Dogviews

I've Met My Match

I'm sure many who have a puppy right now think their little monster is the craziest little dog ever.

I've had dogs all my life. Izzy is my third dog in the last five years. I've had puppies in my home temporarily for the last five years, as well. I said I wanted a high drive dog. Well, I got one. Maybe when she took flying leaps at my calves, trying to reach my capris when I went to get her at her wonderful breeder's house, I should have taken pause.

But, I didn't. And what I got was the most rambunctious, trainable, lovable dog I've ever seen.

At 10 weeks old, she is swimming with mostly reckless abandon. If the waves are too big, she wants to be close to her mama. But, she also doesn't want to miss anything.

I'd like her to be a great swimmer so that we can get her Water Dog Titles, sanctioned by the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. So, now I'm being careful to only expose her to things she can handle, so she isn't spooked or frightened by the water.

Oh, Hello!

I realize I haven't been here in awhile. There are no excuses, except life things.

I have a new baby in the house. Let me introduce you to Oreobay Get Ready Get Set, "Izzy". Izzy is 11 week old Portuguese Water Dog, bred by Nigel Clark. She is adorable and she is WILD!! More on her in upcoming posts. Having Izzy has prompted me to think a lot about training and raising a puppy, hence my return to this blog.

She can throw away the trash, but she can't hold a Sit Stay!

Roxi, Service Dog-in-Training went to  class on Saturday to test out of her beginner level. She failed because she couldn't hold a sit stay for 1 minute and because she was afraid of a giant freaky doll (it scares me!). Of course, she  can retrieve and drop items into the trash can and open and close cupboards, but the goof can't sit for a minute.

To give her a bit of credit...she didn't move except to lie down. I guess she's just lazy.

Roxi's only a year old, and staying in one position is just not her cup of tea. But, food is! So here's the new drill...

While I fix her food, she is going to sit and wait patiently for it until I release her. She already does this in a down stay, but so far, the sit position has been a challenge. She just wants to lie down. I can relate. A tip for those of you with similar problems: make sure you are working your dog on a rug or other non-slip surface.

As for the doll...it's been slathered with peanut butter and is no longer a problem. And I've been seen dancing with that dumb doll, which is sure to give Roxi confidence.

Against Cesar Milan: Top Articles

I'm certainly not a dog training expert. But, still I'm smart enough to know that Cesar Milan's training methods are wrong for the everyday dog owner. He doesn't stress positive training methods. He wants busy homeowners to walk their dogs for 60 minutes every day. How impractical is that?

I'll say it again: I do agree that we don't give our dogs enough exercise, or discipline. But there are better ways to train than choking a dog until his eyes roll to the back of his head.

A lot has been written about him...mostly negative from the experts. Following is a collection of my favorite articles/posts on the why you shouldn't emulate his methods.

Jean Donaldson, Director of The SF/SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers andauthor of "Culture Clash" -
Donaldson says, "I am... along with my colleagues here at The San Francisco SPCA, somewhat agog at the stunning success of 'The Dog Whisperer'".

American Humane Association - this article says that Milan's methods are "inhumane, outdated and improper.

Esquire Magazine - Misguided Expert of the Year - author Curtis Pesmen quotes several leading experts who think Milan's methods are wrong.

Bark Magazine editor Pat Miller's review of "Cesar's Way" - Miller not only disagrees with Milan's methods but asserts how unhelpful his book is at giving advice. She writes there are no clear steps for dog owner's to follow, a point I made in a former post on this blog.

I've always thought that the National Geographic brand stood for high standards, quality and truth. Why, even with many letters to them from experts admonishing Milan's tactics, do they continue to broadcast his show? I know, I know...it sells.

Rainy Day Game for You and Your Dog

It was rainy all Christmas day here in Toledo and my backyard is like a marsh. As you can see from this picture, I have a white dog, and pretty nice carpeting. A poodle wrestling match in the mud and the resulting mess was not my idea of a fun holiday.

So the dogs and I played a hilarious game of Hide and Seek. My husband was upstairs in his office and thought a herd of buffalos had invaded our house.

Here are some tips: First your dog needs a solid stay or wait. Wait for my dogs means "stay here for just a little while until I release you." A regular stay means "you'll be here for awhile, so just settle in until I release you."

So, I put all three dogs in a down and told them to wait. Now young miss Roxi, the service dog-in-training, would rather be working on tasks, versus staying in one position, so this was good practice for her. As she got more into the game, her waits became better. She figured out she couldn't be released until she layed quietly.

I then took one of their favorite toys and went and hid. I yelled "Free" and they came running. At first I made the game easy and celebrated by throwing the toy when they found me. Each time I made the game a little harder. I hid in a closet with the door open. I hid in a corner in the dining room. It was pretty dark in the house, so they had to work to find me. My scent is all over the house, so their nose wasn't as helpful as it would have been in a new environement.

They had a ball! I have to admit, I was pretty entertained, too. I made it difficult enough that sometimes they were just running in circles, so I gave short whistles to give them a clue. When they did find me, they'd dance and jump on me. Vino the cocker spaniel was the first to find me everytime.

What's really great is that their "Wait" performance got better and better. Their motivation was strong. They knew that the game didn't start if they didn't stay in position. If someone broke the stay, I'd take them back to the kitchen and put them back in position.

Best of all, they were exhausted at the end of the game and I had no mud in the house!

Betty the Boxer Mix

One of my "jobs" now at the assistance dog organization I volunteer for is to evaluate the new dogs that come into the program, including rescues. One of the first dogs on my list was a 1 1/2 yr. old boxer/lab mix now called Betty. She was scheduled to be euthanized until someone called us about her.

Betty did fairly well on the temperament testing portion of our evaluation. She enjoyed being handled, noises didn't startle her, she was confident and not food or toy aggressive. On the trainability section, she did just OK. She wasn't very food motivated and she was more interested in other dogs than in humans. We need service dogs that want to work and please and who love food.

I'm happy to say that Betty and I have found her weakness when it comes to food:  dried chicken breast jerky from Sam's Club. No one knows her background, but I'd bet she's never had chicken breast that didn't come from a garbage can.

Betty has also learned to trust humans. She bops over to me when I or the other trainers call her. She's not like your average lab/retriever who loves to work. But, I suspect that will improve a bit over time.

I've never been a rescuer of anything. But, I'm pretty proud of Betty. She's going to have a great life -- whether she makes it through the program, or not. There are about 4 people on the waiting list to adopt her if she flunks out. So either way, her future looks brighter than it did before I met her.

Queen for a Day and the Trash

Roxi "sat in" for a service dog last week. Some new clients were at the facility for team training with their new service dogs. One of the dogs was slightly injured, so Roxi was a stand-in for the day while he rested.

Boy, was I nervous! The result of all my work  was right there for everyone to see. Plus, she was in the room with 2 yr. old graduate dogs and she's not yet a year.

I didn't get to stay in the room, as I was just a distraction, but everyone tells me she did a great job. She even picked up her leash and did some of the advanced behaviors.  Show off!

Here are some pictures of her picking up her leash, and playing the clicker game, which works like this:  the client decides on a new behavior they want to shape using the clicker. Here, Roxi is learning to pick up a bucket. I'm working on a similar behavior called "Trash". When given the command, Roxi is to pick up an item and throw it in the trash. Here's how we've broken down the learning process. Your dog should already be able to retrieve an item.

Start by using a trash can, medium-sized. Use this can for every training session until the command is solid. I made the mistake in the beginning of using too small a can, which made it difficult for her to get an item inside. For those of you new to training, you can learn more about clicker training on Karen Pryor's website. The first step is to get the dog to just put their nose in the trash can. Click and treat for any interest in the can, and work up to deliberate head bobs into the can. Once the dog gets that she is to put her head in the can, start adding the command Trash. Make sure to click and treat when her head is in the can, not as she starts the behavior. We practiced just this step of the chain of the behavior for a good week.

Next, introduce an item into the process. I used a small rubber item. Start with something that your dog likes to pick up. Make sure to use this item for every session until the dog knows the behavior.  Throw the item a short distance. If the dog already knows a retrieve behavior, she will probably go get the item. If she doesn't, just throw it again until she shows interest. You may have to click and treat for little steps of progress here. For example, you may have to click and treat for interest, and then click and treat for mouthing the item, and then click and treat for actually picking it up. With Roxi, she picked up the item right away.

When your dog picks up the item, immediately give the command Trash. Hopefully, she will stick her nose in the trash can. When she does, click and treat and celebrate! The sound of the clicker and promise of food will probably cause her to drop the item. Even if she doesn't, don't worry. You can work up to only reinforcing drops later. Take it slow and give lots of praise.

Do You Think Cesar Milan is Sexy?

I know the title is shameless and sensational. But, if Cesar can do it, so can I.

Every time I see a new post or article touting the celebrity and success of Cesar Milan, I just feel compelled to tell people that there’s another way.

A recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle (thanks to Gina Spadafori for pointing it out to me in her blog) calls Milan sexy and the headline/byline of the article says the rest:

The Anti-Cesar Millan
Ian Dunbar's been succeeding for 25 years with lure-reward dog training; how come he's been usurped by the flashy, aggressive TV host?

One of my favorite books is "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. In it Donaldson, director of dog training at the SFSPCA, talks about the human-dog relationship and every time I can't figure out a dog's behavior, I re-read "Culture Clash". She understands dog behavior -- she has over thirty years experience observing it.   Donaldson says this about Milan's popularity:

"It's a backlash against political correctness," she says. "People are angry and life is frustrating and [when] someone tells them it's all about dominating something smaller and weaker? They'll go for that."

The good thing is this:  Pet owners want to learn more about their dogs. They'll tune in to someone if they’re interesting and entertaining. Those of us that know Milan's methods aren't safe and that positive reinforcement is the way to go just need to find someone sexy to get on TV.

I just bet that people would love to see my service dog-in-training Roxi throw away trash, pick up my keys and open the cupboard. And I never had to choke or alpha-roll her once.

Alternative to Milan's Method

I received a great question in a comment from my post on Cesar's Way by Cesar Milan. I've been complaining about Milan's recommendation to walk your dog for an hour every day, suggesting that it just isn't practical for most people.

The question I received:

"My question is: is there a more effective and realistic way than a walk to meet the dog's needs? (Ideally accepting the responsibility to meet the dog's needs through a walk or some other method would be part of the process of choosing a dog, but in the real world?)"

Here's my opinion, and remember, I'm not an expert. But, I base this on the books I've read and the people I've talked to -- all either spoken or writen by experts, and my opinion:  Exercise, attention and something to do is what will really meet a dog's needs.  It doesn't have to be just a walk through the mountains.

Walk the dog for 30 minutes. Play ball with him. Do some fun training. Take a training class. Teach your dog a new trick. Run him up and down the stairs 20 times. If you can't take your dog for an hour walk each day, then do it three times a week. Walk him for 30 minutes. Or do something! You can't expect a working or sporting dog, or a young puppy to stay cooped up in a crate all day while you're at work and then lie by your feet at night. If you can't make the commitment, then don't get a dog.

I don't disagree with Milan on the fact that dogs need more exercise. I just disagree with his insistence that there is only one way and that's because of a dog's inate need to forage for food.

Calming a Crazy Puppy

Does your puppy have endless energy? My foster, Roxi the standard poodle does. I think she could play and wrestle with Norman all day long and still want to zip through my yard and bushes.

Norman, who is 2 1/2 years old is the most tolerant dog I've ever been around.  No matter how exhausted he is, he won't correct her or tell her no. And, I get tired of the constant raucous, especially when I'm trying to work.

I'm a firm believer in "time-outs" for crazy puppies. My favorite method is tethering. I have cable tie-outs; the smallest length, and lightest weight plastic coated tie-outs. I've tried rope, leashes, and chain, and these tethers work the best. Roxi chewed through the leashes and rope and the chain was rough on my furniture.

I just wrap the tie-out around my desk leg several times and give her about 6 ft. of length to travel around. I have another in the family room near "my" chair. This way, she's always close by, which is important. Puppies and dogs are social animals and they need to be with others. I can also move the tether to other locations, if I need to.

She took to the tether easily and settles down immediately when I hook her up. If your puppy resists at first, just be consistent. Ignore any attempts to get attention from you and reward quiet behavior. After a few days of this new routine, your puppy will learn to settle down. It also would help to save bones or great chew toys for this quiet time. Ration toys for when you need to entertain your dogs. Don't let them have access to the toy basket all the time.

You could also teach your dog to go to his bed and stay, which I'll write about in future posts. But that's a tall order for a crazy puppy.