Dogviews

Agility: Building your dog's confidence

Agility training is a great way to build a bond with your dog, and build their confidence. If you're not familiar with agility, it is a great sport. Here is Wikepedia's definition:

Dog agility is a sport in which a dog moves through an obstacle course with the guidance of his or her handler. Dogs run off leash, so the handler's only controls are voice and body language, requiring exceptional obedience training of the animal. In competition, both accuracy and speed are important.

I took Roxi, the 9 month-old Standard Poodle to agility class last night, and I think I had more fun than her...and she had a GREAT time.

At first she was timid running over the dog walk. It's about 4 feet off the ground (regulation height is much higher). She ran up the walk, but when she got up the ramp, she stopped. If she could talk, she would have said, "Hey! Wait a minute. I'm up high!!" But, after about three attempts, she ran full speed ahead over the dog walk. It was if she was celebrating her newfound skill!

Many dog "schools" teach agility, but not all do a great job. I've trained Vino, Norman and now Roxi in agility, and here are my tips for making sure your dog has a fun AND safe time.

1. Never force your dog to do an obstacle. This will only intensify his/her fear. I made this mistake with Vino on the teeter and he still doesn't like it.
2. Let your dog succeed. If you let her run up the dog walk and fall off, she probably won't like the dog walk in the future. And she could get hurt. Start training with obstacles (dog walk, A-frame) low to the ground.
3. Obstacles like the Chute (a tunnel with a closed tent of fabric on the end) are scary. The dog has to go into a dark hole and then be encased in nylon fabric. Roll the fabric up just start with the barrel. Have someone help you by holding your dog while you bend down and call her through.
4. Start with jumps low. If your dog is real hesitant, put the pole on the ground. Dogs under 1 year of age should only jump very low heights. Their bones and joints are still developing.
5. Praise, praise, praise. Agility should be a party!

By the end of the night, Roxi was flying through the obstacles and starting to anticipate the next, as well. She had a ball! If you've never seen a Poodle jump, you should try and watch one at an agility trial. In my opinion, of all the breeds, they are the most fun to watch!

For more information on Agility, go to my favorite web site on the topic, Clean Run Productions.

Siblings Raised Together Make for Tough Pets

When I started learning about dogs, I read that it's bad to get two sibling puppies and raise them together. I was reminded of this again during a training session.

This big lug of a black lab I'll call Noir (his real name is almost that funny) came to the assistance dog organization I volunteer for as a two-year old dog. For some reason he was donated by his owners. I do know that he had been raised alongside his sibling (brother) and had never been away from him.

Upon evaluation the first day at our facility, he did great. He retrieved well, was focused on the trainer and seemed a happy, eager-to-please dog; destined to become a great service dog.

I worked him for the first time yesterday and again today and couldn't get this dog to look at me or wag his tail once. His eyes were trained on the door, presumably looking for the kennel manager -- the one who feeds him. She has become his new "sibling." I don't think this dog really knows how to interact with humans. It could be that he's still adjusting to his new environment, but many dogs do so much quicker and easier.

Back to my opening paragraph: If you raise two sibling puppies together, they tend to bond with each other instead of their human pack leader. Who needs a human if you have another dog to play with?

Update on my progress with Cesar's Way

I wrote a book review a few weeks ago on Cesar Milan's new book Cesar's Way. In the article I vowed to follow Cesar's advice to walk my dogs at least 30 minutes per day.

Ummm, I haven't been too doing well on that promise. It's been disgustingly hot and muggy here in Ohio and I've chosen the eliptical machine, instead (ok, well, not every day).  Have you ever tried to get a poodle on an eliptical machine? Norman's not crazy about it.

I also have a new dog in the family. I'm fostering a standard poodle who will hopefully become a service dog for a woman who is paralyzed. This woman used to train service dogw and then she was in a tragic accident that left her in a wheelchair. I hope this dog, Roxy, will be an incredible service dog. She's 9 months old, sassy and smart. She's the apricot poodle in the middle. Doesn't Vino look thrilled ? I digress...

It's hard walking three dogs at once. Milan says in Cesar's Way that the daily walk is important and that as the pack leader, I, the owner, must take these dogs on the trek to keep them happy, healthy and to make them respect me. There must be another way! I said his methods were not practical for the average dog owner...and I guess I'm living proof.

Don't Get a Dog!

Pet Columnist Gina Spadafori's recent blog on not getting a dog stirred up something in me I've been thinking about for awhile. While Gina's blog refers to recent articles about "Hollywood dogs" and a collaboration between Walt Disney Co. and the American Kennel Club (AKC) to discourage puppy purchases as a result of dog stars, my thoughts go to an even more troubling issue.

I have two boys and almost one girl in college and about a week ago one of my sons called me and said, "Can you give my friend's dog a bath and haircut because he can't afford it?" It took all my control to not scream.

Fact is, my kids tell me all the time about friends at college with new dogs...many of them Pit Bulls or as the AKC calls them, American Staffordshire Terriers.  I know, through my sons that these dogs are not being trained and that chances are they aren't being properly cared for. Tell me how many college boys will get up by 8 am to take a dog out to toilet?

What I want to know is why are landlords and rental companies allowing pets in these complexes? Why are breeders selling puppies to these kids (actually, I know that answer.)

I'm sure that many of these dogs will end up in rescue shelters, adding to the already too numerous poorly socialized population of unwanted dogs.

If you have teenage kids, talk to them about the huge responsibility of owning a pet. If they aren't ready to have kids, they shouldn't have a pet!

Teaching Your Dog WAIT

This is Vino waiting for his food. Can you believe the attitude?

WAIT is one of the most useful commands I've taught my dogs. It means, "Stop what you are doing immediately and look at me." I use it before going out doors, so they don't rush ahead of me; before meals, so they sit patiently for their food; at the top of the stairs, so they don't tackle me and make me fall on my rear down the stairs.

You can teach wait in two different ways. If your dog is very food motivated and goes crazy when you're getting his dinner ready, make him sit and wait while you put his food down. Put him into a sit position and say WAIT. Do not start to lower the food bowl until he is still. As you lower the bowl, he'll probably jump up. If he does, raise the bowl up again and use an "interrupter tone" such as "achh" in a low pitched tone (don't screech).

Start moving the bowl toward the floor again. Repeat raising the bowl as you bend down until he's still for just a moment. The moment he is still, tell him FREE and lower the bowl and praise him.  Keep doing this every meal until you can walk across the room while his bowl is in front of him as he's sitting patiently. If he is really resistant, turn around and put the food bowl on the counter and wait 5 minutes before starting again.

I can feed all three of my dogs by making them wait in front of their bowls scattered throughout the room until I release them at once. It makes for a calm mealtime!
The second method is to teach him to wait in front of a door while you open it and go out the door. Start with your dog in a sit in front of a door. Tell him WAIT. As you slowly start to open the door, he'll probably start to get up. If he does, close the door quickly (don't catch his nose.) When he looks at you, tell him "Good boy" or click and treat him. For more on clicker training, see Karen Pryor's website.  Once he stays for a moment, give him a reward by opening the door, and letting him out the door. Make sure he is on leash, or in a confined area. Keep doing this over several days. As he catches on, keep raising the bar until he will stay while you go out the door and come back in.

Don't confuse this command with STAY. STAY means stay in one place until I release you. WAIT means stop in your tracks for a small moment in time.

Roam at Home

The Roamer leash from Ruffwear is my new favorite leash. This contraption has a bungee-like cord inserted in the center of the leash, which allows it to expand from 5' to 10'. It's great for those walks where you sometimes want control, and sometimes want to let your dog explore. The bungee system keeps the lead from tangling and it saves your shoulder!

That's only part of why I like this leash. It has an adjustable handle with a side-release buckle so you can hook your dog up to a post, or put it around your waist for hands-free movement. I've been using the leash as a tether to keep a new puppy close by my side at home, and it works great. I can tether her to me, the desk, coffee table, etc. The elastic in the center keeps her from getting tangled and saves on my back.

In addition, the leash has a "traffic handle" near the collar so you have more control when you need it. You can tell it's well-made, from the heavy-duty nylon webbing, to the sturdy hardware. It's available in two sizes, and three colors. 

Ruffwear

$24.95

Walking Your Dog on a Loose Leash

By now, you'll see that I'm very focused on walking with dogs that don't pull. Yesterday I was working with a mixed breed dog (Lab, German Shepard, Greyhound??) and she is one of the worst pullers I've worked with. She's a rescue dog, and she isn't very trusting, or confident. I believe in clicker training for dogs (more on that later) and I finally got her to the point where she could take a few steps by my left side without pulling. But, every time I would mark the behavior (click) she'd swing out in front of me and look me straight in the eye, as if to say, "where is my treat?" It's hard to keep walking down the street with a big dog in front of you.

So, I moved the treat to my left hand and started feeding her at hip level at my left side -- just along side her head. That way she just had to turn her head to get the treat. This stopped her from swinging out in front of me. Bottom line:  make sure that while training a new behavior (walking nicely by my left side) that you don't create a new undesirable behavior (jumping out in front of me to get rewarded.)

Cesar’s Book Sparks Controversy

Not long ago, I reviewed Cesar Milan’s new book, Cesar’s Way and it’s getting a lot of blog talk. One of my favorite blogs, Bark Blog, just had a post with more comments than any article I’ve seen. Find it here.

It’s great to see all the different opinions on this subject.

Jolanta Benal guest author of the blog has some important points. I agree that Cesar’s way of handling his pack doesn’t completely relate to today’s dogs. Our dogs don’t have to forage for food and not every dog needs to genetically travel for miles a day.

We both agree, like Cesar, that the average dog doesn’t get enough exercise and we both agree that the average back yard is like a jail to most dogs.

And we also agree on another point…his methods are impractical for the average family pet owner. Not everyone can be a dominant leader, and certainly not everyone can deal with a “troubled” dog. Most importantly, don’t even attempt to rehabilitate an aggressive, fearful or crazy dog, unless you’re a professional. Just because you like Cesar, don’t think you can do what he does.

More No More Pulling

I have a thing against dogs who pull on lead. Of course, it's not the dog's fault. Great loose leash walking takes a lot of patience on the part of the owner/trainer and a lot of time. But, there are many strategies and products to help. I reviewed Premier's Easy Walk Harness in an earlier post.

Another product that I really like is the Triple Crown Collar. It operates on a similar principle to a prong collar, but with much less drama, and it doesn't look like you are a Darwinian dog owner when you're out in public.

The product was designed by Triple Crown Academy a training organization from Austin, Texas.

I've used this product on dogs that have about pulled my arm out of the socket, and usually it works great. Some dogs just don't respond to it (real stubborn, hard-headed types), but for the most part, it reduces pulling to almost nothing.

The Triple Crown Collar is a little tricky to un-hook and assemble, but once you've learned the trick, it's a snap. Triple Crown has great videos and pdf document (Fitting_the_TC_Collar-05.pdf) on their site that shows how to fit the collar, and tips for training.

No collar or harness will work, though, unless you are consistent and patient about your training. That means it might take you 20 minutes to go 100 feet the first time you decide your dog won't pull. And it means that you have to require your dog to follow the no-pull rules every time you go out.

But think how much fun it will be to walk the park trails with a dog nicely by your side!

Triple Crown Collar
10.99 - $12.99

No More Pulling

Vino, my Cocker Spaniel is terrible on walks. This dog has been through many, many training classes, and is the snappiest heeler you've ever seen...in class. But, on walks, he just can't control himself. In fact, he gets so excited, he MUST poop on every walk, no matter how many trips he's made to the potty pen already.

I know there are many of you with these problem walkers. I see it every day at the park. At my assistance dogs volunteer job, we use Premier Gentle Leaders. Some think it is a muzzle, but in fact the dogs can eat, lick or bite whatever they want (they never bite.) Gentle Leaders work for many dogs, but Vino hates it. He shakes his head violently whenever he gets it on, and basically shuts down.

So I decided to try the new Premier Easy Walk Harness, and it worked GREAT! I had to fiddle with it a little to get it to fit right, but not much. A few times, Vino threw a fit and put on the brakes, as if to say, I’m not walking another inch. But, with a little encouragement from me, he decided it was better to be with Norman and me, versus being left behind.

Leave it to the Premier people to again introduce a great product.

I’d love to hear your dog walking stories. Let me know what works, and what doesn’t.

Phydeaux

$24.00