Red is definatly my color.Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Good morning!
Just a few photos of this mornings tracking practice with Jenny. They aren't the best because I just did some point and click so I could keep an eye on her. (Having a blog makes you see everything as a potential photo op.) I'm shocked they aren't blurry like I expected. I have to say everytime I take her out I am blown away by how well she works. This morning was slightly breezy and the area was fresh mowed. I was hesitant but she worked like a champ. Tomorrow I seek out taller grass to start her in.
Red is definatly my color.
Red is definatly my color.Sunday, May 25, 2008
Life sometimes gets in the way
I am so far behind in posts and blog reading. I am sorry. My mom ended up in the hospital with her COPD. Breathing or smoking, she needs to pick one. Hopefully I will be back on track soon. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts on losing Zeus. I'm sure she will get another bulldog eventually when the time is right.
Here is a photo of all the toys recently washed. You can see the Fido brand bones are holding up well. I give them a big thumbs up. If they can withstand my serious chewers they are good to go in my book.
In the spirit of memorial day this is a picture of the memorial tree at my local shelter. Dogs and cats that don't make it to a new home are remembered here. (They only euthanise for serious temperment issues or serious health issues, never to make space.)
This cutie is Sam. She came to us in rough shape as you can see and needs a home where she can burn off some of her energy. She gives some mixed signals with other dogs but does well with those that have a similar play style.
Here is a photo of all the toys recently washed. You can see the Fido brand bones are holding up well. I give them a big thumbs up. If they can withstand my serious chewers they are good to go in my book.
In the spirit of memorial day this is a picture of the memorial tree at my local shelter. Dogs and cats that don't make it to a new home are remembered here. (They only euthanise for serious temperment issues or serious health issues, never to make space.)
This cutie is Sam. She came to us in rough shape as you can see and needs a home where she can burn off some of her energy. She gives some mixed signals with other dogs but does well with those that have a similar play style.
This is Mr. T. He will need someone that doesn't mind the extra grooming that comes with his coat. FMI on these dogs check out their website at http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org
I hope to be back in the swing of things again soon. Until then I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend. Go play with your dogs!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Confusion about crate training...
'One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do...'
'Two can be as bad as one...'Kiko was not enthused about Splash's preference for HER crate!
Thought I would post some pics since I missed out on blogging when I first got my pup! She is seven months at the moment but these pics are back when she was around 9 weeks.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
May 11 Cabrillo Dog Show- Kiko rocked the rally course with a score of 98 out of 100. She left all the shepherds, rottie and other herding breeds in the dust (no offense Splash!). I got told off for picking her up in the ring to receive our ribbons. She's got two more legs in Novice before we can move on to being off leash, which is when she will really strut her stuff as we mainly practice off lead.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Happy news & sad news
The happy news is that Jake went to his new home. Here is his new mom and dad. (Big brother stayed home.) Best wishes for Jake and his new family.
The sad news is the reason I haven't posted lately. Due to circumstanses beyond our control, my sister had to make the sad decision to euthanise Zeus. It was somewhat expected yet came much to soon for all of us. We went together and it has taken some of the spunk out of me for dog talk lately.
His body failed him yet his heart never did. God speed sweet Zeus.
The sad news is the reason I haven't posted lately. Due to circumstanses beyond our control, my sister had to make the sad decision to euthanise Zeus. It was somewhat expected yet came much to soon for all of us. We went together and it has taken some of the spunk out of me for dog talk lately.
His body failed him yet his heart never did. God speed sweet Zeus.Thursday, May 1, 2008
A lesson in canine greetings
And now a discussion in butt sniffing 101.
Check out the following e-mail I received. (heavily edited) This is why I wish ALL trainers were required to take course in basic dog behavior.
" I was having a conversation with my neighbor last night with the Golden puppy and she was talking about a recent group class discussion with Trainer X. Since I wasn't actually there for the discussion, I of course don't know the actual context. She may very well have simply misunderstood what Trainer X was saying. But I thought I'd run it by you and see if you have any thoughts. The discussion had to do with dogs and butt sniffing. Trainer X's position seemed to be that when dogs sniff each other's hind quarters, there is bound to be trouble - that it is an aggressive behavior by dogs who have not been properly trained, and that a fight is bound to ensue. He compared it to a couple going out to dinner and the man going over to sniff other women. "
Oh good grief! Honestly it makes my head feel like exploding. That is just plain bad information. Here is the real story on dog greetings and butt sniffing.
A proper dog greeting is face to face briefly and then they sniff each others butt or genital area. This gives each dog information about the other one. Are you male? Female? Are you in heat? Will you be in heat soon? Do you have any leftovers to share? Etc, etc, you get the picture. (yes dogs are gross by our human standards)
Direct prolonged eye contact, in dog language, is a threat or a challenge so we don't want to force dogs to stay face to face by preventing the butt sniffing portion of the greeting. Humans greet each other face to face directly, not dogs. If we force them to stay in that position we also most likely have at least one dog also straining at the leash. Why? So it can get to the other dogs backside for that proper sniff. If we are holding back a dog that is straining we are also changing it's body language. The pulling dog can then look offensive (and threatening) to the other dog. (One reason they look offensive is due to oppositional reflex. When we pull back on the leash they lean into it automaticly, thus looking offensive to the other dog.)
So now we have two dogs face to face with at least one of them looking forwardly offensive. What happens next? Possibly a fight because the other dog may misread the body language and decide to defend himself from the other dog's possible pending attack. It is all a miscommunication caused by people preventing a proper canine greeting. (usually because they are embarrassed by the butt sniffing)
To do proper dog to dog greetings I highly recommend doing them first on neutral territory for both dogs. This prevents any hostilities with dogs that may be territorial. I also recommend taking both dogs for a walk first to burn off energy. Then meet on the neutral spot and them go for a walk together. Everyone going in the same direction. This lets the dogs see and smell each other in a non-threatening manner. No meetings until both dogs are calm and relaxed. (and handlers too!) Then stop and let each dog say hello properly on LOOSE leashes. Watch the body language for any warning signs. (stiffening, whale eyes, growling, lip lifting) Simply walk off, with said dog, if one dog seems uncomfortable.
This is important. Make sure YOU are loose and relaxed. This includes your facial expressions. Dogs take their cues from their handlers and if they seem nervous the dog may respond to that tension. Smile alot and have a loose body. (Even if you don't feel like it. Be a noodle!)
Yes if a man in a restaurant came over to sniff me (or my butt) I would probably not like it. However I am a human, not a dog. In humans this isn't unacceptable behavior. In dogs however it is. "Hello, who are you?" Butt sniffing is NOT an aggressive behavior in dogs. It is simply their way of getting information about the other dog. Letting a dog, trained or otherwise, run up to another dog to say hello might be rude if the dog wasn't socialized properly or lacks proper canine greeting manners. (and gets into the other dogs face or jumps on him) Then yes, trouble could ensue.
I would also caution that you should NEVER let your dog say hello to another dog unless you first check with that dogs owners first. (exceptions would be in a dog park where the assumption is that all the dogs there have appropriate manners to be off leash in a group of dogs - I would caution you to find groups with dog having similar playstyles to yours for the best match and supervise well)
Do not assume by size, age, actions or breed of dog that they are ok to say hello to. There are many reactive and unsocialized dogs out there with owners who walk them in public just fine unless an uninvited dog gets into their space. If your uninvited dog gets into a dogs space that doesn't like it and gets hurt as a result it is YOUR fault as the handler of your dog. Remember that. You are holding the other end of the leash after all.
Part of training your dog should include being able to pass other dogs on walks without them going crazy to go say hello. Not every dog wants to say hello back, especially to an overly enthusiastic dog or puppy. Also training them to sit (or at least stay) at your side when you stop walking, no matter the distraction, is also recommend.
If you have a reactive dog you can either move off the path and do a "watch me" exercise using yummy tidbits to let the other dog pass or turn around and change direction completely when you see another dog. Some dogs who get reactive towards other dogs do so as a distance seeking behavior out of fear. They are trying to drive the other dog away. You will need to counter condition these dogs to teach them they have nothing to fear. (using tidbits and working under the dogs threshold initally)
I have gone somewhat off topic. My point is that if Trainer X did actually say that butt sniffing was an aggressive behavior, then Trainer X was wrong. And not just a little bit but a whole lot of wrong. I don't know where they are getting their information. Hopefully the conversation was misunderstood. But this is a prime example of the problem of dog training being an unregulated field. Unfortunatly not every trainer has an interest in dog behavior. This is just one example of bad information being passed on by a "professional" in the field.
Check out the following e-mail I received. (heavily edited) This is why I wish ALL trainers were required to take course in basic dog behavior.
" I was having a conversation with my neighbor last night with the Golden puppy and she was talking about a recent group class discussion with Trainer X. Since I wasn't actually there for the discussion, I of course don't know the actual context. She may very well have simply misunderstood what Trainer X was saying. But I thought I'd run it by you and see if you have any thoughts. The discussion had to do with dogs and butt sniffing. Trainer X's position seemed to be that when dogs sniff each other's hind quarters, there is bound to be trouble - that it is an aggressive behavior by dogs who have not been properly trained, and that a fight is bound to ensue. He compared it to a couple going out to dinner and the man going over to sniff other women. "
Oh good grief! Honestly it makes my head feel like exploding. That is just plain bad information. Here is the real story on dog greetings and butt sniffing.
A proper dog greeting is face to face briefly and then they sniff each others butt or genital area. This gives each dog information about the other one. Are you male? Female? Are you in heat? Will you be in heat soon? Do you have any leftovers to share? Etc, etc, you get the picture. (yes dogs are gross by our human standards)
Direct prolonged eye contact, in dog language, is a threat or a challenge so we don't want to force dogs to stay face to face by preventing the butt sniffing portion of the greeting. Humans greet each other face to face directly, not dogs. If we force them to stay in that position we also most likely have at least one dog also straining at the leash. Why? So it can get to the other dogs backside for that proper sniff. If we are holding back a dog that is straining we are also changing it's body language. The pulling dog can then look offensive (and threatening) to the other dog. (One reason they look offensive is due to oppositional reflex. When we pull back on the leash they lean into it automaticly, thus looking offensive to the other dog.)
So now we have two dogs face to face with at least one of them looking forwardly offensive. What happens next? Possibly a fight because the other dog may misread the body language and decide to defend himself from the other dog's possible pending attack. It is all a miscommunication caused by people preventing a proper canine greeting. (usually because they are embarrassed by the butt sniffing)
To do proper dog to dog greetings I highly recommend doing them first on neutral territory for both dogs. This prevents any hostilities with dogs that may be territorial. I also recommend taking both dogs for a walk first to burn off energy. Then meet on the neutral spot and them go for a walk together. Everyone going in the same direction. This lets the dogs see and smell each other in a non-threatening manner. No meetings until both dogs are calm and relaxed. (and handlers too!) Then stop and let each dog say hello properly on LOOSE leashes. Watch the body language for any warning signs. (stiffening, whale eyes, growling, lip lifting) Simply walk off, with said dog, if one dog seems uncomfortable.
This is important. Make sure YOU are loose and relaxed. This includes your facial expressions. Dogs take their cues from their handlers and if they seem nervous the dog may respond to that tension. Smile alot and have a loose body. (Even if you don't feel like it. Be a noodle!)
Yes if a man in a restaurant came over to sniff me (or my butt) I would probably not like it. However I am a human, not a dog. In humans this isn't unacceptable behavior. In dogs however it is. "Hello, who are you?" Butt sniffing is NOT an aggressive behavior in dogs. It is simply their way of getting information about the other dog. Letting a dog, trained or otherwise, run up to another dog to say hello might be rude if the dog wasn't socialized properly or lacks proper canine greeting manners. (and gets into the other dogs face or jumps on him) Then yes, trouble could ensue.
I would also caution that you should NEVER let your dog say hello to another dog unless you first check with that dogs owners first. (exceptions would be in a dog park where the assumption is that all the dogs there have appropriate manners to be off leash in a group of dogs - I would caution you to find groups with dog having similar playstyles to yours for the best match and supervise well)
Do not assume by size, age, actions or breed of dog that they are ok to say hello to. There are many reactive and unsocialized dogs out there with owners who walk them in public just fine unless an uninvited dog gets into their space. If your uninvited dog gets into a dogs space that doesn't like it and gets hurt as a result it is YOUR fault as the handler of your dog. Remember that. You are holding the other end of the leash after all.
Part of training your dog should include being able to pass other dogs on walks without them going crazy to go say hello. Not every dog wants to say hello back, especially to an overly enthusiastic dog or puppy. Also training them to sit (or at least stay) at your side when you stop walking, no matter the distraction, is also recommend.
If you have a reactive dog you can either move off the path and do a "watch me" exercise using yummy tidbits to let the other dog pass or turn around and change direction completely when you see another dog. Some dogs who get reactive towards other dogs do so as a distance seeking behavior out of fear. They are trying to drive the other dog away. You will need to counter condition these dogs to teach them they have nothing to fear. (using tidbits and working under the dogs threshold initally)
I have gone somewhat off topic. My point is that if Trainer X did actually say that butt sniffing was an aggressive behavior, then Trainer X was wrong. And not just a little bit but a whole lot of wrong. I don't know where they are getting their information. Hopefully the conversation was misunderstood. But this is a prime example of the problem of dog training being an unregulated field. Unfortunatly not every trainer has an interest in dog behavior. This is just one example of bad information being passed on by a "professional" in the field.
How Dog Training Has Progressed
Written May 2, 2008
Recently I decided to take the examination for the Certification Exam for Pet Dog Trainers and subsequently the Certification for Dog Behavioral Counseling. Lots of rereading and rewatching document dog videos are in my future, but what got me thinking the most was the application. You see, in order to take the Certification test, I must have a minimum of 300 hours of dog training experience. Before you read on, I invite you to add up your dog training hours - I think you'll be as surprised as I was!
Recently I decided to take the examination for the Certification Exam for Pet Dog Trainers and subsequently the Certification for Dog Behavioral Counseling. Lots of rereading and rewatching document dog videos are in my future, but what got me thinking the most was the application. You see, in order to take the Certification test, I must have a minimum of 300 hours of dog training experience. Before you read on, I invite you to add up your dog training hours - I think you'll be as surprised as I was!
In adding up my hours, I was amazed to find that conservatively I have approximately 4050 hours of teaching classes, 2960 hours of watching dog behavior while judging and over 3000 hours watching dogs as a spectator. These numbers don't include the countless hours I've trained dogs private lessons, obedience and puppy classes and they don't count the years I've spent training my own pups too!
Well, if I didn't know it before than I guess it's time I come to terms with the fact that I've officially "gone to the dogs" and that if I'm not careful they may make a "Best in Show" type movie staring my Busy Bee!
But the real point of this e-mail is that I'm amazed at how dog training has progressed over the last 10+ years. The biggest lessons I've learned and wanted to share are:
- Dog training isn't about the dog communicating with ME, but rather me adjusting my ways and communicating with the dog in THEIR language. They give us so many signals and we humans rarely pick them up. Instead we say "Why isn't he moving faster?" as we turn our back on our dog (which in dog language means 'leave me alone'), "He knows (fill in the blank)", "He's being stubborn", etc. I often wonder why it's all about us....and how did we become so self centered in this dog/human relationship. Don't get me wrong, we're not always like this, but when things aren't going our way, we tend to become self focused and ignore our partner. I used to get terribly nervous before running my Dalmatian in Agility. I've since learned that giving her a hug at the start line and looking into her eyes takes the focus off of me and puts the balance back in my world. I try to make that a habit now.
- Another thing I've learned is that when encouraging/training a wanted behavior, rapid repetition (click treat, click treat, etc.) and breaking things down into smaller, more manageable portions is my friend! In other words, I shouldn't expect my dog to be brilliant if I'm only going to notice the unwanted behaviors and ignore all of those good things they're offering up.
- One of the most important things I've recently been reminded of is that sometimes my dog needs to figure "it" (the thing I want them to do) out on their own and I need to patiently stand/sit there while they work through what I expect of them. Now granted, I'm talking in manageable steps, but gosh golly, if I step in every time they stood there staring at me and opted to lure them into position, I've given them no reason to think and they readily disengage their brain...the opposite of what I want! This one is hard, but as it's also been pointed out, I'm rarely standing/sitting there for eternity like it sure feels like!
- I've also learned it's okay to be silly with my dogs, to get down on the ground and play with them or to run around the yard playing chase. While my neighbors may find my antics funny, it is really good exercise! Like my justification on that?
While I'm sure I'll come up with more epiphanies over the next several months, I'd like to hear from you. What have you learned during your time training your dogs?