Mental stimulation can double as relationship-building.

Here is the second installment of our discussion on mental stimulation. As I mentioned previously, we can go beyond food dispensing toys to give our dogs a daily dosage of mental stimulation.
Some people get it right and understand the importance of a “sniff walk” for their dog. Indeed, for how we use sight to understand the world, our dogs smell it. Smell being their most reliable sense. By a “sniff walk” I mean taking your dog for a stroll where the distance covered is irrelevant in which we allow the dog to move at its own pace- taking as much time as he wants sniffing. This could be challenging for some folks because they do take their dog on a walk (yah!) but they have their own agenda. The walk must double as their fitness routine, so they just want to get it done fast. My advice to this bunch is to take their dog’s sniff walk as a bonus within their mental health.  To see this as an opportunity to experience the surroundings in Slow mo.  Wow!  What a concept!  We can also re-frame and think of our workout time as our workout time, aside from allowing it to be during the dog sniffing opportunities.

 

 In addition to the sniff or slow walk, there are other ways we can hang out with our dogs and provide a rich environment for their brain and well-being.  Here is an idea that I have witnessed to be very beneficial to dogs:  I teach owners how to do some simple TTouches on their dog as part of my Developing the Confident Dog class.

This past Saturday, every participant in the class saw how quickly their dog went from alert (and some a bit stressed) to totally relaxed, choosing to lie down on their mats to receive the benefits of their human’s touch. Engaging your dog with TTouch can teach your dog’s nervous system to oscillate from fidgety to relaxed. The more your dog experiences these different modalities, the easier it will be for your dog to recuperate from an upsetting event or just to be able to relax when you are busy at home and can't concentrate on your dog. TTouch is not a massage and is not petting either. It is its own modality that is relatively easy to learn and worth exploring. To learn more visit: www.TTouch.com.

One of my favorite things to do with my dogs is to play with them! We have all sorts of games and most of them involve an object or toy. I am defining play as any activity in which participants engage voluntarily and the only purpose is to have fun.  The topic of play has been well researched and as a result there is ample information about what constitutes “good” play. Also, quite relevant is how can we play with our dogs in a manner that they find enjoyable and not threatening.  If play is your “thing”  look up the work of Marc Bekoff,  www.marcbekoff.com - a leading authority in dog play and who has done tremendous work surrounding the emotional lives of animals.

I personally like it when my dogs invent their own games.  I mostly follow their lead when they come up with a new activity that we can do together. Here are a couple of examples:

After their breakfast both Deuce and Rio go to our long hallway just off the kitchen.  They both lie there with either one ball (more fun for Rio- perhaps less fun for Deuce) or a ball a piece.  The game consists of one of us kicking the ball so that Rio goes after it.  She gets tremendous pleasure in this. If Deuce was not that interested in balls I tend to wonder if Rio would enjoy the activity.  For this particular game, I changed some of Rio’s “rules” and I make sure Deuce has another ball to keep as his own, or we take turns tossing the ball in such a manner that Deuce gets it sometimes too- not only Rio. Being able to get to a ball that lands unpredictably is where the fun is at.

Deuce and I have our own special game that consists of Deuce taking my sheepherding cues (we actually do go sheepherding) inside our home as he “herds” a ball.  Not only is this game highly reinforcing for Deuce, but our herding practice with “real” sheep has improved tremendously.

I encourage you to be open to your dog’s definition of “games” and “fun”.  I promise you that you will also reap the benefits as you see your blood pressure drop and your breathing become more fluid. At least mine dose whenever I choose to play with my dogs.

In closing, I strongly suggest people think of mental stimulation as a dog’s ability to problem solve. Again, the activities that can promote this are truly amazing, but here I want to refer to one that is so accessible to anyone willing to invest in learning how to shape behavior with a clicker. In essence shaping behavior is teaching a behavior by approximation.  Think of it as a process similar (yet much more complex and interesting) than the popular game of “hot” and “cold” in which someone is getting clues as to the proximity of an object or a specific action it must do. To learn more visit: www.clickertraining.com

If you live in the Santa Fe area, I encourage to enroll in one of my classes. Yes, your dog will learn new skills but equally important you will learn how to adequately teach your dog to problem solve. In addition, you will learn training skills and games that you can incorporate at home as part of your dog’s mental stimulation routine.

Teaching Lie Down To Come Inside or Go Outside

How does your dog tell you that he wants to go out or come in when let outside?   Perhaps your dog is like Rico who would scratch at the door in order to signal he wanted to come inside.

Rico had learned all sorts of new stuff.  The previous week I taught him how to lie down.  This next session we were finally putting the behavior on a verbal cue- which I like to introduce only when the dog is lying down without me having to offer him a food lure. As I arrived to the session and to my surprise, Rico greeted me in his typical effusive manner, but shortly thereafter he did lie down! Some dogs really know how to turn the charm on!

Rico’s “mom” mentioned that she did not like Rico scratching at the screen door to let her know he wanted in.  So, I suggested we try having Rico lie down outside as his signal of wanting to come in. We set it up so that Rico was outside and I remained inside ready to pay him when he would lie down.  I was confident he would lie down in order to be let in.

The reason I thought this was because he had just been reinforced for lying down.  We have ample proof that whatever behavior gets reinforced, will be repeated.  You see, dogs are really smart.  They do what works and they abandon any behavior that is not reinforced in some way. Pretty brilliant, right?

It did not take long before Rico was lying down outside and next to the door. We practiced for a few trials and it took him less and less time with every trial to realize that lying down was the “correct” response to be let in.  I love it when I can find an acceptable behavior for both parties!

Here is how you can teach your dog to stop scratching at the door or even barking, and instead politely lie down to have the door open.

First, you need to make sure your dog has truly learned what lie down (or down) means. You can find out if your dog’s lie down is up to fluency if you ask your dog to lie down and he can comply with at least 85% or more correct answers.  Anything under this requires more practice in order to make the behavior fluent.  If your dog needs a refresher, read below for some tips in teaching him this very handy behavior.

Lure your dog into a down (from a sit) by:

1. Placing a treat in front of your dog’s front paws.
2. Treat for lowering the head/neck.
3. Bending the elbows.
4. Bending of the knees or at the hip.
5. Going all the way down.

Use of An Empty Hand Signal:

1. Remove the treat from your hand and with an EMPTY hand. 
2. Give your dog the EXACT same hand signal you did while holding food in your hand.  Your dog might hesitate at this point.  Be patient and give your dog time to process.  At this point you can pay your dog for a behavior that he has learned well (like a sit) to keep him interested in continuing working with you.
3. Reward your dog for lowering the elbows, knees or even the neck at this point. Pay for any of these approximations.
4. Once your dog is lowering his belly all the way to the ground and has done this consistently for 5 trials, it’s time to introduce the verbal cue lie down or down.

Introducing the Verbal Cue:
When using a verbal cue AND a hand signal it is CRUCIAL that you first give the dog the hand signal and then the verbal cue and not both at the same time.  Dogs will default to minding our body language over verbal cues so if you give both of them at the same time (hand signal and verbal cue) your dog will not learn the verbal cue.

• Once your dog is fluent in lying down when you ask him to do so, you can ask with abandonment.
• Practice in different locations inside your home, a café if this is a typical outing for your dog, etc.
• Occasionally pay your dog for lying down, otherwise the behavior will go into extinction.

Training for Success:
We ALWAYS want our dog to succeed so that we can reward them. Remember that whatever behavior gets rewarded you will see more of.  Please train/practice with the following guidelines below:

Practice each new behavior five times (five trials) in a row.  Depending on the success of your dog for that particular exercise you will…

• PUSH: If your dog is successful five out of five trials… push to the next step.
• STICK: If your dog is successful three out of five trials… keep practicing at this level until he/she improves.
• DROP: If your dog is successful two or one out of five trials…keep practicing at this level until he/she improves.

Now you are ready to generalize the behavior, which means teaching your dog that “lie down” (or down- pick your cue and stick to it) means putting the belly on the ground when you ask in the living room, outside, inside the car.  This is a skill that dogs find challenging so do not skip this step.

Teaching your dog to lie down to be let in:

Make sure you take your dog outside where you want him to eventually lie down and ask for the behavior. Pay handsomely. Repeat a few times.

You can stop here and practice a bit more another day or after a few trials outside, try leaving your dog outside while you go inside and wait for him to lie down on his own.  When he does, open the door immediately and let him in to cash in on the prize.  Repeat a few times making sure your dog gets paid for every correct response besides letting him come inside.  In your next session you can practice with having your dog inside next to you at the door.  It would be easier if you warm him up with a few trials of lying down before requesting the behavior at the door.

In time you can stop paying your dog for lying down when wanting “door services” and use the opening of the door as the reinforcement for him lying down first.

Good Lad, Deuce Good Lad! When dogs chase cars

Living with a Border collie is frankly a lot of fun! There is so much about the breed that I enjoy.

I personally love dogs that are intense in focus and great team players. Of course, like any breed, they also come with their challenges such as their possibly obsessive disposition for toys & balls and obsessing over ball playing.  Here is where a bit of common sense and management are really important.

Not only is throwing a ball all day long not sustainable, but it is also not good for the dog. You might have to manage this obsession by picking up all the balls so that you can break that pesky habit.  In addition, make sure your herding dog has other outlets for mental and physical energy not only the throwing/retrieving of balls.

But how about herding dogs wanting to herd EVERYTHING? How much fun is that?!  Having your herding dog herd your small child, guests, the cat if you have one, along with cars, bikes, joggers, horses, chickens… (sigh!)

Yes, let’s talk about dogs that chase cars. This, of course, is a pastime and a tendency of a lot of dogs not only Border collies. You see, movement in general triggers predatory instincts in many animals.
Clearly car chasing is a no, no activity.  So how then can we teach a dog not to chase cars in the first place?  And what if they already do?

You are definitively better off if your dog has not gotten into the habit of chasing moving objects such as cars, bicycles or runners. The easiest yet tedious way to do this is to manage the heck out of your dog when in the presence of any of these triggers. Yes, this might mean that you need to keep your dog leashed so that he cannot physically engage in the sport of chasing all of the above.  This is REALLY important.  Whatever your dog practices he will get really good at it. So, prevention is key.

Use distance at first when you are teaching your dog not to chase, this will make it easier on both of you.

Also, the size of the object moving as well as the direction of the object in relation to the dog will make a difference in the dog thinking of the moving object as a prey.  This is why most dogs chase cars when they are passing them in parallel not when they are coming at them. The same can be said for a car, person or bike moving away from the dog.  So be alert.

The problem many people experience and why they might want to work with a trainer is because their beloved pup is already chasing all that moves! Chasing is a natural behavior for a dog - indeed the second behavior in the predatory chain of all predators!  Having said this, you can still work on re-directing your dog to other behaviors instead of chasing.  What we are after here is what is called an incompatible behavior.  For instance, your dog cannot chase and at the same time hold a down/stay.

Deuce our Border collie got in the habit of chasing cars early on when being walked in Santa Fe.  His habit was so pernicious that it was frankly a drag to walk him.  I knew that I had to do something about this.

I did basically what I explained above:  I manage him so that he was on a leash whenever the possibility of a car was in the horizon.  Lucky for me he did not chase bikes or joggers, basically ignores the bikes (good lad Deuce, good lad) or wags his whole body in anticipation of meeting the person. So, I just focused on cars and, of course, trucks which were his ultimate favorite!

I began by teaching him to lie down in a sparse-trafficked road with ample space to one side so that we did not have to be close to the cars.  As the car was passing by, with me holding the leash ever so tight and my foot on the leash that was next to him on the floor, I began to pay him handsomely with high-value treats (here is where you bring the chicken, salmon, left over rib-eye etc.) during the duration the car was in our view.

After this we continued walking with me repeating the drill over and over and over again. Yes, it is needed a drill.

But my efforts were paying off and to my surprise a couple of years back we were vacationing with the dogs in Colorado.  As we were crossing the parking lot of our hotel, Deuce was adamant about lying down.  It took me a couple of seconds to realize that a car was ever so slowly turning into the parking lot behind us and Deuce had learned the lesson:  I see a car, I lie down.

On this particular instance, it was frankly impractical to have him lie down as we were just finishing crossing and the car was trying to come in. Nevertheless, I paid Deuce for his brilliant decision.

I continue to work with him every time he is around cars but it is much easier now.  He will lie down on his own as demonstrated above, or I can just ask him to do so and I pay him on occasion. Now it is also great to see that many a times, he’d rather sniff and pee than chase cars.  I have effectively changed his association he had with cars for another reinforcer and more acceptable behaviors: sniff & pee.

When we come to a street that has heavy traffic I go back to helping him by gently asking him to lie down and just pay as the cars go by.  He can handle this now and we continue onward on our walk.  There is a great bonus in working with our dog this way since you are not only teaching your dog some really important skills that might save his life, but I can tell you that you will also see drivers smiling at the brilliancy of your dog.

PS: Deuce in this photo with John is wearing a coat to keep him cool AND looking cool. 

Dog centric training

I am working with a soft-spoken gentleman and his spunky over-the-top Border collie mix.  I am called because his dog is chasing the chickens when they are let out of their fancy coop to meander and peck here and there.  When I ask him, he in informs me that he wants the dog to stop stalking and chasing the chickens. Period.

In his defense, this is his first dog. So clearly he is not yet versed in “dogness”. I begin working with the dog away from the chickens and I am impressed by the ability this dog has to follow instructions while enjoying himself tremendously as I toss treats at him that he gets to catch mid-air. My kind of dog: alert, responsive, over the top.  I see potential.  I see also a fantastic learning partner.

I almost want to tell the owner that his problems will be resolved as I am taking this dog with me- I like him that much!  But no, I know I shall not covet my client’s dogs so I get back to dog-centric training and the task at hand.

Instead I tell Jim, the owner, who also reports to me - that his dog pulls so hard on lead that it makes it impossible to walk him without fearing his shoulder will be pulled out of its socket, that if we work on the loose leash not only will he be able to take leisure walks with his new best friend, but this will also help with the chickens.

Huh!  He sort of retorts back to me.  How can the two things be related?
You see, I tell him, we are working with the individual: the dog and not the “symptoms” or the behaviors that we don’t like. I believe so strongly on this premise that I have the adjective of “holistic” in my dog training business (C.H.A.C.O.) A Compassionate, Holistic, Approach to Canine Obedience and Training”.

I continue by explaining that his dog, Spark, is chasing chickens because the chickens are moving and moving is something that triggers predatory behaviors in dogs.  With the orientation to the prey as one of the first behaviors the dog engages as part of the chain of behaviors (7 in total) to secure food.

In addition, Spark is truly unable to listen to him because he is just too close to this incredible stimulation.

Seeing all this from the perspective of the dog is so important.  As we continue discussing the options for training Spark, I remind Jim that his goals might be obtainable but definitively not a weekend project.

Jim is now more in tune with how dogs learn and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his pal and the chickens safe.  Good, I tell him. My second task now is to explain to Jim that his goals are not the process, but just where the process might lead us.

Again, a truly important aspect of teaching any living creature.  We must know where we want to go - as if following a road map that will take us to the correct location and once we know our specific goal (s) we must sharply have focused on the how we will get there.  Process and goals are both important aspects of co-existing peacefully with our dogs.  They are as well, essential components of any training.

The following week Jim and I are meet again and I begin working with both of them with loose leash walking. Teaching Jim what to do when Spark’s pull but mostly teaching Spark that the fastest way to get to where he wants to go is by not pulling at all! We continue working with other fun games that will promise to turn Spark into a dog that can wait for directions versus acting as a ‘bull in a China shop”. Jim is picking up things very quickly.

Thru the weeks, as the team progresses with the exercises that I leave behind for them to practice we begin working with the chickens.  Now we can incorporate all the hard work we have done away from the chickens because Spark has great reliability on behaviors that at first were unthinkable for Jim to see his dog execute.  Our efforts begin to pay off.

Jim has also learned that there is no reason why we should expect Spark not to act like what he is - a predator, so he has learned that managing Spark with the chickens is essential to the success of our program.

Sure, it is possible that with continuous and deliberate practice (and adding a dose of age for good measure) Spark will learn to relax in close proximity of the moving, pecking birds.  For now, Jim appears more accepting and also more willing to see his beloved dog as a dog; meeting him half way in the journey they are both embarking on.

For my part, I feel so very happy that Jim is willing to work with his pup from a dog-centric perspective. As a result, he has come to the understanding that his dog must not be put in a situation that he cannot possibly be successful at. Since, just like us, his pup will be more successful at the task at hand on some days and struggle on others.

Dog-centric training requires a deep understanding of the species we are working with and a true willingness to work within their nature and capabilities as well as adjusting our own expectations.

 Isn’t this what we all want from others? Our dogs are not that different from us in this respect.

Have a mental picture

I am at my client’s and she is telling me that her little dog did not want to go for a walk last week.

She cannot understand why her dog refuses to walk on lead and basically popped her bottom on the ground in protest.

I am not very familiar with this dog as I have only seen her twice so I cannot immediately shed some light as to why she chooses not to go for a walk.  Is it the collar that she has been recently wearing? As we try to “clear” the aversion she has for the harness my client was using for her.  Perhaps she does not want to go for a walk and potentially meet the neighbor’s large dog that once ran up to them.  At this point it is all a mystery.

I proceed to leash the dog and I encourage her to walk with me in the spacious home. I show my client how to position her body in order to encourage her dog to move forward with her. All this I learned courtesy of TTouch.

Her little dog begins to move along with me.  Initially with slight hesitation but I kept having a mental picture in my mind as to what I wanted the dog to do.

My client can’t believe it.  Her dog is almost trotting along my side delighted in the small treats that I give to her as she approaches me.

Well, I tell her, I have no idea as to why she would not walk at all on lead for her, but here are some of my suggestions.  I tell her that she should have a picture in her mind as to what she wants the dog to do.

I proceed by explaining that having a clear mental picture of what the dog needs to do is helpful in a few ways. First it gives us clarifications as to what exactly we will be reinforcing. In this case, any movement forward on lead which by default precludes the dog placing her butt on the ground and not moving forward.

Secondly, we are focused on the solution, so to speak instead of staying focus on the problem.

I learned of this “technique” from some fantastic horse trainers whose methods of training I admire.  What they can accomplish with their horses is truly out of this world and all of it is trained by using gentle methods, cooperation and never coercion on the horses. My line of thinking was that if these highly skilled trainers were using this technique I could too. Now, it has become part of the natural way of approaching a situation that needs some modification.

We proceed to take the dog outside.  Proof of fire- I tell my client, let’s find out if perhaps there was something out there that concerned her and she wanted to avoid.

As I step into their front patio, I continue to use a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Another proven technique to encourage cooperation. You see, dogs are highly social animals and as such they are constantly taking cues from their environment and us.  If I asked the dog to move along with me without having any hesitation in my mind or tone of voice she then can muster whatever was lacking earlier in her ability to walk forward on the lead.

Once outside, I continue with the same approach as I did in the home and long and behold the pup is keeping up with us now sniffing and almost prancing with delight.

As we turned around to head back home I gave my client the lead as she continues to encourage her dog to move along.

The dog’s reluctant to go for a walk was one mystery I could not resolve. But at least, I had the opportunity to encourage her ever so gentle to walk with me on the lead.  The fact is that there will be many times that we will not know what is behind a particular circumstance or behavior, but we can still use the formula of having a clear picture in our minds as to what we would like that behavior to be instead and from that premise we can come up.

Interested or overwhelmed? Which one is it?

I am taking Thor a lovely and super handsome 5 month old puppy/adolescent for a socialization walk this morning. The intent is to get him super comfortable with all sorts of stimuli such as cars, people of all types, but mainly men and children.  I park by a local and not too busy park where we have walked before, but today we are venturing downtown. Known in Santa Fe as “the Plaza”.

The walk towards the busiest part of town is not a long one but as I shortly found out, one riddle with enough mental stimulation for Thor that he is becoming a bit “unglued”. We are walking parallel to some traffic and the noise itself is making him feel restless. I notice at some point that he is placing his long body - front paws first on walls that are opposite side to the cars passing us by. Initially I thought that he was curious and that he wanted to see what was on the other side of the wall.

A few moments later I began to think differently! Thor is quite overwhelmed with the traffic and his placing of the paws on the wall appears to be more an effort to escape the busy sidewalk than an interest in what is on the other side of the walls.

We move carefully yet with speed to a bigger intersection. As we are waiting to cross the street, I press the pedestrian button. WAIT, WAIT, WAIT a forceful manly voice advises - the voice on the pedestrian signal. Poor Thor is trying to figure out who is talking and why so loud as there is no one next to us. He can barely focus on me and is not taking any treats, his eyes kind of darting in many directions.

As we approach a more ample street, Thor begins to relax and now he is chasing leaves as they fall to the ground in all sorts of shapes and speed. We get to “the Plaza,” our destination and there we see all sorts of people. Single people, groups of people, taking in all the historical buildings as they listen attentively to their guide. We approach a man that is playing a strange instrument.

Thor is getting paid often every time he sees someone; he tries to approach them or just interacts with curiosity with the environment. He is such a handsome dog that lots of folks want to know about him and they too give him a tasty morsel.

We are now heading back with Thor clearly enjoying his outing. The contrast is clear. Before he was mainly overwhelmed instead of curious, but now his demeanor is different. Relaxed body, open mouth, able to attend to me as I call him when he pulls on a leash, able to take treats instead of almost holding his breath with hesitation. As we approach the narrow and loud street that will lead us to the car, I begin to play a game of Find it!  This is a simple yet very effective game that allows the dog to move rapidly thru an area such as a sidewalk cafe, a nearby dog or even noise and traffic with something fun and specific to do. I make sure the treats bounce close to him and he is clearly having some fun - not missing one of them.

Yes, he is still aware of the traffic but I time my delivery of treats as the cars are passing by, but now Thor can handle the noise and all the commotion and he settles for sniffing leaves or eating treats.

What and When Questions Are Smart Questions When It Comes to Training

A few weeks back I wrote about the “why” questions: People love “why” questions. Perhaps because we are curious, because we think “why” questions help us understand our own dog better (which sometimes they do, of course!) but most of the time it's because we'd much rather our dog not do something and we think that by “knowing” the why he/she will not continue to do so.

Why questions, as I stated, are not very useful when it comes to animal behavior and training. The reason behind this- as a form of recap- is that why questions, while being interesting, seldom help us move in the right direction with our dog’s behavior and training.

So then, what kinds of questions should one ask in order to make changes in our own dog’s behavior?

“What” questions are really great starting points. As in “What is your dog doing that concerns you? Irritates you? Etc."

Answers to what questions are observable, and as such, specific.  For example: What is your dog’s response when a stranger reaches out to pet its head? Answer: Lowers the head, emits a low growl and moves away.

If someone were to give me the response above to my question of what is your dog doing… I would most definitively get a clear picture of the interaction between dog and stranger for this very specific action- the stranger reaching towards the dog’s head with the hand.

I am also getting a clear concrete “picture” of how the dog is responding to it. I might not know what the dog is thinking because nobody knows, but I can infer by the dog’s body language, distance increasing and growl that he does not want to be reached out by a stranger.

“When” questions are also very helpful because they tell us similarly to “what” questions under which specific circumstances the behavior is taking place. As I have stated before, behavior never happens in a vacuum so knowing the precise conditions will help in coming up with a plan of action and will very likely set up the scenario so that the dog does not continue to engage in the dangerous, unwanted behavior.

Here is an example: When would you like your dog to walk on a loose leash? The answer to this question might vary. When we are taking a walk in town, when going to and from the car, when your dog see other dogs also on leash. When is it okay for your dog to pull or walk on a taught leash? When we are practicing scent discrimination on leash or when we are practicing skijoring. An activity in which a dog is attached by a long line and is pulling you on a bike, sled, etc.

Finally, "what" questions are also critical in reaching and understanding of what we want the dog to do instead of what the dog is doing at present.

If we do not have a clear picture of what we want there is really no way that we can reach our goal of communicating clearly to the dog in what we want him to do instead.

Getting Ready

Few of us have the forethought of getting ready in the event of a natural disaster. Here in the Santa Fe area our biggest concern is fires. As summer approaches and temperatures rise, the risk of a forest fire also increases. Yet, how many of us have a plan in place for ourselves and our pets?

Okay, I am going to raise my hand here. I have actually put together emergency kits just in case we have to evacuate our home in the event of a fire since we live close to the Santa Fe National Forest.

Yes, initially I dragged my feet in doing so, but like most anything else that calls for our attention the dreading part of it took more wind out of my sails than the actual chore! There is my first motivator for you.

Secondly, if we keep in mind that our brain has a difficult time planning (or getting motivated) to move forward when the end goal is not kind of immediate, we can more easily over ride that oh so very human MO. Once you have been aware that this is kind of our default setting, we can push to
concentrate on the “in the future (maybe) goal of being ready when calamity strikes" - ensuring as best one can that our loved ones (yes, I am talking about our pets here!) will be safe and as stress-free as possible.

Okay, hope the above serves as a motivator for you in getting your preparedness outfit in place. To make things a bit easier for you, I am sharing below what the group Animal Rescue Core (http://
animalrescuecorps.org/) suggests in terms of putting together a kit for your dog. They have on their website a list of supplies for a lot more pets and stock animals so if you have other animals in your life please check out their suggestions.

As for me, I put together my kits, which consist of three backpacks, one for John, one for me and one for the dogs that I can easily grab and carry to my car. If the season promises to be a very bad one, I might even keep the backpacks in my car. In addition, we made sure the fire dept. has a way to get into our property and that John and I know where we will meet if we have to evacuate pronto.

Here goes the list…

A large, lidded trashcan makes an excellent storage container for pet supplies. Supplies can also be stored in a pet’s crate. Make a copy of this checklist and tape it to the inner lid of the storage container for reference. Clean, dry spray bottles for cleaning and misting.

Water: A 3 to 7 day supply. A 10 pound animal needs about one quart of water per day; a 40 pound animal needs about one gallon of water per day.

Records: Copies of medical records, especially current vaccinations. Proof of current rabies vaccination is important for public health and safety. Boarding facilities may not take your pet without this information. If you are unsure about your pet’s vaccination status, contact your veterinarian. If you have pet medical insurance, include a copy of your policy.

Food: A 3 to 7 day supply. Food should be rotated every two months to ensure freshness. Don’t forget an extra can opener if using canned food.

Kennel or crate for housing: For dogs, it should be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around, and include food and water bowls. Label the crate with guardian’s name, address, phone number and an emergency contact number.

Muzzle: A muzzle or a roll of gauze bandage that can be used as a muzzle in case your dog becomes agitated and aggressive during the confusion. Even the gentlest animal can bite when hurt and/or frightened. Your veterinarian can instruct you on the safe use of a muzzle. Or actually, call me! I can help you with this. :)

Towels: Towels for bedding and to cover the crate during transport.

Toys and treats: Just like children, pets can gain comfort with the distraction of a favorite toy or treat. Including an old unwashed shirt with your scent on it can be a comfort if your pet is being cared for by strangers.

I would add to this list the following items:
Harness and extra collar and leashes with id tags
A small first-aid-kit for dogs and instruction booklet
Some non-perishable chewy(s)
Some natural aid to help with stressful situation (try what works for your dog
prior to emergency)

Inspiration

It is Friday afternoon and I am wrapping one more work-week. I turn my attention to my own two dogs. What can I teach them next? My inspiration in working with my own dogs might vary slightly to what I do day in and out with client’s dogs. It is true that on occasion I too have to tackle a behavior “problem” (Problem? According to whom?) from my own two dogs, but for the most part, I just continue to reinforce what I want them to continue doing; making for smooth sailing the norm instead of the exception.

As such, we spent our days playing just to have fun! The games we play all contain elements of what is important for me in our day-to-day interactions. Lots of practice of coming when called, staying in place when asked to do so, impulse control, body awareness, etc.

These training sessions can be quite structured or a bit more loose and on the go. Like anything worth doing in life and training, my own dogs are no exception, there is repetition, fear of not reaching my goals, the inertia to not work with them because it is too hot, too cold, I am feeling sick with allergies or I am just plain tired. There is no escaping drudgery and even self-doubt.

I am, however, deeply inspired by the possibility of what they can learn. By their enthusiasm in learning new stuff and even problem solve. I am deeply inspired by what other people have taught their dogs. At the center of it all, I am inspired by the notion of making their lives richer.

 

What is Puppy Socialization?

Dog parents have learned about the importance of taking their pups to puppy classes to ensure their puppy will not only be a delight-of-a- dog to be around, but also one that is comfortable and thriving in all sorts of circumstances. In other words: well socialized.

But what is socialization? Socialization is the process of exposing puppies - ideally from 3-18 weeks of age - to novel stimuli and anything that can potentially be perceived by the puppy as concerning. Now, how one goes about it is equally important. Our aim should be for positive experiences for the puppy with all sorts of people, friendly dogs and other stimuli.

Puppy classes are the first step, but clearly not the all-in-all in achieving adequate socialization. A well run puppy class is a great venue for guardians to get informed and supported about all there is to teach their pups - as most of this undertaking should continue to take place beyond class. Unfortunately, most folks really fall short in their socialization efforts. It is dangerously easy to underestimate how comfortable our puppies must be with whatever (our) world presents them.

So if socialization is so crucial why is it that most people only barely scratch the surface?
Two of the most salient reasons why dogs are not really socialized are because people lack appropriate information of its importance and how to go about it. A fact that I can attest in every puppy class I teach.

And secondly because let’s face it; the promise of a fabulous adult dog down the line is too long a time for people to really get motivated about today.

Puppyhood can be a very demanding time for people, but I am left to wonder why get a puppy then? When the joyous part of having a puppy at home is to spend time with him or her? I guess it is much easier for us professional trainers to take ample socialization to heart because we are the ones working day in and day out with dogs that are fearful or anxious of certain demographics of people or certain things - or worse, dogs that have generalized fear or anxiety because they lacked the proper socialization. Their lives and those of their families are many times really miserable so I really wish people would listen!

Besides exposing young puppies to a myriad of novel stimuli we need to remain alert for any signs of trouble. A puppy that is “reserved” with “strangers” that is, anyone outside the close circle of humans the puppy has had experience with, a puppy that shies away from human touch, or worse, one that escalates its communication to aggression such as growling, snapping when touched, when an item in its possession is removed, etc. spells E-MER-GEN-CY!!

Other less obvious signs of trouble is a puppy that cannot be left alone. When left alone, the puppy will whine and bark non-stop. This is the time when puppies must be taught to self-sooth.

Now, careful here, the goal is not to push the pup to a point the puppy cannot handle because of its young age. Instead, we need to gradually and daily work with our puppy while making sure that the puppy can handle the interaction with new people, novel things and experiences such as noises and solitude.

Interaction with other friendly puppies and especially friendly adults is a must. However, because there is so much to do I suggest exposing the puppy to friendly adult dogs once the puppy is a bit older. Our first priority should be socialization to people.

Socialization is such serious business that if I ever have a puppy again in my life I vow to take at least two weeks off to make sure I make my puppy comfortable at home and socialize him/her appropriately- believe me, you cannot over do it! I would also probably join two reputable puppy classes and take advantage of the strangers and puppy interaction made available this way.

If you cannot afford to take two weeks off I strongly suggest that you work with your puppy daily- even for a few minutes every day. In order to accomplish this, it is utterly important to arm yourself with valuable information as to what needs to take place and when. Put it on your daily schedule and commit to it with fiery dedication. Our job as “parents” to our present-day puppies is to keep in mind that dogs are always learning, so we need to continue exposing our adolescent and adult dogs to all sorts of novel things in positive ways.

In short: We should never stop socializing our dogs.

The Importance of Management

Part of being a responsible pet parent implies that we manage our pups to keep them out of trouble. Trouble could mean a dog running amok into traffic via the front door, a fearful dog finding himself too close to a “scary” stimulus, dogs chasing the family cat and, yes, destroying our precious property.

Management means that we control the environment so that the dog does not get to practice behaviors that are plain dangerous or that we need to modify. As such, any good behavior modification plan must have a management component integrated into it.

From a physiological stand point - not only in a “strict” behavior sense- (as if we could really separate these two…) when our dogs get to practice undesirable behaviors, they get so much better at them. It really boils down to muscle memory and neural pathways either being created or strengthening.

As a result of a dog practicing unwanted behaviors, the behaviors also get stronger because if the dog is engaging in them, it means that there is something reinforcing about them for the dog. And as you well know (or I hope you do)… whatever behavior gets reinforced will go up in frequency.
Some situations are really simple to manage once the person has identified the problem and makes a good effort in following through with a protocol.

Say for example, leashing a dog that is not fully trained every single time the person steps out the front door with the dog. The chances of the dog running away are almost nil! Or managing the dog when we cannot fully watch them in their crate – once crate trained.

There are other instances, as well, where management is really tricky and it requires some problem solving in order to set some contingencies in place.

Case in point: Rio dashing out the front door whenever she thinks there is a visitor. I don't have to worry about traffic as there is none and we have a fenced in area.

Even though she is getting so much better at controlling herself when someone has come home to see us, we still need to manage her “hellos”.

As a result of this, the other day I tried an interesting technique with really surprising results. I was expecting my accountant so just before she was due to arrive, I placed just outside our front door some really tasty salmon treats. They were so tasty that my own mouth began to water.

A few minutes later, Rio spotted Judi via the front window and she wanted to rush out the door to say hi.

As Judi was approaching the front door I opened it and saw Rio beeline- nose to the ground taking in not only the aroma of the salmon but munching on the treats. It was hilarious to watch because even Judi responded by complaining to Rio that she had found something more interesting than her! After the treats were gone, Judi got a much more settled “hello” from Rio.

Ah, front door management … such a big headache for most folks… so in next week’s post I will give you some ideas you can try at home. See you then, I hope!

Arousal

Have you ever seen a dog with “raised-hackles”? I bet you have. The technical term is piloerection and it means just that – the hair standing up.

What you probably don’t know is that piloerection is NOT aggression, as many folks believe. It is actually arousal. The best way for me to describe arousal is to say that arousal is an autonomic response from the nervous system. In other words, it is not a voluntary response that the dog can turn on and off at will.

Whenever we see a dog exhibiting piloerection we should pay attention because it could just mean that the dog is very excited over something; such as seeing a person or a favorite pal. But also, piloerection – or best said - arousal can also be a precedent to an escalation of aggression.

So how is one to know? It all depends on the context. It is never advisable to just focus on one visual element of dog body language because most likely this will not give enough information to make a good assessment of the situation. So if we pay attention to the dog’s overall body language, and this could be done in a matter of seconds, we will be more successful in anticipating the motivation behind the piloerection.

This is a good illustration as to how piloerection can “mean” different things: My two female dogs Laika and Rio display piloerection often. Laika would almost exclusively when she was ready to interact with a dog she consider “soft”. Dogs that she wanted to intimidate just for fun.

Ahh, and Laika was a very “nice” dog with great dog skills who also enjoyed bullying them on occasion until I said no more! Laika was a very confident dog.

In the case of Rio, our current female pup, she exhibits piloerection daily. If she spots someone in our driveway her howling and barking will always be accompanied by piloerection. She will do the same even when the person in our driveway is John coming in back from out of town. Rio also does other things when she is in situations that she finds a bit overwhelming such as saying hello to someone.
She will bark, howl, have piloerection AND turn around looking to see if Deuce is in the vicinity and following her because she lacks the confidence to interact. So here arousal is a bit more a case of the “jitters” – to use a “very” technical term. :)

The learning I wish folks would take from this is that piloerection is an easy identifiable visual cue that we must pay attention to and to remember that is not aggression, but it could be an antecedent to aggression. Physiologically and evolutionarily speaking, pilorection also functions to make the animal look bigger to a potential threat. But as you can see by my examples above, there might be different motivations for this.

Back to Rio and her arousal. I can almost bet with great certainty that if Rio found herself in a situation where she felt somewhat threatened, her first line of defense would be to retrieve. Now Laika, for example, I am not sure she would. Same response from the nervous system, but a different outcome.

When I see either my dogs or a dog that I know well have pilorection, one of the things that I like to do is to gently press the back of my hand down their spinal cord beginning at top of the neck and down to the tail. Literally “combing” down the standing hair. Over and over again, the reaction that I have seen is the dog returning back to equanimity. Our dogs cannot “control” pilorection, just like a person that has road rage cannot control feeling the emotion. However, what our dogs and the road-rage laden individual can learn is how to respond when they are going “through the motions”. And this is where it gets very interesting! Enter the world of learning….

Home Delivery

I am at home waiting for a home delivery. The home delivery people had called ahead of time as requested and now both dogs are in my office in their crates.

I hear a knock on the front door and in unison with my “come in” I hear Rio barking. Ah, she probably wonders: who is at the front door and why is it that I am locked up in my crate and cannot come to say hi! She continues to bark and now Deuce has chimed in once he has heard that yes indeed there is now someone inside the home.

I wait for a few seconds of silence and then I walk into my office. Both are looking at me and still silent. Gooooood dooogs! I tell them as I exit the room and close the door.

Rio begins again. I think about my strategy and my options.

Sure, I can walk in there pretending to be furious and yell at them a couple of times in my best impersonation of a sergeant's voice or I could also walk in there with a water bottle and spray both of them in the face, or use one of those popular pet correctors this one emitting a hiss sound that some dogs find very scary or I could….

I opt for a “nicer” option. Not only because (most of the time) I am a nice person but because I also know that instead of scaring my dogs by pushing my weight around with my bullying tactics, I can use this golden opportunity to teach them what I'd much rather that they do when I ask them to go into their crates and forfeit their meeting everyone that comes through the front door.

I wait again for a longer silent pause from the two of them and once again, I march into my office carrying an (almost deadly-weapon)…big chunky slices of hot dogs!

I begin to toss them the hot dogs and as they eat them happily I walk out of the room. More silence… more hot dogs coming their way at different time intervals from one another.

By now the delivery has ended. I go back to let both dogs out of their crates and as I open Rio’s crate she just waits inside - no rush in getting out. Her coy expression asking for more hot dogs. I slip her one more piece just for being cute and we march out towards the front door so that they can act as pet-detectives and sniff around perhaps somewhat disappointed that they missed out in making new friends.

Tonight I will sleep very well. Not only because we now have a firmer mattress, but because I did not cave into intimidation to get the job “done”. Instead, I followed what the science of animal learning has proven time and time again: we do not need to intimidate, create pain or discomfort to modify behavior. We can instead make it up to the animal and reinforce for WHAT we WANT them to do!!

Doesn't this make more sense? Why focus on the “problem” – problem for whom may I ask? Instead on what we want our dogs to learn?

As an added bonus to me experiencing a warm-fussy feeling inside, my dogs are also feeling that warm-fussy feeling towards me. No scary owner, no yelling into submission - with nowhere to go (remember they are crated) instead they are left with a better understanding of what I would like them to do when they are in their crates.

The bottom line is that in my personal as well as my professional view, we must time and time again choose to teach with the knowledge that reinforcement works. Second point, when anyone acts accordingly to their (moral) values they are not in a situation of conflict: love my dogs but I scared them/hurt them etc. and that is a great recipe for a good night sleep! Zzzzzzzzzz

Oodles of Fun

These past few days I have been on the hunt for a new watch. As with many of my searches I begin by looking at tons of options either locally or online. I look at different brands and models to really hone in on what I really want and can afford. As I am searching online I came across a website that buys watches… I am onto something! I have an old expensive watch that I do not wear any longer because it is too small for me to read now.

I proceed to send them a picture of the watch and fill in their form. Ah. I get a quick response followed by a phone call telling me that they are not currently buying vintage watches. Bummer, I think. So then I take my watch to a local person to inquire further. I learned at the jewelry store that “no one in town really buys these kinds of things” AND that my watch is not working :(

As I am headed home with my broken watch in my pocket I realized that while it is a disappointment that my plan is not panning out, I am actually having oodles of fun doing the research and dreaming about what watch I will finally buy. So even though there is a goal to this adventure, it has also just turned into a fun activity.

Think about it, how many times do you get to do things in your life “just for fun”? We are constantly so busy that fun is relegated to the “if I am lucky” camp or worse the “never-never” camp.

Now, the good news is that if you parent a dog you have indeed a fun-making “machine” at home!

Caring for a dog can also turn into a major to do list. In addition to grave consequences if we do not follow through with most aspects of their care and well-being. So I am not surprised to find out that most of us don’t spend time just having fun with our dogs!

Big mistake! Because this is one of the main reasons for having a dog!! Now, if you are with me here, your next step is to find practical and in effect fun ways to interact with your pup.

Recently I had a client that when I asked her if her dog liked to play with toys or play any games she responded that her dog did not like to play with toys or that they did not engage in play themselves - this then followed by at least three fun interactive activities she and her dog engage in on a regular basis.

Wait a minute, I told her. What you just described to me is in my book a game. I guess it all depends on how we define “games” and “fun” right?

These are my descriptions:

• A game is “something” anything really that brings lightness to the moment.
• It has no other purpose than – and this is a big one - both parties are having a good time.
• An activity that will allow participants to get kind of lost in the moment… okay, true, dogs are kind of in-the-moment creatures, but heck I am not! So this is a good place to practice just that.
• Also, for me, games most of the time double as training opportunities. Even if the training is about my dogs wanting to hang out more with me because I am fun and I can make toys come alive and I still can sprint fast … In fact, most of the training that I do with my own dogs IS in play. And we both love that.
• Another important characteristic of my idea of fun & games is that they are fluid and ever changing. I might have some specific rules for a given game but I am open to modify them or “invent” all together another game.
• Safety for both parties is also important. More and more I am mindful of how my interactions with my dogs can affect their physical well-being. Am I playing for too long? Too hard? Are they jumping too high, etc. This requires discipline, as I need to slow down and analyze the process.

Last week while feeling a bit overwhelmed with work stuff, I decided to take a 20 minute break between sessions, change my clothes to play Frisbee with the Deuce and Rio. Wow! What an effect that had. I left the playing field now ready to work with someone else’s dog and happy to see a couple of tired dogs resting contently.

Now do yourself a favor please… invite fun & games into your life if you haven’t already and thank your dog for “keeping things real”.

Calling for Backup

Lately Rio has masterminded her own “diversion” just after her dinner and bully stick, just when I am ready to call it a day and relax.

So here is what she does: She will let herself out via the doggie door to the back porch and either lie around taking in the last rays of sun or she will begin to bark at the sound of either a car passing by or even an imaginary sound. As she is barking or howling she stands in front of the double-glass doors facing the inside and looking for Deuce who is most likely just lying down and relaxing or lying down next to his ball in hopes that someone will have mercy on him and give it a kick.

Rio will continue to egg Deuce on. And depending on his mood is what determines if he will ignore her or go outside and join her in whatever imaginary adventure she has cooked up for that particular evening.

Now, here is a big difference between the two of them: If Deuce feels there is something worth his bark and pursuit he just goes - Rio or no Rio in tow. Rio, on the other hand, waits and “calls” for backup. His backup, of course, is Deuce.

Depending on what I am doing and how tired I am, I either laugh at Rio’s manipulative tactics and give her some barking time, or I call her back in so that she does not continue driving everyone crazy with her Beagle sounding howl.

The way I see it, there are a few explanations for Rio’s behavior.

1. Lack of confidence: Plain and simple. She wants to go “investigate” and/or create a racket but she does not feel secure enough to do it on her own.
2. Rio and Deuce really begin “best buddies” and as best buddies, they like to have the other partake in fun “stuff”.
3. Rio, unlike me, is not yet done with her day so she finds a way to entertain herself and Deuce.

Of course, it is possible that all the reasons above are part of her motivation and perhaps none of the above apply.

While I don’t see much wrong here, I'd rather not have Rio getting into the habit of barking at the slightest sound heard.

While her getting all-worked-up over nothing is part of Rio’s temperament it is also the case that the more she (or any dog, person, etc.) practices something, the more permanent the behavior will be.

For this reason, I call her or both of them in (when Deuce has joined in) after a few minutes of barking and I take the opportunity to work on their recall. Depending on how long it takes them to come in (we are talking seconds here) determines what kind of treat they get. Once inside, their doggy-door privileges are over for the remainder of the evening and quiet reigns again!

Single child (dog)

Our friend’s Robin and Lisa come over for dinner and they bring along Skylar who is one of Rio’s and Deuce’s BFF. The dogs are excited to hang out together - first inside as it was still hot. Just as the sun was setting we all step outside to go to the field and let the dogs play hard. They run and take turns chasing balls. My eye caught Rio at least twice politely deferring to Sky her big red ball. Good girl Rio! I told her as I smiled with motherly pride. They continue to play for a bit and now the ball is back between these two. We are all kind of gathered around the dogs when a spat took place between Sky and Rio. It did not last long. We quickly remove the ball from the field.

They keep hanging out and I see that both dogs are back to “normal”. Good, their relationship is intact.

Afterwards I am thinking about single child/dogs and if they are at a deficit when it comes to learning how to share with other dogs. Similar to some single (human) children who find it difficult to do so. I sustain this thought for a few minutes and I reach the conclusion that any being that is alive will have to learn to share resources and protect them as well. Yes, it is true that when there is more than one dog in the household the dogs get daily practice in negotiating all sorts of stuff such as places to lie down, food and other goodies.

It is also a fact that some dogs really like their toys and they might not be as happy about sharing with others. Here is the case of Sky and Deuce. I am not sure if this is an ongoing problem between Sky and her other doggie-pals because this was the first incident of her guarding the ball from Rio. Or perhaps Rio was the one who began the posturing because she was not willing at that point to have Sky keep the ball. Who knows; it all happened kind of fast.

Deuce, for example, is so good about sharing almost everything. He totally looks the other way when Rio (food monger - per excellence) steals his half-eaten chewy or a Kong. However, I need to separate them when I roll out food-dispensing toys (with the exception of the Kongs - go figure!).

If I don’t separate them, Deuce will give Rio and the food-dispensing toy a hard stare and begins to vocalize in a very high pitched tone. If Rio remains close to the toy, he will go towards her and sort of peck on her with his muzzle. Since I know this, I just don’t expose Rio to this sort of nonsense. So they get to eat and play with the food-dispensing toys always apart. Now, Deuce and Rio have a toy box filled with all sorts of goodies that they can access at any time. They each have their favorite toys, with balls ranking # 1 for Deuce. Rio loves them all!

I don’t recall if they have ever felt possession over one of these toys. Perhaps because there are so many to go around that there is truly no need to guard them.

Conflicts between dogs are potentially dangerous for them. That is why for the most part, (unless the dog has learned that pulling his weight around pays off) most dogs tend to exhibit ritualized behaviors that never escalate too much. It is evolutionarily advantageous to remain injury free.

Either way, I try really hard to keep the relationship (yes, it is a true friendship what these two have) between Deuce and Rio as conflict free as possible and the same goes for their other doggie-friends. Playing it smart and anticipating any possible conflicts pays off and will allow for many hours of fun play with or without a precious ball.

Missing The Bigger Picture

It has been two Sundays in a row where we have been having breakfast in Santa Fe and another patron has brought their dog with them.

I am not talking about the dog lying comfortably next to his and/or her owners in the shade with perhaps a water dish or some tidbits tossed here and there. These two dogs were tied outside while their owners, in one case, continued to ask the dog to lie down or sit every time the dog decided to check-in on them. On the second occasion, the owners actually sneaked in a super cute King Charles Spaniel into the restaurant.

It was only a matter of minutes when another patron asked them if their dog was a service animal. The woman responded "no". The gentleman then asked them to remove the dog while at the same time a staff member did the same.

The owner marched the dog outside and I began to feel my chest tighten. It was already hot - high 70's and I was really worried she would “stick” her dog in the car.

Our dogs, were hopefully sleeping in the car… but the car was parked in a covered parking lot. We had taken our customary Sunday walk and decided on this particular restaurant because I knew we needed to park inside a lot.

I realize both of these set of owners meant “well” by including their pet in their daily lives. The problem is that there are truly missing the big picture!

Parking dogs on the sidewalk without supervision - even if it is “just for a second” is a terrible idea! Besides it is illegal.

It is actually a welfare issue folks. When a dog is left unattended attached to an object the dog is completely vulnerable. Dogs have basically three choices when they feel threatened: Flee (can’t do), Fight (will do), or Freeze (a coping strategy when the other two choices are not available).

The perhaps friendly dog is now put in a situation where if by chance it is approached by another dog, he/she will not be able to even say “hello” in an appropriate way. Do you wonder why so many dogs (it is truly an epidemic!) lung and bark – even growl when they are on leash and they spot another dog? It is precisely because they are feeling vulnerable and frustrated at their inability to say hello to a dog they have never met in a safe manner.

In many instances it only takes one encounter of this type to have the dog generalize their discomfort and sense of threat to all dogs when she/he is on leash!

Once, long ago in a distant land … I too tied up my two very friendly Springer Spaniels, Inca and Chaco (for whom my business is named after), to a pole. I promised that I was only going to be a minute… and before I could blink my two dogs were barking hard at a dog that was passing by.

When I heard my dogs barking furiously I ran outside and found them all tangled up on the post. And yes the other dog was friendly!

I vowed to never to do this again. But I guess I did not really learn my lesson… one day I walked with Laika to the copy shop. I tied her to a tree in front of the window where I could see her and I could go to her rescue should she need of my help, but she appeared to be doing fine just watching me inside making copies… all this while my eye caught a car slowing down in front of Laika with two passengers inside - a man and a woman. I began to feel as though something was not right as the couple were eyeing Laika and the woman began to get out of her car.

I immediately came out and stood beside Laika. The woman quickly closed the car door and they sped away. Call me crazy but I think they were ready to snatch Laika. With this one incident I really learned my lesson.

As we left the restaurant this past Sunday, I spotted the King Charles Spaniel tied outside the restaurant in the sun, with little-to-no-protection. I could not believe it! Her owners inside enjoying a meal. I thought to myself: 'Why don’t they come and have their breakfast outside with their dog?' As there were some chairs and tables available? Ahh, because it is too hot to eat comfortably outside… still their dog remained in the sun while the couple finished their meal… A typical case of good
intentions coupled with very little afterthought for the wellbeing of the dog.

Time to Integrate

After spending two weeks with us, I returned MAKIS, (aka "Puppy X") back to the shelter. That same morning she participated in a TTouch™ program for volunteers where she got firsthand experience with different people who stroked her and taught her that touch can be enjoyable.

I was feeling really sad to know that she would no longer be running freely with my dogs. I will also miss seeing her acting like a totally normal and rambunctious puppy enjoying life and getting herself in typical puppy-trouble. She had begun to show more typical puppy behaviors as she learned to relax more at our home. I had to keep even closer tabs on her now because she discovered that perhaps the legs of the coffee table or the upholstery of our chair could be “fun” to chew. She even responded to me singing the song of “lets go outside” as both Rio and Deuce do.

Yikes! It is impossible for me not to get attached to the dogs that I bring home from the shelter and Makis (named after one of my nieces) was no exception!

Once back at the shelter, Makis who was overdue for one of her puppy-vaccines, had to be housed alone. My heart sank as I saw her curl up into an almost perfect ball at the end of the pen. So in my own way, I “told” Makis that this next step was a continuation of what will turn out to be a much better life for her and that she – just like any other being in this world, would have to learn not only to survive but to thrive! I left her behind – holding back the tears.

Later on as I hung out with Deuce and Rio I had a thought pop into my head that gave me some solace: I had earlier that day mentioned to the participants of the TTouch training, of the importance of giving animals time to integrate a new experience. I thought then about Makis at the shelter. I wanted her to have a “roommate” from the get-go. The roommate would not only keep her company but she/he could serve as her role model as to how to positively interact with people. I realized now the fact that Makis needing to spend a night on her own seemed like a great idea! If she had been housed with another puppy or even an adult dog it was very likely that they would engage in play, instead of Makis sleeping. Makis in her isolation and “quiet time” would have an opportunity to do just that: integrate new learning.

The following day, I checked to find out how she was doing and was sent a picture of Makis with her new pal. An older and very friendly white pitty (pit-bull).

Tomorrow, I will go to the shelter to continue working with her. And once again, I will “remind” her that she has a bright future ahead…

Working with Distractions

Today the dogs and I spent the morning walking in one of our local parks. It is fun for all of us to go to Santa Fe and just take a leash walk together. I realized that the more they get to do this, the better they are at walking on a loose leash- no surprises here, the more anyone practices something the more permanent the behavior will become.

It is somewhat cold but Deuce and Rio would rather walk without their coats and I'm bundled up so I am comfortable. We walk on the snow and I feel some regret as our foot and paw prints do away with the smooth blanket of white snow. Rio is having a blast! Oh how much she (and I) wish that she could be off leash… it is difficult to keep her focused on me because she is tossing and turning like a colt. Also wanting to play with Deuce and, of course, the leashes make this almost impossible.

We practice our “go sniff” cue, which means: walk nicely and I let you go and sniff whatever your heart desires. Have you ever wanted to know all the info. our dogs can glean from another dog’s marking?

Now we are close to the parking lot and cars are coming and going. Perfect opportunity to practice with Deuce his laying down instead of chasing cars. Brilliant!

He goes into a down without me not even saying a word. Now the view of a car has become his cue to lie down. I reinforce him big time.

I had in mind as part of our outing to practice some of the stuff we have been practicing at home for a few weeks now. I bring the tug toy, a long line and a small container where I can set some treats for Rio.

I begin by attaching Rio on a leash to a close by tree while Deuce and I practice- him on a long line - our “stop”, “walk”, "that’ll do" (come back to me- stop “working”) and then running to get the tug toy that I previously tossed away from us so that we can play with it.

Deuce LOVES playing this game and it serves my purposes of having him stop on the dot (sometimes he voluntarily lies down) as part of my emergency recall plan.

As I am getting organized a man shows up with a remote control airplane. He is a few feet away from us. He begins to fly his little plane, which makes a hissing sound as it is flying. Deuce is not bothered by the noise but just super distracted! A few other people are walking their dogs on leash both my dogs spot the other dogs.

I toss the tug for Deuce but he is so distracted by everything around him that he does not even race to get the tug. Yikes! He is not interested in playing tug??? I give him another chance acting super excited myself as I run for the toy. He is still distracted - as if in a daze!

I then switch gears to get him focused back on the tug and the training as I say to him “switch” which is my verbal cue that Rio is up and he will get to watch.

I now have Rio on the long line while Deuce is looking around tied to the tree close by. Rio takes to the tug game like a champ and Deuce… watches and barks now wanting to play. Perfect! I think - I got his attention.

After a few rounds of fun with Rio I give her the “switch” cue and change dogs once again. Deuce is now with me tugging and ignoring his surroundings: cars passing by, dogs passing by, little airplanes close by. We practice our routine a few times and I pack the dogs in the car - everybody happy and looking for some warmth.

It is wise never to underestimate training in a new (more distracting) environment. It should not be a big deal but part of any well-thought out training plan. The trick to being successful is to lower our expectations and at the same time, knowing how to manipulate motivations at a given moment so that the dog can perform with distractions. Training dogs requires LOTS of flexibility besides knowing when to changes the environment (distractions, motivations, etc.) to get results. In essence working with the distractions around us instead of avoiding all distractions.

Choose Your Battles

I love the days when I take the dogs to Santa Fe for leashed walks. The three of us are still working the kinks of ongoing loose leash walking but I am encouraged because both Deuce and Rio are improving with every outing. This morning was remarkably cool and with a lingering fragrance of rain when we set-off  for our morning walk.

Rio has this little annoying thing that she does pretty much every time I release her from the car: She gets off the back of the car as if she was a bronco coming out the gate. She is so “exuberant” in her enthusiasm that I have to make sure I park in an area away from traffic so that as she leaps and rotates I can still maintain control over her and Deuce - who thank god has learned some better manners!

This morning Rioja surprised me. I was expecting her to get out of the car in her usual manner but instead, she remained collected. She expressed her joy by jumping enthusiastically out of the car yet her pulling at the leash was minimum.

This got me thinking about the importance of choosing our battles with our dog’s and the behaviors that we want to have them change.

Rioja exiting the car as I described above is not on my top 10 list of favorite behaviors but I realized that for the moment - until she matures a bit more - I was going to cut her a break and allow her to be exuberant… as long as she waits laying down inside the car for me to leash her and release her. This part she does great so why not cut her some slack for the time being on her exuberant exit?

Now, there are some other behaviors that I do not want Rioja to continue practicing so I am not cutting her much slack on these. Here is an example:

A vast majority of dogs love to sit by a window and see the world pass them by. For most dogs that live in residential areas their day might be peppered with people walking alone, people walking with their dogs (this option is one of the most exciting ones) and with the occasional sighting of a cat perhaps.

For my dogs it is just very few passers-by, mainly the neighbors who walk their dogs up on the ridge or the occasional handy-person who both my dogs think are here to see them and I haven’t had the heart to tell them this is not so.

Now, my take on dogs sitting by a window that faces the outdoors is that for the most part it is not a good idea. Owners tell me they like to have their dog looking out the window so that they have something to do when they are left alone. But the problem is, that most dogs get way stimulated (over–aroused) because they are constantly seeing people, dogs and the like that they cannot access and that in itself frustrates dogs (this is called barrier frustration). Rioja loves to lay by the see-all window. Sometimes she'll lie there and snooze. Sometimes she barks wanting out to say "hi" to the contractor of the week. Now, if I allow Rioja to bark without re-directing her at the sight of people, just like my client’s dogs I will most likely end with a dog that gets too aroused when seeing people. And that is a slippery slope.

Arousal is an autonomic response of the nervous system. As such is not something a dog can regulate on its own. The best analogy I can think of (different bodily processes but kind of the same result) is a small child who has consumed lots of sugar  - now try putting that kid to bed or to have him play quietly, not an easy task for either party!

Arousal, of course, is part of everyday living. However, when our dogs are permitted to engage in arousal inducing behaviors without some sort of an intervention to calm down, it is possible to end up with a dog that has difficulty responding appropriately when aroused. To be clear, arousal as stated cannot be regulated by the dog. The dog cannot feel more or less aroused at will. However, what our
dogs can learn is to respond appropriately when aroused. Similarly to a person who suffers from road-rage, most likely this person will always feel [some] rage when in a similar situation but that person can learn to engage in a less desirable behaviors such as singing along with the radio or breathing deeply versus flipping someone off when driving. Instead of letting Rioja bark past her there is someone on the property… Alert! Alert! is that I call her to the kitchen and I ask her to lay on her bed. I treat her occasionally, as she remains laying down.

If she peels away from the bed to go bark again at the window, I call her back and do the same thing again. This back-and-forth gives Rioja an opportunity to do her “job” of alerting me when someone is coming in through the gate but most importantly, it gives her an opportunity to calm down, take a sigh and just relax.

I have noticed that the more we practice this protocol and the more relaxed I become about asking her to come lay on her bed the easier it has been for Rioja to disengage from the post at the window and come lay down on her bed.