Keeping Up Appearances merely that: Keeping Up Appearances

Keeping Up Appearances merely that: Keeping Up Appearances

Sunday’s She Says lead story about the discrimination woman face based on appearances was important. But I think it only states the problem and doesn’t do anything to change a situation which I think most people would agree does need updating. I don’t think many would deny the impetus for this story is Robin Huebner’s recent resignation and the ongoing story. That’s the background.

Ultimately, the story merely said that other women have faced the same discrimination Huebner faces, and that it’s been going on for a long time. Has this trend lessened? Certainly 40% of the TV news force, as reported, will imply that yes, things are better for women. The article doesn’t state that numbers are increasing, just that 40% is the current percentage. 

Stacie Schaible, as a size 10, described herself as a “big ommpaloompa”. If size 10 is average (and personally I think that’s low), that means half the women who are reading this story are bigger than a size 10. And she’s effectively called us “big oompaloompas” as well. She’s done the exact same thing she experienced by not being size 2. 

           

So where do we go from here? Accept Huebner’s resignation and watch the stories as they cover her lawsuit? I noticed that Schaible is the only woman interviewed that still anchors TV news. That doesn’t bode well for Huebner, or any woman who wishes to be a part of the news industry. Perhaps “apart of the news industry” would be more apt. 

We can however, make a difference, if we as the viewers refuse to allow appearance to dictate our lives.  If we accept the state of affairs as they stand, we merely perpetuate the myth of beauty, and women will remain second-class.

By creating a women’s section of the newspaper, the Forum has tried to empower women. Some disagree, and that’s being debated elsewhere. For me, this story goes only so far, and not far enough. Stand not with just stating history, rather take steps into the future to empower all people to be their best. 

An Eventful Month

I'm in the process of moving my blog over to AreaVoices, which will hopefully generate more readers. The new address will be allsmartpets.areavoices.com. As usual, I need some time to get used to the new site, so I'm still going to post here for a while.

Last Sunday I entered Kiernan in a UKC conformation show. He was a crypt, and is neutered. I'm so glad there's an altered class in UKC. We did about a week of training but I had no idea if he would perform the behaviors in the ring. He had never been gone over by a judge (except in obedience, of course.)

I made two mistakes - When the judge asked me to show her his bite, I had bait in my hand, which I held with three fingers & used my thumb and first finger to try to get his mouth open. Anyway, Kiernan just wanted to twist around and get the food. My bad. The second mistake was when I forgot to release him from a stand stay when we (I) started a down-and-back. Actually that one was neat, knowing he understood and generalized a stay to a completely new situation.

We came away from the show with an even better outcome... Best in Show (Altered). Here's the kicker: He did it TWICE! Gotta love the UKC for allowing two shows each day. I tried really hard not to jump up and down screaming in the ring, and saved it all for the car ride home. I'm still high with excitement! While taking pictures both judges commented on how nice he is, and what a shame he had to be neutered.

It's been an eventful month.

A disastrous start to the Bismarck Kennel Club shows with my van dying, ended up on a positive note. I learned that I really do have lots of people who care about me. Friends are precious and we can never say thank you enough. Kiernan pulled it together on days three and four, earning scores I'm thrilled with in Novice obedience. It's the first time I've ever been in the 190s, or placed. I learned tons about my handling, too, (Thanks, friends!) It was interesting how I felt after earning my second-highest score ever (189.5)... I was disappointed. It did not feel right, and I vowed never to accept simply a qualifying score. I loved the feeling of doing well, and nothing less will do any more. I've tightened my criteria and we're training harder than ever before.

The Forum published a story on All Smart Pets Training for the It's My Job feature, and I am still getting calls, comments, and emails about it. The article turned out wonderful, and I'm very proud.

Then the UKC show last weekend. A busy month.

One of my all-time favourite bands is Queen. I admire their chutzpah in singing "We Are the Champions." They really did have remarkable confidence in their abilities and never stopped believing in themselves.

Here and now I am adopting that attitude. I am taking the success I want. It's addicting - a few high scores, a couple of ribbons. I'm doing what I love, "Listen all you people, come gather round." I'm gonna sing "Don't Stop Me Now" as loudly as possible, (though not nearly as well as Freddie) because after all, "I Want It All - And I Want It NOW!"


BTW - stop on over at http://allsmartpets.areavoices.com/ too. I wrote another post on a similar topic, but less Dear Diary than this one. It's called "Hunger."

Catch you all again soon! Happy training. And thank you for being my friend!

Tie-Outs and Barking Dogs

A lot of you may not like what I have to say today, and that’s OK. In fact, I’m going to be very blunt. I’m done trying to be nice on this issue.

If your dog is outside barking at people that walk past your house, don’t complain to me about it. I will simply ask you why you let it happen. I can’t fix it. It’s NOT a TRAINING problem. It’s a people problem. Specifically, YOUR problem.

Here’s how you fix it:

No tie-outs.

No outside kennels.

No bark collars. No e-collars.

No choke chains. No prong collars.

No corrections of any kind.

Your dog will never, I mean NEVER, be outdoors without you, on a 6-foot leash (not a flexi.)

You will get dressed early on a Saturday morning and take him out to potty.

You will give him extra time to poop, too.

You will walk him around the block multiple times per day.

You will not use the tie out just while you are grilling, or eating, or chatting with friends.

You will not leave him out while you run inside for just a minute.

Period. End of story.

Your dog is barking for a reason. And it’s not because he likes getting zapped or sprayed or choked. 

“He’s being territorial.” “He’s protecting me.”

Bull. He’s not paying the mortgage. You are. Until he does, it’s your yard. And since you’re out with him, you can walk him to the other side until the neighbor dog passes.

“He’s just saying hi.” “He wants to play.” “He’s not vicious, he’s energetic.”

Woof & sniff is saying hi. BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK (growl) BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK is not “Good afternoon. How are you? Did you hear the gossip about Fifi?” And since you’re out with him, when a dog friend comes by, you can let them greet each other politely.

“He’s always been like that.” “He was abused as a puppy.” “His breed always barks.”

And if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.  Remember, you’re out there with him now.

“Oh, he’s usually fine.” “He only barks at _______.”

But sometimes he does bark, and sometimes _______ comes past. And it’s something you want to change. So you’re outside with him now.

“They feed off each other’s barking.”

So take them out one at a time. You are taking them out on leash and staying with them, right?

“He won’t pay attention to me.” “I can’t get him to stop.”

Why should he pay attention to you when you haven’t paid attention to him? But now, you do pay attention to him, because you’re out there with him. Building a relationship.

“He likes spending time outside.” “Dogs should be outside.”

Really? Then why is he barking? Let’s talk about your relationship. Which is improving because you’re outside with him. Right?

“I want him to bark, once. Then stop.” “He lets me know when someone comes.”

And since you are now outside with him, on leash, you can take care of the situation, visitor, or distraction. And if not, then you subconsciously want to own a reactive dog, and that’s a whole different ball game.

If you want to train your dog to pay attention to you, come when called, or follow your cues, by all means it’s a training issue.  Does he bark while you’re out on a walk? Want to figure out what your dog is telling you with his barking? Need help helping him overcome his fears? Would you like your dog to play with you? Wish your relationship were better? All these things can be addressed in training or behavior modification.  And in all these aspects, YOU are integral as your dog’s guardian, companion, owner, parent.

Housetraining Doesn’t Happen Overnight

Housetraining doesn’t happen overnight

The first order of business when someone gets a dog is to teach him or her where to go to the bathroom, and preferably not on the living room carpet. It doesn’t have to be an onerous task, but it does take some effort and commitment. And it’s not a fait accompli once taught. Housetraining can be a life-long issue if not addressed properly. Unfortunately, poor housetraining can also be a death sentence.

Many people have memories of their previous dog, who was a breeze to housetrain. Never any messes in the house, always asked politely to go outside, even eliminated when told to. Bring a new puppy into the house, and suddenly there are accidents everywhere.

Let me suggest that memories can be selective. You may remember the play, the great walks, and the companionship of the last 12 years while not remembering all the little piddles she made when she was 12 weeks old. Now you have a 12-week-old puppy who contradicts your memories of the past 12 years. This new life isn’t the same dog you lost, nor does she come with the memories of that previous best friend. That’s challenging, even threatening, whether you acknowledge it or not.

When puppies are born, they are not even able to go by themselves. Momma-dog has to stimulate them by licking – and that helps keep the puppies and the den or whelping box clean. Be grateful human babies don’t require that! A puppy’s bladder isn’t developed sufficiently to hold it for long. A general rule of thumb is one hour for each month in age the puppy is. Of course, that varies for each puppy a little. It would be unreasonable to expect a 12-week-old puppy to hold it more that 3 hours. If left alone for longer without opportunity to eliminate in an appropriate place, an accident is not her accident, it’s yours.

The rules of housetraining are simple.

Use a crate to help confine her when you can’t directly supervise.

Movement gets things moving! If puppy is up & about, take her out!

Eating stimulates her too.

And when she wakes up from a nap, everything wakes up… take her out.

Set a feeding schedule and she’ll be easier to predict.

Potty first, then play. Then potty again.

Reward her for doing it outside.

Train with the final substrate you want her to use – don’t use papers or potty pads first.

Take responsibility for accidents. It’s not her fault if you didn’t watch or get her out in time.

Clean, clean, clean.

Build a loving and trusting relationship without fear or avoidance.

We’re asking our dogs to live in a world of human making: a nice home, dangerous traffic, a dependable source of food, and often limited mental and physical stimulation. Understanding and patience go a long way in building a life together.

Treibball & Crosstraining

I am having so much fun!! Kiernan and I are working hard at learning Treibball right now, and it’s amazing!

For those of you yet to discover treibball, it’s herding for the urban dog. With big exercise balls – the ones you can sit on. There are some excellent videos on YouTube.com demonstrating the sport. Just search for “urban herding.” Out in a big open field there are 8 balls arranged in a triangle, with the point away from a soccer goal at one end. In come a dog and handler toward the goal. Then one at a time, the dog goes out to the balls, and nudges them into the goal.

I can’t believe how many of the elements we’re practicing will apply to our other goals… like formal obedience and herding. That’s not even considering the teamwork and relationship building just from working together. He has to go out around the balls to a spot beyond them and wait for direction. There’s our go outs for directed jumping, and away to me and go bye for herding. That pause before beginning to push the balls? Perfect time to practice the signal exercise. Our next exercise was to learn how to stay on the opposite side of a ball from me. We started with a stationary ball, so he’s had a lot of practice swinging his rear into a nice straight front, and keeping straight with me as either I or the ball change positions. And his drop on recall was taught using a distant object to go around – like the go-out.

Yea for cross training! (And watch for us in the obedience ring…)

Here’s the really cool thing – there’s no breed restrictions. Any dog can learn to do it.

For anyone that’s interested, I am teaching an introductory class to treibball at Lucky Dog in Detroit Lakes on Saturdays this summer. Class starts at noon. Call 218-847-4100 to register for the next session!

Please Announce Yourself When Passing Others

I've submitted this to the Forum as a Letter to the Editor - a whole new experience for me. Let's see if it gets picked up. I could say this all in much stronger language, and as dog people, I'm sure you've experienced similar instances of being surprised by people - and dogs - coming up behind you unexpectedly. I try to write as I train - using positive reinforcement and not alienating people before they get past the first sentence. Let me know!

Flood waters are receding and daylight lasts into evening. Mosquitoes are still minimal. Bicycles and snow blowers can trade parking spaces in the garage for a while. Spring is truly here. It’s time to walk the dog.

I enjoy walking through Fargo-Moorhead’s beautiful parks and neighborhoods, and just one simple addition would make it perfect: that cyclists, runners, and roller bladers announce when they are approaching from behind.

I appreciate knowing when someone needs to pass by me and my dogs. It’s de rigueur in other cities, and should be here too.

It’s really a safety issue. When I know someone is approaching, I can keep my dogs’ focus, move out of the way if necessary, and make sure leashes are short. You don’t have to slow down or swerve away, and there’s no worries a dog will suddenly dart across your path after a squirrel in a tree opposite.

Some dogs startle easily or have fear issues about certain situations. An owner who can minimize these stressors helps keep you safe, and helps their dog deal with the realities of city life.

So please, please, simply call out “On your left” or “Passing” to others.

There's always a choice...

There’s always a choice…

We all have choices. No one can say in a particular situation, “I had no choice.” We simply decide to behave in a certain way because of the consequences. Perhaps we know what’s going to happen. Perhaps we don’t know the consequences of an alternative action. But it’s consequences that guide our decisions.

No matter what method a person chooses when training a dog, the dog has choices too. He can sit, or not sit. Retrieve, or not retrieve. Come, or not come. Knowing the consequences, he can still choose what to do.

That’s assuming of course that he understands what it is you’re asking. And that’s a whole other ball game. For right now, we’ll assume we’re talking about known behaviors.

Here’s the thing: If my dog chooses not to sit, what does he do? Not sitting leaves a universe of possibilities open – he might lie down, stand still, run, jump on me, play keep away, bark, … you get the picture. All of those things are not sitting. If I choose to manipulate the consequences so he sits to avoid what happens if he doesn’t sit, I’ll be correcting him forever, anytime a new situation comes up. Eventually he will generalize that “sit” means the consequence of every other action is to be avoided. “Every other action” is a vague criterion, and since dogs don’t generalize easily, and it can take time to get there.

Instead, I want to manipulate his consequences so he wants to sit when I say sit -- not to avoid a consequence but toward a consequence. Yes, we still have to go through a process of generalization. Sit means sit, not sit means avoid every other action other than sit. Much simpler.

By respecting my dog’s right to choose, we become allies working together, rather than adversaries. The onus is not on me to prevent the “not”s, but on him to do the “do”s. There are a million ways not to sit. And one way to sit.   

Dogs have choices too. And for me the choice is clear. 

I have a love-hate relationship with my flexi-leads...

I have a love-hate relationship with my flexi-leads. And right now – spring time – is a great time for flexis.

All winter my dogs have wanted to climb onto the snow piles to play king of the mountain. I admit it, it’s kinda fun! At any rate, a standard 6-foot lead is long enough for those piles along the sidewalks where we walk.

But now those piles are disappearing quickly. And what’s left is still fun to play in, for them at least. So out come the flexis and they can wander in the puddles and muck while I stay somewhat drier on the sidewalk.

But those walks are clearly defined as DOG-walks. Not exercise, not a walk for me. When I need them to potty and come in, stay clean for a car ride, or help me shed winter pounds, a flexi is not acceptable equipment. Neither is it when I teach.

The main point of contention I have is that there is constant pressure on the dog’s collar. It’s never really a loose leash, no matter how slight the tension may be. So the dog cannot learn or practice loose leash walking. And tension on the collar leads to more pulling. After all, you’re still moving forward, so it must work.

Yes, there is a locking mechanism, but that can be difficult to engage when your dog is launching forward after a rabbit. I have a couple different styles, and there’s a difference in how easy they are to lock.

There’s also no way to maintain a consistent length if you choose to walk with it locked. On one walk it might be 6 feet long, on the next walk 5½ feet  or 7 feet, or the full length of the lead. How confusing is that to a dog, never knowing how far is too far?

Do you always see every approaching cyclist or jogger, even from behind you? I don’t. I need my dog to behave in public, and sometimes a kid on a skateboard approaches too quickly for me to refocus my dog’s attention on me. Not to mention the inconvenience if the lead extends all the way across the path and no one can pass us, even if my dog comes to me immediately when I call. If she doesn’t come quickly, I have to reel in dog and line, locking it multiple times and generally looking ridiculous while others wait for me.

I live with multiple dogs, and I simply can't handle more than 2 flexis. That doesn't allow for extra leads, either. So that certainly limits how many can go puddle-jumping on each walk. 

Finally, the distance of the line allows dogs to build up a great deal of momentum before hitting the end. That velocity means he can hurt himself or jerk the entire handle out of your hand. Unpleasant and dangerous.

For these reasons, I only use extendible leads after my dog has learned loose leash walking. And that means as an adult. No puppies! While a puppy may follow you closely and never wander, she’s learning that a taut lead is the norm. Instead of a flexi, puppies should have a long line when playing outside in safe areas. Yes, it will get dirty. So put it in a pillowcase and throw it into the wash.

Once my dog has demonstrated she can walk politely at my side with a loose leash and adjust to my changes in direction and gait, we can occasionally use an extendible lead. It’s not for every walk.

Mental Exercise for the Winter Blahs

I’m the first to say I love winter, but this cold weather has GOT to stop! I’m feeling cooped up, tired, restless; I can’t begin to comprehend the cabin fever my dogs are experiencing. But when we try to go for a walk they are holding up their paws and turning towards home before we’ve gone a block.

So what can we do to get through it all? And sometimes it’s not the weather that prevents us from getting the exercise we need. Illness or injury can put a stop to a long romp in the park. Even having to work late might mean only getting in a short walk.

While physical exercise is vital, you can help your dog cope by increasing his mental exercise. It can be just as exhausting as a long game of fetch. Think about it – accountants get tired just as much as carpenters.

Teach your dog something NEW. Practicing already perfected behaviors is just going to bore both of you, and do your relationship no good.

Keep a list of tricks handy to choose from when you’re not feeling creative yourself. There’s a list at the end of this blog. Print it out and post it on the fridge so you can see it while getting out the training treats.

It doesn’t have to take a long time. Three minutes is better than 30. Seriously. Think of it this way: the first time you ask for a behavior, your dog has to remember all the way back to the last time you asked for it, whether it’s last night or a week ago. That can be tough. Each subsequent rehearsal requires remembering for only a few seconds. Repeating the same behavior 25 times means pulling it out of long term storage once, and short term storage 24 times. If you split training into five short sessions, you get five long-term retrievals! Which do you think will help your dog remember it better: once or five times?

Keep some treats ready to go, so you don’t have to stop to cut pieces or find something in the fridge. While I don’t recommend store bought treats as a rule, they can be convenient, and don’t generally need to be refrigerated. Just remember to keep them out of reach while not training, and to cut them into small pieces. Here’s a rule of thumb: if it takes longer for your dog to eat the treat than it does for him to do a simple behavior like sit, your treat is the wrong size. Sometimes you might have to make the treat bigger, for example if you have a boxer or other dog with big flews. Most of the time, though, make the treat smaller.

There are a lot of short time spans in our days that we could use to train. Get creative & train your dog in different rooms, at different times, and with different distractions.

1. TV commercials
2. While the coffee brews
3. Sitting on the toilet
4. Using mouthwash
5. On hold (but don’t abruptly ignore your dog when the person answers the phone!)
6. While your computer boots up
7. While the printer is printing
8. While the pasta boils
9. Waiting for your darling husband to find his keys
10. While the car warms up
11. While supervising the kids clearing the table
12. Anytime your dog is near you

There – you’ve just trained your dog in the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the bathroom, the foyer, and in the car. And you’ve done it while sitting and standing, with and without using your voice, with one hand busy, dressed for work and relaxing and in a heavy coat while holding your purse.

It doesn’t have to be a behavior that you will ever use again, or even put a name to. The challenge of figuring out what to do to earn the treat is what’s stimulating to your dog. But on the upside, all those simple behaviors that take so little effort to teach and learn can be strung together into show-stopping tricks. For right now, focus on the steps along the way.

I always think the best walks are those when we are together, there in the moment, enjoying each other’s company. Make this true for your mental exercise as well. Focus on your dog, and let go of everything else for a whole three minutes. And when you’re done, you’ll both be happier, more relaxed, and appreciate each other even more.

Here’s that list I promised you. Print it out and hang it up somewhere you can see it. And mark it up! Cross out the things he knows already. Circle those you want to try, and check them off when you’ve done them. Highlight your favorites!

Things to teach my dog: A list for when I’m not feeling creative

1. Touch the back of my hand with nose
2. Touch the end of a target stick with nose
3. Touch the arm of the couch (or a pillow or a piece of tape on the wall)
4. Touch an open door
5. Keep going with this theme…
6. Touch the door hard enough to get it to move
7. Close the door!
8. Pull on a toy/rope
9. Pull on a towel/rope tied to a door handle
10. Pull on it enough to move the door
11. Pick up a toy
12. Pick up a pillow
13. Pick up a blanket
14. Drag something toward you (pillow or blanket)
15. Drop a toy in your hand
16. Drop something on cue, not always in your hand
17. Drop a toy into a basket
18. Spin to the right
19. Twist to the left (or vice versa)
20. Go between your legs (front to back)
21. Go between your legs (back to front)
22. Weave around your legs
23. Weave while you walk
24. Walk around both your feet
25. Ignore me (Sit behind you facing away)
26. Front paws up on a (stable) surface (like a heavy box, or a thick hardcover book for the small dogs)
27. Front paws up, & pivot around with back paws
28. All four paws up on a surface
29. Sit on it
30. Lie down on it
31. Spin in a circle on it
32. Balance on your exercise ball (Stabilize it!) Sit, Stand, or Down on it.
33. Step from obstacle to obstacle (not jump) without touching the floor
34. All four paws on the floor (sometimes called Down or Off; I call it Floor)
35. Target with a paw: similar to the touch with nose, only with a paw
36. Hit the Staples Easy button
37. Go sit on a rug
38. Shake
39. High five
40. Wave to you
41. Wave to another person
42. Raise your paw (Who’s the cutest?)
43. Woof/bark/speak
44. Sing
45. Quiet
46. Lie down on a hip
47. Lie straight down (sphinx position)
48. Lie down on side (dead dog)
49. Wag tail
50. Catch tail
51. Nod head Yes
52. Walk around the chair/table/other obstacle
53. Limp
54. Roll over
55. Beg
56. Pray (Put head on paws) with paws up on something
57. Look pitiful (head on paws, in a down position)
58. Cover nose with paws
59. Sit pretty
60. Hold eye contact
61. Sniff the air
62. Find me
63. Find the hidden treat
64. Shell game (hide treat under one cup)
65. Indicate the treat’s location (sit or touch, wait for you to give it)
66. Leave the treat alone (in front of, on paw, on nose)
67. Take the treat on cue
68. Come without taking the treats/toys scattered between us
69. Walk backwards away from you
70. Walk backwards beside you
71. Crawl forward
72. Crawl backward 
73.  
74.  
75.  
76.  
77.  
78.  
79.  
80.  

New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions have gone to the dogs… already.

January first has come and gone, and once again, I haven’t made any resolutions. I used to. I had lists of things I wanted to change, stuff I thought would make my life perfect – or at least better. They never lasted, and I’ve gotten the impression that’s the way it is for most people. Especially since it seems “lose weight” is on so many people’s resolution list. Over and over. (Sorry, didn’t mean to say “over” when talking about dieting, so again and again.)

I do, however, have goals. Plans for this year, things I’d like to accomplish. And I have several lists of goals. There’s one for the dog training I want to do for each dog, another for the titles I think they can earn, seminars and clinics I’d like to attend, and of course goals for the business. It can take weeks of dreaming and planning to come up with my goal lists.

Goals have a plan of attack inherent in them. If I just HAVE to hear a certain seminar speaker, I know I can’t rely on that weekend’s obedience trial to finish a title. And to finish a title by a certain time, I need to sharpen up Kiernan’s heeling way before that.  Goals have steps, mini-goals, accomplishments along the way. And if I don’t make a goal, I don’t feel like it reflects on myself quite like breaking a resolution does. Instead I examine the process to get there.

It’s not quite so clear with a resolution. My resolutions were vague, generic: “be neater,” “don’t be late,” “lose weight.”  And if I broke them down into smaller bites, “make my bed every day” soon fell away the first morning I woke up late. Somehow I expected to be the perfect person I wanted to be, instantly. Resolutions were kept or broken.

The dictionary on my computer defines goal as “the destination of a journey” and “the object of a person’s ambition or effort.”  I like the implication that a plan has to be in place in order to reach a goal.  Resolution is “a firm decision to do or not do something.” It’s more about the final outcome than the process of getting there.

As Bob Bailey says, “Be a splitter, not a lumper.” It’s a process, and along the way there may be detours, but there is a map too.

And certainly one needs to be “resolved” in order to reach one’s goals, I’ll stick to my goals.