socialization Archives - Page 2 of 3

Dog Training Diary: Sometimes I Don’t Feel Like Training My Dog

October 9, 2012

I’ve got a confession. I haven’t worked with my dogs at all this week. Nothing. Not even sit.

I haven’t been in the right mood for training. And if you’re not in the right mood, no training is better than forcing it. If you’re going to work with your dog, you’ve got to be ready to concentrate on your dog, ready to be flexible with your goals, and ready to have fun.

So there. I said it. The dog trainer has not worked with her dogs. And we’re better for it. Because the results aren’t pretty if you train ugly.

Dog Training – The Personal Side

September 29, 2012

We have three permanent dogs — dogs that were released from service work. Three dogs, plus a yearly rotating service pup in training, is about all we can handle. Four permanent dogs plus a service dog just wouldn’t work well. And here are the reasons why.

1. We couldn’t raise a service pup in training if we had four permanent dogs.
2. Our current dogs wouldn’t be afforded the same level of attention and training with the addition of another dog.
3. I am devoted to Tango, my yellow Labrador, and want to focus on “he and me.”
4. When I am finally ready to get another dog, after Tango is no longer with us (which I hope is a long, long time from now), I want a dog with whom I can continue therapy work.

Those are four very good reasons. Hard to argue with reasons.

So why, tell me, is it so painful for me to decline keeping sweet Great Dane, Siena, who is being released from the service dog program?

I *know* it’s the right decision — logically. Alas, I am ruled not with logic, but rather by emotion. And emotionally, I WANT TO KEEP HER!

It’s as if I have two very different people living in my head. And they argue constantly over this issue. And each of them have very compelling arguments.

Every danged time a Dane comes into my life so far, it’s resulted in heartbreak. That danged lovely Talos with his ice-blue eyes and cow-like spots nearly killed me with grief when I had to turn him in. (He’s now a brilliant service dog working for a brilliant woman, so the ending is happy].

And now, the adorable and oh-so-lovey Siena’s going to kill me when I give her up to a loving home [that’s going to be wonderful to her and for her].

Here’s the part I really don’t understand about myself. EVERY time I raise a service dog, I cry and my heart is broken. Yet, I’m not keeping Siena because I want to keep raising service dogs.

I think I’m crazy. That is all.

Puppy Training: Lesson of the Day – Chewing

September 18, 2012

Our puppy chewing days have hit their peak. Siena’s puppy teeth have started to come out and the chewing has begun. I’m gearing up for a few tough weeks where the puppy chews on whatever she finds.

I’m fairly laid back about chewing. Nothing’s a real emergency to me — or at least I don’t let Siena know how important it is to me when she chooses one of my things to chew on. We’ll have more about how to get stuff away from your pup when she steals things, but let’s focus on just one problem at a time (the chewing problem) per post.

Chewing is Normal
Here’s the deal on chewing: puppies do it. A lot. Puppies need to chew. If you accept that going in, you’ll come out of this period with more sanity. Puppies explore their world with their mouth. Puppies also chew because they’re bored and can also chew when they’re stressed and/or scared. It’s going to happen, here’s what you need to know to keep your stuff safe.

Puppy-Proofing
Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around. Parents of two-legged kids do this all the time so they are sure their house is child-proofed. If you have a puppy, you’ve got to to the same thing. Go ahead, get down on the floor and take a look around. Put everything up that’s chewable, pullable, tuggable — basically, put anything that’s not nailed down up high.

Puppy Approved
Have five different toys for your pup. The toys should have different textures and densities. Your pup is going to seek out the toy that fits his needs best. Because puppies are teething, their needs change from day to day. The toy that feels so good on their gums today is going to hurt like the dickens tomorrow. If you see your pup chewing on your wrought iron lawn ornament, make sure you have a hard toy available to him indoors. If you see your pup chewing on the sofa, you need to get a soft, plush toy in your pup’s mouth.

Too Many Toys
Most people have too many toys available to their puppy. Your puppy can play with one (or two) toys at a time. If you have 10 toys laying on your living room floor, that’s too many. I have a stock pile of toys and I’ve divided them into two bins. One set of toys is on the floor and the other is in the washing machine. Too many toys can lead to boredom, but rotating the toys into your pup’s environment helps prevent “toy boredom” and keeps all the toys fresh and clean.

Chuck the “No!”
If you read my post on how and why I don’t use the word “No!” with my dogs, you probably guessed that — even for chewing — I don’t use that word. You’re not giving the pup any good information on what to do.

What To Do With A Chewing Puppy
Be sure your pup has those five chew toys available to him and then…

Praise your pup when he’s chewing. I know it might seem silly to tell your pup “good pup” when he’s quiet and minding his own business, but it really helps teach your pup to seek out his own stuff to chew.
Play with your pup when he has one of his chew toys. Make that toy come alive so your pup not only enjoys chewing it, but also likes it when you approach him when he’s got something. This will come in handy later, when we talk about pups who steal your stuff.
Call your pup to you when he’s looking interested in chewing the carpet or other undesirable object. Praise him when he comes to you and reward him by making one of his approved chew toys come alive!
Supervise your puppy. You can tether your puppy, put him in his crate, or gate him in the same room with you so you can keep your eyeballs on him all the time. If you’re not supervising your puppy, you can’t be mad at him when he chews a hole in the drywall.

With this information, hopefully your pup will chew less. Drop us a line and let us know what’s worked for you and your chewing puppy!

Dog Training: Ask the Trainer – How to Teach Your Dog Without the Word “No”

September 12, 2012

Siena is our 13th service dog we’ve had a hand in raising. And she’s the 13th dog that doesn’t know what the word “no” means. How can that be, I hear you saying. She must be a monster if you don’t say “no.” She, like the other dogs we’ve raised, are very well behaved and don’t find any valuable information in the word “no.”

I don’t use that word in my training. I don’t need it and here’s why:

“No” doesn’t give the dog any information whatsoever as to what he should be doing. Here’s the thing — unless your dog is dead, he’s always doing something. He’s sleeping. He’s barking. He’s sitting. He’s chewing a bone. He’s running. He’s laying down. He’s doing something all the time.

A living thing can’t exist without doing something. So, the smart dog owner says to herself “What can I teach my dog to do that’s acceptable to me?” [Hint: what the smart owner does not say is: how can I get my dog to stop doing x.]

It’s 100 times easier to teach your dog what to do than it is to get him to STOP doing something. Because in order to get your dog to STOP doing something, you’ve got to insert something ELSE — remember, only dead dogs do nothing.

Here’s my hint to you: it’s a whole lot easier to simply teach your dog what to do than to waste time thinking about how to STOP something.

An example may help illustrate this idea. Let’s say your dog jumps when people come to your house. Almost everyone says “how can I get my dog to stop jumping” and all they do is work on getting rid of the jumping. It’s frustrating — to you, to the dog, and to your guest. Because trying to stop the jumping the hardest solution to a very simple problem.

If you’re a smart dog owner, you’re thinking: what else can my dog do so he won’t jump on people. Forget about stopping the jumping. Focus on what your dog can do — that you can reward — that will get you to your solution. There are so many things your dog can do instead of jump. Here’s a partial list:

sit
lay down
go to a specific spot (his bed or crate, for instance)
run to his toy box to grab a toy
go belly up for tummy scritches
perform a cute trick like dancing or begging
touch the guest’s hand with his nose
the list is endless.

So instead of saying “No!” repeatedly, you can simply teach your dog to do any one of these behaviors, reward him heartily, then sit back and wait for your guests to tell you how well-behaved your dog is!

Great Dane, Siena, has learned how to put her front paws up on the counter. This is not a good thing. She’s not very tall now, but she can still reach the countertops! Give her a few more months and she won’t have to get on her hind legs to reach, she’ll be able to simply stand on all four feet with her chin on the counter. Instead of saying “NO!” everytime her paws hit the counter — which would be such a downer — I’m either ignoring her and then praising her like crazy when she finds nothing and gets down on her own or I’m redirecting her to put her feet on the floor (then adding in that praise). In addition, I’m reinforcing her for sitting while I’m doing food prep. Amazingly [from her perspective] food jumps off the counter and onto the floor only when she’s sitting. She can actually make food jump into her mouth if — and only if — she sits politely when I’m prepping for dinner.

Voila! I’ve got a dog who lays down quietly while dinner is being prepped. It really is that easy!

Siena’s our 13th dog and I’ve not used “no” yet. I challenge you to think of something else for your dog to do instead of saying the word “no.” It’s a crutch you don’t need. I promise.

Service Dog Training: Siena’s Status

September 10, 2012

After two weeks of making up our minds, then changing our minds again, it’s confirmed: Siena’s still in the program. For now.

I’m going to call it her probationary period for lack of a better word. She’s got a long way to go – there are so many things a service dog must excel at (no room for mediocrity in service work), so many things they must tolerate without extreme fear or excitement — it’s a long road for Siena, definitely, but we’re happy with the progress we’ve seen since this inexperienced little Dane came to live with us two weeks ago.

Two weeks ago she trembled when we carried her inside. She wouldn’t enter the house by herself — either too scared or had never had the experience of going up one step. When scared, she would run away from us instead of seeking us out for comfort. I couldn’t walk her through my quiet neighborhood — she trembled so badly I wondered if she could even walk. She was afraid of her food bowl for goodness sake! Even when it had food in it! I was worried not for her service career — that just wasn’t going to happen — but more for her general suitability for just being a pet.

However, over the past two weeks, I’ve worked with several times a day, every day, to help build her confidence, her trust in us, and her experience base. The main reason she’s staying is that we’ve seen her progress quickly and assimilate what she’s seen and experienced and used that when she encounters something else that’s new.

Over the weekend, she rocked the Home Depot and survived a trip to our local grocery store. Siena has the most trouble at grocery stores – I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing because it’s a very “busy” place: there’s so much visually to take in — the carts, displays, shiny floors, tall shelves, bright lighting, people everywhere. Grocery stores aren’t quiet either — there’s always music, announcements over the public address system, banging carts, beeping checkout stations, etc. Add to that mix the hum and air blowing from the refrigeration cases and you’ve got a recipe for disaster for a pup who thinks going inside a house is scary.

Siena makes friends with Nemo

Check in with us here every Monday and I’ll detail Siena’s progress and how we’re working through those challenges she’s facing. If you’re getting a puppy, you’ll get a lot of information that will help you make sure he grows into a well-adjusted family dog. Also, if you’ve adopted a dog from a rescue or shelter, you’ll be able to use the information and apply it to your dog, too! And if you’ve got a normal, laid-back dog, you’re covered, too, because in most other ways, Siena’s a normal dog and we’ll have information for you about how to keep your dog entertained and out of trouble.

Do you have a dog who took awhile to warm up to life? Please leave a comment and share what worked for you and your dog.

Making Puppy Socialization Safer

July 21, 2011

You hear it all the time: socialization is important for your puppy! Socialize, socialize, socialize!

It IS true: socialization before your pup is 16 weeks old is crazy-important if you want a well-adjusted, easy-going, can-handle-anything dog later in life.

But.

You gotta be smart about it. You can’t recklessly expose the pup to potential germs and disease.

I was outside teaching class last night in downtown Frederick, Maryland. I saw a tiny 11-week old puppy walking on Carroll Creek, a bustling and crowded metropolitan spot with eateries and beautiful scenery, and the pup was meandering through the grass where every other dog had done it’s business.

It’s a terrific location for the pup to be exposed to all kinds of things: joggers, noisy kids on bikes, barking dogs, ducks, the list goes on.

The trouble with that is that hundreds of other dogs have been through there, too. Leaving behind poop and pee — the carriers of disease. You don’t want your puppy needlessly exposed to all that. Who knows if those dogs:

have had their vaccinations
are healthy
are carrying diseases

It’s much safer for the pup to be carried through very public areas until he’s completed his puppy series of vaccinations. Walking a pup through your yard or even your neighborhood is probably safe, but you don’t want your pups paws hitting the ground in the dog park or anywhere where there are potentially unvaccinated dogs running through the same grass as your pup.

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You hear it all the time: socialization is important for your puppy! Socialize, socialize, socialize!

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