PAWs to RUFFlect

Thuper Thursday - Meet Burger

2011-03-24T10:04:00.000-04:00

Lookin' for the thuper dog of the week??

Our blog has moved to www.kahunask9s.com/blog.

Come on over - the water's fine!

E

We're moving!

2011-03-23T10:04:00.002-04:00

Moving - it's scary and exciting all at the same time.

What will it be like once we get there?

I hope we meet some people we like.

I hope people like us!

I hope our old friends keep in touch!

Don't worry - we're only moving cyber-spaces!

We're "chewing-on-our-nails" nervous (which is a pretty regular thing for J). But, like we promised back in January, we're moving to another blog host and nothing's gonna hold us back.

Please help convince us we're not crazy by going with us! You're really the reason we are afraid to leave. We've made too many good friends here in BloggerLand!

We'll be providing a link at this site but once the new site is live, you'll have to update your feeds, burners, gadgets, updaters, readers, etc.

We promise we'll make it worth your while!

Visit us at kahunask9s.com/ and sign up to follow us!

Training Basics - Getting to know the clicker

2011-03-22T09:00:00.008-04:00

Before you begin:

Make sure your dog is hungry!
You will need a clicker and lots of treats (about 50). Pea-sized treats for a German Shepherd - if your dog is smaller, so are the treats.
Make sure there are no distractions for the dog - ask other dogs, kids, and people to leave the room.
"C/T" means "Click, then Treat"

Goal:

Familiarize your dog to the sound of the clicker. You're looking for your dog to recognize the sound of the click to mean there is food coming.

Instructions:
1. Sit down on the sofa in the living room. Place 10 treats in your fist, then place your fist behind your back.

2. At random, click and toss a treat on the floor. It doesn't matter what your dog is doing - all you are teaching your dog is that right before the tasty food falls to the floor, this click sound happens.

3. Always remember: it's a 1:1 deal - one click is always followed by one treat, even if you accidentally click.

4. Repeat this exercise until all 10 treats in your fist are gone. Then praise your dog and play a little game with one of their toys - something fun for a few minutes.

5. Begin a session again, all the way back to step one in this lesson. Continue this until all 50 of your treats are gone then call it a day!

How'd you do? How'd your dog do?
Important notes: Make sure you and your dog are still having fun!! If at any point you or your dog feel frustrated, end the session and try again later. :)

Happy training makes happy dogs!

Thuper Thursday - Meet Guinness

2011-03-17T13:14:00.000-04:00

In celebration of St. Patty's Day, today's Thuper dog is Guinness!!

Name: Guinness Stout Kummings

Age: 2

Location: Chester, Maryland

Owner's Name: Diane “Momma” Kummings

Breed: Boxer

Other Names you go by: Boo Boo, Mr. G, G-Man

Are you single, dating or in a committed relationship? Committed relationship with Macy – Golden Retriever….

Favorite food: Taste of the Wild

Favorite resting spot: Mama’s Lap

Favorite human: Mama

Biggest fear: Vacuum

What do you do the best: Run like the wind

What do you do the worst : Dig in the trash and counter surf

If you were on a tv show, which one would it be and why? The adventures of Superman, cause I am faster than a speeding bullet.

Who would play you in the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster about your life? Lassie of course, he always found his way home.

If you got paid to do your dream job, what would it be? Run like there is no tomorrow, and have tons of friends with me.

Stay tuned! Next week, we're featuring a doggy celebrity!

Thuper Thursday - Meet Sheldon

2011-03-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

TADA! [Imagine a dog just jumped out of a cake - it's that kind of awesome!]

We promised something fun was coming and here it is: Thuper Thursday!!

Yes, the name is ridiculous. But here at Paws to Rufflect, if it's ridiculous and fun, then the fun wins out!

We noticed more folks are jumping on the PtR party train and therefore, wanted to get everyone acquainted. What better way than to introduce people's dogs! Thinking of a name for this event was even more fun:

we're huge fans of silly alliteration and we think you and your dogs are super soooo...

THUPER THURSDAY!

(if the name didn't make you smile one bit, then we've failed you!)

Without further adieu, this week's thuper dog:

Name: Sheldon

Age: 1

Location: Texas

Owner's name: Toni

Breed: Border Collie

Other names you go by: Shelly, Shells, Sheldy, Bubba, Bebe

Favorite food: everything but my own, but I go crazy for cheese whiz

Favorite resting spot: my bed, the couch or somewhere cool like tile floor

Favorite human: my mommy's friend, Juno

Biggest fear: the bathtub

What do you do the best? Look cute, go potty and play fetch

What do you do the worst? Jump on people when they come over, I'm just so excited to see everyone

If you were on a T.V. show, which one would it be and why? The Big Bang Theory. I would be Sheldon Cooper's side kick

Who would play you in the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster about your life? Jim Parsons aka Sheldon Cooper

Does your dog want to be interviewed by our top pup journalists here at Kahuna's K9s?

Send in your answers to the interview questions above and several good quality photos to info@kahunask9s.com.

(By emailing us your photos, you are giving us permission to post them)

Stay tuned...next week we're featuring an Irish dog for St. Patty's Day!!

Hot Diggity Dog!

2011-03-05T06:53:00.001-05:00

Squeeeal! Tomorrow (which will be 'today' by the time this blog gets out) is the day Mr. Kuna Burger and I go to our first Karen Pryor Academy workshop! I'm geeked out and nervous all at the same time.

Since Toons and I will be training practically ALL day, he needs to have a lot of good treats. Mediocre treats won't cut it! So I made a trip to the nearest My Organic Market (MOMs) and picked up some mouthwatering grinds:

I also grabbed some ham and chicken deli cuts and hot dogs in beef and chicken flavor.

Hot dogs are awesome for a high-value treat. (Remember, this isn't for all dogs. Your dog may consider toys more high-value!)

Then I chopped it all up in to little pieces:

Next, in to the microwave for, um, forever. I use 1 1/2 to 2 minute increments so that nothing burns. Just stir everything around and pop back in the microwave. On average, it takes about 14 minutes.

In the meantime, I made some salad. (Ohp! What's that?! Is that me reppin' some Kahuna's K9s gear!?!)

After 14 minutes, your treats will look like this:

Mmmm...delicious, less-slimy hot dog treats.

What scrumptious treats do you make for your pups??

How to Save $29.99

2011-03-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

Dog training can cost some cash, this is true. And since every trainer pretty much sets their own price, you're going to find many variances. To help out, we're going to show you how to save at least $29.99.

You ready for this?

It takes virtually no time at all! You don't even have to get up from the couch!

The secret to saving nearly 30 dollars is.......

Don't buy this.

Easy enough, right?

Decoding the lingo

Right off the bat, the description gets on my bad side.

"You can now speed-train your Dog by taking advantage of their natural desire to obey you."

I wanna hurl. We've covered this before. Thinking it's a dog's instinct to please us is selfish. Thinking it's their desire to obey is insane. Do not base your dog's training on this fantasy - you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Read more of the description below - see if any more words jump out at you. Naturally, I added my two cents.

"Introducing shakeTrainer... the first gentle training system [hearing "shake" and "gentle" in the same description makes me scratch my head in bewilderment] created by professionals, approved by vets, and works on virtually all dogs in just minutes. You can quickly put a stop to endless barking, rapidly end destructive chewing, reduce indoor "accidents", and much more, all without using harmful training collars [hooray!!!!] or paying for expensive obedience classes [disappointed 'aw']. The secret to eliminating these annoying behaviors is shakeTrainer's super fast two step training system. Not only is it easy to use, you'll have fun too [WHA!?!?! I mean, how much fun can you really have shaking a can??] You'll see results immediately-shakeTrainer works like magic even if you've never had any luck training your dog before. A fresh approach to dog training [um, nuh-uh. This is totally old school] shakeTrainer has everything you need to end all of your dog's unwanted behaviors. [They forgot to add that it also has everything you need to send your dog to the looney bin!]"

It almost sounds like those ads that tout "immediate weight loss! No exercise or dieting required! Lose 15 lbs in 2 days!" As desperate as my waistline is for this to be true, my brain says "uhhh, I don't think so sister" or in the words of Aunt Bunny, "Guuuuuuurl please."

No Pain, We Train!

Something that makes noise to stop behavior is a punishment. In other words, it is something unpleasant (an aversive) that is done on purpose to stop behavior (a punishment). Other examples include: spray bottles, yelling at your dog, slamming books, etc.

It isn't "training" your dog. Training would be teaching them to perform a different behavior:

Leave It - Mouth stays off of whatever the dog is going for

Out/Drop It - If something is in your mouth, let it out

Quiet - cease emitting sounds from your mouth

Ya better hurry...

In the time that it took me to author this dang post, BestBullySticks.com is pulling the item; it's rumored that the next update for their site is March 4th.

Therefore, if you want to see just how ridiculous of a product this is, ya better skee-daddle over to their site. And when you're done giggling at this silly shake "trainer", peruse the Best Bully virtual aisles because their site rocks.

Make that "rocks super hard" considering they did an awesome job responding to a few cranky (rightfully so!) trainers.

E

We'll Stop Blabbing...

2011-03-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

...if your dog starts talking!

We want to get to know your dogs!! If you'd like your pup to be featured in an upcoming series, email us and we'll get back to you with instructions on how to join in the fun!
Well, I will. Bizzle will just keep sleeping.

Happy Training!

E

It's Okay. You Can Say It. Your Dog Bugs You.

2011-03-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

Kuna is so annoying. The two and four-legged (and feathered!) in our home agree on this.

Yes. There are times we love our little boy. But he's usually getting yelled at like he's Yogi and I'm the park ranger. "Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

It's funny (ha-ha, not strange) that I'm even writing this post, considering he was only supposed to be a "foster".

Some advice: When your mouth says "Sure, we'll foster this adorable little puppy until we find a home for him!" listen to your brain that's saying "this guy is here to stay".

So, in honor of the ~~monster~~ adorable youngster, I thought today's post should celebrate all the annoying things our dogs do.

Let it out - we won't judge. What does your dog do that drives you bonkers?

Image here

...and the award goes to...

2011-02-28T14:09:00.001-05:00

We've been noticed! And by one of our favs: Pamela at Something Wagging This Way Comes!

I mean, come on. The name of her blog alone is one of those that makes you snap your fingers in an "aw shucks" kind of way; Aw shucks that I didn't think of it first because it's so dang awesome!

We're a humble blog, a small pebble in the vast ocean of online journalism. So when we're noticed by someone as talented and entertaining as SWTC, we can't help but blush.

Thank you Pamela - for being such a loyal reader (and commenter!) and for recognizing us for this flattering award!

How does this work?

The responsibilities that accompany this award are:

thank the blogger who gave the award -- Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
share 7 things about yourself/your pets --these are deep - I was feeling rather emotional this morning
pass the award onto 15 other bloggers -- just 15!?!

I rotate favorite dogs on a regular basis but I usually claim Sarah as my number one out of a feeling of obligation.
If the sun is out and I'm inside, I start to get very grumpy very quickly.
Since I moved out of my parents' home when I was a teenager, I've never lived in one place longer than 3 years. This new cottage of ours will be my first. That provides me with a great amount of peace and anxiety all at the same time.
I'm a vegetarian because I can be.
J is my rock. I'm blessed to have found someone who loves me more than I do.
Bizzle makes me laugh, Kuna makes me feel young and silly and Sarah makes me wish we all lived forever.
When I was young, my mom told me I couldn't be a vet because I would cry too much when the animals were in pain. No matter how much I tried to avoid it, my life still led me to working with animals and I am surrounded by people who feel the same level of compassion. As an adult, I've learned it's perfectly okay to cry for those who can't.

Now on to the best part - the 15 bloggers I think are just ridiculously awesome and therefore earn the Stylish Blogger Award:

Smart Dog University - she's got some good lookin' dogs and a good lookin' blog!

Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training - also a contributor on Dogster.com - who's more hip than Casey!?

According to Gus - go ahead...visit the blog and tell me that Gus aint the most stylish guy around

Dog Days - the logo makes me happy everytime I see it

Puppy Jones - this site is pure joy, especially when I need a little pick-me-up

I Pittie the Fool - seriously? Does it get more stylish then an adorable pibble!?

You Did What With Your Weiner? - this blog's title is just my style

Sneaky Dog Pics - such a cute idea for a blog!

Boulder Dog - I've always loved Deborah's clean no fuss style

Stale Cheerios - I love that the style of this blog is clicker training for horses!

The Apres Pooch - The whimsical style of this blog makes me smile :)

Through a Dog's Ear - Using music to soothe dogs!

Urban Dog Training - Their site is hot pink, for heaven's sake! They haven't been online in a while, which is a perfect reason for me to post this: Come back to us Urban Dog Training!

TAGTeach - The latest craze is learning how to be a better teacher and this blog is full of advice!!

Sit, Stay and Play - Totally cute name, totally cute blog!

So there are just a few of the folks I feel deserve the Stylish Blogger Award as well.

What blogs do you follow that we haven't discovered yet? Let us know!

Mama Said Knock You Out!

2011-02-27T21:18:00.001-05:00

OOOOO! Kuna just got his butt handed to him! And it was lovely!

Sarah is my ol' girl...my number one...mama's favorite.

Kuna was being his normal annoying self - chewing her face, licking in her mouth and chasing her when she tries to get away. He reminds us of a pesky mosquito.

Welp, today he just pushed her too far. Before we knew it, we heard her unleash the beast and yell at him. I shouted "Hey!" to break it up and quickly saw that there were no teeth on skin and everyone was okay.

Inside, it made me smile. Does that make me evil??

Let's face it - Kuna is a juvenile boy. He's cuddly and cute for, like, 2 hours out of the day. The other hours he spends awake, he's a total A-hole. Sometimes, it takes another dog (a very motherly one, at that) to tell him enough is enough!

Don't worry, they're still buddies at the end of the day, collaborating on how to mess up our living room with more stuffing and toys.

But I'm glad someone is able to tame this rambunctious boy!

Think About This:

2011-02-24T13:06:00.001-05:00

Question from a client:

When can I stop treating my dog for doing something right?

Answer (in the form of another question -- oooo!) from Kahuna's K9s:

When do you want your employer to stop paying you?

When do you want your spouse, friend, loved one to cease showing appreciation for the things you do?

Treats are a state of mind...

When we work with our dogs, food is the easiest and most common form of reinforcement. It does not work all the time for all dogs but that doesn't mean that clicker or what some folks refer to as "treat" training fails.

It just means we have to find what the dog considers reinforcing.

When we say to always reinforce a behavior, we're not saying you have to always have treats on you. We are saying that the more you prove to the dog there is something in it for them, the more likely you are to see that behavior again. It's science.

Kuna and the Bellowing J

The other day, Kuna was about to run towards the fence to bark at pedestrians. J hollered out "KUNA! GET OVER HERE!" (against my wise, trainer-ly advice). Kuna literally did an "about-face" and came running to J. When the wittle puppy got there, he looked expectantly at J and got....nuthin'. He literally looked at the floor, looked at his hands, scanning the area like a perplexed little bird. And John didn't even give him a "Good boy"!

Well I never! I was completely coming undone with anticipation!

"You're going to reward him, riiiiight???"

"I don't have any treats on me..."

"But that kid lives and dies for a little good ol' boy wrestling! Wrestle with him!"

J ~~rolled his eyes~~ lovingly followed my advice and started to rough house with him. Kuna couldn't care less there wasn't food there. And as the pedestrians walked by our house, Kuna continued to play.

So. For Thursday's Think About This, ask yourself:

When do I want my dog to stop doing what I ask?

What could I be paying my dog instead of treats?

Happy training!

"My Dog Loves His Prong Collar"

2011-02-16T14:57:00.000-05:00

An awesome article from Bark.com:

8 Reasons It’s Better to Be a Dog Now than 25 Years Ago

Our response to some of the comments left on the article is below. One commenter made me ill when I read her input, "Personally, I love love love my prong. And so does my dog. When he sees it he wiggles. I train using tons of treats, and a well timed correction when necessary."

My response to her comment specifically is at the end.

"It surprises me that so many comments are in favor of punitive methods, especially on such an upbeat article such as this one...

One commenter questioned, "...but how do you proof a dog without using proper corrections?" - I think that question points towards the issue here: the level of education on operant conditioning is not to the caliber it should be.

Mark and reward training is not bribery; in fact, it is critical that every person using the clicker/marker understands that no food presents itself before the click/mark. Bribery is when the "deal" is placed up front. Reward is when the payment is a result of the learner's action/behavior.

We all work within the same operant conditioning grid - I think many trainers forget that. Those of us who choose to use the positive reinforcement/negative punishment side of the house rather than positive punishment/negative reinforcement have a better understanding of the psychological fallout from poor corrections, etc.

{Update: it might not even be the fact that we have a better understanding, but that we do not want to take the risk of them being in a stressed environment that we have control over.}

PS - a dog can be conditioned to wag his tail at the site of the prong collar because it means he gets to go outside. It is fact that an organism will endure something unpleasant to get to something more pleasant. The cue means go outside.

People who smoke grab their cigarettes before taking their dog out. If the dog wags his tail at the sight of the cigarettes, does that mean he likes cancer?"

You're Making Me Uncomfortable

2011-02-15T10:38:00.001-05:00

Today, you should hug a random person.

Better yet, walk up to a stranger, plant a wet one right on their lips and try to walk away without getting punched in the face! Ready?? GO!

Okay. Don't really do that. And if you do, don't hold me responsible for what may happen.

It's weird to kiss random people. It's weird to get a kiss from a stranger...

So why is it we often expect our dogs to tolerate these social faux pas?

Dogs should be even more deeply offended than humans considering it's not in their nature to show affection via hugging.

In fact, when a dog wraps their front leg around another's back, it's often a gesture of a take-over - a time when a dog is truly displaying dominance. That explains why when you hug your dog, they may lick their lips, avert their gaze, or look away: they're trying to be appeasing so you'll leave them alone!

But my dog has never complained before!

I'm not really a huggy person. Once I'm comfortable with you I dont mind but there are some people I meet for the first time that give gigantic hugs as if they've known me for ever. **shiver** That makes me feel so uncomfortable and yet people still do it and I let them! I would rather just endure it than make a big stink about it.

Your dog may be the same -- she's just enduring it because she understands that it will soon be over.

How do you know your dog doesn't enjoy it?

Hugging or kissing an unfamiliar dog can have disastrous results! (Being "human-affectionate" with a dog that is familiar with you isn't always safe either!)

Here are some pictures of dogs being hugged and descriptions below them of signs the dog is uncomfortable...

- Tight mouth

-Ears tucked

- Overall body language is tight

-Eyes look "worried"

- Panting, mouth open

- Whites of the eyes

- Leaning away from the hug

-Whites of the eyes

- Mouth is open

- Leaning away from the hug

But this sucks! I want to show my dog lovin'!

I know. Trust me...I struggle with this myself. I want so badly to squeeze my dogs until their heads pop off!! Sometimes, I catch myself reaching in to give Sarah a big giant hug but then I see her face: eyes squinting, head turned from me, body braced for impact..."GAWD!" I think, "She must really hate this!"

It doesn't necessarily mean you can never be close to your dog - it just means you've got to let them do it on their terms.

Check out this picture of Sarah and me:

I'm pulling her in close...notice how tight the leash is...look at her eyes, her head is turned away from me...she doesn't like being forced to come close to me. I'm also leaned in closer to her...

Here's a minute later, when I wised up:

I loosened the lead and had the person behind the camera make playful noises...my body language is more relaxed, I'm less "all up in her business"...

Sarah is a perfect example of the dog that hates affection but endures it...

Here's my Sarah showing affection on her terms - see, we can still be lovey!

When Kuna was less than 3 months old, I began his handling training - being held, being kissed, being hugged - because I knew he would be around our kids at an age that they have a hard time following instructions. We never leave the kids unsupervised with him but we also wanted to build up a solid and positive history with being hugged so he didn't take offense if they do reach for him.

We've now got a boy who is relaxed when it comes to snuggles (seriously, he turns to jello, throws his head over my shoulder and goes to sleep...). We've worked on this since day one!

Do you have pictures of you hugging your dogs? Can you find any where you can identify your dog's signals as being uncomfortable? Was that something you already knew or did it come as a surprise (as it often does to me when I look through ~~old~~ all our photos)?

A Dog By Any Other Name...

2011-02-09T12:48:00.002-05:00

How did you come up with your dog's name?

When I adopted Sarah in 2000, she was a meak little puppy huddling in the back of her kennel run. She was so timid and sweet that Sarah instantly came to mind. I knew it the moment I saw her...

Bizzle Fo' Shizzle didn't happen quite so quickly. It had been days since her homecoming and I was still just calling her "puppy". It wasn't until one day when all 4 lbs of her were ferociously tugging on my friend's pant leg that he exclaimed "Get off of me, you bizzle!" So far in her 6 years with us, she's lived up to her name every day.

Update: apparently, Bizzle is also a Christian rapper *tee hee* That is soooo not our Bizzle...

J and I were watching True Blood when we mistakenly thought one of the werewolves' name was Kuna when, in fact, it was Cooper. We thought "Kuna! That's an awesome name!" J knew Kuna was a perfect match to the name the instant we saw him. (I've since changed the name to Tuna...since our sweet little boy is too dang goofy to have a cool name like Kuna...)

What about you? Share with us by leaving a comment!

Piecing Together a Puppy Mill

2011-02-08T08:11:00.000-05:00

Looking for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, maybe?

Photo: The Daily Puppy

In this day in age, the first place you might look is on the Internet. You would come across a page like this, describing the breed.

Scrolling towards the bottom of that page, you'll see an ad for Zippity Do Da & Tiny Pet Kennels:

ZIPPITY DO DA & TINY PET

Lewisburg, TN (931) 637-5896

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua

West Higland White Terriers & Shih-Tzu

S/W, health contract, parents on site, lap dog companions.

They sound nice...right? Health contract is definitely something I want to see and I've heard that seeing the parents is a sign of a good breeder...right??

Now it's time to find out more about the kennel. Google brings up these results:

The first 3 links aren't even active anymore...probably because just under 100 dogs had to be rescued from their deplorable living conditions while they were housed at Zippity Do Da...

Uh-oh.

If you read our other post about puppy mills, you know that the number one thing keeping puppy mills in business is the fact that consumers have no idea they're buying their dogs from conditions like this.

These aren't dramaticized stories to tug at American heartstrings - animals are being born, raised and sold from horrid conditions every single day to caring homes across the country.

People buying these dogs aren't trying to be cruel. They think they're doing the right thing. But the breeders that put animals through this kind of suffering don't care about their well-being - they care about their wallets.

Remember the signs of a good breeder.

When it comes to buying, raising, training, feeding, etc. - ALWAYS ask questions. Lots of questions. Whoever doesn't answer those questions (especially after you've paid them for their services!) isn't in this business for you or your dog.

Here's more information about puppy mills and how to stop them.

E

A Case of the Mondays

2011-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen the movie Office Space? It's a hilarious movie about working at the office and some of the oneliners are classic! Here's the official trailer:

In the movie, there are a couple clips where they make a joke about the phrase "A case of the Mondays"...

What does Office Space have to do with you and your dog?

Let's face it: everyone gets bogged down at some point, usually when it requires quitting that fun thing we're doing (ahem...the WEEKEND!) and having to do something we're not really looking forward to - work! Dragging your feet to your desk, you give it all you've got...but not really, because you'd almost always rather be anywhere else.

Guess what! Your dog feels like this sometimes too! Some days I'll be working with Bizz and I notice she's just not feelin' it and I say to her ('cause she can totally understand me) "It's okay girl - you've just got a case of the Mondays."

What to do when you're feelin' blue and your dog is too

You can still engage with your dog with luring games and hiding food games; that is, if you're not up for a snuggle. (I'm ALWAYS game for a puppy snuggle!)

~~Sometimes~~ Often, I'll toss a handful of treats or kibble in the air, letting them land wherever. It's up to the dog's to find them. Then I sit back on the couch and unpause my DVR. tee hee.

Or, I'll put Easy Cheese in one of their marrow bones, put that in an old pillowcase, twist it up really good and tie a knot. Then, I hide it and sit back on the couch and unpause my DVR. Are you seeing a pattern here? ;)

Have you ever noticed your dog just not being themselves?

What do you do with your dogs when either of you have got a case of the Mondays?

BTDubbs, did you know this? A little fun fact about the Mondays...

Dog Blog: Snack-in-a-Box

2011-02-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

We're always on the lookout for creative and safe puzzle or game ideas for our dogs, especially to share with folks who are stuck indoors with their pups because of the yucky winter weather!

Our pals over at Canine Mind's Dog Blog came up with a much cooler version of our cardboard box extravaganza and we couldn't help ourselves: we just had to share it:

Dog Blog: Snack-in-a-Box

Thanks Lizi for such a great idea!!

Does anyone have any other ideas of safe, fun, stimulating entertainment for stir-crazy dogs?

That Truffling B*tch

2011-01-31T14:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's a ~~harsh~~ hilarious title. J came up with it and it literally made me laugh out loud. So it stuck.

But what's important here is: what do you think of when you read "truffles"? If you're anything like me, you instantly have visions of See's Candies dancing around your head. Mmmmm....Chocolate Truffles....
So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered today (for the first time...in my 30's!) that truffles are also known as a certain type of mushrooms! I had no idea!!! I feel like I'm the last to find out!

(I love mushrooms but this picture makes me eeewwww!)

Photo: Fatal Foodies

As if the Internets ever let you leave after just one website, I found out through link-hopping that truffle hogs are used to snort out truffles. One big snag: they tend to eat them once they've located them. It'd be like sending me on a chocolate truffle hunt - I'd somehow never seem to find any. ;) Nom, nom, nom.

Of course, you can guess where this is leading. Enter: Dog the Truffle Hunter!

Dogs aren't too fond of truffles and would prefer something more tasty and less "earthy" as a reward. (Which I don't quite understand, considering how excited the dogs get when walking through a field full of geese...GUH-ROSS!)

Photo: C. Jones

When I visited the webpage Fun Facts About Fungi -- every group has its share of nerds...hello! have you ever been to a dog training convention! We're totally geeky! -- I was pleased as punch to read how the hunters train their dogs. With treats and rewards! Hooray!
Guess what West Coasters!?! This weekend marked the 6th annual Oregon Truffle Festival in Eugene, Oregon, complete with a Truffle Dog Training Seminar, complete with odor detection instruction and everything! Nose work to the max! If Kuna wasn't such a garbage disposal, I'd sign him up for this! But I just can't trust that kid around anything that will fit in between his teeth. (Well, that and the fact that we're on the wrong coast for this particular event.)

So, while I'm totally embarrassed I had no idea what truffles are, I'm super excited to find out about yet another wonderful way ~~dogs~~ animals help out their human friends!!

Go ahead - you can tell me. You totally knew about truffles, truffle hogs and truffle dogs...didn't you? DIDN'T YOU! sigh.

Fido's Photo Friday

2011-01-28T11:36:00.001-05:00

Hey all! It's a later post today but I'm hoping folks still want to get involved! All you've got to do is link-up using the link below or email your photo to erica@kahunask9s.com and I'll add your pic to the post!

Looking forward to seeing all your pups! If you've submitted one in the past, that's fine! We know that if you're dog-crazy like us, you've got a million pictures!

Here's one of Bizzle to get things started!! Awww...look at my sweet girl!

Sheldon and his BFF
Photo: T. Vega

Clicker Con 2011 - Newport Beach, CA

2011-01-25T01:16:00.001-05:00

First off, shame on the Karen Pryor Clicker Training staff who had a hand in planning Clicker Expo in the gorgeous state of California. Because, really, who can concentrate when the day outside looks like this:

and this:

But then again, Clicker Expo is all about training, behavior, animals -

it just makes my head spin in the most enjoyable way!

So, while it's always hard to choose between fun in the sun and dog training, I will always go to the dogs!

Here's a recap of our visit to Newport Beach, CA:

We traveled with our dog training bestie, Smart Dog University's owner Laurie Luck:

We learned about micro-shaping, super skills, back chaining and the value of fine tuning your observation skills...

We got to speak with like-minded people about positive reinforcement training and how it's not just "nice" for the learner, it's smarter...

But the highlight of the expo had to be the Saturday dinner with guest speaker, Victoria Stilwell:

You may have heard of her: she's the star of It's Me or the Dog on Animal Planet and she's pretty awesome. She's helping trainers like us spread the word of dog-friendly training, encouraging the public to educate themselves and make humane choices when it comes to teaching their pups.

Oh! and just in case you haven't heard, Ms. Stilwell also helped my lovely boyfriend propose to me. :)

That's right, folks. This dog trainer is now officially spoken for with some bling on her finger.

And he proposed to me at a dog training convention - [bats her eyelashes] he's so dreamy - by having an internationally known dog trainer ask, "Does anyone in the audience have a question?"

That's when he stood up and said "I have a question, Victoria, but it's not for you...

...I don't know how many of you know Erica but for those of you who do, you may know that she's an amazing dog trainer and an incredible woman. I've told her many times that I want the whole world to know how much I love her and I figured I'd start with all of you here tonight..."

That's about when he did this:

And made me cry like this:

And of course, I said yes:

I know. This is a dog training blog. But let's be honest: I wouldn't be half the dog trainer that I am today without the support of my lovely, J. So it deserves mentioning in this forum. Plus, what dog-crazy girl wouldn't want the man of her dreams to propose to her at the largest positive trainer expo in the world???

I got to say thank you to Karen Pryor and Aaron Clayton for their help coordinating such an awesome proposal:

and we got to thank Victoria herself:

but a humongous, super-huge thank you to my friend, Laurie, who helped coordinate the whole proposal with my fiance. She's a doll, isn't she!?

And although the expo is officially over (major sad face on that one), I will forever remember Clicker Expo 2011 above all others.

Thank you J for being the man of my dreams and I look forward to forever with you. I just hope you can put up with this crazy dog trainer for that long ;)

Taking a Question From the Audience: Why is my dog scared of me?

2011-01-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

"...We have 2 dogs. 1 is a female puppy. She's 2 years old. My wife got her while I was deployed to Iraq...I've never had a dog act like she's scared of me. I haven't done one bad thing to that dog, and all I have to do is walk towards her, and she runs under the bed...I can pet her when she's laying on the couch, but if I approach her in what she feels a threatening way, you can tell that she's nervous. I've been back from deployment over a year now, and that dog still doesn't want to warm up to me. I'm at a loss of trying to be friends with that dog. I thought dogs were MAN's best friend..." -- J.T.

Dear J.T.,

Such a great question and thank you for letting me answer it in this forum; you are not alone.

There are several key players in your dog's behavior, the most prominent being genetics, physiological abnormalities, and inadequate early socialization. We will discuss the latter because really, it's the only one you can "change" or make right.

What is canine socialization?
We discussed in a previous post that properly socializing your dog is defined as "exposing them to as much different stuff as you possibly can and doing so in a controlled and positive manner."

The socialization window
The critical socialization window closes around 4 months.

superstock.com

After that, it is in your dog's nature to become wary of new things. Think about it: the mother is taking care of her young pups, showing them the world of being a dog. After that, they're on their own.

In the wild, a scared dog lives to see another day.

Diagnosis
My guess, without knowing your dog's history or their past and only knowing what you've presented in your question, is that your dog has not been properly socialized to you.

What you've done correctly:
You mention that if you move towards her in "what she feels [is] a threatening way, you can tell that she's nervous" - those words are very important. I commend you for noticing that she's nervous and give you even more points for understanding that it's her perception that counts most and not yours.

What next?
Now you want to convince her through action that you are no threat. But first...

Imagine you are afraid of spiders. The very sight of them makes you nervous and sweaty. Would having someone place a spider directly in your hand make you get over this fear immediately? What if they repeatedly, day after day, put a spider in your hand? Would you be "cured"? Or would you begin to dread this every day...knowing the routine, expecting that someone will be approaching you any minute now with that icky, creepy spider?

Gross.
Photo: sodahead.com

The point: forcing your dog to "face her fears" doesn't help. It can make things worse.

Go from here...
When you enter the room, toss treats to her and:
- always look the other way. Direct eye contact is intimidating.
- let your wife do the handling for now. Putting the leash on, holding, petting - that's all going to have to be on your dog's terms. For now, let your wife handle it.

Summary
Your original question was "Why" - I started to answer the underlying "how do I fix it" question. ;) It's important to take it slow. I strongly encourage you to read up on fearful dogs and how to train them through positive reinforcement. Your dog will need to learn to trust you and positive associations will help with that.

There are many training behaviors you can learn as well that will increase her confidence, such as targeting. I encourage you to post any questions or progress you have right here on the blog - many skilled and talented trainers stop by here on the regular and can provide intelligent input as well!

Good luck to you!

Happy training!

Crazy Traiiiin-ing

2011-01-16T00:00:00.003-05:00

"I'm goin off the rails on a crazy train! "

Okay. So it's a stretch for a title. But sometimes things are just a wee bit goofy here. Like this evening, when I was trying to train the dogs. I had my clicker and we all know how that goes...

Bizzle starts woo-woo-wooing at me and Kuna starts biting everything within reach. So I did what anyone would do: I grabbed my camera so I could prove it.

Now, there's one rule to watching this video: you must not judge me for the piles of papers everywhere. I'm busy. Filing, sorting and organizing is on my list of things to do...if I could just find that list...

Let's note some things:That was one killer "leave it" from Kuna, considering there were tortillas sitting right at his nose. And what the hell was Bizzle thinking!? Sometimes she can be more cat-like than any dog I've ever known. I can't watch this video without cracking up - when I told her "off" she looked around like she had no idea how to get off this thing. Maybe that's because I've never taught them on/off with the dining room table....LMAOhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVniE0oz0DY

Know When To Fold 'Em...

2011-01-15T17:01:00.000-05:00

What does a Kenny Rogers song have to do with training your dog? Oh come on...you know us better than that. It's got everything to do with it!

One of the most important tools you can have in your dog training toolbox: the ability to know when you or your dog are juuuuuuust about to quit. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

Kuna is a quitter. What can I say: He's been clicker trained from the start and he's a happy-go-lucky guy but darn it, you put him in class for longer than 4 minutes and he QUITS. Raise criteria in the same 2 minute session!?!? Pssssssssss....

Bizzle's a marathon trainer. Like a Duracell battery (ding, dong. DING!), she will keep repeating the same behavior over and over as long as that's what keeps getting reinforced. You can raise the criteria easily with B, as long as it's done simply and in baby steps. And Don't. You. DARE! end that session early or you'll have one pissed off puggle on your hands.

Sarah will change the game on her own. You may be targeting for one second and suddenly, she doesn't want to play that game anymore. Now she wants to play "Paw". Then she's done playing "Paw" - now she wants to play "Sit". Sarah will only last about 30 seconds this way, since "if I didn't ask, you don't get paid." She's also MANIC when it comes to treats. You've got to take it very slowly with Big S...or she'll eat your hand! Ewww...

Don't be afraid to study your dog - take notes, use video - anything you need to do to better understand your pup and make learning more enjoyable is Kahuna's K9s approved ;)

Happy Training makes Happy Dogs!

Blog the Change for Animals: Where'd you get your dog?

2011-01-15T00:00:00.014-05:00

January 15th is the day slated for the annual Farmerstown, Ohio dog auctions. It doesn't have a more romantic name because, well, it's not intimate. It's heartless. Unkind. The sort of event that makes this dog ~~trainer~~ lover hurl.

They do just that: they auction off dogs to be bred to make more puppies to make more money by being sold to the public or auctioned off again. The cycle just won't quit.

Dogs aren't companions in this game. They aren't cute, fuzzy, hilarious critters that make your heart melt. In this world, they come with price tags, barcodes and numbers instead of names.

I'm not telling this story because I am high-and-mighty and want others to feel ashamed for not knowing the dark world of puppy mills. I support the anti-puppy mill movements because it hits me on a personal level.

I didn't know what puppy mills are.

I adopted a puppy mill dog:

Let me be more specific: I didn't think that happened in my town. I thought that happened somewhere else, in someone else's city.

I rant this rant not because I'm blaming people who own puppy mill pups; I'm not chastizing anyone for buying a dog from the Internet, a shady breeder, or a pet store. I'm angry at the law makers that don't stop this madness. I'm pissed that no one from the industry will educate consumers about what goes on behind the scenes. No one told me what to look for when buying a dog until I started asking "why is my new puppy so high-strung and anxious all the time?" "Why does she have so many issues!?" It wasn't until the store was under scrutiny that I realized, "holy crap. What have I done?"

I'm not blaming the pet owner here. You don't know what you don't know.

Education is key.

If you absolutely want to buy from a breeder
Pssst: no reputable breeder would sell to a pet store. They take too much pride in their dogs to just pass them off for some quick bucks. They don't want some Joe-Schmoe from off the streets adopting their dogs. They want their dogs going to the best homes possible. Speaking for Spot has an excellent article in their blog describing what to look for in a good breeder.

If you want to avoid (and STOP) puppy mills
Websites like this, this and this have a lot of information on how to stop puppy mills.

Adopt from a shelter
Look, I know some people will disagree. Hell, I might even purchase from a breeder in the future (after a lot of research!!!) I'm torn - I say breeder but my heart says shelter. Shelter dogs need a home, that's all there is to it. And shelters are full of dogs that were given up for behavior problems that can be easily solved with a good trainer such as jumping, house-training, etc.

Just don't get your dog from a puppy mill
They are everywhere. Yourtown, USA is not exempt. Don't think "oh, this pet store is really clean. It doesn't look like a place that would take part in something shady." That's part of the gig. A pig with lipstick on. Satan in a Sunday hat.

Animals are suffering and people who take part in stupid things like Dog Auctions are just helping the hurt.

Be the Change, Blog the Change. Spread the word about puppy mills and dog auctions.

Fido's Photo Friday

2011-01-14T02:30:00.012-05:00

So, this is a new thing I thought of...I'm impulsive, what can I say? At first, I thought I would do just one photo for every Friday. But then, once people started sending in pictures of their dogs, I couldn't help myself - I want people to see them now!

So, send in your pics by email to erica@kahunask9s.com or by joining in the linky using the "Click Here" at the end of this post.

Here's one of Kuna to kick things off - anyone out there have any good ideas for a caption?

Do you have any photos you'd like to submit? We'd love to see your silly and furry friends!!

Email erica@kahunask9s.com with the subject line: Fido's Photo Friday.

If dogs had arranged marriages, this would be Bizzle's future husband.
Photo: According to Gus

Kenzo...walking on water!?
Photo: Kenzo_HW

You talkin' to me?
Photo: J.Kesling

Sheldon vs. Yard Sprinklers

Guess who won?

Photo: T.Vega

Seriously, with a face like that, there's nothin' this Samson won't get...

photo: N.Tracht

A Clicker Trainer's Curse

2011-01-12T16:37:00.000-05:00

She's pretty sure someone's getting a treat in the other room

If you use the clicker, you know the drill: grab the treats, grab the clicker, begin training.

But what if you're just trying to dust the shelves in your living room and there's a clicker sitting up there? If your canines are anything like mine, that clicker packs just as much punch as the crinkle of a treat bag.

As I grab the clicker to move it out of my way, it makes that trademark metal-screechy sound across the wood of the shelf. Oh no. I freeze, like a mother of a newborn who's just been put to bed. Maybe if I don't move, they'll think it was just a noise from outside.

All the dogs faces whip in my direction with their necks fully elongated like a goose. Doh. They caught me.

That's the terrible thing about clicker training. It's too good! All I have to do is walk towards a clicker in the house and my four-leggeds go bonkers. They want to learn! They want so desperately to play in my game. Ugh!

Do you remember how I've been ~~clicker training~~ TAGteaching the kids? Well, that too has blown up in my face.

I asked L the other day, "do you know mine and Daddy's phone number in case of an emergency?"
"No..."
"You don't! OMG! We need to get you to memorize those because it's really important...."
"We could learn by doing clicker training!!" **Eye roll**

D has a terrible time wiping her hands at the table. She's 3 but I swear, sometimes I expect her to have table manners of a 25 year old Southern Belle who grew up in a charm school. It's not fair of me, I know this.
"D! You're getting your elbows in your food! Watch what you're doing!"
"But I'm wiping my hands after I eat!"
"Don't reach for your napkin over your plate...do it by bringing the napkin to you..."
"Maybe I would learn better if we clicker trained!"
Aaargh.

Now all I hear is "OO! Can we clicker train?" and "You could teach me something new with clicker training!" and "YAY! We love clicker training!"

It's become a curse, really. I can't get away from it. I can't just expect the kids to learn stuff through my constant nit-picking anymore. Now I have to actually teach them. And because I know better, I can't teach them with "Don't do this..." and "Don't do that..." Now I have to teach them using TAGpoints and a positive learning environment.

How the hell do you teach a phone number using clicker training!?!
I racked my brain for a couple days trying to figure that one out. How do you teach a 3 and 5 year old to memorize phone numbers by marking the correct answer and ignoring the wrong one? How do I set up the environment to make sure they will be successful?

The other sucky thing about clicker training: it challenges you to be creative.

I ended up using repitition and visual learning. Then I:

- broke down the phone number in easier sections
- wrote out the numbers and made the TAGpoint, "Trace over the numbers". We repeated this part twice.
- had them write the numbers they just traced
- asked them to write the numbers again, this time saying them out-loud
- asked them to read all the numbers on the paper out-loud
- covered the paper and asked them to repeat the numbers they remember seeing and saying.

Within 10 minutes each, they remembered the entire phone numbers. Without any practice or review, the next morning my 5 year old could still repeat the whole phone number. The 3 year old needed a little help. Amazing stuff, huh?

So, as you can see, now I have the dogs AND the kids begging to be clicker trained.

Case in point: I wanted to work with Kuna this past Saturday. When I started thinking of the logistics, I exhausted myself before starting! "Okay, well, I'd have to put Bizz in the other room because she'll just bark the whole time and then Sarah will howl at us because she wants to train. OMG! If I bring out the clicker, the kids will remember how I promised to train with them this weekend and I just don't have the energy right now..." See what I mean??

Feel bad for me, dog lovers! This is serious! It's not my fault that the clicker is so powerful! Why do I have to pay for the fact that everyone in my house wants to learn via operant conditioning!? I tell ya, it's a clicker trainer's curse.

One Challenged Pet-Blogger

2011-01-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

Bizzle Fo' Shizzle

I was über upset when I thought I missed the "Pet Blogger Challenge" hosted by Will My Dog Hate Me? and Go Pet-Friendly (two blogs I happen to lurk on the regular). Yesterday, at the last minute, I sat in front of my computer, ready to attack the keyboard, only to discover that this blasted sinus infection had melted every single one of my brain cells.

Congestion is not the new hotness.

BUT! I decided, what the hay! I'll submit something anyway! That's when I discovered the deadline for entry was actually midnight tonight (January 11th). Woo-hoo! Let the challenge begin!

When did you begin your blog?

January 21, 2009 was the first entry, something about a daily quote (it took just three days before that idea went out the window). I didn't really do any research, I just hopped on the scene and by "scene" I mean that I wasn't really talking to anyone and no one knew I existed.

What was your original purpose?

My reactive dog Bizzle started me on this journey - I talk about her often throughout the blog because she's been my most patient and knowledgable teacher. I wanted people to know that they're not alone, that training your dog is not always easy, even for the professionals. But the rewards?! Endless.

Is your current purpose the same?

I started blogging as a way to talk to people about dogs and now I find myself wanting to engage more in conversation...I'm wanting to talk with readers more than anything. The blog is still packed with dog training advice and tips but I try to live up to the name of the blog more and take time to reflect on what I'm learning from my own life with dogs and hope that people can relate and learn.

Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?

Ha ha ha!! Oh, how I wish I had the discipline to write as much as I should! And on a schedule!? I don't even think I can pronounce that! I force myself to blog once a week, at the very least. Some months are more packed than others and some months just plain suck for blog entries.

Are you generating income from your blog?

I've tried figuring out how to do that because extra money is always nice but [hangs head] the answer is no. I always find myself clicking on a million links and then somehow, I'm lost in cyberspace, googling "how to make a vegan cheesecake", forgetting what I started out to research. SQUIRREL!

What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?

I like that my blog has earned the title "Best Blog in the Universe" because, phew, how disappointing would that be if it wasn't!?

Blogging gives me a way to speak to dog lovers. Thankfully, my blog has a super secret code that doesn't allow readers to ever close the window, thereby forcing them to participate in doggy conversation on a daily basis, whether they like it or not. That really helps out my numbers.

Paws to Rufflect, if anything, is honest. I don't want people who are just starting their search for dog training answers to think that there's a quick fix. There is no diet pill for dog training.

BTW, I've just been informed that a piece of toilet paper shaped like a first-place ribbon is not a legitimate award. Especially for a made-up prize such as "Best Blog in the Universe." One can dream.

What do you like least?

I get all super inspired, whip out a blog entry, proofread it and then can't help but ask myself, "Why would anyone want to read this sh--!?"

Getting off track is a terrible habit of mine...my brain just zooms all over the place. I need to find a topic and focus on it and get the blog entry posted. There are about eleventy-million drafts right now waiting to be developed in to something...

How do you see your blog changing or growing in 2011?

No offense to Blogger but this is the year I'm going to join the Wordpress crew.

Also, I'd really like to see the articles take up less space and the comments take up more. I want to get to know more people through my blog and others...

Oh! And I think we'll be changing the name. I know, I know, all this mess about "Pawsing to Rufflect" and now I'm talking about changing that. But I'm Hawaiian. Kahuna's K9s is Hawaiian (if a business can have an ethnicity). So, that means the blog name, in order to stay true to my heart, should be Hawaiian.

Bottom line: I want to challenge myself this year. Finishing this blog challenge was a pretty good start...

Get Your Dog Out of Your Hair: If even for just a moment...

2010-12-31T12:12:00.001-05:00

When you’re sick, the last thing you want to think about is taking care of everyone else. Selfish, I know, but there’s no better time to be a huge baby then when you’re congested, coughing, and tired all the time.

This past week was my turn. Yes, that’s right. The kids got me (and J) a cold virus for Christmas! How do we know? Because as sick as he and I got, the kids never even sniffled!

Top priority: get lots of rest. Absolute last priority: take care of the dogs.

That was my list. That was not the list of my beloved dogs. Though, strangely enough, they toned it down a bit and didn’t reach their full obnoxious level. I like to think it’s because they understand that we were under the weather...

I needed something to occupy them inside the house and it had to be something that doesn’t require me to interact with them as much.

I’m a huge fan of dog puzzles - my favorite DIY doggie games, like in this post, usually just require me to dig in the recycling for inspiration. Which is exactly what I did this morning when I wanted just a liiiiiitle bit more sleep. *Supervision is strongly suggested. J was there to keep an eye on them, just in case.

I grabbed a cardboard box that’s still intact, some yummy treats, and some tape.

My dog’s don’t ingest cardboard - that’s key. If your dog is less of a destroyer and more of an eater, this might not be the best idea for you. You would probably want something more sturdy, like the Nina Ottosson Twister game that they can’t actually tear apart for the purpose of eating it. Here’s our blog, with video, of Bizzle working on one.

Next, I toss some yummy, smelly treats inside the box.

Then, I seal it up with tape.

Tada! Ready for play!

Again, my dogs don’t actually consume this. Instead, they rip through it and spit the pieces out. They know the real prize is inside.

This lasts them about 15 - 30 minutes, depending on how much I seal up the container. If you want to make it more difficult, seal all the flaps and corners. That way, they can’t just rip the corner of the box open and get in. They’ve got to toss the box around a bit to figure out the best way in.

Does this make a huge mess? Yes.

But all it requires is a sweep of the broom and it’s cleaned up. More importantly, my dogs are entertained. And when the alternative is them bugging me every 2 seconds to play with them when all I want to do is recover, it’s definitely worth it!

Here's Sarah, tuckered out after destroying her "toy":

Do you have great ideas for entertaining your dogs? Share them with us, we'd love to hear them!!

Your Dog's Not Listening

2010-12-29T14:06:00.000-05:00

It’s three in the morning. You’re in your pajamas standing in the doorway, whisper-yelling out to the yard, “Fido! Pssst! Fido! Come!” You just want to go back to bed, or at least back inside before the neighbors think you’re crazy. Fido, however, has a different idea. He’s decided he suddenly can’t hear you calling and he’s going to smell every inch of the backyard before coming back inside.

Why does he do this? Because Fido, like all dogs, knows there is a “before and after” to everything.

It's cause and effect, or Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence (ABC). Fido knows that you call him, he comes running to you and (cue ominous music) he's locked back inside the house...F-O-R-E-V-E-R!

If you want your dog to listen, you’ve got to set up the environment so that he always feels that he will gain something - the age old, “what’s in it for me?”

Become unpredictable. If Fido doesn't know whether or not coming to you will result in play, treats or going inside, he has to gamble. Most likely, he will make this decision based on what's happened more in the past. You want to make it so that he's willing to bet you might be offering something he wants.

Always, always reward the right choice. And the wrong one. Let's say that it's been about 3 minutes of you enticing your dog. You're frustrated and angry when he finally decides to mosey on over to you. Choosing to scold or punish him for his delayed response will only confirm in his mind: "next time, don't come back at all because if I do, I'll just get in trouble!"

Make it fun. Calling your dog to come inside has to sound like it's better than staying outside. Try calling Fido in an upbeat voice and run away from him, then reward him with play once he gets in the doors. That way, he won’t see coming inside as impending doom, but rather just another doorway to fun!

Why it's important to ask your trainer HOW

2010-12-17T12:22:00.002-05:00

If you enter “dog training help” in to your powerful search engine of choice, the amount of websites promising to solve your problem are abundant. It’s enough to plunge you deep into the Internet vortex and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself shopping for mittens on Amazon wondering, “How the hell did I get here???”

By the time you’re back on track, you realize there are more answers than you thought possible.

After querying “dog training help”, I found one trainer who offers the following advice for treating a leash-aggressive dog:

“Your dog needs to do what you tell it. Your commands need to be adhered to. The better your dog is at obeying your commands the less it’ll be distracted. An obedient dog will eliminate aggression.”

Oh brother. Here we go. There are so many things that irk me about this statement, but let me just pose the question every dog owner should ask about any recommended training:

“HOW?” More specifically, how does obedience eliminate aggression??

What exactly do you mean when you say “obedience”…

I prefer not to use the word often, although I use it to describe the classes I teach. (You know what? Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m probably going to change that).

Obedience sounds so…overbearing.

I don’t want a dog to be obedient, submissive, or compliant. That all sounds like something you do because you have to, not because you want to. It sounds too official, as if there is some quality assurance inspector making sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed and pink slips are given to anyone who doesn't meet the standards.

During my ten year stint in the military, obedience meant you had no other option – you were either obedient or else, and you definitely did NOT want the “or else”.

So, maybe that’s why it irks me. Because I’m not trying to communicate to my dog that they have to do something or else. I’m communicating to them “trust me! You’re going to want to do this!”

Umm, when does the obedience start to eliminate aggression??

Giving the benefit of the doubt to the author, perhaps they meant that if the dog is able to listen to your cues and your direction, the dog will be less likely to react aggressively towards the stimulus. Ohhhhh. Then why didn’t they just say that!? Because that’s totally different than “listen to me or else”.

Bottom Line

You know what eliminates aggression?? The dog does, not you, not obedience. The dog decides to stop aggressing. There is a moment (well, series of moments…many, many, counter-conditioning moments) when the dog decides “huh…This isn’t as bad as I thought it was…”

The dog’s trainer merely facilitates that a-ha moment.

They’re the one who teaches the dog that their engrained response (aggression) is not the answer, convincing them that aggression isn't necessary. War, folks, is not the answer.

Pop Quiz

HOW does obedience eliminate aggression?

It doesn't.

Photos courtesy of: caninecoaching.com - Aggressive dog yesweekly.com - Pop Quiz

The Perfect Dogs Raised By The Perfect Dog Trainer

2010-12-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

Are you as big a fan of decorating as I am?? Do you stalk the decorating blogs and yearn for the time, the talent, and the HOME that many of these decorators have?

For many dog owners, a beautifully staged home free of toy-stuffing and dog hair is but a dream...

I do what I can and I think my decor is comfortable and pleasant, but I don't have the energy to keep my home in pristine condition - you will not be finding me on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens any time soon. I'm insanely jealous of the bloggers who have homes that all seem to be on the same block in the neighborhood known as Paradise.

In one of the decorating blogs I was reading yesterday, the author confessed, "don't think my home is always this tidy, I staged it just for this shot." HA! I knew it!!!

This made me think about what I want readers to get out of my blog. The purpose of Paws to Rufflect is to put out there that although I am a dog trainer by profession, I still have my fair share of mistakes, blunders and imperfections. I have the skills necessary to fix Kuna's loose-leash walking so that when we're out in public, people may think I have a "perfect" dog. It's marketing to the public - it's proving that I can train you to train your dog. But it certainly doesn't mean my dogs and their trainer are perfect!

In fact, I thought it would be funny to make a list of all the ~~irritating~~ silly things my dogs do. Compare, contrast, feel blessed yours might not be that bad after all.

Kuna counter-surfs like a demon. If he were ever a stray, he'd probably survive the longest because he can find food in places that make you scratch your head and think "how...what...huh!!???"

whines more than a newborn pup. Just when we think we've got a handle on it, he's whining again. He whines to go potty, which we appreciate. He also whines just to hear himself whine, which we do not appreciate.

Sarah drools at the simple thought of food. She is a direct decendent of a Pavlov dog.

eats her own poop. ugh. don't even get me started...

doesn't like eye contact. This is a common thing with canines, but Sarah will lunge "out of the blue" if a passerby maintains eye contact with her.

takes care of her personal hygiene...in our bed.

strongly dislikes horseplay and rough-housing, whether it's canines or humans. No one gets to have fun around Sarah.

hates Bizzle.

Bizzle hates Sarah. Hackles up, glaring out of the corner of her eye, huffing and puffing...they have to be separated 24/7.

every day at 3 pm, she begins her afternoon randomness. She pitter patters around, follows me everywhere I go, stares at me in anticipation of something we have yet to figure out, then starts howling/barking at me. There's something we're missing, of course. She's probably wondering when we'll get the message.

hates the cold, rain or snow. Won't even go out to potty. Where she "goes" or how she holds it, we may never know.

burrows through a freshly made bed. Every time.

pulls on the leash (GASP!) - since we moved to the country, we gave up and just got a retractable. Be free, Bizzle. At least to a distance of 15 feet.

I'm not ashamed to admit that my family of four-legged freaks is not perfect. I've dropped the ball countless times and sure, I could probably fix (almost) all the things on this list. Between you and I, some of these things I don't fix because they make my dogs who they are...I've learned to love them. When they're gone, I'll miss every single thing on this list.

I worked with a client once who told me, "I wish my dog walked next to me like the woman's dogs down the street...instead, I have this terrible puller." I laughed and told her those dogs probably poop in the dishwasher. We got a good laugh out of that, then worked hard on her boy's leash manners. He is doing well but she said she'll never look at that woman's dogs the same. :)

E

Wordless Wednesday Blog Link Up

2010-12-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

Controlled Chaos

2010-11-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

Sooooo, we all know that I've been preparing Kuna for public appearance. I work on him being comfortable in crowds, leaving other dogs alone and keep his wits about him in extremely chaotic situations. I couldn't be more proud - the boy is doing really well!

This weekend, Kuna and I were participants in Kathy Sdao's "So Many Choices" workshop. There were 2 working groups and 2 auditors assigned to each group, with a total of about 15 - 20 groups. We were at the lovely Coventry School for Dogs in Columbia, MD owned and operated by the fantastic Ruth Chase. If you've never seen her facility, you're missing out!

The application portion of the seminar was held in a very warehouse-like room and let me say this: the acoustics were wonderful. Unless you have 20 trainers with 20 clickers, barking dogs, people talking over other people, and an instructor on a PA system yelling over them. My brain short circuited about 5 minutes in.

Why? Oh because I forgot one tiny little trainer's commandment while conditioning Kuna to chaotic situations: Prepare Thyself.

I haven't been on this end of the proverbial leash for a while! People were evaluating my performance, giving me pointers, critiquing my training skills - that's been MY job! I have no problem giving a demo as the trainer, but suddenly I was thrown in to the role of student and boy oh boy, suddenly I was missing the motor skills portion of my brain.

The noise was unbearable. Kuna's performance obviously reflected my training: we fell apart almost instantly. And it just went downhill from there. Saturday was the worst day ever.

On my drive back to the seminar Sunday morning, I reflected on what exactly went wrong the day before and here's what I've compiled:

I simply was not prepared.
You can bring every type of treat imaginable but that only helps your dog. I should have told myself that it was going to be chaotic and that I was going to be anxious because I didn't know anyone (contrary to what many people may think, I'm actually VERY shy in new settings...I forget this because I force myself to be outgoing in order to be an effective teacher...).

I've programmed my brain to only accept constructive criticism, TAG Teach style.
While this may seem like a good thing, it actually makes my skin that much thinner when people do not follow the teachings of TAG. Not everyone understands or applies these techniques. It hurts my feelings when I hear "You shouldn't have done it like that..." or "I think you made a mistake when..." I'm sorry. I might sound like a big baby. But that just takes away any ounce of confidence I had. And confidence is what makes me an effective trainer.

I expected Kuna to carry me.
Since I'm being honest, I also realized that I thought all that hard work I've put in to training Kuna would somehow make my job easier. How? I guess I kind of thought "well, he's such a good boy, this should go smoothly" - as if I expected HIM to do all the work. But he's my job and I'm employed 24/7.

I forgot this was a learning experience.
Even after we faltered, I should have just let it roll of my back. We were there to learn and make mistakes. Kuna didn't care if we looked stupid - all he was concerned with was us as a team: where are we going? what are we doing? can we share that sandwich???

So Sunday, I took off my dog trainer hat. I didn't care how well we did, how much slower we progressed through the exercises than the rest of the group...all I was concerned with was "are me and my boy having a good time learning?"

It was no surprise that Sunday was our most successful day.

So when you're working with your dog, remember: you are an integral portion to the team. It's not just your dog doing the work and going through the motions - it's up to YOU to carry the team home. Keep your wits about you, maintain your game face and celebrate no matter the outcome!

My Boy's Got a Sniffer!

2010-11-19T09:21:00.000-05:00

I like that each dog has his or her own "thing" that they do well AND like doing. Sarah is a good supervisor. She doesn't let the puppy get out of line, yet she's patient enough to let him be a puppy. Bizzle is my experimental dog - any new behavior I want to try out, Bizz will pick it up in a heartbeat. She'll also let me know if my training skills need to be sharpened because if I am not clear enough or fast enough, she'll let out a "woo-woo-woooo!" in protest. But she loves learning!

As you may know, Kuna is my very first 100% clicker-trained dog. I already see the difference. He will learn new things without hesitation, he bounces back quickly and he's been socialized (the right way) heavily. I've talked about my big plans for him: he's my public dog. Sarah used to be, but she's getting old and would be happier if I just left her at home. Kuna comes with me to after-school programs, demos with me for clients and goes anywhere dogs are permitted. But I've been anxiously waiting for the moment that HE shows me who he is. Two nights ago, his talent was revealed!

We've got a dog-toy box, which Kuna loves to dig through and find the perfect toy. Because I'm a terrible housekeeper, I tossed one of Bizz's old ladybug Halloween costumes in there. He found it and was tearing through the house like he just discovered a gold mine! I wanted it back because I didn't want him ripping it. So, I offered another one of his toys for an exchange. He obliged.

As I held it in my hand, I was talking to John. I made a gesture like I tossed the costume and it made Kuna drop his other toy and start searching for the costume. He would. not. stop. He just kept sniffing the couch, smelling under the coffee table - it had to be here somewhere, I just saw her throw it!

J and I looked at each other - he's a sniffer! Now, this shouldn't be such a surprise. We're pretty sure he's got beagle in him (based on the braying he does!) and we're guessing the other breeds mixed in are houndish and terrier-like.

I wanted to test this out! So, I had Kuna sit and stay in the other room but where he could still see me. I "hid" the costume/toy in plain sight and said "Go find it!" and encouraged him to come look for it. 5 minutes of this game and I was able to hide it under a blanket, where he didn't see me put it, and he was able to find it! Everytime he found it, I gave him lots of praise and let him tug and play with it. Then, I would cue "Out" and he'd run to the mat where I had him sitting and staying just so he could "Find it" again.

I hid it once behind the curtains - he was so close to it and would not give up on that area. He was sniffing the air, turning in fast circles until his nose landed on the curtains. All of a sudden, he froze with his nose on the curtain. Then, many fast sniffs through the fabric before his nose found it's way under the curtain and he got completely silly and came out from behind the curtain with his prize!

I'm super excited to see that this is what he loves. I think dogs need jobs, but they've got to have a job that they LOVE. With Kuna being my public dog, I had to make sure I made public appearance something he's comfortable with. But I'm happy to say that Kuna has revealed to me his passion: Finding Bizz's ladybug costume!

I can't wait to see what else we can work with! Nosework, here we come!!!

Getting Bored Training Your Dogs? Give your kids a try!

2010-11-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

It's kind of funny - as patient as I am when it comes to training dogs, it takes a lot more for me to be patient with the kids. I don't know why, but I expect more from them. Which isn't fair - I get that - they're learning too. So this weekend was not only about teaching the kids, but also about teaching me that I can apply the same teaching principles I use with canines: positive reinforcement yields results.

Find what's reinforcing
Months ago, we developed the point system. If the kids did something good, they got a point. Those points could then be turned in at the end of the day or in the middle of the day...it all depended on how desperate we were for them to behave. They got to have a popsicle or something of value.
Advantages: they were really excited about doing things right
Disadvantages: life got too busy and before we knew it, days had gone by and the kids were racking up the points. The reinforcement rate wasn't high enough for them to care after a while.

We decided to go with something more tactile...something they can physically hold on to. Enter: Pennies!

Gather training tools
The kids love when we're training the dogs with the clicker, so we decided to incorporate the clicker in their training too.

J and I carried around a handful of pennies and a clicker so we could quickly reward the kids.

Clearly state the criteria
The rules are: state EXACTLY what we WANT them to do. Words like don't and stop are omitted. If we tell exactly what we want them to do, we make the goal very clear. If we were to tell them to stop jumping on the couch, for example, then that's technically saying that running on the couch might be acceptable.

Good example: When you are done brushing your teeth, wipe all the water off the counter with the towel next to the sink. Clearly states: wipe the water, use the towel to do this and wait until you are done brusing your teeth to do it.

Bad example: Don't leave water on the sink. How? When you're talking to 3 and 5 year old kids, this could mean use your sleeve to wipe the water. Where? They could just wipe the water right in front of them, ignoring the water by the faucet. When? Again, they could wipe the counter before they start brushing their teeth! Definitely not what we're looking for...

Continue to reward the behavior
When the trainee is in the acquisition phase of learning, it's important to remember to continue to reward that behavior every time it happens. This is how good habits are formed.

Use negative punishment, when necessary
Our biggest challenge is the television. So, if we tell them to do something and they don't, we remove the television. No, not the whole thing! That's too impractical! But we definitely walk right over to the remote and turn off the T.V. End of discussion.

Example: "L, it's time to go wash your hands. When you're done washing your hands, go sit at the dinner table." No reply. So, I simply walk over to the T.V. and turn it off. That's when he says, "HEY! why'd you do that!?" I state very calmly, "I asked you to go wash your hands and then sit at the dinner table. The T.V. will remain off until you can do what I tell you."

What we learned this weekend
L learned to maintain eye contact when someone is speaking to him.
D learned to put her fork down once she's taken a bite.
Both kids learned to eat over their plates and keep their bodies facing forward while they eat.

What we found interesting about the training
The kids were VERY quick to point out when we didn't click and reward. At one point, J and I were talking and D put her fork down and wiped her face with her napkin after she had eaten. "HEY! you didn't click me!" LOL...

If one child got rewarded for a specific behavior, the other was quick to correct themselves. I clicked L for eating his green beans with his fork, instead of his fingers and caught D out of the corner of my eye stop using her fingers and grab her fork. Then, before I could even say anything she said "Look! I'm using my fork!"

Challenges
It's not easy to stay on top of their behavior constantly. We were really tired by the end of the day. But we gave ourselves credit: we're using a very powerful tool and if we stick to it, we'll be rewarded handsomely with well-behaved, engaged-in-learning kids!

There were times throughout the day where nothing beat a good timeout. Crying for no reason? That gets you excused to the room for a timeout, just like a dog that's barking gets removed from the room.

Just like when training your dog, what you think is reinforcing or what was reinforcing to them ten minutes ago may no longer have as much importance now. With the kids, the pennies were not always want they wanted. Sometimes they wanted to watch a movie, sometimes they wanted to play a video game...we used these to our advantage.

Teaching people with clickers is not a new thing! To learn more about Teaching with Acoustical Guidance (TAG), go to tagteach.com!

e

Trying Something New

2010-11-05T15:04:00.001-04:00

I know nothing about agility. Let me repeat that: N-o-t-h-i-n-g! But Bizz is such a high-energy dog, I've always had this dream of us running a course together.

This isn't a case of a mother wanting her child to grow up to be president - I think Bizz is actually really well-suited to agility! Well, there is the tiny little detail that she's reactive. And she hates wet grass. But we're gonna give it a try anyway. Not to mention, I think learning agility will challenge me as a trainer. After all, I've never tried it!

We're not just going to show up to a trial and hope for the best! Oh, no sir/ma'am! We've got months of practice before that!

1) J's gotta build us some agility equipment! I was looking online and found this cool site, which provides detailed instructions on how to build your own...everything! We're gonna start with the awesome adjustable channel weave poles. Not because that's the way you're supposed to do it but because I have this terrible habit of getting really excited about something new and starting things not in the beginning, not at the end, but kinda in the middle. I'm sure I'll be blogging in a couple weeks about how I made a huge mistake and should have started with something more simple. Until then...

2) B's skills assessment. She's my fast-as-a-whip, will-work-until-I-pass-out dog. She LOVES to work! Bizzle's skillset is as follows:

Targeting - objects, but more importantly, she'll target my hand which is what I'm going to use to get her to move on, over, under and through objects.
Sit
Wait
Recall & Drop - I recall her, issue the cue "Drop" and she lies down until I release her to come back to me, continuing her recall.
Over
Under
Up - land on top of an object
Tunnel - go through the tunnel
Go-Go-Go - this REALLY pumps her up. I yell this and she kicks it in to 6th gear! It wasn't anything she and I worked on. I would just yell it when she was running really fast and I'd even make her chase me during one of her need-for-speed outbursts, yelling Go-Go-Go! Pretty soon, it just started to mean "go faster!"

3) While J is hard at work on the weave poles, B and I will refresh her "tunnel" (which we found at a toy store for 20 bucks!), her balance board (it's just going to be a large piece of plywood balancing on top of different unstable objects).

I'll be documenting our progress with video and posting them on the blog. I've been really wanting to do this with her for some time and I'm excited to start - even though winter's right around the corner! Doh! (pssst - we might have found a new training space...stay tuned!)

If anyone has any pointers for a beginner's agility team, please share!

e

Click or Treat!

2010-11-03T08:31:00.001-04:00

Ahhh...Halloween. For a dog owner like me, it's the second worst holiday when it comes to the stress my dogs go through, the Fourth of July topping the list as the ultimate! We try to keep the dogs busy as much as we can and train them to focus on us and not the squealing kids outside, but the outside festivities could literally go on all night!

We have a ritual that may seem a bit bah-humbug: we go in to Halloween lockdown mode. Shut off the porch light, lock the front gate and arm ourselves with treats. Answering the door every 15 minutes would be complete chaos. Okay, so it's not like the apocalypse or anything...but we just want to relax and enjoy the night as if it were any other.

The dilemma we were faced with was that this was a primo socialization opportunity for Kuna. Halloween is a time he gets to see scary masks and screaming kids. Now it's time for this dog trainer to be honest: I opted out on seizing that opportunity. :(

I know, call me what you will but I just wasn't feeling it. So what do I tell people who just DO NOT feel like training at that moment? At the very least, manage the environment that affects the dog's behavior.

Like I said, we locked down the house so no trick-or-treaters came to the porch. We also played the television louder to mask the outside noise and made sure the dogs were good and tired PRIOR to sunset so they would be nice and sleepy when it came time to shutdown for the night.

I was rather pleased - there were no outbursts from our special girl B and Kuna could not have cared less. Sarah's a pretty laid-back girl who was the chosen one getting to snuggle with me on the couch. :)

I spoke to a woman I know who has a somewhat-reactive Boxer - she tried to take him out trick-or-treating with the kids armed with the clicker and treats, but when they actually found themselves in the middle of all the chaos, he couldn't handle it. That's when she made a smart, smart, smart decision: this is too much for him...take him home where he isn't stressed. I wanted to hug her for understanding her dog's limits and for being the protector of her family: she didn't push him. Good job, D! ;)

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween! If anyone has any cute pics of your dog's costume, I'd LOVE to see them!

Kuna Celebrates National Pit Bull Awareness Day!

2010-10-25T09:43:00.000-04:00

This Saturday was National Pit Bull Awareness Day and Kahuna's K9s was proud to take part in such a positive event! The Calvert County Humane Society hosted the affair at the North Beach Firehouse in Chesapeake Beach, MD. It was a beautiful day to promote the breed in a positive light!

Kuna, although he's not a pit bull, was my demo dog for Kahuna's K9s. I've mentioned before in posts that Kuna has a big responsibility - he's my bomb-proof dog. From the moment he came home with us, we've been working on his behavior in public and his ability to handle stressful situations with ease. This isn't automatic and he's certainly not done learning - we train every time we leave the house.

My expectations are pretty high:
- walk where I indicate (beside me, behind me, in front of me)
- stay focused on me, despite distractions
- greet with a loose-leash
- wait patiently if I stop
- your mouth is not for exploring when we're working
The list goes on and on!

Well, I'm proud to say: Kuna performed marvelously this weekend!

There were highly-reactive dogs, dogs in costumes, crowds of people, megaphones, speaker announcements, fire trucks, clickers going off everywhere (give a high school student a free clicker and you can imagine the insanity), there was even a little girl with paint on her face looking like a cat, wearing an elaborate costume! It was so detailed, it made me do a double-take!

K needed a lot of breaks and tons of chicken to make it through the event. We even brought his favorite toy and I would take him outside and tell him "you're free!" and play a few games of tug. Then, it was "Let's work!" and we were right back to business. When he was tired, I had his settle mat underneath the table for him to relax on. Towards the end, he was so tired, he jumped up on my lap and fell asleep!

I was surprised with how well he did. At the end of the day, I did a systems check and realized I had a pounding headache, my legs were tired and my face hurt from so much smiling. K was definitely exhausted, but he still had it in him to keep playing a game of tug while all the chaos came to an end.

There was another trainer there, James from Training by Julie (another positive-reinforcement dog training business run by Julie Jacobous - Awesome!) He had his Border Collie with him, who was lazily hanging out in his crate throughout the day. We talked about how our dogs were so well desensitized that it was just another day at the office for them. You can definitely pick out a clicker-trained dog!

I have the high-hopes of taking Kuna to Clicker Expo one of these years. Bringing your dog to a crowded event is a tough decision. Most of the time, it's too much for both the human and the dog to endure. There are the exceptions - some dogs are so well conditioned that they actually enjoy these types of events. Although Kuna did well this weekend, I'm still evaluating him to see if he'd be one of the latter: a dog that loves crowds. It's not just training that will get him there...I need to see that he actually wants to do it. Only time will tell...

I'm very proud of my little guy and a big thank you to John for all his help on Saturday!

They both made me, and Kahuna's K9s, look good ;)

(pics coming soon!)

5 Things Your Dog Should Not Be Allowed To Do

2010-10-18T09:34:00.000-04:00

Clients frequently say to me, "I'm sorry, but we tend to let Sparky on the couch." I try not to laugh. Not at them, of course, but rather at the idea that Sparky, a member of the family, should somehow NOT be allowed on the couch!

You see, my dog training "manual" has a very short list of things dogs should absolutely NOT be allowed to do. In fact, I struggled to come up with the following list.

Below is a list of what I think dogs shouldn't be allowed to do. If you have anything else to add, I'd love to hear your comments!

Your dog should not be allowed to:

1. Eat grapes, onions, large amounts of garlic, mushrooms, chocolate (baker's is way worse than a candy bar from the impulse aisle in the grocery store), etc. etc. etc.

I know. They're eyes are just so adorable when they're begging for food. Here's a quick list to refer to that includes the effects of consumption.

2. Develop behaviors that are inappropriate for your lifestyle and theirs

Let me be specific. If you have small children, it is NOT wise to teach/allow your dog to jump on people. Conversely, if you do not have children and you don't mind that your dog jumps on people, then jumping is not a behavior you would work on fixing.

Be prepared to accept responsibility for any behaviors you allow your dog to practice that others might consider unacceptable. If you allow your dog to hump everyone he meets, then don't suddenly decide that's embarrassing, and therefore punishable, when he's humping your 80 year old grandmother's leg.

Notice I also mention your dog's lifestyle. That's so very important to consider and yet, it's commonly overlooked. Understand dog body language. Dog's do not find it socially acceptable for another dog to lunge at them in greeting. This is a doggy-greeting no-no. Therefore, if you allow your dog to practice this you are setting your dog up for a serious (and costly) reality check from another canine.

3. Go their entire life without any professional training

This isn't a marketing scheme or a plug for Kahuna's K9s (although, FYI, we're offering a discount this month for referrals!).

Dogs are learning every day:

- Trash can = really stinky, tasty stuff

- Tissues are fun to chew! and so are cardboard boxes, shoes, books, end tables and DVD cases...

- Barking makes the mailman go away

The advantage of professional training: you have control over what they learn!

If your dog is one of those braniacs that practically trained themselves, then consider professional training for a fun activity you both can participate in like agility or Nosework classes.

4. Live their lives in solitary confinement

I'll just say this: Dogs are social animals. Humans are social animals. Therefore, life is so much better when we spend it together. :)

5. Dominate you.

SIKE! Oh that made me LOL just typing it. I'm not getting lecturey and I'm not going to delve deep in to this highly controversial subject. Dogs do well with GOOD leadership - I love this quote from some guy named John Quincy Adams about what it is to be a leader:

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

Enough said.

Be the Change - Blog the Change

2010-10-15T14:07:00.000-04:00

Where do I begin!? There are so many changes in the works for the welfare of animals, I can't help but be a little giddy. For all that is wrong in the world, there are people out there fighting to make it right.

I know. It sounds a bit too sun-shiny and optimistic. You may be wondering how I can be so happy when there are losers abusing animals, dirty dog-fighting money being won at the cost of a dog's life, dogs being outlawed because of their breed...it seems everywhere we turn, there's another reason for us to lose hope in the human race.

So why am I so happy?? Because there are people out there fighting for the animals. It's apparent that the public is becoming outraged and demanding action, voices are getting louder and we all know there is strength in numbers. It takes less effort to turn a cheek than it does to open your mouth and say, "I don't like this!!"

Rage on, my fellow animal-rights crusaders! Today is Blog the Change for the Animals Day!

If At First You Don't Succeed...

2010-09-24T11:01:00.000-04:00

...try, try again. Then give up. There's no use being an idiot about it."

I read that somewhere. I can't remember where, only that it makes me laugh every time I think about it because it describes me perfectly.

At the risk of providing T.M.I, I’d like to share a little bit about myself and how it relates to my passion for dog training and behavioral learning as a whole.

I was raised by a very strict father. Now that I am older, I understand that tough-love was all he knew. Being my step-father, he found himself suddenly raising his new eldest child and I truly believe he did the best he could. I can, however, specifically pinpoint pieces of myself that are a direct result from his tough upbringing. Most relevant to today’s discussion: my often crippling fear of being wrong, imperfect or criticized. With him, I was either wrong or invisible. There was no right. There was always something keeping me just shy of perfection in his eyes. I never cleaned the house well enough, never brought home grades that were good enough…it was a constant battle to prove myself to him. I was always walking on eggshells, wondering how I was going to fail yet again. I became obsessed with trying to make him happy with me but over time I learned I was better off being invisible. At least that kept me out of trouble.

It is because of this that I relish praise, perhaps more than the average person (I am of the belief that everyone likes hearing they’ve done well, it’s just more important to some). I am not necessarily attention-seeking; it just makes me feel like I’m no longer invisible and no longer wrong. Unfortunately, my shell is not as hard as I would like it to be and I can be brought to tears when I fail. So much so that I often give up if I have too many consecutive failures. It hurts too much to try and fail repeatedly.

Following my dreams of being a dog trainer isn’t bringing in enough income...for now. To supplement that, I work in IT as a day job. I’ve recently moved to a new job site and I am spending my days learning the ropes.

For the past several weeks, I’ve been given an objective and been told, in so many words, “do it.” Do what? Do it how? These are questions I’ve been left to figure out on my own. It’s one giant puzzle and I have to figure out the right questions to ask and the right people to talk to and then, I have to figure out how to put it all together in a way that makes sense to everyone else but me. It’s painful, frustrating and embarrassing.

I do up the first draft. Immediately, it’s full of flaws. I expected this. I’m told what’s wrong, told to fix it and try again. The second time, I send the draft through proud of myself for fixing the previous problems only to find out there is a whole new set of things I didn’t do right. Now my ego is deflating. Why weren’t these new issues brought to my attention on the first round? Oh well. I press on. Third time through, same routine. “This is wrong, this is wrong, don’t do this like that…” over and over I’m corrected until every ounce of my confidence is gone.

I’ve been at this for a couple months now. With the exception of a few people, everyone that knows the answers waits until I’ve tried before telling me how I should have done it in the first place. Now, every time I present what I think is a completed project, I am hesitant to present it because I am just waiting to hear the dreaded “this isn’t right.” I wish someone would just tell me what “right” is so I can succeed the first time trying.

As a learner, I can relate to the dogs I’m training. It’s frustrating not knowing what everyone else knows, especially when you are supposed to meet someone’s expectations but can’t.

It’s even worse when the rules and processes aren’t very clear. I made a tiny misstep this morning. To others, it’s no big deal but to me my success in this task meant a great deal and I failed. Someone told me to do something and I did it. Later, two other people came to me to tell me that what I did was not correct. I’m thinking “but, but, but…they said!” I felt stupid. Instantly, my level of motivation sank. I don’t care now. It’s Friday, the weekend is right around the corner and chances are the rules will be just as inconsistent on Monday as they are today. So why should I try? I’m just going to sit here and veg out. I can feel myself wanting to be invisible again.

Your learning dog is no different. If you wait for him to figure out the rules for himself, you will end up with one confused and de-motivated pup. If you set him up for success by showing him exactly what you want and then praising heavily, you will find your dog wanting to engage in learning. You will have a dog that understands what you expect of them and will therefore continue trying. If you notice your dog tuning out when you’re talking to him, it could very well be that he just doesn’t get what you’re expecting. In that case, your dog has learned it’s just easier to not try than to try and fail.

Oh yeah. I forgot.

2010-09-19T19:17:00.000-04:00

Kuna came with us to Panera Bread this weekend. While we were sitting outside enjoying our lunch, I gave Kuna a chewy bone to occupy him. He was behaving very well...and then it was time to leave. We were packing things up when I went for his bone. I got a protective growl and a snark!

Snark (noun) - not necessarily a snap, but definitely the dog voicing disagreement

I couldn't believe it! I was truly upset - at myself!

Thinking back to the last three months, I've always kept Kuna separate from the other dogs when eating bones. I've allowed him to finish them in his kennel and never once have I tried to take them away. I just...forgot. I've taken his food away and he's obliged. I've taken toys away and he's allowed it. But I forgot to take away the highest value thingie out there in doggy land: the bone!

When he growled and put his body over his bone to keep me from it, I didn't push the issue. I didn't yell. I didn't snap back at him. Thankfully, I had very high-value treats on me and scattered them around on the floor for him to eat. When I reached for the bone, I clicked and treated him before he had a chance to guard it again. Why? Because he didn't growl and snap again. And ultimately, that's what I'm going for.

All the socialization and training Kuna's getting and I forgot very important curriculum: let me take things from you and I will reward you.

We've got some work to do, this is not acceptable behavior. Rather than get mad at Kuna for being protective over his bone, we're going to work on teaching him that giving that bone up is actually more rewarding!

e

A Student Is Only As Smart As Their Teacher

2010-09-06T08:56:00.000-04:00

The chalkboard clearly read: "X = no Pink Pill". I couldn't tell you what compelled J to give Sarah a pink pill that day. If he looked at the corresponding calendar, he would see that today is NOT a day for the pink pill. With annoyance, I circled the directions in a thick, sarcastic line so that next time he won't make the same mistake. Sarcasm always makes for an excited learner.

The next day, he proudly tells me that he got it right this time. He gave Sarah a pink pill. "Are you insane!? You gave Sarah a pink pill yesterday! She's only supposed to have them every other day and after your royal screw up yesterday, that would mean she's now had them two days in a row!!!" I didn't say this. But my inner voice was screaming this. I adjusted the chalkboard with what I thought was better instruction. I was able to control my words, but my face said everything my mouth did not.

On the third day, J informed me that he's finally on track with the pink pill. He gave her a full pink pill and half of a yellow one. AAARGH! Pink pill dose is supposed to be half a pill. Yellow pill dose said on the chalkboard "1 1/2 pill". How can he be getting this so wrong so many times!! With much embarrassment, J said "ohhh...I thought that meant one HALF pill...." My eyes were rolling farther in to my head than I thought possible...

Seriously!!?? What is his problem!? Is he a complete idiot!?! Is he trying to piss me off and kill my dog!?!

The problem with being a dog trainer is that you learn stuff about people. Isn't that crazy!?

This whole mix up is technically my fault. But shhhhh! Let's not tell J that. My pride is too fragile ;)

You see, I had the advantage of knowing all the information I needed to know when I wrote the directions on the chalkboard. J did not. He went into it cold, having only my loosely translated instructions to follow. And look where they led him. He failed three times at no fault of his own.

It was the fault of the person with the information - it was the fault of the trainer.

Sure, it's easy for me to get annoyed. I know how to execute the pill dispensing perfectly. I was the one who talked to the doctor and picked up the medicine from the pharmacy. J just got the instructions: Give Sarah her medicine. How is this fair? Of course he screwed it up!

When teaching your dogs, make sure you are providing all the information you can to make them successful. If you leave any tidbits out or muddy the waters with instructions that don't make sense, you shouldn't be expecting perfection from your dog. If you've ever uttered the words "He knows how to [insert behavior] he's just being [stubborn, stupid, dumb, etc.]" then perhaps it's not your student but rather the instruction your student is receiving. And whose responsibility is that? ;)

e

Ew. A puppy.

2010-08-27T14:10:00.002-04:00

Fine. I'll admit it right here in print: I'm falling in love with Kuna. He's squirming his way in to a snuggly, fuzzy compartment of my heart and it's terrible.

You see, my two girls are enough work as it is. With Sarah always ripping through the pantry like a tyrannosaurus (she's on meds that make her do this) and Bizzle reacting to dogs, bringing Kuna in to the home has flipped our world upside down. He whines, he needs to be watched like a hawk, he's clumsy and puts my paper shredder to shame (except that my paper shredder shreds paper I don't want...)

He wakes up way too early and is learning that this really awesome (not) noise called a bark comes out of his mouth anytime he chooses! Yippee! *eye roll* Puppies are sooo much work!

It's not fair - he was supposed to be J's dog. J inherited my girls. He loves them as if they are his own but they occasionally remind him of their loyalty to me (shh...but this is secretly flattering). Therefore, Kuna was chosen by J for J, with my expert guidance of course. ;)

I tried to keep my hands out of the pot but when you're dead set on proper socializing, crate training, house breaking, leash training...sigh. It just sorta...happens.

I was carrying him in from his last potty break of the night. He was a tired little boy, every bone in his body turned to mush as he draped his head over my shoulder and let out a soft puppy coo. I looked around to see if anyone was looking (don't ask my why I felt this needed to be done in secrecy) and buried my face in his scruff, closed my eyes and took in a big breath. I was good as gone.

It's not a matter of whether or not I love dogs. Trust me, I L-O-V-E dogs. I just thought I was stronger than this. I thought the flailing paws and floppy ears were cute, but this is serious! We have major work to do and we don't have time for tantrums and late night howl sessions, nor do we have time for snuggles and falling in love. I have to maintain my professionalism.

Alas, I've failed miserably. This silly boy has taken hold of my heart. And in complete puppy fashion, he's chewing it into a million pieces on the living room floor.

You Mess With Me, Ya Get Bit!!

2010-08-24T12:23:00.001-04:00

I was in line the other day at the grocery store. It was pre-weekend madness on a Friday afternoon - everyone was in a rush to get whatever food they needed for whatever meals they were making. I was grumbly, irritated and just wanted to get my coffee creamer and get the hay outta there. The woman behind me was obviously not as concerned with personal space as I was: she kept reaching across me to put her items on the belt and in doing so, bumped in to me. I shot her a side glance, notifying her that she's quickly getting on my (expletive) list. I expected a "pardon me" but got nothing. So I tried to ignore it.

As she reached into her cart to continue her annoyingness, she hit me with her gargantuan duffel bag/purse/twin-sized mattress combo. This time, I shot her a more direct glare. Eye contact. That'll teach her.

Much to my surprise, even after two threatening glares, the woman kept on loading the belt. Reaching across me again, she brushes my arm with hers. Ewwww! "Excuuuuuuuse me!" I snapped. She looked at me with bewilderment and continued on her path to being the most obnoxious person in the world. Her next move sent me through the roof: lacking complete social decency, she coughed on the side of my face!!! I lost it. "Are you kidding me!?! Can you take a few steps back and just freaking wait! Stay out of this space [an area defined by my flailing arms in circles around me]!" All eyes were suddenly on me, like I was the idiot because I was making a scene. But I warned her!! I glared at her, spoke with irritation, sighed heavily, rolled my eyes...all signs that she was flat-out making me mad! Why am I the crazy one??

When people tell me they yell at or correct their dogs for growling or snapping, I feel for the dog because obviously they didn't understand their dog's message. A dog's growl is like my "excuuuuuse me!!" and before I even said anything to this woman, I was glaring at her with the stinkiest of eyes. Yet she persisted. She wasn't reading my signs.

Looking back, I know for sure that if J were there he would have seen my signs. He would have literally wedged himself in between the woman and me, thereby removing the boiling pot from the stove. That's because J's good at reading me. He knows when I'm warning someone, when I'm about to explode, and when I've had enough.

It may sound crazy, but trust me: a growl is a blessing in disguise. The dog is telling you something. Take the time to understand why they growled - discovering the problem will often help you cure the symptoms.

Ohmmm...

2010-08-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

Kuna has been whining in his crate for 30 minutes now. "Ignore him, " I tell J. But the constant, high-pitched whine can really take a toll on your sanity. We notice we're getting irritable. "I'm trying to ignore him!! But he just won't stop!" We start questioning why we have a puppy in the first place. What made us think we could handle this responsibility? What if we put a blanket over the crate? What if we sing to him? What if we yell at him to stop? Maybe we can put him in a basket and leave him in front of a firehouse!? (I'm kidding about the last two...) You see, as a trainer, I would give my clients the same matter-of-fact advice: never reinforce behavior you don't like. Ever. I think in giving this advice, however, I've somehow implied that it's easy. It is NOT easy. Even for a dog trainer.

My dogs aren't much different than anyone else's dogs when you think about it. Sure, Sarah can literally open doors for me, pick up things that I drop and come when I call in the most distracting environments. She also eats her own poop. Bizzle can spin, sit, speak, dance, find my keys and "hallelujah" faster than I can type the words. But if I want to take her somewhere with the slightest chance another canine will be present?? Fuggetaboutit! Then there's Kuna. He was doing "sit" before he turned 7 weeks. He could "kennel" at 8 1/2 weeks and just the other day, he walked up to the door and scratched to be let out to go potty! He plays well with other dogs, loves people and has the most solid rebound from something potentially frightening that I've ever seen. And yet, here he is, screaming in his kennel as if the walls were caving in. All I have to do is open that crate and let him walk out and this will all stop. Right?

As a trainer, I've seen the future, so to speak. This is because we're usually called in to fix problems that have already taken root. I've witnessed many times the result of a puppy that was allowed to jump: they are now 80 lbs and jumping wildly on children, elderly family members and house guests. I've seen the adult version of puppies that were not properly socialized and are now afraid of light bulbs, picture frames and other seemingly normal items to us. A puppy that is let out of the crate when he whines turns in to a dog that whines even more. It is hard work. It is taxing. There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel. As a dog trainer, I know this. As a dog owner, it's harder to convince myself of that reality.

So what gets me through all of this? Patience. It sounds all sweet and fluffy but it's truly the number one tool in my dog training toolbox. It's what got Bizz to allow another dog in the house. It is what taught me to recall my dog before she has a chance to eat poop (duh!). Here I sit at my computer, reminding myself that if I just remain patient, Kuna will eventually stop whining. He has to take a breath, drink water, or snuggle in for a puppy nap. When that happens, I will jump for joy and open his crate. It's only a matter of time...

My Snuggly Boy

2010-08-13T08:03:00.001-04:00

Picture this. It's 2 o'clock in the morning and you're letting your dog out to do his business. You were barely coherent enough to get a leash on him! As you sleepily sit on the porch steps while he finishes up, you remember you are supposed to reinforce his going potty outside. But you didn't grab your clicker and you didn't grab your treats. What to do!?

If clicker trainers had a dime for every time someone asked, "when can I get rid of the clicker and treats?" well, we would be able to do this job for free. The science behind positive reinforcement is that you give the dog something rewarding when he's done something right to up your chances that he does that behavior again. Commonly, this is done with the clicker/treat combo. The clicker marks the thing that was right and the treat gives the dog a reason to try that behavior again.

But what are you supposed to do if the dog is still acquiring behaviors and you find yourself without clicker and treats?

It's because of this reality I try to teach clients the importance of finding real-life reinforcers for their dogs. I say "find" because your dog knows what's reinforcing to them - you just have to discover what would be ideal for you to use. Barking is reinforcing, but that's not necessarily a behavior you want to use as reinforcement. Cuddling is reinforcing to some dogs, that would be perfect to use when you find yourself without treats!

It turns out, Kuna is a sucker for some behind-the-ear petting. He loves to shove his puppy head in your lap while you slowly rub behind his ears. I found this out while I was teaching him that biting makes me go away. He tried to bite a couple times and the third time of me getting up and leaving, he decided instead of a bite, he would put his head in my lap. I slowly, so that I didn't get him riled up again, rubbed behind his ears while talking softly to him. He practically fell asleep! So I thought, hmm...let's see if this is good enough to use as reinforcement for behaviors. "Kuna. Sit." His little butt plopped on the ground. "gooooooood booooooy...." as I massaged his ears. I asked for the behavior again, wanting to see whether the speed of his behavior increased, decreased or stayed the same now that he thinks he will get an ear rub in return. Sure enough, the "sit" was faster. So I rewarded with the ear rub. A few more reps of this told me that the ear rub was perfect reinforcement - the behavior got faster. *when you're experimenting with this and you notice their behavior response time slows, then the reinforcement is not working correctly. Try something else...

It was me in the example above: there I was, practically falling asleep on the porch when I realized: uh-oh! he just
1) didnt go pee in the house
2) told me he had to pee outside
3) successfully eliminated outside.
I need to reward this big time!! So I went over to my little love bug and rewarded him with a little snuggle and an ear rub. His tail told me this was exactly what he was looking for!

Try this out with your dog! Use toys, praise, happy voice...all of these things can be reinforcers. You can also try pairing praise with a treat so that your dog begins to associate your words of encouragement with tasty morsels of food. That will make your praise worth much more!

e

Please Don't Call Me That...

2010-08-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

When people first meet me and hear that I am a dog trainer, they immediately say, "You're like the Dog Whisperer!" which sends chills down my spine. A million things run through my mind - I want to retaliate, I want to flip through tons of position statements from rescues, veterinarians, behaviorists, ethologists, researchers - all shunning the concept of training that is employed by The Dog Whisperer. But that would just be weird. People would think I am crazy and end up not listening anyway. So, instead, I just kindly smile and say, "well, we have different views about dog training."

There was a time when "whispering" meant being in-tune emotionally and spiritually. A time when "whispering" was a hands-off approach and required the "whisperer" to reach deep into their inner spirit in order to connect with their subject. The phrase has changed and it now means, to the general public, that I am a dog trainer that performs miracles by being Alpha and not allowing dogs to dominate me. What I actually do is so completely opposite that it actually hurts to hear people compare "whisperers" with me.

I won't go in to the details of the quadrants of operant conditioning. I will spare you the scientific babble that happens to make the behavior nerd in me giddy with joy. What I will ask is this: what does a trainer like myself have to say to convince someone that is using punitive, correction-based, whisper-training to stop? Because, let's face it. No one likes an activist unless you're already on their side. And by then, I'm just preachin' to the choir. How do I reach out and explain to people that there is no need to force, dominate, yell, scream, say "NO!", push, yank (how many more verbs can I throw in here??) in order to achieve a well-trained, obedient (and dare I say...happier!??) dog?

The interesting thing is: many people don't know the damage they are doing to their dogs because, bless their hearts, some dogs can be VERY resilient. Additionally, the owners aren't always doing it to terrorize their dogs. Owners are training this way, well, because that's the way people have done it for years! It's just how it's done. For example, the age old remedy for a dog that pees in the house is to take him to the spot (often WAY to long after the fact) put his nose in it and say "NO!", followed sometimes by a swat on the nose. What owners don't understand is that this actually teaches the dog that pee is bad, not the ACT of peeing in the house. It tells them you, as their owner, do not like pee. So what do they do? They hide it! They go in corners, they go behind the couch...just to spare you the icky pee that you clearly do not like. Aren't they so thoughtful??

Teaching your dog that you are the master isn't necessary, either. If you do it right, they'll figure it out (if you feel that that's even necessary - personally, I do not...) If you provide the shelter, food, water, guidance and exercise you will be seen as very valuable to your dog. That's when you have the decision: either command that your dog listen via force, etc. or teach your dog to trust you via proper positive-reinforcement training. That final piece is what contributes to the relationship you will have with your dog. And it's the relationship that determines whether the dog looks to you for true guidance.

So, instead of me getting on a soapbox every time someone refers to me as the Dog Whisperer, how would you suggest I tactfully and politely decline this title?

Kuna's Intro to the Dremmel

2010-08-09T10:49:00.000-04:00

Please excuse the background noise...LOL...the kids were watching TV. What better distracting environment than a 5 and 3 year old??

First, I started with the dremmel off. Then, I turned it on and just had it near him. Finally, I turned it back off and got him used to it touching his paws. The video is false advertising: this is NOT Kuna's first go-round with the dremmel. We had been working on it the day prior...

Lots of treats were involved in the making of this video!

Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training, Binghamton » Blog Archive » Puppy Socialization Diaries: Days 1, 2, and 3

2010-08-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

As posted on the Kahuna's K9s Facebook page, I'm totally inspired by fellow trainer, Casey Lomonaco's training journal. Find it here - it's really entertaining and educational: Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training, Binghamton » Blog Archive » Puppy Socialization Diaries: Days 1, 2, and 3

Stay tuned on Facebook as we work hard on Kuna's socialization!

Mistakes in Training

2010-07-20T10:16:00.002-04:00

As any good trainer will tell you, there's always something new to learn about dog training. We certainly don't have all the answers and our own dogs are not perfectly obedient. Moreover, we make mistakes too. Big ones, small ones - it doesn't matter. They're there. Being able to identify your mistakes and move forward from them is what is so wonderful about clicker training and positive reinforcement training. Thank goodness, because I've made a teensy-weensy mistake myself...

Kuna is coming along nicely with his clicker training. He now understands what the click means and when he hears it, he will repeat the behavior that earned it. Yesterday, I was working on "kennel" with him. We had been training for about 6 minutes when all of a sudden, he peed. I picked him up to interrupt his stream (which I noted was minimal) and took him outside. No harm, no foul. That was my fault. Later that afternoon, we were training again and he peed! Again, it was not a lot and he had just gone to the bathroom right before we started training. That's when it raised a flag in my head. Of course, he's not housebroken at all but to pee in the middle of getting food and right after he had already gone told me this was no ordinary pee. Kuna is stressed.

One of my mistakes was that I didn't have a timer...I only assume I had been working with him for about 6 minutes. Today, I timed us during our training session. We were working on "lie down". Sure enough, at 4 minutes and 35 seconds, Kuna peed again. Bingo. I had been pushing him too far. Learning new behaviors is tough on a puppy and while clicker training can be fun, it's also work. It takes a lot of puppy brain power to figure out what's going on!

To counteract the damage I have done (I don't want Kuna stressing every time the clicker comes out), throughout the day I am asking for a "sit", clicking and treating and then ending it there. Next time I walk by his x-pen, I click/treat him for not jumping. That's it. We will still have to work in sessions, which I will now keep to about 3 minutes to make sure he doesn't overload his puppy brain.

Thankfully, we are not working with corrections! If I had been trying to get him to lie down by using force, it would have definitely stressed him out a lot more! And the damage caused by that would be much more significant!

Something to keep in mind when training your own puppy!

e

Shame On Me

2010-07-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

Spending the weekend with Laurie Luck, assisting with her Karen Pryor Academy class, made me feel a bit, shall we say, neglectful of my own dogs' training. There are three canines in the family now, which makes time management (not to mention space management!) a top priority. It seems there is just never enough time in a day to help people train their dogs AND train my own. Shame on me. I raced home from the workshop today and immediately grabbed my clicker and treats and my dogs got to brush up on their skills.

B, as any semi-devoted reader of this blog knows, is my trouble-child with issues pouring out her cute little puggle eyeballs. She also happens to be my star performer; however, if you ain't fast enough, clear enough or precise enough, she'll quit you in a heartbeat. With Bizz, you need a plan before going in. Today, we worked on what I like to call the "Do This Drill". I write behaviors that I know Bizz is good at on a separate piece of paper for each. Then, I shuffle all the papers and randomly pull behaviors out, one at a time but very quickly. Of course, a successful behavior equals click and treat. Each behavior that has to be cued more than once (which should be none, but you'd be surprised when you give this game a try) goes in to a separate pile. That tells me what behaviors we need to work on. Once we work on them, back in to the main pile they go and we go another round. This game helps increase Bizz's fluency and speed but also helps me work on my mechanical skills too: treat delivery, stance/body language, cue usage, etc. Try it! It's a really fun game!

Next was Sarah's turn. Man oh man. When you're a good dog, you really get the cold-shoulder sometimes. We always joke that Sarah's "reward" for being so well-behaved is that she never actually gets to train! Today we worked on "What's Different?" - a game where I have Sarah leave the room and I introduce a new item in the room that wasn't there before. When she comes back in, I am looking for her to a) acknowledge there's a new item and b) try something with it! My new item: a lemonade powder mix container. She at first walked around the room sniffing everything and when she got to the lemonade container, I clicked and treated her. Then, I started to slowly click her for doing something with the container. Within 5 minutes, I had Sarah pawing the container with just her front left paw and ignoring everything else in the room. Then, I took her out again and started the game with a new item.

Then there was Kuna. Again: shame on me. This poor boy just learned what the clicker was yesterday and we've had him for 2 weeks now. tsk, tsk, tsk. Last night, we started working on sit. Now he sits beautifully and on cue, in just a day. As a trainer, however, I don't want a dog that defaults to sit. This is just my personal preference, but I want a dog that will only sit when asked (I'm only talking about during training sessions...he can sit whenever he wants to outside of that). When we're training, I want him to be creative. If he sees that we're training, I want him thinking, "how can I manipulate my environment to get a treat?" I placed a ceramic bowl upside down on the kitchen floor and waited. He sat. I gave no response. He hopped. I gave no response. He looked around with his goofy little puppy head bobbing and barked. Nothing. Then, he looked at the bowl. I clicked and treated. Immediately after he finished eating the treat, he tried the bowl again. Click, treat. I kid you not, I had that boy touching the bowl with his nose within minutes. Is this single behavior going to get me the best behaved dog on the block? No way. But it will get me a dog that thinks. Stay tuned as I start documenting Kuna's progress. He's the first dog in this house that will be clicker trained from the start! And shame on me if I don't get away from this computer and back to training my dogs!

e

Potty Training

2010-07-14T08:50:00.000-04:00

Kuna is coming along really well with his potty training. I don't know if credit is due to our vigilance, his instinct, or a combination of both. We'll go with the latter. ;)

What we've done may seem neurotic, but it's worked so far. We keep a strict schedule of when he eats, pees and poops. Then, over time, we can look back at that schedule and see "uh-oh! get Kuna outside because it's time for him to potty!"

We take him from his crate and carry him outside. I'm not a big advocate of carrying a puppy everywhere - I think it's important that they learn to walk with you, especially with a leash. But when it comes to going outside, I don't want him taking any spare moment on the trip to the yard to have an accident. We carry him to the grass, set him down and say "go potty" and sure enough, seconds later, he's "going potty".

Last night, we had some pretty good rain. It was pelting down on both of us when I took Kuna out for his nighttime pee and he just wasn't in the mood to go to the bathroom. I don't blame him - I didn't want to be out there either! So, I carried him inside, grabbed a pee-pad and put it on the bathroom floor. I set him down and said "go potty" and voila! We have potty! This was a huge sign that we're on our way to having a dog that housebroken.

My advice to you: stick to a schedule and follow it to a tee. If you deviate, you may find that your dog has more accidents in the house! Carry your dog to the bathroom so he doesn't have an accident on the way there. Set him down, say your phrase for going to the bathroom and then praise upon successful elimination! :)

e

If You Love Your Dog, Let Them Nose

2010-07-12T08:49:00.000-04:00

I am a huge advocate of "games" for dogs. Not just tug or chase, but games that stimulate their senses. While I am no scientist, researcher or veterinarian, I am of the personal opinion that dogs need mental exercise maybe just a bit more than physical exercise. This in no way suggests that physical exercise should go to the bottom of your dog's to-do list, but chat with me a moment while I discuss your dog's mental stimulation and perhaps you'll see why it is so important.

Many of us take our dogs for walks, sticking to the sidewalk or the beaten path, on a journey that our dogs have taken countless times before. To us, it often becomes a chore and so we choose to walk up the sidewalk, down the block and call it a day. Done. Dog walked. On to our next chore of the day. Or worse yet, there are those of us with a yard big enough for a dog to roam and smell, so we skip the walk thinking the yard is sufficient exercise. The bigger the yard, the less exercise our dogs tend to get. When clients tell me this is the exercise their dogs get, I literally feel a sadness in my heart. For this is not what dogs were built for and as much as we have bred dogs to serve our needs, their superior senses have survived to be passed down through the centuries.

Whether they're small, extra-large, designer or country born and bred, your dog has senses that blow ours out of the water. They can smell something miles away. Miles. Think about that. And while you're outside on your porch enjoying your cup of coffee in the morning, your dog sitting next to you could probably tell you what your neighbor a block away had for breakfast yesterday - if only they could just get the words out. (I often wish I knew what my dogs were thinking, but immediately retract that. I like that I don't know whether my dogs are judging me or not. Ignorance is bliss). Exercise that is restricted to playing in the yard is like telling a marathon runner they can only run on the treadmill. It's not the act of exercising that's so stimulating, it's the experience. The smells, the sights - your dog has these senses and yet they often go to waste as your dog lies on the couch awaiting your return home.

I told a client once that his dog needed more mental exercise because he was destroying things in the home. I suggested taking his meals and tossing the kibble in the yard, scattering it everywhere and letting his dog use his nose for "the hunt". The owner was disappointed in my suggestion. He'd saved this dog from the shelter and planned to let him live in the lap of luxury for the rest of his existence. He wasn't about to let his dog eat out of the dirt. When I explained that pigs aren't the only animal happy in dirt, he started to loosen up. :)

I don't want it to sound like walking your dog or letting them enjoy the yard should be restricted from your dog's schedule. Walks are great - try making them better by choosing different paths and leaving the sidewalk when you can. Playing in the yard is good too - interact with your dog with a fast-paced game of fetch, toss treats/kibble out in the yard for them to find, hide tupperware with food throughout the yard and provide them with lots of things to do. What I want to encourage is your creativity. I promise you, the more creative you get, the more you'll get to know your dog. You may discover you've got a smarter dog than you thought! And when the games are over and your dog is exhausted, you may also be surprised to find they aren't getting in as much trouble - because who has time to chew on socks when you're dog-tired?

Happy training!

e

Playing Mind Games

2010-07-10T06:52:00.000-04:00

We've had Kuna for six days and this dog trainer is already learning so much! Most significant of all, we had the problem of Kuna not sleeping through the night. I'm talkin' up every 30 minutes to go to the bathroom, play or just be obnoxious! I know it's a lot to ask of a baby, so I tried not to hold it against him. But I just kept thinking, "this has got to get easier! How!?" After consulting my friend, Laurie Luck, who happens to be an expert in all things puppy, she suggested I tire him out more. Well, duh. We all know that dogs need to be tired! But if I'm being honest, all we did to tire him out was play with him and some toys throughout the day and then let him sleep when he was done. This was affording him so much snooze time during the day that of course he couldn't sleep at night! To get puppy to burn off even more energy, we decided that he should have puzzles and games just like our older dogs. Here are some ideas we've found really helpful:

Tupperware Tackle
Items needed:
2 small, Glad-like tupperwares
1 lid
5 - 10 pieces of dog's kibble

Place about 5 pieces of food in the tupperware. Set the second tupperware inside, creating a stack. Put remaining dog food in the top tupperware and put the lid on. Watch your puppy figure out how to get to their food!

T-Shirt Wrap
1 old t-shirt you don't mind getting destroyed
10 - 20 pieces of dog's kibble

Wrap your dog's food in the shirt, place pieces in different places throughout the shirt, bundle it up really tight and let your puppy have at it!

Protein Drink
Items needed:
1 empty water bottle with lid removed
all the puppy's food for that meal

Pour all of your dog's kibble inside the water bottle and let him try to figure out how to get the food. This may require you making the game a little easier - if you find your dog losing interest before all the food is gone, try cutting the mouth of the bottle off. You can also cut several openings in the bottle for food to fall out. This game is also great because your dog gets used to the sound of the water bottle crackling and it's immediately associated with good stuff like food!

These are just a few examples of how to make mealtime and playtime one in the same! We've definitely seen a difference in Kuna's nighttime habits - he slept until 5 am today for the first time! Combining these mealtime practices with a regular routine of play and exercise will help your new puppy work off that extra energy! As we speak, Kuna is sleeping on my laptop's shift key...snoring away. :)

**The games described above require constant adult supervision. Please do not leave your puppy unattended while playing with these items**

Kuna arrives!

2010-07-04T08:07:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been one busy month! I won't waste valuable computer bits rehashing these last five weeks - just know that everyone is alive and well. The most recent and significant change: there's a new boy in the family. That's right: we're fostering a terrier/hound mix, 5 - 6 weeks old with cuteness seeping out of his pores. We named him Kuna - the fact that my boyfriend already named him pretty much means we've adopted him, but we keep telling ourselves it's temporary.

I always told myself that if I found a dog B could tolerate, I would adopt him/her right there. For all these years, I never understood what it was about our last foster that granted him safe access in to our home without B's world being turned upside-down. Shame on me for not thinking outside of the box. I was thinking it was only because he was a puppy. That could still be part of it but more importantly, he was a HE. B doesn't care so much for the drama that females bring - she's got enough of it to last a life time. So J and I said that if we found the right dog, he'd at least have to be a boy. :)

After only a few days of volunteering as a trainer at the Calvert Animal Welfare League, we found Kuna.

All he does right now is eat, sleep, pee, poop. Oh! And WHINE! This boy whines alllll through the night. But it's okay. I keep telling myself: his training has begun. If you go open his crate while he's whining, it will never stop.

I also forgot how much a puppy doesn't know! He doesn't know:

what a leash is

how to navigate stairs

what the sound of plastic opening could potentially mean...

He also didn't know some very important puppy lessons that can be taught by an appropriate older dog. Surprisingly, that has turned out to be Bizzle! The one dog who I thought was clueless about dog body language.

Kuna kept trying to follow her into her kennel. I lured him out of there before disaster struck, but he was very persistent. When it came time to feed her, he slipped from my hands and went for her food (I wasn't feeling worried for his safety, so you can understand why I was kind of thinking, "well, let's see what transpires.") He not only went for her food, but jumped on her head while she was eating! B emitted a low grumble...VERY appropriate for such foolish behavior! Kuna backed off immediately on his own and for the rest of B's meal, he sat at a safe distance from B and her food. She never repeated herself or got out of hand. Her stern voice told him, "You better back up kid..." and that was all that had to be said. What a great lesson for them both: B learns that using appropriate reactions works and K learns to be told only once.

I'm very interested in how B and K will learn to coexist...stay tuned for new puppy updates! We're back in the blogging saddle with plenty of new stuff to talk about!

Rumble in the Bronx - and by Bronx, I mean my living room

2010-05-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

I'd like to start out by saying it was just a normal day...a day like any other. In hindsight, however, that just wouldn't be very accurate. Yesterday was a bad day for Sarah. I knew this, I acknowledged it, but I didn't add it up until it was too late.

Sarah was feeling rather grumpy and moving kind of slow. I asked her to come lay by me while I was on the computer working so we could enjoy each other's company. She obligingly got up from her resting spot and laid down on her pillow and let out a deep, contented sigh. I went back to my computer screen to send a message to my boyfriend that went like this "I'm worried about Sarah. She isn't looking so hot..." In the middle of sending that message, the fight broke out. And it scared the crap out of me.

A little history: B is a very, very socially inappropriate dog. I (very seriously) liken her behavior to that of someone with Asperger's Syndrome: she doesn't understand dog signals and body language, she avoids eye contact but will often stare at Sarah until eye contact is made and then she looks away. She is extremely sensitive to her environment and becomes overstimulated quickly. She doesn't reciprocate smelling of hineys, meaning she's "allowed" to smell another dog but she gets very stiff and uneasy when another dog tries to smell her. And that is the exact behavior that landed her in a fight yesterday afternoon.

While Sarah was relaxing, Bizzle went in for a sniff of her lady parts. Normally, Sarah dismisses Bizzle's unfair and invasive actions with no more than a dirty look. I'm usually able to intervene and redirect their attention. Like I said, though, Sarah was extra-grumpy and she decided Bizzle needed to be told where to go. Sarah is pretty fair when she tells off another dog. She sounds ferocious but it's all noise...if the other dog says "Uncle", she lets them off with a warning. Bizzle is a do-or-die kind of dog. B doesn't say "Uncle". Sarah snapped at her and lunged on top of her. Bizzle screamed and retaliated. I yelled "HEY!" but it wasn't enough. I banged on the kitchen counter to make an interrupting noise but even that went unnoticed. My next move, although it is not recommended, was instinct. I got in the middle of it and tried to break it up.

I know, I know. Your not supposed to do that. But I'm sorry! Adrenaline was pumping, there was so much screaming and growling...I did what I thought I had to do, not what I should do.

The girls were latched on to each other before I even had time to process what was going on. There was no escalation. It was just all out brawl from the get-go. I always go for Sarah first. She's the biggest and can do the most damage. This leaves me plagued with guilt, though, because when I stop Sarah from fighting I'm now allowing Bizz a clear shot...and that is completely unfair. Bizz is the kind of dog that goes back for more. She doesn't run off sulking and hide to nurse her wounds. Nope. She gets right back in the fight, barking mad with her eyes wild. So when I grabbed Sarah by the collar and got her off of Bizzle's neck, B ran in for more and bit Sarah's tail many times before I could stop her. I was able to grab Bizz by her scruff in the middle of one of her lunges and separated them for enough seconds that the tension was eased.

It was quite a site - there I was, pushing 93 lbs of dog up against the wall with one hand while holding the scruff of a scrappy 20 lb puggle in the other...and all of us are panting like crazy. I separated the two of them and started triage. Score: Sarah received two punctures, one of which substantial but not enough for stitches, several lacerations and a swollen leg. Bizzle received three punctures, two received stitches, and several lacerations.

I couldn't help but feel completely useless as a dog owner and as a trainer. If I can't make better decisions with my own dogs, how can I expect to be worthy as an educator to other dog owners?! Thankfully, a lot of my peers comforted me back to reality. The truth is, like I'm always saying, dogs are not machines. They are living, breathing, thinking creatures who happen to have sharp teeth capable of solving any disagreement. As a trainer, I give my clients my undivided attention. I'm watching them like a hawk, studying their body language - I am far more prepared than when I am at home with my own dogs. To expect myself to be on guard 24/7 is unrealistic. To expect my dogs to get along every day of their lives is also very unrealistic.

The girls come home from the vet later this afternoon. They are getting shaved, cleaned and stitched. As expected, the repair of their physical state is doing some significant damage to my bank account. :( When they get home, they will be separated for several days until they can prove to me that the beef between them is over. And then we carry on.

Take THAT World!

2010-05-23T20:35:00.003-04:00

Oh. My. Dog. Today was the most amaaaazing day for Bizz! After getting rained in yesterday, the dogs had to spend the majority of the afternoon by themselves as I met with clients. I assumed the moment I got home, Bizzle would be in a terrible, rambunctious, bouncing-off-the-wall mood. Well, she was. :) We suited up and I knew, I just knew in my gut, that I was not mentally prepared for this walk to go poorly. I'd had a long day, a long weekend and I needed today to go well.

Usually when I telepathically beg and plead with Bizz in this manner, it somehow communicates to her "Go berserk and react to anything that moves." Today, however, the gods of reactivia (that's not a yogurt) decided to smile upon us.

We saw a total of ten fuh-reaking dogs!! Bizzle reacted to...drumroll...zero!! The first dog is whom we refer to as the Balcony Ambush. He's a fiesty Dobie that very silently lies in wait and as soon as you're underneath him, he erupts in snarls and scrabbling and nails scratching on the deck. Trust me, it's very dramatic.

The second and third dogs came as a pair. Two lanky, well-mannered Greyhounds that may have some issues of their own because their owners tend to always keep a 100 yd. distance from us. Bizzle was so calm that we got to practice our "Coooool! Look, it's a dog!" game. Repeatedly, Bizzle calmly looked at them and then looked back at me. I had to tell myself not to get too excited - this will blow up in my face any second.

The fourth was, and always is, one of our biggest challenges. He's the kind of dog some "Alpha" people dream of owning. He's a beautiful Dobie who was taught using the strictest of training. His person expects no less than 100% compliance because, well, he said so. His person also let's this pretty boy traipse up and down the sidewalk, pooping here, peeing there, claiming this, barking at that...all while he gabs on his cell phone (never to return to pick up the countless piles of feces his dog leaves behind...grrrr!). Why? Because that's just who this guy is. If his dog decides to run after something, he loves to wait until the very last second before recalling him. Just to show off how wonderfully trained his four-legged trophy is. Normally, I have a pretty big scowl on my face when it comes to this guy. He's let his dog run up on mine in the past so I expected that this time but like I said, the planets must have been aligned because today as he talked into his cell phone, he also commanded a "sit" and "stay" of his dog. Could it be!?! This afforded Bizz a chance to walk by without the pressures of a moving target. We got within 30 feet when I saw what was actually happening: the Dobie was hard-staring at Bizz!! His ears were tight in the air, his neck was craned forward just a tad and his chest didn't even move as he breathed. He was watching her like he wanted her for dinner! That is VERY intimidating for a dog like Bizz...or any dog for that matter. But she did great - not one bark!! We got past the dog and I threw down a fistful of cheez-its, freeze-dried chicken and freeze-dried fish. Eat up Bizzuckachu. You deserved that!

Even after such great successes, I found it hard not to be a skeptic when we approached the next six dogs individually. Granted, we still had to do exercises like "touch" and "ready, set, get it!" (I throw a bunch of food on the ground and she gets to forage). I also had to sprint a couple times to get out of the line of fire. But as long as Bizz doesn't get a chance to react, then I'm willing to do anything!
A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

We came a loooong way today. Honestly, I don't know what it was about the formula that made it all work today. I was using semi-new treats. I was alert and paying more attention to detail (something I've found I do when I come back from appointments with clients). I remained upbeat no matter how I felt inside. Somehow, it just all worked.

I told my boyfriend I felt bad that I didn't say thank you to Arrogant Cell Phone Guy. I should have thanked him for putting his dog in a sit/stay - that was a kind gesture towards me and I have no doubt it was a contributing factor for Bizz's success today. Next time I see him I'll let him know how grateful I am that he did that. I don't care how many piles of his dog's poop I have to step in if it means my dog gets a chance to learn. :)

E

Sit. Good Dog. Good Sit.

2010-05-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

We praise our dogs when they do something correctly and our praise tends to be something like “good girl” or “good dog”. Because we usually pet our dogs at the same time, we condition them to understand “good dog” means affection will follow. That being said, some dog owners are overzealous and decide to throw in the cue with the word “good”, which brings us to the topic of the day: Good Dog. Good Sit.

When you ask your dog to perform a behavior (sticking with the “sit” example) the goal is to get them so used to performing that behavior on cue that they could do it anywhere, anytime regardless of distractions. So if I ask my dog to sit and I’ve previously rewarded him with “good boy” when he completes that task, then he understands he has done well. If I were to ask my dog to sit, he complies, then I say, “good boy! good sit!” technically, he should sit again because I just issued the cue. Agreed? People often think that saying “good sit” will convey to the dog that his behavior was sit and it was performed to the level of “good,” which is not what the dog thinks. He understands “good” to be a marker of the behavior he performed - the one that achieved him the reward of affection, treats, etc.

Dogs win the grand prize when it comes to tuning people out. Husbands, girlfriends, kids - no one can hold a candle to dogs. They hear so much of our banter on a regular basis that they’ve learned exactly when to ignore us. When we use the words “Good Sit” we are using a word that is a cue for Sit Your Butt Down. Your dog hears this and may or may not comply. Chances are good you didn’t notice you said sit that second time so you don’t reward them. They soon learn “when she says Good Sit, it doesn’t mean anything.” You’ve now trained your dog to make a judgement call about when to listen to your cues. While we are always striving to create a “thinking” dog with clicker training, we don’t want a dog who second guesses a cue and its consequences. We want our dogs to understand that every time they hear the cue, they should perform the behavior and in return, a reward.

So, yes, it sounds nit-picky. If you’re wanting a dog with proofed behaviors, though, you have to pay attention to the things you as a dog owner might be doing to affect their performance.

Reinforce Me!

2010-04-23T10:12:00.000-04:00

I'm taking an online class and every week, we're supposed to post comments in the discussion thread. For the last three weeks, I've been diligently supplying what I think to be engaging discussion and for the past three weeks, the instructor has commented on everyone else's threads except mine. I'm getting very frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that I've noticed my desire to participate is waning. If my instructor isn't going to notice my efforts, then why try??

I'm constantly giving examples that compare human behavior to dog behavior because, well, a brain is a brain is a brain. Our brains, while they may contain different data, still operate in some of the same ways as a dog's. If I do something and it gets no reinforcement, then duh! Why waste my time doing something that doesn't work!?

This can be a good thing and a bad thing. When training your dog, if you don't like something they do, then ignore it. Chances are very good that if it never gets rewarded, they won't do it! On the flip side, if your dog is doing something you like, be sure to recognize it! Pay close attention throughout the day, not just during training sessions. While you are talking to a friend, is your dog sitting and paying attention to you? Take a moment to praise them for that behavior instead of waiting until your dog jumps up to get your attention and then yelling at them.

Reinforcement goes a long way, people! It's a wonderful tool to get rid of bad behavior and make good behavior more likely.

Now I'm going to go play Farmville instead of my psych homework because, well, my professor doesn't seem to care either way. :)

E

Earth Day!

2010-04-22T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ahhh...what a wonderful day for a tree-hugger like myself - a perfect chance to pass along some "recycling" tips for all you dog owners out there! Not only are these a great way to reuse things, but they can save you some money too! Enjoy!

- Got an empty water bottle? Before putting it in the recycling bin, remove the lid and stuff it with some tasty treats or kibble. Give this to your dog for some mental stimulation! When they're done, then toss it in the recycling bin!
* Besides removing the lid before giving it to my dogs, I also cut a slit in the bottom of the bottle because I'm paranoid their tongue will get stuck and then the bottle will get suctioned shut...I highly recommend this.*

- About to throw out some old t-shirts? Cut them in to long pieces first, then tie these pieces together in several knots to make a fun tug/chew toy for your dog!

- About to throw out the peanut butter container? WAIT! Just take the lid off and let your dog clean the inside!

- Got a spare cardboard box? Hide treats under this and watch as your dog tries to get inside of it!

- About to throw away an old pair of shoes? Use these shoes to train your dog to retrieve your shoes! You won't be worried about them getting slobbery during the training period!

Hopefully, this list gets you thinking of all the ways you can reuse things in your house. If anyone has any cool ideas they want to share, feel free to post!!

** This list provides suggestions of ways for you AND your dog to play together. Because many household items can be harmful if ingested, be sure to closely supervise your dog.**

E

Be Thankful for What You've Got

2010-04-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

I was just talking with a trainer friend of mine, who also has a reactive dog, about the benefit of having a reactive dog: it keeps you from adopting every dog in the universe!

If Bizz were open to having more canine friends, I probably would have introduced at least two new dogs to the family by now! I've applied for one and by a stroke of luck, the pit-mix was adopted out to a more suitable home (once in his new home, he developed severe phobias of the world around him - this would have been a HUGE undertaking for our whole family). Next, I found a stray that was too sweet and sociable to spend his life in a home with a dog that wouldn't like him. Luckily, he too was adopted out in just a week.

It makes me sad to think that I will have to follow a strict checklist to find a suitable dog for our situation but it also makes me appreciate the dogs that I have...

Sarah is so willing to coexist with a high-strung dog like Bizz - I just have to give thanks for that. Granted, Sarah's known Bizzle since she was a puppy, but she constantly forgives Bizz's shortcomings and excuses her inappropriate behavior time and again. Even after six years of being rejected, Sarah still play-bows to Bizzle every once in a while, which warms my heart to see.

Bizz is truly a wonderful dog, her only flaw being her acceptance of other dogs. She is bright and learns quickly, often faster than I can teach her. She is loving and really enjoys the company of her people. She's got a great sense of humor, always making me laugh with her silly antics. She's got the energy of a puppy when it calls for it but is also content with laying around the house like the giants of the canine world.

Above all else, I owe all that I have learned as a dog trainer to Bizzle. She taught me there are smarter ways to train your dog. She has taught me patience and it is because of her that I found my passion for teaching others how to have a stronger relationship with their dogs.

So, Bizz, you can stop being reactive now. I've learned my lesson. ;)

E

photo courtesy of Puppy A Go Go

Socializing Your Dog - The Right Way

2010-03-31T14:26:00.002-04:00

What's wonderful about socialization for dogs is that the word has gotten out there. Decades ago, people weren't as concerned with socializing their dogs as much as they are now. We are bringing companian animals closer and closer to urban and suburban areas, where they're more likely to come across more human stuff like bikes, people in hats, screaming kids and of course, other dogs. So, it's great that people are understanding that their dogs need socialization, but this still leaves some dog owners unsure of what that exactly entails.

The idea behind socializing your dog is exposing them to as much different stuff as you possibly can and doing so in a controlled and positive manner. A puppy living in a house with four other dogs and never getting out to have varied and positive experiences with other dogs is NOT socialized to dogs. A dog that always sees the same visitors come over every day but never gets to meet complete strangers is NOT socialized to people. A dog that is apprehensive of new people needs to start their socialization on a street that doesn't have more than a couple pedestrians rather than in Dupont Circle in downtown D.C.

Let's say you're one of the dog owners that didn't expose your dog to all the things you should have. (Trust me, I know from experience how to do it the wrong way - see the first example above.) That doesn't mean all hope is lost! Dust yourself off, get some treats, and get ready to socialize!

Get out of the house.
Well duh. To take your dog on their walk, you're already doing this! If you alway turn right as soon as you get out the door, go left! Take your dog on a different route. Let them smell a tree they've never smelled before. Keep the sniffing exciting and upbeat and encourage them to explore. Seems simple, but this can go a long way. Carry some treats with you and when your dog encounters something new, give them some treats to show them that their bravery resulted in something positive. Associating new things with food will give them confidence to explore more. If a person on a skateboard rides by, treat your dog for not barking, lunging, or running away.

Understand what your dog is telling you.
If you have a dog that is fearful of certain things, don't push it. If your dog doesn't like other dogs approaching them, then don't allow it. Forcing your dog to interact on a level that they don't feel comfortable is not teaching them to like it, it's teaching them that they need to prevent it because you won't. Understand your dog's body language. Many people already know their dogs very well - they know when they're scared or happy or interested or mischevious. Paying attention to these signs when your dog is encountering something new will help you socialize them.

Dog parks are not an example of good socialization.
Look, let's be honest. We all know the scene at dog parks. There are the dogs that are running around like maniacs because this is their only time for exercise and then there are some dogs tucked off in the corner because they don't want to play. Fights break out, resource guarding is high and there's almost always an owner that isn't paying attention. If you've always had good experiences at a dog park, then consider yourself very, very lucky. Chances are good, however, you've had some bad experiences and this can destroy your chances of having a well-socialized dog. Dog parks are a recipe for disaster. Many dog owners describe to me that when they're at the park, their dog just sits there and doesn't want to play or she spends the whole time trying to avoid the other dogs. This is not uncommon and your dog is trying to tell you, "Get me out of here!" They aren't having fun if they're not out there playing, so free yourself from thinking you have to go to dog parks so that your dog gets to play with other dogs. This can still be accomplished, just in a much more organized manner.

Become a party planner.
Introduce your dog to other dogs that you know to be well-behaved. Be sure to have loose leashes when the dogs approach each other - tight leashes can cause a dog to pull and this is bad doggie body language! Pulling looks like lunging and lunging isn't a good thing to a dog. When the dogs are sniffing, make sure one of the dogs isn't getting more sniffs than the other wants them to. Take a break after they've smelled each other for a few seconds and if they still seem interested in the other dog, then go back to smell for another few seconds. Then take a break and give treats to your dog for a job well done.

Plan to meet new people on walks, have them approach your dog, drop a treat and be on their way. This will teach your dog that strangers drop food, so that must be a good thing!

Train your dog.
Ha ha ha - I think I almost heard the eye rolls. "Well of course I train my dog! What does that have to do with socialization!?" Training your dog helpful behaviors can take you a really long way in your socializing adventures. I teach my dogs to touch my hand with their nose. We practice this like we're going to compete in the hand-touching Olympics. Why? Because when we're out and about and my dogs are getting too much stimulation, I take the pressure off by giving them something to do that they're familiar with. This takes their focus away from any stimulus and puts their focus on me. Here are some ideas of "tricks" that can help you while out with your dog:
"Watch me" - gets your dog to look at you
"touch" - engages your dog to interact with you
The list goes on and on, really. Any trick your dog is really good at can help you while you're out. And when they offer the behavior you ask for, reward them with some really good treats. This teaches them to be comfortable with new experiences. Below is a video of my dog doing "touch" (it was an impromptu video just for this blog - I had to wake Miss Thang from her afternoon nap, so she's a little groggy. lol)

Here's an older video of me running through my dog's repertoire. I do this drill with her throughout the day - she loves it! We use this when we're out because she's really sharp with it. It keeps her mind busy so she doesn't have time to worry about her environment.

If you have any more questions about socializing your dog, contact Kahuna's K9s!

My Dog's An eTrader and Your's Is Too!!

2010-03-09T08:52:00.003-05:00

It’s a joke around the house that when I leave, Sarah hops on to the computer and spends her day eTrading. I guess the joke came from the fact that Sarah probably does nothing but sleep all day…or at least that’s what she wants us to think. Here I am thinking she needs mental stimulation when I get home, but really she’s involved in heavy stock trading and screaming in to the phone at her broker while I’m away!

What’s actually true about this joke is:
dogs calculate opportunity and risk every day.

I’m in school right now; along with my professional obligations, this is taking quite a toll on my personal life. I haven’t had a moment to relax in a loooooong time but it’s worth it because in the end, I will have something to show for my hard work: my degree. I know this and I trust in this not just because someone told me so, but because my university has a proven history of graduates before me. They have credibility and I know that I will get what I want out of it.

Sarah knows that if she does something she doesn’t particularly like, I will pay her handsomely. I’ve built this trust with her. She hates wearing her jacket – I’m sure if it was up to her, she’d throw out all housebreaking rules and use her jacket as a pee pad. So why does she wear it? Because I’ve paired it with a very valuable thing: FOOD! Sarah likes food way more than she hates her jacket!! The risk: wearing the stupid jacket. The payoff: getting treats!

If your dog doesn’t like something, you can work on conditioning that BAD something with a really GOOD something. This will build up your credibility and make your dog more likely to cooperate with you! Build it up so strong that eventually, they will weigh their options: do something I don’t like but get something I really do like. Hmmm…which would YOU choose!?

Happy eTrading!

Anyone looking to hire a trainer in about 14 years??

2010-03-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

My (almost) two year old niece is like a sponge - soaking up everything in her environment. It's fascinating to watch because she's extremely accurate in her mimicry.

Once a week, I babysit Abee after work. This is my favorite time because it's just the two of us and we get to learn a lot of cool stuff without distractions. Last week, we worked on tying her shoes. Using TAGteach, we progressed pretty well. She is now putting on her shoes placing the laces in a position so that I can help with the knot, and then pulling the strings tight herself. Then, she can take them off by grabbing the shoelace at the plastic end and pulling the knot out. All in one afternoon's session! I couldn't have been more proud until yesterday...

My dogs have patiently allowed me to focus on other things going on in life, so I owed it to them to have some special one-on-one training with each dog. I asked Abee if she wanted to watch me train them and she said "OK!" As I took my seat on the coffee table to work on "touch" with Sarah as a warm-up, I look back to see my niece put out her hand to Sarah and say "touch!" I was amazed! I never taught her that - she saw me do it enough times to know that's how we start the training session. Sarah went for her hand with her nose and as soon as Sarah's nose hit her tiny little hand, she clapped her hands and said "YEAH! good girl Sawah!" So not only is my niece understanding the "tricks" I ask my dogs to perform, but she's understanding the reinforcement side as well!!

Truly fascinating!!

Kidsarama!

2010-03-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

Wow - it's already Thursday and I haven't even touched on the crazy weekend we had!

This weekend was monumental - there were two more kids visiting the house, bringing the grand total of human beings in one household up to six! My dogs are used to adults, but kids??? Since the arrival of my niece two and a half months ago, they've adapted remarkably well. So here I go, inviting two more kids over to play with my niece. And these kids are much more loud and squealy because they are a couple years older.

Sarah is such an old girl. She's a no-fuss kind of dog. If she were to have a human job, she'd be a hall monitor - the strictest one you've ever met. No running, no squealing, no playing, no wrestling, no squealing. You! Put down that vase! Don't touch that! No, we're not watching T.V. at that volume and for heaven's sake - someone stop that kid from squealing!! It was quite a lot for me to ask her to accept the chaos that swept through the house in a size 2T and 4T. But she performed remarkably and I'm so very proud. She hung out long enough to determine she'd rather be napping, so she retired early to her sun spot upstairs.

As an icebreaker, I taught the kids a really "cool" game - toss treats to B. B loves to catch food - she's a fast little piranha when it comes to flying food. The kids were too scared to offer food from their little hands and B is a little creeped out by kids. So, to keep everyone at a comfortable distance, I introduced the game "Toss-the-treat-as-fast-as-you-can-and-see-if-she'll-catch-it" (I'm working on the name...that one isn't catchy enough). Within minutes, B was thrilled that the kids were there. Because they weren't giving her food from their hands, she was smartly sitting before every food toss instead of mauling their fingers. The kids got more comfortable with crazy B - she has a tendency to move so fast, it freaks kids out. Everyone loved this game and got to know each other at the same time. I was feeling rather proud!

If you're introducing dogs to kids and vice versa, take it slow but keep it fun and interesting. Watch your dogs body language and remember: your dog depends on you to run interference. If the kids are getting too rambunctious or too handsy, have every one take a little break. If things go well on the break, you can return to interacting at a level that makes everyone comfortable - and never fault a dog for wanting to leave the situation, just let them go in peace.

E

I React, Therefore I Am

2010-02-20T18:22:00.001-05:00

All scary things deserve a reactive response.
All [insert stimulus here] are scary.
Therefore, all [insert stimulus here] deserve a reactive response.

Ahhh…the joys of syllogisms. What does classical logic have to do with training your dog? Well, dogs are calculating this precise formula every day. Whether the reasoning has truth to it means nothing – in the dog’s mind, it’s a pretty valid argument.

Anyone who knows me, knows my dog B and her reactivity. She sees a dog, she goes in to a barking frenzy. She sees a leaf blowing across the street, she shoots off like a torpedo. She's reactive, it's just who she is. But that doesn't mean that we are going to lay down and accept that and never work on training again. I work with her on a daily basis to get through her fears but I do it in such a way that it's always helping and never hurting. If your dog reacts to anything with barking or fearful aggression, it's your job to find the most positive and productive way to help them through it.

So what can I do?

Decide when the behavior begins and how bad it gets. This is called determining your dog’s threshold. When your dog sees the stimulus and begins reacting, is it within 20 feet? 50 feet? Sometimes, the stimulus isn’t even within view. As a matter of fact, sometimes there are cues that notify your dog of what’s to come. If every time you vacuum, you first move the furniture then walk to the hall closet, chances are good your dog already knows to get ready for action before you’ve even brought out the vacuum.

If your dog doesn’t fixate on the vacuum when it’s down the hall and stationary, then this may be where you have to start. With your dog on a leash, move a bit closer. If he starts reacting, then move back to where he was comfortable.

Choose your weapon. Nooooo! Not a weapon for your dog, silly! Choose what you’re going to use as reinforcement. Make a wise decision: is your dog just not that excited about his kibble but goes wild over boiled chicken? Then this is the time to bring out the chicken! You want to bring out the big guns when you’re working on conditioning your dog’s response to something. Is she spastic about a certain toy? So much so that the toy gets chosen over boiled chicken? Then this is the reinforcement you want to use!

Begin working with your dog before they reach their threshold. If every day at noon, the mailman rings the doorbell and then shoves the mail through the mail slot, begin getting your dog’s attention before noon. Start at, say, 1155. You can begin this training session by asking for behaviors your dog is good at, like “sit”, and reward with the “boring” treats: kibble, etc. Something they still find tasty, just not over-the-top delicious. Then, when the mailman arrives, keep your dogs attention by rewarding when they focus on you when you call their name. If they don’t respond, don’t wear their name out. Simply take their leash and walk them farther from the door. (Please note: this isn’t read pull them from the door…)Remember your dog’s threshold – if he no longer listens to cues when he’s right in front of the door while the mailman is putting the mail in, move back to where you can get his focus.

Decide what you’re looking for. You want focus on you and not the stimulus. You want your dog to know that the stimulus is there, but there’s no reason for a reaction. Be very careful to tune in to your dog’s body language. Just because your dog is looking at you doesn’t mean that they aren’t still approaching threshold. Listen for whining and watch for uneasiness. Does your dog look a bit spastic and jumpy as if to say “Hurry! Hurry! Give me the treat so I can get back to barking at the vacuum!” If so, rewarding your dog now could teach him that acting that way is what you want. Calmly walk with your dog further away and begin the training again by asking for a desirable behavior, such as sit.

K.I.S.S. Keep it short, silly. ;) Working with a reactive dog is stressful – for you and your dog. Keep sessions very short, no longer than 10 minutes, to avoid overstressing the two of you. If you feel frazzled or out of control at any time, STOP! The session will go nowhere if you aren’t focused, patient and willing to help them through this. Don’t blame yourself and don’t get discouraged. Pick back up again in 30 minutes if you feel you’ve had enough time to recuperate.

So let’s review.

- Know your dog’s threshold, work at a level that they can focus on you

- If necessary, remove the stimulus (or remove the dog from the stimulus)

- Use high-value reinforcers (treats, toys, etc)

- Reward your dog’s focus on you and not the stimulus – ask for a behavior they know well, even call their name (remember: only once!)

- Progress at a level that you and your dog feel comfortable – sometimes it’s “two steps forward, three steps back” – that’s okay! As long as you’re making steady progress overall!

E

My Doggie Checklist

2010-02-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

I want a dog who:

is happy to just be spending time with me - even if it's lying next to me while I type on my laptop all morning.

forces me realize how good it actually feels to run as fast as I can chasing birds. (Sorry birds)

wants to keep learning (and reminds me it's my job to facilitate that learning).

makes me laugh.

makes me cry...hell. I want a dog who makes me feel.

is lazy sometimes.

annoys me. Without that, I will never learn to be as patient as I should be.

reminds me not to take myself so seriously.

reminds me not to take them so seriously.

needs me to keep my composure - because it's my leadership they're looking for.

comforts me when I'm just not up to being a leader that day....

Thank you to S and B for meeting (and exceeding) all of the criteria on my checklist. ;)

Happy Valentine's Day to both of you!

Love you,

If You Don't Eat Your Meat, You Can't Have Any Pudding!

2010-02-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

My niece is at an interesting time in her development. At 19 mos. old, she's constantly testing her environment. She will cry if she wants something and if she is rewarded with what she wants, she's learned, "the next time I want something, cry." If I withhold giving her what she wants until she is no longer crying and I wait until she politely asks for it, I've taught her that the next time she wants something, crying may or may not work; however, if shes just asks for it, she will get it quicker. Similarly, if she wants dessert, she has to finish her dinner. No dinner? No dessert. The rule is straightforward and clear. I am consistent so that she knows what to expect every single time.

At the risk of receiving eyerolls from skeptics, this is no different from training your dog.

If your dog wants something, they have an arsenal of behaviors readily available for experimentation. They look in to their doggie database and recall what has worked best in the past.

"Let's see...last time I wanted this toy, I barked." BARK!

This is when the ball is in your court. You can choose to give them the toy or you can ask them to sit instead.

"Sit, Puppy."

If they sit, you reward them with the toy. This provides them with a wealth of information. You've not only told them what TO do, but you've indiscretely told them what NOT to do. Without reprimand. Without yelling. Without correction. You've told your dog, "If you want something, barking will reap no reward. Sitting will."

Clear. Concise. To the point.

If I vary these rules before my dog understands them, I've only muddied the waters. If I sometimes let my dog have the toy after a bark, my dog learns, "try barking next time, it sometimes works".

My niece is testing out how what kind of consequence (good or bad) crying will yield. She will still test me when it comes to finishing her dinner and expecting dessert. That's fine - I know the rules because I set them. If I'm sure to stick with it, the unwanted and unrewarded behavior will fade because it's just not paying off.

E

Snow My Dog

2010-02-10T17:12:00.001-05:00

It's been a cold winter in the last week alone. Thursday night we prepared for the record 30" snowfall - I'm thinking we were in the percentile that got more than that. Last night and today, we got another 10" just as we finished clearing the parking spots. I haven't seen this much snow since my years spent living in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. And here it is, dumped on top of us right here in the DC Metro region by Mother Nature.

As beautiful as snowfall can be, it can also be a pain. The dogs have no where to go to the bathroom (unless I get out there and pave a path). They can't get their normal exercise so I have to keep them active and engaged mentally. Just as people get stir-crazy, you can bet dogs do too. I have been working from home and my sister and niece have been here as well. The noise and activity level has been at an all-time high. You better believe the dogs notice this in comparison to their normal days spent in quiet slumber on every couch in the house. (I can't prove that last part, but I've gathered some incriminating evidence over the years such as sunken couch pillows, slobber spots and extra dog hair...)

The best advice I can give: keep yourself connected with your dogs and how they're feeling. Learn some new tricks, work on perfecting old tricks and, if you have a multiple dog household, give each dog their special "me-time". Take notice when your dog is acting funny - it could just be that she, too, is experiencing a bit of snowverkill.

Stay warm!

One Month Down

2010-02-02T19:40:00.002-05:00

It's been one month since my sister and niece came to live with me. I think it's safe to say the transitional phase is winding down! The dogs are becoming more comfortable with the faux pas that kids make: screaming, running, pulling and the total invasion of personal space. Congrats to Sarah for being patient with the "Nigh-night Sarah" game in the video below. She was rewarded quite handsomely...

How can positive reinforcement be so bad?

2010-01-20T20:01:00.005-05:00

As clicker trainers, we practice and preach positive reinforcement. Positively reinforce every behavior you wish to see again and you shall receive. This sounds pretty fool proof, right? Well...it isn't that easy. Every once in a while, I come across a client who wants to reinforce a behavior that "kinda" resembled the correct one. "well, Puppy kinda sat" or "Fido kinda came back to me". Sometimes, people think giving their dog reinforcement that wasn't exactly deserved is doing them a favor because "they look so sad" or "I don't want them to get discouraged." Inconsistencies like this can be confusing to any trainee. I can use myself as an example.

Tag Teach is a wonderful way to positively train people! I'm part of a trainer's forum that positively reinforces posts every week. For example, one week the moderator will post "This week's TAG point [the action that will get you positive reinforcement known as a TAG] is 'trim your posts when replying to the forum'". At the end of the week, every one who posted to the forum and remembered to trim their posts will be recognized by the forum moderator. Personally, I love being recognized. I like knowing I've done something right and someone noticed. Lately, however, I've received TAGs for things I've never done. I haven't posted to the forum in two weeks but somehow I've managed to make it on to the weekly listing of people that did something right. Sure, I feel good that my name is on the list. But I've literally spent the last couple days perplexed. Did the moderator make a mistake by posting my name...twice?? Did my posts not go through properly/on time?? Is there someone else by the same name? If that's the case, have we both been improperly recognized this whole time?

The point is this: when you think you are doing something good by giving away "freebies" you could very well be confusing your dog just as my "freebies" confused me. I still don't know what posts were correct. I can't repeat the behavior - even though I know what the moderator asked for, I have no idea what I actuallydid. When training your dog, remember to be consistent. Even if you think they're sad because you think they deserved that treat/toy/praise. If they didn't perform the behavior you're looking for, then they don't get reinforcement. This isn't cruel - it's helpful for the learning process!

Happy Clicking Everyone!

E

Smooth Transitions

2010-01-02T10:19:00.006-05:00

These past few days, there have been significant changes to my household. My sister and her daughter have come to live with us for a while. There are several things I did in preparation: baby gates, cabinet locks, etc. But I didn't pay as much attention to helping my dogs transition as I should have.

B is a dog that has trouble adapting - this I know and have come to love and appreciate. However, I didn't help her much in preparation. I should have had my sister send some of my neice's worn clothes so my dog could smell them. I should have been more committed to watching the toddler shows on TLC so that my dog could get an ear for a screaming/crying/whining toddler on the cusp of her terrible twos. But I didn't. I got complacent. I took for granted the wonderful training my dog has already been through and I just figured I had done the basics and that was enough.

When they arrived, it was a little stressful. I introduced them outside because B is more neutral outside. She did well - letting out a few fearful, unsure barks. I encouraged her socialization by clicking and treating her everytime she touched the shoes of my sister and neice. This calmed her a bit. She gets nervous when I leave the room...B's never had separation anxiety but I feel like it's developing in to that. So I'm trying to combat that very carefully.

Today marks day three of managing the new living environment. B has calmed down significantly...going from barking everytime my neice moved to resting quietly while she walks over to pet her. This has all been a lot of work. A lot of attention, a lot of clicking and treating, and a lot of management. I have to know when B has had enough...when it's time for her to escape to her crate. I have to know when she's reaching aggravated vs. curious vs. frightened. It's my job to make sure her life is as stress-free as possible. Sigh. So far, it's taking a lot of kongs, frozen fruits and rawhides. Stay tuned!

E

and by the way...

2009-07-26T19:19:00.001-04:00

...guess who didn't get to go...

Lure Coursing Champion of the World!

2009-07-26T18:26:00.007-04:00

This Saturday, CBARRC hosted an open Lure Coursing event. For those of you not familiar with lure coursing (this weekend was my first time!), it's a wired course with two plastic flags attached. There is an operator who controls the pace of the flags depending on the age and athletic ability of the dog. This sport is ideal for sight-hounds...hence, the strong presence of the Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

CBARRC opened the course to anyone who wanted to try. J and I just wanted to check it out - we knew this isn't an event for B since the dog chasing the lure is off-leash and other dogs are waiting on deck for their go. We figured S would be too lazy to take part and figured if anything, this would be a great socialization experience for S.

We were pleasantly surprised. At first, S watched the other dogs chasing the lure with an inquisitive turn to her head. The third time she saw the lures, she was crying like a banchee! I would have been embarrassed had I not been at an event where this kind of behavior is expected - the whole point is for the dog to get so excited that they'll chase the lure. After about 5 minutes of crying her head off, I looked to J and said, " I guess we better sign her up!"

The first video is S's first run ever. I had never handled a dog for luring so I let Carri show me how it's done. The second video is S's second run and my first as handler...what an awesome experience!!

I couldn't be more proud!

E

PS - Listen to S in the second video - she's crying the whole time!!

Closing and Opening

2009-07-26T18:19:00.004-04:00

J set up a cool little "obstacle" course for S. I take no credit for this particular obstacle - it's all him!

If you recall, we'd been working on teaching her Open It, Close It, and Get a Towel. We've got some fine tuning to do but it's coming along nicely.

The funniest thing is that we haven't properly indicated what we want her to do with the towel (we ultimately want her bringing it to us). So you'll see in the video she comes up with some ideas of her own.

Training When Guests Come Over

2009-07-05T09:54:00.001-04:00

***Posted on our facebook page!! Come visit us: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kahunas-K9s/98634629823***

Yesterday was the celebration of our country's independence and with that comes the ceremonial...BBQ!

We had some guests over and, as predicted, the girls weren't necessarily the most perfect dogs at the door. In their defense, they've never been fully trained in that situation. If you don't train a dog in the situation where they'll need to behave the most, you can't expect perfect behavior!

So what did I do instead? I kept an eagle eye on what they did right while greeting the guests and I rewarded it. Also, if they started to get scared/uneasy/unsure, I encouraged them by reinforcing their courage. B hates being pet from above her head...it sketches her out and makes her duck under the weight of someone's petting hand. So when someone pet her from above her head, I showered her with her favorite treats.

If you keep experiences positive by associating treats with everything, you're more likely to have a well-adjusted dog with excellent bounce back. If you haven't trained something yet and you know that situation is coming up (hello! Fireworks anyone!!??) then be prepared with YUMMY, high-value treats and you can turn any potential disaster in to a training session!

Happy Training!

E

Right, Wrong and the Animals Stuck in Between

2009-05-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

Here it is folks. More talk about animals and their ability (lack thereof??) to tell right from wrong.

Read article here.

It's not that I don't think animals are capable of emotions, please don't get me wrong. I think it traps us humans in to thinking that the animal is now responsible and is capable of correct decision making without our teachings. This is dangerous to say the least. It’s because of this that we think our animals “know” that peeing in the living room is wrong and they feel guilty because of it. That theory then causes us to feel justified with the use of punishment – the animal knows they were wrong and therefore they understand the negative consequences.

It’s dangerous and flawed. Instead of putting the responsibility on our animals, we should put it on us. We are the only being that we can truly, 100% change.

Little Girl's Training Update

2009-05-25T18:56:00.002-04:00

B and I are working on "Put 'Em Up!" I point my finger gun at her and she puts her two front paws up in the air.

We started out targeting to get her jumping and putting her paws in the air. Shaping played an enormous role in this behavior - we started out with what resembled a shark attack out of water. LOL! She was constantly biting the end of the target, so we had to ditch that quickly. I knew she was good at high five so I figured if I stood up and asked for a high-five but held my hand out of reach, she might still try to give me a high-five. BINGO! I C/T until the behavior started to resemble her stretching up in the air.

Next, I had to change the hand signal. In order to do that, I started whipping my hand out from behind my back, still giving her the flat palm used for High-Five. When she was reliably responding to that cue, I would flash the flat palm (expecting the behavior) then VERY QUICKLY flash the new hand signal, the pointed gun. Each time, I would give her the cue she knows and then the new cue. That way, she's performing the behavior as the gun is pointed at her. The timing had to be sharp, but it worked marvelously!

Then came the verbal cue. When she was reliably responding to the "quick draw" hand signal, I inserted "Put Em Up!" This took place beautifully - I credit B mostly because she too damn smart!

I made a huge error the next time around: I was just sitting around and pointed the gun at her and said "Put Em Up!" I got nothin'. I tried again with no verbal cue. Nothin'. What's the difference? I was sitting!! B started to get so angry at me because she had no idea what I was asking! She started to grumble and howl at me...lol. Okay, okay!!! I'm sorry!!

Now, we're working on me asking her to sit, stay...then I walk away and quick draw shouting "Put em up!" and she pops up with paws in the air.

wish us luck!

E

Big Girl's Training Update

2009-05-25T18:40:00.005-04:00

S's latest training goal is to open and close drawers and cupboards in the kitchen. While this may sound simple to us humans, there are a lot of important steps to get to that goal.

First, I taught S to target a piece of tape. Then, I placed that tape on the drawers and cupboards and had her target them all. Instead of sticking to just one drawer, I moved around a lot between drawers and cabinets because I wanted to try generalizing earlier on. This seems to work for her - once she was consistently target the items, I waited for her to actually close them by slamming them shut. In a sense, the sound of the drawer/cabinet slamming became the conditioned reinforcer and I no longer needed the click. That way, she was sure to actually "close it" every time and none of this half-ass stuff she likes to do.

It's coming along beautifully; however, since I am human AND the teacher, I made a mistake. I didn't write down my goals specifically and therefore suffered a bit of muddled instruction. I wasn't clear on what I wanted her to do because, let's face it: I didn't even know what I wanted her to do! The issue was: how am I going to get her to open it when I can barely open the door without her slamming it shut on me!? So we stumbled a bit. She got frustrated with me and whined an awful lot but after I cleared it all up and got my act together, we were back on track.

Where we stand
She knows the cue "Close it" and executes it when I am standing in a neutral location for cabinets. If I should stand more to a certain side, she aligns herself with me and then pushes the door. In the absence of a cue, that is her cue to "open" (no cue yet) and only closes on cue. She is learning to reposition herself in order to push the door closed, which was a HUGE hurdle for us both. Originally, she tried opening the door with her nose and pushing it until it almost split off the hinges. LOL - oopsie!! With the drawer closing, I can be standing anywhere within 3 feet and she understands what I'm asking her.

Where we're going next
I will begin to distance myself from the drawers and place myself in different locations, issuing the cue and expecting her to perform the same behavior as before. I have a feeling opening the drawers is going to be very different from opening the cabinets, so I am going to try and introduce that before I put in the cue to open cabinets. That way, when the cue goes in, it blankets the two behaviors. With the opening/closing: "Close it" is still on cue and she's beginning to understand that if I haven't asked for a "close it", then she needs to push from the other side in order to "open it". We'll see if we're ready for that cue, but I think we'll focus on her understanding the two sides to the cabinet.

The most difficult thing to remember when teaching your dog complicated cues: They don't know spoken words. So, even though the difference between open and closed make perfect sense to us, to them it's just another detail we have to tell them to pay attention to.

Keep you posted!

E

Said It Perfectly...

2009-05-20T15:04:00.003-04:00

I'm a huge fan of Best Friends Animal Society after I caught wind of what they did to help rehabilitate some the Michael Vick pitties. Since then, I've loyally tuned in to their show: Dogtown. Their trainers are intelligent, patient and kind and follow the same teachings as myself and so many other trainers out there.

Often, we trainers discuss how we should refer to ourselves. Are we positive-based? Well, that could also mean "positive punishment" which is a technical term for training by introducing punishment to get rid of a behavior. But that's not what I do, so I don't want to be confused with the people who use those techniques.

Well, Best Friends hits the nail on the head in this article. They refer to it as "relationship-based" training. That's exactly what we do - we build the strong relationship that is required to make any progress in a dog's training. If the dog doesn't trust you, you won't get anything out of him. If you have no relationship with the dog, you won't understand him when he tries to tell you he's not ready to train today.

So, read up and enjoy~!

Go Lay Down

2009-05-10T10:33:00.012-04:00

See the video here:

It's been a while since I've done a training video. This weekend, I decided to introduce "Go Lay Down" to B the way we've been doing it in Canine Building Blocks.

The steps are:
1. Lay down a mat
2. As soon as, and every time, your dog pays any kind of attention to that mat, C/T
3. Begin shaping the type of "lay down" you want

(You'll have to ignore the fact that I'm in my pajamas...lol. And S also wanted some screen time, so she decided to jump in there at one point.)

B loves to see how much, or how little, she can get away with. In fact, I think this is one of the things that shows dogs have a sense of humor. I see it as a form of sarcasm, which I just adore. Instead of putting all of her body on the towel, she will try to get away with her butt hanging off. So you'll see that I withold some clicks because of that. B also LOVES chasing the treat. It's just something I've learned. I've noticed she comes back much faster if there's a little chase involved. I have no behavioral science degree and some trainers might argue that this isn't following correct procedure, but B is a wild child and if I can let her get away with that while at the same time producing excellent results, well, I'm going to.

Looking at the video with a trainer's eye, I notice that I do at least one thing that should be nipped in the bud. Can you spot it? I sometimes cue her with my hands! I wave my hand or point towards the mat - and not even on a consistent basis! Perhaps by watching the video, you can see how unnecessary that is. B already knows what she's doing...she's been doing it fairly consistently. So it's the dumb human in me that feels I have to point. It's a wicked habit but even something so small can slow the process. If B gets the idea that she needs to wait for my hand cue, then I could have a dog who's Lay Down digresses! It's obvious she's better off without my hand cue!

Also worth noting is that I choose to move around to change things up. The first time I move positions, this throws her for a loop. She tries to lay down in front of me, not on the mat. These kinds of behaviors are expected - just don't reinforce them and be patient! Watch how she figures out, without me saying anything, that lying down in front of me wasn't the point of the exercise. It's that mat I'm interested in!

Remember, give your dog credit. They're MUCH smarter than you think they are. Let them exercise their brains. Just as you would instruct a school age child to "Sound it out...." when reading, wait out a dog that is showing signs of understanding what you are asking of them.

Oh yeah, don't knock me for the intro. So, I asked her to sit and she laid down. Yes, I should have waited for the appropriate response. But, as I'm sure you can tell, what I meant by "sit" was "stop grabbing the damn towel and let me throw it down already!!!" Therefore, her laying down was an acceptable response. ;)

Happy Training!

Those 3 Small Words

2009-05-06T07:13:00.003-04:00

The most recent edition of APDT Chronicle includes an article written by renowned behaviorist and author Patricia McConnell, PhD. The article, entitled The Emotional Life of You and Your Dog: A Glass Half Empty or a Glass Half Full?, covers a highly debatable subject within the science world: do dogs have feelings and what are they?

The feelings discusses within the article are fear, anger, happiness, seeking and love. I've chosen to add my two cents to the latter.

Do dogs love? I know as a dog owner, I would sure love to know that my dogs love me back. I know that my own love for them goes deeper than my heart can contain. It literally aches when I imagine how much I care for them. For humans, love is huge. We love to be loved and love to love. But is that so for our furry companions?

It’s argued that love has no position in a dog's day to day survival – they don’t need love to procreate, that’s mechanical. What kind of survival tactic is loving? If anything, we humans can identify with love being more painful than it is life-saving.

I argue that dogs DO love using an example from my own life.

I have a very set routine when I get ready in the morning. Every morning, B joins me in the bathroom on her pillow I’ve designated as her resting spot while I “put my face on.” She follows me from the kitchen to the bathroom and curls up on her pillow in the corner and drifts off to puppy sleep. Anytime I leave the room, she wakes up and if I’m gone too long, she comes to find me. Keep in mind, she gets nothing from me as far as food/treats. Most mornings, sad to say, I’m too much in a hurry to give her more than a rub on the ears. But she sticks with me still. I like to believe that it’s because being around me is rewarding enough. Just being in the same room together gives her great comfort…the kind of comfort that leads to deep, jerky, chasing-whitetailed-deer dreams. Isn’t this a form of love? Wanting to be with someone...just because it feels good? I know this isn’t a strong argument for such a controversial debate. But for me, it makes my heart happy.

Dogs are social animals. They would rather be with someone they like than no one at all. So, naturally, when you spend time with someone you begin to form a relationship. If I was someone B didn’t particularly care for, I don’t see it worth her time to get up from her cozy spot on the bed with the rest of the family. She chooses to spend her mornings with me before I leave. She then moves to her chair in the living room and waits there until I return (moving through the house looking for mischief at steady intervals throughout the day).

I like to think that this is because I’m important to her. And not just because I’m the provider of her resources, but because she truly loves me.

It's My Blog, I'll Do What I Want To

2009-04-28T14:22:00.004-04:00

I have successfully maintained a wide separation between my blog and my animal rights stand. Until today. Those who know me well know that I have a bleeding heart for animals and will fight for their rights until my last breath.

So why have I decided to blur the line of separation today and bring it up on my blog? Because people just aren't getting it.

The recent outbreak of swine flu...heard of it??? Read what CEO of the Humane Society of the United States has to say on the subject.

When you're done reading that, tell you me you don't feel just a tiny bit guilty for the damage we gluttonous humans cause.

Dog Days of Summer

2009-04-27T13:40:00.005-04:00

Wasn't it just 40 degrees a week ago? Where did this heat wave come from? My clothes are sticking to me and I'm having trouble concentrating. The upside of the muggy weather? B tires out much quicker! Hooray! I know that her stunning athleticism will mean that she will acclimate quickly...boo. For now, however, I'm thankful that she has her tongue hanging out after an evening run. The extreme downside of summer? I know that I will come across many a dog owner that doesn't understand just how fatal this heat can be.

Last year, I got in to a verbal altercation with an individual who had his dog sitting outside in the sweltering heat while he was inside grocery shopping. All the windows were up. His defense: he was only going to be a minute (the conversation between us took 5 minutes...that's already too long) and he just had the AC running on extra cold before they arrived at the store about 15 minutes ago. Most accidents happen when we don't expect them. If we expected them, they wouldn't necessarily qualify as an accident, would they? I'm not now, nor was I then, suggesting that this gentleman meant ill-will towards his precious Bichon Frise. What outrages me is his lack of concern, which then turned in to extreme defensiveness, when I brought his dog's potential fate to his attention.

People, let's be careful this summer. We brought our animals in to our lives, the very least we can do is protect them from these kinds of circumstances.

The Humane Society provides some great tips for the summer.

(oh! for a little background on the saying Dog Days of Summer, wikipedia answers all.)

Would YOU Live to Please?

2009-04-24T08:39:00.006-04:00

I've heard this so many times:

Spot is such a good dog - he just lives to please me!

This idea kind of irks me. Why would a dog live to please us? That's the sole purpose of a dog's life - to please humans? What an egotistical thing to imagine. How's about we imagine for a moment an animal who's discovered just how beneficial it is to their survival to hang out with us humans. We feed them, we vaccinate them, we provide them shelter and companionship...the works. It is in their best interest to please us, but that doesn't make it their life's purpose.

This little hang-up can truly slow training progress. It's only when we stop expecting our dogs to perform behaviors "just because" and start showing them why it's beneficial that we reap the benefits of training.

You don't go to work every day just to hear your boss say "good job, Bill!" If that was the only thing you got, I'm pretty sure you'd find another job. It's the paycheck that keeps us coming back because we have bills to pay and someone to support (whether that's a family or just yourself!). when it comes to training, don't expect your dog see life much differently than you.

Underestimated

2009-04-08T16:28:00.011-04:00

While S is recovering from her surgery, I found it only fair to occupy B. After all, she's a bratty dog as it is...I can't have her acting out. LOL. Dogs need mental stimulation. Period. If this is news to you, I feel sorry for your dog. Blunt, yes, but I'm just being honest. While at Clicker Con 2009, I got a Dog Twister game for the girls. It has these sliding triangles that block the food you place in a little cutout hole in the wood. The object is for the dog to learn to slide those triangles (actually, I don't think they're technically triangles but I failed geometry. Twice. So lay off) in order to get the food. We've been feeding the dogs their dinner this way - it gives them one last piece of homework in order to earn their meal before the day is done. o make the game even more advanced, there are little wooden pegs that actually block the "triangles" from sliding. Again, it's up to the dog to figure out they must first remove that peg and then slide the "triangle".

When I read the instructions, I scoffed at that part. Remove the pegs???? How is a dog, my dog has no fingers I might add, going to remove something? Not to mention, how does such a simple creature like a dog understand that it's the peg (a human tool) blocking her access to food??

Ah, behold, the power of the brain. The first time I saw B remove the peg, I thought it was a fluke. So I replaced it. She looked at me like I was the biggest a-hole in the world and took it out again. We played this little "it's a fluke" game for a couple seconds before I realized she is truly understanding the consequences of her actions. "If I move this out of the way, the thingie slides and I get the food underneath." She learned how to manipulate a HUMAN TOOL! That's the part I can't get my simple brain around! Here's B, understanding the concept of something I can buy in the lumber aisle of Home Depot. I've started clicking her when she lifts it up, so in the first video, you'll notice her pause for a second after she picks it up. You'll also see she gets a little frustrated when she can't get to the food right away. I'm not the best videographer -please excuse my shaky filming. B is also a little out of focus in the end of the longer vid. Sue me. And for those non believers, I've made this as difficult as I can imagine. I put all five pegs in, not allowing a single "thingie" to slide and everytime, perfect performance.

Post-Op

2009-04-08T15:36:00.011-04:00

Big S is back today and back to life, after a hellacious evening. Her vet, Dr. Morse Davis of Kingsbrook Animal Hospital removed her tumor and left about a 12" incision. Poor girl will be resting for quite some time.

My Gentle Giant

2009-04-07T06:58:00.008-04:00

The big girl goes in for surgery today - the doc will be removing one mast cell tumor and another bump on her leg. Poor girl has been through so much in her life - she's such a fighter that she makes me proud. Cross your fingers for a speedy recovery...I know she'll fight me the whole way! Even though she's a pretty lazy dog, when S wants something, she gets it. If you tell her she can't go upstairs to lie down in her parents' bed, she will sneak away like a ninja. My big, stinky-eared ninja.

Quote of the Day

2009-04-03T10:36:00.008-04:00

Alright, yes, you caught me. I'm blog-bombing. You'll have to forgive me. And when you're done forgiving, enjoy a little quote from my Dog Fancy calendar:

"I used to look at [my dog] Smokey and think, "If you were a little smarter, you could tell me what you were thinking,' and he'd look at me like he was saying, 'If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to.'" -- Fred Junglaus

Aw, how true.

Dogs aren't stupid...humans are for thinking they are.