Holly’s Den

Copyright 2007

Houston, TX Dog Training Blog

 

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 -

 

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. 

Sniffing on the Agility Field-This had been getting worse for the past 3 weeks instead of better.  So I took a look at how it was being reinforced. I had been trying to put "Go Sniff" on cue (the idea being the dog then only does it with permission).  So I had been reinforcing Trip (with clicks/treats) every time he looked at me, and then I would tell him to "Go Sniff; I thought I was using the Premack Principle-reinforcing the orienting to me, not only with a treat, but with the real life reward of letting him go do what he really wanted to do-sniff. However, since the sniffing got practically obsessive, possibly what I actually did was create a behavior chain that went Go sniff, look at B, get a treat-go sniff, look at B, get a treat. Whatever-I needed a new approach. I felt Trip's sniffing was in part a displacement behavior-something he did not only because of the interesting ground scents but also because being a 10 month old pup, he found the excitement of the agility field with all the action and other dogs just a bit overwhelming.  So yesterday, knowing we were going to class that night, I made sure to give him a good relaxing walk and some obedience/trick training that afternoon, just to use up some of his energy.  When we got to the agility field, I made it a point to stay very calm and relaxed myself, and before class started, I walked him around in big slow circles to relax him and also to remind him to take direction from me.  I gave him cues to do some simple behaviors (hand targeting, sits, downs, etc. and I also rewarded voluntary eye contact)-this was to keep his mind occupied and to give him something to do in lieu of sniffing.   When he sniffed without permission, I also told him to "Leave It."  All of this worked well and his focus improved dramatically from what it had been like the previous week.  When we were waiting in line for our turn to take an obstacle like the A Frame or the Dogwalk, I massaged his ears to keep him relaxed and from getting too over- the- top.  This also worked and he was both sure-footed and fast on the obstacles.  All in all, a very satisfactory night!

Loose Leash Walking-Kay Laurence is a world famous sports dog trainer from England and I was fortunate enough to attend one of her seminars last weekend.  She has an approach to teaching loose leash walking (the dog walks with only a buckle collar without pulling on the lead) that is different from any I had heard about before.  I have been trying it out with Trip for the past few days-he was at the point in his training where he still pulled some, though only gently, unless he was excited by something. Since I have been using Kay's method, Trip often walks without pulling at all-and has even been able to sometimes refrain from pulling toward exciting distractions.  It is lovely to see him in the process of developing this kind of impulse control!  So, my next entry will be about this new method of teaching LLW.

 

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

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)--generally regarded as the "gold standard" for quality veterinary care, ran the following story on a new 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

To read  the complete AVSAB position statement:

 http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=117&Itemid=302

 

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:

  1. I had him wear his head halter which tends to calm him and help him pay better attention.

  2. I BEGAN by working with him at a distance far removed from the kids.

  3. 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.

  4. 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. 

  5. 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.

  1. They have lower calorie density.

  2.  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:

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:

 

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:

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