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Lily's a bit reactive when she sees other dogs. Reactive does not mean aggressive – she's just super excited and it can sometimes look a little scary if you're on the receiving end of her reactivity. Her actions, though, can sometimes scare another dog and trigger a "discussion." (All noise, no teeth.) 

I'm a trainer – I should be working on helping her learn a new reaction. Say, sitting quietly instead of whining, barking, and pulling on the leash. The former would be so much better than the latter.

As with most professionals, my dogs wind up at the end of the training line. I work all day with other dogs, then work every evening teaching group classes. It's tough to work in training time for my own dogs. Compound that with beautiful weather, and it's hard to leave Tango and Nemo behind - which, if I'm really going to work on Lily's reactivity, they must stay behind. They love going on hikes, too, and the weather just can't be beat.

So, off we go this morning, to a new (to us) hiking trail. Our first encounter was just a few minutes into the hike. A nice Golden retriever and his owner were on the trail. Lily sounds the alarm and acts, well, like a loony-toon. The guy with the Golden asks if they can meet his dog.

I speak up first and say it's probably not a good idea, but before I can get the entire sentence out, my husband (who has Lily and Nemo) walks right on up to the Golden!

I held my breath and waited for the fallout. Of which there was none. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I then let Tango wade into the fray (not really a fray at all, just a butt-sniffing circus) and he did fine, too.

So, all of my dog behavior knowledge and training went out the window. Every now and then, it seems that just a little knowledge isn't a bad thing – because having too much knowledge can sometimes get in the way. If it had been just me, I wouldn't have let them meet. I like all dog-dog greetings to be on a loose leash, with each dog under control. I know the chances of an altercation rise dramatically if leashes are tight and if dogs aren't paying attention to their handlers.

But in this case, all that knowledge got in the way. Lily did fine. And she had a successful dog-dog encounter under her belt. Without a stressed out handler at the other end of the leash. We encountered three other dogs along the trail, and she met each of them just as well as she did the first. Yes, there was pulling. Yes, there was a tight leash. Yes, there was out-of-control behavior. In a perfect world, she would have been a calm and focused dog. But sometimes the perfect world is a long way away and you go with what you've got.

And Lily has four good dog-dog greetings behind her. Four more than if it were me on the other end of the leash. Sometimes a little bit of knowledge is good…

SDU is excited to announce the summer schedule – we've added some new courses we think you'll enjoy. View the new schedule.

There are two categories of courses:

1. Puppy and Dog Tracks
2. Higher Education

The Puppy and Dog Tracks each consist of two courses you must complete before earning access to the Higher Education courses.

Puppy Track: If you have a pup under 5 months, you can enroll in Smart Puppy, a seven week course that provides crucial socialization that every puppy needs in order to grow into a well-adjusted, happy, friendly, adult dog. You’ll learn how to teach your puppy a host of basic behaviors including sit, down, coming when called, and paying attention to you. Other topics includeeasy house training, how to curb puppy nipping, and puppy chewing. The next course, Adolescent Middle School, continues your puppy's education into adolescence. (Think your pup's a handful now, wait until he's about six months old! Take this course and we'll share the tips and tricks for surviving "the teenage years!" After you master these two courses, you're ready for Higher Education!

Dog Track: If your dog is over 5 months, Dog Manners 101 is the course for you. This seven week course covers all the basics, teaches good manners, plus tackles common dog problems like jumping, barking, and digging. The next course, Doggie High School, takes you to the next level, introducing more complex behaviors like stay, wait, and leave it. After you master these two courses, you're ready for Higher Education!

There are three Higher Education courses and they can be taken in any order.
a. Canine Good Citizen– earn an American Kennel Club (AKC) CGC for your dog!
b. Out + About – Take your dog's education on the road and work in a real-life public environment.
c. Canine Ph.D. – Ready for a real challenge? This course will teach advanced concepts like getting behaviors at a distance, getting rapid, speedy responses, distracting elements, and stimulus control.

It's a beautiful day – the sun is shining, a slight breeze is blowing…and where are the dogs? Under the computer desk, sleeping the day away. We were just outside and the dogs were just lazing around, finding pools of sunshine to nap in. I tried to sneak inside to get some work done and they all woke up and all came inside with me.

Why on earth would the dogs want to be inside on a day like this? It's because they're social animals – they want to be wherever their people are.

Quite often I ask people how much exercise their dog gets. Their exasperated reply goes something like this: "We've got this big yard out back, but the dog won't go out and play by himself." Of course they won't – they want you to be part of their good time.

We have four dogs– even the four of them won't go out and play unless we're out there with them. So a yard isn't enough for your dog. Your dog wants you out there with him. The weather is getting really nice – find a fun game you can play with your dog (fetch, chase, hide and seek) and get out there in that yard and enjoy the day (and each other!).

We saw some amazingly athletic dogs at the Dock Dogs "Puppy Palooza" on Saturday. Smart Dog University had a booth there, and I brought Tango and Nemo along. As well as my husband, who performed most of the manual labor that goes along with setting up a booth!

For those of you unfamiliar with dock diving, it’s a relatively new sport in which dogs jump off a dock and try to get the longest jumps. There’s also an "extreme air" competition in which it’s not distance that earns you the prize, but height. There are a number of techniques used, but in general, the dogs are chasing a bumper or tennis ball thrown into the water (jumping off the dock to get it).

Labradors made up most of the dogs in the competition, but I also saw German shepherds, a German shorthaired pointer, a Weimeraner and some mixed breeds (Lab Poodle crosses). I’ve never seen so many in-shape dogs before! It was so nice to see dogs who aren’t round, or waddle when they walk.

I’ve always tried to keep all my dogs on the lighter side of normal because it helps ease joint damage, not to mention a slight dog generally has fewer health problems than one who is on the heavy side. Both Nemo and Tango looked almost pudgy compared to those dogs!

There were a lot of dogs on prong collars there, which I think is unfortunate especially with the advent of the more modern (and less painful) harnesses and head halters. However, I did see some dogs on the Easy Walk Harness, too – so I can’t complain too much!

We’re not into the Dock Diving sport, but it sure was fun to watch! Tango gets all the dock diving he wants when we visit my parents on Lake Anna. One thing I noticed, though, was how some of the dogs were lacking self-control.

While waiting for their turn at the dock, the dogs and their handlers line up on the shore. I saw a lot of very enthusiastic dogs literally dragging their handlers to the dock. Once they were at the dock, they barked non-stop until it was their turn. I would think that all that extra effort from pulling their owner and barking their heads off would negatively impact their performance. All that energy going to waste on the bank of the pond – not being used at all to power the dog out from the dock.

It’s easy to see why the dogs get out of control, it’s a fun sport! But the dogs can be excited and under control at the same time. I’d like to see more handlers re-directing that energy to the jump instead of letting it all leak out there on the shore.

Tango took a practice jump between the "waves" of competition. It was his birthday present, after all. He loved it, of course. That’s all he does when we’re at Lake Anna! As we got closer to the front of the line, Tango’s excitement grew – he could see what the other dogs were doing and was anticipating his turn. To prevent him from getting out of control, we practiced our "take it," "tug," and "give." I held the bumper out in front of him, had him wait until I said "take it," then asked him to tug. Once he had tugged for a few seconds, I asked him to "give," and he’d spit the bumper out into my hand. I was giving him something to do so I could keep his activity level under control, while at the same time keeping him occupied. And the bonus – it helped reinforce his self-control.

We had a great time – the people were friendly, the dogs were terrific, and the weather was spectacular. If you get a chance to  see Dock Diving dogs, don’t miss it!

That’s Tango back in 2003 when he was but a wee pup. He’s five years old today! Also, Old Man Lucky celebrates a birthday this month as well, but we don’t know the date (he was rescued from a shelter when they ran out of space and he was going to be euthanized…)

We’ll celebrate both dogs today with a doggie birthday cake – special made just for dogs!

Yesterday we took Tango and Nemo to a Dock Dogs event (I’ll write a post all about that later today.) Tango had a blast and enjoyed his "present" a day early! He’s done a lot in his five years: he’s earned his Canine Good Citizen, he’s a Delta certified Pet Partner therapy dog, and now he’s a Dock Diver! Plus he’s the best dog in the whole wide world (don’t we all think our dogs are the best dogs in the world?!).

If I hadn’t broken our digital camera yesterday (!), I’d post a picture from the cake-eating-fun later today. I’ll be shopping for a new camera today. (I foolishly tossed it to my husband. I don’t have very good aim. It hit the ceiling first. Then the floor. It still turns on, but I cracked (rather badly) the lens. Husband is/was none too pleased. Oops!)

On the information form I give each client, I have a box that asks them what they’d like their dog to START or KEEP doing. A frequent answer is "To listen better." When I flesh this question out with the client, I get a variation along this theme: "I want the dog to listen all the time, not just when he wants to."

When I ask the client what cues (words) the dog already knows, I often get a blank stare and this question "What do you mean, what words does the dog know?! He knows it all, he just won’t do it when I need him to!"

Usually, what this means is the dog can do what the owner asks if there’s nothing else going on, but if there are any distractions (visitors coming into the house, for example) the dog loses all concentration and doesn’t do what he’s asked.

This is really a case of the dog not really knowing what’s expected. Want proof? Try this at home:

1. Ask your dog to sit. Just once, don’t repeat it. If he can sit, move on to the next one.
2. Raise your arms straight above your head and ask your dog to sit. Again, only one request. Move on if he can sit with just that one request. 
3. Turn around with your back to your dog and ask him to sit.
4. Put sunglasses on and ask him to sit.
5. Jump up and down while saying the word "Sit."
6. Say the word "sit" as if it’s a question.
7. Have someone keep your dog in the room while you go out of the room. From another room, ask your dog to sit (you remain out of sight). The dog should sit where he is, not come to you.

How many did your dog get right? If he missed any of them, he doesn’t really know what sit means. You can believe that he’s being stubborn or that he’s just not listening, but that won’t help you — or your dog. Your dog only knows sit under regular, every day non-distracting circumstances. He doesn’t know what sit means if there’s anything odd or out of place going on.

So save yourself some frustration — teach your dog how to sit during all those distractions. Practice in short sessions every day changing only ONE variable. Maybe you’re facing sideways instead of turned all the way around. Get lots of successes at that easier level before you turn all the way around.

Make it easy for your dog to get these new requests right by dialing back the "oddness" of them when you start. For #4, maybe you’ll start with the sunglasses on your head, not down on your eyes. For #5, maybe you just bend your knees a little instead of jumping up and down. (Nemo, for the record, doesn’t know sit — he can’t get it right when I’m jumping. But we’re working on it; he’ll have it in no time!)

So before you complain that your dog just doesn’t listen, make sure he really knows what you’re asking!