting dogs in the bed of pick up trucks, a subject important not only to
dog owners but also to all of us who value road safety:
"Those on the road with dogs
unsecured in the backs of their trucks put other drivers at risk, as well as
their dogs...Every state should pass vehicular and road-safety laws to make it
a moving violation to have an unsecured dog in the back of a pickup. And there
should be severe penalties for having a secured dog in the back of a truck in
the pelting rain and in subzero temperatures, as I have witnessed from Maine
to Minnesota."
Most experts agree that the safest
way to transport a dog in the back of a pick-up truck is in carefully tied down
crate.
Rainy Day Games for Dogs
While many our northern neighbors
continue to experience sub zero temperatures and snow, it's merely cool and wet
here in Houston. Below are some good games you can play with your dog
when the weather keeps you indoors that are also great for older dogs with
limited physical abilities:
Game 1: Run and hide- I played
this with my 11 yr. old GSD Monty while my husband tried to football. This
is an old tried and true game we all play with puppies but it's is also perfect
for older dogs who can still get around the house. Run and hide around a corner,
behind the bed or a chair or the back of a door, etc. then call the dog in a
high happy voice--Puppy Puppy Puppy—when dog finds you, act excited, play and
give a great treat. Monty was chasing me around the house with this game and I
could barely manage to hide behind before he caught sight of me— when he “found”
me. He had the happiest look on his face!
Game 2: Play Ball - I placed Monty on a Down, sat a few feet in front of
him, and rolled his red rubber ball to him hard and fast. When he grabbed it
with his mouth, I signaled him to Stay, moved toward him, told him to Out, then
moved back into position a few feet away from him and repeated the sequence.
This is a variation on a game I used to play with my GSD Holly—she would push
the ball back to me with her nose but Monty has never been able to resist
grabbing the ball with his mouth and he enjoys this version better. His face
showed the same kind of intensity he used to show when retrieving.
Game 3: Go Find-Place your dog
on a Stay while you hide biscuits around the house, then tell him "Go Find."
This allows the dog to use his foraging instincts. Start teaching this
game by making it easy and hiding the biscuits in sight, then gradually progress
to out of sight hiding spots.
Game 4: Find Mine (Scent
Discrimination Exercise)-This is essentially the same exercise used in the
Utility obedience ring. exercise and it requires your dog to use his brain
and his nose. The object is for the dog to find the one article that has
your scent on it from a pile of similar articles on the floor. Being able
to retrieve on cue is a prerequisite for this advanced skill. Scent
articles can be ordered from dog catalogs or you can make your own set of
leather articles by using something such old baby shoes. Begin teaching
this by sending your dog to retrieve one article that you have rubbed between
your hands and smeared with a tiny bit of cheese whiz. Then add an
unscented article close by and repeat, sending your dog after the scented
article. Gradually increase the number of articles and then eliminate the
cheese on the one with your scent. Do not reprimand your dog in any way
for mistakes and be sure to reward with praise and treats for every correct
choice.
Game 5: Cookie Toss - This is
a good game to encourage your dog to Come when called. Take your
dog gently by the collar and make sure he sees you as you toss a treat several
feet in front of him. Release his collar as tell him to "Get It!" As
soon as he gets his treat, call him to "Come" and when he returns to you, feed
him another treat.
Game 6: Tug - Some people fear
that playing Tug will make dogs aggressive. If your dog does not have
aggression problems and if you make sure you play with the right rules, (see
Lesson 3 - Take It & Tug in
Pup & Basic 1 Lessons ) Tug can give your dog much needed
exercise and actually increase the dog's self control, while giving you another
way to reward him for complying with your cues/commands.
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Holly's
Den
Dog and Puppy Training
San Antonio, TX
contact via email
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Association of Pet Dog Trainers
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© Copyright 2007 – Beverly A. Hebert. All rights reserved