k9 Expectations

Expectations - the degree of probability that something will occur.

Let’s be honest, we expect a lot from our dogs don’t we? I’m really feeling like there needs to be a worldwide shift on how we think about dogs. This is not just about the worst of the worst but even the average Joe on an average day with their dogs, need a shift.

My husband and I were heading to a coffee shop to enjoy….yes, some pumpkin spice. ;) I noticed the above dog tucked nicely under the table as I walked by. I averted my gaze and focused on where I was going. I did not stop to talk, reach out or stare at the dog. As I passed by I heard the girl tell the dog “good boy,” and I smiled. “Good job” I thought to myself.

We got our pumpkiny drinks and sat at the table next to this young lady and her dog. The entry/exit door was between us so we were about 13 feet away. Far enough away not to interfere in this dog’s training. You know I can’t just sit there and not watch the dog; and I could tell he was somewhat fearful and anxious. When two very young girls pulled up right next to them on their e-bike and walked literally 6” from his face, he kept it together but I could see the worry in him.

The young girl and her dog seemed to be accompanied by maybe her Mom. The older woman got up and made her way to the garbage can and then to their car. This is where it went wrong. As the “Mom” walked away the dog wanted to go along. The girl told the dog to “come” which he did not and had no intention of doing. He was straining at his leash. The girl was now angry at the dog; perhaps her behavior was driven by her lack of confidence in a public location.

As she stood up and prepared to leave, she was clearly in a state of anger. She said to her dog “we just have to get to the car,” “all we have to do is get to the car;” “do you think you can do that?” Her tone was angry; so of course my interest was peaked now, what did this mean? Knowing that he was now going to go to the car he hunkered down and began to pull. In turn she yanked him back on his slip lead and yelled “heel.” She had her coffee in one hand, the leash in the other as she tried to slow his low gear hauling action, to no avail.

Clearly the dog had no idea what “heel” meant as she continued to yank at his poor neck. The dog had one goal and that was to get to the car where “Mom” had gone. The girl grew extremely angry and finally bailed on the “heel” idea and let out a huge sigh. I could see the sense of failure and dislike for her dog in that very moment.

It was a sad realization moment for me. The connection had a big breakdown because of too high expectations. In fact the expectations were impossible for the dog. So instead of a happy and proud moment which could have been obtained with preparation for the dog; it was anger, resentment, embarrassment and failure.

I wanted so badly to help her by teaching her how to teach her dog. To enlighten her with a sense of lowering her expectations for her dog. He was clearly not prepared for what unfolded; he had not be prepped, trained or prepared in anyway which had set him up for failure.

He didn’t fail, his humans failed him.

Sadly the human/k9 world is brimming with over expectations of the k9 species. We yell out verbal commands and expect them to not only understand but comply. All this without ever teaching them what any of these words mean. Dogs are dogs and act like dogs; they communicate and understand as dogs. It is our (humans) job to teach them what we feel they may need to know.

“Heel, Come and Stay” are probably the ones I hear the most. People belting out these commands and expecting their dog to comply. If you have never taught your dog what these mean; trained them with no distraction until they clearly understand. Then move to slight distractions, more distractions and then real life situations; then you are failing to set your dog up for success.

How can they understand something that is clearly human and not dog at all? Teaching dogs new behaviors is very easy IF YOU KNOW HOW. But to know how YOU must learn how yourself. Probably one of the most phrases that new clients say to me is “I had no idea.”

I just found out the other day that Avocados will not ripen on a tree. They must be picked to ripen.

I truly never knew this and would have continued to not know it if I hadn’t done some research. We have an avocado tree with many avocados on it. When they weren’t ripening I looked into it. This is the identical situation as not learning how to communicate with our dogs. There is a lot to know about dogs. But to learn about them you have to research or find someone to teach you.

K9 guardian - My dog will not heel.

Me - Did you teach them what heel means and how to do it?

Forcing the fearful

We have been back from our trip for almost 2 days now. Dogs are good, house back to normal (more or less) and my schedule all updated. While we were away I ran into many things that I wanted to share with you. This is one.

We had a wonderful getaway, spending 5 days on a lake house in Northern Washington state. We rented a beautiful VRBO with a wonderful huge yard; but the houses were pretty close together and we shared the dock with the house to the right of us. On the first night I noticed two dogs way up on their balcony. They were extremely interested in me as I walked past the balcony. Their ears were up high, and frozen posture as they just starred while I moved on.

The next day I saw them out in their front yard. As I head towards the water they stopped, froze and starred until I was out of sight. Of course I tried to figure out if they were friendly or not but they just gave me the frozen message which is not warm and fuzzy.

The next day I was out on the end of the dock (one of my favorite places to be) alone. I was sort of tucked behind a boat when two women with the two dogs appeared 10 feet away. I don’t think they knew that I was there and I hadn’t seen them coming.

We had a little small talk; the sister to the guardian of the dogs was surprised when I asked if one was a Catahoula mix. She immediately told her sister that I knew what a Catahoula was. Next I asked if “they” were friendly. This is where it gets weird, people truly do not seem to know how to answer this. She sort of mumbled a bit and then said “ya, he’s okay…a bit skittish and she’s new,” as they began to approach me. The guardian spoke up saying “we’ve just had her a week.”

Both dogs darted their eyes around, checking out the environment as their humans coaxed them to me. The one they’d had for years wanted nothing to do with meeting me. The sister continued with her oblivious chatter; telling me that the rescue had growled at her in the morning when she came down. Made sense to me, a dog that had only been in a home for a week taken on a trip to the lake where she would be meeting other new people, who was very skittish.

Its funny when things happen so fast. They continued their approach but the dogs did not want to say and frankly I did not want them to say hi to me as I read their body language. I said “no they don’t have to come see me,” but they continued slowly coaxing. Finally I said “NO, they don’t have to say hi,” with my hand held up to stop their forward motion. The male had got within inches of me, stretching his body out to sniff but leaning back ready to bolt. He startled at nothing as I kept turned away. I told them I was a trainer and that it was best for them to have a touchless non interaction.

I was on the end of the dock, I had no options to exit; except to squeeze by the two dogs that wanted nothing to do with me. It was very uncomfortable for me and both dogs. The owners had no idea what was going on. Not only were they skittish, they both had prong collars on so each and every pull and startle, inflicted a painful pinch. This was a horrible situation for the poor dogs.

They finally got the hint and moved away and down the dock. I had what I needed and knew to keep my Grandsons at a good distance. While the dogs were at the house beside us, I kept my hyper scanner on so I’d know where they were when my boys were out.

I really wish that people would research about dog behavior and try to get to know their own dogs. These two dogs would have been just fine sitting on the other side of the dock just watching me leave. Being forced into a corner so to speak was not going to end well.

It is so important to advocate for our dogs; but to do that we need to know what we are advocating. If you don’t know your dog, their likes and dislikes; how comfortable they are in certain situations, then you cannot help them.

Canine intelligence

Always watching, always learning…so very smart.

Okay, I gave you a teaser on my story this morning (@justdogswithsherri). So here goes.

Early this morning Riggs came to wake me up; but let me go back to last night first. My hubby and I piled in the bed with 4 fans blowing in our bedroom, the AC on and two standard poodles on the bed with us. As I struggled to get cool, I could hear the pain in my husband’s voice as he moved. He has thrown his back out really bad and just turning over is extremely painful. Turning over in our bed with Riggs and Elsa leaning, pushing and just taking up space is difficult at the best of times.

I decided to go sleep in another of our 4 bedrooms to give him more room; or the dogs more room so that he could actually move in bed. We are a pretty tight gang when the four of us are in bed making it very difficult to move even when you are perfectly fine.

I told my husband that if he needed anything at all, just shout. So off to bed I went, leaving Elsa and Riggs on my side of the bed. This of course made it much easier for Steve to move around if he needed.

With the AC going and my fan blowing I slept pretty good with the whole bed to myself. Around 5:30am I felt Riggs jump on the bed, run around it, dive off and tear off. I grabbed my phone to see what time it was thinking he might need to go out. As I got out of bed I found his “stomp all over Mom” behavior quite strange; that is until I got to our bedroom.

Steve was standing (sort of) and had been calling me to lift Elsa off the bed. I hadn’t heard him with the fan blowing. In the recent months Elsa is not allowed to get off the bed on her own and Steve was in so much pain he needed me to lift her off. When he called me and I didn’t come; Riggs took matters into his own hands (paws). He ran to where I was sleeping, jump up, stomped all over me and took off to where I was needed.

Riggs has shown a natural ability to know who is who and show that he knows who is who. I often ask him to “find Elsa” for me and he does. He is very good at finding things, people and other dogs. Just last weekend I asked him to find her (Elsa) then “find Daddy,” which he did. If I call Elsa and she either doesn’t come or doesn’t hear me, he will run and get her. He is also very good at ratting out Elsa when he thinks she is doing something that she shouldn’t be doing. Of course she never is doing anything wrong (she is an angel); but it is something he thinks she might get in trouble for. :)

He has also learned the sound that our Ring cameras make. When he hears them he either alerts us or goes straight to the source, the front door. I have to admit that I was very surprised at how fast he learned this one.

So this morning when I went into our room I asked my husband “were you calling me?” When he said yes, I shouldn’t have been surprised that Riggs came and got me but I was. I know how smart dogs are but sometimes they even surprise me. For Riggs to know that he needed to come get me, is pretty amazing. Lassie style? Oh yes.

Never underestimate the power of a canine mind.

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Children and dogs

Watching a movie and I’m watching them. Supervision.

I don’t know how many times I’ve written about this subject. It is a highly important discussion to have and there is a great need to learn more about the two together.

We had one of our Grandsons with us last week for several days. He is probably the one who is drawn to the dogs the most. This fact alone requires more vigilance and education. I spent a great deal of time teaching him what it means to ask for consent (to ask if they want to be touched).

Elsa adores children, but she does not like hugs (normal). So we have a “no dog hug zone” in our home and all the Grandchildren are given the “no dog hugging” talk. This is a good rule to have in your home.

Riggs is a weary guy, he is nervous around the kids. Although he is also drawn to them but is suspicious of their high voices, fast movements and funny smells. The harder they try the worse it is. In fact, my Grandson said “Riggs has suspicious eyes.” He was right, he does have suspicious eyes and because they are light in color, they look even more suspicious.

My Grandson was very willing to learn; so I created some scenarios that he could clearly understand at the age of 5. I approached my Grandson and pet his head and arms and asked how he would feel if someone he didn’t know was doing this? He said “embarrassed.” I asked if he would like someone to touch him if he didn’t want to be touched? The answer was “no” he would not like it.

We then moved onto the consent part. I told him to leave his hand hanging down beside him with his palm out. If Riggs moved close to his hand he could tickle him under the chin; if he did not move closer then we just leave him alone. I explained that I do this all the time and sometimes he just doesn’t want to be touched and that’s okay. He repeated after me “ya that’s okay if he doesn’t want to be touched.” Far too often humans think there is something wrong with a dog that isn’t interested in interactions.

Teaching children is very different compared to educating adults. They need more examples of the same thing but about them and how they would feel. They really understand when you break it down for them. I often use terms like “sad, cry, happy, scared and like etc.” when explaining how things we do make our dogs feel.

Dogs and children can be wonderful, but it can also be very dangerous. It is our job to protect and educate both our children and our dogs. We should always advocate for our dogs because if something goes wrong, it’s going to be the dog that takes the blame.

When it comes to children and dogs together, you can never be too safe. Visiting children are more difficult because your dog may not be use to them. If your dog is uncomfortable around children, respect that. Allow them to set the limits and approaches. Dogs who are not use to children need to be around children without interacting before any interaction ever occurs.

Take it slow, positive baby steps are required. And NEVER, EVER force a dog “to go see or say hi,” when they are not moving forward or moving away. Sometimes a dog just wants to move away, and that’s a good thing which they should be allowed to do.

My Grandson could see when Riggs was uncomfortable but did not know what to do with that information at the age of 5. That’s our job, that’s why supervision is so very important.

Don't try so hard with dogs

The other day I met some new clients, both dogs and their guardians. As I entered their home it was quite clear immediately that the young dog I was there to see was a little apprehensive She was showing a bit of “I’d like to come see you but I’m not sure,” behavior.

When I enter a new client’s home, I am very aware of the dogs in the house even though I do not show the dogs this. I make it seem like I am talking to the guardians and looking at everything but the dogs. I also ask the guardians to just let things unfold, to not step in to try to fix things. Typically new guardians are very nervous about their dog’s behavior and don’t want to look bad in front the trainer. They very quickly learn that there is nothing to be embarrassed about in front of me.

As we discussed the dogs, I simply hung my hand down by my side. The young dog sniffed my hands and wagged so I bent down (bending at the knees, not bending over) and let her smell me further. My first touch was under her muzzle on the neck and then the chest. She was happy now but a still apprehensive so I very carefully stood up while turning away from her at the same time.

The guardian said “this is so sweet, she really likes you. We had another trainer here and she didn’t stop barking at her the entire time.”

So this is why I was there, to try another trainer out. The guardian continued to be amazed at how much her little pup liked me. I have to say, I get that a lot. :) This particular 7.5 month old puppy was highly suspicious and needed to basically “interview” me before letting her guard down. Of course I was not fully in, I probably won’t be for a few visits; but she was most definitely comfortable in my presence.

The reason I am telling you this story is that trying harder typically backfires with dogs. Many people, when they want to make friends with dogs try and try and try to no avail. The dog sees all this effort as highly suspicious. “Why is this human pushing themselves on me so hard?” It can go from bad to horrible if the human continues to push a dog that needs time.

Being that we are such an intelligent species on our own; shouldn’t we understand that trying too hard backfires? Not likely, because most humans don’t understand dog behavior. Many guardians are embarrassed by their dog’s lack of social interactions and push them to say hi. This is a big no, no; if a dog does not want to say “hi” they shouldn’t have to. And pushing them into it can most definitely backfire.

The guardians of this adorable little lady asked me “do you let people touch your dog while out in public?” My answer, “only if they want to be touched so typically I tell them, you can touch the blonde one, not the brown and white one.” From there I let Riggs decide if he wants to be touched or not. He often follows Elsa’s lead (SHE ADORES PEOPLE) and goes in for some attention, albeit very differently than Elsa. She goes in whole heartedly, Riggs goes in but can only tolerate a small amount at a time.

I regularly come across those people who claim “all dog’s love me” as they reach for my dogs without asking. They are very quickly stopped by me and often schooled about touching without asking and touching in general. I’ve had some great conversations with people while walking my guys. :)

Undoubtedly you will meet dogs that you want to touch or at least say “hi” to. Remember the harder you try to get the dog to like you; the harder it will be to get the dog to like you. Even social pants Miss Elsa who ADORES people does not like people who are overbearing or overly touchy. (No hugging allowed) But I let her decide as I do with Riggs.

This is extremely important, does the dog want to be touched, talked to or even looked at? Maybe not, so look, admire from afar and move along. I’ll be honest, most dogs like or tolerate me but it is not really the “me” part of it; it’s because I know how to act appropriately and treat them with a great deal of respect, which wins them over. I’ve been told many times “he doesn’t like anyone, I can’t believe he wants you to pet him.” This is because I don’t try, I let the dog decide.

Don’t be those guardians who are pushing their dog to greet people that they don’t want to greet. It is a stressful situation for a dog and can easily end in a growl, snap or worse. If a dog does not want to be touched, don’t. After all, think about yourself, do you want strangers walking up and touching you? Okay, maybe Gerard Butler or Liam Neeson…. ;)

And......we're back.

Its good to be home.

We’re home, after eight days being away on a trip back to Ottawa, Canada to visit family and wrap up some family stuff. I love getting back home and miss family like crazy; but it is a big trip and being away from Elsa and Riggs for 8 days is tough for everyone. We were lucky to have a wonderful sitter who has been sitting these guys since before Riggs was in the picture. So this of course made the trip easier for me, seeing that I didn’t have to stress about them; knowing that they were in good hands.

But, it is tough being away from them and i know it is tough on them when we are away. I imagine every time the sitter comes through the door, both Elsa and Riggs are hoping it will be me. when we do finally arrive, the greeting is pretty insane. Huge smiles from both Elsa and Riggs, kisses, jumping about and snapping. Riggs air snaps when he is really excited; it doesn’t happen as much as it use to but he most definitely does it when we get home from a trip. The craziness went on for a good hour after we got home and then the gazes begins. Lots and lots of just gazing at me, followed by the need to touch.

After we have been gone on a trip, both Elsa and Riggs have a need to sort of just check in ALOT. I most definitely get it and understand the extra crazy greetings that I get for a couple of days after our return. Imagine when we finally arrive and then have to go out again; they seem more apprehensive when we come in but the joy when they see that it is indeed us, is immense. We then start the greeting ritual in full force again.

Leaving the dogs behind when we travel is tough; but I am extremely blessed to have great sitters who stay at our home, which allows Elsa and Riggs to stay in their own home. This is by far the best case scenario when you have to travel. If you have a friend where your dog is comfortable staying at their home, that would be a close second. I know that allowing my dogs to stay in their home is the best option for us.

Much preparation goes into going away even for a weekend, more so for a full week. Meal prep, new updated notes are done, nails done, grooming done, extra exercise, sitter visits etc etc. So it is no easy task to go away, I am prepping for a good week or two when I do take a vacation. It is hard to walk away from my dogs but everyone needs a break away and being away from my dogs means I don’t have to pick up poop, walk my dogs, prep food or feed, no grooming or maintenance; which I must say is nice for a weekend or week.

I am in constant contact with my sitter, and I have backup people just in case. But there is nothing like coming home and getting back into it. This morning we’ve been out on a sniffari, had some grooming done, had breakfast and had a chew while I worked out. It’s good to be home. The gazing I receive from Elsa and mostly Riggs, priceless.

in Sickness and in health

This photo of Tilley mid catch was taken at the age of 15, after living with Vestibular disease for two years.

Funny this title phrase came to mind this afternoon as I was pondering several blog topics. Some days I just feel like writing, and today is one of those days. Earlier in the day my keyboard was not working which had me scrambling to figure out the cause. I changed the batteries, nothing. I updated my drivers (I’m pretty computer savvy), nothing. So I changed the batteries again and presto, fixed. It’s the little things. So happy to have my keyboard back, now I want to write.

I want to talk about the health issues we often have to deal with when we live with dogs. Over 42 years I’ve lived with many dogs; each and every one of them have had some sort of health issue. Some of the health related problems were genetic, while other were just luck of the draw.

Whether you got a second hand dog, rescued, got one from the person down the street or went to an amazing breeder who does genetic health testing, there are no guarantees in life. Shit happens as they say; and when you bring home that little bundle of fluff, there is no crystal ball to tell you how life with this dogs is all going to unravel.

One thing I will say is that with each dog in your life, comes an education about some sort of health issue. You may have heard about some of the things that might happen; and then there will be the ones you’ve never, ever heard of. Here are some of the health stuff we’ve had to deal with, just with our most recent dogs.

Jessie (Jack Russell Terrier) - severe autoimmune disorder, that nearly killed her. After much research we discovered that her autoimmune problems were most definitely caused by over vaccinating. (Lesson) Then as she aged, severe dementia.

Tilley (Standard Poodle) - ear infections (lesson on ear plucking correctly) constant uti’s (lesson on natural supplements), vestibular disease at 13 years of age (I’d never heard of this before it hit Tilley, big lesson and share with everyone) and then cancer of the spleen that took her from us at 16 years of age. (Huge lesson on full torso ultrasounds after the age of 10 which Elsa just had done.)

Luke (Standard Poodle) - epilepsy from the age of 3 years with Grand Mal seizures (tons of research done and huge lesson as far as chemicals and stress in our lives), then Liver cancer which took him from us at the age of 14.5 years. (Full body torso

Elsa (Standard Poodle) - Spinal stroke at 8 years of age which has left her with a bum back leg, accelerated onset of rigidity and lack of fluidity in front appendages caused by spinal stroke. Late onset of uti’s caused by incorrect private part structure.

Riggs - nothing yet…he’s only 3.5.

This is just my last five dogs, it happens. If you have a dog who lives a long and wonderful life, ailment free…you are very lucky and an anomaly. Like us, health issues can happen at anytime, even if your dog comes from genetically tested parents.

I recommend k9 guardians do research; when a health issue arises, arm yourself with knowledge. The more you learn, the better. Because we lost two of our dogs to a ruptured tumor, we will now do annual abdominal ultrasounds from 10 years on. We do not over vaccinate, feed real food and watch for the slightest signs of anything being off, both with mental and physical health.

When Tilley was hit by Vestibular, I’d never heard about it before so I dug in and learned everything I could. I read that many people euthanize their dogs thinking it was a fatal infliction, this is why I share so often. She lived 3 years with it, learned to live in a crooked world and did amazing until she was 16 years of age when the cancer got her.

There is no guarantee in life, all we can do is our best. When we know better, we can do better, research, research, research. And share, tell your stories, let others know about what happened to your dog, knowledge is power.

June 10th - Elsa

This was not a fleeting touch, she held it here for approx. 30 seconds at a time. Please support non docking practices.

Hi everyone, I thought I’d shade what we’ve been dealing with lately. Miss Elsa recently had a thorough senior check up a couple of months ago; which included, a full torso ultrasound, urine analysis with a sterile draw, senior blood panel and physical exam. The Vet found that Elsa has one very small, shriveled kidney and one that looks like a young four year old’s kidney. He also found that she had a double uti. I found this very odd because she had no symptoms once so ever.

What does this small kidney thing mean? Well, for now it means that if her other kidney stays healthy, she will be fine. But, because of it we are keeping a very close eye (even closer than usually) on everything. Because she had never had an ultrasound before; we really don’t know if it was always like this or was actually caused by her spinal stroke. The Vet thinks that the stroke was probably the culprit; which means there was much more damage than we originally thought.

After losing Tilley to a ruptured spleen tumor that we hadn’t known about and then Luke from a ruptured liver tumor; I vowed to ultrasound all of my dogs from the age of 10 years annually. And boy am I glad I did, I would have never known about the kidney if I hadn’t.

We addressed the uti, or so I thought. Only a week after finishing up her antibiotics she started showing clear signs of a UTI. Even though she had no symptoms earlier, she started having them after being off the antibiotics. So Elsa had to go on another round of different ones because she’d had a double uti. She has had to have several urine draws where she is placed in a foam V, and a needle stuck into her bladder. It is the best way to get a sterile sample, although the idea is very upsetting to me. My last girl Tilley had the same thing done many times and was like Elsa, a super star.

Yesterday marked a week since her last antibiotics so we were back at the Vet to have another urine analysis done. Elsa amazes me, she is so good at the Vet and goes with them to the back for her draw without much fuss. She is much better than I am, I very rarely allow them to take any of my dogs back behind closed doors.

So we wait for the next results to come back which should be by early next week hopefully. She is not exhibiting anymore symptoms, which is a great thing. And I keep my fingers crossed as I wait for the results of the next one.

As we entered the Vets building yesterday Elsa was happy to see everyone but with a smidge of apprehension. She ADORES people but was a little stressed about being taken back and what would be happening. As we sat waiting our turn, Elsa was wagging furiously at everyone but would stop every once in a while to hold me. This is something that she has done with her tail pretty much forever. She use to wrap it around Luke’s neck, she does it with Riggs and she does it with us all the time.

Elsa with her best friends.

Luke with Elsa’s tail wrapped around his neck

This is one of the reasons I am so very passionate about tails and not amputating them, not even the smallest bit of them. Our dogs use their tail for a whole lot more than just wagging. They use them for balance, communication and touch. A touch and hold from a tail is a very special thing and…I was very happy that she did it several times at the Vets; enabling me to capture it and share it with you all.

Even the very tip 1” of the tail is used for subtle communications. If she’d had even part of her tail cut off; we would have missed so much communication from her. Sometimes when she is lying on the couch; we just walk by and the very tip 1” wags, that’s it. If it was gone, we would never see that.

Elsa is an extremely special girl and if you’ve had the privilege of meeting her, you know that. Her and I have an amazing bond and connection, a very special one. The photo above shows that connection and her ability to take comfort from her person when she needed it.

Evolution in educating our canines

Evolution - any process of formation or growth; development:

When I started out in training (now educating in kinder terms) dogs, the only method was aversive.

Aversive - reprimand or punishment

This meant I learned that when our dogs did something we didn’t like, they were punished for it. The most common punishment was a collar correction (yank.) This meant that throughout the entirety of an obedience class you would see constant yanking on our dogs. The result? Stress, anxiety, fear etc. etc., from both the dogs and humans. I can’t believe how many times my clients have said to me “I wish I’d known, it felt so wrong,” when talking about their previous aversive training.

Do aversive methods of training work? Somewhat. Unfortunately, what aversive training teaches our dogs is avoidance. I remember one of my dogs getting further and further from me as the weeks went on in an obedience class. He was trying to avoid the yank. And it was not until I read about positive training and the idea of rewarding what I liked versus punishing what I didn’t like, that the lightbulb went off.

Once I discovered positive training and the science behind it; I began to question everything and vowed to learn as much as I could. Why had those aversive trainers not offered me the tiny bit of information that changed everything? Why? Because they had yet to evolve, and frankly they had no intention of evolving.

Some evolution is not optional, mother nature does what she will and evolution is done. As far as our brains and willingly evolving or not; well that evolution is up to us and there are many k9 educators that are not willing.

There is a huge movement towards positive training, but sadly there are also still a lot of aversive trainers out there. What I am seeing is that many new positive trainers are using up the bulk of their time bashing aversive trainers; instead of using it to educate others about positive training. Sadly this does not help our dogs; and just makes the aversive trainers, dig in harder. Aversive trainers promote the idea of being in control, the Alpha theory, taking charge, quick fixes and anger.

If you watch people walking their dog out in public, the worst yanking goes on when people lose patience with their dog and yank in anger. But that is what aversive training teaches; don’t like what your dog is doing, give a physical correction. But a correction (yank) only teaches a dog to avoid, right? It doesn’t actually educate them, they just learn to avoid the punishment. Sad.

Avoid - to keep away from; keep clear of; shun: to prevent from happening.

What’s worse, is that sometimes avoidance turns to a full shutdown. This is when a dog totally shuts down mentally. For many aversive trainers, this is seen as submission or surrender which is completely incorrect.

Educating canines is an ongoing, never ending process. They are living creatures so there in lies the challenge. Learning how to best educate canines and teach their guardians while being compassionate, empathetic, kind and understanding is work. But our dogs are worth it, and spreading the word of “do no harm” is extremely important work.

Does it take more thought, education, implementation, process and relearning? Yes, but every single piece of kindness that is involved in our evolution is a critical part of being better. Our lives should encompass the idea of “being better,” always striving to be a better version of ourselves. This happens though education, having an open mind and frankly wanting to do better and be better.

So let’s stop looking at the job of educating our canines as a “because I said so” process; and give them the education that we owe them to live in our human world.

Dogs give us their all, let’s give them ours.

Treats and delivery

Xoloitzcuintli being lured into position for a photo shoot of mine several years back.

Our early morning walk gave me lots to talk about. Right out of the shoot we ran into a woman and her lovely Golden Retriever. He was determined to come and visit us but she wanted him to continue his walk. When the Golden jammed on his brakes and tried to drag his guardian to us, we kept going. Clearly we were not interested so she tried to call him away; but he was not budging. He planted his feet and stood his ground as we passed by. She pulled out a treat and easily lured his head around with the food (he was a Golden); but she did not follow through, she did not deliver the food reward that she had lured him with.

So what happened next was completely expected, he quickly turned around and began to pull towards us again. She lured again, he turned and started to go but did not receive the food treat again. He turned and pulled hard, he was not falling for this ploy again. Frustrated, she physically hauled him away.

So what happened here? The dog didn’t do anything wrong but the human surely did.

• She hadn’t trained a verbal cue for coming along when asked.

• She bribed her dog with food and then didn’t pay (lied to him).

• She didn’t get moving quickly enough when he turned towards her, rewarding as they moved away.

• She did not use any words of reinforcement as he turned to her.

Bribing dogs with food and then not paying them for their efforts is a big no, no. This is a huge mistake and one that many people make. If you tell your dog that they are going to get food and then don’t give it to them when they do what you asked, they aren’t going to trust you. Lying to our dogs is a big mistake.

I’ve seen people call out “COOKIE” in desperation when their dog doesn’t come and when they hear this word they fly in. If at that point they don’t get the cookie, the dogs return will get slower and slower until it is no more.

When we start teaching new behaviors we reward every successful step. Once the behavior is reliable (trained and proofed under all situations and environments), we fill the time between asking for the behavior and treat delivery with time (verbal praise). Then depending on the behavior, we reward the super amazing behaviors; but always continue to verbally praise our dogs.

Example:

You are out on a walk and ask your dog to change directions with a “this way.” In the beginning you lure them around with the food and reward immediately. As they learn the verbal cue, you make the turn, tell them how wonderful they are and reward. Then you reward a little later after the turn until they are solid on this and slowly wean off constant food rewards. Saving the food rewards for the amazing “this ways.”

This means that even when there is no food coming, we gush over our dog’s accomplishments. BUT, and this is a big BUT; if you lure with food, you had better pay up.

I like to use “thank you” as my “go to” when slowly dropping the food rewards. Thank you comes very naturally for me if I ask my dogs to do something. But I also use a lot of food rewards when we are out and about.

This is much the same as using a behavior marker and not paying. I often see people clicking away with their clicker and not rewarding the dog when they click. The click is not the reward, no dog will ever be thrilled solely by the sound of a clicker. The clicker means a reward is absolutely coming. So if you don’t reward when you either click or use a verbal or vocal behavior marker; your marker will lose it’s power.

The behavior marker MUST be followed by the reward.

Had the woman lured her dog, got moving quickly and rewarded her dog for following along; they would have been well on their way then.

Using behavior markers and food rewards can be very complicated when you don’t fully understand it all. But know this, if you bribe or lure with food, you better pay up. If you use a behavior marker, you must pay; that is how a behavior marker has the power that it does.

Corrections in dog training

Anger - a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong.

Angry - exhibiting a characteristic or creating a mood associated with anger or danger, as by color, sound, or force.

We’ve all seen it, humans yanking on the neck of a dog. But if you look closely, you will see more than just the dog being yanked on. Following along the leash to the other end is a human who is exhibiting anger. Yanking, tugging or even zapping comes from a humans desire to STOP a behavior.

Stop - a cessation or arrest of movement, action, operation, etc.; end.

There is a lot of terminology that can be used in dog behavior and the attempt to change it. I try to keep it as simple as possible, not using too much terminology that might not be understood by the average k9 guardian. But one term that is common in much of my writings is positive punishment. Let’s have a look at what it means.

Positive - add, relating to or constituting a motion or device that is definite, unyielding, constant, or certain in its action

punishment - a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc. severe handling or treatment.

What positive punishment means is to use or inflict something unpleasant to the dog in attempts to stop a particular behavior. In common aversive trainer lingo, this is called a “correction.” It is not actually a correction, it is a punishment.

But what lies behind that punishment is anger. If you watch people who are “correcting” their dog you will see the core cause of the usage. Anger. Corrections are very commonly used while out on walks; dog is pulling, human doesn’t like it and yanks and yanks and yanks. It truly makes me shudder.

Just the other day a man was walking by us with a lovely brown Labrador. She was very excited by the idea of coming to see us; lunging and yipping as she attempted to visit. The owner very angrily yanked her back and even gave her a smack. This is positive punishment.

Human: You do something I don’t like = punishment.

As this happens more often, the result is a negative association to people and their dog’s walking by. Unless of course it is a bubbly Labrador with a resilient nature and heart; which means the punishment goes on much longer. :(

My early years with dogs consisted of corrections and anger. It was all about control of the dogs; having little to do with education. I had one of the most aggressive aversive teachers when I first started to train. I was a mere 13 years old, at the time there was only one method and I didn’t know any better. I did not grow up with dogs and did not have a k9 role model. Once I found positive reinforcement my whole life changed.

Inflicting pain or suffering on our dogs is NOT okay. If a trainer explains why it should be done, how it should be done “properly” and it doesn’t hurt the dog, run away. It is all about control and these so called trainers have yet to discover the better way, the more humane, scientific and proven method of educating k9s.

Watch out for “training collars” used in their work. Choke chain, slip lead, prong/pinch or e-collar. These are all called “training collars.” These are all collars of punishment. I started to watch a video yesterday to see if a trainer was someone I’d like to follow. It was obvious very quickly that she was not someone I would be following on Instagram. She was trying to explain how to stop puppies from biting as she pushed the puppy’s rear end down in attempts to get them to sit. So much damage can be done by this seemingly simple act.

Article on collar yanking

At a young age I began to baulk at the use of “training collars” in the training class. I protested as one of the assistance tried to fit a slip collar on my dog. She put the fabric choke collar (slip) around his neck right behind his ears at the most vulnerable and tender spot of a dog’s neck. I took it off, stood my ground and said “I’m not” I was very quickly a person of interest in class and was hounded at by the “teacher,” as I proceeded to questions everything that she was preaching.

We need to stop yanking our dogs. The act of yanking becomes second nature and we don’t even know that we are doing it. I often have to work diligently to remove a yanking habit from my clients. As I watch them work, I sometimes video so that they can see what they are doing.

One of the most bewildering things that we humans do to our dogs is yank on them in attempts to stop them from yanking us.

Prong, pinch , training collar

I have written many different blogs, articles and posts about prong collars. Well, here is another one; when I see it, I have to talk about it…again.

The other day as Elsa, Riggs and I were finishing up our long leash walk at the park; we walked by a beautiful little German Shorthaired Pointer just starting his. Of course I read the dog closely as I always do; he looked amped to be on a walk but as we passed by him and his person I noticed the collar and then the tail. His short tail was tucked hard under his body and the collar around his neck was a prong collar. Sadly I am seeing these collars more and more and I hate where many guardians are turning for help.

As we walked by them I realized that the dog had this bundled energy inside but was spinning and turning in a frantic manner. I kept moving, albeit slowly as I was and unraveled what was going on. It was the collar, the dog knew that expelling his energy in a big way meant pain. So he did tight spinning movements with his eyes flashing and high pitched whining. My heart sunk for this dog; especially because Elsa and Riggs were comfortable with their body harnesses on attached to 10 foot leashes (reeled in when needed.")

People wanting dog related help are turning to the uneducated for help; the guy next door, a supposed pro trainer, your average Joe on Facebook. I shudder when I read many comments online from people trying to help but their expertise is often here say, unresearched, average Joe experience. “My dog pulls really hard, help” is often the line thrown out for all to have a bite. “Use a pinch/prong collar, it’s like power steering” they explain. So the draggy orders the collar and off they go.

My question here is:

If it doesn’t hurt your dog, how does it work?

This is not a rhetorical question, it is an actual question from me to you. If it does not actually inflict pain, then how does it stop a dog from pulling (if it does?)

This blog is about prong collars, not choke, slip or any other aversive type collar, the prong, pinch or anything else you want to call it. I am seeing them more and more as our society turns to “quick fixes” for pretty much everything. Well, I am here to tell you that fixing takes a long time. Changing behaviors takes time; it takes a really long time for us and our dogs. And slapping a pain inflicting collar on doesn’t fix anything, it simply stops the problem by inflicting pain. But what most people don’t know, is that you are now adding more problems into the mix.

So what happens when we inflict the pain of a prong collar to our dog?

First, a prong is inflicting pain, that should really be enough not to use them right?

Second, typically the pain comes with pulling; so that means whatever is around when the dog gets hit with the pinch, creates a negative association.

Third, aggression fuels aggression. So if you have a dog with even the slightest big of aggression while out on their prong collar, it can get much worse.

Fourth, the negative association could be YOU.

Fifth, pain inflicted to your dog could cause redirected aggression.

Sixth, prong collars don’t teach your dog anything. When they pull they receive pain, that’s it.

Think about this, you are putting a chain with spikes on the inside around your dogs neck and calling it good. Hmmmmmmmmm…

I am not judging anyone, what I am doing is trying to spread the word. We humans often don’t think about what we are doing; especially if we’ve been doing it a long time. Or it is something that’s been around for a really long time, we just jump in before checking the waters. Research, research, research and consider your dog first.

I often see people out walking their dog on a prong and extension leash (hate these), yikes. Just imagine the pain when the dog hits the end of the leash. It is also inflicting constant pain with the continual pressure from the leash.

There is a person I see weekly with a gorgeous but out of control dog. The dog is obviously a high energy, working type breed. The person takes her dog to the same place at the same time each and every day and does the same thing. This in itself is a driving force for the chaos that ensues. She walks the dog on a 12” reigned in leash on a prong. When he gets a bit crazy she corrects (yanks on his leash) and the dogs spins with vocals. It is a horrible scene to watch…like I said, people just don’t know.

We humans need to teach our dogs to not pull. Sadly some of the big boofy type dogs just get use to the constant pain. This can cause a huge amount of damage from our dogs lack of response to the pinch. “Look he doesn’t even care” says one guy as he yanks harder and harder.

There are a lot of things that you can do and use to help your dog to understand the idea of lose leash walking. There is no quick fix, it takes work but it is well worth it.

This is your dog, do you really want to put a chain with spikes on it and take them for a walk?

Love language?

By now pretty much everyone knows about love languages. The different love languages have been around forever I’m guessing (as long as couples have been around) but Gary Chapman created the #1 New York Times international about the subject; allowing us all to figure out our love language.

5 Love Languages

• Words of affirmation.

• Quality time.

• Physical touch.

• Acts of service.

• Receiving gifts

“Where you going with this Sherri?” you’re probably wondering.

Okay, so what about our dogs? What makes our dogs happy, content, settled and have a sense of belonging? Good question right? Like us, they are all different and what makes one feel like they are “home” may not create the same feeling in another. I believe that “home” is a feeling, the place you want to come back to, the place you want to be when you’re sick; it is the place where you can happily spend your most downtime. There are homes that don’t feel like “home,” and there can be any number of reasons for that.

So what is that for our dogs? What makes a great “home” for our dogs? What things can we do to make sure that our dogs love being home, their life and their time here on earth?

Do our dogs like being talked to? Most definitely. I have not met many dogs that didn’t react positively to being talked to. The reaction may be small but most have enjoyed that connection. The only dogs that didn’t seem to enjoy being talked by me are the ones with a seriously traumatic past or had no experience with it; basically it meant nothing to them to be spoken to. But there is talking to and talking to; there is a huge difference is me saying “good” or “what a good boy, you are the best, soooooo good” in a mushy voice. Between “here’s your food” and “are you hungry? Do you want Mommy to make your food? What would you like to dinner?” There is a big difference in how words are spoken and taken in by the listener. :)

Quality time? Yep…but, quality time means something different to all of us and our dogs. Does quality mean catching balls, snuggling on the couch, hiking, going in the car, playing with k9 friends or heading to the beach? This can take a good long while to figure out; and some likes and dislikes evolve over time.

How about physical touch? This is a complicated one in the world of dogs; many dogs adore touch, but some really dislike it. With each dog being an individual there are also external factors that play into touch. Past history, age, experience, trauma and simple personality. History can play into the desire for touch immensely but it can just be who they are and no amount of time or work will change them. Touch and desire for it ranges immensely in dogs.

Acts of service is sort of a given with dogs. This would mean basic needs met, like feeding, grooming, vetting, exercise etc. There are dogs who never get any of this on a regular basis which is a very sad fact in our world. Offering the basic needs should be…well basic. Happily, most people I know would exceed in this department; and I truly believe that “acts of service” play a big part in our dogs day to day sense of security.

Do dogs enjoy, love or appreciate getting gifts? I believe they most certainly do. Each and every time I come home with a plastic shopping bag I can find both Elsa and Riggs nose deep, rooting around to see what I’ve brought them. And, if by chance I have brought a new item home for their enjoyment…well, let’s just say that there is much excitement.

It is so important that we know our dogs. Not just know that they are indeed dogs and the general idea that “dogs are like this.” I often see or hear inexperienced people say to me “dogs like this” or pat the top of a dog’s head thinking that they love it. Dogs hate when people pat the top of their head, some more than others of course.

What are your dog’s big and small likes and dislikes?

Elsa adores touch from her inner circle; but likes it from strangers. She is over the top demonstrative, close and lavish with her inner circle about touch. She likes touch from strangers but not as close, lavish or tight as with her inner circle.

Riggs is learning to love touch from his inner circle; he did not come hardwired with it. He will only accept touch by strangers if Elsa is there to “go first.” Other than that he prefers to get to know you first. And he has a very bad habit of being inappropriate with his “getting to know you” by sniffing your mouth and nose exhaust.

They are both very different in their desires, likes and expectations of life. It is my job to know them intricately.

We can only learn about our dogs likes and dislikes by paying very close attention. Of course this means that we learn how dogs communicate all of this to us. If we stay in the thought “a wagging tail means a happy dog,” then you aren’t going to really ever know your dog. It takes work.

They are after all, a completely different species. We sometimes forget that fact.

My dog blogs

My very first blog

June 04, 2007 was my first dog blog. I wrote on Blogspot until around August 2016; which is when I published my new and current website Justdogswithsherri.com. At that point I moved everything over and kept on blogging. When I transitioned to my new website with my blogs, I had written and published 2,636 blogs. That was almost 6 years ago so I would imagine I’m well into the 3000’s.

I cannot believe that I have been blogging for nearly 15 years. That is crazy to me, especially because I blogged daily for years and years before tapering off to weekly, monthly and then here and there. You can only do so much in a day right?

Those were the days when I was training full on all day long. I had teenagers so I was driving everywhere between training, getting my own dogs out and working with them and getting burned out. But I continued to write because I truly believe that sharing life experience with other like minded people (dog lovers) is a good thing. I wrote about my life with dogs and everything involved with it.

In the start of my blogs I went photo-less, but that only lasted a short time as I began my life as a pro dog photographer. I took a few years off training which was much needed and dove into my dream of being a photographer. I dabbled with subject matter for a short time and then settled on dogs; what better subject than dogs. After a few years of shooting dogs I was back to training which is all documented in my blogs, a lifetime with dogs.

“Life is an evolution in oneself”

This is a favorite quote of mine and I truly believe it. I am not the dog person I was 47 years ago. I have most certainly changed since my first day in a conformation ring with a Doberman on the end of my leash. At 13 I had no idea what I was doing but I dove into the deep end of life with dogs and didn’t look back.

I have changed a lot, like many of us in life we grow. Things that didn’t seem important to me before are now at the forefront; things that seemed very important way back then are no longer of any interest to me, we change, hopefully we change.

Over the years of blogging, I have met some amazing people. I still get questions from my blogs from way back. Someone looking for help stumbles upon one of my blogs and reaches out. I love when I can help, even just a little. Sometimes you just want to know that you are not out there dealing with life issues alone.

Things are changing and they will always be changing. Instant gratification is a big thing now with what seems like less time for life these days. There is no instant fix with dogs; it a a multi-level, group of tactics that we need to look at for helping our dogs. One thing may help but it is not a fix; and quick fix should be replaced with solid, consistent, dedicated work.

I am passionate about dogs, obviously. But it is not only the training and behavior modification that I am interested in. I am interested in the big picture, the whole thing that we call dogs. From grooming, feeding, behavior, enrichment, exercise, anatomy, health, temperaments, breeding, genetics…All of it, everything to do with dogs. Life with…

We have done wrong by dogs in many ways; we have also done right in many ways, but we cannot stop learning. No one knows it all and I will be the first to admit that there is so much more to learn about dogs I love learning about dogs and I love sharing what I learn with you all. Even if that is through my own life experiences.

If you are interested in reading them? It will be a while if you get started now. :) Happy reading.

Keep Blogging

It's Mine

I want to talk about possessive or resource guarding behavior in dogs. Riggs is very possessive and most definitely guards his stuff. For Riggs, his resource guarding is genetic; something I didn’t know until seeing a video of his Father after Riggs had joined our family. He is not a biter or growler but he most definitely freezes and hovers over his possessions. He is a green eyed monster and if Elsa is using a toy of any kind, he cannot think straight until he gets it.

Now, resource guarding is only a problem when a dog puts a high value onto an item. For Riggs, his biggest issue with this behavior is his balls. Balls are not left out, and ball time is extremely structured. Will he ever grow out of this? Probably not.

He has never growled to keep his possession but he will run away from us in attempts to keep the item. For this reason there has been a method to playing with balls. In order to fulfill his strong drive, he gets to play ball almost daily. But there are many rules within the game and much time has been taken to instill positive association to it all. The biggest thing is that he is always rewarded for giving up a ball. This can come in the form of having the ball thrown again; or getting a high value food reward when I actually get the ball.

Because of this Riggs has 3 different verbal cues surrounding balls. “Leave it, drop and give,” are the words used to get possession of the balls. “Leave it” is used if he happens to put it down and I am going to get it. “Drop” is pretty obvious, but if he has the slightest idea that it may be the end of the game, he does not drop. This made it important to give him another verbal cue for me taking it out of his mouth; and surprisingly he is very good at it. Once my hand is on the ball in his mouth, I say “give” and he releases his grip.

But the absolute best way to end a game is in the midst; when he is retrieving over and over. I will very purposely will NOT ask him to bring it when I am going to stop the game. He is in the swing of retrieving and I simple don’t throw it again. Both Elsa and Riggs have also learned that when the game ends they are told as much. “That’s all,” is a very clear and precise…”game over.” This is also useful for dogs who would retrieve and catch 24/7. Once they hear that verbal cue they go and lay down.

In the above video I am trying to get Riggs to drop “his” ball long enough to eat a tossed treat (freeze dried liver.) Normally he will not drop his ball for anything, even another ball. So I am working on this and today he actually dropped the ball but did not stop hovering.

When Riggs was younger (he will be 4 years old in October) he would take the ball from Elsa constantly. Now he has his own ball and he knows that he is not allowed to touch her. He follows rules to the tee unless of course his genetic need for toy ownership kicks in. It also took him a long time to learn that if he gave us the ball, we would throw it again. He has come a very long way and is doing amazing…but it is a s&%t ton of work.

In his mind, the ball is everything. He will drop a bone, steak, bully stick or anything for a ball. So we continue the work and today I was very happy that he actually dropped the ball momentarily. He is insanely intelligent and if I ask for the ball and then tell him “Mommy will throw it,” he will give it to me.

A very important thing to remember is that you cannot lie to your dogs. Especially when they are highly tuned to everything. I have to use my gray matter to help him with his. :)

Questions?

Behavior markers

Behavior - the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli.

Marker - something used as a mark or indication,

Behavior markers - a sound, visual or word paired reliably with a reward to mark a precise moment of successful action.

Behavior markers are used when teaching a new behavior or modifying and existing behavior. Once it is a reliable behavior the “marker” is weaned off or used to fine tune behavior evolution.

So what does all of this mean? I am passionate about behavior markers. Even though I am very PRO behavior marker, I don’t always teach them. I will often talk around them and watch as my client either leans in for more, or out to get away from the difficulty. I get it, not everyone wants to know more. As a trainer, it is essential to give people what they will use. That may be simply to keep it as easy as possible. If your client is not willing to use, learn or embrace a behavior marker; then teaching it is a huge waste of time for everyone involved.

Okay, so why is the behavior marker so great and exactly what is it? I have given the dictionary meaning above but it can be a tough concept to grasp, that is until you start to use it.

I am seeing people try to use behavior markers more and more; and, I am also seeing behavior markers used incorrectly more and more. To use a behavior marker successfully, you have to learn a few basics and adhere to them.

Let’s have a quick look at where behavior markers came from B.F. Skinner began his work with operant conditioning and the marker in the 30s. It has since evolved and is now widely used by many R+ trainers. Karen Pryor introduced the clicker and it took off with loads of animal trainers.

Training staff at large aquariums use it to train their dolphins, seals and other animals as it is difficult to deliver a reward at the precisely correct time unless they utilize markers, whistles. Imagine that the teacher wants a dolphin to leap very high through a hoop. You can’t be up in the air to reward the hoop leap but you can mark it and reinforce it when the dolphin comes back down.

You need to super charge (create a connection between) your marker and reinforcer.

Reinforcer - A stimulus, such as a reward, that in operant conditioning maintains or strengthens a desired response.

Watching behavior markers at work is fascinating. Here are a few important things to remember.

Important stuff

Timing is everything with behavior markers. The marker offers you a way to time let your dog know precisely when they are offering a behavior you want. Learning how important this is comes with experience.

A behavior marker MUST be followed by the reinforcer always. Otherwise it looses its strength. The marker is not the reward, this is one of the biggest mistakes I see. People clicking through training and not following the click with the reward or reinforcer.

Just clicking or marking willy nilly is not the idea.

Once a behavior is learned, we wean off of the behavior marker and replace with verbal praise and random rewards.

The reinforcer (food, ball, tug etc.) must come after the marker. It does not have to be immediate but should be related to the “marked” behavior in a timely manner; typically a few seconds.

Verbal cue is not added until the behavior is set (the dog clearly understands and offers the behavior.)

Example

Behavior marker, let’s use the word “key” as our example (it can be a sound, word or visual (flashlight.))

Reinforcer, let’s use food as our example (can use food or anything the dog would consider as a reward, like a ball or tug as well.)

“key” = food coming

We start with the dog sitting in front of us; say “key” and give the food. “Key” give food, “key” give food, “key” give food. I like to do it about 10 times in a row or until I see a bit of an AH HA moment from the dog. Dog figures out the marker word “key” means food.

Teaching place. Put a rug, blanket, towel or pad on the floor. When your dog sniffs it, “key” and toss the reward about 3 feet away. Do this until your dog is going to the “place” each time. Tossing the reward creates a situation for your dog to continue offering the “marked” behavior.

Once your dog is reliably returning to “place” then up your criteria. Dog must now put a foot on the “place.” Lots of patience and waiting for dog to offer new criteria behavior. When they do “key” and toss reward.

Next is two feet on place. Then four feet, then four feet and a sit, then a down. Each progression is marked and reinforced. When you up the criteria, you wait for your dog to offer it. You can help out at times when you want a sit and add it quickly before marking and reinforcing.

Once you have a reliable :”place” you can add the verbal cue (more on that later.) Then drop the behavior marker. Rewards will be weaned off, depending on the dog. That means praise between treats to get space between rewards. At that point you wean treats; but never forget to tell your dog that they are doing a great job and thank them for it.

Training is an evolution, it is not a one and done thing.

As always, if you have any questions, please ask away.

Dog sitter - in search of

I had some great sitters for these three.

I’m looking again, it seems that I am always on the hunt for my next great dog sitter. I’ve been speaking with a friend this morning about how hard it is to find a good sitter. Honestly it is nearly impossible. I thought I’d found one…that is until I started to ask a few questions, and I mean a few. “How long will you be gone during the day?” “Can you come home during the day to let my guys out?” I was trying to figure out if I’d need someone else to come by midday. But the would be sitter, very quickly decided that we weren’t a fit.

Can you imagine having a new, strange person in your home; looking after your dogs while you are away and not asking questions? It is impossible for me to relax or enjoy my time away if I am at all worried about how my dogs are doing.

Now, I’m sure that there are folks out there that are just happy to have a sitter say “yep, I’ll do it.” Not me, I need to know their schedule and I also need them to know Elsa and Rigg’s schedule and requirements. When I go away and hire someone to take care of my dogs, that is what I need them to do. Just popping in now and again, a check in before bed and in the morning is not going to cut it. Dogs are not cats, they require far more care. I need someone to move into my home and care for my dogs in my absence as my “replacement.”

I am very upfront about what I need for my dogs. There is no hidden agenda when I hire someone. I actually have pages of notes that I leave and try to best explain everything to the sitter. I make sure that they know it all and are willing before I hire. And I want reliability and honesty as well; when they say that they will care for my dogs, I expect that. When they say that they will be there, I expect that they will be there.

If you are like me, and I know there are lots of you out there; just going away and leaving your dogs at home is tough. Add to that, you are relying on someone else to solely care for your dogs. That is big, not to be taken lightly. So I will ask and you should as well. If a sitter does not like questions about the care that they offer, well, they shouldn’t be caring for other peoples dogs.

So on my many numerous quests to find a sitter, these are a few things that I hear regularly:

• I’ll do it, I’d love to take care of your dogs. (before they know anything about me or my dogs.)

• I’d love to help, I’ve sat dogs twice before.

• We can do that, but it will cost a premium.

• We do nightly visits, we do not do overnights.

• I’d love to, if I can bring my 2 year old daughter.

• I’m looking for a second job for some extra income, I can do it.

• I can do it but I work full time 8-5 every day.

There are lots of people out there who are meaning well by offering. But, if you are going away, you actually want a dog sitter. Preferably one who has great references; even better would be someone you know who has used them. Being dog savvy is also a huge plus. But for those big companies online that you can pick/book and pay for your sitter sight unseen, no thank you.

Over the years we have had some amazing sitters who sadly all retired. I have had to stop using 2 sitters for not being honest with me or forthcoming. In my books is the absolute worst case scenario, lying or hiding. If you aren’t honest no one will ever trust you about anything. As a dog trainer, I have heard many horrible stories of sitters and walkers just not showing up.

Being a dog sitter is a huge commitment.

Commitment - a pledge or promise.

It should never be taken lightly. Our dogs are our family members and when “we,” their family members cannot be there to care for them, we need a very reliable replacement. I’ve had people who want to sit my dogs; during our meet and greet I ask if they have any questions, they don’t. If I was taking care of someone’s dogs I would have a million questions for the guardians. Heck I have a million questions as a dog trainer and the guardian is right there with me.

Things happen, it’s called life. A great sitter will take into account that at some point they may have to go above and beyond for the dogs. If you can’t rush to the vet, help a fallen dog, work around separation issues then don’t offer to sit for someone. Dog sitting is not and will never be House sitting.

My absolute best way to find a great sitter is to have them come over and interact with me and my dogs. I am not only a highly skilled reader of canine body language, but humans as well. It is a fallout from being a behavior specialist, I watch. You can tell a lot by how someone behaves around your dogs and how your dogs behave around them. Of course there will still be times when someone lets you down.

I do not feel like I am over the top in what I require for my dogs. My dogs can’t talk, they can’t tell me if the person was a great sitter for them. Although it is amazing the things I discover when I return from a trip. We need to advocate for our dogs. It is our job to do the work, do the research, make the calls, have meet and greets and find someone who takes the job of caring for your dogs as serious as it should be taken.

Our dogs deserve the best we can offer them.

Ears - listen up

Napping by my side, ear all better.

Okay, this is for those of you folks who live with a fuzzy eared dog. Dogs who need ear plucking has gone up exponentially in the last several years due to all the doodles being added to families.

First, I am going to state that I am a minimalist in the ear plucking department. I believe that far too many dogs have their ears stripped clean by a groomer which in turn opens them up for pain and infection. A little goes a long way when speaking of ear plucking.

Last night my husband and I were binging on Amazon Primes “Goliath.” As we were coming to the end of the third episode…Elsa hopped up on the couch with one ear hanging down. This got my attention immediately as it can mean a sore ear. Then the flapping started as we tried to hold her, stopping her from flapping her ears. She recently had a hematoma that is almost completely healed so we didn’t want a flare up again.

Because of her hematoma I haven’t been able to do any ear plucking on her lately. Plucking always causes some ear flapping which we were trying to avoid. So when she started last night with the flapping and drastic ear drop on her left side I immediately thought there might be some hair down there that needed to come out. Not all ear shaking or dropped ears mean infection; it can simply be that there are hairs that are down inside the ear and are irritating.

I got all my ear plucking stuff out; with flashlight in hand I had a look. Everything looked good, no puffiness, no redness…but there were hairs. Elsa has always had some hairs that grow very long and down into her ear. I believe these irritate and tickle so much that it really bothers her. Like I said, I am a minimalist plucker, which means I only take out a bit of hair at a time. Only enough hair is removed to allow a good amount of air flow in and keep the ears healthy.

After pulling some of the really fluffy stuff that inhibits seeing down into her ear, I grasped a couple that were headed down into the ear canal. I can always tell when I’m on the right path when she seems immediately relieved by her low level moaning as the hair comes out. That’s the spot, so I pulled out a few more. With coconut oil on a cotton swab I wiped out her ear while trying to coax any other rogue hairs to head to the light and not head down into the ear.

There are three approaches on ears and plucking -

• don’t do any,

• pluck them clean,

• only pluck as required.

I am in the “only pluck as required” to allow enough air flow in to keep the ear healthy. That said each and every dog is different. Some never need plucking, maybe a little here or there, some need more attention and some need more attention more often. All dogs are different and that means their ears as well. Like I said, Elsa has always had an issue with random hairs growing down into her ear. These become long and irritating to her so they are removed. I have seen some dog’s ears that needed plucking and never got it. They suffered ear infections and a great deal of pain from having mounds of hair built up in their ears.

If you send your dog to a groomer, ask them not to pluck your dog’s ears clean. It is an old school method of doing the ears plucked clean at every grooming. This regularly causes ear infections and a great deal of pain for your dog. There is absolutely no reason to pluck a dog’s ears clean and bald, it is not necessary. All that needs to be taken out is enough to allow free air flow in. This can also be assisted by shaving the inside of the dog’s ear flap; allowing more air to pass under the flap and into the ear. .

This is yet another reason why learning to groom at home is a great idea. It gives you the chance to get to know your dog better physically and deal with issues like this one that arose with Elsa. No infection, no Vet visit, just a few stray angry hairs that needed to be plucked from her ear.

Don’t be afraid to grab a flashlight and have a look see.

Want to learn to groom your poodle or doodle? Check out my available course below.

Poodle Grooming at Home with Sherri

$195.00

A year in review 2021

This image was taken 10 years ago in CT.

Training and Behavior

Well, this was another tough year all round, although COVID wise it was much better than 2020. Sadly we didn’t get rid of the stuff, will we ever? It is yet to be seen. I’m hoping. With things getting more back to normal; here at Just Dogs with Sherri, I was very busy with many new k9 students. I love meeting new dogs and puppies and their k9 guardians. Getting in on ground level, at the time a dog is added to a family really allows me to make sure the blending goes well; or at least without so many hiccups.

Adding a dog to your family can be rough; if it’s a puppy, even rougher. If you are adding an adult rescue to your family it can be rougher still. With just a few simple tips and tricks of the trades; knowing what you are doing makes the whole process much easier and enlightening. It makes me really happy when I can help.

Buy on Amazon

With the pandemic shutdown came a flood of families acquiring new dogs into their family again this year. Many lived through months of not enough socialization so we had to do a sort of catch up with some. There were also a great number of dogs being surrendered due to family crisis that many were going through and that is just sad for everyone involved.

I have found over the past year that I enjoy posting on IG more than on FB simply because it is easier to do with my cell phone in hand. So I hope to get more people coming over to IG so that they can benefit from training and behavior content.

Speaking of content I would love to know what you’ like to hear about. What issues are you dealing with the most? What is your biggest canine concern going into the New Year? Love to hear from you, put your biggest issues in the comments below. The past year has brought these top issues for new dog families:

• Loose leash walking.

• Leash aggression.

• Jumping up on people.

• Under socialized.

• Lack of guidance.

In the New Year I will be offering in home training closer to home and not traveling so far. Please check my website to see what cities I am servicing now. Although, if you live further away than my close neck of the woods I do offer consultations via video chat and email which is one of my favorite ways to work with folks. It is a very economically way to help you guys with your dog problems; pretty much anywhere in the world.

When I’m not training in person I will be working on getting more video courses up and available. I am also working on a couple of books which I hope to finish at least one. This takes a great deal of focus and dedication which I sometimes have difficulty doing . Sitting still and concentrating on one thing can be tough for someone like me. But I’m going to do my best. And of course I will let you know when it is done and available.

I am looking forward to the New Year, it has to be better than the last few.

Personal

Our family had a canine loss this year. My daughter in law, my son and her family lost their beloved Sarge to a heart issue. He was taken far to suddenly and soon and is missed desperately by his family. Our little Penny girl (my daughter’s dog) had a close call after eating a marble and had to receive a life saving surgery. I am happy to report that she is doing wonderfully and is pretty much back to herself now.

My family had a huge loss with my Mothers sudden passing in September which has been a very difficult time for me. I lost my Father just last November, such a loss has been a tough time for myself and my family. I have been taking the time I need; but a loss like this is extremely impactful to your life. Time and dealing with the loss are the only way to move forward.

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I hope that everyone has a wonderful 2022, it just has to be better…we can only hope. I look forward to meeting and working with new dogs and their guardians in the New Year.

Have a safe, happy and prosperous New Year. I’ll see you in 2022

Across the country with 4 dogs and 2 humans

They’ve been popping up in my FB memories for several days now. And, it was not until today…Dec 13, 2021 that I thought about writing a blog about them. Them being the images taken while driving across the county.

It is our 10 year anniversary of the big adventure.

It is 10 years today that my 21 year old son, our four dogs and myself, pulled up to our new home in Cos Cob, CT. It was very dark when we arrived and I really didn’t even know what it all looked like until the next morning. I think it’s a great story, although there are very sad parts to it; but it is worth telling or reading about. So let’s go back to where this all started, for those of you don’t know the story.

December 8, 2011, my son, our nearly 16 year old Jack Russell Jessie, our nearly 15 year old grey Standard Poodle Tilley, our 11 year old blonde Standard Poodle Luke, our 5 month old blonde Standard Poodle Elsa and I head out across the county. We piled into the SUV in Orange County, California and arrived at our destination…Connecticut, 5 days later.

As a professional canine photographer I had decided to do a photo journal as we made our way across the country; but things took a turn for the worst very quickly. My photo book turned into 2 novels (the first I am rewriting) about our journey across the country with our 4 dogs…And Back Again.

I couldn’t fly my old dogs across the country; I knew that they would never make it. The stress would have been unbearable on them; so it was not an option. They all enjoyed riding in the car so I thought, “I can do this.” We rented a U-Haul and hooked it to the back of my SUV, put the the back seats down and filled the back with dog beds. “We can do this, right?”

I thought I could do it, but by the end of the first day as I sat in the hotel room with my head in my hands, shaking my head I said “what was I thinking?” I was shaken to the core by what the first day had brought with it; and the worst had not even unfolded yet. It was in the next moment that I knew we would make it and I could do it because my son told me I could. “You got this Mom,” he stated very confidently as if he knew it was so. I could not have done it without him(Brad); he was my rock throughout the trip from start to finish.

When our dogs age and are past their prime, entering into their very senior years; the ones well past the golden years, everything is hard on them. We had two dogs in diapers, one with severe dementia, the other living with the remnants of vestibular disease. Luke was great, at 11 he was in great shape, so the trip had been pretty easy on him. And Elsa…Miss Elsa, well she proved to be an angel at only 5 months old and she handled herself like an old travel pro.

During our drive across the country we lost our most senior little lady (Jessie). Her age had caught up with her and in the middle of Oklahoma she left us…devastated. Only weeks later our beautiful Tilley succumbed to a ruptured tumor on her spleen that we had not known about. All the details of the journey, heartbreak, challenges are in the books. The first book is being rewritten (I think I’ve evolved in my writing over 10 years).

We had a great deal of support from our social media following. I was reporting regularly to all of my FB groups at the time. Members were interested and so supportive of our journey. Many members remember our trip and comment on it regularly. I’m sure some, even remember the face of poison ivy I also had during our adventure.

Traveling long distance with dogs can be challenging; traveling with old dogs is hard on them, requiring around the clock TLC. Flying our dogs was not a risk that I was willing to take; driving them was the only option to get our k9 family to where we were going.

There were happy moments scattered in all the sadness…

The journey started out negatively and never did turn around enough to make it a good and lasting decision. Little did we know that only 3.5 short months later; we would be turning around and driving back to California with only two dogs. The story is intense, living it was not easy and as it all unfolded and we landed back in California, I had to write. Writing about the journey definitely helped me to deal with it all. I hadn’t had time to deal with it when it was all happening.

Looking back I can barely believe it was 10 years ago. Miss Elsa is now 10.5 which is crazy and little Riggs only entered the story 3 short years ago. Life is a story, each and every one of us has so much to live, learn and share. We all have no idea what tomorrow brings which is probably a good thing. When we do look back, we may want to change the story. But life stories are cast in stone and unchanging; as hard as we wish we could, we can’t change the past.

Happy 10th Across the Country Anniversary Brad, we did it and lived to tell the story.

This and all of my books are available on Amazon here on my website.