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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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