Leave It

There's a traditional exercise that many trainers use to teach a dog to ignore or turn away from something in the environment that they don't want the dog to interact with.  Years ago, in the dark ages of dog training, this was taught with a leash correction.  The dog went to check out the object on the ground and POP goes the leash.  At the same time, the handler was usually yelling "LEAVE IT!".   The dog soon learned that "leave it" meant that a neck jerk was forthcoming and didn't even try to approach the object.

The kindler, gentler way to teach Leave It came around about the same time as clicker training was gaining in popularity.  The person held treats in a fist and let the dog mug the hand.  As soon as the dog backed off or looked away, click and treat - usually from another source than the hand holding the food.  Once the dog got the idea that to get what he wanted, he had to give up what he wanted (a little doggie zen), the verbal cue to "leave it" was added.  My experience has been that owners still end up yelling "LEAVE IT" and threatening the dog away from the object on the floor. 

Pip and I recently took a class in preparation for therapy dog certification.  The trainer was a lovely woman who still used some old school methods, especially for skills she felt critical for the dog's safety in a hospital.  Before I realized what was going to happen, I let her take Pip for a demonstration of "leave it".  As soon as Pip looked at the cookie on the floor, she got a leash pop and a solid command to "leave it".  To that point in time, Pip had never, ever had a leash pop.  Her ears went back, her tail tucked, she slunk low to the ground.  Since then, those two words cause similar reactions even when I said them. 

I wanted to find a different way to teach Pip to ignore something on the ground unless I gave her permission to get it.   This had become a problem during our last scent training lesson when she was scouring the floor for crumbs leftover from a previous class in the building.  She needs to learn to ignore those distractions while she's doing searches.

I just signed on to Susan Garrett's Recallers 3.0 class and one of the first core exercises is something called "It's Yer Choice".  This game teaches the dog self control and emphasizes that all good things come from the handler and not from the ground.  Perfect for us!  I read up on it, watched a couple of videos and adapted the technique for our use.  Don't take this as the golden way to do the Garrett technique.  This is what I feel comfortable with and I am pleased with the results so far. 

I videoed our first session because I wanted to go back and watch Pip's body language and be sure she didn't have any negative associations with the process.   Only once did I notice her ears go back and that's when my foot was moving to cover the biscuit. 

Pip knows "yes" as a marker as well as the click, so I used this instead.  Just not enough hands to hold the treats, feed the treat and click, too.  When you hear hissing in the video, it's me saying "yesss!".  At the start of the session, my fist is is full of steak and cheese.  When she exhibits self-control, she is rewarded.

Pip is a fast dog.   During the part of the session when we were working with the biscuit, she could have easily beat me to it and snatched it away before I could even move my foot enough to protect it.  I was very happy with the amount of impulse control she exhibited. 

I really like this way of teaching the "leave it" skill.  I like not having to yell at the dog.  I like that the dog is freely choosing what to do and gets rewarded for it.

Dog Play

When a single dog household adds a new member, whether it be a new puppy or an older dog, owners are sometimes concerned about how rough the dogs play.  They might worry if what they are seeing is really play or actually low-level aggression. Should they stop play when they think it's getting too rough?  How do you know when to stop it?  Or should they just let the dogs play without any interruption and hope for the best?

At Distinctive Dog Training, I'm lucky to be able to offer a Puppy Day Camp and watch dogs play at length. Pip, who is 20 months old now, plays well with all the puppies, adapting her play style as necessary.  She will quickly put an overly rambunctious pup in his place and will invite a shy pup to chase her.

Introductions between dogs who are new to each other, or dogs that haven't seen each other for a while, begin with mutual sniffing.  This sniffing shouldn't last more than 3 seconds in any one place and body postures should be soft and not too stiff or erect.  Interrupt when one dog immediately tries to stand over or put a head or paw on the other dog's shoulder. 

Pip allows Murphy to get his sniffs in

If sniffing goes well, there should be an invitation to play come from one or both of the dogs.  This could be a play bow with some prancing and vocalizing.  Owners will come to recognize the difference between a play growl and a growl with aggressive intent. 

Murphy says "play with me!"

Chasing should go both directions so that one dog is not always being the pursued.  When more than 2 dogs play at one time, often one dog ends up being victimized in this way.  This is time to interrupt and re-evaluate.  Herding breeds will also play using stalking-type behaviors.  This is fine, but again, the other dog shouldn't always end up being "prey".

Who's stalking who?

Once play is ongoing, there will be role reversals so that each dog has a turn playing the "victim" and the "attacker".   Dogs that are comfortable playing with another, willingly offer their bellies during wrestling play.

Help!  There's a labradoodle attacking me!

Play may look ferocious at times with lots of teeth showing and growling.  Mouthing and play biting are all part of the game.  A bite that lands too hard will cause the other dog to stop playing, so they learn quickly to inhibit their bite strength.  

Lots of teeth and whites of eyes, but all part of the game.

Dogs who play well with others will self-interrupt when things get too intense. You'll see dogs shaking off as if they are wet, sneezing, or possibly just disengaging and sitting for a moment. The other dog will read these signals as an indication that it's break time. 

Pip calming Murphy by physical restraint or just cuddling??

So, when should you interrupt play?  Watch for signs that one dog is not happy - closed mouth, ears back, whining.  When a dog comes to you for protection and doesn't return to play quickly, it is time to end the session.  Mounting or humping (which is a normal part of dog play) that lasts a bit too long for the other dog's comfort should be interrupted.  Teach the dog to come when called during play, reward her, then allow her to resume play if she chooses.  Don't allow your dog to bully another dog or get so out of control that she don't respond to her name. 

If all goes well, dogs will end play when they are tired out.  However, watch for signs that when they get to that point that they don't get too cranky while over-aroused (like a toddler needing a nap).  Good dog play is beneficial to teach puppies bite inhibition and to communicate with members of her own species.  It's great entertainment for us, too!!  Who can't smile while watching dogs have fun?!

Two tired pups after a great play session

If you're interested in learning more about the Puppy Day Camp, visit the Puppy Prep Program webpage for details.

Toys

Many of my clients with new puppies ask me what toys they should get for their pup. I tell them not to spend a lot of money on fancy things from the pet store. What usually happens is that the dog is interested for a day or two, then never picks it up again. I've found that the best things to entertain your dog can be found right around the house.

The big box pet stores have racks of stuffed toys for dogs. If they last an hour with the stuffing intact, it's a miracle and the $10 toy is now in shreds. I go to the Goodwill store and go through the soft toy shelf. I look for toys that are filled with stuffing (and not little beans), toys without hard plastic, toys that will stay together at the seams if I try to pull it apart and those that are appropriately sized for the dog. Sometimes I just take it home and let the dog tear it apart, pick up the stuffing and then let her have the outer body back. I truly believe the dog gets most of her pleasure by shaking it and watching the guts scatter. As long as your dog doesn't ingest the stuffing, you'll just have some mess to clean up - and you have a twice-recycled toy. If your dog does tend to want to eat the stuffing, just unstuff the toy yourself and toss the innards away before giving it to the dog.



Pip and half-stuffed Snoopy with a serious head injury.

I don't recommend tugging for young puppies, but once they have all their adult teeth in, the best tug toys are homemade.  Tear the bottom off an old T-shirt, put some knots in for gripping and you're ready to go.  Much better than those rope toys that fray.

Pups also love chomping on plastic water bottles.   Just be sure to take it away when you start to see it come apart, then recycle!

I love this semi-homemade toy.  It's a lunge whip from the feed store (around $9) with anything the dog will be tempted to chase attached.  I've got an old sock tied on right now, but I've used unstuffed toys and rags in the past.  This is an interactive game that requires minimum effort on the owner's part, but maximum exertion for the dog.    Stand in the yard and tease the dog by dragging the toy or rag attached to the end of the whip along the ground.  Once the chase is on, change direction frequently, go in circles, make it go airborne, and occasionally let the dog catch the prize.  Have a short tug session, work on "drop it" and reward by going back to play. You can tire out even the most active pup in 15 minutes.

Chase sticks can cost between $25-30 online.  Make your own for under $10.

Never leave your dog unattended with a new toy until you know how they will interact with it.  Anything that could possibly be ingested should be closely monitored.  The only chewies that I am comfortable leaving alone with a dog are deer antlers.  I get them here:  www.petexpertise.com/barbgadola.  Of course, if you know a hunter, get them directly from the source!









Things Dogs Want

In my previous life in the telecommunications industry, everything had an acronym, even if the acronym was more complicated than the words it represented.   So, keeping with that weird tradition for the purposes of this article, "TDW" stands for "Things Dog Want".

So what DO dogs want?  In order to survive, dogs need food (and water), so we'll put that on the top of the list.  Even if they don't know they want it, somewhere in the back of the little doggie brain, they know that it's important.  Even dogs that don't appear to be very food motivated have to eat, or they would be dead dogs.

Other TDW, in no particular order and not all inclusive:

• To be part of a social structure that may include humans and/or may include other dogs.  They may seek attention from humans to feel included in that social structure.  Interactive play with humans, praise and petting would be included in this category.
• If they are not altered, they want sex.
• Shelter
• Assuming all their basic needs are met, they may want toys to play with.
• The opportunity to engage in activities that may be instinctive to them - chasing, herding, digging, sniffing, guarding
• To feel safe and have the opportunity to escape from things they are not comfortable interacting with.

So how many of these TDW do humans control?  If dogs live with us, we can control all of them.  How many of these things can be used to our advantage when training dogs?  That narrows the list a bit.

If you read my last post about using the right reinforcer for the task at hand, I talked about using high value food rewards as necessary to teach or strengthen skills.  However, food is not always what a dog wants.  It may also not be readily available when you want to reinforce a behavior, so it's good to have a variety of things your dog wants that you control.

In order for a reward to be effective as a behavior increaser (reinforcer), it has to be delivered quickly - within 2-3 seconds of the act you want to reinforce.   Even if you use a clicker, you still have only that short window of opportunity to deliver the primary reinforcer (from the TDW list).  So, food still tops the list of TDW, but social contact - petting, praise - can also be effective "IF" the dog enjoys it and if it's not doled out indiscriminately.

Notice the big "IF" in the last sentence.  Some dogs don't enjoy petting, especially the way humans deliver it.  Pats on top of the head aren't pleasant for the dog.  (Try it on your partner.  See how long it takes for the head to move away.)  If you want to use physical contact to reward your dog, find out where he likes to be touched.  Most often it's on the chest area or on the side of the face below the ears; sometimes it's on the back at the base of the tail.  Most dogs get pretty bored with repetitive touching quickly, so as a reinforcer this has limited usage. 

Toys can also be delivered pretty quickly after a behavior, but in order to be really valuable to the dog, he'll want to play with the toy for a while.  If you're trying to get multiple repetitions of a behavior while training, playing with toys can greatly delay the training process. 

Same is true of the instinctive behaviors - chasing, digging, etc.  And once he's engaged with one of these behaviors, the probability of wanting to come back for more training is slim. 

I've had people tell me that their dog should work for them for praise alone.  Verbal praise alone will rarely maintain a behavior.  It's just not that high up on the list of TDW.  They hear our voices all day long; it's just not something that's valuable to them.   However, praise is something that can and should be used in combination with most all the other TDW - this will help build value for praise.  Teaching a new behavior with praise alone would be frustrating.  If I have someone tell me they train their dogs with only praise, my suspicion is that the dog is actually working in order to escape punishment.  "If I don't do what he says, I'm going to get popped on the leash".  Remember, one of the TDW is to avoid unpleasantness and to feel safe.

That leads us back to food.  You want food to be valuable to the dog.  If you free feed (leave food out all day), food will not be valuable.  Can you imagine having the Golden Corral buffet in your kitchen?  I think that would get pretty boring after a while, (if not disgusting)!  Something that's always there and can be had 24/7 doesn't have value in the dog's eyes.  Make food special.   Feed in puzzle toys, make the dog hunt for his food, at least require him to sit/stay before the bowl is put down.  Better yet, let him earn his food through training!  Don't give away a most valuable resource for nothing.

So, use a variety of reinforcers from the TDW list, but use them wisely and be certain that you control them.

Using the Right Reinforcer

I was reminded this week of the importance of using an appropriate reinforcer for the task at hand.  Had a client with a nice young pug and we working on leash walking.  Dog wasn't crazy bad on leash, but definitely was not interested in the human she was trying to drag.  As I do with all clients, I was having the owner click and reward when the dog was in the proper "heel" position.  The owner was carrying regular soft dog treats - something that the dog had enjoyed earlier in the house while training.  However, it wasn't enough motivation to keep her interest outside.  The chance to pull in all directions on leash and sniff everything she could reach was more reinforcing to her than the treats.

So, I decided to pull out the hard stuff - grassfed Texas longhorn steak, leftover from a past meal and kept for times like this.  The next time she was in position to earn a click, she got a tidbit of beef as a reward.  The pug then decided her owner was the most interesting person in the world, and not just dead weight holding her back at the other end of the leash. 

Now she was paying attention, staying in position on his left side and earning more clicks and treats.   We started clicking every 2-3 steps and worked up to 5-6 steps maintaining a nice duration of loose leash walking.  Then I had him begin mixing the regular dog treats in with the beef and she continued to do well, never sure whether a dog treat was coming or the really good stuff.  We ran out of the beef and she maintained the nice heel position just using the original treats as a reward.

When we work on a new skill in a very distracting environment, it's important to know what reward your dog really enjoys and use it to your advantage during training.   Kibble and dry dog treats aren't usually the best thing to use outside, unless your dog is exteremely food motivated and not at all concerned about the environment.  However, in the house with fewer distractions, kibble might be an excellent reward to start with.  I like to think that the harder the job is for the dog, the better her paycheck should be.

Examples of a variety of reinforcers for most dogs.  Your mileage may vary.

Low value reinforcers = praise, petting, kibble, dry biscuit-type treats, Cheerios
Middle value reinforcers = soft, smelly dog treats
High value reinforcers = beef, chicken, cheese, hot dogs, chasing a ball, playing tug

I love when I can take an experience from a client's session home with me for use with my own dogs.  For the last couple months, I've been working with Pip so that she'll alert me when my kitchen timer goes off.  She comes to me wherever I am and bumps my knee with her nose.  She was at about 80% reliability with that.  If she was distracted with something else or if I wasn't in the same room with her, she didn't always come find me when she heard the timer cue. 

So that I could set her up to succeed, I kept her in the kitchen with me and set the timer.  When it went off, she came and bumped my knee.  I opened the fridge and give her a piece of the steak leftovers.  Woo-hoo!  Since then she's been coming to find me every single time the timer goes off.  She was playing with one of her favorite toys in the living room today and when she heard the timer, she dropped it, raced to find me and gave me a solid bump.  She doesn't get steak each time - just often enough to keep the behavior strong for right now. 

Whenever we need to give an extra boost to a known behavior that's gotten sloppy, or teach a new behavior that's challenging for the dog, the value of the reward can make all the difference.  Get to know what your dog really enjoys - sometimes it might not be food, but it should be something that can be delivered quickly after the desired behavior happens.  After all, it's the dog who ultimately decides whether what you deliver as a reward is actually reinforcing.

Waking at Night

I've recently had quite a few people ask me about their dogs who are waking up in the middle of the night.  Some dogs are new in the home, but some have been in the home for a while and just recently started to get up in the middle of the night and need to go outside or just want to pace around the house and/or the yard.  Interestingly, Pip decided she needed to go out at 3 AM this morning, which is REALLY unusual for her.  Even when I have to get up and use the bathroom, she normally sleeps right through the night.

Here's my theory.  It's so stinking hot here (over 2 weeks with daytime temps over 100 degrees) that dogs just aren't getting the physical exercise that they normally would.  They don't want to be out in the heat, they aren't getting their walks, they want to lay around the cool house all day and only go out when absolutely necessary.  I know Pip isn't running around the yard with the other dogs as much as she did a couple months ago. 

So, the lack of physical exercise causes them to be restless at night, which could explain the pacing and desire to be outside when it's cooler.  When dogs don't get the usual amount of activity, they need less calories.  We should be adjusting the amount of kibble based on how much the dog is doing during the day.  A dog that's sleeping 22 hours a day probably doesn't need the same amount of food as when they get 2 long walks a day or a nice play session with their buddies.  Their bellies are full, calories aren't being burned, they have to eliminate more often, including in the middle of the night.

I've also been away for a few days and Pip hasn't had any training time; no mental stimulation to speak of.  When a dog can't get physical exercise, training can help burn energy as well as puzzle games and food dispensing toys for mealtimes.

So today I took some time to start training Pip on something brand new.  I want to teach her to pull my socks off.  This is a service dog task that many dogs perform for owners that can't do it for themselves.

I took one of my hubby's big tube socks to start with so that it would come off my foot pretty easily and let Pip have some early success.  I shaped her for touching it, for putting her mouth on it, then for pulling on it.  Within just a few minutes, she was able to get it off my foot. 

We'll fine tune this skill by transitioning to a smaller sock that fits tighter on my foot and teach her to gently nibble at the toe instead of grabbing. 

Short training sessions, shaping sessions just for fun, hide and seek games, working to get meals from toys can all help relieve the boredom when the dog can't get the outdoor time they need.

Spay Day

Pip just turned 15 months old a few days ago.  Her puppyhood flew by without major trauma - no real fear issues (although she's still wary of cats), no aggression to people or dogs, no reactivity to speak of.  I feel so blessed to have this girl.  Dog trainers usually end up with problem dogs - not because they go looking for them, but because they can't turn down a dog in need.  This is why we have Louie, our territorially aggressive greyhound; Buster, our American Bulldog who was close to being put down through no fault of his own; and Meg, our crazy greyhound who was too active for normal households.

Pip was the result of excellent breeding (her daddy is a Lock-eye) and early puppy stimulation (shout out to Cathey and her Lone Star Border Collies!), more socialization once she came to our home as well as exposure to many different situations and people during her first 4 months, which is the critical period for puppies.

I wasn't sure I was going to have her spayed.  I was even considering breeding her because of the great traits she could pass onto her pups.  But the thought of dealing with another heat cycle and all that accompanies it was enough to make up my mind.  She was due to come into her second cycle at any time now, so she had her surgery yesterday.

There are lots of reasons to consider keeping a dog intact.  More and more research is surfacing that is making people think twice about the automatic spay/neuter before 6 months of age.  If you're interested in reading more about this, Google this paper:  Behavorial and Physical Effects of Spaying and Neutering Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) by Parvene Farhoody.

The house really felt empty all day yesterday with her gone.  She's my shadow, always hoping that I'll take a break and get out the clicker to do some scent work or Treibball training.  I was happy to get her back home in the afternoon.

About a week before surgery, I started to have her wear her post-op collar that's designed to keep her from licking.  I put it on for a couple of hours every day.  I wanted her to get used to it so it wouldn't add to her stress after surgery.  Bad enough not feeling good, let alone wearing a new gadget around your neck.  I definitely didn't want one of the plastic cone (Elizabethan) collars.  I hate those things as much as the dogs do.  They bang around the house into furniture and your legs and they can't get through dog doors with them. 

This collar is called "Protective Collar Inflatable" by 21st Century and I got it at Petsmart.  So far, it's keeping her from licking her incision site and she doesn't seem to mind it.  She's already acting like she's feeling better, so I know it's going to be hard to keep her activity level down for the next 10 days.

Dig that Dirt

While she's not a compulsive excavator, Pip certainly enjoys digging occasionally.  Today it was the fact that Chet planted a rose bush in the backyard near Nikki's grave.  (Nikki, our 12 year old Siberian Husky, died last Monday from kidney failure.)    The fresh dirt must have smelled good and felt great under Pip's toes.




Pip and Nikki, May 2010

Another reason dogs dig this time of year (at least in the south) is that it's a way to cool off.  Getting down into the soil by digging a small ditch or trench to lay in will lower the dog's body temperature. 

If young dogs are left unattended in the backyard, chances are that there will be some digging.  Boredom is a big culprit and some dogs just like to bury things.  Sometimes it's a stress reliever.  Sometimes it's an escape attempt.  Once in a while it's an attempt to get to an underground critter - terriers are great at this!

Dogs DON'T dig out of spite or because they want to dominate your yard :-)    If you can determine the cause of the digging, you may be able to find an acceptable solution.

Be sure your dog gets plenty of exercise and has a variety of toys to relieve boredom.   Rotate toys frequently.

Don't leave your dog in the yard unattended for long periods of time.  Go outside with her and if you see signs she's beginning to dig, redirect her to a toy or spend some quality play or training time with her.

Dedicate an area where she's allowed to dig.  Add some fresh soil to the area.  Have her watch while YOU bury some bones or toys for her.  Encourage her to get them.

Don't punish digging after the fact.  If you catch the dog in the act, you can certainly interrupt the behavior, but scolding long after the hole has been dug is too late.

Pip May 7, 2011

Busy Pup Update

Wow, I never thought leaving my day job would keep me so busy.  I am finding more time to do training with Pip, though, and that's a bonus!

I wrote earlier about our scent class and how she wasn't having much fun with the spoon and the clove scent.  She got to a point where she would touch and down (her "found it!" signal) if I was holding the spoon in my hand, but she wouldn't do it if I laid the spoon down on anything else.  She knocked it off a shelf once and it startled her.  I could see she was worried about that happening again.

After our second class last week, Terri recommended moving on to placing the scent in a container on the floor.  This has been working out much better.  I've got a cotton ball with a few drops of clove on it in a Glad plastic container with holes poked in the top.   I added an identical container with an unscented cotton ball in it and she was doing pretty well picking the right one - when she was actually sniffing.  Some of the time she was guessing and I could tell she wasn't really doing the scenting work.

Our breakthrough came when I added a third "dummy" container in the picture.  I could see her sniffing each container and finding the one that had the scent.  It was like a light bulb went on for her - "oh...you want me to find the one that's different".  She got 6 out of 6 trials, no matter how I arranged the containers. 

Our other newest learning experience is Treibball (translated from German means "drive ball").   My friend Traci, from Shape a Pup, is teaching a new class here in the area.  I believe it was originally developed as a way for herding dogs to practice their instinctive skills without needing livestock.  The dog "herds" a group of balls into a goal.  Here's a great video:  http://www.youtube.com/user/sandydiego#p/a/f/1/QBJ9DVp9dyM.  You don't have to understand German to see that the dog is having a ball - 8 of them actually!

Pip is loving this.  I got 3 big toy balls and she's happily rolling them from one room down a hallway into another room with her nose.  Besides just pushing the ball, the dog has to learn self control and directional cues from the herding world.  Can't wait for our next class tomorrow night!

Sniff, sniff

Yesterday was my last day in corporate America, hopefully forever.   My tax return this year will say "dog trainer"!  While I'm hoping to do this full time, I am also planning to set aside time for training with Pip and taking care of the farm, garden, alpacas and chickens...oh, and housecleaning and cooking, too.  I think I'll manage to keep busy.

In celebration of my new-found freedom, I've enrolled Pip in a nose-work/scent class.  Last night was our first class at my friend Terri's Taming the Wild Side training facility.  We got a bottle of clove oil and a wooden spoon as training props.  A drop of oil is placed on the spoon and our homework is to teach the dog to touch the scented spoon and perform a behavior immediately following, like a sit or a down.  Since Pip's default behavior is a down, I'm going with that.  This is to eventually become the signal that the dog has found was it was told to search for.

Pip did well in class last night, although the clove oil was bothering my nose a bit.  This morning I got our props out to review some things we learned in class.  I presented the treated spoon (still with the scent on from last night), asked her to touch, then lie down.  She did what I asked, but not with much enthusiasm.  She'd come close but hesitated to touch.  After a couple of trials, she just approached it and layed down automatically without touching.   After about 5 minutes, the clove smell was making me nauseous.  If it was bothering me, I can understand why Pip didn't want to put her nose on it. 

So, right now the wooden spoon is outside, hopefully airing out a bit.  We'll try again later when the smell isn't so strong.  She's avoiding me now.  I really want this to be a fun thing we can do together, so I don't want anything about it to be aversive. 

Scent work is great for those dogs who "need a job" and it mentally tires them out.  I'm planning on using this with clients who need a way to positively interact with their dogs without a lot of physical activity required.  Dogs are always sniffing, smelling and identifying things we can only imagine.  In a pet dog's life, he's rarely asked to use his nose for a purpose.  Asking him to utilize something he's already good at (sniffing) a dog can build confidence and learn to concentrate on a task at hand (practicing self control).  

She's not a Baby Anymore

I'm not sure where the common thought comes from that once a dog gets to be a year old that she's not a puppy anymore.  Did Purina make that up?  Pip turned a year old yesterday, Feb 22, 2011.  And while I believe she's reached full size and she reached sexual maturity at 10 months old, I don't think of her as an adult dog yet.  My previous 2 Border Collies acted like puppies until they were almost 4 years old.

There are a lot of references out there about "social maturity" that supposedly comes around between 18-36 months.  That's a big time frame and what exactly does that mean?  I've not been able to find a good scientific definition of this, but have found articles about how reaching social maturity involves defining a dog's place in the pack and in her interactions with the outside world. 

I don't think Pip has defined her final place in our pack yet.  I think when she does, it's not going to be at the bottom.  I've seen signs of her being a bit bossy with Buster the bulldog, getting between him and my hubby for attention and, on occasion, giving him "the look" when he's too close to her chewy.  She doesn't automatically walk away when another dog wants something that she has possession of.  On the other hand, she doesn't often try to take something directly away from any of the other 4 dogs, either.  So, right now, we have a nice balance and she seems to know her place, whatever that might be at a certain point in time.

She's developed into a beautiful dog.  She's about 30 pounds and just shy of 21" at the shoulder.  She's 17 pounds lighter than her biggest brother from the litter - definitely the Pipsqueak of the bunch.

We've had a busy first year, attending the Academy and having lots of fun training many different skills.  I'm hoping that in the upcoming year, I'll have more time to get serious with a sport or activity that we can concentrate on.  More to come on that!

This is a Test of the Emergency Response System

I was reminded this morning of the importance of having some really solid cues in the toolbox to use in case of emergency.  These are cues all my dogs know and will respond to immediately.

I fed the dogs first thing in the morning, as usual.  And, as usual, Nikki, our 11 year old Siberian, didn't eat all her food.  On a normal morning, when we leave the house to go to the cubicle farm, her food gets picked up after about 15 minutes.  However, I'm spending today at home and didn't pick up her food right away from her dining area on the patio.  She spent a couple of hours standing guard over her bowl so none of the other dogs could finish it off for her.  The younger dogs are all very respectful of Grandma Nikki and would never dare approach her food bowl while she's near it.

When I realized the food bowl was still full and Nikki wasn't eating and still standing there, I picked it up from her raised feeder and clumsily spilled it on the patio.  Now, while all the other dogs are respectful of Nikki's food bowl, food on the ground is a whole 'nother matter.  It's every dog for himself.  Unfortunately, "leave it" is NOT one of the emergency response cues that ALL the dogs know well enough to walk away from a cup of wet soggy dog food in a heap on the patio.

Nikki immediately went into full guarding mode and of course, Miz Pip being my constant shadow, was directly next to me when the kibble hit the ground.  Pip is pretty good with "leave it" and she was conscious of Nikki being right there as well.  She responded to my "leave it" and backed off a bit.  However, Buster the bulldog and Louie the greyhound came to investigate as well.  This had the potential for major disaster as Buster and Louie fought, almost to Louie's death last fall, over food.

I began to pick up the soggy food with my hands and toss it out to the yard.  All of my dogs know "Go Find It" really well and they have a long history of reinforcement for moving away from me into the yard and putting their noses down to sniff for something.  With some repeated tosses, I was able to scatter kibble around the yard for all the dogs to have their own space for sniffing and picking up Nikki's leftovers.  No one even looked sideways at another dog because their noses were all down looking for food.

Even if you don't have a multiple dog household, it's always a good idea to have some emergency cues available that your dog will respond to, no matter what the circumstance.  When developing a conditioned reponse, you'll practice many, many times until the response becomes automatic and provide great reinforcement during training.   Begin to teach the cue with few distractions, then once the dog has the behavior on cue, start to practice in different locations so that the dog responds no matter where he is or what's going on around him. 

"Find It" is a pretty easy skill to teach.  Scatter some kibble on the floor when the dog is not in the area.  Bring the dog into the room and tell him "find it".  Usually they will spot the kibble on the floor and will get it all by themselves.  This is one of those cues I like to repeat as the dog is performing the behavior.  If I know there is still something to be found, I will verbally encourage the dog to "find it" while he's searching.  Once the dog understands the cue, make it harder by hiding kibble in the grass or behind furniture.  The goal is for the dog's head to drop and the nose to start sniffing whenever you give the cue to "find it". 

Try it!  This is a great skill for dogs to have and there are lots of practical uses for it, besides breaking up a potentially dangerous food fight. 

What now??

Pip and I successfully completed the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer course this month.   She was a fantastic partner and she learned lots of cool new things that puppies aren't usually trained to do at such a young age.  She can give me her left or or right paw, depending on which I ask for.  She can turn her head to the left or the right on cue.  She can walk backwards, spin, bow, target with her nose or her paw, work at a distance from me, and probably many more things I've already forgotten, but she hasn't. 

The are also some tasks we started, but didn't have enough time to perfect.  For example, we began working on Pip finding my car keys.  We got to a point where she would go and target them as long as they were within her field of vision.  The goal of the exercise would be to use her scenting skills and find them even if they were out of sight - under the bed or in the sofa.  Another complex task was alerting me to a particular sound, as a hearing service dog would do. 

So, where do we go from here?  The new year is here tomorrow and I'd like to set some goals for us.  I'd really like her to be solid with her basic stuff - great stimulus control on all the cues she already knows.  I'd like her to automatically sit to meet visitors or strangers.  That means taking her places and practicing with lots of different people.  I'd like her to have a rock solid recall and "stay".  She doesn't really understand the concept of "stay" and there's a couple different theories on teaching it.  I think I'll work on that as one of the primary new things to train.  Watch for details in future blogs on how we will approach teaching a "stay".

I also want to work on a reliable retrieve - not just bringing me back a toy to throw, but a directed retrieve where she goes out, picks up what I ask, brings it back and drops it in my hand.   This is a complex behavior chain with many steps involved.  I already have an outline of a plan for this, so I'll add this to my list for the new year.

Pip's almost full grown now.  At 10 months old and just 30 pounds, she's going to be a petite Border collie.  (Her littermate brother is 47 pounds now.)  We've almost made it through the adolescent months with very few issues.  I'm not sure why I've been so lucky - good breeding, lots of training and socialization at a young age?  The only thing I'd like to change at this point is her fear of cats.  We have stray cats around the farm and Pip is terrified.  She can't respond to cues when she sees them and if she has the chance will run as fast and as far away as she can.  The cats are pretty bold and seem to enjoy stalking her.  It's a bit funny to see a herding dog racing away from a kitty, but I don't want her to be afraid to walk around the property with me.  We'll have to do some classical conditioning to change this fear response, so watch for details on this, too.

Learning Lots and Growing Up

This weekend was our final workshop in the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program.  This has been an intensive 6+ month course which involved online work, hands-on training with our own dog as well as training another species (an alpaca in my case).   The focus is on force-free methods to train animals and learning to use the precision of the clicker to teach new behaviors.   During the 6 months, we've had 4 weekend workshops to demonstrate what we've learned and put into practice with our dogs.  Our KPA instructor was Debbie Martin from New Orleans. 

I've been doing clicker training for over 10 years now, but didn't use it exclusively.  There were some situations I didn't feel it was the best way to teach something and I felt there were some clients that weren't well-suited to using a clicker. I have to say that this course has changed my mind.  The clicker is a very powerful tool and if used properly can be the fastest way to teach a new skill to an animal.  Communicating information to the animal using a clicker is an amazing process, especially when you see them "get it".  In some cases, it's the first time they truly understand what you want them to do.



This course has demanded a lot of effort, training time with Pip, and a bit of stress as we worked to complete the goals for each workshop.  This weekend was especially nerve-wracking as we had to prepare our final training assessment in which the dog had to perform 10 unique skills in a row, with only a single click and treat at the end of the sequence. 





Part of our final training assessment behavior chain

To add just a bit more to my anxiety level, Pip came into heat this past week.  She's just a week shy of being 10 months old and I knew it was coming, but I was really hoping it would wait until after Christmas.  She's been more distracted lately and I'm sure it's the hormones affecting her.  So, we'll take a well-deserved break from formal training for a few weeks since we have no more deadlines.  I'll be on pins and needles for a few days until I hear whether I've passed all the tests and able to be certified in the Karen Pryor program.

This is why we don't have nice things

I'd been involved in greyhound rescue for many years in Tucson and one of the things we told adopters was to be prepared to lose something of value.  This can be applied to any new dog of any age that you bring into your household, and it's pretty much up to you what you'll lose.  Personally, I've lost 3 pairs of slippers, 2 pairs of shoes, a couple of seat cushions and a grill brush.  Whose fault is that?  Mine, of course.

When you leave a newly adopted dog or puppy free range of the house (or yard) and you're not around to supervise, they are going to get into whatever is available to play with.  Don't assume they understand what is their toy and what is not.

My third pair of slippers was destroyed today and one of my favorite pair of Simple Shoes was found outside covered in mud (at least I hope it was mud).  Of course I was angry, but I couldn't be angry at her, could I?  Well, maybe a bit. 

To punish her after that fact is pointless.  It would be better to roll up the newspaper and smack myself on the side of the head - "bad human".   Punishing the dog is useless because she's already received her reinforcement as she had her playtime with slipper and got pleasure from chewing it up.  Now, if I would have caught her taking the slipper or shoe from under the bed, I could have interrupted the behavior and sternly told her "NO, mine".

Management is key when you have a new dog in the house: Put everything that a pup could possibly destroy out of reach; close doors, put up baby gates and don't allow the pup to free range in your home unless you're there to supervise.  Have a variety of chew toys available and rotate them so that there's always something different for the dog to play with.  Keep in mind that puppies like to chew even after their adult teeth come in.  It's a way to release energy, frustration and sometimes anxiety.  Make sure they have sometime to release that energy on, and it's not something irreplaceable to you.

I'm off to buy a new pair of slippers that will hopefully last all winter - either on my feet or behind a closed door.

Training with Distractions and in New Places

When you do most of your dog training sessions in one place and your pup is doing really well there, it comes as a surprise sometimes when you take her somewhere new and it seems like she has no idea what you're asking.

Pip and I are doing most of our training in my shop now.  We have few distractions there (great for teaching new skills) and more floor space than anywhere else in the house.  We'd been working on a few advanced behaviors - left paw, right paw; signaling me to a ringing phone; and some other skills required for my Karen Pryor Academy course.

She had been getting the left paw, right paw behavior at almost 100% accuracy and I was so excited that I wanted to show Chet that Pip knew her right from her left.  We went down to the house with our prop and set up the show.  I cued her touch the target with her left paw, and she promptly smacked the target with BOTH paws.   I gave her the cue again and she touched it with her right paw.  Chet wasn't impressed.   He wisecracked (in the most affectionate way possible, of course), "maybe you should hire a dog trainer".   Sigh.

Dogs do not generalize well.  Behaviors they know in one situation don't easily carry over to new environments.  When moving to a new training location, be prepared for a breakdown in the behavior.  Make the task easier and/or have better reinforcers (liver as opposed to kibble).  You may even have to start from scratch and retrain the behavior in the new place.  It shouldn't take long, though, to get back to the level you were at.  Have patience with the dog during this time.  She isn't deliberately disobeying, she's just confused and/or distracted and can't focus.  Do some really simple behaviors, or simply click and treat for attention or eye contact to get the dog in thinking mode again.

I could have also added some distractions in our original training location by having Chet come there or invited another dog into the shop during our training.  She might have been better prepared then to perform her skills once we went to a new place.

When you're training new skills, take them "on the road".  Practice in the backyard, front yard, on walks, to stores that allow dogs, and help the dog learn to generalize.  Once you do this with some basic skills, it will be easier as the dog learns more behaviors.

"Left paw, please!"

Dog Food

Pip is 8 months old now and we're making the change to an adult dog food.  There is no set-in-stone time that you have to move to an adult food, but it's most accepted that when the pup reaches 80-90% of its expected adult weight, it's time to start to transition to an adult food.

We'd been feeding her Nutri-Source small/medium breed puppy food and the pieces of kibble are very small.  They are nice when filling some of her puzzle toys that she eats from, but I believe she's ready for something bigger to chew on.

I try and rotate my adult dog food a few times a year.  It's good for the dogs to be able to adapt to a new food and gives them some variety in taste - as well as a change in nutrients and protein sources.

The Whole Dog Journal puts out an issue every February, giving their recommendations on good dog foods.  Basically, a good food won't contain fillers (like corn) or by-products.  It will have a protein source (chicken, beef, lamb) as one of the first couple ingredients.

There are some dog food that are formulated for both puppies AND adult dogs.  I think these foods would be excellent for that transition period or anytime after the baby puppy stage.

Flint River Ranch is one of these foods for both puppies and adults.  It's a premium kibble that all dogs seem to like, even picky eaters.  I'm a distributor for this food and you get it delivered to your door via UPS.  With the quantity of dogs I have, I like not having to lug big bags of food home from the store.  You can order this food online or by phone.  If you need help placing your first order, contact me.  

To Spay or Not to Spay and When to Decide

I mentioned in my previous blog that I'd share some information about when I'm going to consider spaying Pip.  The contract with Pip's breeder says that I can't have her spayed until she's at least 9 months old - and that's fine with me.  There are a lot of considerations to take into account when deciding to spay a dog.  There are a couple of very compelling reasons to wait.  One comes from a recent longevity study of 119 Rottweilers.  Basically, it found that dogs that were spayed later in life (after 6 years of age) were more likely to live to 13 years old than dogs spayed at a younger age.  I lost my previous Border Collies at 10 and 12 years of age.  They don't begin to calm down until they are about 4 years old.  The time with them with their brains fully engaged isn't nearly long enough!

Another consideration is the timing of the spay in relation to the closing of the growth plates.  The hormones associated with puberty tell the growth plates when to close.  If there is no puberty, the dog continues to grow.  Dogs that are spayed at an early age tend to be taller than dogs spayed after puberty or not spayed at all.  This article by veterinarian Chris Zink gives more details and other reasons to think about when deciding if and when to spay.

On the other side of the debate, there is a greater increase in the chance of mammary cancer once a dog has her heat cycle.  That's a big factor to take into account. 

If you have another intact female in the house, I recommend spaying before the first heat cycle.  Some of the worst dog fights are between 2 bitches (next worst are littermate sisters, spayed or not).

For Pip, I'm going to wait until after her first heat cycle.  She's very leggy and I don't want to increase the chances that she'll continue to grow because her growth plates didn't close when they should have.  I also want her bone structure to be solid when we start to do agility and jumping.

I'm also not 100% certain that I'm not going to breed her.  She's a fabulous, friendly, smart dog.  I don't know whether she'll go on to win any championships or awards in agility, herding or be shown in conformation, and I don't want to make that decision right now when she's still a youngster.  She could be an excellent candidate to pass along great genes and a great temperament.

I'm very well aware of the pet overpopulation problem.  I've volunteered in shelters and been involved in rescue for many years.  I've seen the result of puppy mills, bad backyard breeders and uneducated pet owners who allow their dogs to breed indiscriminately.  I understand why early spay and neuter is promoted so heavily. 

If you are a responsible pet owner and your girl is secure in your house and yard with no chance of being impregnated by the local free roaming Casanova dog, I would encourage you to consider all aspects of the spay debate and educate yourself on what's best for your dog and your family.

Want some whine with that puppy?

In the past few days, Pip, who just turned 7 months old, has started to whine.  She's whining during training, while she's being petted, and just while she's walking around the house.  She's not as responsive during training sessions and she's not thinking before responding to even the most basic cues.  I'll tell her "sit" and she'll back up.  Where did THAT come from?

Behaviors like whining get ignored, hoping that the lack of reinforcement (attention) will cause the behavior extinguish on its own.  However, I'm worried and wondering WHY she's whining and why now?  She's healthy - eating, eliminating, running, playing; nothing seems to hurt.  Is she worried about something - is she worried because I'M worried? 

I'm hoping by writing this down, I'll get some ideas on how to handle this.  If a client presented this problem, I'd probably be able to rattle off a whole list of things in order to get to the bottom of it.  Here's what I'd ask a client:

1.  Are you sure she's feeling well?  (My initial answer is yes, but I'm keeping a close eye on her)
2.  Has anything changed in her environment?  (Well, kind of...I'm spending more time in my office away from the house and we're doing training sessions there instead of where we used to.)
3.  Has her diet changed?  (No)
4.  Has the household routine changed?  (No)
5.  Are you fussing over her because she's whining?  (Well, maybe initially because I thought she might be sick.)
6.  Your dog is 7 months old now.  Are you aware of the physical and mental changes that happen during this time?  (Uh...geez, I hadn't thought of that.  Hitting myself on the head now.)

Yes, my puppy isn't a baby anymore.  Is she hitting adolescence?  Yep - if not, she's awfully close.  Her hormones may be starting to take over.  She could even have a heat cycle before too long.  She is NOT spayed yet.  I'll wait as long as I can before doing this.  My contract with the breeder says it's not to be done before 9 months and I may wait even longer.  Reasons for this will come in another blog.

She could even be having a growth spurt right now.  Hard to believe she could get any taller without filling out any more, but I guess it's possible.

This age in puppies correlates to the pre-teen years in humans.  Personalities can begin to change.  They can become more brave or more fearful or even reactive.   Relationships with other dogs in the pack can change.  The puppy license to be silly has expired.  Tolerance level for puppy antics among the adult dogs in the pack can go WAY down once a puppy reaches this age.  I haven't seen that yet here, but I'll be watching for it.  Things that she could get away with a few weeks ago (jumping up on the other dogs and biting faces) may not fly anymore.

My plan for dealing with this is to have patience.  She's not being stubborn or disobedient or even (gasp) dominant.  She simply can't think right now.  I'm giving her a few days off from serious training and just working basic sits for clicks and treats.  If I see she wants to do something, we'll play free shaping games where I can click her for just about anything. 

I'll plan on getting her out and having some more positive socialization experiences like we did when she was younger.  If I see any signs she's fearful or reactive to people or other dogs, we'll know what to start working on.

Stay tuned.  Hopefully the next time you read my blog the only wine I'll have is in my glass.

Face Wrap - Thumbs and Paws Up!

I've mentioned before that the only really behavioral challenge I have with Pip is her barking.  She barks when she's excited and she barks for attention.  I've had a lot of success reducing the excitement barking when we get home from work by having her grab a tug toy in her mouth as soon as we walk in.  I try and keep one near the door so that I can toss it for her right away.  The attention barking gets ignored at home and we don't have near as much of that anymore.

Last weekend was our 2-day Karen Pryor Academy workshop where Pip had to remain in her pen for a good part of the day while the human students participated in activities without the dogs.  The last time we attended the workshop, Pip barked off and on during the day.  It wasn't awful, but it would have been better if she could have laid down quietly like the adult dogs did.  She's almost 7 months old now and it's harder for her to settle for very long, but she tries.

I had heard good reports on this product called The Face Wrap.  One of my colleagues had video of a barking Pom who magically quieted after the Face Wrap was put on.  I had actually tried it with a client's dog who was a fearful barker and didn't have a lot of success with it, but I believe it's because the dog was already over his threshold when we put it on.

I have to report that it worked like a dream with Pip.  A couple days before the workshop I desensitized her to it by feeding a liver treat whenever it appeared.  Then I had her touch it with her nose and get a treat.  Finally I laid it over her nose and fed her through the loop.  When she was happy about seeing the Face Wrap come toward her, I criss-crossed it under her chin and snapped it behind her ears.  Lots of treats then.  She didn't fight it as much as I thought she would.  When she laid down calmly with it, she got treats.  When she fussed about it, I walked away.

During our workshop sessions when the dogs were crated, I alternated having her wear it and go without it.  There was a definite difference when she had it on - she was calm and laid down during the sessions.  When she wasn't wearing it, she was sitting up, staring at me and barking.

The dog on the packaging looks a little sad, so I wanted to take a photo of Pip wearing it happily!

She can play with her toys, eat, drink and pant wearing it.  She can even bark wearing it, but chooses not to!!

So The Face Wrap gets a thumbs up from me.  It's inexpensive and made by the same company that makes the Anxiety Wrap.  Not every product works on every dog, but this is something that's definitely worth a try if you have a dog who loves the sound of his own voice.