PAWS NEWSLETTER NUMBER 46 NOVEMBER 2009
Well I have finally got the posting problems sorted, so here is the missed newsletter for November. Decembers issue will be posted in a day or two! Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding!
We had a busy month at Paws Abilities with our very successful Walk Against Animal Abuse, which was great fun and will now become a yearly event!
We also held our three monthly grading for each class, which was great – and most students achieved really high scores. Congratulations to all the students who successfully achieved their aims.
The next grading will be held in the New Year – No excuse not to practice for two or three minutes a day over the holidays!
DECEMBER TRAINING:
During the month of December the puppy school will stay open (apart from Boxing Day).
The new recruits class will also stay open during the entire silly season – so yes we are still open for people who want to start training.
The rest of the classes are put on hold for the December period.
Any other student/s who wants to bring their dogs to play and/or just to socialise during December – the grounds are available from 10:00 to 12:00 each Saturday
HOMEWORK HINTS
1. If your pup/dog has already been through baby puppy school and has already acquired the basic, beginner skills (such as focus and concentration), we strongly suggest that you DO NOT practise each exercise taught in class each and every day. Practise 1 X EXERCISE A DAY for a couple of minutes at a time only. By doing this, you and your dog will not become bored or stale!
2. If you have just – for the first time - started dog training and your dog/pup has NOT been through our excellent puppy learning and socialisation programme, then you will need to practise a little more - a couple of exercises for a couple of minutes each day. Nevertheless, beware of overdoing it!
3. Only practise for short periods at a time to avoid boredom setting in (both for you and the dog)!
4. NEVER practice with your dog after a bad day at the office, if you are tired or in a bad mood!
5. Make sure that each interaction and practice session is both fun and rewarding for your dog.
6. Try to practise in a different location and environment each day. Do so at different times, in a different direction and in different weather conditions, so as to ensure that your dog learns to obey you under any circumstances.
7. Put the exercises that you have learnt in class into practice in your daily routines. You do not have to set aside time for “formal” homework. Make it fit into your lifestyle!
8. There is NO EXCUSE for not performing homework! You can practise “stays,” “retrieves,” “recalls,” and straight “sits,” whilst you are sitting in a chair watching your favourite soapy on TV.
9. Only practise for a few minutes at a time. Rather have two or three very short practice sessions of a couple of minutes each, than one long, boring, hour-long session. Even “heelwork” exercises can be performed during daily activities. To reiterate, homework should not be formal. Incorporate homework into a fun play session!
10. Quit while you are ahead! If the dog has successfully performed an exercise once – do not repeat it again and again. Not only are you going to bore your dog to pieces and end up a “nag,” but if you – as the handler - make a mistake (which is more likely than the dog making a mistake), you will have to repeat the exercise to gain perfection (putting the dog under pressure) until you BOTH get it right. For example, it has been proved that one perfect “retrieve” is worth 20 bad ones! One minute’s perfect “heelwork” is worth hours of sloppy turns! One perfect recall with a “straight sit” is worth a dozen recalls with crooked sits.
11. Bit by bit, get your dog used to working with distractions. Start with mild, slight distractions and then, over a period of time, work up to something a bit more substantial, with louder noises and more physical activities.
12. If, at any time, the dog regresses, go back to the level where he was working competently. Stay at that level for a while and only then progress to more challenging work.
PAWS ABILITIES SCHOOL RULES
· PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE RESPECT OUR GROUNDS AND EQUIPMENT and keep them clean and tidy. We have all worked sooooo hard to get and maintain our school and grounds. If your dog digs ANYWHERE, PLEASE fill in the hole!! If your dog destroys something – fix it or replace it! We have wonderful facilities LETS ALL LOOK AFTER THEM!
· If you use any of our training equipment, dog sport equipment, jumps and agility equipment, water dishes, - puppy mats, crates –, whatever - - - Please pack away after you have finished.
· SCOOP THE POOP: Handlers must clean up after their dogs’ toilet! We provide packets and a bin for the disposal of waste and litter. OWNERS WHO DO NOT TO “SCOOP THE POOP” WILL BE FINED! Also, DO NOT LET YOUR DOGS TOILET IN TRAINING AREAS – the scent is extremely distracting when the other dogs are working. This is also to encourage future good ring craft and good dog owner manners. Also essential for your dog’s health – Worms can kill! Lastly, PLEASE DON’T LET YOUR MALE DOGS URINATE ON OUR AGILITY EQUIPMENT OR ON OUR NEW CLUB HOUSE VERHANDA!!!
· PUNCUALITY: Handlers should arrive at the grounds at least 15 minutes prior to class. This is so that the dog can be taken for a slow stroll, can have a good sniff, can be provided with toilet opportunities (a full bowel is not conducive to learning), and a chance to settle down.
· Handlers arriving late will not be permitted to join a class until this has been done. If you arrive LATE (and the class is already busy with an exercise,) Please do not barge into the group, and disrupt the entire class! Be considerate of others, and please show respect for the dogs who are working and trying to concentrate. Wait quietly in the background, until the particular exercise is completed.
· REMEMBER TO RESPECT OTHER DOGS PERSONAL SPACE – PLEASE Don’t crowd, or encroach on another dogs space – especially a dog/s you don’t know. NOT ALL DOGS ARE SOCIALABLE AND FRIENDLY!!!
· SOCIALISING: Dogs are not permitted to socialise during class without instructor permission. Handlers are, however, encouraged to stay after training in order to permit their dogs to socialise (if the dogs are compatible). Dogs must learn the difference between work and play. During class, the only play that should be permitted is play learning or structured play - between handler and dog. This assists the learning process. It helps to make the handler more “valuable” and, in that matter, makes the dog more eager to please her.
· HOMEWORK: As all learning is achieved through the “building-block” approach, all handlers should prepare themselves and their dogs for the following week’s lesson by putting into practice what they have learnt in class at home. This does not have to be formal homework.
· It is quite sufficient for a handler to perform three to five minutes’ homework a day as part of their daily routine. There is no excuse for not being able to perform a couple of minutes’ homework per day!
· METHODOLOGY: All training methods must utilise positive reinforcement. No harsh treatment of dogs will be permitted. In addition, all training equipment must be approved by instructors. Equipment that could be considered inhumane or painful may not be used. No choke chains, pinch collars, or electric collars are permitted. With “difficult” dogs, alternative non-confrontational methods will be found. The problem could also be solved through a private behaviour consultation or private individual lessons, until such a time that the handler possesses a level of control where the dog will not disrupt a class or pose a danger to other dogs/handlers or to the public.
· CONTROL: During training class, all dogs are to be kept on leash, unless told otherwise by an instructor.
· NO BITCHES IN SEASON are permitted onto the grounds.
· When on the grounds, all Pit Bull’s shall wear a full cage muzzle at all times – NO EXCEPTIONS!
PUPPY POOP! HOW TO TOILET-TRAIN YOUR PUPPY
This method is also ideal to “re-teach” older dogs who have developed bad toilet habits!
Puppies are like babies. They cry a lot, eat a lot, want lots of attention, and pee and pooh a lot!
õ Do not credit the puppy with more intelligence than he has! He is just a puppy - not mean, spiteful, or naughty. He is just a little baby dog! You are the role model and you need to set a calm example.
õ Never shout or yell at your pup (no matter what he has done)! All that you will do, then, is to frighten him and make him squat and piddle in fear or excitement. Be as calm and as matter of fact as possible when going about toilet-training, and you will find it easy!
õ The control that the puppy has of his bladder with vary with age. The younger the puppy, the more often he will need to “go”.
õ Very young puppies do not have much control, and any form of excitement can cause them to urinate.
õ If your pup has an “accident”, ask yourself whether the “accident” was induced by excitement. If so, change YOUR behaviour around the pup. Be calmer, slow down your body language, movements, and voice, and relax a bit!
õ It is YOUR responsibility to observe your pup at all times when he is in the house with you. He is unable to tell you when he wants to “go” in a language that you can understand, so you must hone your observation skills!
õ He should not have free access to the entire house. When inside with the family, his access should be limited and he must be kept under strict supervision, so that you will learn to predict when he needs to go!
õ When the pup is inside with the family, he should be taken outside every 15 – 20 minutes in order to prevent accidents.
õ For the first couple of days, you may carry your pup to the same spot each time. Try to find the best spot, which should be the nearest available spot outside the door. After a couple of days, it is far better to gently shoo the puppy outside to the nearest available grassy spot to toilet. This is because we want to teach the pup to eventually go out of his own accord.
õ As the pup grows, the time between being taken outside will gradually increase, until the habit is formed and the pup begins to let you know when he needs to toilet.
õ The pup should always be placed on the same spot in the garden and given a gentle, happy command such as “busy”, followed by immediate praise – “Good puppy to Busy”.
õ When he has toileted in the correct place, you can get down on your haunches and with a jolly expression show your appreciation in facial expression and body language.
õ After observing your puppy for a while, you will soon be able to tell from his expression and body language that he needs to go out. Don’t delay to put on your slippers/gown - don’t muck about, or it will be too late! Take him out immediately, even if you have to occasionally gently pick him up and take him outside before he has an accident.
õ When calling him outside, do not become too excited, or he will not be able to hold on until he gets outside.
õ As soon as he squats to urinate or defecate – give him the command “busy” and verbally praise him lavishly.
õ Do not offer him a treat, or the puppy will seek you out in order to relieve himself in front of you, so that he can receive the treat! Rather crouch down yourself, next to the pup, as soon as he is finished, and – with a big happy smile - point to the place where he has relieved himself. Always praise him with a happy, praise voice while you tell him – “Busy – what a good pup to Busy – good dog”! That way he will soon associate the word with the action, and both with praise.
IF HE HAS AN “ACCIDENT”
õ Do not punish him. Do not yell, shout or do anything negative!!! First of all, if he has an accident, it is actually ALL YOUR FAULT! If he had an “accident”, you were obviously not observing the pup properly!
õ Try not to react. After all, if you were not observing him properly, it is you who should be punished, not the puppy!
õ Calmly, and without making a fuss, encourage the pup to go outside for a few minutes. You can lure him outside with his favourite toy or a titbit and close the door behind him to play alone while you clean up. Wash the area thoroughly with some mild soap and then rinse with water.
õ Then rinse again with alcohol from the chemist, before thoroughly rinsing again with water. This will remove all the odour and scent. As has been said before, a dog’s sense of smell is a couple of thousand-fold greater than ours, so we do not want to draw the pup back to the same spot to “mark”.
It takes time, patience and understanding to get it right! Most times, if the pup has had an “accident,” it is YOUR FAULT for not observing him adequately!!!
THE ROLLED-UP NEWSPAPER METHOD
I am frequently asked if it is right to punish the puppy for any mistakes by smacking him on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.
Here is my reply: A rolled-up newspaper is a wonderful thing to use for toilet-training. If the pup has had an “accident” on the carpet, you can take a rolled-up newspaper and hit YOURSELF over the head three times and repeat (in a loud voice): “In future - I must observe my puppy more closely!”
Remember, part of good puppy/dog hygiene is to pick up faeces at least once a day in order to reduce flies and the spread of disease. You can use two plastic shopping bags to make cleaning up easier. You can use one packet as a glove and the other as a receptacle.
Always take packets with you when you go out with your pup for a walk.
Remember that some worms can be FATAL – protect your dog and everyone else’s by picking up after he toilets! Be a responsible dog owner – and pick up after your best friend!
TEN THOUGHTS TO A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOG!
ONE:
Your dog can never take responsibility for getting trained. You must take the responsibility, time and effort to educate your dog. This means that you must also take the responsibility of learning to communicate with your dog. Without communication, there can be no education.
TWO:
In the canine world, there are no such things as equals. You will either lead or follow. A dogs' reasoning ability is similar to that of a two-year-old child. A two-year-old child does not make an effective leader. You must be the leader.
THREE:
Every time you interact with your dog, she is learning something. If you are not teaching her the right behaviour, she is learning the wrong behaviour.
FOUR:
Negative attention is still attention. If the only way your dog can get attention is by being bad, you will train her to act bad for attention. Always reward your dog for good behaviour. Pay attention when she is doing something right and let her know that you like it.
FIVE:
The consistency of your dog’s behaviour - good or bad - will mirror the consistency of your training. If – when you train your dog, you repeat the command 10 times - you can expect the dog to respond 10% of the time.
SIX:
A dog’s concept of right and wrong is very different from ours. Do not expect your dog to know what you may think of as right or wrong.
SEVEN:
If you are correcting the dog, are you certain that the dog understands why it is being corrected? Have you educated and then generalised the concept?
EIGHT:
In nature, there is no form of punishment, only consequences. If you can stop thinking punishment and focus on what the dog perceives as the consequences of her actions, you will make more headway in any situation.
NINE:
If you are constantly reacting to the dog’s behaviour, it is the dog that is training you! You must decide what behaviour you want and educate the dog to that behaviour.
TEN:
You are your dog’s primary role model. If you want quiet, calm behaviour, then your must role model quiet, calm behaviour.
ARE YOU THE LEADER OF YOUR PACK?
You used to hear people suck on their teeth, like car mechanics do when they are about to tell you the bad news, and say "that's a dominant dog" as if the owner's cherished pet had popped out of the womb that way.
Whatever a dog's physical capacity to become high ranking within a given group a sense of its ability to achieve it has to be learnt. This is developed by observing the signals from, and remembering the outcome of interactions with, other members of the group.
There are many variables in each dog to dog and dog to person relationship. In fact the situation can change from one scenario to another. Imagine for a moment that you are a dog walking towards another. It has got food. Do you want to go spoiling for a fight?
There are three things to consider.
What has been your previous relationship with this dog, have you or it been pushover or are the honours even?
Is the prize worth having? There may be a big difference between its desire to guard, and your desire to get, a chocolate bar and a bowl of cold porridge, but this depends upon how you feel about cold porridge.
Are you going to get hurt? Even if the other dog has lost to you in the past it is in possession of the item. So even if you are top dog it may just not be worth the effort. If you think you can win, you really want the item and you've got nothing to loose go-ahead and take it. If you are right the other dog will predict it will come off worse if it challenges you and will give way.
The Problem
The signals dogs get from other pack members tend to be genuine and, although subtle, unambiguous. However within the family, the dog’s adoptive pack, the wrong signals are sometimes given which results in faulty learning and relationship problems. Think of the example above and ask yourself if you are a dog with a bone will you give it to another dog?
If you do is that dog more or less likely to think you are weaker than it is. If it thinks you are weaker is it more likely to throw its weight around or challenge you in other situations? Now let’s put the questions in a family context. If you are wandering about the house with a piece of toast and you break some off and give it to your dog is it going to see you as a stronger member of the pack or a weaker one? If the answer is weaker is your dog more or less likely to challenge you in other situations?
Applying Rules
You can apply rules in their literal sense or you can adopt a policy of making it clear to your dog that you are in control by telling it to comply with a request first so that it "earns" the resource, egg. you may tell it to sit before you stroke it if it is seeking attention. These variations on a theme are not contradictory because the application of the rules is on a sliding scale. How you impose them is dependent upon what seems necessary, which you can only judge from your dog’s behaviour. Prior to maturity however, dogs will not necessarily show the consequences of receiving the wrong signals from the group it lives with. Whatever your dog’s age, if a rule does not seem very important to it concentrate oneness that are.
Copyright: David Appleby 1999
TEACHING YOUR DOG/PUPPY TO “SIT” WHEN HE IS GETTING “DRESSED”
When you are about to take Fido for a walk, there is nothing more frustrating than owning a dog who leaps and bounces off the ceiling, becoming totally uncontrollable in his excitement at the prospect of going out for a walk! This certainly dampens many owners enthusiasm for walks, and makes the prelude to “walkies” a nightmare!
This excitable, uncontrolled behaviour is totally unacceptable, but fortunately is easily solved with a bit of practice, patience, and most important CONSISTENCY!
Ideally, this particular bad habit, should never have been allowed to develop in the first place!.
From the first time a young pup has his collar fitted, he should be made to “Sit” still whilst it is put on and the leash clipped on. This sounds very easy and indeed it is. By following a few simple rules below you will be amazed at how quickly good habits develop!
Use a collar that is quick and easy to put on and take off. Buckle collars are clumsy and difficult to work with. A quick-release, webbing collar is probably the easiest, as it has a plastic clip that is very easy to use and very user friendly.
All dogs and pups should permanently wear a “house collar”, with the dog’s name, address, and your contact telephone number on it. This can be in form of a name tag or it could be written in permanent marker, on the inside of his collar. This is vital, and a way to increase your chances of getting your beloved pet back if he ever strays.
Never leave your dog or puppy unsupervised if he is wearing a collar that can tighten, (such as a half check or full check/choker chain). This is very dangerous, as it could become caught on something and the dog/pup could choke which could result in death by strangulation!
Only leave him in a buckle type, or quick release flat collar, and even then you should make sure that it is loose enough for him to wriggle out of if he did become stuck on something, thus avoiding a tragedy!
You should also make sure that if your dog/pup is ever confined in his dog crate / mobile indoor kennel that all collars and leashes are removed – again this is to ensure safety in the crate.
HOW TO DEVELOP THE “GOOD” COLLAR AND LEASH HABIT!
Using a soft food treat, lure the pup into the “sit” position. You do this by simply holding the treat in your hand and have the dog/puppy on your left hand side for future good training habits. In formal training class, dogs are taught to walk on the owners left hand side, therefore the sooner he gets into this habit, the easier future training will be, and you will have the advantage of not having to “re-teach” him to “Sit” and “work/play” in the “Heel” position.
Place a food treat or lure in your hand. Show the dog you have the food and slowly push your food hand over the dogs head towards the tail. As the dog lifts his head to follow the food, his bottom will drop onto the ground and he will be “Sitting”. Let him lick some of the food and tell him he is a good boy to “Sit” whilst using the rest of the treat to ensure that he remains in the “Sit” position for a couple of seconds. Make sure that your vocalisation is in a happy, jolly praise voice. Repeat until you can see that he is following your food hand as a hand signal.
Now you need to keep him in the “Sit” position – whilst repeating the happy command to “Sit” whilst simultaneously slipping his collar up.
If your hand is in the correct position, and it doesn’t move or wander, you can actually “wedge/block” him, so that he will not need to get up or move (to follow your food hand.) Which is why it is so important – that once the pup is in the correct position, to keep the lure or food hand still. You can then simultaneously fit his collar on and clip on his leash!
Repeat this regularly so that he will begin to associate the “Sit” with putting his collar and leash on.
You should also practice simply clipping and unclipping his leash with him in the sit position.
The same method can be used, to make putting doggy coats on and off easier, and even for pill popping!
The Anatomy of Aggression
By David Appelby
Dog owners are devastated if they find that others regard their dog as aggressive. Sometimes this dawns on them only when someone with a limited vocabulary shouts "You should keep that b***** thing on a leash". For others the discovery is by more subtle means such as finding that the vet has put a warning notice for other members of staff on their dog's records. Of course, the aggression may be directed towards themselves. However, a dog is never aggressive for its own sake, there has to be a reason and if we understand those reasons, we can prevent and manage the behaviour more easily.
Aggression is a term used to describe a pattern of behaviour but there is a range of reasons why it may be caused. Collectively the various motivations constitute some 46% of the referral of dogs to members of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors by veterinarians.
There are some common misconceptions about aggressive behaviour. It is not often appreciated that its very presence is indicative of the fact that other mechanisms such as signalling by using body language, vocalization or moving to try to avoid conflict have failed. We tend to look at the end result of teeth and spittle and forget that aggressive behaviour is symptomatic of a range of chemical processes that take place within the body in response to external events. In ourselves, we would describe these processes as emotional states such as fear and frustration. The likelihood of these processes taking place and resulting in aggression is influenced by factors such as genetics, previous learning and health. The fact that these emotional states take place internally means that the labelling of the aggressive behaviour we actually observe is unreliable. However, we have to have means by which we can communicate our thoughts about the reason for a dog's aggression and so descriptive terms are used.
The most common descriptions of aggressive behaviour include fear aggression, anxiety related aggression, and territorial aggression, possessive aggression, food guarding and status related (dominance) aggression. However, the dog's emotional state in all these could involve a sensation we would describe as fear. Fear of strangers in the case of territorial aggression; fear that another will take something away in the case of possessive and food guarding behaviour and fear of a loss of a resource in status related and jealous behaviours.
A study of fear aggression, as it is more commonly labelled, shows how complicated aggressive behaviour is. Fear aggression can be caused by a lack of early socialisation with the species a dog will live with or a noxious experience. Often, however, a dog is predisposed to fearful behaviour due to a lack of early life experience but this, and the subsequent development of aggression, does not occur until the dog is subjected to a fear-inducing event.
For example, a dog may be wary of other dogs because of a lack of socialization opportunities after it left its mother and littermates but displays of aggression may not occur until it is attacked by a dog in the park.
When aggressive behaviour starts to develop, it is often directed at a specific stimulus. In our example, the dog may be attacked by a black dog and, initially, it may direct all its aggressive tendencies towards all dogs this colour. In time, this may generalize to include dogs that are black and white, then dogs of all colours. A similar generalization process can occur with size. If a dog is attacked by small dogs it may display aggressive behaviour specifically to dogs of a similar size, but in time, its aggression may generalize to include dogs of all sizes.
This does not mean to say that the presence of another dog will trigger aggressive behaviour. A response depends on factors such as how close it is and whether or not its behaviour appears to be threatening.
Often owners will report that their dog's fear aggression started to develop around the time that it became sexually mature. At one level, we can consider that this change takes place because of the neuro chemical changes that take place in the brain at this stage of development. At another level, we can look at this as a behaviour change that takes place as the dog moves from the juvenile to the adult stage of its development.
For the behaviour to develop at all learning opportunities are necessary. If the dog does not have the opportunity to bark at or threaten whatever it is frightened of and witness that it is either taken away from the subject by its owner or the subject moves away, it will not develop the confidence to use aggression as a means of coping.
This probably explains why many of the dogs that display very overt fear aggression towards people when they are away from home have had lots of opportunity to display territorial aggression. In territorial situations, a dog often has many opportunities to bark at people that either approach the owners’ property or pass it.
Each time it displays its threatening behaviour it finds that the stimulus it barks at goes away, which increases its confidence in the use of aggression in this situation. Subsequently, the confidence to use aggression as a means of coping generalizes to other situations.
When faced with a worrying situation a dog will typically try and display avoidance behaviour. However, when avoidance is not possible because the dog is on the leash, in a territorial situation as described above, or otherwise feels that avoidance behaviour is not possible, it may display aggression as a means of deterring what it is worried about. When it is on a leash and faced with the presence of strangers, it may bark to make them go away. As with the territorial behaviour described above the individuals typically go away.
Although this is on their own violation from the dog's perspective, it appears that they have gone away because of its behaviour. As a consequence of this, its confidence to display aggressive behaviour when it is on a leash may start to increase.
A dog's aggressive behaviour towards the people it lives with can develop in much the same way. It may not occur until after maturity, it does not occur to the dog to display it until it has been assaulted, however mildly, for some misdemeanour it has no comprehension of, or comes into conflict or competition with a family member. Having found the behaviour effective it may be more inclined to do it again the next time circumstances cause those same emotions of fear or frustration to swell up. The punitive response of the person involved may serve only to heighten the sense of anticipation on subsequent occasions.
Initially the aggression may be directed to a specific individual but may generalise to include other, unsuspecting, members of the household. Although this has been a mere sketch of the of the complexities of aggression it will, hopefully have been enough to point out that, unless caused by a medical problem, every act of aggression shown by a dog has a history we can learn from.
High energy dogs:
Note from Lou
I have just adopted a two year old Malanois – so know just how relevant the article below is!
Energy is fundamental to the survival of any living thing, be that the fastest cheater or the most slovenly sloth. All creatures process their energy in different ways, ways that are best for the type of life they lead. Dogs are quite high on the scale when it comes to the most energetic animals, and certain dogs are much higher on that scale than others.
The reason that dogs such as Dalmatians, Jack Russells, Border Collies and Retrievers are so abundant with energy is because they all have a high metabolic rate. Which means they process nutrients into energy very efficiently. The metabolic rate dictates how quickly or slowly nutrients such as fat and carbohydrates are processed into energy.
The metabolic rate also controls the body heat of the dog, it maintains it at a constant 101.5-102 degrees. At its slowest, the metabolic rate will enable the body to perform basal functions such as heart repair and digestion, if the metabolic rate slips below this rate for any reason, the dog will begin to die.
As a rule, the certain breeds of dog which are notoriously high in energy are difficult to train and are constantly testing the patience of their owner. This does not have to be the case. Given the right amount of training and attention these dogs can prove to be the most effective working dog and the most loyal companion.
Regular exercise is a must for these dogs, otherwise they will take it upon themselves to exercise inside the house or worse, fail to burn of any of the energy and become obese. Mental stimulation is also essential to prevent boredom. Always have a good supply of strong, long lasting chewy toys to avoid constant trips to the shoe shop. If you have a retriever, then encourage him to retrieve things when you play. If you have a high energy dog of any kind encourage him to do what he was bred for, this is a good combination of mental and physical stimulation.
A good diet is essential for these dogs. Presumably the owners of such dogs would consider the high energy factor an asset rather than a hindrance and therefore would want to nurture this. Although they seem to have enough, a high energy diet is essential to their good health, they need the energy to burn of the fats. They need lots of carbohydrates and protein to store as energy and animal fats to use as quick energy.
Given the right exercise, training and diet the high energy dog will be the ideal companion for the high energy, active family.
The Case of the Pining Poodle
An 85 year-old retired nurse called our offices with a problem that had her on the brink of depression. Her husband had died four months earlier, after spending two years confined to bed with terminal cancer. The couple's ten year old male miniature Poodle had stayed with his dying owner every day and night, leaving only to eat and attend to his toilet duties. He guarded the man from all strangers, growling when people approached. He licked the old man's hair and hands, as if maternally grooming a puppy.
When death finally ended his sad vigil, the Poodle had to be forcibly removed by the wife so ambulance personnel could safely remove the body. From that moment on the Poodle ignored the widow, refusing to allow her to pet him by growling and threatening to bite her. Their only interaction was at feeding times and to be let out and into the house for his toilet. He slept on the bed where the man had died, which was in a separate room from the woman's bedroom.
The woman called on referral from her veterinarian.
The dog was in excellent health. Paradoxically, he enthusiastically greeted visitors, who called almost daily. The owner led an active social life, and still drove herself for shopping, etc. Whenever she returned home, the poodle never greeted her, or even looked at her. He persisted to aggressively reject her affectionate advances or words. As an ex-nurse, the owner had seen death and grieving many times, but said she had never before heard of a situation like hers.
When asked what she thought might be at the root of the strange behaviour, she ventured that the Poodle might never forgive her for removing him from her husband's bed while the medics removed her husband's body - he might, quite literally, be punishing her. She said it was emotionally quite painful to see her dog lavishing affection on visitors, while pointedly ignoring or rejecting her.
We asked how she felt about having to take the dog away from her husband's bed. This, because of an association between the affection and the memory of her taking him away from the bed. She said she could appreciate that possibility. We then asked how she thought the Poodle would react if she ignored him for a few days. She said he would probably be quite surprised, but that it was worth a try.
We advised her to be quite matter of fact, with the dog, to simply take care of his feedings and let him in and out of the house when needed. If he started to seek attention and/or affection, she was to pet and praise him briefly... only a few seconds. We asked her to phone any time she had further questions, but to be sure to call back in a week to let us know how things were proceeding.
She called to report that the Poodle began coming out of the room and seeking her out on the evening of second day. Later, he started getting on her lap and seeking petting. By the third day he started to lick her affectionately. She said she was sure they both felt much better and could now go forward in life happily.
CLICKER TIPS - SAY YES TRAINING REMINDERS
1. Work=play=work. All play is fun and so all work should be as well. If your dog makes a decision during
play (example he grabs his toy without being invited to do so) you are reinforcing his right to make decisions during working with you as well (ahh, maybe I will chase the cat rather than practice A Frames right now!).
2. POSITIVE does not equal PERMISSIVE. This is the guiding principle of Say Yes Dog Training. You must be consistent. If a behaviour is acceptable at home (example the dog choosing not to lie down when told) it is also acceptable during work – you need to decide what you want and then stick to your own rules – EVERY TIME!!!!
Approach training and home life with a patient disposition and a strict application of what is and is not acceptable. Training happens 24 hours a day 7 days a week; your dog is always learning regardless if you are actively training or not!
3. Behaviours are shaped by CONSEQUENCES. Be aware of what is reinforcing your dog. Review and alter your list of reinforcers as your dog grows up.
4. Use your RECALL, to evaluate your relationship with your dog. Be diligent at making improvements each day in the level of intensity your dog has for working with you. Work at building a better relationship with your dog rather than making excuses for his performance. Work with the dog on the end of your leash -- and turn him into a dog other people wish they had!
5. Be aware of what RESPONSE you are rewarding each time you give out a cookie or toy. What did you click or reward for? Did you see eyes? Did you want to see eyes when your dog is performing that skill? What did you intend to reinforce? Does the dog know?
6. VIDEO at least one training session every second week. More if possible. If progress is not as fast as you think it should be for one particular skill, video three or four consecutive training sessions of that one skill (each video clip should be no longer than 3-7 minutes). Review each video individually upon completion and then view and evaluate the entire series. What did you reinforce? Can you pick out why your session is not progressing as fast as you would like? If you can’t critique it yourself, ask a friend to review it with you.
7. THINK, PLAN, DO, REVIEW. Plan your work and work your plan. Time your session or count reinforcements so you don’t train your dog to exhaustion. Do not begin to train until you have worked through your mechanical skills and planned where you will deliver your rewards. Keep your training session short! After each session, write in a journal recording your progress and plans for future sessions.
8. MIX UP YOUR REINFORCEMENTS so that you are working with toys and food. Only offer a reward you know your dog will want. Once a reward is offered, do not accept your dog not taking it. You can use food to reinforce an attempt to play (or the other way around) but never use food to reinforce a dog that has declined the opportunity to play or decided to stop playing. What would you be rewarding? Of course you would have rewarded your dog for making the decision to NOT play with you (and remember work=play).
9. Whenever frustration sets in remind yourself that YOUR DOG IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF YOUR ABILITIES AS A TRAINER. Only when you take ownership of your dogs shortcomings will you be able to turn them into attributes.
10. CLICK FOR ACTION REWARD FOR POSITION.
If your dog barks after each click and you feed them, what are your reinforcing? When initially shaping or re-training skills. it is important to deliver your rewards as soon as possible after the click (1-3 sec) and remember the reward reinforces everything the dog does between the time he hears the click and when receives his reward.
11. Train to IMPROVE YOUR WEAKNESSES. All of us tend to practice what we are good at, or the dog we find easiest to train, it is reinforcing for us. If there were exercises you felt uncomfortable with this weekend it could be a result of a weakness in your current training program. Be sure to work short sessions on the skills you are not as graceful at performing.
12. Bob Bailey attributes training problems to: timing, criteria or rate of reinforcement. Have someone observe your timing with your clicker, alter your criteria so your dog can succeed and keep your rate of reinforcement as close to 70% as possible.
13. Cheap responses once rewarded will always be lurking (Bob Bailey). Be aware of what else your dog may be doing when you click him for a desired response (i.e., barking).
14. Are you a double L? (A lurer & a lumper) Your dogs lack of progress may be due to your not splitting the desired behaviour into small enough responses.
Be certain you are returning the hand that delivers the treat back to starting position after each rewarded response. Work to create a thinking dog, not a dog that
needs to be prompted by you before he can begin his work.
16. WHAT IS YOUR CRITERIA? Identify it, learn it, work it live it. Maintain criteria, ALWAYS. The easiest thing to do is to train a behaviour. It is a far, far more difficult thing to do to maintain your criteria for the life time of your dog. That is what makes a great trainer.
17. Don’t ever ignore your dog while training. If you are getting further direction or clarification from an instructor, tug with your dog or, hold his collar & stroke him or put him into a relaxed position or in his crate. Whatever you do, do not finish an exercise and turn away from your dog to talk to an instructor; it shows a lack of respect for your canine partner. Your dog should always be recognized for his effort to work with you.
That’s all for now folks – please let me know if there is any subject you would like covered. I welcome (with open arms) comments and criticisms (apart from ones on my lousy spelling lol!) and all queries and questions will be answered.
You are also welcome to send this little publication on to anyone who you think might be interested!
Cheers for now
Louise
Mobile 082-890-0905
Consulting Rooms (011) 969-4467
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