Dog Training with Kate

Re direct

2009-10-07T06:42:00.001-05:00

Visit my new blog:

www.Dogtrainingbykate.com

hope to see you there!!!!!

Donuts!!

2009-04-05T08:01:00.005-05:00

One of the blogs I read religiously - among several - is
Chickens in the Road
http://suzannemcminn.com/blog

If you've not read it - you are missing out!
Suzanne has the life I crave - worked her butt off to get it too. I want what she has!
Well, I'd have more dogs. And a dog training business. And probably no sheep. Sheep are silly creatures, full of wool and nonsense.

But other than that!!!

Today she wrote about making donuts. I'm not working outside the house today. And - I have a sick kid so no church. I'm staying home and loving every second of it.

And I'm making donuts.

I realized I'd been relying on my bread machine way too much. I can't remember the last time I kneaded dough. Luckily like riding a bike, it came right back. A soothing routine that makes all things right with the world.

Check out her blog if you haven't. Its worth the trip.
And I'd offer you a donut - but even the sick kid isn't so sick he won't eat donuts till they are all gone.

Unneutered males

2009-04-02T05:21:00.008-05:00

And of course my big question is WHY??
People usually give three reasons for not neutering.
One. It costs too much.
Two. It will change their personality or its mean - or my husband won't let me.
Three. I want to breed.

To me, none of those are good excuses.

There are spay/neuter programs. You can get it done cheaply if you make an effort. My opinion also is, if you can't afford a dog, don't get a dog. Shots, food, grooming, equipment, training and spay/neuter are all costs of owning a dog. I don't have as many dogs as I would like because I can't afford it. Part of being an adult - postponing gratification till you can afford it.

Husbands can be funny about neutering. Doesn't bother them at all to get a female spayed - but you go messing with the important things! Well, now, you've done quit preaching and gone to meddling, as they say.
I'm good with dogs - human males, not so much. And personally, I've not noticed neutering changing personalities at all - the occasional mellowing - but. It does ease frustration. It stops a lot of hormones from coursing into their.....brains..... And honestly, I think its meaner not to - think of it - all that need rushing to parts that can not be used! How mean is that?? (remember being a teenager?? whoa baby!)

Breeding. Don't breed. Just don't do it. Do you have any idea how many tons of dogs are put to sleep in your home town because they have no homes?? The world does not need your dog's offspring. Especially not needed is puppies from your dog with biting and aggression issues.
If you are not a professional breeder - don't breed. No. Stop. Quit even thinking about it.

Tonight is my Aggressive dog class. Lots of testosterone floating around in there. So far I've not talked any of them into neutering. But I've got weeks yet to discuss it. And I shall - oh, yes, I shall.

The secret to finding dog training time!

2009-04-01T13:15:00.009-05:00

One of the most common complaints I get is 'I didn't have time!' to do whatever was needed with the dog.

No time to provide exercise opportunities.
No time to teach a trick.
No time to practice desired class skills that they paid to learn.

And of course the big one - no time to housebreak.

I understand no time. I really do.
I also know I make time for the things that are important to me. I make time to read my paper every day. Very rare are the days when there isn't enough time for me to do that. I almost always check and answer my email. There is time for that. I mention tv and there is a show or two that people always watch. Won't miss!

So one time trick that I use is - train your dog during commercials. You remember those commercial things. People are trying to sell you something and you fast forward through them. Stop fast forwarding through them. Let them roll - hit the mute button and do something else.

Teach your dog a trick. Work on stay. Call them to come three times and give them treats and kisses. Reinforce down. Go out and ring the doorbell and have the dog do what you chose for them to do instead of becoming hysterical idiots barking and jumping at the door.

Then sit down and watch your show again. Then next commercial set - do it again.
There is no hard and fast law that training has to take place in cute twenty minute blocks of time. Incorporate the training time into your day. Into down time, into time already being spent with your dog. Two or three minutes of commercial time is so much better than no time.

Come when called

2009-03-30T09:57:00.007-05:00

One of the many things I enjoy teaching is 'come'.
The goal for come would be to have your dog run right up to you, sit right in front of you and wag their tail really hard and really fast in sheer and utter joy.
Unfortunately, that isn't what happens most of the time.

Either you call the dog to come, and he comes and jumps all over you - or you call him to come and he runs the other way 'its a game!'. Or even worse - you think he's coming, then he comes pretty darn close - and veers away, laughing hysterically at his own cleverness!
My idea of come is that it should be a party from day one. The very best choice your dog has made. Come and you get a treat. Come and you get petted. Come and party happens!

Think about it - if your boss or teacher calls you over, and you know you are going to get yelled at - you wouldn't come - or you come very very slowly! - too!

It doesn't matter if you chased her for an hour. If she comes and jumps muddy feet on you. If she is hiding in the corner, whimpering. Doesn't matter. Best thing that happened to her is that she came to you, you are together.
Call puppy early and often, From a foot away! Yay! You came. Take a step back and do it again! Double yay!!
Put two of your kids across the room or yard with a handful of hot dog - call puppy back and forth!
Puppy running your way? Kneel down, open your arms and 'come!!' Way to go!
Just like with 'sit' come is a learned command that takes much practise to be perfect. Set them up to win and make it a great thing that they do.

Why why why

2009-03-24T09:59:00.008-05:00

Why does he do that?
Why does he herd the kids?

Why does she bark at the squirrels?
Why does she behave better for you than me?
Why does he jump on people?

WHY oh why oh why does he stay outside for an hour and then poop in the house within five minutes of coming back in??
Why does my dog DO the things he does??

I will try and take some of these - and more questions in the next few posts.
But the simple answer to many of our 'why' questions is just a 'because they are dogs and not people'.
Dogs make no moral judgements on poop and pee the way we do, so they sniff, eat and roll in it, much to our disgust.
Dogs need a job and exercise. If you don't give it to them, they will herd your children and dump your trash.
Squirrels are mean and cruel creatures, sent to earth to tease the dog into a frenzy.
Mostly though - we take a living, breathing, thinking, creature into our homes to spoil, to love, to live with and we expect them to act like four legged furry children. And they are not. Are not. They are dogs. Really. Totally different species, no matter how we dress them up and talk baby talk to them.
They will be dogs.

And if we can't be as thankful for that as we should be - we should at least accept and embrace the concept wholeheartedly.

My New Goal

2009-03-18T09:53:00.005-05:00

Was chatting with one of the ladies in puppy class last night. She was telling me,
"My husband read me this ad in the paper 'Jack Russell puppies for sale' And I thought he was just sharing something interesting. I didn't know he was planning his own birthday present."
Little Nipper came to live with them not long after that.
The man had bought his own 86th birthday present.
I asked, "have you had JRT's before?"
No, they had always had big dogs, but hadn't had a terrier and hadn't had a dog for - oh, say, (conference) about twenty or so years. Maybe longer.
They are enjoying this little dog so very much.

Couple of minor problems - one, energy level.
He has more than both of them combined. Running rings around them is just a problem! Literally and figuratively. They can not give this dog enough jobs or exercise him enough to control what might be destructive behavior when he turns teenager.
The other problem - they have a very very extremely smart dog. One of those 'too smart for his own good' kind of dogs. and every time both of them look at him they dissolve in huge silly grins and let him get away with everything. Including what he was named for - nipping.
Well, these are things we can change if they are willing - teach the puppy new behaviors, give him jobs to do, teach him nipping people is a no-no but there are many fun things to chew on.

And I now have a new goal for my life.
I plan to be 86 years old and make myself a fifteen year commitment to someone/thing.

Rules is Rules

2009-03-17T07:48:00.007-05:00

A woman came to me almost in tears.
She was trying to teach her dog to walk nicely on the leash. Now this is a very challenging skill for many dogs. You don't think of it as a learned piece of knowledge, but it is. Walking sooooo slowly next to us bipeds has to drive them insane - when there is all that big world out there to sniff and chase and enjoy!
She had a very exuberant lab and nothing she did seemed to work.
So she went - smart woman!! - to a dog trainer to show her how to teach her dog.
While it was a good move on her part, it went downhill from there.
The trainer told her first thing you do is hold the leash in your left hand. Well, she had carpel tunnel in her left hand. No can do. No option, trainer explained - if you want to have a dog, you must walk him on your left.
Or what? They explode at a thousand paces???
I mean - there are rules and there are rules.
I often find it amusing that I have to explain to people 'its your dog, your household, you get to chose!'
At my house, dogs are allowed on my furniture. A few lucky ones may share my bed. And when I eat popcorn, they are allowed to beg for me to throw them pieces. Yes! You CAN even feed them people food! Gasp!
BUT - at my house, my dogs do not charge out an opened door.
They do not behave like insane things when the doorbell rings. Those are the things I chose.
When I teach class, I walk dogs on my left. Habit. Conformity. But when I'm walking around my neighborhood, my dogs are most generally on my right. I don't have sidewalks here and I like to be between dog and cars.
Certain things you get to chose. Certain things you can try if what you are doing isn't working for you. What works for one household, one person, one dog, might not work for another.
Here's to the unbending of minds and the flexing of rules!

More exercise

2009-03-15T05:53:00.006-05:00

I know I harp on this one a Lot, don't I?
And you know why?
It's because most of the issues I see in class would be solved by this one answer.
More Exercise.
More.
More than That.
All that jumping on you?

More exercise - and teaching them another behavior to do besides jump.
That hysterical run through the house every night that knocks over furniture and drives you nuts?
More exercise.
That compulsive chewing everything you have?
Appropriate chew toys, better supervision - and more exercise.

That on going barking? Yes - more exercise.
And on the flip side - got a (younger, healthy) lazy dog who wants to veg on the couch and not play? Guess what the cure for that one is? Go on, guess now - you can do it!
Yes - more exercise. Get that blood flowing and that brain working.

A tired dog is a good dog. I just can't say it any plainer than that.

Aggression

2009-03-12T08:25:00.007-05:00

I've got an aggressive Great Dane coming in today for a consultation.
Generally, Danes are not aggressive dogs. But as I always say - never say never. Any dog can bite given provocation.
They swear this one hasn't had any. Hmmmm........
Their vet told them it would help if they neutered him.
I am strongly in favor of spaying and neutering - to the point of rolling my eyes (involuntarily!! really!!) when people say 'I want to breed'. Trust me - there are thousands of dogs just as sweet and wonderful as yours dying all over the country today because of lack of homes. Don't be part of the problem.
Neutering can help with many things - marking behavior, easing frustration, health issues, - some minor behavior changes - but its not a magic wand against aggression.

Once your dog has bitten - and this one has three times - only the last two were 'bad!' I'm told - you can never trust your dog again.
Never.
Again.
You can manage many of the situations dog will find himself in- teach him other things to do - socialize, socialize, socialize, more, bigger and better - put basic commands in place - but I would never trust someone's life, or face, to your dog's judgement again.
Be smart and Be safe.

Rain, thunder and all things fun!

2009-03-11T06:36:00.006-05:00

Most dogs don't mind the rain.
Well, MY dogs mind the rain.

They look out the back door, look up at me and say "We were Teasing! No reason to go out in That!" And being the mean mommy I am - I open the garage door and take them out under the overhang so they don't have to get their delicate little sensibilities all wet. I am such a softie. And I don't like pee in my house........

But dogs in class don't mind the rain - they come in all excited - all soaked! Happy to jump all over me and dry off! Shake shake shake! Water thrown everywhere!

What they DO mind is thunder. Now some dogs are very nervous when it thunders. Some don't notice. Some go insane.
And its Contagious. Last night was a week two class and thunder. NOT a good combination. Dogs are still a bit nervous anyway on a week two class.
Most dogs don't get upset by thunder - they will hear it, look around and if no one reassures them (which when you coo "oh, baby, its okay, mommy is here, won't let nasty thunder get you!" what they Hear is "oh, baby, what a good dog you are! Mommy wants you to act Just Like That!") they get over it.

But I often get One dog in class who hears thunder and announces to the other dogs "Did you hear that?? Its the end of the world as we know it!!"
And the other dogs look at him and say "Really?? We didn't KNOW that was what that meant! Thank you for telling us!"
and then they all go nuts.......so much fun for the person trying to run the class.
What makes it More fun is when a Grown person ALSO joins in! "THUNDER! Lets all run and hide!!"
Sometimes the only solution is to walk around and shoot calming spray in the air and hope it lands on someone in need. Or dismiss class Early!

Big dogs n' money

2009-03-10T09:20:00.009-05:00

Saint Bernards are Big dogs.
Saint Bernards cost a lot to raise.

The bigger the dog, the more it will cost you over the course of its life.
Really.
Some people don't realize this.
Sure there are some costs that a tiny yorkie
or shih tzu or rat terrier will have that a huge big dog won't. Clothes. Hair cuts (though many get their big dogs shaved or at least washed. Carriers.
But a big dog is going to cost you money.
They will cost you more in everything - from collars to bowls to time spent exercising.

So when you bring your brand new Saint Bernard puppy into the store and tell me
"I need the cheapest dog food you have because he's going to be big and I can't afford to feed him"
The look I just gave you means 'did you not KNOW that before you got him????"
It also means "I wonder who will have this dog this time next year because you can't afford to keep him?"
There are lots of dogs out there that need homes. Look at your budget before you fall in love. Dogs are not throw away items. They need care. From food to grooming to training to vet bills - it all costs money and your craving for a puppy does not negate the fact that they, like kids, do not live only on love.
And, by the way, the cheap food isn't always the cheapest. Do your research.

kids and dogs

2009-01-06T09:52:00.007-06:00

Very often I hear 'its the kids' dog' or 'we got a puppy to grow up with the kids'.
Kids and dogs can make a great combination. In one of my recent posts I discussed giving the dog a job, a challenge and more exercise. A kid will very often fill all those needs.

However. (You knew there was a however, didn't you?)
A dog is a living, breathing animal. Your dog will have needs that children under either a certain age or with the mind set of entitlement, simply can not handle. That is not the dog's problem or issue. That belongs to the adult members of the family to make sure puppy is well taken care of past the first few days when it gets more attention that it needs and everyone fights to take him out. I always tell people 'this too shall pass' when they tell me what a great caretaker the seven year old is.

So just enjoy the fighting over puppy while it lasts, and realize this time next week it will be up to you to make sure puppy gets well cared for. Either by demanding the kids do it, or doing it yourself.

One other issue I get all the time is 'the two year old and the puppy'. Nothing is harder than a two year old and a puppy. They both run wild, they both squeal, they both jump on the other one unexpectedly, they both cry, they both have long term memory issues and you simply can't reason with either one of them. Separation and/or close supervision is about the only answer to this problem, till one of them matures a bit.

Yes, there are steps to help that. Come to puppy class! Let me help! And yes, you may bring your two year old child also - just make sure there is an adult who is not handling the dog be in charge of the child. I will thank you and every other person in class will thank you also.

Intermediate class

2009-01-05T04:36:00.009-06:00

A few months ago, I started to Follow a Class. We went eight weeks with a crazy fun puppy class.
Thursday night I'm starting what looks to be a VERY exciting Intermediate class I'm going to follow along with here.
So far signed up are two goldens (both named Riley oddly enough),

a bloodhound, a sheltie, a gorgeous buff cocker, and a couple more.
Intermediate class focuses on the three D's of dog training - distance, duration, and distraction. We add all those in to the basic commands of sit, stay, come, leave, drop, take.
Heel work is a very fun focus. Sit stay while another dog heels around is a challenge in intermediate class. I also like to teach 'finish' - where you call your dog to come and they end up sitting at your left side in heel position. People think you are brilliant if your dog does that.
One thing I add into my intermediate class is tricks. I teach a trick a week. Just because its fun and I can.

The other thing I do is more intensive focus on the needs of the class. "I don't want my dog to charge out the front door" or "He's Got to stop jumping on the furniture" and we play with all the techniques I know to change these disliked behaviors.

I'm going to have a blast playing with this class and my new camera!
Follow along with me!
Enjoy!

(nah, it has nothing to do with anything. I just liked the picture!)

Doggie goals

2009-01-02T04:42:00.012-06:00

One of my great joys in life is setting - and then achieving - goals. I don't really make resolutions, but instead set intense, involved, specific, focused goals. Short term, long term, map out all the steps along with way. Its a fault. But - not one of my worst ones!

Some of the doggie things I'm planning to do this year:

Take a clicker class. I just don't work with the clicker enough to be comfortable with it. I'm looking forward to expanding my clicker skills to share with others.

Do some volunteer work with one of the local shelters. There are several to chose from, and I need to become more involved. Couple hours a week.

Better follow up with clients. One class session does not cure all. Especially puppy class - usually the babies have long graduated before they turn adolescent. And adolescence is often just as fun with dogs as with kids.

Take an on line class, preferably focusing on service dog training, but whatever I find that intrigues me.
Become more of an on-line presence.

Continue working on my dog writing with the goal of publication in bigger venues.

Work on my picture taking skills. Maybe a class for that, too!

Shut up and listen more. Hard to learn anything when the mouth is moving.

Thinking caps

2008-12-31T05:26:00.012-06:00

While usually I am of the strong opinion that most people do the best thing they can do, given the information they have, at any given time, sometimes I have to wonder.
I had two phone calls yesterday that raised my frustration level to new heights. Both from women at the end of their ropes. Both involved lab puppies.

Now, labs are fantastic dogs. They are smart,easy to train, not hard to housebreak, fun to play with, great with kids, energetic - OH, did I mention energetic? These dogs are big dogs that need exercise. Need. As in Need to Breath. Need to Eat. Need to Exercise.

No, More exercise than you are thinking.
Much more.

One lady lived in a small apartment, with no yard, and has a six month old lab puppy. She also has medical issues that means that dog is lucky if he gets to go out to pee. He gets little to no exercise and is destroying her apartment.

The other lady has an eight month old lab puppy that everyone ignores. She took him to two classes - not two sessions, but two classes - and they didn't help! The dog is still insane. No one is home, ever, it sounded like - they left puppy in the crate Christmas eve and when they came back Christmas AFTERNOON - he had gotten out, somehow, and pooped all over the house, destroyed all kinds of things.

Oh - they have had him since he was four weeks old, which is a whole 'nother issue.

Dogs are not toys to be set aside once played with for a week. Dogs have Needs. Do your research before you fall in love with that cute puppy.

Realize what you can and can not do. Dog will act like dogs.
If you go quoting Cesar to me - then I will quote back that Cesar takes his dogs on daily hours long runs.
Daily.
For Hours.
Runs.
Even little dogs need exercise. Big ones need it also - if you don't give it to them, they will create their own. By eating your walls. Or something else equally as fun for you

And - quite honestly, I'm going to be on the other end of the phone Not Saying out loud 'serves you right!' because my mommy raised me better than that.

New puppy/old dog

2008-12-30T09:59:00.005-06:00

A typical conversation I have this time of year:
"We just got a new puppy! Our older dog Hates it! They fight all the time! I tell the old dog to quit taking the puppy's toys! I tell the older dog to quit picking on the baby! I try to tell baby everything is going to be fine! Pick him up, shove the old dog away! It's getting worse! How do I make the older dog stop?"

Sigh.

Let's all hold hands, sway to the music and sing together 'dogs are not people. They don't think like people. They don't act like people. We can dress them up and treat them like fur babies all we want and they will still be dogs.'

Strange but true.

I ask "is there blood? Does puppy end up going back for more?"

The answer to these questions are always "no" and "yes".

Then let them settle it themselves. Stay out of it. Don't coddle puppy. Don't demonize older dog. Walk away if possible. If walking away isn't possible, interfere as unbiasedly as you can.

In another post I will talk about alpha dog dynamics - but the short answer is 'don't make things worse by doing what you are doing!'

Tiny Tyrants

2008-12-29T05:28:00.008-06:00

A couple was in the aisle yesterday with a very very spoiled little chihuahua baby - and honestly you just can't spoil a dog more than you can that kind.
They just lap it all up and think they rule the entire world. Chihuahua's will turn into tiny tyrants quite easily. They have attitude far beyond that of many other dogs. We like attitude!
So they were buying clothes for their baby,looking at new food for her eating pleasure, tempting her with toys,
asking me this, asking me that - then said can we get her nails trimmed? I said yes, took them back to the grooming salon, left them there in capable hands, wandered back that way a bit later and saw them come out.
I said That didn't take long.......
She said, "Oh, we couldn't get them done - baby wouldn't let us."
I said - let me try....I love a challenge.
We go back, I get the head groomer - said "You cut, I'll hold."

So I get baby in a grip - and she SCREAMS like I'm KILLING her - and you just haven't heard much till you hear a chihuahua scream. I kept reassuring Mommy and Daddy, "she's fine! I'm not hurting her, I'm just holding her!!! Honest!" Baby is furious! She screaming - trying to bite - so mad she pees all down my leg, into my bait pouch and ALL over the work phone clipped to my belt. (My boss tells me later, "if you were carrying a manager phone, you're going to be in deep trouble!")
Groomer gets her clipped - she's clipped screaming dogs before - no problem.
The couple is SO SORRY I got peed on, they apologize up and down, over and again. I do what I usually do. I say, "Oh, that's never happened to me before, I don't know HOW to deal!" while laughing. They go on and on about how great I am - and give me a ten dollar tip.........whoa baby - I'm thinking I'll be a groomer when I grow up!
However, later on - I was looking at my arm, 'dang my arm hurts' and I have several lovely sets of deep claw marks from wrist to elbow.
The Queen has spoken!

Magic wands

2008-12-28T05:50:00.009-06:00

And shoot - I left mine at home!
I tell people that all the time. I don't think they believe me. After all - Caesar has a magic wand! He comes, he cures, he leaves, life is great and dog is perfect!
Not.
Dogs are not robots. They think. Not like we think - but then, does your child think the same way you do? If they did, would the terrible two's and teens be terrible? Of course not! Because if we all thought alike, you could explain things to them in a way they understood. In a way they would 'get it' without all the drama and angst.
And yet. It happens not.
Dogs are even more that way. What happens in their brains is not what happens in our brains. They mostly do what works for them.
Its easier to pee in the house - just hide it if you don't want the newspaper swatting your backside.
Its fun to jump on people. All kinds of attention from that! Yeah, sometimes daddy plays a little rough when I jump -
but its sure better than not having any attention!
Mailman! He comes - I bark, howl and attack - and he leaves! Every single time! Fun Game! I win every day!!

Doorbell rings - I run to the door and bark. Mommy runs to the door and barks! Excitement for all!!
Open that front door and I get to run! Charge! Chase is on! GREAT game!

My magic wand will not cure any of these behaviors.
But.
They can be cured, fixed, replaced with another behavior you do want doggie to do.
But not by waving a wand.

few of my favorite things

2008-12-24T14:17:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Old dogs Again

2008-12-22T05:06:00.006-06:00

I see puppies and newly adopted dogs coming through all the time - everyone is always dewy eyed and excited. Rightly so - new addition to the house, much fun, years of happiness.
Yesterday I saw a newly formed family that almost made me cry.
A younger couple came in with their new addition. She was a thirteen year old border collie mix. The woman said 'We went in looking for a puppy. But then we saw her - her mommy died. No one could keep her. We took one look at her, just knew - she's fat and happy just like us. We were made to be together.'

Merry Christmas!!!

Old tricks, new dogs

2008-12-21T07:11:00.011-06:00

One of the most questions I get asked the most is 'is my dog too old to learn???'. Generally I find out the dog they are asking about is between two and six years old.

Most of the dogs in my beginner class are in that age bracket, for a couple of reasons. One, by then, the owners have figured out 'he's NOT going to outgrow that on his own and I have NO clue what to do about it.' The other thing, that is the age many dogs are turned over to a shelter or re homed. They didn't outgrow whatever behavior drove old family insane and instead of dealing with it, they decided dog was fungible.

When people get a shelter dog, that hasn't been to a foster home, I always tell them, 'if they told you he was housebroken, they are lying. He probably doesn't walk nicely on the leash, and doesn't come when he's called either.' Those three are the top reasons dogs are turned into shelters, not because people 'move' and leave their dogs, not because of aggression. But because they pee in the house, drag their owners, charge out the door, jump on people. Behaviors that can be fixed with some
focus and attention. I signed up a blind in one eye, can barely see out of the other, ten year old miniature poodle yesterday for a beginner class. Mommy wants dog to have fun, learn new tricks, have a great rest of its life. I will do all I can to help with that. I've had a thirteen year old beagle, an eleven year old Brussels Griffon, a nine year old Golden go through my classes. Just like people, older dogs can learn. Even things like Not peeing in your house.
Just give them a chance to prove it.

Salesman in the making

2008-12-20T06:17:00.004-06:00

Day off yesterday! So I did the mommy-thing, cleaning, laundry, errands and cookie baking.

While I made some of the favorites, the traditional Christmas cookies - I also tried a new recipe that shall forever remain nameless.
After eyeing them very suspiciously, my youngest bravely tried one. He took a bite. Then he laid the remaining bit down on the counter and said "Mom, lets not eat anymore of these, okay? I think we need to save them for Santa."

I bet Santa won't like them either.

The Other End of the Leash

2008-12-19T05:58:00.006-06:00

There is so much I don't know about dog training. So many different ways to do things, so many ways to handle issues, that I'm always on the lookout for information. Trying to learn how to do things better.
One thing I've been reading about lately is proper leash techniques. How do you hold the leash, what is the best way to keep control.

I've never been a two handed leash handler. I read that is right, proper, but to me, its awkward. I like the leash in my left hand, held loosely. The dog knows I'm there, he doesn't need tension on the leash to figure it out. That is a hard concept to get over to nervous people who like to keep the dog 'right here!' I've been working with several very anxious owners lately and this has come up often.

Relax. Deep breath. The calmer you are the calmer the dog is going to be. Really. Even though my leash is not strangling my dog, my emotions are running right down that leash, to the dog's central nervous system.
He feels me wonder if he's going to attack that little yappy dog down the street. He feels me worry about that dead squirrel in the road. He knows that person heading toward us makes me nervous.
My emotions go to the dog. Especially the dogs who are already high strung and antsy.
To me, your emotions, what you are conveying to the dog, your attitude, is much more important that holding the leash in the 'proper' position.

A Week Away

2008-12-18T05:43:00.008-06:00

Time is getting close! Everyone is making their lists and checking them twice. Thrice. Over and again. Stressing out over how much money they have left to spend, how much work they have left to do, how much paper they will need to wrap, how many relatives they have to be nice to! Stress stress stress!

And so - what do many people do?? Throw a new puppy into the stress mix! I'm always amazed at how many people show up with Christmas puppies. I guess I shouldn't be. Puppies are a GREAT gift. I want one too!!
However.

Now is a very hard time to get a new family member. Everyone is super busy - and that is saying a lot because it seems people are always busy. I tease people in class 'I want one of those life things everyone else seems to have!'
And new puppies are a lot of work. Believe me. I 'do dog' forty hours a week and I hear it every single day. Time intensive!
Babies! They need your attention. You need time to give to them. You know - that time thing you have such a short supply of right now? A new puppy is not the old dog you remember from your youth. New puppy will not settle down contentedly at your feet for more than a minute and a half. He will be eating your shoes instead. Peeing on the Christmas presents. Pooping where you step in your bare feet. Needing to go out three times a night. Played with. Brushed, fed and cuddled. Trained!
A new puppy is a GREAT gift. Just think it through before making a fifteen year investment.

Dedication

2008-12-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

We had minor ice yesterday - it was thick on the cars, roads were bad, and the wind was horrible. If I had my druthers, I would have stayed home and baked cookies all day. But. Off to work I went.
Shoppers were still out and about - dogs still run out of food.

Snippets from my day.

Phone call: "what kind of dog house do you suggest in this weather?" I suggested strongly she bring her dogs INSIDE in this weather. Well, seems that was not an option. She had 7 of them and they fight.
She never showed up to buy a dog house and I have to hope someone calls animal control on her unprotected animals.

Lady at the cash register: "Husband thinks I'm out buying for the kids. He's going to have a fit when he hears all I've spent is money on the animals." Her bill came to right at $400.

Boss pulling out her hair: "If I have One More Phone call asking if you are still having class tonight I'll be bald!" She'd look.....interesting bald.........

All but two people in each class showed up. Dedication!

If its not broke, don't fix it

2008-12-16T04:42:00.001-06:00

One question I get asked quite often is 'what do you feel about.....' followed by 'this brand of dog food' or 'pinch collars' or 'electric fences'or puppy pads'. Or whatever they want validation for using.
My opinion on most things is 'if it works for you'.
Usually. Mostly.
I can always tell when someone is going to another local trainer because their ten week old puppy comes in on a pinch collar, or they ask me to help fit them with one. Now, I think a pinch collar has an occasional and specific purpose, but never on a ten week old puppy.

And I don't say 'never' lightly. It teaches the puppy something but its not how to walk on a leash, not how to learn, but only that bad things happen when pinch collar is on.

But I had a very nervous, hyper alpha wanna-be snapping, barking, whining, 2 year old German Shepherd that calmed down for the first time ever within five minutes of putting on a pinch collar. Now we can focus on other behaviors.

Puppy pads. I usually don't like - okay - really dislike - dogs using my floor for a bathroom. However. Its freaking cold here.

If I had a teeny tiny unhousebroken puppy, I'd be putting pads down and not taking them out in the minus six wind chill to pee. While I was blessing the person who thought of them.

Equipment is just that. A tool that can be used for good or evil.

Wait at the door

2008-12-15T05:35:00.000-06:00

Doors are VERY exciting places! Who knows what can be on the other side? One thing for sure - its got to be better than what is on This side! Charge!!! Check it OUT!

So. When teaching the 'wait' command - its important to start on a door that creates low excitement. The bedroom door is a good one. Not the front door where all excitement exists.

Put the dog on a leash. Start walking to the door. Tell the dog to 'wait' I use the hand signal of waving my hand in front of their noses. A couple times. Get their attention.
Then I put my hand on the door knob and start to open the door. The second the dog starts to charge the door. I say "whoops whoops!" shut the door, and take a few steps back. We wait till all are calm, then head to the door again.

"wait, wait!" wave hand. Hand on door knob, attempt to open the door......once more with feeling.

The goal is for puppy to wait patiently while I go through first. Sit, stand, right now, I don't care. I just get to go first. If I do, then - yay, puppy! I don't really food treat for 'wait' because getting to go with me at all is a very big Life Reward.
Once they do 'wait' very reliably at the bedroom door, I change up - a different bedroom, then the garage door, or the back door, then the HIGH value door - the one they like to bark at, and charge when you get company.

I do this one in class with a big value door - the one leaving the training center - because its the only one I have - and its amazing how quickly the dogs pick up on it. Within five to ten repetitions they are waiting for me to go first. I do NOT trust a dog's life to a dog's judgement at this point though. Take your time. Your dog's quality of life will depend on it - and their life could.

testing

2008-12-14T15:11:00.000-06:00

<

Just a test to see how my real pictures come out on here.
Wow - I'm turning techie. Who knew??

Santa pictures

2008-12-13T05:48:00.000-06:00

We're doing Santa pictures at work this week - and if you think Santa pictures with kids are fun - you should see them with the dogs.
Who IS that bearded man with no treats? You want me to what? From out and out fear to just curious interest - somehow the volunteers manage to get pretty good pictures.

Cheers to all the people who so generously give their time - proceeds go to the shelters. Silly pictures - happy pet parents - influx of cash to a place that needs it.
Win/win.

Dogs out the Door!!

2008-11-04T09:21:00.000-06:00

Overall, I'm pretty laid back. Not much bothers me. Dogs on the furniture. Dogs kissing my face. Dogs begging for food. Dogs eating tissues. (Its a dog thing) Holes dug in my back yard.
Just...things you live with when you have dogs.
One thing that does bother me hugely - both at my house and when I go elsewhere is when dogs attack at the door. Either run out the door like escaping prisoners or standing around barking like fools when the bell rings. Geeze, guys, give it a rest!
There are a few things to think about. One is, no matter how cute it is when baby puppy attacks the door and the people there, just project how cute its going to be when he's grown. Even if grown is five pounds sopping wet - do you want to be jumping up and down yelling 'stop it stop it don't!' all your life?? I thought not. So if puppy or grown dog - figure out a different behavior for them to do when the door bell rings or the outside door is opened.
What do you want them to do and 'just quit' is Not the right answer. They have to have another behavior to do to replace the one they are doing. Find a mat for them to sit on, a place for them to go to, a chew toy to bring you, a treat for them to sit quietly for. Something.
Then, just like you did with sit and down, you practice. Put them on a leash so you can step on it, and get some control.
Sit down and watch a movie (and here you thought it was going to be work!!). I like the movies on sci-fi - the end of the world as we know it! Hurricanes! Mutant bugs! Godzilla! Meteors!
But, well, that's just me. And every time the commercial segments come on (and they come on a LOT) you and buddy will practice the behavior you want doggie to do. He sneaks out and rings the doorbell, you grab leash and lead dog to where you want him to do. Give YUMMY treat. (I like to do this when puppy is Very hungry) repeat three or four times until the movie comes back on. Sit down, watch the movie. Do it again next commercial time. For 2 hours. By that time, puppy should hear the door bell and run for the mat, sit there and wag excitedly.
Now this is NOT the end of the teaching. It will still have to be reinforced, but its a very good start.
Tomorrow's post - wait at the door.

Quote of the day

2008-10-23T06:37:00.001-05:00

"Mom, I couldn't make it to the bathroom, so I just threw up on the floor," Nervous glance in my direction. "that was okay, right???"

sigh...............

Follow a class

2008-10-16T11:01:00.000-05:00

Week six classes include teaching tricks - shake hands, ring the bell. We practice the loose leash walking/sit for greeting out on the floor. We work on leave it, take it, and one thing people always find very interesting is I show off equipment.
Now my methods of loose leash walking will work. Really. On almost any dog. I teach several different ways, several different methods of reminding your dog you aren't the sled to their sled dog envy. Pull Pull Pull!

So, while the people I work for really like ONLY buckle collars, harnesses and products by Premier - I show the other stuff too. I figure, we sell it, its a tool, if they are going to be used, I'd rather they be used properly.
We get out all the fun toys - the Gentle Leaders, the Easy Walk Harnesses, the Halti's, the comfort wrap harness, the choke chain
(by any other name...) and the pinch collar. We try on all of these on as many different dogs as the owners will allow.
Sometimes I get entire classes who see the pinch collar and stand up, wave their arms wildly and say "ME ME ME! Try it on MINE!!" Other classes will look at it and give a collective shudder.
Even the people with the teeny tiny dogs whose feet I know never hit ground unless its in class, all watch with great fascination.

I remind them that none of them 'teach' the dog anything, they are only tools to use until the dog understands. A hammer does not teach, its a tool. A tire iron blender doesn't teach, it too is a tool. Useful. Helpful. But not teachers.

The name game

2008-10-14T05:03:00.000-05:00

I've been 'fostering' a dog for the last few days. She's an adorable pup - part Jack Russel, part some kind of sight hound. Not too big, pretty smart. No real issues that I've seen yet, though she has to have some. How do I know this?? She's six months old and gone through a whole slew of names.

The first people who had her called her Sheba. Now, for some reason, that I've not discovered, Sheba's folks brought her to our vet after a short time, and said "here you go!" and left her.
The vet's office kept her a while and gave her to someone who named her MullHollow??? I've never quite figured out that name - must be movie person or singer person?? Not sure. Okay - I just googled it and the first thing that popped up was a bistro in Ft. Walton Beach Florida. Mullhollow's Bistro 2-1-5
But MullHollow's folks didn't keep her long and brought her back to the vet.
After a while, they gave her to a woman who named her Rosie. Now Rosie's mom signed up for puppy class, took her to two, and then had knee surgery and gave Rosie to her kids. (She also wanted her money back for the class which comes right out of my paycheck, and my bosses have a cow when returns happen
- not that I'm upset about THAT!! Hmpph.) Kids had her about two weeks and here she trots back to the vet.
They, by the way, started calling her MullHollow again. WHY? I have no clue.
So. Puppy lives at the vets office a while. Poor thing. Probably not as bad as a shelter, but still.
Then my boss decides he feels badly for her and takes her home with him for a week. His wife names her Winnie (yes, as in The Pooh) and since I think that's a better name than any of the rest of them, I've been calling her that. He says he works a hundred hours a week and has a baby and the last thing he needs is another dog and brings her back. She recently went to his next door neighbor for a week and came back. Not sure what they called her - Bungee???

Her issues - she is only partly housebroken - which isn't bad considering she's never had a house of her own. She doesn't really care for new men a whole lot, though she seems to warm up pretty quickly. She has a LOT of energy. One person said she was cat aggressive, though my almost fifteen year old cat smacked her nose a few times and straightened out that issue. I've always said that, after me, my cat is alpha dog in my house. She is very clingy, but once away from you, mostly doesn't come when called - and doesn't know her 'name'. Odd. Not. She also barks some, not a lot, but enough to be annoying.
Pluses - she is very smart and will do about anything you ask. Wouldn't take long at all to housebreak. Affectionate without being overly licky. Cute cute cute. One ear up, the other all floppy.
And she just wants a forever home. Like thousands upon thousands of other dogs.

Class Happenings

2008-10-07T06:15:00.000-05:00

Tonight is week five of our puppy class. I'm having such a good time with this class - I've been teaching here for almost three years now and when I look back over my paperwork I usually remember most of the dogs. Sometimes I pull out a class roster and I just smile all over. Some classes have a chemistry that 'gells'. I will tell these classes about week six, 'I'm not letting you graduate!' just because I enjoy them so much. There are other classes of course, that I go 'whew!' when they are done, but honestly, not many. Most are fun, most are very enjoyable, but all end at eight weeks.
Some people go on to train more, others come see me in the store, email me, keep in touch and others I never see or hear from again. Very sad. I've been giving people my email address along with my business card, and I'm thinking I'm almost ready to start giving out my blog address. Gulp! Scary thought! But - hopefully I will have some good information on here at some point for people. Or, at least entertain.

Last week in class we did the start of 'find it' by doing the hide the treat in your hand thing.

We also did a combination of come with leave which I always enjoy a LOT
-toys and treats! Leave the food! Leave the kitty! Leave the other dogs!! Come Come! Funny funny!

We worked on stay and we did push ups. I love puppy pushups - and so do the puppies. I never have been able to figure out why they like them - because if you had ever done them, you would realize, they are No fun at ALL!!

Inadaquate

2008-10-03T05:11:00.000-05:00

Ever have one of those days where the more you learn, the less you seem to know?? Or is the saying the smarter you get, the dumber you are? I had one of those days.

An upset woman called - she has a foster pit/bull terrier X 10 months old - Severe separation anxiety - depression, destruction, defecation, vocalization -all the clinical signs and went to the vet to see if they could get some anti anxiety meds for him, just to take the edge off. The vet at this clinic told her she would not prescribe the meds until they brought the dog to me for a consult first. Well, I really appreciate the thought, but - she said vet said I was a behaviorist - I'm NOT!!! A behaviorist does much more in-depth things than I do. They delve deep, they figure out things. I basically 'go from here'. I take the dog 'as is' and work from that starting point. Dog jumps on people? I give them another way to behave. Dog runs away?
I teach them coming is the best choice they have ever made. Compared to others I've seen, others I read about, I'm pretty darn good, but certainly not great, too much more to learn! And I'm absolutly not a behaviorist! I gave her a start - told her how I'd begin, but.....

And THEN - last night a very hysterical woman calls -I'd had her in puppy class with another dog. She says her new dog got out -the pound picked him up, and her husband says he hates the stupid dog - who runs away, jumps on people and pees in the house (the MAIN three reasons dogs are returned to the shelter, in my unstatistical opinion) and he's done with it unless she does something. She says and I quote "I'll pay you ANYTHING to take this dog for a couple weeks and train it!" and she went on and on about my 'skill' and how great it was to have something like that to share with others.........

I'm feeling very........inadequate right now. sigh.

Fun-Sized!

2008-09-30T08:42:00.000-05:00

As I was doing the mommy/chauffeur thing this morning, I passed a flashing sign that declared Fun-Sized Candy Bars were sold inside!

Now,I just have to wonder who thought up that little gem of a title. 'Fun sized'.
All I have to say is my idea of a really fun sized candy bar would be about a foot long and several inches thick. Lots of chocolate, lots of carmel, lots of FUN! But, no - fun-sized to the manufacturers is teeny and tiny and maybe two bites big. Sigh. Maybe fun for them. Not so fun for me.
Think about what is fun for your dog.
Knocking over the trash?? Jackpot fun! Lots of yummy yummy garbage to eat - and then, after! The folks come in and join the party! Jump up and down! Yell out party slogans! Bend over and grab their share of fun time!! Put it back in the can for another time of fun at a later time!
Socks from the laundry? Grab and go!
Everyone chases! Everyone yells! Fun fun! Tug of war! More fun times! Hide and seek under the bed! Yay!!!
Look at things from the dog's point of view - see what is fun - and then, figure out where I can get one of those foot long candy bars.

Monitors, kids, and motivation

2008-09-29T04:27:00.000-05:00

Going, going, gone - my computer went down the other day and getting it back up took some doing. But - new monitor now - and man, does my blog look NICE on it! Impressive job I did. I missed being here.

One thing that I contemplated this weekend was thoughts of motivation. I have been threatening my fourteen year old daughter with dire consequences over her soon to be condemned bedroom for a while. I'm pretty lenient with the kids' rooms, to a point. She has gone above and beyond this point. "Clean your room or no computer" I say. She smiles and just stays off the computer. "Clean your room or no MP3 player!" She smiles and hands it over. And she's just so Darn cute its hard to be upset with her.

But this weekend I found the motivation it takes. "Clean your room or no school Monday and we will clean it together." She said "Mom, that's just weird! Beyond weird, the weirdest threat I've ever heard!!"
However.
I woke up to a clean(er) room this morning. She loves school.
Find that motivation. Kids, dogs, they all have one. Trick is to find it, and use it.

Puppy class

2008-09-24T05:10:00.000-05:00

Week three of puppy class, and all are going strong! I'm extremely pleased with this class - everyone has goals, everyone is motivated, everyone is having fun!
The Chihuahua's mommy told me that she had to change her goal - she thought her little one was dog aggressive, and I duly noted that on my sheet. Well, turns out, she discovered, we are only dog aggressive on the leash. If off leash, then, we seem to be just fine. I have to wonder if he's feeling the tension from the other side of the leash. Did you know current and emotion travel down quite easily and quickly via that conduit?
Tis true.
We worked on down in class last night. Too funny! I had two of 8 puppies who already knew how to down. I picked a boxer pup to demo with thinking 'easy!' Sometimes I get overconfident in my abilities - in that class, I should have picked the doxie baby. Boxer baby did his imitation of Stubborn Boy very very well! I only got him to down twice and I'm pretty sure his folks didn't at all. Down can be tricky to learn in class.
Sometimes our puppies just Won't with our positive techniques for a bit. I tell people I like them to figure it out for themselves, and that way I know they know. (In another post I'll share a few other techniques for down if the 'sit, then lure' doesn't work for you.)

We did some loose leash walk techniques. We worked on leave it, and did a come game. Worked on some problem solving - my mouthy mini bull terrier was Much better last night, tho I'm seeing some signs of dog aggression we must keep an eye on. Housebreaking seemed to be better, overall, with the techniques I shared.

My funny from last night - Stubborn Boxer's Daddy said 'we were talking last night and we want to know if its okay to record you?"
I asked, 'think you are going to forget how to do something or??"
He said, "No, we want you to say 'sit' and 'come' and 'walk' because he does it for your voice and he won't for us at all!"
Laughing - don't think its the sound of my particular voice that does it.......

Age

2008-09-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

People often ask me - 'is my dog too old to learn'...whatever it is that they don't know. Or the sister question, 'is she too old to stop doing'...whatever it is that is driving them insane.

I say an emphatic 'probably not'. I've had many dogs between the ages of three and thirteen in class. One was a thirteen year old beagle who had lived in a kennel all its hunting life and now that it was too old to hunt, and living in a new home, the lady just wanted his focus on her, at least occasionally. Easier said than done, but thanks to a canvas dummy dribbled with deer urine, we managed to achieve attention!
A while back, I had a ten year old golden in class. The lady's new boyfriend didn't like a few of his behaviors. I said 'and we are keeping the boyfriend??' The boyfriend went by the wayside before class was over, but Gorgeous Golden learned some new things that pleased his mommy.
Six year old females appear in class, newly homed, fairly regularly. Well, because that is the age most breeders don't breed past. So, having outlived their usefulness, they are moved on. A lady with a six year old Brussels Griffon told me 'all I want her to do is play!'
We didn't quite achieve playful in eight weeks, but we did achieve interest and tail wag and I hope that play happened not long after.
Of course, ideally, puppy would be well socialized and well trained from the beginning. But. Life happens. So we move on and work with what we have.
Yes, your older dog can be taught new tricks - and you aren't too old to learn a few yourself.
Honest!

My Spare Time

2008-09-21T06:20:00.000-05:00

And here is one of the things I do in my spare time - hang out at the Ta Kwon Do center and watch my little one kick. (In case you are wondering - mine is the cute one.) Don't all those white clothes on all those kids make you cringe in laundry do-er dread??

Housebreaking 2

2008-09-20T06:03:00.000-05:00

Think "the same". The more you do the same in the early days you have your new baby, or your newly adopted older dog, or yes, the dog you've had a while, but just now decided that the peeing/pooping in the house Has To Stop, the faster puppy will learn.
So - feed a high quality food on a schedule. Most dogs prefer to eat once a day. Most puppies need more. Two or three times, depending on how little their stomachs are and how you are. I had a lady tell me once 'it hurts my heart to feed him once a day'. Heaven forbid I should be the cause of anyone's heart hurting! So I said - go for it. Your dog, you get to pick, but deal with the consquences.
So - feed your dog on a schedule, and only leave the food down for about fifteen minutes, give or take a few either way. If we eat it, yay! If we don't - too bad. Food will go down again next feed time! They won't starve to death and they will learn when its dinner time.
Food on a schedule. Water all the time they are up and active. Now that is my personal choice. I will not be responsible for a dog dehydrating and I really think putting the water up and down, up and down, forty hundred times a day will result in just simply Not putting it down at some point and dogs need free access to water. Put the water down and deal with it. Yes, you may pick it up an hour or two before bedtime. You are welcome.
Take puppy out on a schedule. Take puppy out the same door, on the leash,
to the same place using the same words. I tell mine 'hurry up' because that is what I want them to do. I'm all about not standing at the other end of the leash for an hour while they read the newpaper and contemplate their navels. I stand there and say softly "hurry up" and when they do what I want 'yay!". Again, softly - goal is not to make the sphincter clench in alarm. And then when done, a little treat, and play time.
If nothing happens, within a few minutes, we go back inside, and pop back into crate or get tethered to me. Set the kitchen timer and try again in a bit.
Repeat as needed.
Next housebreaking post will include some 'but if what if he.......' questions.

Cockapoo tears

2008-09-18T05:04:00.000-05:00

A very nice lady came into work yesterday, in almost tears, looking at shock collars. As I'm prone to do, I wandered up, asked her if I could help.....what kind of dog she had, what her issues were, and about thirty minutes later, she came up for air.
Seems she has a two year old cockapoo. One of the 'new designer' breeds. Very cute little dogs. I've had several come through class and adored them all. This one was driving her insane. "He's already gone through several shock collars" a sign that says to me, she was neither using them right nor buying a new one from me (yeah, I have the power to say No, and Will if I think they will be misused).
The dog's - her - issues were basically "he doesn't get enough exercise and so drives us nuts with his energy, he barks all the time, especially when he's locked in the garage because we can't stand him anymore, and he won't ever ever leave us alone in the house, he's always herding or jumping or....and oh, was barking ALL the time mentioned?? On and on and on and on. And when he does get to run, he won't come back."
Not much of a good life for the dog, or much fun doggie time for lady, her husband - who loves the dog, won't allow her to give it away, and yet won't take over any amount of care for it, and the two kids who hear mommy yell at the dog and are almost afraid of him at this point.
I tried my hardest to steer her toward training - which Can cost less than a shock collar, just to get the basics! And will last a lifetime.
This is one of those occasions where in home training would be a very good idea.
Will keep you posted if she and her husband call me. Fingers crossed. I think this is one of those dogs and his family that could be turned around, happily, fairly quickly if a good trainer (me) got involved.

Goals!

2008-09-17T05:36:00.000-05:00

My puppy class set goals last night. I love goal setting. Its always good to have a plan. How do you know where you are going if you don't have a map?? Now we have a map.
One of the challenges of dog training, puppy training, is everyone knows what they don't want. "I don't want him to jump on me when I come home." "I don't want her to charge out the door when I open it." I always say "what do you want her to do instead of charging out the door?"
It is very hard for puppies to understand "DO NOTHING!!" If you give them a replacement behavior to do, the re training goes much faster. Puppies usually do what works. They jump on people, and people either pet and praise "aren't you cute!" or they go "Stop it, get down, quit!" while shoving away. Either way puppy gets attention, and negative attention is still attention.

Our goals for this class are pretty normal ones - this will be a good class to follow along with and see how we are solving most of these behaviors.
We have two very shy puppies. They need socialization and they also need to be able to focus when nervous. Given other behaviors to do. I messed up last night and didn't notice one of the puppy moms comforting her baby during class when puppy hid under the chair. I will remedy that Immediatly in the next class. Cooing to puppy 'its okay, its all right, don't be scared' translates to puppy 'good baby, that's just how I want you to act'. Which is NOT what people think they are saying.

So - some of the goals for this class. Come when called. Ouch - that puppy mouthing isn't so cute anymore and is starting to hurt! Stay please. Pay attention to me despite all the much more interesting things in the world. Lets walk Nicely on the leash. Make him stop peeing in my house!!!!!

One lady asked 'can you make him like riding in the car?' I said yeah, but not in this class.
But! Will see what I can do for her.
This is going to be a GREAT class.

Housebreaking

2008-09-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

I am under the personal opinion that more dogs are turned back into the pound because of housebreaking issues than any other. Again, my opinion, but I think lack of available exercise is the second reason. Misconceptions about how a dog 'really' behaves is the third. People idolize 'Old Shep' who never did wrong, never jumped, only barked at bad guys, and never ever ever peed in the house. Mostly he just walked calmly beside them, and then slept twenty-three hours a day. Amazing animal, Old Shep.

Our tiny babies are often more challenging to housebreak than our bigger guys, mostly because they simply get away with it more. Easier to see lab pee than yorkie pee on your carpet. Easier to make shepherd puppy walk outside to his designated spot than to trot out chihuahua pup. Sometimes our bigger puppies wish to please us just a bit more than our teeny tinies.

Crate, tether and eyeball. Those are my three big Magic Wand things for housebreaking. Most - stress the most - puppies will not pee in their crate if they can help it. Some will on purpose, and some don't care if they do or not. Most housebreaking books ignore those quite major issues with the cute phrase "dogs won't pee where they sleep". Sigh. Not true for all.

However, I say, Most won't pee on your shoe - or if they do more than once, its kinda sorta your fault. So tethering - tying the leash to your waistband is a good option. Eyeballing - if I'm in the same room with puppy and not distracted and can see when he squats, this works too.

Keep an eye out for this header. I'll be chatting more about housebreaking soon.

Web sites

2008-09-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

I am having very much fun with my blog. I like finding the pictures - one day, I shall own my Own camera and take my OWN pictures - Imagine!!!! Till then its web surfing and generics however. They work, but its NOT THE SAME!
Right now, I'm web site host hunting.
I need a web site, to get myself, my business, up and running. As much as I shut my eyes, plug my ears and chant motivational thoughts to myself, I can still see the writing on the wall at work. Our business like many others is slowing down and I can feel the downsizing commence. Since I am one of only maybe three full time people there (i.e, been there a while, get more dollars and must pay benefits) - and one of those is leaving soon - I'm thinking I'm about to be replaced with someone else. Part time, less paycheck. He's already in training, so I've got to pro-act.
Its fun to plan - what do I want to do - in-home training, I think is the way to start. I will have to find a place to hold classes at some point - I mean, really, is life worth Living without puppy classes every week??

No. And I will want to get into board and train also.
But right now, the web site is the thing. And learning as much as I possible can, any possible way I can.
I love plans.

Class goals

2008-09-13T04:51:00.000-05:00

One thing I always ask each of my classes is 'what do you want??" And I tell them to think about this. It can be very personal. My dog is allowed on my furniture, in bed with me to cuddle at night and it does not bother me at all when he runs around and around the house like a wild thing.
For some reason this does seem to bother many people. Not sure why - but I've had to reassure many people that what their puppy is doing is Just a release of energy and is Not the sign of extreme mental illness.
One thing that does bother me and that my dog is not allowed to do, is to go out the front door without an invitaion. We wait at the door. We do not charge the door, and when people come in, we sit to greet them. Well, most of the time!

So when we go back to class, one thing I'll be asking for is goals. How do you want your dog to be acting, behaving, doing, not doing at the end of this eight week class??
Most people have about the same goals - I want him/her to come when called, walk nicely on the leash, Please make him stop peeing in my house! I don't want puppy nipping or children herding. Only a few barks when the door bell rings, and stop when I ask.
How hard can those BE???
I will share this particuliar classes goals when they make them - and we will find out how hard much hard work we have ahead of us!

First night

2008-09-10T05:47:00.000-05:00

Oh did we have fun last night - my new class is going to be a good one. While technically a puppy class, I do have two older dogs. A papillion and a chihuahua both with major socialization issues. We will work on those.

The other dogs include two golden retriever puppies, a very handsome boxer baby, a perfect little sheltie, a most adorable long hair black dauschund and miniature bull terrier. 8 dogs. Not bad.

In their first class I talk quite a little bit.I always say sorry for that - but it gives the people some time to calm down - they are always nervous and it lets the puppies calm down too.
I try to find out some of their issues - we are all having housebreaking issues, it seems so I'll be touching on that a lot.
We allowed the puppies to socialize some, and did a few basic things. Watch me - sit, one come game, some problem solving.
I'll be chatting more about my goals for this class and their goals more in my next post.

New class!

2008-09-09T05:35:00.000-05:00

I'm starting a new puppy class tonight. I love puppy class. Its my favorite. Well, sort of. What is cuter than a pile of new puppies?

I say the biggest difference between puppy class and beginner class is that in puppy class people come in cradling their new baby cooing 'isn't he the cutest thing ever in the history of things??"

and they come, dragged, into beginner class, teeth gritted complaining "make him STOP!!!!".

But then, beginner class is where you see the biggest change "finally! he quit! He stopped! He won't! he doesn't ANYMORE! YAY!!!" Beginner class parents are often more motivated than puppy class. "She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to! She can get by on her charm and good looks!" Yeah, that works for a while.

Of course, I like private lessons, too. You, me and whatever it is you want to do. A man with a gorgeous german shepherd came in once "make him stop eating my toilet paper!" That was it. His only issue.......and shutting the bathroom door did not seem an option for a reason I could never figure out. A lady came in with a lab puppy and three adorable young girls "they can't walk him down the street". By the time class was over, they could.

BUT! Puppy class tonight! I'll be following this class in my blog - no names, just breeds and what happens. Watch and learn along with us!

Why??

2008-09-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

Why does my dog DO that?
Why does he act that way?
Why is she afraid of men?

Why does he chase squirrels?

Why does she lick all the time?
Why Why Why???

Sometimes when asked 'why' I really and truly try to answer. I have some dog behavior studies in my background and sometimes I Can answer the 'why'.
Sometimes I can't. I don't know everything - a case of the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know.
And sometimes there is no why. Or at least no why that we will ever know. We will never really know the 'why' of a five year old rescue dog. Most generally previous owners are not forthcoming about the real 'why' of turn ins. MOST people take the family pet with them when they move. All those dogs are not the result of people moving and not taking their dog with.
Most are there for a reason the owners don't wish to share.

Unable to housebreak.
Bit the teasing neighbor kid.
Jumped up and knocked over grandma.
Sometimes the answer really and truly is 'because that is what dog's DO' and while that seems to be an unacceptable answer for many people who want 'human dogs' i.e. dogs that act people, or want dogs that are just like 'old Shep' who was the perfect dog and never did anything wrong, most dogs are simply dogs.

We can often, most, many times, change a behavior, teach them another thing to do instead, but often we won't know the Why of the behavior we didn't like.
Learn to deal with it, with pleasure, great humor and much love.

More Exercise

2008-09-06T05:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, that IS the answer to your dog's problem in about, oh, say, 90 per cent - or more! - of the cases I see. Your dog Needs More Exercise. (The other ten percent is almost always just because he doesn't know better - he's a DOG not a mind reader! Honest!)
"I walk him twice a day!" A walk around the block is not exercise. They need to run. They need to engage in play that exercises both their bodies and their minds. They need to jump and leap and frolic and chase and bark and, well, be dogs!

Even the teeny tiny pocket babies need to run. They are dogs also. Really! It's true!

"He HAS a huge back yard to play in!" Yay!!!! However. Who plays with him?? What does he have to Do out there besides run up and down the fence and bark at the neighbor dogs?? He must have a constructive outlet for his energy or he will be eating your flowers, digging up your bushes, climbing over your fence to go out and entertain the neighbors, and you, with a very fun game of 'catch me if you can!'.
Brain work is exercise. If there are days when you Can't exercise - give that dog a job. Make him earn his food, his pets, his treats. Sit, down, stay games are basic. Teach him a new trick, throw the ball up and down the hall or the stairs. Do something with him - isn't companionship why you got him??
Classes are great for exhaustion. Remember the last time you took a class, or got a new job or focused on new skill learning? You came home exhausted. I had a couple come into class with their lab puppy and told me "We come home from class, he's exhausted, goes to sleep and we have date night!"

A tired dog is a good dog. And, to be honest, a short slow walk around the block is no exercise for you either.

Go to the corner, lay down and stay there!

2008-08-25T04:26:00.000-05:00

I often tell people in class that this is my goal - I just want someone, sometime, to tell me to go to the corner lay down and stay there and yet. No one ever does! Its always 'do this, fetch that, more!'
Now, our dogs seem........not so interested in the idea. Sometimes our puppies do not wish to lay down at all it seems. Our big assertive dogs think its way too much a sign of submission to lay down in front of all the other puppies. I assure their owners 'that's okay - sometimes, they don't have to want to. They just have to.' which, as an aside seems to be a totally new concept especially to some who are new parents to four or two legged little ones.
Our teeny tinies sometimes have an issue with down - "I'm so far down here already!"

And sometimes there is so much going on in the class for them to focus. Sometimes it takes a little extra time, and putting on your patience panties! My last little Havanese in class was told repeatedly "you won't learn down!" It always makes me laugh at how excited puppy parents get when proven wrong. Just takes more tries than twice sometimes. Often. But that's okay - what else are you doing??

There are several methods to do down - one is the lure. Sit first, treat to nose, bring it straight down, and then hopefully puppy will follow it straight down. I think this one is about the easiest. For most dogs most of the time. Then there is the make puppy crawl under (Knee, stool) method, and they down to crawl to the treat - there you go. There is the 'make them think' click method. "HOW do I get that treat/click?? This, this? AHH! Down!"

Well.......almost!!!

WHERE is the fun part??

2008-08-21T04:18:00.000-05:00

So, its been a rough couple weeks at work. Had a very nasty dog bite in class. Not me, which, actually, might have been preferable. But a dog that had never bitten before, though he had lunged and snapped. Was a sad mistake - too much going on, too much for him to handle and while I really think it was an accident, of course, he can't come back to group class anymore.

Then, there are just silly things going on at work itself. Oh, the politics of retail! How much fun can you Have and still get paid??
Though she's done it to others, for the first time, one of my bosses screamed at me in front of customers and other employees. I HOPE I handled it with dignity and some sense of grace. After she stomped away one of the customers looked after her and said "Sometimes its just hard for people to act like adults, isn't it?" Which was a little amusing and helped defuse the scene. And Big Boss just sat there and let her scream in front of people. Amazing.

Somehow, I've messed up two appointments in two weeks. I never mess up times. Top that off with a couple refunds and I'll be lucky to Have a job this time next week.
Oh well, Christmas is coming. I can always work at the mall!

This IS the fun part!

2008-08-04T09:03:00.001-05:00

A couple in my class recently adopted a gorgeous four month old weimaraner puppy. Now if you know anything about 'weimy's' you know they are very high energy, very active, very intelligent dogs.

You have to keep one step ahead of them and right now, puppy is driving them insane. I could see the teeth gritting and the jaw clenching as they talked about his behavior.
Now, his puppy antics are just the run of the mill, normal puppy things - chewing, jumping, nipping, barking, running around like he's CRAZED - and while it surely can get irritating, they had lost all sense of humor and all sense of perspective. "This too shall pass."
A very good sense of humor, and a very well honed bucket of patience is needed to deal with our high energy, active dogs. Well, actually those are good to have with all of them. And, also, a sense of perspective.
Why did they get the dog? For the same reason most of us do. For companionship, for entertainment, for unconditional love and for the joy and peace they bring to our lives.
Sometimes, though, looking for the peace, past the 'He ATE MY WALL!!!!!!!' can be a challenge.
So - another one of my dog training sayings? "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

Weekend classes

2008-08-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Summer weekend classes are basically a waste of time, I've found. No one shows up. Well, not true, enough show up to straggle through till the end of the eight weeks rather pathetically. There seems to be many more interesting things to do on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon than haul your dog to class. Or the flip side of that - its just TOO hot to take him in the car! Hot days and dogs and cars do not mix well. I understand that.
It's funny though, I've often stood there on a nasty, cold, blowy, snowy winter night and thought, Man, I wouldn't come out in this, if I wasn't being paid to do it. And yet people show up.
But turn up that heat and no one wants to move.
Week nights aren't bad. Its light out till late. People tend to keep more of their regular schedule during the week. Go to work, come to puppy class.
Warm summer weekends feel too much like vacation, I'm thinking.
Add that to a BIG party here in town today
http://www.decaturcelebration.com/index08.html
And I think I'll be twiddling my thumbs all day.
Or maybe I'll create a celebration of my own - weiner dog race, anyone??

Puppy, Puppy, come to me!

2008-07-31T05:21:00.000-05:00

My adolescent daughter used to follow me everywhere. Anything I'd ask her to do, there she was, trying her little heart out. I'd call "do you want to help?" and she'd be at my elbow. Now she's a teenager and not so compliant. Odd.
Puppies, and recently adopted dogs, are often the same way. "I don't need to learn to call them to come - they never leave my side." Most of the time, this too shall pass.
Certainly there are velcro dogs - dogs who never leave your side, but even those get excited about a squirrel in the road or another dog across the street, or a kid riding a bicycle past. The key is to put a good strong solid 'come' on your dog when the distractions are low and the motivation is high.
There are many many, as I call them, 'games' you can play to get your dog to come, but the key to all of them is motivation.
"Come" has to be the best choice your dog has ever made. Every single time. Any time the dog or puppy comes to you, it's party time! Give praise, give a treat, let them know you are So very happy they came to you.
If you are mad, if you had to chase them around the yard for an hour - Fake it - it STILL has to be a good choice they made. If I thought you were going to end my fun and yell at me, I wouldn't come to you either.
Come equals a good time. Every time.

Vacation!!

2008-07-25T07:56:00.000-05:00

After our lovely vacation (boats! No work!) ended, I went to pick up my dog from his vacation time at his grandpa's house. Knowing my dog as I do, and knowing he hadn't seen me for a few days, I rang their doorbell and stepped back into the middle of the yard. In the grass. Away from their white carpet.
Submissive or excitment urination is not the same thing as housebreaking issues.
My dog is housebroken. Sometimes after he's not seen me for a while, he will pee all over himself, me, and any thing under him. I take it as a compliment. Most days he just grins and wags when I come home, but despite what I say about dogs not telling time the same way we do, he knows the difference between an eight hour work day and a few days vacation time. Thank goodness.
This is a hard concept to explain to people however. And their reaction contributes a lot to the dogs reaction.
In my case, this time, I was glad to see him also - very glad! Glad enough to not mind the pee dribbles. So I sat down in the grass and let him come to me and we both wiggled all over each other. If I had gone IN the house however, I would have probably ignored him for a few minutes till he calmed down just a little. The more excited I get - the more excited he gets. Odd but true.
And now, I'm leaving him for 8 hours again - heading back into the real world.
Vacation's over.....

Advice, Freely Given

2008-07-17T07:32:00.000-05:00

In the course of my work day, I'm often asked for advice, on so many different matters. I've learned the art of b.s. fairly well, though - Really! - I usually try to give my best.
I've found that a lot of people don't really want advice - they just want to tell me how hard they have it while I give them figurative pats and tell them they are Oh So Burdened! I'm getting pretty good at that.
While sometimes, often, I want to jump in and fix things for them, tell them what to do, that usually isn't what is needed. Sometimes while in the course of a long recitation of woes, I realize - they really don't want things to change. They want to keep doing what they are doing and getting the same results. "I have to pre chew his food for him or he won't eat anything!' Is that the opposite of insanity?? I'm not sure.
I've gotten a few pat phrases down that I haul out when asked for advice. My favorite was blatently stolen from a popular talk show host "and how's that working for you?" And about 99% of the time I get one of two answers, either "just fine" or "its not". Then I know how to procede.
Too many people worry way too much. "Is this right?" "Can I do that, try this?" My usual answer to that one is "He's your dog, living in your house, you get to pick." Which makes sense, no one raises their kids alike, no one's house is exactly like another's. We are all different. Along those lines I also say "if its not broke, don't fix it." Which seems to relieve some anxiety, for some reason. "Oh, it IS working......."
Another phrase I use fairly often is "Stop doing that." Which is used when people tell me "when I do this, he does that". Or the one that goes along with it "don't let him do that anymore."
And then of course there is my favorite phrase when confronted with a long winded whiner "Its time for class, I've got to go!"

Pet peeve

2008-07-16T06:53:00.000-05:00

Retractable leashes are the bane of my existence. Oh, I'm sure they are fine for walks in the park. Maybe walks in the neighborhood - but NOT for class and NOT for shopping with your dog!
I know the leashes have a little button you can lock down, and make the leash short. I KNOW they have them because I've actually held them in my hands and used them. But, like any other well kept secret, no one seems to know about it until they actually need to know.
Your adorable baby can be wandering around your friendly pet store, sniffing where everyone else peed, while you walk around the corner. He's still on the leash - but so is that not very friendly eighty pound snarling thing whose owner is also around the corner. No supervision usually means trouble.
It also means trouble when your puppy eliminates in fright and you don't know because he's SO very far away from you. Those leashes will go from sixteen to thirty feet away. That's a good long area for them to romp and play at the park. It is unacceptable in a store full of people, with kids and dogs, distractions and noise. Yes, I realize some people just simply chose not to clean up after puppy, but most are responsible owners and will if they know what puppy did. (Naive thing that I am. )
Tangles. Also an issue. All string, all the time, all over the place. Under people's feet. Around other dog's necks, between your dog and those automatically closing doors. Just.....keep it Short. Or better yet, spend the $5 and buy a nice four or six foot nylon or leather leash for shopping. Please! The friendly folks at the pet store will appreciate you! So will the other shoppers. And your dog will be better off for your attention. Really. I know of what I speak.

Follow-up

2008-07-15T10:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it must be all in the delivery!
Yesterday my couple with the two puppies came in, and we were doing nothing, as usual. So, thanks to some advice, I decided I'd try to capture a few behaviors with the clicker. Soon, I had Puppy rolling over, and Big Dog playing dead. She was VERY good at the dead thing. PLOP!
And the people were Thrilled! "New thing! Fun thing! Let's do it Again! and Again!!"
Maybe the key is just To Do and Not to ask or even Tell??

Kate

Private lessons

2008-07-14T06:15:00.001-05:00

As much as I enjoy teaching group classes, my private lessons are also very fun. One on one focus - I can take ten minutes if need be, to teach the teeny tiny one to lay down, without worrying if everyone else is bored. I can flip from here to there - teach this, then that, then back again, without someone in class getting dizzy and confused.

Right now I have several private lessons going on, people who can't fit a regular class into their ever changing schedule, who only want a specific issue solved or skill taught, or who want the one on one time with me. Private lessons right now include a lab puppy, a 2 year old rescue basset hound, an adorable yorkie baby, a little malti/yorkie-poo mix, and 2 huge Great Pyrenees puppies.

And therein lies the rub. What am I to DO with these two puppies??? Now, don't get me wrong, they are smart enough and they will learn Just fine - but. I can't figure out what their owners want from me.

Shall we learn leash walking? no no, they can not learn leash walking!

Shall we come when called? no no, they already come when called!

Shall we learn drop it, leave it? no no, they don't pick anything up!

Stay? Would you like stay?? no, when they need to stay, we kennel them! No problem!

Tricks! How about a few tricks?? no, no, they are 'just' companion dogs - no reason to know tricks!

What would you like to do?? Oh, they are doing Just fine!

Head Bang.

They are coming in to sign up for more lessons today. I have to wonder WHY -what am I teaching them?? Maybe they are just paying me for my scintillating company? I am rather fun to be with........

Fun Kate!!

Blog Play, Goal play

2008-07-13T05:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not the most computer literate person in the world, but I've been working on figuring things out. I see a lot of options for the blog I've not yet been able to access. Well, access mentally, I'm pretty sure my computer could do it if my brain would but cooperate. Pictures are next on my list to play with.
One day, after I've been posting for more than a week or two, I hope to upgrade this to something more personal, more viable for what I want to do, to help in my dog training business. Blog first, website second.
That is part of my long term goals. And I have so many of those.
Right now, I'm teaching group classes, puppy, beginner, advanced, and private lessons. I want to expand. I want to do in-home training - go to your house and help you train your dog in your real life situation. I want to do board and train, take your dog into my house, work on the basics and then show you how to keep up that training. I want to train service dogs. Helper dogs, for whatever reason people might need them. I'm thinking that will be a huge part of my eventual business.
This morning I was reading in the August issue of Dog World about niche breeding. Perfecting the Guide Dog. It seems to be a very big business, and all I want is one little part of it, to help my little corner of the world.

Different strokes

2008-07-12T07:13:00.000-05:00

I am very lucky. My job entails petting puppies most of the day. Playing. Enjoying - and sometimes even boggling. I love seeing the different breeds, kinds, sizes, personalities our four legged furry buddies come in. Although I live in only a medium sized town, I see quite a few interesting dogs.

Yesterday I saw my first Tibetan Mastiff puppy. He was only four months old and owned by the same lady who brought in the very first Leonberger I got to drool over. What a gorgeous dog!

Havanese and Coton de Tulear used to be rare but I've seen quite a few of them lately.

And then there are the mixed breeds. All my doodle puppies as I call them - the golden-doodles, labradoodles, I didn't see any until just a few years ago, and now they seem to be running the show. There are a lot of little mixes - yorkie-poos, malti-poos, cavashons, etc etc. Cute little buggers, and sometimes smarter than we are.

On the other hand, when I see a collie, its always a rare, breathtaking sight. You just don't see many of them any more.

Chinese Crested aren't uncommon either - warm, naked little babies.

What kind of dog would you like to see wander into your life?

Kate

If wishes were puppies

2008-07-11T06:18:00.001-05:00

I'm on the lookout for a puppy. A puppy that can grow up to be a demo dog for me - one I can take everywhere, practice all my new techniques on - try different ways, show off what I can do. I won't be getting one very soon, so I'm checking things out. Like I tell people at work - anticipation is half the fun sometimes!

Do I want a purebred from a breeder or do I want to rescue from a shelter?

Do I want a big dog, small dog or a happy happy medium?

Shall I get one at 8 weeks and raise him from the very beginning or get one just a bit older and not have to hassle with all the puppy issues?

Male or female or does that even matter?

Do I want something easy to train - golden, lab, cavalier, papillon or something that offers more of a challenge?

Will I take new puppy to work daily from day one or wait till s/he's ready to show off?

I'm enjoying scouring breed magazines, dog books, quizzing all the people I see about what kind they got, where they got the dog and how happy they are.

Wonder what other questions I should be asking myself? What did you ask before you got your dog?

Kate
dogtrainingwithkate5@yahoo.com

Welcome!

2008-07-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

My name is Kate and I'll be your dog trainer today. Actually, more than likely, probably, you will be your own dog trainer and I'll be the one standing on the side gently suggesting 'try this instead'.
As the days and weeks go on, I'll be talking about my philosophy of training, and yes, indeed, I have one (boils down to basically 'do what works'). I'll chatter about the fun times in puppy class, the great strides of improvement in beginner class, the fumbles as I learn to click with some of my students, and my goals for the rest of my life - which I hope includes your dog.
Welcome. Now, lets see if this posting thing really works.........

Kate
dogtrainingwithkate5@yahoo.com