Category: Training

Posted on by

A Beginner’s Guide to Getting a Dog – Part 2

Two weeks ago we did a blog post on selecting what breed of dog would best fit your lifestyle. We talked about places you can pick out your new best friend and some things to look for. If you missed that, please check it out here: “A Beginner’s Guide to Getting a Dog – Part 1”

In part two, we’re going to look at some of the things you should ask when you go to pick up your new friend and some of the things you should have on hand before your new family member comes home.

If you’ve gone to a shelter to look at a variety of animals, you can ask your questions while you’re there checking out your new potential adopters. A pro-tip is that you can always ask to come back and pick up your new friend in a few days. I did this with both of my cats and it worked wonders. I went to the shelter, looked at a variety of different awesome cats, and picked out the ones I wanted to adopt. Then asked if I could come back the next day and pick them up. This allowed me enough time to get all the supplies I would need to make sure their introduction to their new home went smoothly.

The first thing you should think of are questions you want to ask the dog’s current caregiver. I always like to ask these ahead of time before you go to pick up for new pet that way you can have everything you need to get started. Here’s a list of some to get you started.

  1. What type of food do they current use? For good brands check out Dog Food Advisor.
  2. What do they like to sleep on? Some dogs prefer beds, others just a pile of blankets, some like the cool floor.
  3. Are they on any current medicines? You can prep your vet ahead of time and take care of some beginner paperwork.
  4. Do they have any favorite types of toys? Some dogs love rope toys, others go bananas for squeakers.
  5. What supplies will come with them? If you’re lucky the shelter will send you home with some supplies to help get you started. Typically I see a lot of of shelters hand out a small supply of their current food, a used blanket, and maybe a toy. Sometimes you’ll also get a harness or collar and leash as well.

Armed with the answers to these questions, it’s time to go shopping. Both Petco and Petsmart offer adoption packets with coupons for any pet that is adopted (including some for birds, reptiles and small mammals as well!) just bring in the adoption paperwork and you’ll be good to go. They don’t provide a huge savings, but will definitely help you get started and act as a good reminder for things you might forget. Here’s some of the top things I’d recommend having on hand prior to bringing your pet home.

  1. A new bag of dog food or their old brand if you like that kind. Again check out Dog Food Advisor for more info.
  2. Some stain remover. I love Nature’s Miracles. It can get out pretty much anything.
  3. A bed or blanket for them to sleep or rest on during the day.
  4. A pet identification tag – Petco and Petsmart have these you can make for $7 to $15. It should include the pets name and a phone number in case your pets get lost. Some people put their address on their, others choose not to, that depends on your comfort level and the size of the tag. Another tip is if you HATE the sound of jingly tags around the house you can make a tag silencer or buy one to save you some sanity.
  5. A collar, leash and harness. Keep a collar with tags on at all times especially for the first few months as they aren’t yet familiar with the area and can easily get lost. Use the leash and harness for walks. Flat collars, harness and leashes work best. I know the extendable/retractable leashes are temping, but forgo those until you both know each other better and have some training under your belt.
  6. A toy or two if they’re big toy players.
  7. A tasty bag or two of treats. Food is the key to every dogs heart so having some extra yummy treats to give out for good behaviors and really solidify your bond right from the get go.

The perfect time to pick up a new pet is on a Friday or just before a long weekend. This gives you some time for everyone to get adjusted before you all start back into the routine. When you get home, try to get the dog to go potty right away. It’s common for dogs to have a bit of lapse in potty training when first starting out as they figure out the new rules for their new home. So an ounce of prevention goes a long ways!

Try to keep things nice and calm and low key. I know it’s temping to want to show off your new buddy to family and friends, but it can be really overwhelming the first few days the dog is new a new place. Let the dog explore things on his own terms. Some dogs might take a while to feel comfortable walking from room to room to check things out. Other dogs will run through and explore everything all at once. While he or she is exploring, keep an eye on them. Preventing accidents is way easier than trying to stop a developed habit so keeping him or her confined to the same room you are in or letting them drag their leash around works wonders.

Take things slow, learn about each other and have fun. Building a strong lasting, loving relationship will help you for years to come! <3

 

Posted on by

My Crossover Journey

A wanted to share with you folks how I came to be the passionate force & pain free dog trainer I am today. Believe it or not, I started out a lot like many of you folks are now. I used to believe that you needed to be a “balanced” trainer, that there were some stubborn dogs who needed a strong hand to guide them to the right decision. I used leash corrections and tools to control dogs because I thought that’s what you HAD to do to train them. You were the human, and they the dog, so you had to show them who the boss was and then they’d respect you.

Now I’m what you call a crossover trainer. A crossover trainer is someone used to train dogs using something other than positive reinforcement and force free methods and now they have more scientific based, positive, fun approach to dog training.

Growing up, I had always been an animal lover even before I can remember. My parents have loads of pictures of me playing with all sorts of critters from cows to dogs to kittens. I used to daydream all the time about me suddenly getting the power to speak to animals. I was just fascinated by them how they moved and how they communicated with each other without any words. It blew my mind.

When I was a bit older in high school, I read dog books about training and learned as much as I could on the subject. Then I found Cesar Milan on National Geographic channel. I watched this man take a dog and within a few (television) minutes completely transform him or her into a seemingly well behaved house pet. This, I told myself, this is how you do it. This gets results. So I read up on him. I read his books, I read his blogs, I watched all his episodes on television. This reasoning about showing the dog who the pack leader was seemed to make sense. After all, I wanted to be a good leader. I wanted the dog to respect me. I was sure that his way was the only way to get results.

Then I got my first dogs, Rufus and Esther. Rufus was 100% old man, so relatively easy to manage. He required little to no effort. I started off in an apartment so there was a wee bit of potty training, but other than that he was golden. I saw folks that would have their dog auto sit at each curb and determined that was what I wanted Rufus to do. So I’d stand at each corner and pull up on the collar until in confusion eventually he’d sit. We “practiced” for weeks and he didn’t really get it. Every corner required a pop of the collar or pushing his but down, and walks became more frustrating than fun.

    Rufus! Very handsome!

Then I a few months later, I got Esther. Despite her old sounding name, Esther was a six month old, 100% puppy, Jack Russel spitfire (seriously why did no one warn me?!?). So I tried what I saw Cesar do. I tried what I had read about and seen on his show.  And it kinda worked, but made me feel horrible. Enthusiastic pup would run up to the end of the leash, after some squirrel or a leaf, or a bit of grass whatever, and I jerk the collar (a pop) and maybe, maybe she’d turn back towards me. But again, walks became terrible. She’d never listen, just run off. And I started resorting to more severe punishments thinking I was being as strong of a leader and that Esther was willingly not listening because she didn’t listen to me. The jerks on the collar got stronger and the puppy got more out of control.

Esther: Cuteness 1000!

Then I met a wonderful lady named Lindsey who I met in a consultation to see if Esther could be brave enough to try out agility. Lindsey handed me a clicker and showed me how to use it. She clicked it and Esther ran for the hills. TOO SCARY. I thought this is silly, toss your little metal clicker out and we’ll just go back to doing it the way I’m comfortable. And to be honest, that probably would have been easier (for me) to do. Doing things the same way IS easy. It’s safe. No risk. Changing it up and trying something new, is scary!

But I stuck with it. We started by swapping out the metal clicker to a plastic clicker and hiding it in my sweatshirt. Then eventually I started to see a change in Esther. Her expression would change after every click and you could see her building up the anticipation of getting the reward. Teaching her new things started to actually be fun and while slow at first, I was shocked at how quickly she’d learn new crazy things. I started to enjoy thinking up new ways to get her to do a bizarre behavior (like running over a teeter totter) and Esther started to gain confidence to do such crazy agility things like I never saw. My dog became braver!

I was pretty much hooked. I looked forward to every Saturday running around with my friends and their dogs on the agility course and the fact that Esther would easily sleep for 4-6 hours afterwards certainly didn’t hurt either 😉

From there on, the rest is history. I started reading more scientifically based articles and books about dog training. Then researched, applied and was accepted into the CATCH Professional Dog Training program and this weekend I will be taking the final test to receive my certification as a professional dog training. I’ve learned so much in my journey and I LOVE sharing my knowledge and experiences with others. I hope you all have enjoyed learning a bit about how I got to where I’m at today in dog training. If you ever have any questions about my journey or your own, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Posted on by

A Beginner’s Guide To Getting a Dog

A few weeks ago, a client of mine was getting their home inspected for their first ever dog. Neither of them had ever owned a dog before and while I was listening to them describe “a long rope that you screw into the ground when you go on long trips” (aka a stake out), it occurred to me how inundated newbie dog owners must be when trying to navigate this amazing, yet crazy dog world. I thought I’d do a very basic blog here on some things newbie dog owners should think about and things that will definitely make taking your new best friend home go a bit smoother!

I’m going to do a two part series, this blog will be about finding and selecting your new best friend. And next week’s will look at ways you can prepare your family, home and your new dog for a successful lifelong friendship!

First things first as a rescuer I’m obligated to remind everyone that dogs are a life long commitment. While those cute little fluff ball puppies are beyond adorable, adopting one of those cuties is between a ten and eighteen year commitment. You and your family members will need to think about how you will accommodate many of the life events that might happen during that time. You could move, kids could go to school or graduate or move away to college, jobs might change, schedules could swap, etc. Though all these life changes and life transitions your ever faithful pal will be right there along side of you and you will need to make sure he or she has a place in those possible futures too.

Once you’ve seriously thought through the choice to get a dog you’ll need to determine where to get your new dog or puppy. Obviously I’m 10,000% pro-shelter adoption, but I can recognize that some folks might want a dog bred specifically for a certain task or skill. Shelters provide the best “deal” on new furry friends, and dogs adopted will come spayed/neutered, up to date on all shots, health checked, parasite free, and in some cases even microchipped. These services alone cost hundreds of dollars and are included in the adoption fee. Plus you’ll get to save a life and provide a loving warm home to a dog who has lost theirs for one reason or another.

I know that despite my shouting from the mountaintops about how great adoption is, some folks will still decide to adopt from a breeder. But I urge, urge, urge, you to do your research first to try and ensure you are supporting a responsible breeder who cares for and about the breed instead of the thousands of backyard breeders or puppy mills who are just out there to make a quick buck. I’ve yet to meet someone I know who purchased a dog who didn’t accidentally end up supporting and condemning mother dogs in puppy mills. There are so many “bad” ones out there it’s very easy to get misled and support someone you shouldn’t.

Throughout this quest to find a good place to (adopt!) get your next dog, breed will no doubt come into place. Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments, colors, energy and maintenance levels. You can 100% find a dog breed that best matches your family’s lifestyle and situation. So many times when I’m called in to help with a training issue it’s because the family’s lifestyle doesn’t match that of the dog they’ve selected. I’ll see a single person who works 9 to 5 living in an apartment with a Australian Cattle Dog who’s purpose in life is to herd cattle 24/7. There’s only so much you can do in a situation like that to make things work. The dog and family just aren’t that compatible.

To help you out there are some good websites out there that will list dog breeds and their typical traits. I like the dogtime website because it easily breaks down each dog breed into the various personality traits and clearly details out what you might expect. For those who are completely lost, there are online quizzes that can help you narrow down the hundreds of options to your top few choices.

For dogs that are multiple or mixed breeds, you can expect a nice mix of traits from both of the suspected parents. This can be nice to “mellow out” a higher energy dog or eliminate some of the strong drives that motivate purebred dogs. For evaluating mixed breeds dogs, take a look at each breed to get an overall feel for what the dog might be like before you meet them. Now, much like people, all dogs are different, and no single dog meets every single bullet point, but generally dogs tend to align to the breeds they are made of. You’ll also need to consider these natural instincts when selecting a dog to be a good fit for your family.

For my dogs, Esther is a jack russel terrier and shih tzu mix. She will chase any living thing if it moves fast enough – rabbits and squirrels are rarities in my yard. Is this a trait I could train out of her by teaching her a “leave it” command? Sure, but I’m going against a core instinct of her very nature which will make my job a lot harder. If I lived in an area where squirrels and rabbits were extremely common, having a dog who lost her mind over every one might be much more of a challenge. Other incompatible examples might be a protective German shepherd with a family who routinely hosts bbq events for the neighborhood, or a yappy sheltie in a small apartment retirement home. These are all things you’ll need to keep in mind when selecting your new friend.

Lastly seek out the advise of professions in the dog world. Ask a dog trainer or some other dog expert to help you select a good match. Some professionals even can accompany you to a shelter or rescue to help you in your choice. Their expert eye can oftentimes pick up on signals a newbie owner can miss. Things like: “he seems to guard his toys and bowls” might be a red flag for a family with children. These things are easily missed by the dog cuteness but can be easily seen by a trained (and neutral) third party.

Let’s recap:

  • Select a breed that fits your lifestyle and BE HONEST about that lifestyle. If you don’t want to spend 40 minutes brushing your dog every day, don’t get a dog who’s coat type requires this to be healthy!
  • Research places that (adopt!) have the dog breed or breeds you are considering. Keep an open mind too and be patient. The right dog fit is out there for you even if you have to search around a while.
  • Bring a friendly dog professional with you to pick our your friend to help make sure you’re picking a compatible new critter to add to your family.

Stay tuned next week for some tips for bringing home your newbie friend!

Posted on by

Wolfdogs: The Next Troubled Fad

Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy drama on HBO. It features many different noble families all vying for a claim to a great throne which rules over all the various smaller kingdoms. There’s a huge following of 10 to 12 million viewers per episode. With this much popularity it should be no wonder that merchandise and other items featured on the show have also become popular. Wondering how all this relates to dog training? Well turns out each of the smaller kingdoms has an animal who represents their country. For one of the popular, key families, the Starks, these animals are known as dire wolves. While dire wolves, in the real world, are now extinct the popularity of the show has had folks seeking out “wolf dogs” or even “dire wolves” to raise as their own.

                                                         Bran and Rob Stark with their “dire wolves”

This isn’t the first time that this has happened. When the movie/s 101 Dalmatians came out, the demand for “those cute little dogs with spots” increased as well. But the difference here is that dalmatians are domesticated creatures. They’ve been bred over the course of centuries to come up with the spotted goof ball we know today. But what a lot of folks don’t realize is that dalmatians, “the firehouse dog” was originally bred to be guard dogs to guard and protect the firehouse equipment from thieves. Other examples were of Finding Nemo resulting in a increase in clown fish sales (to people who have no idea how difficult salt water fish are to raise!) Besides traditional media social media has also affected pet trends. Esther the Wonder Pig a popular social media star sparked a large number of folks seeking out pigs (and even the terrible “micro” pig) to keep as their own!

The key point of all of these stories is that people like to emulate what they see in their media. They see the amazing bond between the Starks in Game of Thrones and their dire wolves and they want to have that same bond with their own dogs. Which on the surface I have no issue with, but beneath that there is a trend for folks to adopt or buy dogs that are well beyond their ability to handle.

Dog breeds all have a specific purpose they were originally bred for. Even though you might not be needing a sled dog, if you buy a purebred Alaskan Malamute or Husky, you will end up getting one. These dogs, especially those who are closer to the true standard of what defines a Malamute or Husky, the more of those original breed tendencies you’ll end up with. For the malamute this means

  • Howling/barking which they use to communicate over long distances,
  • Huge, epic levels of shedding 1-2 times a year and daily brushing to keep their thick warm coat in check
  • Highly intelligent, escape artist who is an expert digger and climber
  • Energy level requiring intense physical and mental exercise every single day for the rest of their lives.

Luckily before walking into a “their so dang cute” trap as a puppy, you can (AND SHOULD!) research the breeds that make up your pup or new adoptive pet. There is a great website called Dogtime which allows you to search by breed to identify common traits that breed likely will exhibit – http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds Of course there are always outliers. Not every Husky will dig, not all Malamutes will howl at night, but for a majority of them they will.

For mixed breeds, like my own two dogs, you can look up both breeds and get an idea of what types of behaviors you might see in your new pet. Esther is a mix of a Jack Russell Terrier and a Shih Tzu – both breeds who rank extremely highly on prey drive and judging from how quickly Esther can chase a rabbit out of the yard, I can attest is a very accurate statement. It’s not a 100% guarantee but it can help you guy your choice for a new pet by what will fix best with your family.

Totally lost as to what pet to get, you can check out dogtime’s pet quiz to attempt to find breeds that fit best with your lifestyle. Answer the questions as best and truthfully as you can and it’ll list a few of the top dog breeds that best fit your lifestyle and needs. Try it out here: http://dogtime.com/quiz/dog-breed-selector

Let me know in the comments what your top dog breed was!

Posted on by

Improve Your Dog Reading Skills – Part 2

This week we’re going to take a look at part 2 of one of my favorite youtube trainers, Kristin Crestejo. You can check our her previous video, part one, here: Improve Your Dog Reading Skills: Part 1

In part part of the dog series, Kristin Crestejo is going to cover tails, ears, and body shape of the dog. Dogs communicate from head to tail. Each movement adding a small piece of information to the entire conversations.

Take the tail for instance. Ever heard someone tell you about how they “never saw it coming” when their dog or a friends dog snapped at them? “His tail was wagging the whole time!” they will say. Just because a dog’s tail wags, doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is happy to see you. You have to look at the whole picture. What height is the tail? How fast is the tail moving? And better yet, what is the rest of the dog’s body doing? Learning to read all of a dog’s body language can help you prevent bites and increase the trust you have between you and your dog because he or she know you will understand what they are saying.

Before, your dog would build, and build and build in stress, going from:

  • Oh, no! what’s that?
  • I don’t like it
  • It keeps coming!
  • Oh please GO AWAY
  • AHHHHHH!!!!
  • *SNAPS OR BITES*

By having this better understanding of what your dog is saying to you, you can interrupt him or her before the dog gets to panic mode. By preventing the panic or fear in the first place we built the bond between canine and human.

  • Oh no! What’s that?!
  • I don’t like it
  • *You interrupt and guide the dog away from the thing the dog is worried about*

Videos like Kristin’s and blogs like this help to make humans become more aware of what their canine friends are trying to tell them. Watch part two of Kristin’s dog behavior blog below:

Posted on by

Improve Your Dog Reading Skills – Part 1

This week we’re going to take a look at one of my favorite youtube trainers, Kristin Crestejo. She lives up in British Columbia in Canada and has a lovely youtube series on various dog topics. What I like most about her videos is that they include both some written/spoken descriptions of the behaviors as well as numerous videos and clips of dogs performing them. This is ideal because it is one thing for me to describe to you how a dog who licks his or he lips is showing a stress signal but another one entirely to be able to see it for yourself.

In part one of the dog series, Kristin Crestejo is going to go over the beginning signs of discomfort called “stress signals.” These are small little movements or behaviors that your dog begins to show when they are starting to feel uncomfortable in a situation. The ability to recognize these small signs has been priceless to me as a dog training and dog lover. I can see the moment in a training session when the dog starts to say “hey, you know, this is starting to be too much, I’d like a break” I can instantly ease up on whatever exercise we’re doing and see an immediate response in the dog. This type of two way communication between human and dog is what really solidifies the bond between the two diverse and unique species.

On the safety side of things, stress signals are the preliminary warning signs to a dog who bites or snaps at someone or something. They’re the “hey knock it off” signals that tell other dogs they’re uncomfortable. Most, well socialized, dogs can read this behavior instantly and respond. Most humans however cannot.

Videos like Kristin’s and blogs like this help to make humans become more aware of what their canine friends are trying to tell them. Watch part one of Kristin’s dog behavior blog below:

Posted on by

Muzzles: Good or Bad?

When you look at the image above, how does that make you feel about the dog and his or her owner?

A lot of times I’ve found that dog’s wearing muzzles have a more difficult time when out in public because of how people react around them. Their owner’s face other difficulties too as people are more weary and many will clearly (and sometimes cruelly) speak their minds about how the muzzled dog makes them feel. But I think we need to think differently about the situation. This dog owner has taken the responsibility upon themselves to ensure that their dog, others and themselves are safe – do we really have any right to be angry at them for that?

Muzzles when introduced properly to dogs can act as a lifeline to help prevent further (or any) aggressive reactions while the dog is in training. Dogs are taught to see the muzzle as something awesome that’s added to their day. They have none of the negative stigmas that we people try to place on them. They don’t think they’re bad dogs or that they’ve done something wrong. They’re just playing this weird game where their owner puts this thing on their face and life is great. And that’s the way it should be.

There are many different types and reasons someone might need to muzzle their dog. Most people assume dogs that wear muzzles are aggressive in some manner and the muzzle prevents them from biting. But there are other reasons too. I taught my own dogs to wear muzzles, so that should they ever be hurt in some way, I can easily put them in a muzzle while I get them to the vet without them reacting and accidentally biting me. Because of this forethought, in an emergency the muzzle wouldn’t be something scary or cause my dog even more stress, because we’ve planned for it. There are also many different types of muzzles and options out there so lets take a look at the common ones.

Groomer’s Muzzle on German Shepherd

The first most common one people seem drawn too is a tube type or groomer’s muzzle. If you’ve taken your dog to a groomer before, they may have already had exposure to them (and probably not the good kind). These muzzles are typically made from cloth and look less “intimidating” which is why I think people turn to them. They also tightly fit around the dogs muzzle which can makes it nearly impossible for them to eat treats or drink from and it can also restrict their ability to pant. The issue with the dogs not being able to breathe well can lead to more panic and stress plus the inability to cool themselves. This is why they are supposed to only be used for a few minutes, but sadly most users of these muzzles are not aware of that fact.

Baskerville Ultra Muzzle on Labrador

The second broad type is the more traditional basket muzzle. There are many different subtypes which I won’t go into. But the one pictured here is a Baskerville Ultra Muzzle basket muzzle. This muzzle looks more intimidating than the cloth ones but has the added benefits of not restricting breathing, allowing you to easily slip treats into the end and the dog can even drink with it on. The downside is that dogs can still bite at stray fingers or other items though the muzzle.

Which ever muzzle you decide to choose the important thing to keep in mind is that the experience should be a fun one for both you and your dog. You’re teaching them a life skill and they’re playing a fun, but bizarre, game with their favorite person in the world for treats. If you’re thinking of doing some muzzle training at home but don’t have a muzzle handy you can start out practicing with something like a plastic cup or Esther and I trained with a kids traffic cone too. Be creative 🙂

I’ll conclude with one of my favorite (and definitely most energetic youtube trainers) Zak George who has a great video here on teaching your dog to love having his or her muzzle put on.

 

Posted on by

Bribing Your Dog

I think the number one complaint I hear about positive training methods is that they rely on using treats to bribe your dog to listening to the things you suggest. There seems to be a belief that dogs are supposed to be subservient and submit to our orders instantly. People believe that dogs should respect their masters enough for the owners to not have to reward them with treats or food.

I was surprised when I first started training dogs the amount of push back I got for choosing to use scientifically based fear-free training methods. I thought that people, while initially skeptically, once showed the results, would be like “Oh! Of course that’s way better than X, Y or Z” and flock to it. But I’ve found a lot of the clients I’ve worked with and those who I’ve interacted within the training community were pretty resistant to it. What surprised me even more was people would willingly choose to use painful training methods like a shock collar or choke chain instead of something as powerful as food.

I suppose some of this comes from the mentality of “this was the way it was always done.” Positive training methods, while used prior, weren’t well popularized until the 1980s when Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryor began to publish some of the methods and techniques they use to train animals. I think some of it also comes from what people see and hear about in the media with the popular Cesar Milan “Dog Whisperer” show driving people’s prospective of what dog training should look like.

The biggest complaint by far that I hear from folks who are initially resistant to using food or treats in training is they don’t want to have to bribe their dog into doing what the human want. They want their dog’s to respect and love them, without having to use food as a crutch. This belief is incorrect for two reasons.

The first is that in order for a dog to respect you and continue to work for you, you do need to pay your dog. You dog works just like you do. They bark, they walk, they play, and they love unconditionally. This is the job we have asked them to do. Humans and dogs history has been intertwined for tens of thousands of years. They deserve to be paid for that “work” that we have bred them for. We don’t work for free, so why should we expect our dogs too.

The second misconception is that when you training positively your dog will ONLY listen when you have treats. The fact is that you don’t always have to use treats or food, you can use what are called “life rewards” to “pay” your dog with something they like that isn’t food. Maybe it’s the toss of a favorite ball or toy, maybe it’s access to a new area or access to greet a person or dog. Maybe it’s simply a “good dog” and a hearty scratch. One of my own dogs LOVES burying herself into the blankets. Be creative and do what works for the both of you.

Tailing from this idea of using other rewards besides food, keep in mind, you don’t always have to pay your dog 100% of the time, but you do still have to pay them eventually. Much like you don’t get a paycheck every day, you do still get one after a period of time. You’ll continue to work during this unpaid week/s or month with the expectation that your boss will keep up their end of the deal and pay you fairly for your work. Throughout the work week, you’ll get small paychecks, maybe a “good job,” get to have lunch “on the company’s dime,” or maybe someone will bring in donuts for the office. These small “payments” keep you motivated to keep working until that big payday comes. Your dog is the same way.

They need these small “payments” while they work, and then a few jackpots to keep up the intensity/interest in you and what you’re asking them to do. The biggest win you can have while training your dog in a force free method is a bond and trust that outweighs all others. It is a bond that has been formed over the centuries between humankind and canine. And it’s one we can all hope to experience in our lifetimes.

 

Posted on by

Shock Collars

I’m going to be honest that this article has been very hard for me to write. I’ve started and stopped multiple times over the last few weeks now. Shock collars or e-collars are something I’m very passionate about people not using and I would love to see the U.S. to ban the their use like many other countries across the globe including Wales, UK, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Germany. Banning prongs and choke chains too would be a step in the right direction too.

How shock collars work is you attach a small battery driven device on the dogs neck, tight enough that the metal prongs on the collar make contact with their skin. Then the human uses a remote control device to emit a electrical or static shock to the dog whenever the dog does something incorrect. There are some other variations of collars. Some shock automatically whenever the dog barks oftentimes referred to as a “bark collar.” Others work in tandem with an underground electric fence to keep the dog within an area without having a physical barrier to contain them (like a chain linked fence).

The first issue I have is that you are causing your dog pain. While these collars do come with various settings most owners find they have to use much higher settings than normal to see any results. I have witnessed many dogs wearing these devices actually yelping with pain at each correction and these dogs receiving this level of correction over and over without any real change of behavior. The dogs struggle to understand what to do to make the pain stop.

The next issue is this training only tells the dog what NOT to do. We covered some of why that doesn’t work in our previous Do or Do Not article. The gist of that is if you’re trying to get your dog to stop jumping on your guests when they come into your home by only punishing the “wrong” behavior, you aren’t helping your dog figure out the right one. This results in more punishments and fewer rewards which amounts to slower learning. He’ll also have to figure out an “alternative” behavior without your guidance. He might now instead dart out the door or snap at the visitors. In the end we’ll have failed him because we never helped him learn that sitting or greeting the guests with all four feet on the floor was what we actually wanted.

The issue too is that in the hands of an inexperienced trainer, one accidental or poorly timed shock can result in you pairing the wrong two events together. And I would say a majority of owners (and even a fair number of “professionals”) are novices when it comes to timing. Let’s say you accidentally or purposely shock your dog and a few of these times your toddler also happens to walk into the room. Even if you were trying to get your dog to stop doing something else, like eating your shoe, the dog can easily pair the toddler’s approach with pain, so he’ll try to do whatever he can to keep that toddler away. This coupled with most people’s inability to read dog body language is a disaster waiting to happen.

Plus I’ve seen first hand the results of these dogs who come to me after the owner has resorted to a shock collar. Some owners have these devices marketed to them as a “quick & easy fix”. Others watch a handful of short youtube videos on shock collars and see “how fast” they work. Some owners are told to use them when working with a trainer or other “professional.” One of the fear aggressive dogs I’m working with now, is a direct result of using a painful training method to attempt to redirect fear aggression. The owners agree he is far worse now then he was when they first started working with him on his inappropriate behavior.

This facebook video was from another rescue who saved this Cane Corso dog who was sent to a three week e-collar (shock collar) boot camp after he showed some minor resource guarding of his dinner bowl. This video shows how he was returned to his owner and the rescue’s beginning attempts to change his behavior afterwards. For me this video is hard to watch, knowing how natural an issue resource guarding is, biologically it makes sense to horde food and resources to survive, and how horrible of an experience the dog must have had in just three weeks to have turned into this. As you watch him in the crate, notice how his head snaps side to side and the whites of high eyes are showing, both are extreme signs of stress and fear and clearly are saying: “PLEASE go away, don’t make me have to bite you!”

https://www.facebook.com/DogpalaceDogTraining/videos/889340201203823/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

The last thing I find exceptionally disturbing is how so many of the “trainers” who promote and use e-collars have a very limited or non-existent background in either dog behavior and/or learning theory. This, in my opinion, causes so many of them to misread the body language their dog gives them while using these devices. The video below doesn’t actually feature either the prong collar or e-collar being used, but instead just shows the collars being put on the dog. While again this video is of someone promoting the use of the e-collar and prong, I 100% DO NOT support either device and firmly stand by that choice and am backed by scientific research showing they are not an effective learning tool.

Before you watch, I’ve broken down a few things to watch for in the video below, but the main thing to notice is how the dog’s movements change before and after the collar has been added:

0:00 – 0:10 – Notice how lose the body language of the dog is. Tail wagging, ears and eyes relaxed.

0:10 – 0:18 – As she approaches with the devices, the dog jumps away from her, although playful, he has to be called back to her to put the collar on.

0:18 – 0:20 – Again, even while is describing her dog as being “happy” he is actively moving away from her.

0:20 – 0:30 – As she attaches the device, the tail wagging slows, you see some beginning stress signals of him licking his lips.

0:30 – 0:32 – He is released and immediately moves away from her again. Does a head shake, feels the collar and immediately sits.

0:32 – 0:38 – She has to call him from his frozen sit position, and while he comes, he then immediately bounds away from her and goes right back to sitting. To me this is the worst, because he is no longer bounds around like a happy goofball, but only sits. “Sit” has has found is a safe position which likely does not trigger the shock.

0:38 –  0:50  – As she zooms in the camera towards him, he avoids eye contact, turning his head away. Lots of stressful lip licks here. Some could be from the camera being so close, but regardless of the reason, she mistakenly again, classifies him as being “happy.” He stays frozen in “sit” though not offering any of the bouncy enthusiasm for live we saw in the beginning. Tail stops wagging too.

0:50 – 1:05 The jingle of the prong collar elicits more licking of the lips. After it is attached, another bound away, lip licks and a shake of the head. And falls right back into a sit.

1:06 – end – As she reaches for the collar, notice how he leans away from her again and his whole body stiffens a bit. Then he remains frozen for the rest of the video, only his tail wags slightly but not like we saw in the beginning.

The thing everyone seems to forget is a wagging tail does not equal happiness. It can be used for all sorts of different meanings, appeasement or calming behavior to deescalate a scary situation, a joyous greeting or even a stiff tail to tell folks the dog means business. I’ve seen animal abusers who are actively hitting their dog who’s tail still wags in an effort to try to deescalate the situation so they can escape. Tail wag != happiness.

Last thing of note, and one that is demonstrated by the videos above is that the e-collars act not as a training tool but as a management tool. For the dogs to continue to “behave” they must always have the collar on and continue to receive shocks for the wrong choices they make. And to me that isn’t practical or fair. I want my dog to actually learn, think, and be creative. I don’t want an obedient servant who bows to my will. I want a lovable canine companion who wants and chooses to be with me. And I hope you want that too!

Posted on by

The Art of No

I had a recent conversation with my mom about how their dog training was going with their semi-recently adopted dog Murphy. Murphy, a Sheltie, is true to his breed and is very reactive about his surroundings. His basic mantra is: if it moves, I shall bark at it. With the warmer months, they’ve been having more issues with him barking at the cars that drive by their house if they have the screen door open. Loud noises + large moving object = thing that must be barked at until it leaves (which it always does!). My mom was describing how she was telling him “No” to indicate that this wasn’t something that he should do. This really made me stop and think: what does “no” actually mean to a dog?

I mean think of all the times you say “no” in a day to your dog (don’t worry I do it too). If he jumps up on a guest? No. If he tries to snarf your pizza? No. If he pulls on the leash? No. Chewing your favorite pair of shoes? NO!

The way we use “no” makes it even harder for dogs to understand what the heck we’re actually trying to get them to do. We use it for so many different reasons and so many different situations, there’s literally no way a dog can understand what we’re asking them to do. Recall I wrote a previous blog post on how to train your dog to DO something vs rather to NOT do something, and using “No” does the later. The other thing that “No” doesn’t exactly bring out the best in us. How many of you say “no” to your dog in a super happy cheerful tone? How many of you say No in a way that is meant to strike the fear of god into your cute little fluff who’s taken off with your favorite pair of slippers? Don’t worry, I hear you!

Instead we need to have a way to interrupt and stop the unwanted behavior and then redirect to change that behavior to something else.

From my summer “Absolute Dogs – Naught but Nice” program, they had us teach our dog an attention getting cue. Some unique sound or noise that says “HEY, YOU” to our dog and gets their attention to orient themselves back to you. Having your dog’s attention on you is super powerful because when they’re focused on you they can’t be doing any of the other 10,000 other “naughty” things instead. Plus having this powered up, awesome cue in your back pocket means that we have the power to do something positive with our dogs, instead of yelling “No” at them as they play keep away with the remote.

We always want to strive to ADD good things to our interactions with our dogs and not ADD bad things. We want to be their rock; the person they turn to when they are unsure of what to do. And to be that person we need to remember to always think exact what were asking them to do and do our best to keep our interactions happy and fun, so they always come running back with a wag of the tail and joy in their face.

For my mom’s situation I asked her what she wanted Murphy to do instead of barking like a maniac and with a little prompting to get past the “just want him to stop barking” phase, she decided she wanted this new cue to mean that he would come to her and sit in front of her. That. That is a cue that’s worth training, and an attention noise is exactly what you need to get you there.