datachie, Author at Smart Dog University

Not for Attention, for Training

September 7, 2009

"Why does she have to bring that dog here?"

"Does she always have to be the center of attention?"

"Not everyone likes being around dogs – why does she think she's special?"

"Does she have to take that dog everywhere with her?"

Though whispered, these are the comments I hear frequently when taking Talos in public. I'm sure there are even more comments, worse comments, that I don't hear. I can tell by the looks that people give us, they'd rather we not be where they are.

I don't take Talos in public to tick people off. I don't take him so I can get extra attention. I don't take him because I want to make people uncomfortable. I take Talos in public despite all those things.

I explain it this way: Talos will have total access to public places when he's paired with his person who is disabled. Would you rather Talos experience strange, perhaps scary things now – with me, who can hang onto him if he spooks, calm him when he's afraid – or when he's with his person (and he's topped out at 160 pounds), someone who will not have the ability to control him if he's startled?

Sometimes it's a pain in the neck to have a dog with me. My trips take a lot longer, I have to carry a lot more equipment with me, I have to be ready to leave if Talos isn't settling in quietly, and I'm constantly on duty – teaching him.

Don't feel sorry for me, I volunteer for this. But don't think I'm doing it to garner attention, or to mess up your day, or because I think I'm special.

I'm doing it for the dog, who needs to have hundreds of hours of public experience so he's calm and collected no matter what's happening around him.

I'm doing it for the person who will eventually be paired with Talos – so he (or she) can have an easier day, an easier life. So he won't have to worry with a cane or a walker. So he'll feel the independence that comes from having a balance dog.

So when you see us in public, and you're frustrated because you have to walk around the crowd that's gathered, or because it takes me a minute longer to gather my purchases and hold onto an adolescent Great Dane, just smile and walk around us. We're not doing it on purpose.

Talos is Coming to Falls Church, VA

September 7, 2009

Talos is going to be making an appearance in Falls Church, VA at the Dogfish Head Ale House on Tuesday, September 15. Service Dogs of Virginia will be hosting a fundraiser and we were invited to attend. We jumped at the opportunity!

Talos and I will be there to answer questions, offer petting opportunities, eat (!), and have fun. The event runs all day – we'll be there around the lunch hour. I think Talos' brother, Gryphon, will be there as well. You'll get two, two, two Danes in one!

During the evening hours, there will be great silent auction items and chance drawings for sporting event tickets, concert tickets, Knoll “Life” chair, personal tour of WJLA ABC 7, art, handyman services, hotel package, spa package, personal chef and many more!!

There may even be a few local celebrities stopping by to support SDV!!

And don’t forget about the live music from 9:00p -11:00p!

This all-day event will give everyone a chance to come by for lunch,
dinner, or later…and have a chance to meet real service dogs and learn
more about SDV!

Two Minutes and Several Yawns (Video)

September 5, 2009

How long, do you think, should it take for a dog to get off the sofa? If you ask Talos, it takes two minutes and several yawns. This post (and video) has absolutely no training value – it's just funny as all get out.

Respect Your Elders (Video)

September 5, 2009

It's fun watching a pup grow into an adolescent. Talos is now officially an adolescent. Puppy hood ends at 20 weeks (5 months) and Talos is 24 weeks – a full four weeks past puppy hood. The other dogs in the household had been allowing Talos a little more leeway because he was a youngster. About a month ago, we noticed they'd been tightening up on him – grumping at him if he stepped on them, not allowing him to chew on them whenever he wanted, that kind of thing.

Talos is a big, goofy dog. He tends not know where his body is and what the other half of him is doing most of the time. He steps on and runs into his housemates on a regular basis. If a dog has something he wants, he tries to simply go get it from them. All too often, the other dogs allow him to do that. I wish they wouldn't – Talos needs to learn good doggie manners: it's not proper to just take what you want. Very similar to the manners you'd like to instill in children, now that I think about it.

Generally, if Talos wants a drink and another dog is at the water bowl, Talos figures he can get his big head in the bowl, too. The other dog leaves, as this isn't necessarily polite behavior. I wish they'd tell him off more often. I'd much rather one of our (very appropriate) dogs teach him these lessons than a bully, stranger dog.

I was happy, then, to see Tango very politely tell Talos to quiet down. Talos has a habit of barking when he wants something. Incessant barking. In this video, Nemo had a toy Talos wanted. Talos, however was stuck on the other side of the gate with Tango. Watch how nicely Tango tells Talos to zip it. I wish we had more instances of this kind of guidance. Talos is in doggie daycare two days a week and we haven't had any reports of inappropriate behavior from them, so hopefully Talos' manners are better when he's not at home.

New Experiences: Meeting a Horse (Video)

September 3, 2009

The socialization period for puppies ends between 12 and 16 weeks. Your puppy should have as many good experiences as possible before he's 16 weeks. Socialization has no end, however, so continue to expose your adolescent dog to new situations.

Today Talos had the good fortune of meeting a horse. A good friend of mine has a calm, good natured, senior horse (and a puppy) and invited us over for a visit with Spunky. Talos often runs a little short on courage, so I was curious.

To keep him safe, I kept Talos on leash, and tried to keep him in front of the horse. I was ready with delicious treats and a calm voice, in case Talos was spooked. As you can see from the video, the horse is calm, and Talos is awfully curious. I was happy to see curiosity, not fear, from Talos. He was appropriately cautious around the horse, but not overly.

We'll chalk this up to one more good experience for Talos. Every good experience builds on the last and the more novel things Talos sees, the fewer things he'll be bothered by later in life, even if he's never experienced it before.

If you want to get your dog out more, make sure you have (1) fantastic food treats (chicken, steak, salmon) and (2) lots of patience. If Talos had been afraid, I would have walked him away from the horse, settled him down with a few treats and a calm voice, then rewarded him for just looking at the horse. And if he was simply too afraid, we would have left the situation completely. Keep an eye on your dog, watch him for signs of stress, and proceed when he tells you he's comfortable.

Cues: How You Control Behavior

September 2, 2009

Ever see a dog that when asked to do something, runs through his entire repertoire of tricks until he hits upon the one that gets rewarded? That's because none of those tricks (behaviors) are on cue. The dog just guesses as to which one you're asking for, and stops when he gets to the right one.

There's an easy solution to that problem: add a cue. Tell the dog what he's doing when he's doing it. And then only pay when the dog does the behavior you've asked for. So if you ask for a sit and Fido barks, gives you his paw, and then sits, don't reward that chain of behaviors. Only reward the dog when he gives you what you asked for, and nothing else. [I'll write a more detailed post about this in the coming days, as it's an important part of training.]

Here's a quick video of Talos learning about cues. In this clip, I'm asking him to either sit or back (back up a few steps). He has to listen to the word in order to get the behavior right. When he gives me a different behavior than what I've asked for, nothing horrible happens to him. I simply don't click him.

Watch as, at one point, he guesses – and guesses wrong! He tries to come toward me when I've asked for a back, and then tries sitting. I simply ignore him and get him up and moving. Then I simply re-cue the back, and voila – he gets it! Notice the enthusiasm with that last back – he gives me a little pony-like leap. If he continues to give me the leap, I'll stop reinforcing it (because I don't want him backing up and leaping at the same time). But for now, in the acquisition stage of learning about cues, I'll take it!

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