Herding Cats

Body Handling Issues - Nail Trimming

2012-01-11T13:56:00.002-05:00

With many behavioral issues, we go back to the basicdesensitization and counter conditioning "rules." The "rules" can be found at the link below.

http://ellaherdingcats.blogspot.com/2011/11/fear-based-behaviors-overview.html

When working with a dog that dislikes having his nailstrimmed, we start very slowly and use a very high value treat. Some dogs havelearned to snap when a hand comes close to their feet, so we start at a saferspot, such as the shoulder area. If your dog has back-end handling issues, youcan do the same steps as below, but start at the shoulder area and work veryslowly to the hip area and then down the back leg. If, at any time, you feelunsafe, consult with a professional dog trainer!

Make your dog and yourself comfortable for this, since thisshould be enjoyable for both of you. A grooming table can be very useful orhave the dog lie quietly on the couch while you sit beside him. If you alreadyuse a clicker or a marker word, it can be used during desensitization andcounter conditioning. Or, you can just give the treat. Each session should beabout 5 minutes long and you can do multiple sessions per day, but do not takethe next step until the dog is completely comfortable during the current step.

Some dogs have become afraid of the clippers, so having themwhere the dog can see them can be helpful, but we will not pick them up atfirst.

Assuming the dog does not mind being touched at theshoulder, start by gently touching and patting the shoulder area. At the sametime, click, if using the clicker, then give a treat. Repeat this: touch theshoulder area, click, and then give a treat.

When the dog is happily anticipating your touch at theshoulder area, move your hand to the elbow area. Touch, click and treat.

Here are the next areas: upper leg, ankle, foot. Remember topractice at each area until the dog becomes completely comfortable.

Signs that the dog is not comfortable: panting, lipflicking, tucked tail, shaking, looking away, snapping, or growling. Some othersigns include pulling the paw away or running away during the training session.If any of these happen, then you need to back up at least one, if not twosteps.

Signs that your dog is comfortable: tail wagging, lookingfor the treat, offering the paw, begging.

Once your hand is on or near the dog’s foot, try holding thefoot gently in your hand for the count of one. Remember that we are stillclicking and treating! Slowly build up duration (time) that the dog’s foot isin your hand by working on one second hold, then two second hold, then onesecond hold, then three second hold and so on.

We are not quite to the clipping stage yet! We still need topart the toes, touch the foot with the clipper, clip the clipper, and then clipthe nails. For the first two steps, still click and treat as you do them.

The “clip the clipper” step is an important one. During thisstep, we will use an old set of clippers and some toothpicks. Every time youclip a toothpick, your dog will get a treat. Do this over and over until hebecomes comfortable with the noise. Once comfortable with the noise, clip thetoothpick while holding or touching the dog’s foot with your hand (this takes alittle practice).

Once the dog is comfortable with the noise, it is time topair the holding of the paw with the clipping of the clipper. If your dog iseasygoing, you could try to clip one nail at this point. When first starting toclip, I give a treat before and after the clip. Two treats for each nail. Oncethe dog is completely comfortable with being clipped, then I phase out thebeginning treats and give one after each nail.

To review the steps: shoulder, elbow, upper leg, ankle,foot, holding foot, parting toes, touch the foot with the clipper, clip theclipper, clip the nails.

To review the rules: do not proceed to the next step untilyour dog is completely comfortable with the step that you are working on. Somedogs can fly through all of the steps in one session, but this in theexception. Taking a week or more per step is not uncommon.

Body Handling Issues - An Overview

2012-01-11T13:55:00.001-05:00

Socialization during puppyhood includes introduction anddesensitization to a lot of new things. Most people think of socialization asmeeting new people and dogs. It does mean this, but socialization also needs toinclude getting used to being gently handled (grooming, petting, etc),experiencing many different types of flooring, riding in cars, seeing otheranimals, and a whole host of other experiences that can help make a puppyconfident in his or her environment.

Body handling issues happen when a dog has not been handledenough as a puppy, dislikes being handled in certain areas or has had a badexperience that causes fear of being handled. It can be interesting tospeculate why a dog might not like being handled in certain ways, but no matterwhat the reason, we can help them become more comfortable with being handled.

This series of articles about Body Handling issues willalternate with the Fear Based Behaviors articles during 2012.

Not snowing yet, but we can not wait!

2012-01-11T13:53:00.002-05:00

Fear Based Behaviors - Part 1

2011-11-18T08:43:00.001-05:00

Flower – the giant dog afraid of tile floors
Slippery floors are often a cause for fear based behaviors, especially in large breed dogs. It is important that puppies experience many different flooring types during their socialization period, so that they can learn how to walk on and adapt to new surfaces.

But, some puppies and adult dogs have a hard time with slippery floors. Some adult dogs have slipped and been injured and this leads to avoidance of the slippery floors. Some dogs will barely walk/crawl across slippery floors and others will make a mad dash across them.

Dogs that have lost a leg need to relearn how to walk on slippery floors. Extremely overweight dogs can have a fear of slippery floors because their legs are not strong enough to hold them up on the floor (in this case, the dog needs to lose weight while working on the floor issues).

It is important to manage this problem while desensitizing the dog to the floor. Management would include placing carpet strips (with non-slip backings) on the floor for the dog to walk on. Management might also include keeping the dog out of the room with the slippery floors during the behavior modification period. There are also products on the market, such as Paw Pads (http://www.puppylovepawpads.com), which are applied directly to the dog’s feet to give traction. This product is very useful for dogs that have lost limbs and are adapting to the new way they need to walk.

Flower’s owners tried the flooding technique in order to force Flower to get used to their kitchen floor. They dragged Flower to the middle of the floor and left her there. Flower just stood there and trembled until her owners dragged her back to the carpeted area. After that, every time they tried to get Flower onto the kitchen floor, she would fight against the leash. Her owners were afraid that she would hurt herself.

Flower needed to gain confidence on the floor. Since her experience with the flooring was very aversive, even using food to try to lure her onto the floor did not work. Neither did placing carpet samples and luring her onto those. She would not go into the kitchen at all.

After thinking about this issue, we decided to desensitize Flower to linoleum in the living room. This meant getting a piece of linoleum and placing it on the carpet and working with Flower there. We put the linoleum away while not working with Flower.

Thankfully, Flower was not afraid of the piece of linoleum, so we were able to start out by using desensitization and counterconditioning (DSCC) across the room from the linoleum. At all times, Flower was given treats for being in the same room as that linoleum. In one session, we were able to bring Flower right up to the linoleum.

The next session, we worked with carpet samples and the linoleum samples, still in the living room. In this session, our goal was to get Flower to step on each sample (our criteria was one foot). We used food to get Flower close to each sample. The carpet sample was easy. The linoleum one was a bit harder and we used a lot of food. At first we just tossed food around the sample. Then we tossed food onto the sample so that she was touching it with her nose. Then we lured her over and onto the sample with food. We did not force her to step on the sample. She was off leash at all times and could move away from the sample when she needed to (increase of distance to reduce stress).

After the first session, Flower’s owners were instructed to practice with her each day. Their goal was to have Flower be confident about walking over the linoleum sample while it was on the living room carpet.

After they were successful with this, it was time to start working in the kitchen. At first, we did not really work in the kitchen, but in the doorway to the kitchen. When Flower was comfortable in the doorway (again, using DSCC), we placed a carpet sample on the kitchen floor. We used food to get her to step on the carpet sample. By placing one sample next to each other and always allowing Flower to retreat to the living room when she needed to, we were able to bring her a few feet into the kitchen on the carpet samples.
The next step for the owners was to continue doing this with Flower until she was comfortable walking through the kitchen on the carpet samples.

Once that happened, we went back to the living room doorway. We placed Paw Pads on Flower’s feet (and used food to get her used to them). Then, we placed a carpet sample a short distance into the kitchen. Flower would need to take a step onto the real kitchen floor in order to step onto her safe carpet sample. Allowing her to back up into the safety of the living room when needed, we used food to have her place on foot on the floor. We repeated this until she was comfortable walking 1 step to the carpet sample, then 2 steps, then 3 steps.

Flower's owners continued with this process until Flower was successfully walking around a kitchen peppered with carpet samples. Then, they slowly began removing one carpet sample at a time until she was walking in the kitchen comfortably. At that point, they removed the Paw Pads and worked with Flower in the kitchen.

While Flower is still careful about moving around the kitchen, she will willingly walk through the kitchen to get to the back door. She will also come into the kitchen to greet her owners and to get treats. As time progresses, I expect that she will become more and more confident about the flooring.

And, Flower’s owners are now able to take her to places with slippery floors and have her feel confident about them.

Note: This same technique is used to help dogs learn stairs. We start with one stair, then two stairs and increase the number of stairs until the dog is able to go up and down easily.

Fear Based Behaviors - An Overview

2011-11-18T08:37:00.001-05:00

What are fear based behaviors?
The easy answer is that it is a behavior caused by fear. Fear is a stressor and the dog will
often try to reduce the stress in a way that works for it. These fears can manifest in many
ways, but tend to fall into a couple of categories: aggressive type behaviors and
avoidance type behaviors (please note that I am generalizing here for the sake of brevity).

What are aggressive type behaviors?
These behaviors include, but are not limited to, barking, growling, lunging, and
nipping/biting.

What are avoidance type behaviors?
These behaviors include, but are not limited to, hiding, running away, and avoiding the
object causing the fear.

Can a dog display both categories?
Yes. Many dogs will show a combination of both.

How do we treat fear based behaviors?
We use a technique called desensitization and counterconditioning. Basically, we pair the frightening object with food. The important things to remember when working with a fearful dog is that the food should be high value (no kibble) and that the distance between the dog and the frightening object is very important.

To recap: food and distance! Food and distance!

The Basics of Desensitization and Counterconditioning (reprinted from a previous
article)

This is not luring or bribing.
Food does not make aggression worse.
The dog does not need to do anything but take the treat (no sits, downs or stays)
If the dog takes the treat and spits it out, some benefit will still be seen.
Distance between the scary object and the dog is critical. Start with more distance
at first and slowly work up to being close to the object.
Do not force the dog to be close to the object.
Food fundamentally changes the emotional response that the dog has to the scary
object. Praise and petting does not do this. Punishment will make the fear worse.
Remember this equation

Object = scary
Object = food
Food = good
Object = good

When to use desensitization and counterconditioning:
When the dog is extremely shy or fearful.
When the dog is afraid of objects or things that are unclickable (like wind and rain noises).
When the dog is afraid of the clicker
Anytime!

Flooding
Flooding is a technique that forces the dog to be next to the object it fears until it stops fearing the object. Food is not involved with this process. Many people see the dog shut down and think that the dog is over its fear. In reality, the dog has given up. Flooding is considered to be aversive by many positive reinforcement trainers. It has been shown to backfire in many instances, since the dog does not overcome its fear, but,
instead, either shuts down completely (given up) or becomes even more fearful.

Some examples of flooding:

Hunting dog is afraid of gunshots, so owner forces dog to be in a kennel next to the firing range.
Herding dog is afraid of sheep. Owner forces dog to stay in the pasture with the sheep.
Dog is afraid of strangers. Owner forces the dog to allow pats by strangers.
Dog is afraid of being outside. Owner forces the dog to be outside.

In each of these instances, it is a rare dog that overcomes its fear and gets used to the objects. Instead, we tend to see more behavioral issues: inappropriate urination/defecation, avoidance of the object to the point where the dog will hurt itself or the owner in order to get away, aggression towards the objects it fears.

Separation Anxiety

2011-10-17T12:41:00.001-04:00

Separation anxiety (SA) is a behavioral disorder where a dog feels severe distress when separated from its group. This can often be in the form of a panicky reaction or depression.

The common signs of separation anxiety are being a velcro dog, showing anxiety when an owner gets ready to leave, destruction, vocalization, elimination, excessive greeting behavior (over excited), self destructive behavior, drooling, vomiting, and/or the inability to eat while owner is away. Usually, if a dog displays just one of these behaviors, it is not automatically assumed that the dog suffers from SA. Instead, the dog needs to show a
few of these signs. And, there are varying levels of SA (some dogs suffer more than others).

Crating often leads to self harm because dog tries to escape the crate. The same can happen in a home—some dogs jump through windows to get outside.

There are some behaviors that people perceive as separation anxiety, but are not. Barrier frustration is one. Lack of stimulation leading to destructive behavior is another. Incomplete housetraining is a third. It is important to obtain the correct diagnosis in order to treat your dog appropriately.

Separation anxiety stems from lack of confidence and, according to Dr. Nicholas Dodman, it is very prevalent in dogs with dysfunctional backgrounds (multiple homes, etc). There is a strong association with noise phobia, so if you have a dog with SA, then you will want to keep an eye on him or her firework and thunderstorm season approaches.

Things that can trigger SA: boarding, bereavement, a change in an owner’s schedule, multiple relocations. Some dogs will go years without experiencing SA and others will experience it the first time they are left alone.

Those random departure/densensitization of leaving cues instructions that you read about on the internet? They do not work (according to studies done by Dr. Dodman). The problem is that the dog is actually having panic attacks when left alone. Having longer and longer absences doesn’t work, either. These things don’t work for true SA. A lot of dogs have a pseudo SA and this treatment does work.

Here are the basics for treating SA:
• Break the anxiety cycle
• Make leaving fun
• Environmental enrichment
• Low key returns (everyone should do this, even it their dog doesn’t have SA)
• Build their confidence
• Medication

So, let’s take each one step by step. Each step needs to be done in conjunction with each other – doing one step will not solve the problem for most dogs.

Break the cycle!
Doggy daycare, pet sitter, friend or relative takes care of dog, dog walker.

Make leaving fun!
Or, “oh, good, you are leaving now!” Make sure that you do not sympathize with the dog - this can change our entire demeanor, so the dog reacts to that. Keep your goings upbeat and fun. Give instructions - sit, be a good dog, etc. Make sure that leaving = good things, so Kongs, Buster cubes, interactive toys, etc are key here.

Environmental Enrichment
All food comes out of toys (well, except training food). Morning meal comes when you leave. All uneaten food gets picked up when you get home (and not given at the next meal). Most dogs will not go hungry for more than a few days. The critical time for SA is the first 30 minutes. If you can have them eat and work to get their meal during this time, then that will help a lot. Also, feed the evening meal at least an hour after you get home so that your arriving home doesn’t mean food. This meal should be out of toys, too.

Low Key Returns
Only respond to the dog when she is calm. The goal here is to even out the emotional rollercoaster that coming and going elicits in a dog (this is a quote-ish from Dr. Dodman). Obviously, no punishment - this makes SA seriously worse.

Build Their Confidence
Work on stays. No close contact while resting. That means the bed is off limits, too. We need to make the dog less of a velcro dog, so we do that by encouraging independent behavior while we are with the dog. Do not respond to demanding behavior. Work on Dr. Overall’s Relaxation Protocol (e-mail Stephani for a copy of this). The later days of this have out of sight stays. That will help a lot with confidence. Take the RP as slow as needed - you might have to repeat days for a long long time before moving on to the next day’s steps.

Reward calm, independent behavior.

Think about doing obedience, rally or agility training. Some of the tasks in these venues means that the dog works away from you. Herding classes might be a good idea, too. Anything to increase your dog’s life experience will also help increase her confidence. And, if she shows fear, give lots of food so that the fear lessens over time.

Try to exercise your dog immediately before leaving.

Medications
There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving a dog medication to help with this. It is very effective to medicate at the beginning of the SA program and then wean off the medication as the dog becomes more confident and learned behavior is changed to confident behavior.

The FDA approved meds are Clomicalm and Reconcile. Please do not use Acepromazine. It is on the MDR1 list (bad for those herding dogs that suffer from SA) and it has been know to make the dog’s body relaxed, but not their mind, so the dog is still feeling fear (shudder).

Some people have had good results with melatonin for anxiety. This drug is over the counter and easily given in food. Tryptophan is also used and some say that it works great.

Overall, treatment for SA has a fairly good prognosis, but, like anxiety that humans suffer from, it will mean dealing with it for life.

Barking - Part 4

2011-10-14T14:28:00.002-04:00

In general, we can use the “Look At That” (LAT) game interchangeably with basic desensitization and counterconditioning (DCC). However, there are instances where one technique will work better than the other. The LAT game is essentially pairing DCC with a clicker and retraining the dog to have an appropriate response at the same time.

Remember that all treats need to be high value and pea sized. Milk bones and dry biscuits will not work. Use a high value treat such as chicken, cheese, beef, liver or peanut butter (in a tube).

The “Look At That” game in more detail (for a really detailed description, please see Leslie McDevitt's Book Control Unleashed):

Items needed:

Treats
Clicker (or use a marker word)

Basic Instructions:

When the dog looks at something, it gets a click and a treat. When the dog looks back at the item, repeat. This is a fast game (you will give a lot of treats).
If the dog stares at the item and refuses to look at the trainer, then more distance between the object and the dog is needed.
If the dog is already reacting, then the dog is too close.
Only play the game for a few minutes at a time.
Only proceed closer to the item when the dog displays a Conditioned Emotional Response (i.e., looks at item, looks back at owner for treat). This is often called the “Whiplash Turn” since the dog will eventually look at something and whip back to look at the owner for a cookie (we want this behavior).

When to use:

During class, when your dog barks at other dogs.
While walking – barking at strangers, cars or other items.
While in the car – barking at other cars (this will require a driver).
Anytime a dog is being reactive.

The Basics of Desensitization and Counterconditioning

This is not luring or bribing.
Food does not make aggression worse.
The dog does not need to do anything but take the treat (no sits, downs or stays)
If the dog takes the treat and spits it out, some benefit will still be seen.
Distance between the scary object and the dog is critical. Start with more distance at first and slowly work up to being close to the object.
Do not force the dog to be close to the object
Food fundamentally changes the emotional response that the dog has to the scary object. Praise and petting does not do this. Punishment will make the fear worse.

Remember this equation

o Object = scary

o Object = food

o Food = good

o Object = good

When to use desensitization and counterconditioning:

When the dog is extremely shy or fearful.
When the dog is afraid of objects or things that are unclickable (like wind and rain noises).
When the dog is fearful but not reacting
When the dog is afraid of the clicker
Anytime!

Fear of the Hair Dryer (or vacuum cleaner or other noise making objects)

When working with dogs that react to noisy objects, I do not start out with the LAT game. Instead, I use the DCC technique to reduce the dog’s reaction. Once I get a quieter reaction, then I start playing the LAT game, if needed.

Let’s use an example. Dutch is a dog that barks at the microwave beeper. He also reacts loudly to the hair dryer. We start by figuring out how far away from these objects Dutch needs to be in order to not react. Dutch also has anxiety issues and is a demand barker.

In Dutch’s case, we needed to have the hair dryer in the garage and Dutch across the house in a separate room (about 25 feet, with walls in between).

We started Dutch out with the hair dryer on the lowest (quietest) setting and all doors between the garage and Dutch shut. One person turned the hair dryer on and Dutch was given treats by another person while the dryer was on (about 1 minute). The treats were given one at a time, one right after the other. During this first stage, Dutch did react a little bit at first (muffled growls and quiet barks).

We stopped the dryer and gave Dutch a break (did some training, played with some toys). Then, we repeated the process. We noted that Dutch growled less and did not bark at all. We repeated this process (hair dryer on, treats, hair dryer off, and then some play time) a few more times.

At this point, Dutch needed a break. So, Dutch’s owner was instructed to repeat this exercise in the same place for the next week – once per day. During this time period, Dutch’s owner also had to agree not to use the hair dryer inside. She decided to not use it at all until Dutch was retrained.

After a week, Dutch’s owner was able to move Dutch into the next room (i.e., closer to the dryer) and repeat the process.

Over time, Dutch was able to be next to the door leading out to the garage and listen to the dryer while taking treats. This took about a month, with the owner working about 5 minutes a day.

At this point, Dutch was able to be around the dryer without reacting. So, we now needed to train Dutch to stay on his bed while the owner dried her hair. This part was easier – Dutch was given his morning breakfast out of a Kong while Dutch’s owner dried her hair.

This same technique can be used for a doorbell, a vacuum, or any other noisy object that a dog reacts to. However, some extremely noise phobic dogs might need more work and medication.

Out for a Walk: Barking at Cars

Many dogs bark at cars during walks. This can be problematic if they pull, twirl, lunge or redirect frustration onto their owner. Just like with noisy objects, we can use LAT or DCC techniques to change the way or dogs behave.

Cooper is a big dog who lunges and barks at cars. He scared his owner on one particular walk when he dragged her into the street after a loud car. In all other ways, Cooper is a normal dog – he is not afraid of strangers, he is not hyper: he is a calm, gentle dog.

The first thing we did was put Cooper in a front clip Sense-ation Harness (an Easy Walk harness would work well, too). This type of harness works by turning the dog back to the owner (and loosening the leash) when the dog pulls forward. When used in conjunction with loose leash walking practice, they are extremely effective and can give an owner more control over the dog. I do not recommend Gentle Leader head harnesses, because they limit a dog’s ability to communicate with other dogs and a lunging dog can hurt its neck.

The second thing we worked on was Cooper’s sit. Because walking near cars can be dangerous, we needed Cooper to focus on his owner when around cars. Having Cooper sit meant that the owner had a bit more control. For a dog that does not lunge at cars, but just barks, a sit is not needed.

Finally, we needed to determine the distance that Cooper needed to be from cars in order to not react. In Cooper’s case, we needed a lot of distance – at least 50 feet. So, we practiced with Cooper in a local park that was near a quiet road.

We used the same technique with Cooper as we did with Dutch above. Except, this time, we were able to incorporate the clicker. Every time Cooper watched a car go by, he was clicked and then given a treat. At first, we aimed to click when the car first appeared. This helped cut off Cooper’s reaction and distracted him as the car passed, since he turned his head to us for the treat.

After a few minutes of practice, we started walking Cooper back and forth in the field. Every time a car went by, Cooper got a click/treat. We kept our distance at 50 feet. We needed to work on this technique while walking because it would be counterproductive for Cooper’s owner to always have to have him sit when a car goes by. She can use the sit when needed, but she also needed to practice walking, clicking and treating.

Now, we don’t know why Cooper barked and lunged at cars. It may have been fear. It may have been some prey drive. Whatever the reason, we decided to take a gamble, since Cooper is so well adjusted in other ways. In the same session, we moved Cooper 10 feet towards the cars and continued walking parallel with them. While walking, we clicked and treated. After about 10 minutes, we moved even closer. By the end of the session, with a very full Cooper, we were able to walk down the sidewalk with cars passing by. Treats were given to Cooper every few steps or so at this point, since we were working on both loose leash walking and changing his reaction to very close cars.

Is Cooper completely issue-free at this point? No. We were near a quiet road. Not a lot of cars went by and Cooper was tired. So, Cooper’s owner needed to continue practicing with him in different spots at different distances. She needed to go to less quiet spots and practice. She needed to make sure that their daily walks were on quiet road and that she had her treats with her.

Eventually, she was able to walk Cooper on busier streets, but it took time and patience. The things that she told me that she needed to remember were:

Distance: If Cooper was reacting, she needed to increase her distance between them and the cars.
Level of Distraction or the number of cars that go by (and how fast they were going). When retraining Cooper, she needed to keep in mind that he was not ready for busy roads. So, she kept an eye out for quiet roads and would drive to places that worked for them.

Stays: What does distance mean?

2011-10-06T16:13:00.000-04:00

There are two types of distance in stay work.

Type 1: Distance between you and your dog

This type seems pretty obvious, right? This term can also mean where your body is in relation to the dog. So, standing in front, standing to the side and standing in back are all important. Be sure to practice distance from your dog at each spot!

The distance between you and your dog needs to be built up slowly. The amount of distractions in an environment can impact how well your dog does with distance stays.

Type 2: Distance between your dog and distractions

It is important when training stays to remember that low distraction environments are easier to train in than high distraction environments.

But, we can help our dogs learn to work in a high distraction environment by increasing the value of the reward and increasing the distance between ourselves and the distractions.

For instance, if I am working on stays near a busy playground, I will first pick a safe spot far away from the playground. Then, over time, I will slowly decrease the distance between the dog and the playground. It is far better to proceed too slowly than to go too quickly.

If the stay becomes difficult for your dog (they are not paying attention or break the stay a few times), then move 5 feet away from the distraction and try again. If you are still not getting a good 1-2 second stay, then increase distance more.

Breaking stays are a sign of:

Too much distraction
Length of stay is too long
Distance between you and the dog is too far
Not enough reward
Not enough practice

If you constantly have to put the dog back in a stay, then try changing one or more of the above to lower criteria (shorter length, distance, fewer distractions) and using a higher value treat.

Stay - Part 1

2011-10-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

A very brief overview!

Stays have three major components: distance, duration and distraction.

Distance: This is the amount of space between you and your dog.

Duration: This is the amount of time that a dog holds its stay.

Distraction: This is what is going on in around the dog while it is doing its stay.

For beginning stays, we only change one component at a time. So, if we are standing close to our dog, we can ask for a longer stay or we can add a distraction, but not both at the same time. If we are standing away from our dog, we should have the duration and the distractions as low as possible.

For more advanced dogs, we can change more components at a time.

When working on stays, we need to be able to reward in position. This means into the dog’s mouth when the dog is doing a sit-stay or between the dog’s front feet when doing a down-stay.

If you are using a clicker, remember that a click marks he end of the behavior, so your dog will/can break the stay. Training a release word (OK), which is different than your clicker/marker word (YES), is useful.

Some do’s and don’t’s:

Do reward in position.

Don’t drill too many stays at once (or boredom will set in).

Do treat before the dog has broken the stay. In fact, it is better to treat long before you think your dog will break its stay than to keep re-cueing the stay.

Do work with one beginner dog at a time.

Don’t try to lump stay behavior. In other words, take your time! A five second stay is great at first, but don’t try to jump from there to a 2 minute stay! Or, one foot away from your dog does not translate to 20 feet.

Give that dog a job!

2011-08-19T07:12:00.001-04:00

This is my version of this technique.

Many dogs need jobs. And, as owners, we do not want to have our dogs invent their own jobs, since dog-defined jobs like car or bike chasing, fence running, cat herding, barking or other problem behaviors can hinder the human-canine bond. Some of these dog-defined jobs can be quite dangerous for the dog, too!

So, we need to give our dog a job. Or, in some cases, we give them more than one. One way to give a dog a job is to feed him each meal out of interactive toys, such as Kong products, Premier products or Buster Cubes, to name a few. This is an easy way for owners to slow down eating and to give their dog a mental job.

Another way to give a dog a job is to work on obedience behaviors. This includes behaviors such as sit, down, stand, stay and heeling (or loose leash walking), but should also include fun tricks. Even 5 minutes a day of training will improve a dog’s confidence, improve the human-canine relationship and mentally stimulate the dog.

A third way to give a dog a job is to institute a Nothing in Life is Free Program (or Work to Earn). Now, many people think that asking a dog to sit before giving a cookie is NILIF. Well, NILIF is more than that and requires a bit more from both the dog and the owner than sitting for a cookie. It is a way to establish rules around the house (house manners). It is a way to establish benign leadership without the use of force, pain or fear. It is also a great way to give a dog a job.

So, what does NILIF look like?

You are sitting in your chair watching TV. Your dog comes up to you and wants some attention. You could just reach out and pat him. Or, you could make him earn the attention by asking for a sit first. That is working (sitting) to earn attention.

You are preparing all the dogs' dinners. They are racing and running around. You could just feed them. Or, you could wait until they are quiet and in their crates before you feed them. That is working (quiet, calm behavior) to earn food.

You are throwing the frisbee. The dogs are very excited. You could just throw the frisbee again. Or, you could make them sit and lie down before you throw the frisbee again. That is working (sit and lie down) to earn play.

You are getting ready for bed. Your dog wants to sleep on the bed. You could just allow him up there. Or, you could ask him to sit before he jumps up. And, if he misbehaves on the bed (growl/snark at the other dog or the cat or the spouse) then you could not allow him on the bed at all. Good behavior earns a place on the bed. Bad behavior means you sleep on the floor. The same goes for the couch.

You are getting ready to go for a walk. The dogs start barking and getting excited. You could just clip the leash on and go. Or, you could make them sit and stay (while being quiet) before you clip the leash on. This is working (sit and stay while being quiet) to earn walks.

You are getting ready to let them go outside. You could just let them go outside. Or, you could ask them to sit and stay while you open the door and then release each one to go outside. Release each one at a different time. This is working to earn being outside.

You decide to give them a treat. You could just open the treat container and ask them to sit for a treat. Or, you could ask them to sit and stay BEFORE you get the treat out and then give them a treat. This is working to earn treats.

Do you see how Nothing in Life is Free (Work to Earn) is MUCH different than holding a treat in your hand and asking for a sit? It fundamentally changes the way your dog sees you - you control all resources and you decide what the dog needs to do to get them. You can not allow herding breeds to be in control or they will control everything - so, we have to be in control and this is how we do it without pain or fear.

When a dog is showing behavioral issues, then I immediately start a ?Nothing In Life is Free/Work to Earn program, obedience training, and physical and mental exercise. Once those steps are implemented, I work on the problem behavior itself, if extra training is still needed.

Barking - Part 3

2011-08-19T07:04:00.002-04:00

Alert Barking Review: The dog barks because of something. Typical examples of this type of barking are: Barking at the UPS driver, barking at activity happening in the neighborhood, and leash reactivity—barking at things while on leash.

Alert barking tends to be an environmentally reinforced behavior. In other words, it is reinforced by something that happens when the dog is barking.

Examples of Alert Barking

The mailman approaches the door. The dog barks at the mailman. The mailman leaves, which is rewarding, so the dog thinks that the barking made the mailman go away.

A car approaches while you are walking your dog. Your dog barks as the car approaches, continues as the car passes and barks until the car is out of sight. The car goes away and so your dog thinks that the barking made the car go away. This behavior is also a component of fence running.

You are walking your dog and another person approaches with a dog of their own. Your dog starts barking and continues barking as the dog and owner walk by. Sometimes, your dog will nip the owner or the other dog once they are past you.

Basic Training for Barking

As with any barking or other behavioral problem, we start with a few basics:

Don’t yell, speak, or in any way shush the dog. Most alert barkers will consider to this to be rewarding (you are barking along with the dog), so the behavior will increase.

Don’t use a spray bottle to punish the barking, especially of you use a spray bottle to groom your dogs.

Do practice a Nothing in Life is Free Program (also called Work to Earn) with any type of barker. NILIF gives the dog a job and is easy for owners to implement.

Do have clear rules for the dog and a steady schedule.

Don’t use a shock collar, citronella collar or other physical punishment. While these methods can reduce the barking, there is often behavioral fallout from them.

Behavioral Modification of Alert Barking: Case Studies

Prim, the leash reactive dog

Prim is a young adult sheltie who tends to be a little fearful and quiet, until she is walking on leash with her owner and spots another dog. At this point, Prim becomes a completely different dog – she now pulls hard on the leash, barks quite loudly and does not respond to her owner. Prim will sometimes try to nip the other dog when passing them on the sidewalk. Off leash, Prim does OK with greetings, but does stress out at them and can nip when her rear end is sniffed. When this problem first started, Prim only barked at larger dogs, but now barks at every dog she sees, so Prim’s owner, Kate, contacted me for help.

When working with a leash reactive dog, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. One is that a high value treat should be used (chicken, cheese, etc). Another is that the distance between your dog and the thing they are barking at is important. Start with a large distance and slowly decrease the distance over time. And, finally, it is important to be fast with your treats (don’t be stingy).

Session 1 (1 hour): In every session with a client, I discuss the importance of appropriate mental and physical activity. In Prim’s case, we also discussed how to build Prim’s confidence. After discussing this, Kate and I spent some time walking Prim with no distractions at all. Prim was given a small, pea sized bit of chicken each time she looked at Kate (basic loose leash walking practice).

Then, it was time to bring out a neutral dog. In my case, this is Ella.

Kate had her treats ready. As I brought Ella out of her crate, Kate treated Prim just for looking at Ella. I brought Ella out of her crate and had her sit, so that Kate has a few minutes to treat Prim while Ella was stationary. The distance between Ella and Prim was around 30 feet and Prim was given a treat every few seconds, regardless of whether or not she made any noise (she didn’t bark). Then Ella went back into her crate and we let Prim have a bathroom break outside.

Once Prim has had a break, she and Kate got ready for the next part of our training. This time, I brought Ella out of her crate and asked her to heel next to me. Again, Kate gave Prim treats for watching Ella. Ella and I were still 30 feet from Prim, but we were moving, so this was a different lesson than before.

After a few minutes, I started to walk with Ella closer to Prim. Kate gave Prim treats as Ella and I came closer and then walked away. After a few minutes, I put Ella back in her crate and Prim got to take a break.

The final part of our session involved Prim and Kate heeling on one side of the room while Ella and I heeled on the other (about 30 feet apart). Sometimes, we walked in the same direction (parallel walking) and sometimes we walked towards each other, but we were still 30 feet apart. During the entire time, Kate rewarded Prim for walking with a loose leash and for looking at Ella.

Prim’s homework: Find a couple of places where Prim usually reacts and practice rewarding for quiet behavior.

Session 2 (1 hour): The beginning of session 2 mimicked session 1, except we spent less time with Ella stationary. Once Prim was focused, Ella and I started heeling across the room. This time, Ella and I were able to shorten the distance between us to about 10 feet.

At that point, we let Prim take a break and started heeling again, with Kate and Prim heeling on one side of the room and Ella and I on the other. Slowly, over the rest of the session, Ella and I decreased the distance between us until we were five feet from Prim.

At this point, we ended the session.

Kate was able to take the skills that she learned during the sessions and apply them to her walks with Prim. This is what she did:

When approaching a strange dog, Kate would cross the street with Prim to increase distance. At the same time, she would reward Prim for walking next to her and also for looking at the other dog. The treats would start long before they reached the strange dog, as they passed the strange dog and after the strange dog passed. Note: This same technique can be used for dogs that bark at cars while on walks.

If the dog was loose, then Kate was prepared to do an about turn and go the other way. If the dog followed, then Kate was prepared to drop pieces of dog biscuit to distract the other dog until she and Prim could walk out of sight.

After a little practice and also working on this same technique in classes with other dogs, Prim and Kate are able to go on a daily walk without spending the entire time reacting to other dogs.

Scout: VISITORS!

Scout is a middle aged mixed breed who needs a lot of exercise. Scout’s owner, Ruth, takes Scout for a long run every day. She and Scout really enjoy agility classes and make a great team.

However, Scout barks at everyone who comes to Ruth’s house. And, he often does not stop once visitors have been there awhile.

Ruth and I set up a time when we could meet to help Scout. Since his problem happened only at home, we made arrangements to meet there. I gave Ruth instructions to crate Scout in a bedroom about 5 to 10 minutes before I arrived. She has a stuffed Kong ready for this.

Once I arrived and Ruth and I chatted about Scout, I asked Ruth to bring Scout out to see me on leash. Ruth has treats ready and as she and Scout approached me, she gave Scout treats for being quiet. I ignored Scout (no eye contact) and sat quietly. After a minute or so, Ruth put Scout back in his crate.

I left the house and then came back in. Once I was seated, Ruth again brought Scout out on leash and treated him for being quiet. Since Scout is not afraid of people, Ruth allowed him to greet me and I gave him a few treats after asking him to sit.

At this point, Scout was behaving very well. He was not trying to get attention from me and was happy to lie quietly on the floor eating another stuffed Kong.

If Scout had continued to bark or would not lie quietly, then Ruth would have put him back in his crate with a Kong and we would have repeated the greeting.

If Scout was afraid of people, we would have added additional steps and I would not have given Scout any treats until her was completely comfortable around me.

In Scout’s case, Ruth needed to manage Scout’s behavior when people arrived and reward good behavior once they were settled. This is fundamental in changing how alert barkers behave towards guests.

Additionally, Scout barks at delivery people. One or two alert barks are OK, but more than that was not. So, Ruth and I worked with Scout on this issue. We did this by rewarding Scout for watching the delivery person approach (this was a person we recruited for the job – a friend). After a few sessions, Scout was able to watch the delivery person approach and then leave with only a couple of barks.

Barking - Part 2

2011-08-19T07:01:00.003-04:00

Demand Barking Review: The dog barks at a person in order to get something. This type of barking is very easy to fix. Typical examples of this type of barking are: When playing, the sheltie will bark at the owner to throw the ball or Frisbee again. The barking stops when the play resumes. Some shelties will bark at other shelties to try to initiate play. Some shelties will demand bark when they want attention, food or to go outside.

Dealing with Demand Barking – Do’s and Don’t’s

Do ignore the behavior by turning away from the dog while it is barking and then immediately reward for quiet (treats, praise, throwing the ball, etc).

Don’t yell, speak, or in any way shush the dog. Most demand barkers will consider to this to be rewarding, so the behavior will increase.

Do use appropriate time outs to calm a particularly enthusiastic barker. Times outs are a few minutes in a quiet room or a crate, if the dog is comfortable in a crate. The time out ends when the dog calms down and stops barking.

Don’t use a spray bottle to punish the barking, especially of you use a spray bottle to groom your dogs.

Do practice a Nothing in Life is Free Program (also called Work to Earn) with this type of barker. NILIF gives the dog a job and is easy for owners to implement. A short article on NILIF is included in the newsletter.

Do have clear rules for the dog and a steady schedule.

Don’t use a shock collar, citronella collar or other physical punishment. While these methods can reduce the barking, there is often behavioral fallout from them.

Case Study 1: Bruce, the demand barker

Bruce is a middle aged sheltie who tends to be a calm sheltie, until he becomes excited by something. Bruce does not tend to show much alert barking, but is quite a demand barker, especially for attention, when practicing obedience behaviors and when playing. Bruce’s owner, Chris, contacted me for help.

When playing ball, Bruce would bark constantly at Chris. He had learned that if he barked enough, Chris would throw the ball again, just to get Bruce to be quiet. So, to change this behavior, we needed to change how Bruce would be rewarded. I warned Chris that there would be an extinction burst of barking before Bruce stopped, but that we needed to make sure that we worked through the issue all the way. An extinction burst is when the unwanted behavior increases right before a decrease. It is important not to reward during that increase!

Session 1: First, Chris and I discussed the amount of exercise that Bruce got each day. Exercise is important, but the trick is to find the right amount of exercise. Too little and you get behavioral problems and too much can also cause issues, too. Then we discussed mental exercise. With smart herding breeds like the sheltie, daily mental exercise is important. So, feeding meals out of Kongs, the Kong Wobble, Buster Cubes or other interactive toys can be one way to meet a dog’s mental needs. Practicing obedience behaviors for at least 5 minutes daily is another way to exercise a dog mentally.

Then, Chris and I started playing ball with Bruce. We waited and waited until he stopped barking. The second he stopped barking, we threw the ball. We played ball with Bruce for 30 minutes or so until he would bring the ball back and not bark at all.

We also worked on obedience behaviors that day, since Bruce liked to bark a few times before lying down or paw shaking. So, we gave the cue, waited until Bruce stopped barking and then rewarded the behavior.

Finally, we worked on Bruce’s attention demand barking. This is where Bruce barks at Chris in order to be touched. In this case, Chris had to ignore the barking, just like with the ball, and then immediately reward the quiet with praise and touching.

Between sessions, I asked Chris to practice what we had worked on that day.

Session 2: Chris and I started to play ball with Bruce again. This time, we did not need to wait long at all for Bruce to stop barking. Instead of 5 minutes of barking, he barked once or twice and then stopped. Great! We also reviewed the obedience and attention aspects and Bruce has greatly improved.

Session 3: Bruce now barks about once per throw. Chris is OK with this, so we will allow Bruce one bark. If we did not want that bark, then we would repeat session 1. Instead, we decided to add in a NILIF component to the ball game. This time, we asked Bruce to sit before we threw the ball. We waited until he sat (this can be very hard for some dogs, since ball chasing is very fun) and then immediately threw the ball. Asking for a sit, down, sit-stay or down-stay gives Bruce a job to do besides just chasing the ball. It also teaches impulse control, since he must think about what he is doing.

Now, Chris is happy that Bruce is not constantly barking at her. Their relationship has improved and Chris feels like she can take Bruce to class and actually work with him.

Please note that the names, ages, and breeds of the dogs featured in the case studies have been changed.

Barking - Part 1

2011-08-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Types of Barking

Barking is one of the most common complaints that owners have about their shelties, whether it is a rescue sheltie or not. There are a lot of different types of barking, but I group them into 4 major categories. Any dog can exhibit any of these types of barking—sometimes at the same time. The first part of reducing barking is to identify the type of barking.

Demand barking - The dog barks at a person in order to get something. This type of barking is very easy to fix. Typical examples of this type of barking are: When playing, the sheltie will bark at the owner to throw the ball or Frisbee again. The barking stops when the play resumes. Some shelties will bark at other shelties to try to initiate play.

Some shelties will demand bark when they want attention, food or to go outside.

Alert barking - The dog barks because of something. Typical examples of this type of barking are: Barking at the UPS driver, barking at activity happening in the neighborhood, leash reactivity—barking at things while on leash

Boredom based barking - The dog barks at everything. These dogs do not tend to be fearful, but are very smart and very active.

Fear based barking - The dog barks at a person or thing, but it is fear based. This type of barking often includes the other categories, but also has a fear element. In this case, we train a bit differently than for non-fear based barking issues.

When working with a problem barker, we first need to evaluate the dog, its environment, its health and activity levels and its overall outlook. Then, we need to set up a well-rounded training program, since problem barking is solved through a combination of training and often minor changes in the dog’s household and how its owners interact with the dog.

Next time: Case Study 1: Bruce, the demand barker!

Robbie's Graduation

2009-05-15T07:42:00.004-04:00

Robbie graduated from his Dog Romp 2 class last week. We worked on the following things in the class:

Look At That
Sit-stay (with distractions)
Down-stay (with distractions)
Loose leash walking
Ring a bell
CGC: Greeting a friendly stranger

He would typically bark as people entered the building and then settle right down. I have decided to repeat the class with him so that we will have a better foundation for the Rally class that follows.

Ella - weight check

2009-04-07T14:01:00.003-04:00

Ella had her weight checked yesterday. She now weighs 22.8 pounds. At her last check, she weighed 23.8, so she is down by 1 pound! Only 4 more pounds to go!

Here is what she gets with each meal (2 meals per day):

1/4 cup kibble (reduced on long training days)
1/4 cup cooked veggies (increased on long training days)
0.2 mg Soloxine (thyroid)

Treats:
1 small Old Mother Hubbard biscuit (after late night potty)
1 stuffed Kong (yogurt, kibble)
training treats (these are high calorie) - enough for 10 minutes of training

Exercise:
20-30 minutes of Frisbee with Robbie each day
20-30 minutes of playing with the other dogs

Saccarappa Show and Go

2009-03-24T10:04:00.003-04:00

Ella and I spent Sunday at the Show and Go in Westbrook. We had a great time hanging out with other dog people. The building was quiet, there was plenty of parking and there were not a lot of people.

What we did right:
Ella peed 3 times outside on cue.
She stayed in her crate without crying.
She only greeted dogs with permission (though this still needs work).
She did not act nervous.
She entered the building nicely, without trying to run away.
Ella stood in place for the Stand Walk Around!
Ella took the jump nicely.

What we need improvement on:
Entering the ring.
Removing the leash and holding the collar.
Off leash heeling.
Distractions on the floor (food, stains on the flooring, etc).
Not sniffing the signs.
Me knowing where she is while doing the course.
Not skipping signs.
Pressure from the judge (Why is this stranger following us around?!?)

What I wish didn’t happen:
Ella stealing Donna’s string cheese (sigh).
Me touching Ella in the ring (she thought I was correcting her and decided that she had had enough, but I was really just patting her and moving her closer to me).
Ella trying to leave the ring and being afraid of the judge when she did that.

I will admit that Sunday night, I was feeling very discouraged. I could not stop going over what we did wrong and I worried that we would be abysmal failures at our trial in April, which is only 3 weeks away. I had to think hard about what we did right and completely focus on that. If I don’t then I will be so nervous that we will be bound to fail in April. So, I have some goals for the remaining time we have before the Casco Bay trials and a few goals for the trial itself.

I want to point out that I deliberately did not choose “Qualifying” as one of my goals. This is because it really puts pressure on us. If Ella and I were able to attend more classes and more fun matches, then our goals might be different. We might have to use these trials this year just as training and getting used to the show atmosphere.

Next three weeks:
Practice heeling for 5 minutes each day.
Work on signs.
Run a few courses.
Work on leash removal and collar grabs.

Day of the trial:
Enter ring smoothly.
Take off leash without stress.
Do the first 3 signs well.

Stand p.3

2009-03-19T09:18:00.003-04:00

We are making progress.

Ella held her stand while I stepped one step to the right and then while I stepped one step to the left. She also held it as I stepped backwards 2 steps.

Then, this morning, she held the stand for 7 seconds (10 out of 10 times).

Our goals for the stand:

Hold stand while I walk around her counterclockwise.
Go from a down to a stand (she now goes from a sit to a stand).
Hold stand while I walk away from her 20 feet.
Hold stand while I stay beside her and judge (read: stanger) touches her.
Hold stand while I walk away 20 feet and judge touches her and I return.
Do all of the above in a noisy area.

Now that she understands what I want, we will move towards these goals surprisingly fast.

Ring a Bell

2009-03-13T15:19:00.002-04:00

Robbie has improved greatly over the past week:

He sits with one verbal cue and will hold the sit for 10 seconds and while I back up and return for 5 feet.

He downs with one cue and no longer needs to paw me before he downs. He will also hold the down for 3 seconds and while I back up two feet.

He will touch my hand with his nose when I cue him. He will jump up to touch my hand. He will also touch a target stick and he will follow the target stick about 2 feet in order to touch it.

He will place his paw in my hand when cued. He will also paw a bell when the bell is presented to him. I have begun introducing a verbal cue for paw/hand (shake) and paw/bell (ring).

Two More Trials

2009-03-13T15:15:00.001-04:00

Ella is now signed up for two more Rally trials:

May 2, 3 - York County Kennel Club (Acton)

May 16, 17 - Vacationland Dog Club (Scarborough)

Stand p.2

2009-03-13T15:12:00.002-04:00

We took a day off from training, since Tuesday night's session was full of frustration.

Thursday, we re-tried the stand and it had sunk in. Ella stood and held the stand for 3 seconds each time. I just needed to wait until she fully planted her rear feet.

Now, to introduce more duration.

Note: we tried the stand on Tuesday on the couch, on the floor and on the table. She would not stand unless I lured her or pressed my hand against her belly.

Robbie's Practice

2009-03-10T09:45:00.004-04:00

Robbie has also been working on new behaviors. We are getting ready to start a new class in a week and I have been polishing some of his cues.

Sit
Robbie is quite good at sit. I have introduced a verbal cue and he will sit when given the verbal cue, the hand signal and both together. We have begun working on distance (3 steps back, 2 steps sideways) and duration (5 seconds).

Down
Robbie has some superstitious behavior trained into his down. He thinks that he has to touch me with his paw - sometimes on the hand, sometimes on the leg, sometimes on the foot. He will sometimes even jump up and paw my hand while I hold it up and then do a down. This is because I worked on touch, paw and down all together and he confused the three. So now, I am working on asking for a down (90% fluency), giving a hand signal while standing (95% fluency) and not clicking for the superstitious behavior. So, if he downs, but paws me first, no click. I have also been working on duration (3 seconds) and distance (2 steps back).

Touch
Robbie will jump up to touch my hand, touch either hand and touch a target stick. He does not yet follow a moving hand or target stick, so we are working on that.

Paw/Shake
This a default behavior for Robbie. He loves to paw things. I have not yet introduced a verbal cue for this. He will paw a cupped hand (which is the hand signal I use) and will paw a bell. I plan to ask him to do a high five, too, but we haven't trained it.

Some other behaviors that we might need to work on but haven't: loose leash walking, heeling, recalls, and any other behaviors that Ella has been working on.

Robbie and I have also been working on some Control Unleashed work, too, in preparation for the class. We works a few times with children and in the car at busy places. We still need to generalize many of the listed behaviors and work on proofing them.

Teaching Stand

2009-03-10T09:29:00.005-04:00

One of the Rally Advanced signs that Ella needs to learn is the Stand Walk Around Dog sign. At this sign, Ella sits in heel position, then stands and remains standing while I walk around her. I resume heel position and we continue on.

Stand is a behavior that has been problematic for us. Ella has never been shown in "breed" and does not know how to do a stacked stand. This type of stand is not required, but she has to stay in place and plant her feet while I walk around her.

We started working on stand about a year ago. It is fairly easy to teach a basic stand from a sit. You hold a piece of food in front of the dog's nose and move it forward slowly. As they stand to get the treat, you click and release the treat. Ella picked that up very quickly.

The problem is that she won't stop shifting her back feet. And, she will not hold a stand. There could be a few reasons for this:

She thinks that the behavior I am looking for is actually a touch, so she follows my hand.

She has been taught to orient to me and moves her body so that she faces me.

She is too food oriented and following my hand in the hopes of a treat.

She is responding to body pressure and moving her rear away from me (like with the pivots, which is a natural behavior).

Some of the same problems that we experienced with these two signs are cropping up now. We eventually fixed the problems, but it took some extra practice (and patience).

One of the things that we did for those signs that worked was to increase the duration of the behavior. So, I have begun working with Ella on long stands. She is at 3 seconds right now. That means, she will hold position for 3 seconds before she starts moving her feet. I have to be sure to click her before her feet move, so that she will begin to learn that stand means plant her feet and do not move them.

Then, once Ella realizes that she should hold the stand for as long as I ask, we will start to work on holding that stand while I move around. I might back up on step (or, even just shift my weight to begin), step to one side, back up two steps and so on.

Some trainers suggest that I hold Ella where I want her and walk around her. While this might work for some dogs, it is aversive for Ella and she will get worried and I will have to stop the session (she will not participate any more).

Note: This is another behavior I would like to have ready for the April trials, but if we don't, then we'll just have to take our chances!

Step stool training - part 2

2009-03-10T09:21:00.005-04:00

Session 6 - Saturday

Ella and I continued working on the stool. In this session, we made two complete rotations around the stool to the left and one to the right. I am going to transition her to a small, round box instead of a stool, since it will be easier for the two of us to go around it.

Session 7 - Saturday pm at Mom's house

Ella showed off her stool prowess and did a complete left rotation on a small square stool and on a round stool at my Mother's house. She did this in the living room while my niece was playing nearby.

Session 8 - Monday pm

Ella will now rotate around the stool to the left with only small movements from me. To the right is harder and she keeps wanting to step off the stool. So, we started working on duration on the stool. Ella will stay on the stool for 5 seconds now.

Note: In order to transition Ella from the stool to the floor and into Rally pivots, I am going to have to fade the stool, introduce a cue for left and right rotation and make sure she understands that she should maintain heel position while doing this. Each of those steps must be broken down into smaller steps and each small step taught to fluency. We may or may not accomplish this by our April trials.

Step stool training - part 1

2009-03-06T13:10:00.006-05:00

Ella and I have begun training rear end awareness using a step stool. The trainer in the previous post's video used a book and we will eventually phase to that, but the higher step stool works better for us right now (I do not have to bend as far to deliver treats and Ella knows she is on something).

Session 1 - last Thursday

Ella does not shape very well. She tends to offer behaviors that she is fluent in, rather than thinking about what I just clicked and repeating that. So, when I train with Ella, I often have to lure her a bit and then she will make huge jumps in understanding.

I started the session and tried to shape her to step on the step stool. After a minute or two, she was offering to paw the stool, which was amazing, since she doesn't usually paw things. But, she would not go further than that and started to get frustrated. So, I took out a treat and lured her up there (front feet). After luring 3 times, she offered the behavior without luring. Then, when she was offering the behavior, I upped my criteria to have some duration (3 seconds).

Session length: 5 minutes (after shaping portion)

Non-session work

I store the step stool next to the container that I keep the dog food in. This really solidified Ella's confidence in getting on and off the stool, since she was able to see into the container and that was rewarding to her. As I scooped out food, I would occasionally give her a piece to reward her.

Session 2 - Sunday

Ella immediately offered front paws on the stool at the beginning of the session. In fact, she offered a little too much behavior. She was all over that stool. Front paws on, one paw on, four paws on, jump over, circle the stool. So, I asked for a long down and she calmed.

I then indicated that I wanted her to put her front paws on the stool (up). I asked for duration a few times (7 seconds). Then, I asked her to stay in position while I moved. I only moved one step to the left or one to the right.

My final goal is to move into her so that she has to shift her back feet around the stool in a circle. This is a pivot and she has to be able to do them in both directions (this is important for Rally).

Session length: 5 minutes

Session 3 - Wednesday

During this session, we worked on varying durations (up to 10 seconds) and movement from me. While she did really well with duration, she was not keen on maintaining her feet on the stool while I moved. So, I need to change how I am doing that portion.

Session length: 3 minutes

Session 4 - Thursday

During this session, we worked on movement. Ella still steps off the stool when I move into her (from the right or the left). So, I stopped and I worked on getting her to be on the stool in heel position - she was only C/T when she was on the stool in heel position.

Session length: 3 minutes

Session 5 - Friday morning

I decided to lure Ella during this session. When she was on the stool, I held a treat in my left hand, stood next to her and moved into her space (to my left). She had to shift her back feet. As soon as she shifted, C/T. I upped criteria for this very quickly - if she wanted the treat, she had to move her feet a quarter turn around the stool.

Session length: 5 minutes.

Tonight and this weekend, I will be working with Ella to move around the stool next to me, both to the left and to the right. I should also point out that I do similar session of this with Robbie. He is not to the level that Ella is yet, though, since he is also working on perfecting his down.

Rear End Awareness Video

2009-03-06T13:07:00.006-05:00

You would think that dogs have a natural awareness of their back ends, but they don't. Some behaviors in agility and rally require rear end awareness. This video shows one way to do that. I will write further on how Ella and I are working on the things that this Corgi is able to do. Be sure to check out this trainer's other YouTube videos, too, since they are all great!

Dog Pyramid

2009-03-03T13:02:00.006-05:00

Some of my favorite dog supply sites are Clean Run, Dogwise and Pet Expertise. I recently placed an order from Clean Run for some agility books and decided to order one of these.

It is called a Dog Pyramid created by The Company of Animals in the UK. The bottom of the toy is weighted (like a Weeble Wobble) and there is one hole where food goes in (and comes out). This is a noisy, hard plastic toy (non toxic), but it is interactive, so I thought it would be fun for Possum, since she likes playing with toys and this one won’t roll away from her.

I put about ½ cup of kibble in there (it holds more than that) and set it down for her to play with. She spent about 45 minutes playing with it. The dog has to whack it fairly hard in order for it to tip enough for food to fall out. Of course, the more food that is in there, the easier it is for the dog to get the food out.

Possum is now sleeping and Ella is playing with the refilled Pyramid. Again, this is a pretty noisy toy, but Ella is having a fun time trying to get that food out of there. 30 minutes and there are still some pieces rattling around and she hasn’t given up yet. Nor has she become frightened by the noise it makes.

Not only that, but the toy is teaching her to use her paws instead of just her nose (if you recall, Ella tends to be a nose only dog, not a paw oriented dog, and I sometimes lament teaching her to use her paws).

The hole is fairly small – a piece of Solid Gold kibble just fits (I used Halo brand food in it). A small funnel would be useful if you want an entire dinner's worth of food in there. The hole is also the only spot that my small dogs can get a hold of in order to carry it around. It is about 7 – 8 inches in height and surprisingly heavy. I wouldn’t recommend that this toy be left with extreme chewers, but with supervision or dogs that just play with it, it is a great toy. Nor would I recommend that you put any soft food in it, since it is one piece and cleaning it would be nigh impossible!

All in all, this is a great toy.

It retails for $16.95 from Clean Run.

PS. When I was adding more food, I dropped the toy from counter height onto the floor. Not a scratch. On floor or toy.

Tricks

2009-02-27T08:54:00.002-05:00

The ClickSolutions website has a lovely list of tricks we can teach. Let’s see how many Ella and Robbie know.

Ella
Nose touch to hand
Circle around me
Nose touch to other objects

Robbie
Nose touch to hand
Shake hands
Ring bell with paw

Last night, we worked with a step stool. I want them to put both front feet on the stool. Eventually, I want all feet on the stool and I also want just the back feet on the stool. This is a fun trick to teach and also serves to stretch and strengthen muscles. It is a helpful trick to know for agility.

Ella took to the step stool like a fish to water. “What, you want me to get up on this for food? O-KAY!” It took less than 5 minutes to have all four feet on that stool. Probably, having done this in the past helped:

Robbie was a different story. He walked around the stool. Sniffed the stool (click). Bumped the stool (click). Luring him with food didn’t work – he gave up quite quickly. So, I put my hand flat on the middle of the stool with the palm up. He pawed my hand (click). Pawed hand (click). Pawed hand (click). I moved my hand to the edge furthest away from Robbie. He pawed the stool (click). Pawed stool (click). We did this 10 or so more times. Then I lowered my hand to below the stool’s edge. He looked at my hand, looked at me, looked at my hand and walked around the stool. I moved my hand so he couldn’t paw it. He went back around the stool, I put my hand back. One paw went onto the stool (click). Paw on the stool again (click). Paw on the stool again (NO click). He looked at me, looked at my hand, put one paw on the stool (NO click) and then pawed my hand with the other paw (click with JACKPOT). When I next cued him to get up on the stool, he put both paws.

Robbie and I then worked a little on pawing a Staples Easy button. He paws it just fine, but doesn’t paw it hard enough to make it speak, so we have to work on that a little.

Then I asked Robbie to down. He wanted to paw my hand (no click) and thought about things and then downed. I will be working on requiring faster responses to the cue with this one.

2009-02-20T14:52:00.002-05:00

Casco Bay Dog Training Club April Trials

2009-02-18T13:10:00.002-05:00

I mailed out Ella's entry for the Casco Bay Dog Training Club's April 11 and 12 trials in Bath.

She and I will be competing in Advanced A.

No leash.

Noisy building.

I just hope that Ella doesn't turn around in the ring and head for the door.

Beginner Agility Week 2 – Ella

2009-02-13T15:15:00.005-05:00

This week, class did not start well for Ella and I. I was tired from a very long two day conference for work and she was not impressed with the ride to Skowhegan and the classroom. The first thing she did after I took off her leash was to head straight for the door and stand there staring at it. She wanted to go home.

After a minute where I composed myself (when I get tired, I tend to burst into tears, which sucks), we grabbed a jump and went all the way to the back of the room away from the others. Ella and I practiced jumping where she sat and I called her over the jump. Then I walked by the jump and asked her to jump. Then I jogged and she jumped. After we had done the jump with me jogging a few times, then we went back and worked as part of the group.

During this class, we worked on two things: taking a series of jumps (2, in this case) and working in the tunnel.

Ella tried valiantly to stay right at my side (heel position) as we worked on the jumps. A couple of times, she would almost trip me, because I had to cross behind her to get in the right position to cue her over the second jump. After a few rounds, we were getting pretty good at doing two jumps.

Then we worked on the tunnel. The tunnel for class is a medium blue color. It can be really dark in there for some dogs, so practicing with this color would take some of the fear away for Ella.

We started with the tunnel lying straight. I use the cue “through” since it is only one syllable and will be fairly easy to say while I am out of breath on course.

Then we moved one end of the tunnel so that there was a 45 degree bend in one end. We spent some time sending the dogs through.

Then we moved the tunnel so that there was a 90 degree bend. Finally, we ended with a 180 degree bend (so both openings of the tunnel faced the dog).

Ella did great! She willingly entered the right side of the tunnel 90% of the time. That is, until I asked her to enter the left tunnel entrance at the end. She turned and sat down. Apparently, we didn’t generalize enough yet!

During our second hour, I worked with Ella on the lowered teeter. She would hop onto the middle and I would click her for taking one step, then two and then walking past the point where the teeter pivots (and then moves). She didn’t really like that, but did more this week than last. I made sure to have her walk to both ends of the teeter. And, I also started working with her to stop on the contact section (yellow) and sitting down – she isn’t confident enough to lie down yet.

The she got to explore the room a little and get used to the weave poles.

So, after a few glitches, we had a great class.

Front & Rear Crosses - Ella

2009-02-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

Ella and I practiced front and rear crosses last night. She gets very excited when I bring the treat bag out and jumps onto the couch and lies down. I have to spend a minute or two getting her to stay on the floor so that we can train.

The beginning step of a front cross is quite easy for us to practice, since she stays in place while I do my footwork. Since one of the skills for Rally is for her to sit while I walk around her, she has this first step down!

Rear crosses were harder. I have been focusing on rear crosses where Ella turns to the right. I hold the treat in my right hand for right turns and my left hand for left turns.

She really resisted turning to the right. Funny, since turning to the left was easy and fun for her. For a while, I thought that it might be a physical limitation. Maybe it pained her to turn in a small circle to the right. Every time we would get to 3 o’clock, she would sit.

Since she will touch a target stick, I decided to try that next. I asked her to touch and she would follow the stick to about 4 o’clock and then stop following. We tried this a few times and it wasn’t really working. She and I will have to work on following a target stick farther and in more complex patterns.

I finally figured out that she thought that I wanted her to sit, since she was originally taught sit by holding the treat over her head. When she was at my side and the lure reached 3, it was above her head, just because of her size and how far I was bending.

As soon as I realized this, I lowered the treat as I lured her in a circle and – lo! She turned all the way. I clicked and she got a jackpot. We worked on this about 10 more times. Each time that she turned, her body became more fluid.

We ended the session with some puppy sit ups.

Robbie practiced down a few times. Then, he had a bath.

Road Trip!

2009-02-09T15:10:00.004-05:00

Robbie, Ella and I went on a short road trip Sunday. We traveled up to visit Kathy and her shelties and to see how Charlie, Kathy’s new foster, was doing. It was a beautiful day for it!

Before we left, Robbie and I did a little training. He touched my hand with no lure, did a few downs with no lures and sat (slowly). Gosh, we really need to work on the speed of his sit!

Then we piled into the car. We stopped at Petco for some styptic powder before we got to Kathy’s. R&E accompanied me into the store. Ella has been in big box pet stores on many occasions and she handled the visit quite well. She looked around, took treats from me, and was not really scared.

Robbie, on the other hand, was over threshold – he wouldn’t take treats. But, even though he wouldn’t take treats, he was very interested in the sights and smells. It was just after the store opened for the day, so there were very few customers and no one bothered us. Robbie followed Ella’s lead but his tail was slightly tucked and he was quite happy to leave once we cashed out.

At Kathy's, Ella and Robbie stayed in the car while I went inside and helped with nails and grooming. Everyone had their nails trimmed and everyone behaved quite well. Charlie was a bit standoffish, but he willing took treats from me when I sat next to him on the couch. He will make a fine sheltie for someone!

Then Kathy let her dogs out into the fenced in area and everyone had a barkfest – Robbie and Ella decided that they wanted to be in the car (on the other side of the fence). This, plus the pet store, made Robbie a little more reactive that day.

We went home and I did a few chores and then we all had a nice nap.

For dinner, we went to my mother’s house and my nieces came, too. Robbie reacts to my nieces by barking at them. He reacts when they move quickly and when they are noisy. If they sit quietly, he ignores them.

Robbie and I did some training so that he would not bark at the girls while they moved around and the girls were quite good about moving slowly when they were in the room with him.

Most of the time, Robbie and I stayed in the kitchen and the girls stayed in the living room with their grandfather. This kept two rooms between us and was just enough so that Robbie could focus on me while we trained. When Robbie turned his head in the direction of the living room (he was focusing on the noise they were making), I clicked and treated him. We did this for about 15 minutes while my mom and sister finished getting dinner ready.

Robbie barked once or twice at my oldest niece before we sat down to dinner, but responded nicely to me (he came for a treat when I clicked him for not barking) and then he laid quietly in the corner while everyone ate. He was given treats for this nice behavior.

We left soon after dinner so he was only exposed to the girls for a short amount of time. He did really well with this and I was pleased with his progress. And, I was pleased with how well the girls did, too!

While this was not the ideal training set up, I managed to make it work well for all of us. It took a lot of concentration on my part and I would not make all the sessions like this, but it did give me a good idea of where Robbie’s threshold was for the girls.

Beginner Agility Class Week 1 – Ella

2009-02-09T12:16:00.003-05:00

Ella and I attended her beginner agility class last Wednesday. We signed up for two classes in one evening – Beginner Agility 1 & 2. It is a very small class, which is what Ella needs.

We practiced going over jumps. Ella has been jumping off and on and I use the cue “jump.” It is a one syllable word and will be easy to say while I am running around the field breathless.

Ella did not like one of the other teams in the class, though. The dog was very talkative and the owner used large movements and moved quickly. As long as I was between her and that team, she was OK with working. So, as a result, Ella would not jump over a jump if she was between them and me. Instead, she would run behind me or around the jump to avoid them. This made the first hour difficult for us. I ended up giving her treats for watching the other team being wild.

Thankfully, most agility trials that we have seen have a 10 foot barrier around the ring gates for the field. This should keep most dogs far enough away from Ella to keep her from feeling scared. And, in time, she will become used to the way other teams are.

The second hour was a bit more successful, since Ella and I were the only students. My goal was to have her become more confident around the teeter. We lowered the teeter down to as low as it would go and I clicked and treated Ella for any interaction with the teeter.

She started by offering one paw on the teeter (this is something I have been shaping her to do, since she isn’t much of a paw dog). Then she started to step with two front paws. Sometimes she would hop over the teeter. Other times, she would have all four feet on the teeter. At that point, she was jackpotted!

Then I started working with her walking up and down the teeter. When she walked down one side, the teeter wouldn’t move. When she walked down the other, it would move a few inches to the ground. When she was on that end, then she would get a jackpot of cheese. At that point, I jackpotted her whether or not she remained on the teeter when it moved.

I save the really high value treats, like cheese, for the harder equipment. She knows then that what she has done is really special.

We spent the last half hour playing with a ball, talking to the teacher and having her run through the tunnel. That was great because she has started to pick up speed on the tunnel and she comes out of it with her ears up, rather than half way laid back (indicating that she is worried).

Our homework was to practice front and rear crosses. I have to admit that we haven’t spent much time doing that!

When I left the class, I was torn by how I felt about agility. It didn’t feel as though we accomplished much that night. I was thinking about how hard it was to learn a new skill and how frustrating it was for me to not know the terminology and to get Ella to understand what I wanted. It is also frustrating when your dog catches on faster than you do!

But, as I reflected on this during the weekend, I felt the same way about Rally and now she and I are having a lot of fun practicing for upcoming trials. It will just take time and practice and breaking things down into small steps. We’ll get there!

*Thank you, Clan Duncan, for the great web art!

Training - Ella and Robbie

2009-02-02T11:43:00.006-05:00

Saturday

Ella, Robbie and I drove down to the Post Office. Well, I drove and they rode. The parking lot was quite full, so I had a lot of opportunities to play "Catch a Glance" with Robbie. There was a man in a baseball cap driving a loud truck, an older lady with a walker and then an older couple who had bulky jackets on. There were a few more people, but those listed are the ones that stood out.

We sat in the car and Robbie was clicked and treated for watching quietly. We trained while sitting in the car. He watched (and I clicked) as the people pulled up in their cars, got out of their cars, walked into the PO, walked around in the PO (Robbie could see them through the windows), walked back to their cars, climbed in and drove off. He woofed once, showed tight whiskers once (this happens right before he makes the woof) and watched nicely the rest of the time.

Ella heard the same click that Robbie did, so essentially was clicked for staring intently at the treat bag. This might seem like a bad thing, but I think it really helped with our session on Sunday.

When I left the car to get my mail, Robbie watched quietly for me, but did not bark. Yippee!! That is awesome progress for him.

At home, Ella and Robbie each practiced with me for 5 minutes individually:

Ella practiced sit-stay (with me walking around the corner and back), down, touch (target stick) and heeling between the living room and kitchen.
Robbie practiced sit, down, attention and touch. He is really slow on the sit and tends to stare at my hand that is holding the clicker, so I have to remember to hide it behind my back. I lured the down, which he picked up on quite quickly. The next time we practice, I will only lure him once or twice to see if he is getting it quicker. Robbie only has one behavior on cue right now - sit.

Sunday

Ella and I attended the sheltie club's rally practice on Sunday morning. It was an hour long practice. There is no instruction - people just get together with their dogs and set up some practice Rally courses.

Ella tends to lag and not make eye contact with me when we heel.

One possible reason for this might be because I have taught her to lag. I don't really think so, though, because I have always clicked her for heeling in the proper position.
Another reason might be because she learned to lag when I had terrible ring nerves at our first trial. Again, this might be a small factor, but not enough to make her lag all the time.
The third reason that she might lag could be because I have not taught her how to heel everywhere. In other words, she heels great at home - trotting nicely, eyes on me, happy sheltie smile. But, she does not do this other places. So, I haven't proofed (generalized and added distractions) her enough!

When I first taught Ella to heel, we used a target stick (she is too short for me to get her to touch my hand while I am walking normally). In order to use one, your dog needs to know how to "touch." Ella will try to touch that target stick while I am trotting, while I hold it above her head or if she has to jump up on stuff to get to it. I have proofed Ella well on "touch."

So, I hold the target stick in heel postion and ask Ella to touch it. She gets clicked for touching it when I give her the cue while I am walking. I drop the treat on the floor and I continue walking while she picks it up. Then I ask her to touch the stick again, so that she has to run to get back into heel postion. She likes this game and will target that stick even when we do about turns and 360 turns.

She would also walk alongside me and look up happily. This might be due to our special work on Saturday where she got clicked for looking at the treat bag - she would look at my face and then the treat bag while we were heeling on Sunday. I would often click her when her eyes met mine and she was maintaining heel (when she hadn't been cued for touching the target).

We practiced heeling for at least 20 minutes. Then, we practiced heeling with a sit. That means that Ella stops when I stop and sits while maintaining heel position. The clicker came in very handy with this, since she tended to forge ahead of me and not pay attention to when I was stopping. She would sit 10 inches forward of where she should be. So, I would have her touch the stick, then stop and ask her to sit.

After a few times, she was sitting on one cue of sit (no touch cue) in heel position. Ella has been clicker trained since she was a pup, so is very clicker saavy and learns very quickly now.

We then joined the other two people and walked through some cones in order to practice the serpentine and the spiral signs. The first time we tried it, Ella did not maintain heel position. So, I sped up my pace and used the taget stick frequently. After that, I just pointed with my finger to heel postion and she maintained it (I will fade the pointing once she is reliably holding that position and I have introduced the "heel" cue).

We then ran a course. We did a sit, moving side step right (which we need to work on), halt 1-2-3 sit (which she did perfectly), slow pace (again, she maintained heel), spriral, serpentine (she knocked a cone over) and an about turn.

We still need to work a lot on heeling, since this is the place where our performace will break down. But, she did an amazing job yesterday. I am very proud of her.

Canine Good Citizen

2009-01-26T09:18:00.003-05:00

I recieved my approval from the AKC this morning to be a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator!

There was a 30 question test - I answered all 30 questions correctly! Of course, there was no time limit, so it was pretty easy.

Robbie's Private Lesson

2009-01-22T12:20:00.004-05:00

Robbie and I had a private lesson yesterday with Sumac Grant-Johnson. Her training facility, Wag-It in Lincolnville, is awesome! Sumac is a clicker and positive reinforcement trainer, like I am. That means that she does not train using collar pops (jerk on the leash) or other types of positive punishment. It has been difficult to find a trainer that will work with my dogs the same way that I do. Physical punishment like collar pops may work in the short term and they can seem to work faster. But that might not be the case – the dog might just be repressing the problem behavior. My preferred methods actually change the fundamental way a dog feels (in a good way) and that works better in the long term. It also works better for my peace of mind, since I am not adding to my dog's stress.

Robbie is reactive to things around him. He is also hyper-vigilant (constantly scanning his environment).

I had to choose what 3 things I wanted to work on. This was difficult, since Robbie’s 3 things tie together. I chose his barking, his running towards and barking at strangers and his issues with children. All three of these things relate to Robbie’s confidence. All three are also triggered by movement, which is a part of his breed heritage. Herding breeds work with movement and are attuned to it.

So, we played a few games with Robbie.

The first one was targeting my finger. He will target my finger as long as I stand still. We have to work on him targeting while I am moving. To do this, I am going to teach him to target a target stick instead, since he is so little and I can’t move and bend over at the same time! Targeting is a good way to get your dog’s attention.

The second game was Sumac’s version of the “Look at That” game, developed by Leslie McDevitt in her book Control Unleashed. Sumac calls her version “Catch a Glance” (CAG) and does not introduce a verbal cue like Leslie does. This game helps me to help Robbie acknowledge something in his environment and then refocus on me. We played this game for quite a while – when the heater came on, when it went off, when the trainer moved suddenly, etc.

Robbie and I also played frisbee for awhile. He loves to play fetch almost as much as he loves food, so this was a great way to get him to stop focusing on his fears and to get used to the building. While throwing the frisbee, I accidentally threw it too close to the agility tunnel. Robbie ran to the frisbee and then ran away, without the frisbee. Sumac spent some time showing me how to get Robbie used to being near the tunnel using food. After that, when the frisbee would land close to the tunnel, he would run to the frisbee, pause and then sniff the tunnel. Then he would pick up the frisbee and bring it back.

My job now is to take Robbie places and play the CAG game with him at a distance from the things that bother him. As he gets better at it, we will move closer. While we are training, I can not allow him to engage in his fearful behavior towards what he is afraid of. In order to do that without confrontation, I have to limit Robbie’s exposure to children (his biggest fear) while we work on this. And, I have to set up times when we specifically train.

This is going to take work, patience and commitment. But, if you could have seen the improvement that I saw in him when we left the building! Not only that, but I felt much more confident that I could help him with these issues. More motivated, too.

As we were driving away, we had to stop on the road to allow a truck to pull another truck out of the snow bank. The people around the truck had on firemen uniforms and hats. Robbie and I played CAG for a minute or two and then he just quietly watched their unsuccessful (and then successful) attempts to get that truck out. No hard eyes or stiff whiskers. His posture was soft and relaxed.

He was the same way when we went through the McDonald’s drive through so I could get a cocoa. There were even 2 dogs barking at each other from different cars. He would normally have chimed right in, but we played CAG and he just watched. He just watched as I handed the money over and just watched as I got my cocoa. He also just watched as we passed a crew of electric line workers.

Then he napped the rest of the way home. In his own seat. He was really pooped.

While I saw improvement yesterday, we still have a lot of work to do. My next goal for him is for him to be ready for a class in March.

I think that he and I will take a ride to Walmart Friday night (if the weather isn't bad) and sit in the parking lot, people watch and play CAG. That way, we can see all kinds of people, but do not have to interact with them just yet (i.e., they won't want to pet him if he is in my car).

Pawprint

2009-01-16T07:57:00.004-05:00

From Robbie's good back leg.

Confidence

2009-01-16T07:43:00.006-05:00

This is what happens when you help your sheltie become more confident and daring.

She actually pushed the drawer to make room for her back feet.

And, her front feet are balanced on those bowls.

Rally Videos & Books

2009-01-13T12:31:00.005-05:00

When I first started Rally with Ella, I found some awesome videos by Ruthann McCaulley. Ms. McCaulley is a rally instructor and judge and has also written an excellent e-book called Doodle by Design. This book is over 400 pages and is packed with pictures and instructions. She goes over each sign and also writes about fundamental cues that the dog must learn. She has innovative ways to teach a straight front and how to help small dogs with heeling. I really believe that this book made our performance better.

Another useful book is called Click Your Way to Rally Obedience by Pam Dennison. This book explains each sign for AKC and ADPT rally and how to encorporate the clicker into your rally training routine.

Of course, if you are going to compete in Rally, then you need to know the rules. For AKC rally, you have to register your dog and you need to read the Obedience Rules and the Rally Rules, since the Rally rules refer back to the Obedience rules. Thankfully, these are both in the same book! You can also find AKC rally events in your area by visiting the AKC website and clicking on events.

APDT rally is very similar to AKC rally except that both pure bred dogs and mixed breed dogs can compete. You are allowed to use food at certain times and in certain places, which you can not do in AKC rally. You have to register your dog to compete in these events, too, and you can find everything you need, including the APDT rules and events, on the APDT website.

Lastly, there is a great Yahoo Group that has free downloads, lots of helpful advice and a great group of people who also compete and judge Rally! You can find the group here.

Nail Trimming Video

2009-01-13T12:23:00.003-05:00

This is one of the best videos I have found that shows how to train your dog to allow you to clip his nails. If you do not want to use a clicker, you can use a verbal marker like the word "yes" instead.

2009 Goals: Ella

2009-01-13T10:55:00.003-05:00

I have signed Ella up for a beginner agility class. It starts on February 4 and runs for 4 weeks. We are going to take the class from an instructor near us in Skowhegan.

In the meantime, I have been working on getting Ella hyped up about toys. She is usually a food fixated sheltie and I have only trained with food in the past. But, it seems to be important to have your dog be able to play with toys when you do agility. It increases the drive of the dog.

I found a tug toy that we use just for agility. It is a polar fleece braided tug, but the maker also braided in rabbit fur. Ella loves it and will tug quite well. It has seemed to get her a little excited. Honestly, though, I can get her more excited by running around waving my arms and laughing. She gets really nippy when I do that!

The plan is to still use food to get her used to the equipment. She loves the jumps and jumping on the table (I use "Get on that couch" as a cue, since we use that term at Nana's house). She learned to run through the tunnel quickly, too. I think the dog walk will be pretty easy. The A Frame and the teeter will be the hardest, but we can just compete in the Jumpers class (jumps and tunnels) until she is ready for the other equipment.

My goal with Ella is accuracy first and then speed, since I know that she can put on the speed once she is confident with the equipment. And, my biggest goal is for her to have fun.

Nail Trimming - Part 1

2009-01-12T14:25:00.005-05:00

For the past two weeks, I have been concentrating on getting all of the dogs to accept having their nails trimmed. This is going to take awhile, since I was relying on groomers to do this and I think that the clippers are now a very aversive signal for the dogs. This is my own fault, but I am absolutely positive that I can fix this.

I will admit that it is a pain in the butt to get the grooming table out and train on this every night or so! But, it will be worth it in the long run.

Since nails that are too long can change the way a dog walks, I want to make sure that my dogs have very short nails. A good rule of thumb is that the nail should be short enough so that you do not hear the dog click on a hard floor when it walks.

The equipment that I gather before each training session:

Grooming table with arm and leash.
Treats - I like to use 1x1 squares of freeze dried chicken liver treats that I purchased at Green Acres Kennel in Bangor. They are a lot bigger than the "pea sized" treats that clicker training suggests, but I can not do this training with a clicker, since I am not coordinated enough. And, the treats are large enough that the dog takes a few seconds to chew it (or, for it to melt in their mouth, since it is mostly air and disintegrates when wet). I'll explain more below on why I like this.
Nail trimmers. I bought a new set, since my old ones were looking pretty dull. I do not use the guillotine type clippers, since those can actually crush hard nails like Maggie's and she doesn't cry out when I use the scissor type ones.
Styptic pads, just in case.

What I do:

Place dog on grooming table and give treat.
While dog is eating the treat, slip the leash over their head. Then give another treat.
Show dog the clippers and give a treat. After this, I give the treat first and work very fast.
Hold paw, give treat and manipulate the hair on the feet. Do not squeeze the paw. And, be ready to give another treat when they relax the paw a little. This will help them to realize that they need to hold the paw still and relaxed, not pull it back from you.
Hold paw, give treat and clip a nail. Since I am doing nails every three nights or so, I am only taking off a very tiny bit - like, a couple of millimeters. Tiny tiny! This is so I can clip a little each night and not hit the dog's quick.
Repeat step 5 until all the nails on one paw are clipped. Then, give a jackpot of a couple of treats.
Repeat steps 5-6 on the next paw.
Do no more than 2 paws a session.

Other notes:

I repeated step 4 above for a week of sessions before I clipped any nails.
I do not push the dog. Some nights, I can only clip one or two nails. Other nights, I can clip a few paws. Just like any training session.
Keep the paws in line with their bodies in their natural range of motion. In other words, don't yank the dogs leg out sideways and expect them to like it. They have to adjust their balance when you pick up a paw, so they are getting used to that, too, while you are doing this.
Sometimes, I just put them on the table, give them a treat and them put them down.
Sometimes, they are on the table for a brushing, too, so I do not do nails when I am brushing, since I want the nail sessions to be short. Later, when nail trimming is easy, I will combine it with a grooming session.

Report on the dog's progress:

Each dog has been having his/her nails clipped every 3-4 days. But, I am only taking the tiniest sliver off!
I mark on the calendar when I have trimmed someone's nails. This helps me keep track of who is next for a session and to measure my progress.
Ella is getting much better. I can hold her paw and either trim the hair or the nail for a few seconds before she starts to pull. That means that she lets me take her foot, comb the hair and trim a few cuts before she starts pulling. Her nails are getting shorter each day and she no longer makes click noises when she walks. While her nails were never really long, I am sure that her feet feel better! I also continue to give Ella one treat for each nail to reinforce the training. It is still aversive for her to have her nails done, so she will get lots of treats until this becomes so routine that I do not see any calming signals while I cut.
Robbie has never liked his nails done. He will actually cry and get really scared. In just doing this for the past 2 weeks, he will now allow me to cut one nail for one treat. We have not tried trimming his hair with scissors yet (he is terrified of those).
Maggie's nails are very difficult to cut, because they are hard and black, and she used to grab my arm (gently) when I tried to trim her nails. It was a mojor to-do when I got her on the table. Now, she will let me do one nail for one treat and I can do two paws in one session. This alone is an awesome, since her nails are like swords when they get too long.
I use peanut butter with Bear. I attach a spoon to the grooming arm with tape and spread peanut butter on it. He licks it while I clip his nails and feet. This works better because he usually tried to turn around on the table looking for treats and this keeps him distracted and in one place.
Possum uses the peanut butter spoon, too.
The peanut butter spoon does not work for Ella, Robbie and Maggie because their nails are harder and not clear. They also need a lot more incentive to allow the nail trimming to happen. In fact, they will ignore the peanut butter in favor of not letting me trim! So, I have to use the barter method with them.
Grace sits on the couch while I trim her nails and she lets me do all of them at once. Hers are soft and clear like Possum's and Bear's. Trimming the hair is a one-paw per session affair.
Chummy also sits on the couch while I trim his nails. He doesn't really like it, but will allow me to do it and not move. He will also offer his left paw the entire time I am clipping his nails - it is a submissive gesture for him - he wants me to shake his paw.

I'll do an update in a week or two to see how things are going.

2009 Goals - Discussion

2009-01-12T14:02:00.003-05:00

In my previous post, I listed my yearly goals for my pack of dogs. I did leave one of the dogs out, though. Maggie is a great little dog, but will be very hard to train for her CGC, since she does not like to come when called. This might be due to her past, since I adopted her at age 5. Or, it just might be that she would rather visit everyone in the room before coming back to me. She is a people gregarious dog and is very good with Possum, my blind and deaf sheltie. I would like to get her her CGC title next year, since it will take me a long time to get her to come reliably.

Nail trimming:
Possum is really the only one that doesn't mind having her nails trimmed. Mostly because she is more interested in eating the peanut butter and can not see the nail clippers coming. She is also the easiest to trim because her nails are clear. Bear is the same way. But, for everyone else, they see the clippers and pull and pull, so I am going to work with them on accepting the clipping. Then we will work on other grooming stuff.

Housetraining & Possum:
Possum came to me last July. Now, she is about a year old and completely deaf and 99% blind. When she is crated, for even a very short amount of time, she completely flips out and would do herself harm if left in a crate for any amount of time. The same goes for when she is left in a room by herself. So, housetraining is going to be a very long process with her. When placed outside, she will now go to the bathroom automatically, but doesn't hold it while inside. And, she does not indicate that she needs to go out. But, we have had some breakthroughs this past weekend: she will now go out the door - on her own - and go to the bathroom when I hold the door open for the others to go outside. And, she rarely has an accident when I am at home. Getting her housetrained and to go up and down the 4 deck stairs that I have will be an amazing accomplishment. I might have to cheat a little on the stairs and make her a ramp, but either way, I want her to be able to leave the deck area herself so she can sniff around and play with the other dogs (in the fenced in area).

Ella:
Ella and I took a one hour introduction to agility class last year and joined a few of our friends at a trial. It seems like a lot of fun and just practicing the jumping has made her much more confident. She will now even jump from the couch arm to one of the stairs when really excited! So, for her, I would like to have her take a few classes, get used to the equipment and go to a trial in the fall.

Ella has also earned her CGC title, but the tester never sent the paperwork to the AKC, so I have to have her retested. She did really well at the outdoors test, so I have no doubt that she will pass elsewhere. Woofstock, which happens in August each year, has a TDI tester come and I want to have her ready for that test.

And, since she also earned her Rally Novice title last year, I want to train her so that we can get her Rally Advanced title. We will have to work hard on her heeling off leash and my ring nerves, but I have no doubt that she can easily pass.

Robbie:
Robbie has some issues that we need to work on before I can comfortably take him to class. First, he barks, which doesn't bother me. Second, he is hyper-vigilant and that needs to stop. In other words, he spends all his time constantly scanning his environment for things that might frighten him, so he can not focus on me very well. I am going to take him to a private trainer who can work with us and get him ready for a class.

Once he is able to take a class, then he is going to be a spitfire in agility. He is tiny and runs very fast and I have no doubt that he would do well. We might not be able to compete, since he is missing that hip joint (struck by a car before I adopted him) but we are going to try, since his vet said that he should be OK.

Bear:
Bear is completely deaf and so cross-eyed that I really don't know how much he sees. He always tries to take a treat out of my hand about 5 inches to the side of my hand, so we are going to have to work on treat delivery before he can learn down. Why? Because he spends all his time worrying about where the treat is rather than focusing on me to learn the cue. Once I get him to be more confident with that, then I might switch to using toys and play fetch to teach him. That is a much better reward for him and he prefers it.

2009 Goals

2009-01-12T13:19:00.004-05:00

Some of these goals are pretty easy. Others, due to issues that each dog might have, will be a lot harder.

All dogs learn to accept having their nails trimmed.

Possum becomes housetrained.

Ella takes an agility class.

Robbie takes an agility class.

Ella competes in an agility trial.

Robbie competes in an agility trial.

Ella earns her Canine Good Citizen title (again).

Robbie earns his CGC.

Bear learns "down."

Ella earns her TDI.

Ella earns her Rally Advanced title.

Robbie and Ella go on 5 hikes.

Possum learns to do the deck stairs.

After a long sleep...

2008-12-30T15:19:00.004-05:00

We're back to training. Finally.

But, first, a miracle supplement.

No, really.

Ella and the other shelties eat grass like, well, sheep. And, they never throw it up. I mean, Bear will be running along playing, put his head down and grab a mouthful as he is running. Really. And, they never had stinky-bile-sulfur breath, either.

Until the snow and cold killed off all the green grass. Yep, Ella actually has a scab on her nose from rooting around in the crusty snow trying to find some green stuff. To no avail, poor thing.

I tried adding green veggies to their meals: broccoli, spinach, kale, swiss chard (which they love). They liked the veggies, but got a lot more gas (which make sense, since these are rather gassy-causing veggies).

So, I was cleaning out the dog shelf and found that I has purchased The Honest Kitchen's Perfect Form supplement. Two jars, actually. That's a lot of Perfect Form.

It contains fennel, papain, papaya, pumpkin seed, plantain, pectin and slippery elm. And, is developed to "support the normal healthy functioning of your pet's digestive tract." Well, slippery elm has been used for ages as a digestive supplement - settlers crossing the US used to make a tea out of its bark and some of them ate it to survive the winter! The rest of the stuff in there is also used as stomach and digestive support.

When I first tried it, I tried it when Bear was having a great bout of diarrhea, which wasn't my smartest move ever. Note to self: Do not introduce new supplement if dog is ill - duh. So I put it away on the shelf.

I started the dogs on this Sunday night (note: no one was ill when I started this time). Each dog is receiving 1/8 tsp per meal this week. Next week, I will up this to 1/4 tsp.

The results in just three additions? No bad breath, no more gas, Ella's nose is healing up (but, due to her not rooting for grass, rather than the supplement itself). Robbie slept the sleep of the just and didn't toss and turn.

And, even Possum, with her sensitive (and I mean sensitive - if there are any dyes in the food she eats, you will know exactly what colors were in there when she poops!) stomach can tolerate it.

Great stuff. GREAT stuff and you can get it at Planet Dog in Portland.

Frisbee!

2008-10-10T11:59:00.003-04:00

Robbie says that Ella has been taking up too much time in this blog and that he is getting a little miffed about it. So, he decided to run so fast that Ella couldn't keep up and he could get a picture all to himself.

He wants to show you his new sheltie-sized frisbee. It is a Puppy Kong Frisbee and it is just the right size for little shelties and just the right softness for tug!

He is actually thinking in the above photo: "If I drop this frisbee, how long before you throw it again?"

Portland Head Light/Fort Williams

2008-10-10T11:54:00.004-04:00

I recently had a meeting in Portland and took Ella with me. During my lunch break, she and I stopped at Fort Williams to take in the sites.

Even though the day was gray and the surf was very loud (Ella says: SCARY), we had a nice walk. The Princess LMNOP even deigned to pose so you can see the lighthouse in the background. She is lying by a plaque for a part of Fort Williams. It is a short walk down to the lighthouse.

Dogs are allowed on leash (Ella says to remember to bring your poop bags!). A lot of people were smiling at her and we overheard one lady say to her husband that it must be nice to have a dog that poses!

Agility

2008-10-10T11:48:00.006-04:00

Way back in Septemeber, Ella and I went to an agility trial in Bar Harbor to hang out with friends and so Ella could get used tothe sounds of an agility trial.

It was a lot of fun.

Especially since Otis, Ella's Rottie friend, was willing to share his giant marrow bone with her.

Mmmmm. Marrow.

And, no, she wasn't stuck.

Otis is a sweetheart.

Belcroft Ella Minnow Pea, RN

2008-09-03T10:33:00.017-04:00

This past weekend, August 28 - 31, 2008, was "The Maine Event" dog show run by the Central Maine Kennel Club and the Midcoast Kennel Club. It was an All Breed Show with Obedience and Rally Trials.

I entered Ella in Rally Novice A for Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

On Thursday, we went to work for an hour before we went to the show. Won't do that again, since Ella was unhappy with being left in the car while I was working. We got to the show site around 11 and then it was pretty much hurry up and wait. I helped where and when Donna needed me to steward and Ella spent time in her new soft sided crate. Unhappily. It was hot and she was hot and we didn't do our Rally run until after 5. And, it was the very first time we had ever shown, so it was stressful for both of us.

Ella placed second on Thursday with a score of 85.

Our biggest problems on Thursday were caused by me. I had ring nerves and held the leash too tight, so we got quite a few points off for that. You can see the tight leash in the photos that I had a friend take (all the photos are from Thursday).

Friday, we did not go into work before we went to the show. I made sure that I had a cooler and water just for Ella's cooling coat, which I soaked overnight. I had a baggie of larger treats that were for when she went into her crate. I also brought a thinner leash to use to make me more aware of where I was holding it. We spent a lot more time walking around the show site and I played with Ella in a quiet corner. She spent most of her day with her cooling coat on and spent a lot of time sleeping in my lap.

Ella placed second with a score of 96 on Friday.

Our biggest problem on Friday was ring nerves. We lost 3 points for "Lack of Briskness" which was caused by me being so nervous that I could not walk faster. Ella performed each station beautifully and tried really hard to reassure me!

Saturday was our day off and we needed it! We were both pooped. And, I got my "Conquering Ring Nerves" book in the mail and was able to read the first couple of chapters.

Sunday had Rally beginning before Obedience, so we got to the site early. It was quite breezy that day and Ella did not like the billowing tent at all, but tolerated it. We didn't spend as much time warming up on Sunday, but I spent a lot of time doing deep Yoga breaths for my nerves. When I did my walk through, I paid less attention to the signs and more to my pace (I needed to walk at a pace that had me take about 6 steps between each sign).

Ella placed third with a 90 on Sunday and got her Rally Novice title.

I am really proud of this little girl!

Ella and I need to proof our runs on breezy days so that she doesn't react quite so much to the tents moving. We also need to do a better warm up routine and run through a couple of the course signs when we do warm up. At this point, it looks like she might be at least a two day show dog - one who does better being on the show site for two days.

We are going to spend the winter practicing the Rally Advanced signs and attending as many shows and matches as we can.

I stink as a handler!

2008-08-18T13:33:00.009-04:00

Ella and I joined Donna and some friends at Capitol Park in Augusta yesterday to do a Rally course run through.

We chatted for the first 45 minutes, which was fun, and watched Ella gently correct Stella, a young rambunctious Corgi who wouldn't leave her alone. Ella then came out of the x-pen and we had an enjoyable few minutes watching Stella and Luna, a tiny sheltie, wrestle. Luna pretty much kicked Stella's butt.

Then we set up the course. That was easy.

We did a walk through. That was easy, too.

We watched a couple of others do the course. Piece of cake.

Then it was our turn.

The first real sign was number 30. Halt and Walk Around Dog. I cued Ella to sit with a verbal (sit) and a hand signal. She downed. O-K. Try again. Verbal: sit. Hand signal. She downed.

Well, let's go on to the next sign. Serpentine Weave Once (#24). That was easy.

Next sign was a right turn. Now to Halt, 1, 2, and 3 steps Forward (#25). Cued sit and she downed. Took a step, cued sit and she downed. Hmmmm.

We left the course (so I would not get frustrated). Donna and I spent a few minutes working with Ella and determined that she was paying attention to the hand signal and that I had inadvertently backchained a down from the sit. In other words, Ella and I has been doing so many practice sessions where I would cue her to sit and then immediately cue her to down that she would sit and then down, whether I asked her to or not.

After about 5 minutes of practice with the clicker, we tried the course again. Much better. I would give Ella the verbal cue without the hand signal and she started to do as I asked.

Donna said that the second time we ran the course, we would have Q'd (qualified). There was one sign that we really need to work on more and that is #16: Call front finish left halt. I had to lure Ella the first few times that we practiced. Tonight we will practice with the target stick.

We have a bit of work to do and 10 days to do it in. But mostly, I have to become a better handler, get over my ring nerves and breathe.

Remmie and Chummy

2008-08-18T13:28:00.004-04:00

Ella and I drove up to Presque Isle on Saturday to pull Remmie and Chummy from the Central Aroostook Humane Society. They had been brought to the shelter because their human went into the hospital and could no longer care for them.

These pictures are pretty bad!

Remmie, the lighter one above, is at Holly's house. He is 11 and a tired old man.

Chummy is with my crew. He follows the others around happily and wags his tail whenever anyone looks him in the eye - cat, dog or person. He is 9 and has a double hip replacement.

Both guys really need some work - coat wise and weight wise!

PS. It is a 7 hour round trip from my house to Presque Isle.

Possum is here

2008-07-25T10:37:00.005-04:00

She is a very sweet girl and most people wouldn't know that she is blind and deaf!

She loves her bully stick!

Bear and Possum.

Tired.

Rally-O Class

2008-07-18T13:00:00.006-04:00

Ella and I took a Rally-O class on July 13 in Augusta. It was a hot, sunny, windy day and we had a lot of fun - though we were both pooped afterwards!

I think that Ella and I would have Q'd (qualified) if it had been a real course in a real trial, even though we would have failed one station:

The reason that she would have failed this station is that she pops up from a down-stay when I walk around her.

I liked the spiral stations (there were two on the course) and the fast station where you change your pace from normal to fast and then back to normal. Those are easy! What can be a little nerve wracking is when you get to the change direction type signs and you aren't sure which way to go.

While we were doing on of the spirals, one of the cones blew over, which startled Ella. She recovered nicely with some coaxing from me and even agreed to pose with a bunch!

Possum

2008-07-03T10:35:00.004-04:00

New foster dog coming (in a week or two)! Her name is Possum. She is a 5 month old double merle sheltie who is deaf and partially blind.

She looks a lot like Bear!

Book Review: Stress in Dogs

2008-07-01T14:29:00.003-04:00

Stress in Dogs - Learn How Dogs Show Stress and What You Can Do To Help
by Martina Scholz & Clarissa von Reinhardt
2006
137 pages
ISBN: 1929242336
Available at Dogwise Books

This short volume very succinctly describes what happens when an organism (humans/dogs) are under stress and how that stress reaction affects the long term health and mind of the organism. The authors spend many pages describing the many symptoms of stress. They then go on to tell 4 cases studies about dogs who were under stress and how the stress affected the dogs, their behavior and their families.

The best part about this book was the section of stress related symptoms and the list of things a dog owner can do to help reduce their dog's overall stress level.

Book Review: The Other End of the Leash

2008-07-01T14:17:00.004-04:00

The Other End of the Leash (Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs)
By Patricia McConnell, Ph.D
2002
240 pages
ISBN: 034544678X
Available from Dogwise Books

This book is not a "how to" training book. Or, rather, I should say, it isn't a cues/commands/tricks type training book. Instead, it is a book that seeks to outline the differences and similarities of humans and dogs and how each species communicates though the 5 senses. A reader can gain a deeper understanding of their canine companion and how to better communicate with him/her.

During the course of the book, Dr. McConnell shows how we, as primates, differ from canines and how those differences can cause problems. She also offers ways to help facilitate communication between the species.

My favorite chapter was "Chapter 3: Talking to Each Other." Dr. McConnell reviewed the ways that humans talk to their animals and really offered some great suggestions on how our tone and pace of speaking can have an effect on our dogs. She reviewed fast sounds and what those did to affect behavior and slow long sounds (such as "whoa") and how they aided in slowing down an animal.

Throughout the book, she talks about her own experiences with her own dogs and her student dogs, which really help to illustrate what she is writing about. I have to admit that the stories in the last chapter (Love and Loss) brought tears to my eyes.

I would definitely recommend this for any dog lover's library.

Manners for the Real World Class - Ella

2008-06-25T11:17:00.004-04:00

Ella and I just finished an 8 week long class at Green Acres in Bangor. This is an intermediate level clicker training class and we worked on:

Backing up: Ella learned to back up two steps while standing. This one was a bit challenging to train because she had a tendency to sit rather than back up, so I had to watch how I moved towards her. A small movement with me leaning slightly back got her to back up while a larger one with me leaning forward caused her to sit. This is not a behavior that is needed for the Canine Good Citizen test (CGC), but is needed for Rally-O. And, it is a useful one to have on cue, since she could get stuck somewhere where I need to have her back up to get out.

We have more work to do on this one, since I would like for her to back up in a straight line about 20 paces using a verbal and hand cue.

Down: Ella has always been reluctant to lie down, so we worked really hard on this one. She will now stay in a down with me walking 5 paces backwards and will also hold her down for 20 seconds with me standing still. In order to pass the CGC test, she needs to stay in one spot while I walk 20 feet away and then return to her. She then needs to repeat it while I walk 20 feet away and then call her to me. This skill is also used a lot in Rally.

Ella and I will have to practice this skill in a lot more busy areas before we are ready for the test since she does not like to stay when there is a lot going on around her.

Heel/Loose Leash Walking: When we practiced this in class, she would plod alongside me in the heel position with the leash dangling loosely between us. She wasn't very enthusiastic about it, so we have been practicing this with her looking at my face and walking briskly. I changed her from using a regular harness to a show lead and that made a difference, too.

This behavior needs to be put on a verbal and a hand cue.

Paw: Ella is not very foot oriented (i.e., she doesn't usually touch things with her feet). But, I want to be able to teach her foot tricks and in order to do that, she has to learn to touch things with her paw. I started out with touching the back of her paw with my hand, but she would back away or lie down. Touching her paw is aversive for her, so we will work on that issue separately and I needed to find another way to lure or capture this behavior. Holly suggested that I place some treats under a lid and capture the behavior when Ella pawed it. So far, we have done two sessions like this and it is much less aversive for her and she seems to be getting it.

Recall: I have no trouble calling Ella to me in a class situation. What I need to work on is when she is with another one of the group - they tend to not come as quickly as they should.

Stand: This was a fun one to teach, since Ella caught on very quickly. She sits and then, using a hand cue, stands in place. This one is on a hand cue, but Ella touches the hand when it is presented, so we need to change that a little. She also needs to know the verbal cue.

Sit: We did so many puppy pushups (sit, down, stand, down, sit, etc) that she started downing when I asked her to sit. So, we have been working on duration in the sit right now. We are up to about 5 seconds duration and I can take a half step backwards.

This is on a verbal and hand cue.

Sit when Halt: This is an important behavior for Rally. Ella maintains the heel position when we walk and when I stop walking, she immediately sits. I have to work more on this one because she starts to come into the front position to sit, rather than just sit at my side in the heel position.

Touch: We started with Ella touching my hand with her nose and she will now target anything in my hand with the "touch" cue. We have used the target stick to practice heeling, since I can position her exactly where I want her to be using the stick. Ella has this one on a hand and verbal cue.

Working with Your Shy Dog Class

2008-05-01T14:37:00.003-04:00

Ella and I took a 3 hour shy dog class on Saturday. It was held at Paw-zn-Around Doggy Day Care in Saco (if you happen to be driving southbound on I-95, it is the big white barn with the huge pawprints on the side) and was taught by Carolyn Ross.

For anyone who knows Ella, she isn't particularly shy for a sheltie. She is aloof from strangers, but not truly shy. Why would I bring her to this class? Well, because she is the perfect dog to take to classes, since she is quiet and calm and I can learn what I need to learn without worrying about how she will react. I wanted to take this class to see if it might be helpful with some of the shy foster dogs I have - especially Grace.

The facility was huge, with plenty of room for everything. The floors were padded with glued down mats, so the dogs had awesome traction. The class was small - only 5 dogs were in attendance. Each of the dogs was there for a different reason - some shut down with fear, some barked and acted scary, others were in the middle. The only common thing amongst us was that everyone really loved their dog and wanted to help him/her become less afraid.

A portion of the class was devoted to talking about how a dog can become more comfortable around the things that make him afraid. Carolyn went over desensitization and counterconditioning (classical conditioning) and compared it to operant conditioning - which is what you use when you teach sit and other obedience. Classical conditioning is one of the best ways to help a shy dog become much more at ease in his/her world. We also discussed each dog's "threshold," which is usually defined by distance from an object.

The remainder of the class was devoted to Tellington TTouch training. The first thing we did was play on the "Playground of Higher Learning." This was a section of the room that has a window screen lying on the floor, some jumps to walk around, a balance beam to walk, a ladder lying down, a boogie board to step on, some hula hoops to walk on and a ramp to walk up. We spent quite a while walking around and seeing what the dogs would do and rewarding them for doing anything.

Ella has definitely gotten braver! She walked over the screen with no problems. She stepped on the wiggly boogie board and walked over it again and again. She even climbed up the ramp (with a line of treats to entice her). I was very pleased with how well she did.

We then went over the TTouch anxiety wrap and how to put it on the dog. There are two versions - a half wrap and a full body wrap. Basically, it is an Ace bandage wrapped around certain parts of the dog. Shelties look really funny with the wrap on! But, Ella is game for anything.

We then learned a few of the basic touches. TTouch isn't massage. You don't press enough to affect the muscle. Instead, it is a light touch that moves the skin. Each touch type has an animal name - raccoon paw, spotted leopard, etc.

There were two that really made an impression on me. The first was when we manipulated the tail - basically, we stroked down the dog's spine and lifted the tail to a neutral position. Not upright (alert) nor tucked (scared). Once I had done this a few times, Ella gave a big body shake and started carrying her tail in that position, rather than really low (she didn't have a tucked tail, but she wasn't really relaxed either). She was also much more "peppy" and less subdued. In fact, when someone entered the facility after than she barked once at them, which is something she doesn't do when she is in a strange place.

The second was when we were using (what I recall as named) the "raccoon paw" on her face and around her ears along with doing long strokes on the ears. She was so relaxed that she was almost asleep. Another person was doing the same touch on the hip area of a really shy dog and she was really relaxed, too.

Carolyn wrapped everything up with a 15 minutes review and question period. She did a great job making sure each person had some one-on-one time, telling her own stories about problem dogs, and answering each person's questions. She took time to work with us on how much pressure we should be using with the TTouch and had just the right amount of energy for the class. I would definitely recommend her as a training instructor.

I was pleasantly surprised with TTouch and am motivated to learn more about it. At first, it might seem strange, since traditional dog training doesn't really deal with touchy-feelly stuff. But, I can easily see how this technique would help a dog and also improve a dog-human relationship at the same time.

All in all, it was worth the minor class fee ($60) and the 4-hour round trip drive! In fact, Ella and I were pooped after the class because we learned and did so much!

Nicholas Dodman Seminar - a review

2008-04-03T08:18:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday, March 29, I attended a seminar at Happy Tails in Portland. The speaker was Dr. Nicholas Dodman, the director of the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine's Behavior Clinic. The seminar covered aggression in dogs.

First, the facility. There was plenty of parking, plenty of seats, and the food served at lunch was good. The one drawback to the facility was that the heater was very loud, so it made hearing Dr. Dodman difficult at times.

Second, the seminar. The presentation was very professional - slides were on PowerPoint and a large screen was used so that everyone in the room could see. Dr. Dodman was hooked up to a microphone so that everyone could hear. He was a very easy speaker to listen to, repeated questions so that everyone could hear and stayed on topic extremely well (he was very polished).

Dr. Dodman covered owner-directed (dominance) aggression, fear aggression, separation anxiety and OCD behaviors in dogs. Each section was thoroughly covered and he even had example videos of each behavior. Parts of his lecture covered studies that he and others had performed.

A great seminar and worth every penny spent. Happily, happy Tails will be having Jean Donaldson and Ray Coppinger come speak also, plus other noteworthy trainers.

Robbie

2008-04-03T08:18:00.002-04:00

Fencing

2008-03-28T10:39:00.007-04:00

I live in a rural town on a dirt road and have 6 acres of land. For the past two years, I have installed, by hand, a metal mesh fence for the dogs. And, for the past two years, the snow has drifted in such a way that the dogs are eventually able to push against the fence and scale the darn thing like a ladder.

Well, I am tired of worrying about where the dogs can go and what they might get into if I don't watch them like a hawk every second that they are outside. I don't want them to go to my bad neighbor's house. I don't want them to go to my nice neighbor's house. I don't want them to follow turkey tracks. Or wander into the road, even though I am set back two acres. I don't want to have to worry about all of this.

So, I am going to have to get a real fence. But, what kind should I get? How should I decide what type?

Features I want in a fence:

Security Type A (Keep dogs in) - I want the fence tall enough and strong enough so that the dogs can not jump or climb it.
Security Type B (Keep others out) - I want the fence to keep out as much wildlife as possible. I want it to keep out the bad neighbor's annoying dog. I want it to keep out the bad neighbor.
Appearance - I want the fence to allow me to see my backyard and enjoy the wildlife that might be outside of the fence. In other words, I want to be able to see through it. I want people driving by to be able to see how much I care about my dogs - by installing a fence.

I have decided on a chain link fence. With gates that allow me to get my lawn mower in, but that can be padlocked to prevent any unwanted persons from getting in. While not the most expensive option, it isn't the cheapest, either. And, I will not be able to afford to fence in my entire property. But, when weighing these minor disadvantages with the advantages of having a real fence, I am more than willing to pay the price of the fence!

I could get an electronic fence. You know, the one with the collar that shocks the dog for getting too close to the invisible fencing. But, this won't keep wildlife away from my dogs. It won't keep that little dog next door away from my dogs. It won't keep people away from my dogs. And, if my dogs really start chasing something, it won't keep them on my property, either.

And, an invisble fence collar delivers physical punishment in the form of a shock. That means it causes pain to prevent a dog from doing something. I don't like physical punishment. Especially when I can solve the problem without resorting to causing pain to my dogs. Because a real fence in a much more visual and kind alternative. I can see if there is a problem with a real fence. I don't have to remember to change batteries or have collars on or worry about lightning or other storms damaging or disrupting the fence.

Pat Miller has written an excellent article about the disadvantages of an invisible fence. Ms. Miller is a well respected positive reinforcement dog trainer with years of experience. There is another great one here. I, myself, have seen some of the problems caused by these fences.

I spend a lot of money on food, vet care, grooming, training, collars, and toys for my dogs. Why would I choose a product that could easily fail? I love my dogs enough to get them the real thing.

Lucky's Been Adopted

2008-03-28T10:08:00.006-04:00

Lucky was turned over the sheltie rescue in late November 2007. At the time, he looked like this:

He was severely underweight and dehydrated. He had been run over by a car at some previous undetermined time, never taken in for vet care and his hips healed poorly. We didn't know if he could walk at all. But, even though you can't see it in the picture, his eyes were shiny and he hadn't given up.

He spent a week at Holly's vet and a day at a vet specialist's office before he came into foster care at my home. The poor little guy was also Lyme positive, very weak and had liquid poo (a technical term, that).

At first, the only food he would eat was chicken and rice. After a few weeks of this, I started mixing in dry Wellness puppy food. Eventually, he was able to eat, quite happily, Wellness Adult dog food.

Then, he started straining when he tried to poo. And, he didn't seem interested in his food. So, he went to my vet, where he stayed for a few days. He had a blockage. Of poo. See, when his hips had healed, one had healed pressed against where his intestine and colon came together. This caused the opening to be smaller than normal. He became constipated and was only able to pass a small bit of stool at a time. My vet had to perform surgery to remove the stool.

Sadly, there is no affordable surgery that a vet can do that would fix where his hip is. So, in order to prevent this problem from happening again, we humans have to make sure that his stool remains soft. While fiber and other natural methods might be OK, my vet recommended that we keep him on stool softeners. It is just far too easy for Lucky to become blocked again and surgery into the intestines carries its own risks.

After letting him heal from the surgery and figuring out the proper number of stool softeners he would need each day, I contacted Hilary and her family, since she had been very eager to adopt Lucky before he got ill.

What can I say about this family? I just wish I was a dog! They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and their grandson is a very nice young man. We arranged to meet them halfway between their house and mine (they live in another State) and the adoption day went very well. Lucky was kissing their grandson in no time and it was very obvious that this was the perfect home for him.

Lucky is right.

Grace has her own blog

2008-03-06T14:09:00.001-05:00

Grace has her own blog now:

www.shysheltiegrace.blogspot.com

Toenails

2008-03-04T07:50:00.004-05:00

Grace let me clip three (!) of her nails last night! Of course, she was a bit hesitant and pulled back a little on the third nail, but she did great. And, got lots of treats. We'll do a few more tonight.

She is also getting much better about going out the door. She will now come out of her crate when coaxed and, even though she "slinks" across the room, she will allow me to grab her collar when I need to and is walking much better on a leash. She doesn't bolt away in fear anymore, either. In fact, she is doing so well that I am no longer using a drag line inside the house.

Her crate is her safe spot, though, and she doesn't like to come out of it. But, she has gotten to the point where she will stand in the doorway to her little "cave" and watch me while I prepare a meal or give the other dogs their treats. Of course, she gets treats, too, but she isn't ready to brave the room to get one. So, I walk her treat over to her and she will take it out of my hand, rather than cowering in the back of the crate.

And, because she spends so much time in there, even with the door open, I make sure that she gets plenty of stuffed Kongs and playtime outside. The Kongs keep her mind busy and the playtime outside lets her really stretch her legs. She especially likes to roll in the powdery snow. And, she has begun interacting with Robbie and Ella. She greeted Maggie really well last night, too.

And, since the kitchen is the place where we practice our obedience training, she gets to watch the other dogs go through their cues. Last night, she watched Maggie practicing "down." Every once in awhile, I would toss a treat to Grace, just for paying attention while Maggie was in class.

This doesn't seem like much improvement, but it is. She is getting braver and more confident. Tiny baby steps on the road towards adoption.

Classes

2008-03-03T13:45:00.005-05:00

I spend so much time with the foster dogs that my own dogs aren't getting the training they need. They get plenty of attention, but their obedience skills are lacking. Here are the things I want to fix in my own dogs:

Ella steals food as often as she can. She will steal candy from babies! Right out of their mouths. She isn't growling or anything, just stealing. I would like Ella to learn a really good "Leave It" this year.

Maggie has awful recall (come). She takes off any chance she gets. She comes back, but in her own, sweet time. This can be nerve wracking when she does this in the fall, during hunting season. I would like Maggie to have a more reliable recall.

Robbie is afraid of strangers, especially men, and children. I would like Robbie to learn to approach strangers without alarm barking.

Bear is also afraid of strangers. It is much harder to get Bear used to strangers, since he is deaf. However, my goal this year for Bear is to take him more places where we can safely get him used to new people.

Spirit has improved so much since she came to me. But, she really needs more basic training, including sit! So, I would like to teach Spirit how to allow collar grabs from me and how to sit to take treats.

I could probably teach all of this at home. In fact, I know I could teach this. But, setting aside the time to spend with each dog individually is really difficult! I have decided that the best way for me to meet these goals is the sign each of my dogs up for a class:

I have signed Ella up for a level 2 class - we will be working on a longer down, stay, recall and better heeling. And, while we wait for class to start, we will be working on leave it. Ella's class starts April 29.

I have signed Maggie up for a basic obedience class. She already knows many of the cues, but the classroom setting will help get her ready for the level 2 classes, which work on recall much more. Maggie's class starts May 31.

I have planned out when I need to sign Robbie up for his Level 1 class and when to sign Maggie up for the Level 2. If Ella does well during the Level 2 class, then I will sign her up for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class.

Bear will get to take a class late this fall. In the meantime, I will begin setting up meetings with friends to get Bear used to strangers. I will be doing the same with Spirit.

Bark bark barkety bark

2008-03-03T13:37:00.004-05:00

Grace was so excited about dinnertime last night that she started barking! She had her head stuck out of her crate and then pulled back into it, twirled and barked. It was a happy bark. An excited bark.

It also made Robbie start barking. I don't think the others had heard her bark before. I know that I haven't.

Shatzi was debarked on Thursday. After a few months of agonizing over this, asking other sheltie rescues what they would do and having quite a few potential adopters turn her down because of her barking, we decided to make the appointment and have her vocal cords nipped. Now, she sounds like a dog that has been smoking for 30 years - hoarse. And, much quieter.

When she barked for the first time with her new voice, it freaked Robbie out and he started barking at her. But, then again, lots of stuff makes Robbie bark.

She still barks, make no mistake. But, when she goes outside, I can't hear her inside and when I am outside with her, I know that the neighbors can't hear her, either. Their dogs might still be able to hear her, but that part doesn't concern me.

Inside, she seems to be barking less. Maybe it is because her barking no longer echoes around the room. She will bark once or twice and then stop, which is a new thing for her.

Now, we just have to work on the issue she has with cars - and, find her a forever home.

Look Away & Look At Me

2008-02-26T09:11:00.007-05:00

The above picture shows a scared rescue dog "looking away." He is showing a lot of body language in this picture:

He is looking away from the person holding him
His ears are flat to his head
His eye is showing white in a "whale eye" way
His mouth is tight

Since it is not a video, we can not tell if he is also licking his lips or yawning. These are all signs that the dog is nervous and stressed. In this dog's case, he has every right to be - he is in a shelter, strangers are taking pictures of him (a camera is just a really big, shiny eye to dogs) and I am sure that the noise level there is fairly high.

But, there is hope:

Here, he is still scared, but looking at the camera. He is obviously used to making eye contact with humans and will be a quick learner for "Look" or eye contact. However, even if this dog never made eye contact, it would still be an excellent candidate for rescue. I haven't met a dog that hasn't been able to learn to meet my eyes.

Teaching eye contact is one of the easiest things I do with a foster dog. It doesn't require that I touch the dog. The dog doesn't need to know its name. All the dog has to be able to do is eat treats - and, be brave enough to eat those treats in my presence.

What you need are:

Treats (pea sized)
Treat bag (for keeping the treats in)
Clicker

Begin by throwing a treat one at a time onto the floor. As soon as the dog picks up the treat, click. Do this about 10 times or so. We call this "charging the clicker" and it basically begins the association of clicker to treats.

Place a treat in one hand with your arm outstretched. As soon as the dog looks at the treat, click and give the treat. You can either hand the dog the treat or toss it to the dog. Repeat 20 or so more times. End session.

During the next session, which can be after a break or that evening or the next day, start with having the treat held like before. Click & treat about 10 more times. Now, bend your arm so that the treat is half the distance it was from your body. When the dog looks at it, click and treat. Repeat 20 or so more times. Now that the dog really knows what the clicker is for, make sure that you, every once in awhile, skip the treat, but not the click. This give a variable reinforcement to the click, which makes the behavior you are training more resistant to extinction (i.e., it doesn't get forgotten or go away easily).

If you have a really shy dog, you will want to stay at this step for a few sessions.

Now, for the next session, practice the previous sessions for a few clicks and then move your hand, with treat, so that the treat is held right between your eyes. When the dog looks at the treat, click & treat. Practice this a few sessions.

Now, move your hand so that your finger is pointing to between your eyes. When the dog looks there, click and treat. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Now that you do not have to hold a treat to get the dog to look at you, you can now introduce a verbal cue (we call what we did before the physical cue - it is good to use both, since dogs can lose their hearing). I use "look" or the dog's name or both. Basically, point to your eyes and say look. When the dog looks, click and treat. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I can usually get any foster dog, including the shy ones, to look at my face within a week. That is about 7 days of one session per day, with each session being no more than 5 minutes.

Some things to remember: if the dog starts showing those calming signals like the pictures above, back up a step in your training and do that step until the dog becomes comfortable. Then, move on to the next step. Keep an eye on the dog's body language the entire time you are training and make sure that he is always OK with what you are doing. If he isn't, step back and reevaluate.

Body Language

2008-02-26T08:52:00.004-05:00

The body language of homo sapiens differs considerably from that of canis lupus familiaris. Ever seen a pair of dogs hugging? For most of us, a hug is a non-threatening part of communicating with another human. For a dog, a hug can be scary and nerve wracking, since in dog speak, when a dog places its paw on another dog's back, this can be taken as a challenge. Sometimes, it is part of play, too, but the dog can't always know this.

So, we monkeys need to be aware of how our body language impacts our canine companions. If we raise a dog from a puppy, that dog often naturally learns to read our body language. They aren't born knowing how to understand us, just as we need to learn to understand them. And, if we adopt a rescue dog, then we do not know what that dog has been taught about body language or how it was taught (positive reinforcement or punishment). We need to be prepared to help the dog learn to understand our body language and to change our own body language so that the dog is not threatened.

And excellent place to start is with the following books and websites:

"On Talking Terms with Dogs" by Turid Rugaas and her companion website http://www.canis.no/rugaas/ I really recommend the "Gallery" and Questions and Answers" section.

"Canine Body Language: A Photgraphic Guide" by Brenda Aloff is worth every penny. Through the extensive use of photographs, different body language is shown - between dogs and between dogs and humans.

These books are also invaluable in understanding when the dog is stressed and needs to be removed from a situation. When it might need a time out. When it is too stressed to learn.

Both books can be found on http://www.dogwise.com/

One of the things we teach rescue dogs is the ability to begin reading humans. I use calming signals, such as looking away, licking lips, turning sideways, crouching down, leaning back, and yawning to help calm a frightened dog so that it can begin to understand and trust humans.

House training & Crate training

2008-02-22T10:52:00.005-05:00

The more common term is "house breaking," but, I am not breaking the dog of using the house as a bathroom - I am actually training it that the house isn't the place to go - outdoors is. All dogs have accidents inside, especially when the are first brought into rescue. They are scared, confused, and don't understand the new rules. I expect a few mistakes and have plenty of paper towels on hand. Since house training and crate training pretty much go hand-in-hand, I teach them together.

When the foster dog first comes home, I allow it to greet the other dogs and then I lead it to its "assigned" crate. This crate is where foster dog will spend its time when I am not home and where it will get all of its meals and chew toys. I put foster dog into his crate and leave the leash on (so that I can get him out of the crate, too).

Then, I find an appropriate martingale collar and fix a drag line to it. And, I prepare every one's meal. Everyone is fed, including foster dog, in their own crate. After everyone has eaten, the other dogs go outside to go to the bathroom and play. Foster dog and I spend a little time adjusting the martingale collar and then the two of us go outside to go to the bathroom (outside of and away from the fenced in area where the other dogs are). As this point, I usually attach a 30 foot long leash onto foster dog to give him more room to sniff and do his business.

We stay outside until foster dog goes to the bathroom (or until I am freezing if it is winter). Some newly arrived dogs will not eat or go to the bathroom for a few days, so I don;t spend hours outside. If foster dog has gone to the bathroom, he gets praise, a whole bunch of treats and the ability to explore the house a little. If foster dog has not gone to the bathroom, he goes back into his crate with a chew toy.

I usually do my own thing now - eat my meal, answer e-mails, watch TV, play with my own dogs. When it is time for bed, the other dogs again go outside and foster dog and I go out and repeat the bathroom process. The foster dog is then crated for the night.

Note: I never leave a new foster and my own dogs unattended and uncrated until I have seen how they interact. There is always a chance that someone will not get along and a fight could occur. It is much easier to prevent this from happening - and takes less time - than having to go to the vet to treat a bite or an abscess!

Wwe repeat the bathroom process in the morning and throughout the day. Once I know that the foster dog gets along with my own dogs, he can go outside with them (off leash) and go to the bathroom that way. I just observe him through the window at this point and praise and treat when he comes in.

The cardinal rule for house training is that the dog is only allowed out of the crate (or off a leash attached to your waist) inside after he has gone to the bathroom outside. Frequent trips outside, treats and crating make quick work of housetraining. As foster dog gets more reliable, then he gets more freedom in the home.

For more detailed information on house training, check out "Way to Go! How to House Train a Dog of Any Age" by Patricia McConnell.

Are You Ready for Adoption?

2008-02-22T10:47:00.004-05:00

Each foster dog that I have needs to be evaluated before being placed for adoption. I evaluate the following:

Temperament
OK with other animals?
OK with children?
OK with strangers?
Fence needed?
Rides well in cars?
OK left alone?
Chews stuff?
Exercise level?
Knows any cues/tricks?

Another important part of fostering is making sure that the foster dog has the skills needed to successfully live in his/her new adoptive home. These are not necessarily obedience level skills, such as down or stay. An adoptive home can teach that. The skills that I am talking about are ones that make living with the dog easier – I call them “house manners.” Some of the skills that I, as a foster mum, make sure that my foster dogs have are:

Housetrained
Crate trained
Allows collar grabs
Knows name
Takes treats easily
Tolerates grooming
Knows cues for: Loose leash walking, sit, off the bed, quiet down (be quiet)

These skills are in addition to being spayed/neutered, up to date on shots, and healthy. At first, for a new foster home, evaluating and teaching all of these can be daunting, so I am going to write up what I do with each.

Oh So Shy

2008-02-21T11:07:00.006-05:00

Grace, a pretty blue and sable merle sheltie, came into rescue in early January. She isn't my first shy foster, but she has been the one who has needed the most care.

While at the puppy mill, Grace was in a kennel with far too many other shelties. There wasn’t enough food or water and there was no one who would clean the waste out of the kennel. As a result, all the shelties were stressed and they would fight amongst themselves. Grace was one of the weaker ones and she still has scars on her muzzle.

When the puppy mill was shut down, Grace was fostered by a volunteer for one of the shelters that helped with the closure. She stayed at this foster home for 3 months. Then, it was decided that Grace should be turned over to sheltie rescue, so she came to my home, since Holly’s was filled with puppies and our other foster homes were full, too.

Grace greeted the other dogs at my home very well, but showed some odd behaviors. She would roughly sniff the other dogs and sometimes growl and nip at them. Even though my dogs are well socialized, they really had no idea what was going on with Grace, so they started avoiding her. She got the cold shoulder from them, which, at the time, suited Grace just fine.

Towards me, she acted almost feral. She would overreact to noise and movements that I made – jump off the couch so hard that she would slam into furniture. She would run into the kitchen and slam into the patio door, not realizing that it was glass. She would jerk violently at the end of a leash and would jerk backwards when her collar was held.

It really seemed hopeless. I thought about finding a pet sanctuary for her where she could live out her days without human contact. I, who has shy dogs of my own, and who has fostered a number of shelties with behavioral problems, thought that there was nothing we could do for this dog. I cursed the people who did this to her. I cursed myself for agreeing to take her and for failing her.

But, I remembered how she sat in her previous foster mother’s lap. She had gotten up there on her own, under her own power. So, I realized that there was hope. There just had to be.

So, I re-read all of my behavioral books: the books in my library about fearful dogs, about dog body language, and the ones by people who owned and rehabilitated difficult dogs. I decided that someone had to help Grace and that would have to be me. Once I made that decision, I knew that things would get better.

The first thing I did was to fit Grace with a different collar. She had chewed off 2 nylon choke collars, 2 drag lines and a leash. In desperation, I put a chain choke on her. That worked, but it tightened unmercifully when she pulled and the tightness frightened her, which led to it getting tighter and her becoming more frightened. So, I found a Martingale collar that was made of nylon with a chain bit that hung in the front. It fits just right. She can’t get her mouth into the chain and the collar only tightens to a certain point – tight enough to not let her slip the collar, but not tight enough to choke her.

What an improvement.

Because she chews off her drag lines, I converted the chain choke into a drag line, with a long leash attached, so that I can catch her without cornering her or grabbing her. Now, I can pick up the leash and lead her to her crate or to the door and she doesn’t flip out (like a cat on a rope, as I like to say). She still needs improvement for walking on the leash, but we will get to that later.

I have also assigned to her a crate, instead of a corner of the couch. She was peeing on the couch instead of asking to go out (and then, when I would try to put her out, she would pee out of fear). Now, she hangs out in the crate when I am not there. She hasn’t made a mess of the crate, so she will be able to have her own bed and toys in there now. She is fed in there and gets a lot of treats in there. In just a few days, it has become her safe spot.

She is getting along much better with the other dogs. They still pretty much ignore her, but she has begun looking to them for guidance. If they go outside, she wants to go outside. If they come inside, she follows. She now gets excited about dinner time and has begun enjoying the chew treats. She was really impressed with the Booda Bone I got for her and spent an entire afternoon happily chewing – on the couch without any messes.

She still has a long way to go, though. At the most basic, she needs to be given a really good brushing, have her nails clipped, be given a bath and take a trip to the vet. She doesn’t trust me enough for me to do those things to her yet, though. I would muzzle her (for my safety) and do them, but she’ll live without them being done for the time being.

Right now, I am just happy when she will take a treat directly out of my hand, rather than me having to set it on the couch. It isn’t every time, but it is an improvement.

I keep telling myself that this dog deserves the best chance I can give her. My efforts now will enable her to be placed in a forever home that will love and cherish her. And, I want the next home she goes to to be her forever home. She will stay with me until we find that home.

Lucky update

2007-12-18T13:08:00.002-05:00

Tuna fish and Lucky do not mix. He has truly been getting sick of the rice/hamburg/chicken concoction that I have been feeding him, so I left a tiny bit of tuna fish in a bowl for him and gave it to him with his meal.

Too much fat fed to a skinny sheltie = stinky messes on the floor and on them.

So, he spent the night downstairs last night.

Except, this morning, I woke up and he was beside the bed.

So, he must have climbed the stairs.

By himself.

Not bad for a sheltie that we though we might lose only 2 weeks ago.

Shatzi is on PetFinder!

2007-12-18T13:04:00.002-05:00

Yep, the big girl is ready for her forever home!

Click here

Spread the word far and wide (I'll write up what we have been working on for the barking issues later).

Shatzi went to her forever home on May 24, 2008.

Foster Dogs #9 & #10: Lucky & Banjo

2007-12-12T07:41:00.000-05:00

On November 30, I picked up 2 male shelties from an owner who needed to find a new home for them. Their names are Banjo and Lucky.

Banjo is a very healthy 6 year old male and once he is neutered, he will be available for adoption. He is such a sweet cuddlebug! Who can resist his pretty face (he is the one on the left).

Lucky isn't in great shape, though. I rushed him to Holly's vet in Portland where he stayed for a week getting IV fluids and numerous tests. See, Lucky is severly underweight and Holly & I thought we might lose the little guy. But, thankfully, he is coming around nicely - in fact, he is at my feet right now waiting for his next meal. He gets stronger every day and is going to be a little hellion once he is all better!

2007-11-15T10:51:00.001-05:00

moar funny pictures

Dog Book Review: Cautious Canine

2007-09-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

Cautious Canine: How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears
Patricia McConnell
$6.95
www.dogwise.com

This short book is a great primer for owners of shy and fearful dogs. Basically, Dr. McConnell teaches the reader how to use desensitization and counterconditioning (D&C) to help fearful dogs get used to unfamiliar people and situations. This positive method approach is extremely effective – I have used it on numerous foster dogs with great success.

The key to D&C is to use very high value treats and to start at a distance from the feared object where the dog is not showing any fear. For some, this distance might be only a few feet. For others, the distance is a few hundred feet and then small steps are taken over a long period of time to bring the dog closer to the feared object.

Recommended for the library of anyone who fosters dogs.

Foster Dog #8: Shatzi

2007-09-26T15:13:00.001-04:00

Shatzi means "sweetheart" in German. She is definitely has a sweet sheltie heart. A really big sheltie heart!

Shatzi is the biggest sheltie I have ever met. She isn't huge like a Great Dane, but she is big for a sheltie. And, she has a bark to match. Big and loud. Especially when she sees or even hears a car.

So, Shatzi needs some training and needs some vetting and then can go to her forever home.

Charlie

2007-09-25T13:13:00.000-04:00

Charlie Bear, an Aussie/Golden Retriever mix, stayed with us for one week. He was turned over to the Bangor Humane Society because he was too shy and did not warm up to the men in the family fast enough.

In the week that he stayed with us, he was a very good boy. However, he needed to be in a foster home with bigger dogs - the ones here are just too small for him to play with.

So, he traveled to another home and there he will stay until he is adopted!

Sunshiney Spirit

2007-09-25T12:55:00.001-04:00

Spirit,

a Pom mix, looking very cute.

Smelly, but cute. She likes to roll in smelly things. Like skunk. And, deer poop.

She loves to bark. Sounds like she has been a smoker - hoarse and deep! You should hear her howl! At night, she loves to cuddle with me and Robbie.

Outside, she runs and runs. She is very fast and such a tease!

This last one is Spirit and Ella wrestling. Can you tell which is which? And, yes, I was standing in the house and took the picture from my dining room window.

Compassion Fatigue

2007-09-25T12:40:00.000-04:00

I have compassion fatigue. And, it is starting to affect how I feel about rescue. I feel tired a lot. Some days, it feels like all I do is work and take care of dogs. All I hear is barking. All I smell is dogs. Like there is no pleasure to watching the dogs eat their dinners. To playing ball outside with them. To having a cuddle on the couch. To training.

It is even harder to listen politely while people make stupid excuses for giving up their dogs. We are moving and can't take him/her. We don't have the time. We can't afford it. Blah blah blah. Every animal rescuer has heard all the excuses and we all know that most of them aren't true.

The hardest thing of all is when we ask for help from others and get no response.

So, since I feel myself getting bitter and tired, I am going to have to do something about this. The shelties rely on me. My own dogs rely on me. Holly and the other sheltie rescuers rely on me. I do not want to burn out and not be able to help!

Here is a good definition of compassion fatigue:

Compassion fatigue is what we feel when we've cared for others more than ourselves, when our sense of responsibility to others has become exaggerated or out of balance.

The Animals in Our Hearts website has some great articles and links for people who have compassion fatigue.

Growling

2007-08-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned a great book called "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. I really think that every dog owner should have this book and should read it carefully.

One of the hardest parts about owning a dog is understanding them. And, to us, a growl is a scary thing. To a dog, it is supposed to be scary.

A growling dog is telling us that s/he is feeling like their personal space is being invaded. It means "Leave me alone." It means "You scare me and I want you to go away." It means "I am warning you. Please don't make me take evasive action."

So, we have to figure out why our dogs are growling, determine if we can help them with the problem and then help them. We should never punish a dog for growling.

If a dog is growling because it is afraid, which many rescue dogs are, then we need to analyse the environment and figure out what is causing their fear. At that point, we need to either remove the thing causing the fear or move the dog to a place where it isn't afraid. This protects the dog and the people around it. We do not want to inadvertently push the dog over its limits.

Then, we need to try to help the dog get over whatever it fears. I have talked a bit about this here.

Jelly Rolls, Hotdog Rolls, and Alpha Rolls

2007-08-31T10:38:00.000-04:00

My dogs and I have a strong relationship filled with mutual respect. They have earned my respect by showing how forgiving and resilient they are when a new foster come home, when they are introduced to new situations and how incredibly intelligent beings they are. I feel that I have earned their respect by being a kind, loving, and confident leader. I am not dominating them. I am leading them. To me, there is a huge difference. One makes me look like a dictator. The other just puts me at the head of the household as the one who has responsibly to and for everyone else.

We practice the "Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)" program in my home. I enjoy giving special food, treats and toys to my dogs. However, since the pack only gets these things once they have earned them, they aren't spoiled.

For instance, when I decide that everyone would get a biscuit, we practice NILIF. This is how it goes:

I walk to the kitchen and open the biscuit jar. All the dogs rush into the kitchen behind me.
I wait patiently, staring off into space, for said pack to figure out what I want from them.
Ella is usually the first. She sits (look, she has done her work!).
I say "good sit, Ella" and hand her a biscuit.
Little doggie lightbulbs flicker on above the other dogs heads.
One by one, each dog sits: Good sit, Maggie. Good sit, Blackie. Good sit, Duchess. Good sit, Robbie. Good sit, Bear. Good sit, Spirit.

With a new foster, sometimes the task at first is merely to take a treat from my hand once all the other dogs have gotten theirs. Then we work up to sitting with the others. No fighting and no stealing treats. No jumping, either. No treat for misbehaving - once the dog settles, THEN they get the treat.

Please notice that I do not ask them to sit. I am merely waiting for them to figure it out.

NILIF goes both ways. If I want well behaved dogs, then I have to work for it. If they want a treat, then they have to work for it.

So, how do I deal with bad behavior?

First, I try to prevent it. If that doesn't work, I will give time outs in crates and separate rooms.

For instance, I like to give bully sticks to the dogs at least once a week to keep their teeth clean and their breath fresh. Seven dogs = seven sticks, right? Wrong! I always have a couple of extra sticks in various spots, in case someone gets up and has their stick taken - there is usually one lying nearby that they can chew on.

Should two dogs decide to go for the same stick and start an argument, I immediately ask them to Stop! in a calm, loud voice (to penetrate the snarling) and take all sticks away from all dogs. Everyone then gets a time out for a half-hour or so or we go do something else, like go to another room.

Another way to use NILIF is at the dinner table. My dogs, at my home, have learned that if they wait quietly, they will get a treat when I am finished with my meal. I did this by completely ignoring them while I was eating and every once in awhile giving them a treat for laying or sitting quietly. Seems a little counter intuitive, doesn't it? It does work, though. It does take some time, too, and all family members have to do the same thing or it won't work (if you have a child slipping the dog food through the whole meal, this method probably won't work).

All of these things that I do help to make my household harmonious. Not quiet, mind you, but harmonious.

Do I ever alpha roll them, like some trainers suggest? No. I don't need to. And, dogs don't alpha roll each other, either. The submissive animal rolls itself. My dogs and I co-exist as a team, remember, so I certainly do not expect them to be submissive to me nor do I expect them to submit to me - what they do, they do of their own accord, because it makes sense to them - because we are a team. Because of respect. Because I ask, not command.

Remember, they respect me and I respect them. I am a benevolent leader and I think about problems and watch for them before they become problems. That's my job, as the one with the bigger brain. I have a routine that I stick to, morning and night. I provide enough things for my dogs to do to keep their minds and bodies active. I know that they are dogs, not furry humans. I make sure that I teach them what I want them to do, rather than punish them for doing something I don't want them to do.

Give

2007-08-31T09:32:00.000-04:00

Robbie is a dog that loves to play fetch and tug, often at the same time. In fact, I never had to teach Robbie (or Bear) to bring a toy back. They realized on their own that if they brought the toy back, then I would throw it again. And, they would have a fun game to play. Bear brings the toy back and drops it near me.

Robbie, on the other hand, wants to play tug before he really lets go of the toy. He will often drop the ball and then try to grab it before I can pick it up. Sometimes, he grabs fingers instead of toys, which doesn't break the skin, but does hurt. So, Robbie and I have been working on “Give.”

First, though, I want to explain why I use the term“give” instead of “drop it.” Say, out loud, the term“drop it” as though you are talking to your dog. Do you find that your voice automatically lowers a bit and you become a little more stern or serious?

I grew up giving dogs commands. I did not ask them to do something: I told them to do something. Now, I prefer to think of my relationship with my pets as a partnership. I give them things they need and they, in return, worship the ground I walk on (just kidding). Seriously, though, I want my partnership with my pets to be loving and caring.

Now say the word “give.” It doesn’t have the same tone, does it? It is more difficult to make that word stern, at least for me. You could also use the word“trade.”

So, in order for Robbie and me to work on “give,” we need a few tools:

A toy. If Robbie resource guards toys from me, I would choose a low value toy for this, like a rope toy, since he doesn’t really like those. Since Robbie doesn’t guard, I am going to use a fleece tug at first and work up to a ball.

High value treats. Wellness Pure Rewards Jerky is great for this. So are tiny pieces of dehydrated hot dog. I have prepared for training by making all my treats about the size of a pea (use scissors). And, as a side note, biscuits do not make good training treats. They are bland and most dogs don’t go crazy enough for them. Instead, use what I call “puppy crack.” This is any treat that a dog will do anything for: Duck Breast, Jerky, Chicken, hot dogs, cheese, etc.

A treat bag is also helpful, since many high value treats are greasy. The bag keeps your pockets clean. I prefer the Gentle Leader French Hinge Bag.

So, Robbie and I go to a quiet place and I give him a few treats to get him warmed up. Then I offer him the tug. He starts pulling and I show him the treat and click when he drops the toy to take it. We repeat this many times over many sessions. Each session might only be a few minutes. We always end our session with a really good tug and then a “jackpot” of treats. When he lets go the final time, I give him 15-20 treats right in a row.

The next step is to have him place the toy in my open hand. It might take awhile and my clicker will come in handy for this. As soon as Robbie brings me the toy and nudges my hand with it, I’ll click and then give him a treat. We’ll do this for a few sessions.

Then I’ll expect him to nudge the toy in my open palm. Click then treat. He WILL figure this out on his own, trust me. I’ll just wait patiently until he figures it out, with my hand open so he can get the hint. Then he’ll have to drop the toy in my palm. Click and treat each time.

Once he consistently drops the toy in my open palm, I will show him my open palm, say“give,” and when he does, click and treat. I might have to help him here by shaping this a little. He might just drop the toy for a second at first. Then 2 seconds, then three until he lets go of it and lets it be for as long as I want. The clicker is really helpful for this, since timing is everything.

Once Robbie is successfully giving me a toy in my open palm when I say “give,” I will start randomly giving him treats – maybe every three times or every fourth. This will help the behavior be resistant to extinction (he will remember it for a very long time and do it without treats). Eventually, I won’t need to clicker at all and only once in a while will I need treats. And, for Robbie, the playing of tug or fetch is reinforcing in and of itself, so treats might not even be needed.

By working with Robbie in this way, I will have accomplished a number of things:

Robbie has learned how to politely play with toys and to give them up when asked.

Robbie has learned to think for himself while we were training – he has to figure out what I want.

Robbie has become more confident, since his problem solving skills are improving.

Our relationship is stronger, since we worked as a team towards a common goal.

I have a better trained dog and I haven’t had to use punishment to do so!

Right now, Robbie and I are still on the first step. But, I know where I want us to go in the future, so am able to measure our progress and will rejoice when we reach the final goal.

Medication Tricks (or, How to Fool Maggie)

2007-08-30T15:32:00.000-04:00

Maggie Mae has seasonal allergies. She has a runny nose and goopy eyes and tends to reverse sneeze quite a bit. Most of the time, she is OK without medication, but when I woke up the other morning and found half of my pillow soaking wet from doggie snot, I realized that something had to be done!

So, Miss Mags gets her medicine once a day. It took a few days to figure out how to give it to her. Here is what didn't work

Hiding the pill in cheese, meat or treats.
Feeding it to her in her food bowl with her dinner.
Plopping yogurt on it and expecting her to miss it.

Here is what did work:

Grinding up the pill and mixing it with yogurt and then adding the entire concoction to her food. At first, she didn't like it. Now, she eats it all. Thankfully, no more doggie snot.

I think I must add a pill to each food bowl at dinnertime! Each dog has his/her own needs - it is for this exact reason that everyone now has their own crates (and, my dining room has no space):

Ella gets a pink thyroid pill at dinner.
Duchess gets a green thyroid pill at breakfast and dinner.
Blackie get a Rimadyl at dinner.
Robbie gets either a DGP pill or Rimadyl at dinner.
Maggie gets an allergy pill at dinner.
Bear gets a digestive support pill at dinner. (We are going to try Honest Kitchen's Perfect Form soon, though).
Spirit doesn't need any pills.

A coworker once asked me how I kept track of it all. It isn't hard to remember what each dog gets. What is hard is when I forget the order I put the pills in the bowls and I have to figure out what is in them!

Fearful Dogs

2007-08-30T14:41:00.001-04:00

Shelties tend to be a breed that is very shy (or, in other words, fearful). They tend to be afraid of all the normal things that fearful dogs are afraid of: children, strangers, cars, etc. Some will just run under the bed and hide. Others will bark aggressively in order to frighten away whatever is frightening them. And still others will be pushed beyond their limits and start nipping and biting. Most dogs who get to this stage are called "fear aggressive."

Helping a dog overcome its fears is a time consuming task. However, the rewards are huge. And, there are a lot of resources out there to help a fearful dog.

Trainers

Going to an experienced, positive method dog trainer is one of the most important things a person can do if they have a fearful dog. I really stress the positive method part, since punishment will only worsen a dog with fear issues. It will not make him better. If you would like help finding a positive trainer in your area, please e-mail me (or, leave a comment and I will e-mail you).

Books

Patricia McConnell - Cautious Canine ($6.95)
This short book outlines a step by step approach for helping a dog overcome its fears. McConnell writes in an easygoing and straightforward style that even an inexperienced dog owner can follow. I give a copy of this book to any adopters who adopt a fearful dog. *Any book by Patricia McConnell is worth buying and reading!*

Nicole Wilde - Help for Your Fearful Dog ($24.95)
This book is much more comprehensive than Cautious Canine. It also has a step by step approach, but includes help for anxiety and phobias, too. Ms. Wilde is a respected dog trainer.

Jean Donaldson - Culture Clash ($17.95) and Dogs are From Neptune ($16.95)
Culture Clash is THE book I recommend for all dog owners, whether they have a fearful dog or not. "Dogs are NOT humans. Dogs ARE clever and complex creatures that humans need to take the time to understand in order to live together successfully."
Dogs are from Neptune has specific case studies and treatment for dogs with aggression.

Websites

Shy Dogs FAQ

San Francisco SPCA Article

Veterinary Partners

Foster Dog #7: Spirit

2007-08-24T15:07:00.001-04:00

Miss Spirit, aka Sunshine, aka Mystic, is a little adorable Pomeranian Sheltie mix. Looking at her markings and coat, it is easy to think “sheltie.” But, when she turns her head and you get a profile – she definitely has some pom in her!

Spirit is foster #6 (well, really #7, if Duchess and Blackie do not count as one). She was spayed last Thursday and is just now feeling a little better (she is zoom zooming outside). The stitches itch, though, and she has a hard time bending to lick them, so gets a little frustrated! The noises she makes!

She is a timid little girl who has an easier time dealing with people than other dogs. She is starting to play with Robbie – since he never leaves her alone and is always pestering her to play. She is also good with Ella and Maggie. The first night she was here, she slept on the bed with her head on Maggie’s rump. And, if the play gets too rough, she will often run and hide behind Miss Mags.

Spirit can take or leave Bear, whom she is having a hard time communicating with, since Bear only responds to canine body language, especially sheltie body language. Spirit tends to vocalize her displeasure with the close proximity of other dogs and Bear can’t hear, so she often feels the need to nip at him. THAT is body language he can see and understand, so he now tends to give her a wide berth. But, Spirit doesn’t seem to be any more timid around Bear than the other shelties.

Blackie, however, gets into growling contests with Spirit. Of course, both are on the bed and both think that this is THEIR place to be – no other dogs up here, thank you very much. Well, the rule in this house is that bed privileges go only to those who have earned them. And, I am the only one who decides who is on the bed. Any excessive growling or snarkiness, and you have lost your bed privileges for the night.

First, everyone must learn the cue “Off the Bed.” I teach each and every foster (and my own permanent dogs) this term. First, we practice jumping up and down off the bed – I use treats to lure them. Then, we do this while I use a hand motion and say “Off the bed.” I eventually phase out the lure and then just reward when they are on the floor.

I also teach “Get on this bed.” Which is actually taught in my household as a game, since once they jump on the bed, we play sock muzzle or belly rubs or feet catching, depending upon how safe it is to play such games with each dog.

Maggie, Ella and Robbie all sleep on the bed off and on through the night. They usually choose when and where, since they allow other dogs on the bed. Harley and Bailey, the two Siamese cats, always sleep on the bed. So, there is some room for another dog or two. If anyone tries to monopolize the bed, they are asked to get off. If they don’t, I gently pick them up and deposit them on a dog bed of their own on the floor (sometimes, during the night, I do not reinforce with a treat). No yanking collars or anything like that – just gently touching them and then lifting up and to their own bed. Blackie especially responds well to this (he does NOT respond well to touching his collar to move him). Spirit needs a little more work with staying off the bed once she is no longer on it, but once she becomes more confident, she will feel more comfortable sleeping in her own bed occasionally.

KVSSC Club Day

2007-08-20T11:03:00.000-04:00

Ella, Duchess, Blackie and I went to Augusta on Sunday for the Kennebec Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club's match - obedience, rally, conformation trials. We didn't have many people attend, but Holly managed to snap a few really cute pictures. One was of Ethan, the best Aussie in the WHOLE WORLD, greeting a sheltie puppy. The other was a picture of Blackie and Duchess - with Blackie making faces!

Downtown Dog Days

2007-08-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

Ella, Paula and I attending the Bangor Downtown Dog Days on Saturday. We bought a Aerobie Dogobie Frisbee from Epic Mountain Sports. Robbie really loves running to catch it (and, I can actually throw this one). Ella then runs over to him and they run around the yard playing tug.

We also found a cool ball at the Grasshopper Shop. It was the perfect size for Ella to herd and had cute ladybugs on it. Sadly, once Blackie got ahold of it, he immediately put a hole in it and shredded the darn thing. Oh, well.

At noon, the Franciscans came for a Blessing of the Dogs. Ella twitched a little when the holy water hit her in the head, but really enjoyed the drooley little boy who was patting her during the ceremony.

We went to the Bangor Humane Society to look at the dogs available there (for Paula) and didn't find anything. Then, we drove around looking for a place for lunch. We stopped at Pepino's, a nice Mexican Restaurant, because they had a place where we could park Ella and the car in the shade.

On the way home, Ella was pooped! She slept the whole way with barely a twitch!

Fostering!

2007-08-17T12:36:00.000-04:00

Phew! I am participating in a few blogging challenges: Liz's One Local Summer Challenge, S.M.S.'s Book to Movie Challenge and 3M's Book Awards Reading Challenge. Maybe I should come up with my very own challenge! Like, how many dogs can we squish into Stephani's house challenge.

Duchess is losing weight very nicely. She is visibly slimming down each and every day. And, she has become more active and more vocal. When the pack and I play ball outside, she barks at everyone - just like a little cheerleader (or an old hen telling them to settle down).

Blackie is more active, too, but is showing his age a little, since he tends to over-do-it if I let him. Then, he is achy and snarky when the weather cools off at night. I have begun giving him a DGP arthritis supplement each morning to see if that helps. I think it is, since this morning the little s*** stuck his head into the zucchini patch and leisurely ate a small, tender morsel - flower and all. The dog has no shame - none at all. I mean, at least grab it and run - don't just stand there at the outdoor buffet!

And, Spirit is with us. Well, not right at this very moment, since she is recovering at the vet's office from her spay surgery. But, the little angel seems to be fitting in a-OK. She is a little skittish, but slept the other night on the bed curled up next to Maggie (with her head on Maggie's butt). The funny thing is, every time I look at her, I want to call her "Sunshine."

So, should you decide to come visit, don't expect to have any conversation for a few minutes - visitors cause ALL the dogs to talk! At once!

The Week from Hell

2007-08-17T10:01:00.000-04:00

Ah, the last week has been so very very long:

Got bit by a potential rescue dog and had to tell the owner we couldn't take her
Close friend lost her dog the next day
Attended an event for work (I really don't like social events)
Attending a wedding (see above - but this was actually fun)
Drove to the County and picked up another (very sweet) rescue dog

So, didn't have much energy to post....

Duchess and Blackie Settle In

2007-08-06T14:13:00.000-04:00

Over the past few days, Blackie and Duchess have settled into the daily routine very nicely. Here is what we have been working on:

Duchess is perfect just the way she is. She comes when calls. She hasn't had any mistakes in the house since we got her bowels straightened out. Her skin is now a lovely light pink instead of a bright red (from the concrete in the shelter, I suspect). She doesn't look as bloated as she did when she first came home and she has begun looking like a 10 year old - rather than a 20 year old. She does have an appointment with our vet to have her skin and fatty tumors checked.

Blackie is a good boy, too. He comes when called. He loves to play ball. He takes treats gently. However, we have been working on his house training, since he urine marks in the house. When he first arrived, he would lift his leg to mark every 30 to 60 seconds. So, he needed to be tethered to me, be outside or be in his crate.

Over the past few days, he has come to learn that our bedroom is also his bedroom and he has stopped lifting his leg completely there. He still has trouble downstairs, since that is where the dogs tend to spend the day. That is also where the most toys are. He tried to mark the corners and the toys. He still needs to learn that inside is not the place to go, but is doing a much better job. In fact, we can get up in the morning, go downstairs and outside - and, he waits until we get there! This is quite a change for being in a house for just 6 days (after being in a shelter for 2 months).

Each night, Duchess lies down on the large LL Bean dog bed next to my nightstand. Blackie always joins her there and they sleep through the night. Maggie took Duchess's place last night and Blackie curled up next to her, but then woke up and growled because he didn't recognize her. She just sent him some calming signals by turning her head away and licking her lips and he went back to sleep.

Then, a friend brought her 4 year old grandson over. Blackie played fetch with him and Duchess followed him around. They did OK - I wouldn't want them to be in a home with a lot of noisy children, but one or two quiet ones would be perfect.

It's Raining (Shelties)!

2007-08-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

So, Holly and her husband Chuck, went on a much deserved vacation and now it has started raining shelties. Well, not quite raining. Maybe just misting:

Sheltie A needs to be picked up, vet checked and spayed. She will probably need some training in order to improve her confidence level.

Sheltie B will be picked up tomorrow night. She is spayed, but hasn't been to the vet in years. Sadly, this girl is scared and a resource guarder. Plus, she is overweight, which leads me to wonder if she has a thyroid issue. Hypothyroidism can cause aggression in some dogs.

Then, there is Duchess and Blackie. Two complete dolls. I'll do a post just for them in a minute.

Settling In

2007-08-02T16:14:00.000-04:00

Well, Blackie and Duchess did well on the ride home. Blackie stared at my rider’s lap until she deigned to allow him to sleep there. Duchess mourned being left out in the backseat. That is, until my rider’s granddaughter hopped in. She then took advantage of a small, comfortable lap and settled in for lots of great pats.

Once home, they spent some time getting to know my dogs and exploring the backyard. We all tromped inside to eat and then spent some more time outside. Then, we all tromped upstairs – me to read before bed and them to find their sleeping spots and settle down for the night. Duchess was a little wary of the huge flight of stairs, but she stormed up them like the good little trooper that she is.

Ella has been following Duchess around like a nursemaid. The poor old girl needs to lose quite a bit of weight and grow back her coat. Since she is hypothyroid, she needs to take medicine with each meal. She was so happy to be in the (too) long grass that she tried prancing around like a puppy.

Maggie doesn't mind either Blackie or Duchess. She pretty much ignores them.

Robbie barked at Blackie quite a bit. At first, it was a “you are a stranger and you don’t belong here” bark. After we all started playing ball and tug, though, it became a “play with me” bark. Robbie tends to be insecure around strange male dogs, so Blackie was crated while I am at work today. He showed this behavior to Buster, too, so Robbie and I are going to start a little more comprehensive training program to help ease his fears.

Bear is scared of Blackie, though it isn't Blackie’s fault. Since Bear can not see very well, Blackie looks like a moving shadow to Bear – much like my oldest cat (who cuffs Bear whenever he gets a chance). With time, Bear will start to recognize him.

Blackie also needs to be crated because he urine marks – inside. Saying his name distracts him enough to stop, but he spends a large amount of time sniffing and lifting a leg. Hopefully, with time and training, he will discontinue doing this inside. Bear did the same thing when I first rescued him, so I know that time, patience and consistency will help a lot.

Foster Dogs 5A & 5B

2007-08-01T08:36:00.000-04:00

Today I am traveling to Kennebunk to pick up Blackie and Duchess. Blackie is an 8 year old poodle mix and Duchess is a 10 year old bi-blue sheltie. They are a bonded pair and have been in the shelter for awhile. Since they are bonded, they will need to be adopted out together.

A "No Foster Dog" Vacation

2007-07-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

It is a slow time in sheltie rescue right now - well, in Maine, at least, so the pack is really enjoying their time without a foster dog. Bear and Maggie pair off and wrestle - with Bear often grabbing onto Maggie's collar and tugging.

Meanwhile, Ella and Robbie race around playing tug. Since they are the same size, they tend to run together with a rope in their mouths, side by side, like a pair of matched ponies. I should teach them to pull a cart!

Some people think that the hardest part of fostering would be adopting the dogs out. It really isn't, since all of my fosters have gone to even better homes. The hardest part is the stress that the household is under for the first few weeks as the dogs get to know each other and the cats accept the newcomer. And, it is stressful on the human, since it is the human's responsibility to make sure that each and every interaction between the animals is as positive as possible.

Typically, I keep my foster in my car until "the four monsters" settle down a little from my arrival. Then, I bring out the foster dog on a leash (60 feet long so the foster doesn't realize they are on a leash - to prevent possible leash aggression). Depending on how the dog reacts while in the car, I might start with a greeting between just Ella and the new dog. Then, I will slowly bring out the others - usually in this order: Robbie, Maggie, Bear. Buddy (Foster 4) met everyone at once.

After a few minutes, I either leave the foster dog outside alone and get the other dogs settled inside or I bring everyone inside. It all depends on the dog-dog interaction.

Depending upon what time of day it is, I either settle down to watch a movie and watch the dogs interact or I get meals ready. Ella, Bear and Maggie are all crated when they eat. Ella because she steals food, has weight issues and needs thyroid medication. Bear because he isn't as housetrained as I would like and it keeps him in one spot. Maggie because she gets so excited that she knocks me down and lets others steal her food. Eventually, everyone will have a crate of their own, plus one for the foster dog. Don't ask me where I will put them all, though!

After eating, everyone goes outside to do business and play (and bark). I usually play ball with Bear & Robbie or water the garden while the dogs are playing. Then we all tromp inside and I get to eat. This is where the foster really feels welcome and learns the household rules. If everyone is quiet and peaceful while I eat, then everyone gets a nice piece of whatever I am eating. Yep, I feed the dogs at the table - but only when I am finished eating and they have behaved.

Here are a few pointers, should you ever decide to foster:

Know your own dogs well. Know their triggers: likes and dislikes. Some dogs are just not going to be good with foster dogs coming in and out of your household. Mine are all young and are used to this, so adapt well.
Some fosters are not going to do well with your dogs. You have to be prepared for this and be prepared to use treats to help them overcome their shyness.
Be prepared, for at least a few days, to get nothing accomplished. You should be observing the new dog and making sure that he/she is fitting in well.
Be prepared to separate the dogs when necessary. All fosters wear a harness with a thin drag line when they first come home. This enables me to catch them if they are scared, acts like a leash when they need to be housetrained and keeps me from having to grab them. Have baby gates handy to block off rooms. Have crates set up for needed time-outs.
Keep your normal routine in place and the foster dog will fall in line quickly. This will also help prevent stress on your own animals.
If your dogs have even the slightest tendency to resource guard from other dogs, make sure that all toys, chewies and things that might be valuable (to your guarder) are picked up before the new dog arrives.
Crate your foster when you are not there for at least 2 weeks. It takes time for differences between dogs to come to the surface and you do not want a disagreement to take place while you are not there. So, prevent it.
Be prepared for the inevitable frustrations of having yet another dog who is not used to stairs, cats, dogs, doors. One who counter surfs, isn't housetrained, doesn't know any cues and is scared of everything. In time, these will seem so minor!
Give yourself and your animals a break now and then between fosters.
Relax and treat the foster like one of your own.

So, until the next dog, we are relaxing and enjoying our routine. We are practicing our obedience cues and working on getting good on the grooming table and when nails are clipped. And, I am very thankful that I have these dogs to help me foster, since they are the ones that teach the newbies so much.

Buddy: Foster #4

2007-07-23T13:37:00.001-04:00

Buddy went to his forever home this weekend. This is what his new mum says about him:

"Buddy is such a doll! He fits right in here, and has made himself quite at home. He just loves to play ball in his new backyard."

The picture shows how happy he is in his new home.

I dropped Buster off to his new home, too, and I think this will be the perfect spot for him. His new mum says that he settled right in, loves her dog Wex and went for a quiet walk. What a great life these dogs are going to have!

It is pictures like these and notes from new adopters that really make rescue worthwhile (besides all the sheltie smiles we see!).

OLS: Week 4

2007-07-22T11:46:00.000-04:00

This week was a great week for eating locally - I am getting better at planning and at finding local foods. Plus, my CSA chare started 2 weeks ago - I am hitting more than 5 a day for veggies!

So, I decided to make Sausage and Greens Soup. A couple of ingredients are not local, but everything else comes from within 10 miles of my home.

Sausage - Cornerstone Farm ~10 miles
Garlic Scapes - Firefly Farm ~5 miles
Swiss Chard - Firefly Farm ~5 miles
Scallions - Firefly Farm ~5 miles
Potatoes - 150 miles (County)
Evaporated milk - unknown

The recipe is quite good, but if I decide to make it again, I will use a less spicy sausage! And, Swiss Chard is starting to grow on me - well, not literally, but each time I eat it, raw or cooked, I like it more.

And, I already have my local meal for next week planned - Minestrone Soup using veggies from my share and beans from Exeter.

Buster

2007-07-21T20:20:00.000-04:00

Buddy is with Holly tonight - he is traveling with her to his forever home tomorrow. I have Holly's foster dog and am taking him north to his forever home. What a rascal!

PS. That buffet is not normally there - I am working on my dining room and needed a place for it. Can you call my house "Sheltie Heaven"?

Community Supported Agriculture

2007-07-16T12:52:00.000-04:00

This is my first year having a CSA share. Using the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's website, I found a local farm which offered prepackaged shares. My share is from Firefly Farm, owned and operated by Billi, in St. Albans. This farm is about 7 minutes from my house!

Last Monday, I picked up my first weekly share and spent a lovely hour chatting with Billi about local farmer's markets, food, blogs and numerous other things. She lives is a little farmhouse and, besides growing vegetables for the likes of me, bakes bread for her stand. As part of my share, I asked that a loaf of bread be included each week.

Last week, I received beets & greens, Swiss Chard, 3 pounds of peas (2 types), a huge bunch of scallions, cilantro and garlic scapes and 2 loaves of bread: rye and olive. I ate very well last week - you can check my previous post to see what I did with part of my share. Other parts I ate and then I froze some to enjoy later.

After spending time chatting with Billi, I realized how important it is for everyone to know where their food comes from. To be able to connect in some small way with their food chain - rather than just going into the supermarket and buying what looks good. Farming is hard work and going to pick up my vegetables there makes me realize, each and every week, what an important job farmers have in our lives.

Besides all that, though, it just tastes better.

OLS: Week 3

2007-07-15T20:03:00.000-04:00

My CSA share started this week - I'll post more about that later - which made this week (and future weeks) so much easier to plan for! So, once I got home from picking up my share, I shelled my peas and blanched my swiss chard and beet greens for freezing.

Then I made Spring Pea Soup, which was good, but a little bland. Next time, I will reduce the amount of water called for in the recipe and add more spices.

Here are the ingredients and the miles they traveled:
Peas ~ 5 miles (CSA Share)
Garlic Scapes ~ (CSA Share)
Scallions ~ (CSA Share)
Potatoes ~ 150 miles (County potatoes)
Herbs ~ 0 miles

I also had some very yummy greek olive bread, which came with my CSA share. All in all, I am very glad that I decided it was time for me to know where my food is coming from and have a farmer "with a face."