Working dogs and the power of Yes!!

Originally this was going to be a post about goals in training but I finally read all of my e-mail from the week and found a nugget of pure gold to share that took top priority.

As a trainer I get different catalogs, magazines and e-newsletters from various sources. My top 3 favorites at the moment are The APDT Chronicle of the Dog, Off Lead & Animal Behavior, and an e-newsletter from Leerburg. As a trainer that has worked with police dogs, knowing about Leerburg is practically a requirement. They also have a ton of knowledge and some awesome stuff. Not to mention I have a huge soft spot and great respect for all working dogs. I just love to watch dogs doing what they were bred to do. This is also one reason I love tracking so much, it is using a dogs natural ability to do something they enjoy.

I was reading their newsletter and came across an article that made me giddy with excitement. (literally giddy I tell you, I may have even made happy sounds while reading it) Prepare yourselves, it is long and very in depth: The Power of Training Dogs with Markers

Since this is how I do the majority of my training, coupled with luring, I am very pleased to see such a well written and FREE article sharing the information. My only major disagreement with the article is his recommendation of using electronic collars for extinguishing self rewarding behaviors. E-collars for obedience training are best left to professionals ONLY if at all in my opinion. Timing is just to critical with them.

It looks like this will be my next DVD purchase for the prison program. I shall probably also add this link to the blog permanently as well.

Speaking of working dogs, I stumbled across a website surfing the other night with some fabulously beautiful photos. It is a doberman site but they also have a rottie and a boxer rescue. Don't forget to check out the blog for more great photos as well. (click though the older posts) Link here: VanLayne

On a sad note it seems the Law Dog program is shutting down. I for one am extremely upset to see it go. It was a fabulous program that gave some great positive PR for pitbulls. There is more information on their homepage.

(The stained glass piece is one a friend made for me of my own akita logo design. Yes, I have very cool friends.)

The next prison dog

Today I went to the shelter intending to do some evaluations and speak with the manager about the next dog we should send through the K-9 Corrections program. When I walked in I was greeted with "Can we send Chloie? Please, please, please?" Well that was easy! So she is headed to the prison on Monday to begin her training. I am actually relieved because I had wanted to send her myself but didn't want anyone thinking I chose her because she is an akita. (one of my own breeds) She was only there because I pulled some strings in the first place.

I had received a call to me as an akita rescue contact from another Maine shelter who had a hard time adopting out akitas. They recognised what a great dog she is and that she deserved a chance. So I worked out a deal with them and got her transferred to HSKC. We thought we had an adopter interested in her but he passed. (He said he wanted an akita but I think he wanted something more macho than her.) She is very sweet and a great dog all around. Originally surrendered because they "were done breeding her". She is only two years old! (Grrrr some people) She is just in need of some training to help make her more adoptable.

Here are a few pics:

Here on intake day. She is on the smaller side.

In one of the play yards checking things out.

Looking for attention in the kennel.

These are two puppies that were also there today. Lab mixes. Normally I might say pitbull X in there but they had a mastiff look to them in person. Already spoken for. (Yay!)

And because I also love cats, and am catless at present so I need to get my fix on occasion, here are some pics of the cats there today too. I can't believe this sweetie is still there. She looks grumpy in the pic but she was just sleepy.

In a recovery cage after spaying. She never even looked up.

Just one of the cages with kittens. (8 in this one alone)

A few relaxing on a couple of the cat shelves in the cat room. On the other side is a lower long window for them to sit at and enjoy too.

This guy was bumming dog treats from me. He practically dove into my pocket for them. He even ate a few of the Zukes brand.

Teresa also said she heard back from Dannos new person and he is doing fabulous. We made a great match. Let's hope we can do the same for Chloie.

People skills in dog training

I was very sad to read on another blog about a bad experience a dog owner had the first night at a new agility class. It seems her "trainer" was not very nice to her nor very helpful. Here is her post: "What I need in a trainer"

How disheartening that anyone has to go through such an experience. Training is supposed to be fun for both you and your dog, especially a class like agility. In a worst case scenario it should at least be informative and useful. The point is that a dog trainer needs to be good with people too, not just dogs. The two go hand in hand and unless you want to lose clients you need to have those people skills to be able to effectively communicate. If you turn off a client with condescending behavior it is going to drastically effect how you communicate with each other. This is a critical component when you are trying to teach new skills.

If you end up with a trainer you don't feel comfortable with feel free to leave the class, seperate from the group, or end the session. Speak to your trainer and let them know your dissatisfaction so they have the opportunity to fix the issue if possible. Perhaps they are unaware. You are paying for a service after all. Time is money and if they are wasting your time, they are wasting your money as well.

Remember, you are the only voice your dog has. Never let a trainer do something you are uncomfortable with to your dog. Trainers are not all created equal and some don't know as much as they should about dog behavior. (some stick to training only and don't bother learning about behavior information believe it or not)

Even with a great trainer there can be personality conflicts. Keep that in mind as well. If your options for training are limited you may have to tolerate a personality you don't particularly mesh well with. However that shouldn't mean you need to tolerate rudeness. If that happens to you do not hesitate to point out you are paying for their services and can look elsewhere. Not everyone who gets into dog training has the people skills needed to do well in the field long term.

Check out another post on the subject of people skills in training here: Dog Trainer...A Misleading Job Description by Cindy Bruckart

It is my sincere hope that the majority of training is a pleasant experience for all involved. Regardless of the methods taught or the type of class or trainer you see, it should always be a fun and rewarding event you share with your dog. Anything less is just plain unacceptable.

My favorite thing

There is nothing I love more than watching dogs play. With each other, with their toys or joining in with me. The joyous jumping around and racing of the dogs, the twinkle in their eye when you play the chase game, the relaxed look of pleasure on their faces during a pause. It is all just so much fun. You can even learn things about individual personalities by watching groups of dogs or puppies playing among themselves. And it is also interesting to see different dogs or breeds with different play styles. Play is an important part of our lives with our dogs. It is even the reason some people have dogs, to have fun with them.

For a more in depth look at play in dogs check out Patricia McConnells blog with details on some studies being done on the subject. http://theotherendoftheleash.com/

And for fun check out the video of Jack playing with Dash a couple of winters ago.

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f42/Akitamom2/?action=view&current=HPIM1017.flv

Now go play with your dogs!

Can't we all just get along?

The answer sadly is apparently not.

Some of you may have noticed I have removed some comments from this blog and set my comments to moderated status. I have inadvertently become the target of another dog trainer that didn't like some comments I posted to her public blog. (by public I mean owned by a newspaper)

It was never my intention to irk anyone with my opinion but it is clear that is what happened. The original post was about how to become a dog trainer and I added more info for prospective trainers to her post. She disagreed with my response. Strongly. I have since been accused of "drinking the kool-aid of the positive training cult" among other things. It became a bit of a mess from there and after an attempt at a normal dialogue I tried to back away. In response I seem to have been followed. (and linked to as an example of a member of the fanatical positive trainer cult)

Now I dislike strife, in any form. I grew up in a home that had far to much of it for me to want to continue the cycle. Plus I just don't understand WHY dog trainers feel the need for infighting!? We are on the same team!!! Regardless of methods, or personality conflicts, we are all in this for the love of dogs and to help both them and their people. Aren't we? So WHY do we feel the need to beat each other up? It is incredibly unprofessional and I am so tired of it. It takes to much energy to be negative if you ask me.

So I have had enough. Lets each stay in our respective corners and continue to do what we love and help dogs. We can agree to disagree on methods and ideology. It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things if dogs are being humanely and effectively trained. (by both sides) I was accused of having an agenda, I guess that is true. If I had to define it my agenda is to promote dog training to keep dogs in their homes.

Yes I have chosen positive reinforcement for the majority of my clients and for my own dogs. I am unsure why that can be so irksome to others. Every trainer has a choice. If you are happy with your own choice why feel the need to attack anothers choice? Why resort to name calling? I just don't get it.

I think it is possible to have a dialogue with and between trainers of different methodologies. (I have had some great debates with other trainers of different methods.) As long as there is mutual respect. Respect doesn't always equal agreement after all. When one side lacks that it seems to quickly become a war. There really is no need of it. If we can't get along and meet in the middle to some degree we might all stagnate in our journey. Is that what we really want for our future? NONE OF US KNOWS EVERYTHING after all. Both sides have things they can learn, if they are open to it.

OK enough venting. As my grandmother always says, what doesn't vent will eventually explode. I should be good for a couple more years now. VBG.

So my plea is this, if we can't declare a truce, how about we each walk just away? I'll go first.

Wag more, bark less.

Fear in dogs

Last night for supper my husband cooked us some french toast and bacon. (MMmm it was good.) We noticed part way through his cooking that Jenny was acting weird. Her tail was down and she was in the hallway sitting, looking towards the kitchen. She would not be called back into the living room area that is next to the kitchen. Then we remembered, she always acts scared when we cook bacon on the stove. Since we don't cook it that frequently it isn't something we automaticly think of as a trigger for her. She doesn't seem to have the same reaction to the kind we microwave, just when it's cooked on the stovetop. I'm thinking it is about the sound possibly coupled with the smell. She sure has no problem eating some of it if offered. (she is a huge chow hound, a typical pug trait)

So we employed some classical conditioning by pairing something really good (I usually use extra yummy treats) with the scary thing. In her case the scary thing is bacon cooking. Remember, it is about what the DOG perceives as a scary event that is important. Not our perception of what they should be scared of.

Dogs being scared of something can stem from an event that happened in a fear period during their puppyhood, a normal developmental phase. All dogs go through them. Some more than one. What is important to know about fear periods is that anything that happens to a puppy (a dog under a year old) during that phase has a more lasting effect than if it happens at another time in their life. Example: a puppy is meeting new people and a man in a baseball hat swoops down just a little to quickly and startles the puppy. This could mean forever after the puppy is leery of man in baseball hats. Did the person abuse the dog? No, but to the puppy it was a very scary event that made a lasting impression. If the same event happened while the puppy wasn't in that specific developmental phase it might be scared for a few minutes, but have no issues with men in hats in the future.

The hard part of dealing with fear periods is knowing when they are happening. All breeds mature slightly differently so the age for the fear period can vary. One clue can be if the puppy suddenly acts afraid of something they previously didn't act afraid of. It may be something as benign as an end table, or boot rack. Something they may have seen and walked by every day until then. Or if they seem extra nervous about things in general suddenly.

What is also important to know is how to handle a puppy in a fear period. Do not force the puppy towards the scary thing. If possible throw tidbits near the item and act normal, see if they will approach on their own and figure out it isn't scary. (this is all going to depend on what it is the puppy is afraid of) You can praise them for any forward movement towards it. If it is about an item that can move make sure the item will stay stationary while they check it out, remember we don't want to add to the puppies fear. Once they are more comfortable with the item we can add the movement later.

If we force a puppy to confront the scary thing we are only stressing them out causing them to shut down. A dog that is to stressed is incapable of learning because it has gone into fight or flight mode, instinct vs rational thought. Forcing a dog to confront something is called flooding. While there may be times it is necessary, in most cases you'll end up with a dog that goes into something called learned helplessness. The dog acts like it accepts it but it has in fact learned it has no options. It doesn't take away it's fear, it only changes its reaction to it. (at least for that moment) Flooding MAY be used in a treatment plan, however it should only be done by a professional that is familiar with canine behavior (like a certified canine behaviorist) to avoid the learned helplessness response.

Is all fear in dogs related to fear periods? No, it is just one facet to fearful behavior in dogs. And it may be an explanation for Jennys reaction but I have no way of knowing for sure. Dogs can be scared of specific things at any age depending on how traumatic the event is. (again, to the dog) Luckily for us she will work for food, even when the bacon is cooking, so classical conditioning with her should be pretty easy in this case. I just need to put a note on the bacon to remind me for next time.

*Want to know if a dog is to stressed? Try offering a really good tidbit they normally would love. A dog that is to stressed to eat may be to stressed to learn. Fight or flight causes a physiological response in the body to shut down as self protection. (and they may also evacuate their bladder and bowels, part of the F or F response as well) This means it is physically impossible for them to eat as a result.

*Got a fearful dog? For more in depth info check out the books and DVD's available at http://www.dogwise.com/ (simply type the word fear into the search area)

Speaking of Halloween

I got an update e-mail from Dash's owners tonight. Dash was the french bulldog we fostered for the French Bulldog Rescue Network. They attend a dog related Halloweeen event every year. Last year some of you may remember Dash was the scarecrow from the wizard of oz. http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/2007/11/bad-blogger-update-pics.html#links
This year he went as a bumble bee. Isn't he adorable? (the answer is yes of course)


Here he is with his brother Ivan.

And here they are with their cousin Duncan.

We are thrilled he has such a great family. His mom Jess works at a vet clinic and also sent along this photo because she thought I might like it. (I do) A pug puppy with an irish wolfhound. Quite the size difference.

It is amazing the variety we have in dogs. Literally something for everyone.