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.