Good news for all of us who have mixed breed dogs. The AKC will now allow us to compete in many AKC events that have – until now – been out of our reach. Check out all the details in the May edition of Your Smart Dog.
When Is It “Obedience?”
I presented a seminar on how to teach your dog self control for Your Dog's Friend last Saturday. It was a good crowd, especially considering we had the first summer-like weekend of the year.
Almost everyone there had a dog who could use at least a little bit more self control. Everyone asked excellent questions and were very receptive to teaching their dog the easy way, with positive reinforcement.
I did, however, get a couple questions that went kind of like this: "Yeah ok, I understand that positive reinforcement is good to teach my dog how to do something, but how do I get him to obey me?"
I wasn't quite sure what the person was asking, so I asked for clarification. This was the answer: "You know, how do I get the dog to obey me no matter what? Sometimes he only obeys when he wants to."
My answer startled the person. That is not a dog problem, that's a person problem. It's up to you, the person, to teach the dog how to do what you ask no matter what the distance, no matter what the distraction, no matter what the duration. And it's really easy to teach when you use positive reinforcement. Ridiculously easy.
As you may well imagine, the person wasn't particularly thrilled with my answer. She couldn't understand that her dog, who'd been taught to come when called, hadn't been taught to do it in distracting circumstances. She believed the dog was being willful, spiteful, stubborn, mischeivous (insert your adjective of choice here). She didn't see that the real problem was the teacher. She hadn't taught the dog that he actually could come when called, even if a deer ran across it's path.
Here's the example I gave her, hoping it would help explain that the dog wasn't being stubborn or willful, but simply hadn't been taught how to come when called:
I have been driving a car since I was 15. I can drive a stick shift, automatic, truck, sports car, convertible; I can even tow a boat. I know where the turn signals, emergency brake, and light switches are on all those different kinds of vehicles. I can drive them fast, I can drive them slow, I can drive them in the rain and in the snow. (No, I didn't really mean to sound like Dr. Seuss, it just came out that way.)
HOWEVER, ask me to drive you into or out of the District of Columbia at 4:00p on a Friday afternoon and you'll see a woman who's driving skills will quickly deteriorate. Not because I'm stubborn. Not because I'm being willful. Not because I'm mad at you. Simply because I don't drive in the city. I don't think I've ever driven Downtown. In all my 40 years of living, I've never experienced a traffic circle with 5 lanes. I've never had to dodge taxi doors opening. I've never had to look at twelve signs within 20 feet of one another.
Teaching your dog to work with you through distractions is no different. You've got to teach them how to do the much more difficult job of complying even in the face of things they may not see very often. It's really easy to blame the dog. But it's just not fair. Do your job of thoroughly preparing your dog to work even in daunting circumstances, and he'll do his job just fine and dandy.
What’s Up With Dogs + Dolphins?
Both dogs and dolphins learn the same way. The folks at the Shedd Aquarium had to find a new way to entertain their guests while their marine mammal exhibit was undergoing some remodeling. Dogs are easier to come by than dolphins, and they learn the same way, so the brilliant trainers at Shedd thought why not save some dog lives, show the public just how easy it is to teach dogs, and compare dog training to dolphin training.
And that's just what they did. They rescued unwanted shelter dogs, trained them up and now have a fantastic show. I've seen it first hand, and it really is something to see! Read the whole article here (and see the pictures and some cool video) in the Chicago Tribune.
Mixed Breed Dog? The AKC Now Welcomes You, Too!
Great news from the American Kennel Club (AKC): they're now going to allow mixed breed dogs to compete for AKC titles in events!
Nemo's heritage is unknown (we think Great Dane and Hound), but he's certainly a mix of breeds. I've wanted to do tracking with him, but have been unable. Until now. Guess that means we'll have to get crackin' on training for our trackin'! (Corny, aren't I?)
Here are a few paragraphs from the AKC announcement:
The mixed breeds program will be implemented in three phases. As of
October 1, 2009 owners can begin enrolling their pets and receive an
AKC ID number. Then beginning April 1, 2010 enrolled dogs will be
eligible to compete in mixed breed classes at stand-alone AKC Agility,
Obedience and Rally events. Soon after they will have access to
benefits such as discounted AKC Companion Animal Recovery Lost and
Found service, a free AKC Canine Good Citizen® certificate for dogs
passing the CGC test, a free initial veterinary visit, a trial offer of
pet health insurance and discounted coupons for dog supplies.
The third phase will offer a dedicated Web site where dog owners can
interact via an online community with discussion forums and access dog
care video downloads, advice from experts and the most up-to-date news
on canine health and welfare. The site will be continually enhanced
with new features and benefits in order to respond to the changing
needs of pet owners.
The First Lady + The First Dog
I love hearing about Bo, the Portugese Water Dog who's now the First Dog. I also love that the Obama's use positive reinforcement to help Bo learn all that's expected of him. Here's a snippet from a recent conversation Michelle Obama had with some children visiting the White House:
So what did we learn about Michelle today?
She doesn't have much spare time, but these days what little time she
has is spent training and walking Bo. "Oh, my dog. Oh, the dog. Oh,
he is a crazy dog," she said as children giggled. He's still a puppy
who likes to play a lot, and chew on people's feet, Michelle says. At
about 10pm last night the First Couple was disturbed by the sounds of
barking and jumping around. Concerned that there was a problem, they
went to check what was wrong. "We thought somebody was out there. And
it was just Bo. He was playing with his ball. And it was like there
was another person in the house," Michelle said. Even in the White
House, puppy training ain't easy.
The full article is worth reading. You can view it here.
Do You Feed Nutro? Read This NOW
I used to feed Nutro and loved their product. One of my dogs developed an allergy, so we switched to a more novel protein. I'd always been pleased with Nutro food.
Read the Consumer Affairs article here — it contains important info you should know.