Said It Perfectly...

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.