Return on Investment

John and I are spending some time cleaning the leaves from the outside plants that are now living in our living room for the winter. I take a cloth with some water and I wipe off some white residue that stubbornly returns to the leaves even after we have sprayed them with some benign mix they gave us at the nursery. I tell John that it is frustrating removing this stuff for it to come back again after the “full- treatment”.

He responds by saying that in reality our plants can’t look very good because we just starting spending some time taking care of them.
 

This conversation got me thinking about how it is so true that in order to achieve our goals, whatever these might be, we must spend time and effort in reaching them. Same with our dogs, or any goal really.
 

People want their dog to behave and for him to be a pleasure to live with in spite of the little time they spent either training the dog and/or taking care of the dog’s daily needs.

 

This is one area where return on investment truly does make a difference. Areas in which being proactive with our dogs would make a world of difference are:

1.  Daily exercise and mental stimulation. Give the dog an opportunity to release some pent up energy and have something to look forward to. At least my dogs begin to get restless after they have been fed, even though the need to wait 1 hr before we engage in rigorous exercise. But yes, they do anticipate their daily routine of training and exercise.
2. Establishing clear household rules while making sure your dog can understand them- don’t assume your dog understand them just because you keep repeating them over and over again! Real learning needs to take place.
3. For example: Decide if your dog is allowed on the furniture or some furniture or not all- your choice. If your dog gets on the furniture or the “wrong” furniture, re-direct, gently by asking your dog off it and then tell your dog exactly what you want him to do instead. This drill must be repeated many, many times. Yelling or even asking nicely does not guarantee that your dog has understood what you want him to do instead of getting on the furniture.
4. Also, as important, if you think your dog is getting on your furniture to warrant some warmth or comfort, make sure you provided that for your dog. Most dogs want up on the sofa for that reason and who can blame them? Perhaps they get on the sofa also because it smells like us, so if your pup is the clingy type, provide one of your non-laundered t-shirt so that your dog can have on his bed if you will be leaving him alone. This might provide a lot of comfort. I am a very strong supporter of the idea of researching the motivation (or need) behind a behavior. If, for instance, your dog enjoys looking out the window, allow him to do so when you are at home. I don’t advise allowing this when the dog is alone if your dog is the type that will bark at anything or anyone passing by. A great part of dog parenting is exactly that to provide what our dogs need/want when at all possible.

Just saying “no” without the allowance for something else that targets the specific need: companionship, comfort, safety, stimulation, etc. is not really partnering with our dogs.

The behavior of dogs jumping up to greet is a great example of how one-sided we can be with our dogs. Most people really dislike having their dog jump on them or someone else for that matter and what they want is for the behavior to stop pronto! But wait! Have we investigated why is it that the pup is jumping? I can tell you that dogs greet by licking each other’s muzzles - a vestige of their “wolfy” past. As our companions, they extend the same greeting to us. Since we are erect they have no other choice than to jump up in an effort to reach our mouth. Now that we are aware of the reason behind the behavior, how can we provide our pup with another outlet that is not jumping up while fulfilling their requirement of engaging doggy-style in social graces?
 

Nothing makes my job more satisfying than knowing that I helped my client with their dog’s behavior and that I also found a way to satisfy what the dog wants. I invite you to invest daily in making decisions and household rules that takes your dog into consideration. Your dog will thank you for this, I guarantee! ☺

 

Dog Training Need or Luxury?

I just came from a Behavior & Animal Training conference where the trainers, who work with a myriad of different species, gave us a lot of food for thought. One of my favorite presenters, Ken Ramirez - head trainer at the Shed aquarium in Chicago, spoke of among other topics,  the need to train our animals. So it got me thinking…. is training our dogs a need or a luxury?

Our animals are always learning, not only during formal training sessions. What they learn can help them have a much better quality of life or the opposite - make their lives a living hell. What then are the advantages of training? And who benefits from it?

Training teaches dogs to live in our care. It also addresses their safety and welfare. Welfare can be defined as the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group. When it comes to our dogs, welfare includes the following:

1. Access to a health program (veterinarian care).
2. Good nutrition.
3. A “rich” living environment – including a social structure (the other animals they share their lives with and their relationships with them).
4. Friendly social interactions with conspecific and people.
5. Proper shelter such as comfortable temperature and sleeping/resting arrangements.
6. Mental and physical enrichment.
7. Management that provides for a safe environment.

Besides including adequate (depending on breed and the individual dog) physical and mental stimulation for our dogs, training also facilitates cooperative behaviors. For example, we should teach our dogs to be comfortable with our touch when being examined, to accept (and being comfortable with) equipment such as collars, leashes, harnesses, etc. that makes our walking with them easier, confinement such as crate training. And the list goes on.

There are, of course, other secondary reasons for the training of dogs such as the work animals are required to engage in as assistant animals and for entertainment purposes.

I guess living with our dogs and their care is like anything else in life: you get out what you put into it. It never ceases to amaze me how well dogs do living in a world that is kind half their own. Half their own because of domestication but not their own because they are subjected on a regular basis to our needs and whims – not theirs.

Now, if instead of often curtailing their natural behaviors (digging, chewing, barking, chasing, marking of territory, etc.) we find viable ways - via education and training that allow for their needs to be met in an acceptable way to us, (the concept of “compromise” comes to mind) we can rest assure that not only will we enjoy their company much more but at the same time we are providing for a being in our care. In essence, I am strongly advocating for a relationship and lifestyle that makes our dogs equal partners in our relationship. And as a result, they will thrive and continue to provide us with a lifetime of companionship and fun.

Rocket Speed

One of the most sought after behaviors from dog guardians is the recall (come when called) and this, of course, makes perfect sense. It is soooo annoying when you are calling your dog to come in from the backyard for dinner, or away from your neighbor’s cat only to find your dog so focused on that much more fun activity than whatever you happened to have in mind. There are certainly other very valid reasons why we want and need our dogs to come to us when called: safety. In their wild past, dogs did not have cars zipping by in their environment, and before domestication they didn’t have a guardian to return to for an all prepared meal.

As much as our request is valid there are also misplaced expectations and lack of know-how when it comes to having a pup respond with the same enthusiasm of the chance of a second date with just the right person!

People expect their dogs to come to them just because they have a particular need at that time. The need to move inside, leave the dog park or to keep the pet safe. Dogs, on the other hand, would  almost always much rather do their thing: chasing aanyything that moves, follow a scent (so that they can find it and chase it…) investigate a noise or a potential pal or just plain lay in the sun. So the bottom line is this: you must find whatever motivates your dog so that when you want him/her to come to you they will. No motivation to come -from their point of view, remember? No recall- it's that simple!

Trainers, like guardians, also need to have their pets come to them. And as you probably guessed it, we also need to practice and practice with our pups if we want to stand any chance of a recall. Once a dog is not a puppy any longer (and a very young puppy) the natural tendency of coming when called goes by the waist side.

I practice recall with Deuce every day. We have a new “game” as part of our recall repertoire. Yeah, make it a game for your dog and you will see better results - you will see rocket-speed recalls.

What I love about this form of recall is that it incorporates some very powerful reinforces for dogs: predation and anticipation.

Predation –  A food acquisition behavior which is one of the strongest motivations in dogs. Every dog has it. Period. Learning to work with predation is not only a lot of fun but very smart because when it comes to “natural” behaviors (the pre-wiring in dogs brains) it is wiser to acknowledge it and work with it rather than to "attempt” to extinguish it. No luck here.

Expectation. Ahh… I can relate… I don’t know about you, but so many times in my life the expectation (thinking about, imaging it and the planning aspect) of a desired upcoming event has been much more satisfying than the actual event.

I use expectation a lot in my training with my own dogs and my client's dogs. I can create a pins & needles scenario by the use of my voice (changing the pitch to a high pitch is one way of doing it) by my movement here -- direction and a random pattern are helpful. I love to watch the dog waiting, waiting for your next move, the next throw or release cue.

If you too would like to have a super reliable recall while you have fun working with your dog, follow the plan below. A couple words of caution though: be mindful that once your dog is coming at ya with rocket speed to get to the toy/ball it might be wise to let go of the object otherwise your arm holding the toy might be bent backwards causing discomfort or pain. In my case, I need to hold on to the toy instead of releasing because Deuce still loves to keep the toy for himself. If I hold on to the tug toy, then we can engage in a quick game of tug before resetting once again.

Secondly, please use common sense when practicing this game or any other activity with your off-leash dog. Be realistic about what your dog can handle and the potential dangers of your pup not coming back to you and getting into real trouble.

The Rocket Speed Recall:

See video link below.

• Hold your dog’s favorite toy or ball. Show the item to your dog and move it around to grab your dog’s attention. Do not use your recall cue just get the dog interested in playing with the toy.

• When he is focused on the toy and close to you, open your legs and hold the toy behind your open legs so that your dog goes thru as well.

• Repeat over and over to get the dog going through the legs.

• When the dog is going thru your legs with no hesitation, put the dog on a sit/stay about 10 ft. away.

• Call the dog with whatever verbal cue you are using in a happy tone (high pitch tone of voice).
• When saying the verbal cue send the dog through

• Delay the throwing until you're sure that the dog will go through your legs. If the dog attempts to go around, delay the throw.

• Only throw when the dog has gone thru the legs.

• Throw the object behind you (and thru legs) as horizontally as possible (instead of upward) to maximize on the chase aspect of it.

• Take it on the road by asking your dog when he/she less expectant to come to you, as you produce the toy/ball and open your legs.

• Practice where you want the dog to perform. And do practice often!