Back to School...

Dog Trainer Adam Katz of South Bay K9 Academy says there are three simple secrets to dog training:

1. Timing (Consequences - rewards and corrections - must be timed correctly so that the dog understands your communication.) Using Katz's own example: If you got a speeding ticket 6 weeks after you were speeding (especially if the ticket were in a foreign language), it might not carry much weight with you. Timing your communications with your dogs properly makes all the difference in the world.

2. Consistency - Consequences must be consistent so that the dog understands there is a predictable pattern to the consequences related to the dog's behavior.

3. Motivation - Consequences must make the dog want to repeat an action (the dog must care about the treat, toy, praise, etc. in rewards); or the consequence (correction) needs to be motivational enough for the dog to NOT want to repeat the behavior.

While I agree wholeheartedly with all of the above. I must say, there is a definite - and most important - 4th Secret to dog training.

Drum roll, please...

... and the 4th Secret to Dog Training is...

... Maintenance!

As with a lot of my blog posts, this one stems from personal experience. As many of you know, my whippet girls have been in season for the past 4 weeks - meaning the whippet boys have been coming to work with me instead of the girls.

This means a month of 'vacation' time for the girls. Training has been at a minimum for them - no recalls, no stays, no downs, no sits to speak of - for a whole month! "Woohoo!" say my girls..."We can do whatever we want!"

Of course, this mentality quickly leaked into everyday life. The girls have developed selective hearing. Even Miss Lizzie, my Obedience titled whippet and the #5 Ranked Rally-Obedience Novice whippet in the country for 2010, was looking at me blankly when I gave a command.

Are you kidding me?!

Meanwhile, the boys...Jett, Feynman, Fermi, and Timmy...always known for their boyish, goofy, lack-a-daisical attitudes about obedience and being the demo dogs: Well, all I can say is that last Saturday, Jett (yes, you read that right, JETT) was even up volunteering to be the demo dog during classes. This is the same Jett that I normally have to crawl into the kennel and beg to come out and work.

The boys' recalls were beautiful, their heeling sublime (for whippets), their sits automatic, and their stays - well, their stays were truly something to write home about!

How did this happen?!

Well, of course, we all know how it happened. See above...Dog Training Secret #4.

Maintenance - even just a few minutes of training and enforcing and rewarding commands every day - is vital to continued results with your dog. Even dogs who 'know' their obedience commands need daily maintenance.

The good news is, maintaining a dog's training doesn't take nearly as much time and effort as the initial teaching part of training takes. Once the dog knows the skills, it takes but a few repetitions a day to keep the skills fresh. But skipping out on maintenance exercises is a recipe for headaches for any dog owner.

Some tips for keeping your dogs' obedience skills in tip-top shape:

1. Don't set yourself up for failure - forcing dog training time into an already packed personal schedule just doesn't work. Much like working out (unless you're really into it), you'll do it religiously a few times, but soon that favorite T.V. show, video game, or pressure to get a blog post done will take precedence. Next thing you know, it's been 3 days since you trained the dog, and well, he's just not being 'bad' so why bother?

Remember, it takes time to train, and it takes time for the dog to 'forget'...neither will happen overnight.

Instead of aiming for the lofty goal of doing 20 to 40 minutes straight of training, do your maintenance work in small bits throughout the day - 2 minutes here, 5 minutes there, when you'd be interacting with your dog anyway (practices sits and waits before going in and out of any door; 'leave its' before meal times; sit/stays when putting leashes on or taking them off, etc.)

2. In the same spirit, 'schedule' your training times for moments in your own schedule where life gives you little moments - do 2 to 5 minutes of training during TV commercials and at routine breaks in your schedule (after your shower, before your coffee...or after you've gotten home, but before you've sorted the mail, etc.). Training in this way allows you and the dog lots of maintenance training, plus supplies the added benefit of reminding the dog that obedience is expected any where, any time - not just during 20 minute drilling sessions.

3. Last but not least, remember that if you are teaching any NEW skill, then it doesn't fall into maintenance training and extended sessions and repetitions will be needed until the dog masters the new skill, then you can incorporate it into the maintenance routine.

The whippet girls' story has a happy ending. They are all out of season (and hopefully two will soon be mama dogs) and so they can come to work with me again and not drive all of my clients' boy dogs insane. :)

Today was Lizzie, Bella, and Polliwog's first day back to school. I managed to get 10 minutes of maintenance training time in with each of them (and also with Fermi and wonder dog Siobhan). Imagine that...they were delighted with the chance to work with me AND their everyday obedience attitudes came right back!

That's it from this end of the leash...

Jennifer Hime is the head trainer/behaviorist at Front Range K9 Academy & Horsetooth Whippets. She can be reached at www.k9counselor.com.

Leash Aggression - Really???

I received the following email last week from a client, and the timing for a discussion on this issue couldn't be better:

Hi Jennifer

I attended training about a year ago with my Red Heeler pup, Aspen. He's now a wonderful dog, off leash trained and does great with other dogs. With one exception of course. He's become aggressive towards other dogs when he's leashed. If we're on a walk and he's healing, a dog will come hear us and he'll fluff up his back hair, growl and lunge aggressively at the other dog. He did recently bit a little Beagle's ear on our neighborhood while on a walk though didn't hurt the dog. Each time he does it, I get in front of him and scold him but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. When he's off the leash and we meet another dog, he is GREAT and typically runs away with his tail between his legs.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Maria


This is a very common issue. The leash increases agitation in MANY dogs...and most of the problem comes from the owners - not the dogs!

This is because dogs ranging in age from about 1 to 3 years become much more selective about who they actually want physical contact with.

We humans don't keep up with this change in social development, and continue to let our dogs 'meet' every dog out there, thinking "He's so social. He looooves dogs."

In essence, we're trapping them into adolescent behavior without allowing them to mature and limit their social contacts as they would in the wild as they grew up. Just because your dog was very social as a puppy doesn't mean that will continue into adulthood.

I like to look at the very obvious similarities between humans and dogs when it comes to proper socialization.

Some humans and some dogs do stay more social throughout life. But really, think about it:

You're social...but do you looooove every human you meet? Just like dogs, as we age, we begin to shrink our social circles - or at least we have fewer people we want to be socially intimate with.

Imagine if I tied you up and placed you on a bench outside the grocery store. Then I let every stranger coming and going from the store come up and touch you. Then, if you got upset when a stranger groped you, I slapped you instead of the stranger.

It might seem extreme, but this is the equivalent of most leash-to-leash meetings for dogs.

They can't escape; they can't take things slowly or at their own pace; they feel restrained, so they panic and tell the other dog to get away from them the only way they know how: Growling, snapping, etc.

But when dogs do this, they get punished by their owners!

This only worsens the problem, as your dog has no way out. What you are telling the dog is that any dog can tickle, fondle, sniff or downright dominate, molest, or intimidate them and they just have to take it. Would you do the same to your child if they were being bullied?

I know this sounds radical to some...but I'm on a roll, so bear with me. With the warmer weather and a slew of dogs hitting this 1 to 3 year age range, these face-to-face, leash-to-leash meetings are more common and dogs who are forced into these situations generally become worse and worse, and expand the aggression to even off-leash situations.

To make matters even MORE complicated, the general public perpetuates the problem by continuing to push the myth of 'all dogs like each other.' (I bet we ALL can think of a family member, neighbor, or friend who subscribes to this INCORRECT view of canine socialization.)

So...what to do?

1. AVOID leashed greetings. If you are walking your dog and another person walking theirs is pressing for a meeting, politely hold up a hand and cross the street. Or put your dog in a stay behind you and block the other dog's access to yours. Or find any other way out of the situation.

(NOTE - you may have to be downright rude about this with some people. So be it. That stranger & strange dog on the street are just that - strangers. You owe them no loyalty and will spend maybe 30 seconds of your life around them. You will spend the next 10 to 15 years with your dog.)

2. Don't be the stranger listed up above in item #1. As your dog ages, it very likely doesn't WANT to meet the other dogs on the street anymore than you want to shake hands with every single person you encounter at the grocery store!

3. Supervise off-leash contacts and limit them to dogs that your dog knows and will have a relationship with. (Again - referring to item #1 - beyond the puppy stages, dogs tend to become much more selective of who they WANT a long term relationship with, and how intimate they wish to be with those other dogs...they are pack animals after all...and packs tend to be small.)

4. Keep in mind what GOOD leashed dog-to-dog interactions should look like. In essence they should look exactly like you at a grocery store, or other place where you and other humans are tightly packed. They should look NEUTRAL. If the other dog is being too hyper, too forward, too dominant, too anything, your dog will NOT be able to maintain control, just as you wouldn't be able to maintain control if someone were doing those things to you in a grocery store. If your dog needs more work at being neutral around other dogs (remember to keep good distance between your dog and the strange dog), then it's back to the practice field for TONS of distraction-proofing of your stays. (Shameless plug here - we TEACH these skills specifically in our Level 2 Obedience program!)

5. Last but not least, spread the word! Let family, friends, and yes - even strangers - know that you are working on teaching your dog appropriate dog-to-dog manners and that you need their help and respect in not allowing other dogs (or people, for that matter) to fondle, caress, or otherwise molest the dog without your permission!

Yes, I'm on a soapbox here, only because this issue is at pandemic levels in our city!!!! Do your part and promote good dog-to-dog social behavior - your dog will thank you for it.

That's it from this end of the leash.

Jennifer Hime is the head trainer & behaviorist at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO. She can be contacted at www.k9counselor.com

Pet Health Blog

Front Range K9 Academy Client, Stephanie Barnhill has a fantastic new blog post on Pet Health. You can find it here: Here's to Our Health

She includes not only the heartwarming story of how she found her 'perfect dog match' in an unlikely candidate, but also interviews with a local pet chiropractor, a local essential oils practitioner, and myself as her dog trainer resource. :) Thanks for the shout-out, Stephanie!!!

She also lists some fantastic local pet resources and their websites.

Check it out!

Welcome to the Terrible Two's...

Last Thursday, I spoke to no less than Five owners of aggressive dogs. And that was only on Thursday.

These were not current clients of Front Range K9 Academy, but instead, were new potential clients who were seeking help for their dogs.

These dogs had a range of types of aggression from territorial, to fear, to dominant resource guarding. They ranged in breed from terrier to mastiff, with several herding and working breeds thrown in the mix as well.

There were both males and females in the group.

Some had prior training with other dog trainers or behaviorists, some did not.

Some were rescued from shelters. Some had been purchased from breeders as young pups and raised in the homes they still live in.

So from this wide variety of breeds, sexes and backgrounds, what do you think stood out?

I'll tell you. What stood out was ..... Age.

Each and everyone of the dogs was 2 years old, give or take about 6 months or so. Each had been exhibiting aggression for at least 2 months (but more likely for about 6 months or more). And each of the dogs' aggression issues were getting worse.

So what is it about 2 year old dogs? (Or really dogs ranging from about 12 months to about 3 years of age?)

Well, 2 year old dogs have several things going against them. Number one, they look like adult dogs. And they look all grown up to both people and to other dogs. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.

These dogs are adolescents in every sense of the word. Their brains are not fully developed. They make really poor decisions. They are incredibly socially awkward. They are often uncomfortable in their own skins.

If you doubt this, take a trip down memory lane to your own adolescence. How uncomfortable was middle school, or junior high for you? Did your parents, peers, and teachers expect you to function as a working part of society at the tender age of 12? 14? 16? Please. Most of us didn't even have our heads screwed on straight until our twenties!

And yet, we expect our dogs to have it all together and be mentally, socially, and biologically mature by the age of 2! If we use the generic idea of 1 dog year = 7 human years, then all these 2 year old dogs are.....14! They are in junior high! (Those of you who teach junior high, or those of you with kids this age, let me just offer my condolences. You KNOW what I'm talking about.)

Further, the other dogs on the street see them coming and think they are complete freaks, because they are acting so ... well...so ...weird.

Newsflash, folks - your 2 year old dog is in a very difficult stage. Aggression, strange fears and phobias, and just general wackiness are often to be expected. What you DO about it is critical - but a bit more about that later.

Back to the challenges 2 year old dogs face. If sheer age is the number one problem, improper socialization is the number two problem with most of these cases.

Many, many, many of these dogs are either under socialized or over socialized as pups. Because of these inappropriate socialization sessions, these dogs are prime suspects for being out-of-place socially as they hit their 'teen' age times.

Again, I'll use the human example to illustrate this point: Humans who've had poor social experiences as children are most likely less socially adept as teens (or even as adults), as well!

So, what can we do about all these coo-coo, teenage, 2 year old dogs?

As it turns out, there is a lot to be done. First and foremost, of course, is properly socializing your dog when it is still a young pup - before it hits the terrible two's.

Proper socialization does NOT mean your dogs gets to play with every dog it meets. Nor does it get to jump all over every human it meets like a little attention-hungry vampire. If you need more info on this - check out our 2009 article on puppy socialization.

But what about those shelter dogs who missed out on good socialization. Is there any hope? Absolutely. Training a dog through the terrible two's is a challenge. But it can be done. Teaching (and enforcing) proper manners, reliable obedience, and distraction-proofing can go a long way in dealing with the issues that arise at this age.

Some dogs need extra help with becoming desensitized around other dogs or people. Decreasing their anxiety can help them get through this developmental period. Seek help from a professional behaviorist in the art of positive desensitization - it can do wonders!

However, shrugging one's shoulders and saying "Ah, well...it's just the terrible two's" is NOT the answer.

Practice makes perfect. And if your dog is practicing aggression or other extreme behaviors at this age, they WILL get better and better at the aggressive behavior. Doing nothing about it is a recipe for the problem getting worse.

For those of you with 2 year old dogs who are not having social issues - count your blessings. For those of you who do have dogs with the terrible two's - take a deep breath, keep training, and seek professional help for any behaviors that are aggressive, or fear-based.

That's it from this end of the leash.

Jennifer Hime is the head trainer & behaviorist at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO. She can be contacted at www.k9counselor.com

4th of July Safety

Just a quick note to remind folks that many dogs get spooked and can run away and get lost this time of year.

Be sure to keep your dogs INSIDE as much as possible until all of the fireworks subside - which could be a few weeks after the 4th of July, in some neighborhoods.

Even if they are inside, they may not be safe. Watch for agitation! I've known dogs who've jumped through windows, broken out doors, etc. in their fear of the sounds and smells of Independence Day.

If the dogs are outside, be sure they are supervised, tethered, or fully enclosed and that there is no chance of escape.

Also, if having fireworks at home, be sure to clean up all wrappers and debris left over!

Have a safe & happy Fourth!

Jennifer Hime is the owner & operator of Front Range K9 Academy, LLC in Wheat Ridge, CO. She can be reached at www.k9counselor.com

Equipment matters!

Equipment matters!

Jen and I are constantly telling people that to train dogs properly, you need the proper equipment. That’s really true of any sport or hobby. It’s difficult to play tennis without a racket. It’s hard to sew without a needle. Don’t use a hammer when a pen will do. You wouldn’t go snowshoeing in flip-flops, would you?

Dog training is no different. You need the right tools for the job, and different dogs need different tools. The collar, and fit of that collar are important. Your prong collar MUST be backed up by a slip collar. Learning a long distance recall requires a long line. Yes, your dog’s accoutrements are very important to the training task at hand, but what about your gear?

Flip-flops do not make good point-walking shoes. Learning the heeling turns is much harder to do in Jimmy Choos, than Nikes. In cold weather, don’t forget your gloves. And when working with a long-line, WEAR JEANS or other long pants with heavy material.

Last Saturday, I took Haiku to a park to do some training around distractions. It was a hot day, and I had short capri pants on. She was wearing her harness and a 20ft long line. Haiku was doing great! She was flying towards me for recalls and her change of positions were flawless. Haiku is so strong, so agile so swift – people often stop to watch our training and comment on her speed and intensity. At only 30 pounds and four months old, she rivals most dogs in speed and agility. I was so engrossed with her performance, that I didn’t notice the woman and her large dog (on a flexi-line, weaving and pulling completely out of control) approaching us to ‘meet and talk to us’, until Haiku did.

Haiku was put off by the fact that this rude animal was barreling towards her, and she charged, barking in protest. She looped around my legs in the blink of an eye, and shot forward towards the offending aggressor. The long line tightened, ripping through the skin of both my legs.

I didn’t have to say anything to the woman. The look on my face told her everything she needed to know, and she abruptly changed direction. I assessed my wounds and returned to office to try to clean myself up.

Within two days I developed a raging infection. I will probably carry the scar for the rest of my life. I shutter to think of what would have happened, had the dog been one of my much bigger and stronger adult dogs and not my pup.

I probably would have walked away with nothing more than torn pants if I were wearing jeans. Luckily, I was working on a thick longline, but this is also the reason Jen and I HATE flexi-leashes for walking dogs. The cords on these devices are super thin. They can cut to the bone like cheese cords through brie. I can list 10 other reasons why the flexi-leash belongs waist deep in a land-fill, but suffice it to say it’s a dangerous, ineffective tool for outings around the neighborhood.

So, next time the pack and I venture out, I’m going to make sure that all of us, dogs and people, have the proper equipment for the job.

Lisa Lucero owns and trains at 5280 Hundesport LLC in Denver and is the contract competition trainer at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge. You can contact her at www.k9counselor.com

It's Not You, It's Me...

Dear Eagle,

It’s not you, it’s me.

Love,

Lisa


I attended a working dog seminar in New Mexico last weekend with Michael Ellis. It was an enlightening experience – quite humbling really. You see, I like to think of myself as a pretty darn good dog trainer. As good of a dog trainer as I think I am, I was hitting some walls in regards to my training with Eagle.

People in working dog circles have been telling me for months that Eagle will not make it as a working dog; that I should wash him out, sell him, and get a new dog. I was starting to believe them. I haven’t been seeing the results I’m looking for. He’s one month shy of a year old and I have been working with him since the day I brought him home from the airport at 8 weeks old. I’ve been feeling tired, frustrated, and defeated.

Still, I know there is something inside him, something special, and I just need to bring it out. I’m not just going to sell him. He’s a great dog as dogs go, and I’m attached to the black furry monster. Working dogs need toy drive. Eagle wants the toy, so I tried to play with him. Working dogs need food drive. Eagle loves food, so I tried marker and food rewards. I’ve been training and training and training. Why isn’t this working?

Enter Michael Ellis. It’s my turn to bring Eagle out and work him on the field. I had everything mapped out. I wanted to show Michael allof my dog-training prowess. Finally, he speaks the words I’m waiting to hear “Show me what you’re working on….”

I dive into my routine. I’m shakin’ and movin’, movin’ and shakin’. Michael waits about five whole seconds to bring my work to a screeching halt.

“You need to play with this dog.” Michael says. My heart drops. Owning every DVD Michael has ever produced, I know this is one of the first steps in his system of training. After working with Eagle for nearly a year, Michael is essentially telling me to start over. I whine, “But I have been playing with Eagle.” I have been playing and playing and playing. I have been desperately trying to get Eagle to play tug with me, but he will not latch on. He chases the toy well enough, but I need him to grip. Playing tug is the prerequisite for learning all the fancy obedience behaviors I was gearing up to ‘demonstrate’ to Michael.

“If you practice the wrong thing, you’ll keep getting the wrong results.” Says Michael. He showed me that I had not been executing the proper play technique. Insert palm to forehead here! What he is saying is true no matter what training technique you’re using. You only achieve the correct results if you are using the correct technique.

How many of us have fallen into this trap? Whether it’s the ‘left hand on the leash,’ or ‘dropping your slack and turning’ at the right time, or ‘moving in straight lines to teach Eagle to target to the toy,’ technique matters most. It is only when the handler masters the technique, that the dog can master the skill. When you fix your problems, you fix your dog’s problems.

So there I was, in all my glory, ready to show the Michael Ellis everything I had taught my dog, and he brought me all the way back to square one. I had not taught OR mastered the first step in training! To make matters worse, I had moved passed that first critical step, and wondered why things were falling apart. How many of us have fallen into this trap?

Teach, Practice (and practice, and practice, and practice), then Proof is the dog training mantra. Do not move on in training until you have mastered the previous skill. Unless of course, you are satisfied with inconsistent, mediocre and lack-luster results, then, by all means, forge ahead!

Next time your dog is having a training meltdown, consider the possibility that there’s something in your behavior that you need to change in order to correct your dog’s behavior.

I am happy to report that in just one week’s time, Eagle has come along leaps and bounds in his work. Once I fixed my problems, Eagle’s problems started to disappear.
Imagine that. ;)

Lisa Lucero owns and operates 5280 Hundesport LLC in Denver, Colorado, and also trains at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO. She can be reached at http://www.k9counselor.com/.