Bicycles and dogs

I have a new bike and I'm super stoked about it.  After years of not being on a bicycle; my biking days are now back and I'm loving it.  I bought a beautiful crossover or hybrid bike.  This means that I can ride on the pavement/asphalt or dirt and grass.  So I've been out riding as much as I can trying to feel "one with my bike," after a long absence.  :) 

Having fun and being active is my main objective.  Enjoying the freedom of speed I am also very aware of safety.  I wear a helmet and am constantly scanning the environment around me.  That includes dogs.  Those who love to ride bikes must stay very aware to the dogs around them. 

I was riding down a path this weekend, where there were folks walking their dogs.  I zipped off and on the path when needed; always giving pedestrians and dogs the right of way.  Judging the distance of leash guardians had given their dogs and making sure that they knew I was coming; I took the needed amount of space between them and me. 

I am writing today because I had a few moments with dogs that I needed to address.  The first was an area that was very close quarts.  As I rode down the path, a more narrow path was ahead of me.  At the entrance of the path was a couple with their dog.  Their actions made me get off of my bike.  They had cornered their dog; the husband put his leg across the dog and the woman had a stick in ready.  Hmmmmmmm.  This looked like an accident waiting to happen.  Clearly the dog was not going to be okay with me riding by.

I got off my bike and gestured for them to go ahead.   "He loves to run with bikers," they explained as the dog dragged them my way.  "I could see that he was focused on me" I said back to them.  Before I could scoot around them the dog was sniffing my bike.  "How did you know?" they asked.  I told them I was a dog trainer and then we had an impromptu Q&A.  Being that I wanted to continue my ride I quickly answered some of their questions and started to move away.  The dog went into full CUJO mode where they continued to explain what was going on.  I already knew, smiled and continued my ride.  

The dog wanted to control my movement; he was not interested in a fun run by my side.  The dog's guardians were being ruled by their dog.  As long as I stood where he wanted me to stand, things were fine.  But when I took it upon myself to move away, he was not.  Had I just rode my bike passed them; I have no doubt that I would have had to deal with a large Lab/Border Collie lunging at me.  

The next incident was one where I also got off of my bike.  I was riding a long a path and saw a couple of women up ahead with their dogs off leash.  Off leash dogs is not something you like to see when you are on a bike.  I slowed and watched where the woman were going to take their dogs.  They FINALLY saw me coming and moved away from the path.  I got off my bike, both dogs were herding type dogs so I knew they would be more prone to my bike as a trigger. 

What happened next really shocked me.  One of the woman leashed their dog, which was good.  The other woman put her dog between her legs and held onto the collar.  As I got closer, the dog went so crazy that the woman could barely hang onto her dog.  This was direct at me just walking by, I had already got off my bike thinking about what might happen.  The other dog was on high alert, ready to pounce when given the chance.  Neither of these dogs should have been off leash EVER in public.  

So, I love my new bike.  I will enjoy it whenever I can.  Dogs are often triggered by bikes, it is a common occurrence.   It is much the same as walking vs. running trigger chase.  Many dogs have very strong chase drive; so this is something that a rider must be aware of.  Always be prepared to react to a lunge.  Always be ready and give yourself more space when riding by dogs.  

If your dog is not accustom to bicycles or has the drive to chase them; you must take extra precaution.  One lunge, even if the dog does not connect; can send a bike rider off of their bike resulting in a serious injury.  Keep your dog by your side and hire a positive trainer to help you to desensitize them with bicycles if needed.  

By desensitizing and counter conditioning, bicycles can be a problem in the past, very quickly.   

Obsession control

After being told "that's it." 

I'm up early with the time change but Elsa is not.  She is extremely tired, having had a huge run with her Dad yesterday, tons of ball tosses and then baby watch.  She adores her new babies (my Grandsons) and is constantly aware of the their location and doings.  But today's blog is about obsessions and for Elsa that is retrieving.  Dogs can have any type of obsession and obsessions should be addressed.

Of course there are different levels of obsessions as well as different types.  Tilley also had a retrieving obsession which was far worse than Elsa's.  Tilley's was so bad that when nothing was being tossed for her she turned to shadow chasing.  She learned quite early that were a reliable source for her to unleash her desires.  But it also became dangerous as it grew out of control.  Once I realized what was going on, I was on it.  I very quickly taught her that she was not allow to indulge in her obsession anywhere other than her own backyard.  Allowing her to get into her "zone" was dangerous as she saw or heard nothing around her once she was in it.  

So let's talk about lasers for a second.  You know those laser pens that were all the rage years ago.  Well, they sadly have become the undoing for many dogs.  They can trigger a chase obsession so bad that it can be difficult to come back from.  Instead of an actual item that they chase; it is a light glimmer.   I have seen the damage first hand that laser triggers can do.  Any glimmer of light becomes an object to chase and it can become a blind chase; meaning they will chase it with no regard to surrounding environment.  Extremely dangerous, so leave the lasers in the past where they belong.  If you've already instilled this obsession then you have work to do, undoing it.  

Controlling an obsession and making it a manageable passion is a must.  Elsa has a very nice "off" switch.  She was taught right from the get go that "that's it" meant that the game was over.  She will be in full retrieve mode but when we say "that's it" she picks up her ball and stops immediately.  When we are out doing her chuck it; she clearly understands that when the thrower is placed in my belt, that's it.  She is always rewarded for handing over the ball at the end of the game and it is never a negative that way.  

Any behavior can become an obsessive one; but once it's out of control it can then become dangerous.  Even a very high drive dog like Elsa who is allowed to indulge in her trigger can learn to keep it at a passionate but controlled level.  This takes time, training and understanding that obsession must be controlled.  

Drive

The drive to retrieve is okay, as long as it is within a safe environment and under control.  

Drive: an innate, biologically determined urge to attain a goal or satisfy a need.

Prey drive, we've all heard the term and although it does come from the genetically hardwired behavior to chase a moving object; I prefer to call it just that, chase drive.  Many drives have nothing to do with prey as in animal killing.  Most of it is just the simple desire to chase something moving.  There are many different types of drive in our dogs today.  I saw this big difference when Penny was at our house.  Penny is driven by glimmers, it is becoming a problem.  She is most definitely obsessed and cannot stop unless she is physically removed from the room.  Every night when I would empty or fill the dishwasher as the sun was setting she would go off by the glimmers created.  I had to kick her out of the kitchen; obsessive drive is not something you want to fuel in any way, shape or form.

Elsa and Luke on the other hand are driven by things that they can get; lizards, crickets, balls, frisbees, etc.  Their desire to chase has not moved to the constant need to chase.  I had one of those and one is just fine with me.  Tilley, she had OCD and it was all about shadows.  She started very young; at four months of age we noticed her following butterflies.  Thinking that it was adorable we watched and watched until we noticed that it was not the butterfly that she was chasing but the shadow.  At the time I didn't realize that this was a problem; I thought she was a smart girl to find something that gave her a sure thing to chase daily.   No, it was a problem in the making.

OCD (Obsessive, compulsive disorder) is not a good thing; especially in dogs who we cannot sit down and explain to.  Her desire to chase shadows quickly moved to any shadow, anywhere.  It was not until one day that she chased the shadow of a crow into the street that I realize the dangerous implications of her problem.  So what do you do with a dog like this?  We transferred her desire to chase to objects; so that we could control the chasing.  She was given error feedback if she tried to chase a shadow outside of our yard and she learned quickly.  She became an amazing disc dog and would literally chase and retrieve anything that you threw for her.  We redirected her drive.

It may seem cute in the beginning but an obsession on something that cannot be caught is a bad one.

Obsession:  a persistent preoccupation, idea or feeling.  The act of obsessing or the state of being obsessed.

Not good in any form.  Obsession should be dealt with immediately.  Elsa cannot figure out what Penny is doing when she starts with the glimmers.  Penny cannot figure out what Elsa is doing when she is after a lizard; different, very different.  One is drive, the other obsession.  You can see Penny waiting for a glimmer when she stands transfixed, staring at the wall.  It needs to end there but it must also be redirected onto something else; something that is controllable.  Just ending it will be nearly impossible.