Building confidence

Just like every single person is different; dogs are just as different. Although I have had standard poodles for 25 years; no two have been the same and the two I have now could not have more contrasting personalities. And then my little Jack Russell who has a personality all her own is one dog that I have never had to use any confidence boosting modification for. Being that dogs are all different; building confidence can be tricky, often confusing. Some dogs may seem to be very confident; even overly confident in some ways yet very uncertain in some situations.

I took the dogs to the beach a couple of weeks back; it was a new beach and the access to the beach was through an underground tunnel with a walkway. When we walked down into the tunnel I could immediately feel the pull on Tilley's leash, she was very uncomfortable. Tilley has never been comfortable walking across wooden pathways or especially bridges. To her this was a bridge with water running down the side; it was dark and scary and she hated it. She managed to get through but on the way back I had to do a lot of pushing. Next time I will be more prepared; I will bring some food to keep her mind off of the environment and on the grub.

Dogs are very complicated; Tilley is not a nervous type at all, she is rock solid but yet walking through that tunnel put her into a state of fear. Luke on the other hand who is a very nervous type, jumpy and skittish walked through the tunnel like nothing. So each dog has their own issues that need confidence building and it most always means lots and lots of calm repetition. Fear can be the catalyst to many different behavior issues. Once a behavior is dissected fear or lack of experience can often be the culprit and a little confidence building can be the answer to the problem.

Pushing a dog to overcome a fear of a confidence issue never the answer. Many people use flooding as a solution and depending on the fear; flooding (a form of psychotherapy in which the patient receives abrupt and intense, rather than gradual, exposure to a fear-producing situation) can backfire big time. CM uses flooding on a regular basis; I'm thinking it is for the purpose of the show and he feels like he hasn't got the time to take the necessary steps to get to the goal. I don't use flooding unless the fear is very low level and the act of flooding will not induce high degrees of fear.

Building confidence has a great deal to do with you; how do you react to a situation. As I have said many, many times before our dogs are watching us so if you startle or react to a situation so to will your dog. Once you see that your dog needs confidence building in certain areas then you must set to work; breaking each issue down into baby steps which can be successfully overcome before moving onto the next step. Never respond to a fear or insecure display and reserve your words for the tiniest of achievements and they will grow.

Saturday morning

Wow; it's 9:00 and I'm still lazing in bed with the hounds. Luke is heading out in a moment with Dad for one of his weekend runs down in the canyon. These are the runs that Tilley can no longer do; but both her and Jessie will be heading out with me very soon. I will take them to one of the many parks that we go to; Jessie will be jetting around and Tilley following us at her own slow pace.

I love the weekends and this one we have everyone home. We will be celebrating a late Canadian Thanksgiving (it was actually last Monday) tomorrow with turkey and all the trimmings. The dogs will have turkey as well which will be a very nice change for them. It is after the American thanksgiving that I load up on turkey for the dogs. Last year I scored hugely at Albertson's grocery picking up 20 lb turkeys for $5.00 a piece when they were trying to get rid of them.

I also stocked up on canned pumpkin yesterday which I have heard will be hard to find soon. Apparently it has been a bad year for pumpkins; and you know what they say about scarcity? I will buy more the next time I visit Trader Joe's as well. We eat alot of pumpkin as well as the dogs and you all know about it as a miracle diarrhea cure right?

Found it, finally

I found it; I finally found it. Several years ago I was contacted by Pearson hall publications advising me that they were putting one of my articles in a text book. Being that they had already done this without my permission I was a bit miffed but happy as well. It is a great article and one worth reading I think. I never did receive the copy of the book I was suppose to get and never saw it. But this morning while surfing something else I found the book online. (It's the black book on the right) My article starts on page 690 and is titled Boredom blues begone. The fact that children are reading this article makes me very happy and probably this is the publication that I am the most proud of.

Then while searching some more I found the actual article; so here it is.


Over vaccinating

The vaccination debate is a biggy; not just with canines but humans as well. I am not a big yearly vaccination fan; I just don't get why dogs would need the same shot every year when we all had our last shot when we were kids. So why do dogs need all these shots? They don't. That's correct they don't and we are actually harming them by giving them yearly vaccinations. I feel strongly that they do indeed need their initial shots and may need them again in their lifetime but with yearly titer tests you can know whether or not your dog has a good level of immunity to certain diseases. I won't go on and on about it because there is plenty of information to read on the subject on the internet. I have linked some good articles below.






Please read the articles and at least be informed before you opt to have your dog revaccinated every year.


It's windy; so we're chill'n


The wind is whipping through the house; I love it but Luke does not. Big storm watch on that started yesterday but we only started getting the rain at noon. The wind started earlier and has Luke on his toes all day. Luke spends much of his day on my bed while I'm on the computer which happens to be beside the big patio doors. Each time something blows his ears go back and he his eyes quickly dart to me for "this okay Mom?" I immediately go into my chill routine; often even whistling while I work. This calms him immediately; this is how you do it.

I have never had a dog that had so much outward behavior displays as Luke. And because of this he has taught me so much. While Jessie, Tilley and my other dogs may have been feeling strange their behavior was so small that you often missed it. So now I miss nothing; or at least I try very hard not to miss anything. This is done by watching; watching very closely. And this goes for anything; scary, loud, intimidating, startling or just plain weird.

Yesterday at the park our group of poodles was approaching a dog that was tied to a table. His guardian was exercising and her dog was anticipating our passing. He readied himself and started the all too familiar lunging and barking; it was a black sort of chow mix type. Knowing Luke does not back down when challenge and that we were going to pass at about a 10 foot distance I calmly said "leave it." He turned to look ahead and calmly walked by; of course he got a ton of praise. Had I opted to reel him in; telling him that it was all right and to ignore that dog things would have been far different.

My behavior in this situation let Luke know that I wasn't worried about this at all. Infact I never broke stride and continued to talk to my walking buddy. Tilley had no interest in this mad man on the end of the leash jumping and growling; she gave him a quick glance and fell into place as I called to her.

Lead by example!
Tomorrow's blog; over vaccinating.

Can you hear me now?






I've been testing Jessie's hearing and vision for a while now. Every once in a while I will whisper call her; a bit louder, a bit louder and then finally hit the "response" decibel. Although Tilley and Jessie are so close in age they are aging very differently. Jessie is loosing her sight and her hearing; Tilley on the other hand is getting very wobbly. Her hearing is good; perhaps not quite what it use to be but pretty good and her eye sight not bad for having such cloudy eyes.

Aging sucks and for our dogs it happens far too early; Jessie will be 14 on her next birthday, Tilley will be 13 and Luke will be 10. Luke is not showing aging signs yet except that he has finally matured. Jessie's body is very deceiving; she doesn't look like an old dog and she doesn't move like an old dog. No one we meet on our walking adventures ever believes it when I tell them that she is 13.5. And although Tilley doesn't look old; she moves old.

I can come and go now from the house without much notice; at least as far as Jessie is concerned. The other day I went out and she was sound asleep curled up in a blanket in my room. When I returned 4 hours later she was still in the same spot and didn't know I'd been gone. She sleeps very sound and with her hearing failing her she doesn't hear the goings on in the house. She is not completely deaf though; I just have to yell alot. I remember not so long ago yelling for Clyde my old boy.

This is when sign language really comes in handy; that is if they are not asleep. I use to sign to Clyde all the time; and when he lost his hearing from old age he continued to watch me sign to him. Let's face it aging sucks; but we are all headed in the same direction right? Dogs are resilient creatures; and even when her hearing is long gone, Jessie will adjust.

Toxins

No toxins, because they are worth it!

Toxins are all around us; they are in the stuff that many of us use on a daily basis and they can be very detrimental to our health and our dogs health. First let's take the flea treatments like Frontline, Advantage etc. I use to use the topical type; they seemed like a miracle cure at first didn't they? No fleas, no ticks? But what we weren't considering then and many don't consider now is what's in this stuff? There are articles everywhere on the net if you want to find out the real goods; here are just a few.




People in general are becoming so much more aware these days. Do you really want to put that toxic substance right onto your dog when it says keep children away? Do you want to give your dog a pill that will stop the cycle of fleas from the inside out? I didn't think so. If you do a small amount of research there are so many way to treat your dog safely; for both your dog and the humans. Phramaceuticals and pet products are big business these days; for the health and safety of your dog don't blindly grab the newest product on the market.

Some safe ideas for natural flea repellants but just look it up on the net and you will find a plethora of products to keep you flea free. Also remember that fleas drown even with a regular shampoo bath; suds up your dog and watch the fleas try to get away. Wash them down the drain and be rid of those pests.

Association

I've discussed association a lot in past blogs; but I cannot talk about it enough as it is the whole art of teaching our dogs. Association - to connect or bring into relation, as thought, feeling, memory, etc. Dogs learn through association; you can watch it in the making if you are paying close attention. Many behavior issues that I deal with in my training work can all be explained by association.

I had the girls at one of our parks yesterday; the park was filled with tiny soccer players and their parents. As we made our way around we passed alot of people; mostly men. As we walked by each man Tilley pulled out; lowering her head in an "is this my Dad?" position. Tilley has now associated this park to meeting up with Dad; it has happened about 5 or 6 times now so that is what she hopes for each time we come.

No one can explain to their dog that when food is put into a certain bowl; this means that they can eat what is put down. But all of our dogs know that when they hear the tell tale sounds of certain bowls in the kitchen; it's chow time. Good comes from using positive associations and bad things can happen with negative associations as well. Often accidental associations occur and unless you know what has happened it can be difficult to figure out a behavior issue.

Ah; let's take the vets office. Once left there each of my dogs has a very negative association to the vets office. And even offices that are not vets may seem like a vets to your dog. Tilley is one who completely hates the vets office; as I lift the back hatch of the car she is shaking in her boots. She only started this behavior once she was left at the vets once.

Luke has learned the association to waving; waving = treats, even when no one asks him to wave. Of course this is our fault because we think his waving is so darned cute. Luke also has a bad association to doors moving in the wind; he once had a seizure because he was awakened abruptly from a door slamming. Doors blowing in the wind freak him out now; and heaven forbid they slam.

Negative associations can happen anytime, anywhere so you must be very aware to your dogs surroundings. If something negative happens you must quickly kick into gear and undo it. Counter conditioning should start immediately; getting back on the horse so to speak. So if you are walking along the street and a car backfires freaking the heck out of you and your dog; get out on that street again. Remain as calm as a cucumber and bring a ton of treats. Your dog is watching you; how you react will be how your dog perceives the situation. Cool is the rule.



Friday once again

Good Friday morning; the weather is much cooler than it has been in a long while although they are talking about it heating up again, but I'm not listening. I'm a northerner and it's in my blood; back home they are calling for snow showers this weekend, yep. And being that I spent my first 36 years there it is still how my brain functions. Canada celebrates their Thanksgiving this weekend so if you have any Canadian friends wish them a happy Turkey Day.

Yesterday was bath day around here again; contemplating my showering strategies I opted for a quick grab and into the shower with Luke first. I did Luke first to save him the hours of worry he goes through if someone else goes first. As soon as one is in the shower the others know; and Luke spends the moments before his turn fretting running here and there trying to hide. So I used the surprise attack and when he was downstairs and close to the bathroom I just quickly ushered him in. Even still by the time he hit the shower he was quaking in his boots.

Just recently I shaved the poodles so they are nice and short; this makes for a very short bath time, which works well for my back. Someday I'm planning on getting a nice raised stainless tub; ah I can dream. But in the meantime it is in the shower downstairs; which is small but very convenient to the outdoors. Once clean the dogs are quickly sent 5 feet to outside where they get rid of all the excess water. It was nice and warm in the morning yesterday so after they receive their thorough towel dry they air dry in the sun.

It is cute looking out to see all the dog bodies laying soaking up the sun. They were all dry very quickly and the poodles have their adorable tight curl hair; a look I love and will loose if a brush touches them. So needless to say I don't brush unless I have to and when their coat air dries it doesn't mat either which is very nice. No; I do not have high maintenance poodles.

Well; I have a small poodle gathering this morning to get ready for, have a great weekend.

Watch it bud

Wondering why her dog will not heel properly we head out to the cul de sac to check it out. A beautiful yellow labrador Daisy (name change) had picked up heeling amazingly and was one of those dogs who was stuck to your side as she pranced along giving constant eye contact. This is a trainers dream. But; on this session I had been told that she is pulling away while heeling, what's up? I ask Daisy's guardian to heel in a big circle as I watch; within a second I can see it. Daisy is being hit in the face by her new leash clasp. The leash is heavy and with every step it sways back and forth smacking her square in the jaw; problem solved.

Getting in her calastetics for the day; I watch as a woman rounds the park at full speed. Her dog; a beautiful large mixed breed is trying to keep up but with every step he is on the receiving end of her power strides. With each step her arms are thrown back and forth hitting the dog square in the face. "Does she not feel this?" He remains enthusiastic but with each whap he seems to deflate. As we pass for the second time I shake my head in amazement; how hard could it be to stop walking like this?

This is a fairly common scenario; "I'm walking and the dog better just keep up" mentality. Having started training at a very young age I've been watching canine reactions to behavior modifications for a longtime. And if you watch very closely you can see exactly what is going on. Now these two tales above were so obvious a 5 year old could have solved them but often it is something so tiny you need a professional. Sitting back and analyzing situations like this is what I do so when I see it out in the general public I find it hard not to say something.

Just yesterday I saw a lady with a very young boxer walking down the street. She too was swinging her arms and pacing out with purpose. The young boxer was ducking every swing of her arm. Not only did she have a way too huge martingale collar on the dog that was hitting him in the face but to top that off she had poop bags tied to the leash at the same place. So he was receiving a clasp and poop bag whap with every step. The guardian was going; she was not waiting around for any young'n nor was she watching how he was doing.

There are a lot of things to watch as you interact with your dog. The more intune you are with your dog the easier it will be to see the tiny behaviors that make a difference. Watch it.





leash clasp, poop bag carrier hitting your dog in the face.

Three in the bed


Dogs in your bed? Yep, mine are usually every morning. Both girls can no longer get up into our bed themselves and the ottoman that I bought specifically for that purpose has since been removed. I figured if they can't get up onto the bed on their own they shouldn't be jumping off. But the morning is different; typically we enjoy our coffee and breakfast in bed before my hubby is off to work. So I hoist both Jessie and Tilley up to join us. When it is time to get up they are hoisted back down so as not to break anything.

Having dogs in bed with you is a very controversial subject; I have often asked clients where their dog sleeps when I receive a very sheepish "in our bed." Afraid to fess up some hedge before I pry it out of them. For me; sleeping on the bed is perfectly fine if it is on your terms. There will be NO growling permitted on the bed; "no growling?" Oh I allow it once; just like all growls it is a heads up of how your dog is feeling. And if you receive a growl in bed your dog is feeling like he owns the place. So; the resulting modification will be "out you go."

We own our bed; we bought it, we picked out the sheets and comforter so that means it is ours. If we let our dogs sleep on it with us; it is a privilege and you should consider it to be so. Obviously the bed is the primo sleeping position; that is where the leader sleeps, me. Our dogs join us in the morning; they share our breakfast but they are very mannerly about it, anything other than good behavior will be grounds for dismissal. Even our food fiend Jessie; who is literally vibrating from head to toe in food anticipation is patient, she doesn't have a choice.

I don't know how many times I've asked clients if they can push or get their dog off the bed easily and they tell me "OH no; he doesn't like to be moved when he's on the bed." Hmmmm; what's wrong with this picture? Like I said; the bed is yours; not your dogs and as much as I love a good snuggle in bed with my guys allowing growling in bed is a clear sign that things are not as they should be. If you have a dog that is climbing the status ladder then a nice comfy bed on the floor is in order. And if you must have them in your bed at some point it is only once you have said so. To put up and even fuel growling in bed is the beginning of your demise.

On a cold night a dog in the bed is a great way to pre-warm your spot so that you don't have to crawl into a cold bed.

Tues musings


Yesterday morning I took my super charged little Jack Russell to the park. She can barely contain herself as I open the back hatch to let her out. The first 5 min. is spent taking the brunt of her charges as she comes to the end of her extension leash. This is when an extension leash is called for; unless you are walking alone at the park or an open space I do not recommend them. Don't even get me started on the many reason why I don't like them. So after about 5 min. she starts to slow it down but then her sniffer is on overdrive; that is what Jessie does on her walks, sniffs.

Jessie goes from a fired up terrier to a lagging old lady pretty quickly. Once back home it is meal time and nap time for the rest of the day. Then in the afternoon I took the poodles to the beach; this was a wonderful beach trip; the weather could not have been more perfect for a walk. Although the weather has cooled off I'd like it to be just about 10 degrees colder; so I'd really need to put on a hoodie. Tilley enjoyed her walk immensely as did Luke; but he always likes anything we do. He is such a happy guy and loves going anywhere and doing whatever.

At one point we had to walk over a wooden walkway; this is one thing I have come to know about Tilley, she doesn't like it. There have only been a couple of occasions for us to walk over a bridge or plank type deal and she pretty much freezes. It's funny because Tilley is my rock solid dog; she never startles, she isn't nervous like Luke but she does not like walking over bridges. Even when they are solid and unless you looked you wouldn't realize you were walking on a bridge; she still doesn't like it. Yesterday she completely froze; having Luke with me as well it was going to be difficult to carry her the whole way. I definitely would if I wasn't able to get her moving.

I'm not exactly sure what her fear is; but as she looks over the edge it has to do with that. We walk over lots of weird things but the bridge deal gets her. Maybe she is afraid of heights? Actually now that I think about it; it might be just that. She does not like to go out on the balcony at all. Even when Luke and Jessie are laying out there she is very hesitant to join them. I'm going to have to look into this further. Anyhow this shutdown behavior lets me know that I need to carry some really good treats with me if I think there might be the chance of a bridge anywhere. I think treats would help her to get over it.

Anthropomorphism and leadership

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Okay; we are all guilty of anthropomorphizing to a degree, although some people take it to scary degrees. Last night I turned the channel to a show where human couples had adopted monkey's as their kids. No the animals were not purchased as pets; they were clearly tiny human substitutes. I watched in amazement as one woman was applying makeup to her little hairy daughter; odd to say the least. As far as dogs are concerned we all put human emotions on them at some time or another as well.

I am not into dressing dogs as humans; but I do believe in dressing for warmth. It was we humans who made the smooth coated and hairless dogs so we better keep them warm. My poodles are at this moment covered in blankets; they got a new haircut about a week ago and it was cold last night. It can be difficult not to place human emotion on our dogs but it simply is not how they work. Dog emotions are a far cry from our emotional roller coaster; they tell it like it is. Dogs don't lie; they don't play games, they don't do revenge or spite and they don't spend quality time on stupid drama. When humans think that dogs are doing some of these listed behaviors it is our mistake, not the dogs.

Dogs are very clear and when a dog is feeling; their emotions are shown in exterior body language. It is sad to see dogs clearly communicating to their guardian who in turn are oblivious to what is going on with their dog. I hate to see dogs being hauled around like a little ornaments; with no regard to the true dog wanting to be a dog. When I hear comments like "oh no she doesn't like to get dirty," or "she loves this sweater" I cringe. The list of of human emotions that some people put on their dog can lead to all sorts of issues between canine and guardian. For one; many people think that rules and regulations are mean. I see dogs who don't listen to their guardian all the time; this is probably one of my biggest irks. Dogs have to listen; yes dogs have their own mind and their own agenda but if I speak they must listen. If you have not taught your dog to listen to you; then you have failed.

Not listening and doing what they are told are entirely different; albeit the same. Not listening is simply a lack of respect and not doing as you as is very "I'll do what I want." It amazes me when people call their dog and they don't even get an acknowledgement; and they are okay with this. "Oh; she is busy right now; she didn't want to go for a walk today," or "she has to be in the mood." No; it's not cute and it could be dangerous. When you add a dog to your family you should learn about dogs; really about dogs. We are the leader; bottom line. If your dog is the leader and believe me there are a lot of leader dogs out there ruling their guardians lives. If you are not a good leader then you have failed your dog.

The term leader is getting a bad wrap these days. With regards to dogs in our home; they need a leader and that must be the human. Being a leader has nothing to do with strength, physical assertion or anger. Leadership is the act or an instance of leading; and when paired with the canine species it is our job to show them how to properly live in our very human world. But to try to mold them into little humans or misconstrue their behavior as human is unjust to them as a species. Dogs display a lot of behaviors that may be unwanted by us; and that is because they are dogs.

It is difficult to not put human emotion onto our dogs; hey I'm guilty. But to try to mold them into little humans or expect them to act like a good little human; well that is where it all goes wrong. Dogs growl, dig, mark, jump, bite, lick and steal. All of which are very unacceptable behaviors for a human; but they aren't are they?


On step at a time

I know it's scary; heck I was apprehensive when I started but if you want to attempt it you have to just do it. What you ask? Feeding your dog "real food." It is not "people food" as many will have you believe; what I feed my dogs is simply "real food." I've been feeding real food on and off for years; slowly dropping dog food completely. I now have a nice balance; great variety and a dog food that I keep on hand for those days when I need it. I started out mixing huge amounts of ground beef, rice and veggies adding it to my dog food. I did a vast amount of research which I still continue to do as I try and test many different foods on the dogs.

Over the years I have learned who likes what; what bothers who's stomach and what everyone eats and handles nicely. It has been an evolution and is still in the making. I am dedicated to finding out as much as I can with regards to canine nutrition. There is a whole lot of information out there; and there are huge contradictory sites that will leave your head spinning. The best and most important thing to do is research; go with what your gut tells you.

If possible find a vet that believes in feeding real food. It is not an easy task but they are out there; I have a great one. There are so many ailments that can be cured by simply nutritional supplements and plain old good food. I have two dogs who are walking proof that "real food" is the way to go. Luke who is epileptic rarely seizes now; if he does it usually means we have been exposed to some sort of chemical like fertilizer.

My Jack Russell who is now 13.5 and doing amazing had massive hair loss after she almost lost her life to some weird autoimmune disorder. For years she lost more and more hair which our old vet chalked up to her prednisone use. After being on real food for about 6 months not only was her hair much thicker; all of her bald spots had completely grown in. Now that is proof that I stand behind.

I know that taking the leap to real from processed is a biggy but the toughest step is the first one. If you take that first step the rest are easy and you'll never look back.

Temperament

A dog's temperament is the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits or natural disposition. This is who your dog is; and your dog's core temperament comes down the genetic lines from her ancestors. When you go and see a puppy; you want to make good and sure that Mom and Dad have nice temperaments. That is not to say that somewhere down the line; perhaps a great Grandpa had a strange temperament, that can rear it's head at some point. But at least if you know Mom and Dad have a good temperament there is a good chance that your puppy will as well.

Temperament is #1 on the important list for me; but not for everyone. Many breeders love a certain look or physical attribute and will overlook a not so fabulous temperament to get it. A structurally sound dog is very important but a dog will short legs, a low tail set, crooked teeth or any other small fault can be overlooked by the average guardian. Temperament on the other hand can make or break a dog; it can be the difference between a great dog and a very difficult dog. I don't know how many "poor temperament" dogs I've met that had parents with the identical temperaments. Asking new guardians about the puppy choosing process; the parents etc and they say they couldn't meet Mom or Dad, hmmmmmmmmmm.

Too many dogs are bred who do not possess stellar temperaments. Many dogs that are spill overs from performance lines end up in the average Joe household; and most average Joe's can't deal with a drive level that is off the charts. Many people purchase a puppy from hunting lines; staying away from show lines. Their thinking is that they don't want a poofy show dog; they want a real dog. Well; real is what they get, real drive and an energy level to match that of the energizer bunny combined with an Olympic athlete. These dogs often become bored and highly destructive; had the guardian only known what they were in for.

Some of the greatest temperaments I've seen were in mixed breed dogs. A good temperament is a good temperament and something I love to see in any dog. One of the best I've ever seen was in a huge st. Bernard mix. He had lived on the street for the first part of his life; he was amazing. There is truly nothing like a sound temperament; a dog with a rock solid temperament should be put on a pedestal and bred.

Temperament is core; but a temperament can be altered somewhat. A dog can be taught to be better or worse by environment. I do not believe that a dog who is predisposed to a bad temperament is doomed. Dog behavior can be modified; you may not be able to change the core temperament of a dog but you can alter their reaction to the world around them. Fearful dogs can learn to fear less; dominant aggressive dogs can be changed by an experienced guardian.

Some dogs may seem as though they don't have great temperaments due to the lack of socialization. Given this hand in life a dog may never be all the dog that they could have been if placed into a different environment. So good dogs can go bad and bad dogs can go good if placed in the proper living situation. This is why I believe strongly in temperament testing; it is not the final word at all but it helps to place a puppy in the environment that they will most thrive.

Unless you and others can say AMAZING about your dog's temperament; then please alter them.


More than a touch

Again my morning outing has offered me up a subject to blog about. On the way out of my neighborhood I came across a couple and their American bulldog. The dog was young; the couple obviously a little in over their heads. This was a big boy; buff and strong, although still young. They had stopped at the cross walk and wanted their dog to sit; a couple of yanks on the choke collar did not produce the desired result so the woman commenced slapping his rear. He still did not sit and I was on my way to the park; so after rounding the corner I did wonder how long he would tolerate being hit.

Once I got to the park with Jessie and Tilley we made our way around; nice and slow. As we came around the corner we met a woman who was obviously a big "Ceasar" fan because she was yanking, "chcch"ing and kicking her dog from the rear. This resulted in agitating the dog; who was already aroused by the sight of my girls. He didn't looked to be aggressive just overly aroused and becoming worse. She continued to yank and kick until we passed; it did nothing but make matters worse.

Hitting is just never good. Violence fuels aggression; both in humans and in dogs. Often harsh touch can trigger an aggressive response that may not have resulted otherwise. Using positive methods requires thinking and planning but the end result is much more desirable.

Don't hit.

Educating

I have taught new behaviors to dogs as young as 6 weeks old. I wish I had a litter of my own so that I could see just how young you can start educating. I'm thinking as soon as puppies are up on their feet and moving around is when they can learn to perform specific behaviors. There is no need to wait on training; if you have a puppy now, get started. The longer you wait the harder it gets although I do not believe that there is ever a "too old or too late" time. Dogs like us get more set in their ways as they age but they can definitely learn new behaviors.

The most important factors when training any dog is to be clear and consistent. Dogs don't do gray very well; it should be black and white. Also if you are not consistent it is going to be much harder to teach new behaviors. Even once a behavior is taught; you need to keep up with consistency. My dogs are very well trained for front door boundaries; but if SOMEONE should allow them to come out on their own or with a word other than their release word then there is fallout behaviors that need a refresher course. Let a bad behavior slide once and you'll get it again.

Educating dogs is all about letting them know what is and is not acceptable. They must learn to respect and listen to you; I see dogs all the time who are wonderful and friendly but do not listen to their guardian. Luke likes to try on the ignore behavior; but he knows it doesn't fly with Mom so he only gives it a go a couple times a year with me. I've seen dogs who literally give no reaction to their guardian; they wander around like no one is talking to them. These are dogs are given too much freedom; to do as they please even if they are pleased to not listen.

It is extremely important to follow through on verbal cues. If you ask your dog to do something you should not just shrug your shoulders and walk away if they don't want to do it. This educates your dog to the fact that they don't have to listen to anything you say. I use please and thank you a lot; but that does not mean there is an option to "not" do what I ask. Training is all about teaching your dog to want to do behaviors, it has to be fun. You can't make a dog do something they don't want to do without physically forcing them and that has nothing to do with educating; only force.

I am always asked about length of time for training and how often? Training should be a never ending process; if you work it into your daily routine then it becomes a way of life. This is much better than having a training session when your dog obeys you and then the rest of the time they do what they please. Of course if you are training for something specific and not just manners then you need sessions for that. If you plan on competing in some canine performance then there will be a lot of extra training just like we would have to do for a competitive sport. But as far as generic manner training; just implement it into your every day. Dogs can do a lot more than we ask of them.