I almost lost Deuce

We are taking a nice and leisurely hike over the holidays.  Deuce and Rio had made a new friend. Suddenly I see both my dogs clearly taking a scent and off goes Deuce. Poof! Gone. Out of sight. I have boasted confidently in getting Deuce back from pretty much any distraction and this - whatever they scented was a distraction with a 99% success rate.

All it takes is for me to invite him to take the tug toy and distractions be gone. Not too long ago, we were taking another off-leash hike and apparently, a pack of coyotes were having a celebration. Both my dogs noticed this and now Deuce is dashing down the hill hoping to meet-up with his “cousins”.  I am in a state of panic at the prospect of Deuce joining them.  I call him back with the tug.

So, after Deuce is running away from me, I call him back to take the tug to no avail. I then call him back using a verbal cue that also is quite predictable for Deuce recalling back, which is the “that’ will do” phrase I use when we are actually sheepherding (top activity for this Border collie); implying that he must stop what he is doing. Again, no Deuce.  My mind is racing as I think that I lost my dog on the first day of the year.

I decide to walk in the direction where I saw Deuce take off now with Rio next to me on a leash. After about 600ft I turn to find Deuce at the edge of a big drop and on the opposite side of where Rio and I are standing.  I realize then that if he tried to join us he can easily get injured as the drop in front of him is quite a drop and now it all becomes clear to me. Deuce was kind of trapped.

I ask him to stay put not wanting to drop into the wash in an attempt to join us on the other side, and Rio and I walk further down to find a place where we can join Deuce.  He parallels us and once we fond a drop he came rushing to us.  Perhaps more relieved than I was.

I leash him while I tell him what a good boy he is.  No, there is no point in scolding him.

With my dog back to safety, I try to put the pieces of puzzle together: Deuce takes off after something interesting. He hears me calling but now he cannot find a way to get back.

The point then and the lesson that I think people miss sometimes is that dogs can and do get lost on a regular basis. People wrongly assume that their dog will use its nose to find its way back to us.  Well, maybe.

It is also possible that Deuce was not distraught, as he never vocalized in an effort to unite with the group.

After we were all united, we continued our walk with Deuce still on leash.  He has no problem walking next to me. We get to a soft sandy wash and Rio and her new friend are gearing up for some fantastic and energized dog play.  I let Deuce off to enjoy in the game as we watch almost in full silence as these three jump & chase, and stop to catch their breath.

I learned something about dogs in general and specifically about Deuce.  Yes, yes he is a Border collie but still this boy could not find his way back to me. Sometimes we give dogs too much credit as to what they can do, when instead we need to be open to the possibility of something else preventing the dog from coming back to us - as in this incident - or just to be able to carry through with our daily requests.

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. 

Are you paying attention?

I am not much of a sport fan which means I do not watch the Super Bowl so I miss out on all the flashy ads and the mid-point entertainment. However, one of my brothers did send me a jaw-dropping performance of Border collies doing a disc (Frisbee) routine.  Wow, I thought, how can they do that?  As a professional trainer, my mind oscillates between the actual performance (the chain of behaviors) and how exactly the dog was taught to do it. While I love to see, dogs having fun and excelling at difficult tasks, I am much more interested in the how.

The same could be said about pretty much any sort of training.  But here I want to focus on sports training.

Dog sports are here to stay and they are ever so popular.  What makes them so popular?  I think there are many reasons why people like to engage in them. Here are some:

1. People enjoy “hanging out” with their dog, and dog sports give them an opportunity to do so
2. The challenge of teaching the dog to do “x” or “y”.  Again, for me the most interesting one
3. EGO!! Yes, pure and simple.  No, not the ego of the dog for sure, but the ego of the handler.  For many folks -unfortunately, their dog’s success is perceived as equivalent to their own or the success of their “child”.  Believe me, us trainers see a lot of this transference when we are working with clients over anything, even simple stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, I think competition in sports have their purpose.  Not only do we have a clear goal in sight, but can really up our game because we have a very compelling motivation to practice hard.

Competitions can also be a very valuable and well-earned reinforcers for the time and effort put into the endeavor. Again, all good stuff!  However, things really take a turn for the worse when the ego of the handler/owner is in the mix.

Now there is no paying attention.  The handlers do not care if the dog is having a good time while engaging in practice or competition.  Think about it, a lot of these dogs are truly being asked to perform at a similar level that our human Olympics are asked to. The difference though is how little care and understanding there is about dog physiology such as developing of the muscles to prevent injury or imbalances that can lead to pain or injuries later on.  Developmental markers as to how much should a dog of a certain age be doing and let’s not forget the dog’s emotional ability to withstand the rigorous practice and pressure of performance.  Yes, dogs can suffer from performance anxiety- just like people.

Dogs can become athletes but athleticism in dogs is something not to take lightly.

I am chatting with another fellow trainer who has participated with her Border collie in sheepherding trials.  If you have never done this, it is easy not to realize how difficult it is. My colleague is not having a good day with her collie at the trial.  And as she explains to me, after the trial the expectation from fellow participants was one of being incredulous a the bad “run” they both just had.  “But, they claim, you ARE a professional trainer.” How is it possible that your pup was not able to perform better?

Ah, expectations!  They will come and bite us in the butt IF we are not paying attention. Here the expectation is that my pro friend should be able to always earn the highest marks, after all she is a pro. But what about people and dogs having less than stellar days?  Has that ever happened to you?  Not only in competition but just in day-to-day life?

Expectations can be very dangerous traps when they are not referenced in reality. The undue burden can really mess thing up for dogs.

The world of dog training unfortunately is not immune to the “shoulds” so abundant in rearing kids and professional performance. My dog should be able to do this or that… my dog should know better (an old time “favorite” of mine….)

I have come across this should and “want” also in respect with my agility courses. From the get go my goal was to teach agility by following a program that would take both novice dogs and handlers from a true foundation, which once learned, would allow dogs and people to happily and successfully engage in the “flashy” stuff of agility. That is: the speed of a dog turning, the precision to follow the course by correctly reading the body language of the handler, because the handler has learned how to do this also, and on and on.

While my clients have really worked hard in learning the basics, they are perhaps taken aback as to how arduous the training can be.  But, what about the tunnel, the weave poles? When can I work with those? They often ask.  And the answer remains the same: Not until you and your pup have mastered the foundation.

Linked to the above is that in training we must have the ability to look into the future- our goal while remain process orientate.  We must know what the final goal/behaviors look like so that we can have a sort of road map to follow, but we must never lose sight into the how we need to get there.

After all, we owe it to our dogs. Who should not be silent participants struggling with our ego and demands but must be joyful and prepared participants of which ever crazy sport we choose to engage in.

If you are interested in the interesting and super, fun challenge of agility taught from the foundation with an emphasis in teaching the dog voluntary participation, to work independently from you, and you both really learning about each other, please give this class a try. You can follow this link http://www.chacodognewsevents.com/   to learn more about the class.  Once there, scroll down to find the listing for the six-week course: Agility from the ground up. (AG1).

Confidence Building - Part 2

Rio and Deuce have finished eating dinner and as we do every night, I proceed to the laundry room just after having said out loud: “Does anyone here want a bone?” Immediately I hear hurried paw steps towards the laundry room in anticipation of “dessert”.

I have been trained well by these two and I proceed to give Deuce his pig’s ear followed by giving the patient Rio hers. Once again hurried paw steps are heard going away from the laundry room and into their customary chewing-spots. It does not fail. I can guarantee with 100 % certainty – and how often can we really say this? Where each dog will go to enjoy his or her chewy “in privacy”.

When I pay attention, I see routine behaviors or habits from the dogs. How they lay down for example: Deuce always resting his butt down first and then stretching his long legs in front of him by sliding them on the floor. I also see patterns in how they run after a ball, what they will do when someone knocks at the door, etc.

Dogs, just like us humans, do things that make them comfortable, feel safe and that works for them. These behaviors become patterns of comfort, safety and predictability.

If we choose to be mindful and help our dogs in becoming more self-confident we can make use of these patterns to bring a sense of consistency into their lives. Think about it, if they choose to engage in a given behavior over and over again is because there is something about that behavior that works for them. When we are able to link predictability where there is chaos – or potential chaos, the dog can begin to relax.

Now, what happens when a habit is one we just can’t condone? One that might put our dog at risk or someone else? Or simply a habit that drives us crazzzzyyyyy? Think here a Border Collie with ball obsessions where either: a.) he carries his ball everywhere or, b.) he expects you to throw the ball for him at all times all day long no matter that you have work to do, eat, sleep, or to watch TV in peace!

The way to deal with customary behaviors as above is first to try and identify the motivation behind the behavior. In other words: why is the dog doing “x” thing? Sometimes it is very straightforward and obvious, but most times it is not. Besides, there can be many reasons for a given behavior. Either way, we make the effort.

The point here is to customize a different plan of approach that the dog can learn which prevents him or her from engaging in the behavior we don’t want and substitutes for something we can live with, will keep the dog safe and boost his quality of life and confidence. Or at the very least, not undermine his welfare.

Here is an example: Rio is comfortable with people once she has had the opportunity to sniff them at close range. However, she is conflicted often when meeting someone new. Yes, she wants the social interaction, but she also appears to be overwhelmed by it. How do I know this? I don’t with 100% certainty but I can infer this by her overall attitude and body language. As such, we have now a plan in place that we follow whenever someone new comes by.

Our goal is to have Rio and the visitor as well, feel comfortable with the interaction. To accomplish this, we prevent Rio from dashing out the front door in full speed and barking in order to smell the person. No one likes to be greeted by a dashing & barking unknown dog! Besides, I want Rio to learn and literally exercise impulse control and learn muscle memory of calm approaches. So she comes out on a leash and we take time walking towards the person on a loose leash (most of the time) :) while she is getting treats for walking nicely and quietly.

Once she has had a chance to sniff the person she can turn into a Velcro dog…but that is another habit altogether.

Observing our dogs and learning their preferences not only beats reading the ultimate detective novel, but it gives us a leg up in making them feel safe and thrive as well as replacing unwanted or dangerous habits for better ones. And if you ask me, it is at the center of any intimate relationship.

Getting Unstuck!

Deuce and Rio play great together. As with any good dog that is a well match with its playmate, they not only enjoy each other but their play has never tipped-over to a fight. However, when there is a third dog in the mix, Deuce forgets all his great play manners and resorts to wanting to manage Rio’s movement by gently biting on her neck repeatedly. I can imagine how obnoxious this is for Rio! I normally ask him to watch himself with a time-out from play if he fails to stop. This weekend as I saw them playing with one of their favorite pals, Scout, Deuce was getting all stuck and play biting Rio on the neck.

It got me thinking of how to get him unstuck so that he uses a more ample repertoire in play. I

have also been thinking a lot lately about the importance of not having our dogs engage (literally use their bodies) in behavior(s) that we want to modify. Every single time he puts his mouth on Rio’s neck that behavior is getting more and more engrained in his brain and more resistant to change.

 

The Rx for modifying any behavior is then:

1. Manage the environment so that the dog cannot practice the behavior we want to end.
2. Teach the dog another more appropriate behavior to do instead.

An important caveat however, is that whatever behavior we teach must also satisfy the need the dog had in the first place when engaging in behavior # 1. In other words: If the dog wants social contact, find a way (behavior) that will allow for that while preventing him from rehearsing the behavior we want to eradicate. This is not only fair for the dog but also savvy.

If we do not acknowledge the needs of the dog, he will find another way by which to satisfy that need. Another salient example: Here is a dog that is fearful of strangers and thus will lunge and growl to keep the stranger at a distance. By teaching the dog to move away instead of aggressing at the stranger we have satisfied the dog’s need for safety (away from what scares him) AND he has stopped partaking in lunging and growling at the stranger.
With Deuce, I decided to try the following:

1. Ask him for a play bow in the middle of their playing - a behavior I trained independently as a cute trick. If he could switch his attention to the play bow he could not at the same time be biting Rio gently on the neck. It worked! What I also liked about this option was that a play bow is an intrinsical element of all good dog play.
2. I also incorporated a ball in the play session when Rio and Deuce met a potential board & train client’s dog. I did this to not have both dogs overwhelm the young pup, and so that Deuce doesn't revert to his Border collie mode (Border collies and other herding breeds take it upon themselves to “patrol” the movement of other dogs in an effort I think to either stop the movement or to collect the dogs as they do with stock).

This again proved to be an effective strategy. Deuce was able to interact with Ruby and Rio nicely, but because he was also focused on his ball which was either in his proximity or in his mouth, he did not once try and stop Rio from moving by grabbing onto her neck.

Now my job is to keep having Deuce practice a more ample repertoire when playing with other dogs and Rio thus making for happier playful pals.

 

Rest Spots & Secret Places

As I walked through the front door, Rio excitedly comes to greet me. With my hands full of the day’s mail and a small grocery bag, I ask her to go get her toy as to avoid being jumped on. She runs to the basket containing most of her toys and comes back with the favorite one of the moment. By now, I have put the stuff down and I can throw her toy for her. We do this for a couple of times until she can calmly come to me to say “hi”.

Then it dawns on me that Deuce is not in the living room. I peek into my office thinking that most likely he is lying in his crate or… maybe in my shower? One of his most favorite spots to lay when it is very hot outside.

Mmm, I wonder where that boy is? I know he is somewhere but where? I call but he does not show up. So I walk outside to the fenced-in backyard and walk through the gate that divides the lower people-friendly) part of the backyard from the area that we affectionately call “Deucy’s hill”. Indeed this name fits the location to a “t”. As Rio and I walked towards the highest portion of the backyard I find Deuce lazy and half asleep under a juniper tree. He had made a perfect doggie-bed for himself. His own private hiding place! It’s cool and has the best view of the land.

From his perch he can see the front part of the house and take note of our comings and goings as well as the hill to the right where we climb the steep slope for off-leash romps.

Oh, there youuuuu aaareee, I tell him as he stretches and gives Rio and I a little yawn. Dogs and their favorite spots and hiding places. I have always been fascinated by how dogs make decisions. I am still trying to understand what leads to a (certain) dog to go lay in a particular place? Why that place?

In search for answers, I watch my dogs carefully and kind of map their resting locations. Each one of them has their resting spots. They go to these spots regularly and I think that it's accurate to say that I had never found one of them in the favorite resting place of the other - with their dog beds being the exception.

Besides his crate, Deuce will lay in our shower, no brainer on this one: it is cool, when hot outside. Or he will lie just between the master bedroom and my office regardless of where I am. When we are watching TV, he might “grace” us with a short visit on the couch but quickly leaving for more “comfortable” grounds: the wooden floor in one of three locations in the living room.

I had never come home to Deuce lying on the sofas (which they are permitted to be on) but Ms. Rio…ah, Rio learned early on about comfy beds be it hers or ours, or the couch. She loves soft and cuddly.

She also has as one of her favorite spots the oversized pillow by the west-facing window. Many times she is snoozing so hard that she fails to see me approaching towards the front door, always a lovely site for me.

Rio and I take turns lying in perhaps the most coveted spot on the living room sofa… the sheepskin that I bought after many months of consideration. I guess the girls like their comfort.

I read in a book by a knowledgeable trainer and Border Collie breeder that border collies are not so interested in laying in comfort, instead they lie in “strategic” locations. Say by the front door, or in between rooms (just like Deuce). She gave no explanation as to why she thinks this is so, thus I am left guessing that it must be because of their strong “work-ethic” ready to roll on a short-second notice.

These exercises in observation of my own dogs and at times my client’s dogs open interesting windows into the individual personalities (or shall I say: dogonality?) of dogs. What other of our dog’s habits can we become in-tune to? What valuable information can we glean by becoming more consistent observers of their likes and dislikes?

Isn’t it so that knowing an individual’s likes and dislikes among other peculiarities are at the crux of an intimate relationship? So then, perhaps one of these days, I will spend some time mapping the locations of rest and comfort of my dogs and creating with this information some sort of visual testimony of how they like to spend those precious and long hours of relaxation… I’ll tell you, the (hard) life of (some) dogs…

Is it okay to multi-task while training dogs?

I have been pondering this question since I have two dogs and I train with them on specific things on a weekly basis.

The second portion of this question is: Is it okay to train two dogs at the same time? Again, something I have been playing around and exploring lately.

I have come to some conclusions and for the most part the answers to both questions is no!

Training requires such carefully laid out lessons and much concentration from both parties such that having two learners and one “teacher” is really asking for trouble and frustration.

As I write this, both Deuce and Rioja are being “trained” to learn to be totally chill in their crates without chewies… so in essence I am breaking my own rule, no? Training, just as everyday life, is fluid and with variations. Circumstances must be addressed individually.

It is important to me that my dogs really learn to enjoy quiet time in their crates because when I have a class or a client at my home (aka: C.H.A.C.O.’s training hub) they must remain calm and quiet for up to two hours.

Whenever they go to their crates, they get something interesting to eat or chew. However, the chewy might not last for that long of a time so here is where making them comfortable in their crates without a chewie is essential.

Now back to the training. I have developed a really nice format of working with bothdogs separately while the other one is also busy and not in the way of the training of the other. There are several strategies that I use such as Kongs in the crate for one dog for breakfast, while I work for a brief period with the other and then I switch dogs. Or, I use a manners-minder, which in essence is a kibble-dispensing machine (or toy if you like) that keeps one dog busy and expectant of the next kibble being dropped while I work with the other. I did have to teach them to ignore the noise the dispenser makes and now they can work with me without being bothered by the noise or wondering if the
other dog is getting some tastier- which they are not! Yes indeed, in training you sure need to cross your “t's” or it will come to bite you in the… you known … (butt).

However, some of my goals require that I work with both dogs at the same time and that I multi-task. Yep, this format also requires prior planning: being clear about my goal for the training, acknowledging the possible hiccups that I might encounter working with two different dognalities and the intricacies of moving forward at a pace nd understanding what both dogs can handle.

Here is a really bonus about this training plan. A training plan is all the specifics about the lesson such as: goals and a step-by-step on how to achieve those goals. A training plan takes place before the actual training with recordkeeping for future trainings after the
session.

Below is a training plan that has allowed me to have fun exercising and training my dogs in just under 30 minutes.

I end up with two content and tired pups – ready to take a snooze and giving me time to get some “real” work done. Deuce and Rioja are both ball crazy and tug crazy, they also love to run and just be kind of goofy.

One of the challenges I was having when Deuce and I play soccer is that Rioja loves to take the ball away from Deuce.

Yes, it is kind of cute but also very annoying to Deuce and to me. In essence it was Rio calling the shots. There is something really important about playing games with dogs: you control the dog (arousal levels & good play “etiquette”) by controlling the game always! I suddenly realized that Rioja was not playing nice.

I sat down to work out a training plan so that we could continue hanging out together while Rioja sharpened her play etiquette. Here it is; the finalized version of it… I have a tug in my hand while I position the soccer ball for Deuce in front of him. As he lays waiting with eyes glued on the ball, I kick the ball for Deuce while Rioja is close to me in a sit/stay.

She has learned after just a handful of trials that Deuce chasing after his ball means that she gets to tug with me.

Because of this, she approaches me and waits for me to give her the let’s tug verbal cue “take it”. In this example, we have a compound cue: Deuce running after the ball and me saying “take it”. If I do not say take it she should not engage with the toy. See how it is possible and also beneficial to multi-task sometimes?

As Rio and I are playing a fun game of tug, Deuce has returned with his ball to the kickoff
location - this took literally months of careful training as he was not retrieving the ball
but just wanted to chase and more importantly block the ball, Border Collie style, so that
it would stop moving.

Here and there I throw a monkey-wrench to the steps above to continue to push the envelope on what I want my dogs to learn and to keep things really fresh. Sometimes Rioja gets to run wild with the tug toy. She would just take off giving Deuce and me another opportunity at kick-off.

Rioja is now returning faster and at her own volition with the tug toy to play more- a sign of a well “installed” game of tug (installed = taught or learned).

This morning I realized that my plan is working! Rioja is not chasing after Deuce’s ball anymore – while Deuce defers to her every single time… wow Deuce, you are a gentleman! And, she is also getting to do an activity that she finds reinforcing.

Training plans don't always work so smoothly and for the most part, there is always some issue to resolve. I love the troubleshooting aspect of training! It’s fun and a good challenge, yet not as much fun as seeing that your dogs can learn specific skills as I learn to multi-task efficiently.
 

Playing Games

Now that Rioja has been with us for a few weeks, I am getting my groove back about how to arrange my day so that I can get in some “formal” training with both dogs. Yesterday I put Rioja in her crate for dinner with a bunch of Kongs™. She is getting so proficient at them and less frustrated. In the meantime, Deuce and I spend some fun time playing Deuce’s favorite games: Tug and recall with tug (Aka: Rocket recall). All right, all right, I am lying here a bit because these games are not only Deuce’s favorite games, but they are
also one of my favorite games. I noticed that while playing a new version of Rocket recall, I was really having a good time myself. No matter that I was tired after a day of downhill skiing with almost every inch of my body being sore.

Ah, each dog an individual thus they have different learning needs and how to go about it. All my dogs have taught me a few things about the learning process. Deuce, for example, gets uninterested very quickly if I ask him to repeat any behavior more than say three times in a row. Laika, on the other hand, could stay with me for as long as I wish to train her – recuperating from distractions very readily. Her tail full swing after repetition number… (?)

I guess both types of training and learning have benefits and deficits. What I have also realized is how easy it is to have expectations about how the dog that we are working with should respond. A mistake that will set any training program back… way back. Other differences between Laika and Deuce are that Laika was VERY food motivated and not so motivated by toys - she did love playing with me our little games, but toys
where not really “her thing”. Deuce, on the other hand, is quite selective about when he eats and how much of it. Always a tossup as to if he will respond to working for a treat. The dog must be really hungry. But approach the magic drawer where the tug toys are kept and you have his full attention. One day the closet door where I hang the whippet toys out of his reach had been left open. I noticed that Deuce was laying in the living room for a while- a new spot I thought, but I also noticed that he was not relaxing but in attention mode. I came close to find his eyes glued to the hanging whippet. Ahh, I said to him, you are acting like a border collie- again! Since it was in the middle of my work day, I just closed the door so that I could unglue obsessive Deuce from staring at the passive toy.

One of my main goals with Deuce is to have him interact with me - happily by choice in all sorts of inviting environments. We play with his tug toy or whippet daily incorporating soccer games as well where he gets to be the goalie. I play these games with him in different places and with different size balls. Initially he would only mind the “sanctioned” balls- balls that would disinflate and were difficult for me to kick far enough to make the experience sort of exciting for me. Now we have progressed to: all balls are fun to chase and stop - Border collie style.

When it is cold outside or dark, I love playing soccer with Deuce in our long corridor. I use softer balls so that they won’t damage the walls. Funny because I noticed that I can get a pretty good workout by just playing with him inside the house. I have also caught myself several times laughing or smiling wildly as he dives for the ball in a funny fashion. I guess that is another thing about games, your partner’s enthusiasm is
contagious… who likes to play with a bore?

Get this, our sheepherding is also improving big time. Now, for the first time in the year that we have been taking weekly lessons, we are beginning to think and act as a team. Last Wednesday as we finished a very rewarding lesson for the two of us, I ask Deuce to lay down; a behavior that he must do immediately upon request if there are to be any chances of us competing in future sheep-herding trials. Deuce not only laid down on a dime, but his mouth was relaxed and open and he gave me a fantastic tail wag!! This is
from Deuce a dog that is too cool to wag his tail but whom would much rather keep you guessing as to how much he is enjoying your company or your directions.

I know I'm playing mind games pretending that I know what he is really thinking or what his motivation might be, but in reality what I did experience was the satisfaction of explaining to him more clearly what I need for him to do by the way I moved in relation to the task at hand and the sheep. So here you have us: a perfect team, not only enjoying an activity together but minding the rules of engagement to make that activity
more collaborative.

On our session yesterday afternoon, I decided to do something different - to keep him guessing. No more than one or two reps of the same behavior- I promised myself. We began by playing a fierce game of tug in the living room gravitating as the excitement of the game progressed to the parking strip.

Tug, sit, tug, lay down, tug wait, tug, tug, tug, stay….Here, Deuce here, take it more tug, tug.

Now I moved around the large space, going downhill on the driveway- poof, taking off - as I requested that Deuce stays put on a down. The request for him to run furiously after me only when I say: here, Deuce, here (this is called stimulus control) and hopefully I will remember to keep the rules of the game intact and ask him to: take it (the tug toy that is) just before he presses the jaws on the rope.

As I stopped to catch my breath (who is exercising who?) I noticed that Rioja was still quiet- hopefully in her crate still working on those Kongs and oblivious as to how much fun Deuce and I are having. It is possible, I thought, to have your cake and it eat it too? If you plan things right and you work - keeping in mind that each dog (each learner) is an individual.

This afternoon I might go back to our new game or just vary it a little just to keep Deuce guessing and both of us happy to spend this time playing some favorite games.

It’s soccer Deuce! We are playing soccer.

Teaching a border collie to act like a retriever and bring you the ball is not that simple! At least my border collie would much rather not bring the ball back. In his case, I think it is a combination of mild resource guarding: i.e.: mine, this ball is mine!, and the interest in keeping the ball still. You see, border collies are bred to work with sheep. Their job is to work in tandem with the handler (in trials) or shepherd. Vergil S. Holland explains it very clearly of how this works in his book titled: Herding Dogs Progressive Training where in section Pressure and Balance he writes, “The concepts of pressure and balance are intimately related and are based on actions of the sheep and/or handler and reactions by the dog:
1. Movement by the sheep (or handler) creates an action.
2. This action generates pressure to which the dog reacts.
3. The dog reacts in such a way as to establish or achieve balance (lack of movement from the sheep).
4. When all pressures are equalized, balance has been achieved or the dog has “reached the balance point”. This is the point at which the dog feels the stock are most under control or least likely to escape. This equalization of pressure, creating balance, is the result of herding instinct and ability.” ~ Holland: 1994, p.g. 6

The ball could very well be a substitute for sheep, and Deuce still wanting to “control” wants to stop the movement of the ball. It is not typical collie behavior to want to go after the ball (or to bring it back for that matter) it is however more instinctual in this breed to stop movement. Yes, that is why they chase cars, kids, skateboards, bikes and, and… they don’t make good “pet-dogs”.

My desire to play soccer with Deuce AND to have him behave a bit more like a retriever is that playing soccer with your dog is really fun and a fabulous way of exercising him and not so much me!

Trying to teach Deuce to bring the ball back instead of him laying happily in the shade in possession of ball # 1 (we play with two identical balls) while I bush-whack my way trying to find the ball we just lost between the piñon trees, becomes a matter of many training/game sessions and more than a few head-scratches on my part.

Here is where my challenges are:
Dog will chase ball (good dog!) but will refuse to bring ball back.
Dog will sort of bring the ball back but to only a certain distance (more head-scratching).
Dog will bring the ball back and then suddenly turn around with ball in his mouth and run away from me.

I had the good sense to know that if I started playing his game (you run I chase) I was doomed!
I also would find myself repeating inside my head the mantra I learned from Kay Lawrence (clicker-trainer extraordinaire and one of my all-time favorite trainers): “Your ball is always the most interesting ball…”

Little by little I began to implement a comprehensive training plan to have Deuce be a good sport and begin to play “real” soccer with me… Okay Deuce, you can be the goalie! I know how reinforcing it is for you to STOP the movement of the ball but first you need to understand the rules of our game:

You get clicked if you sort of bring the ball back to me. (At this point I am ignoring him and just “happily” playing with my special ball. I would not even dare look in his direction or he will dart away from me- taking his ball again with him… damn!) You will also get clicked if you approach in my direction and stop. Another click if you would lie down and let me get the ball from you (without having to pry your mouth open) at my verbal cue of: mine.

All of the above behaviors where reinforced by me kicking the ball for him. Remember though, most reinforcing for him is to stop the movement of the ball, but for that he has to get the ball… now we are playing soccer.

It took me months of playing twice weekly mainly outside but also inside - in a long corridor where I could better “explain” to him what I need from him little by little, session by session. My efforts began to pay off. Deuce is bringing the ball towards me (or John who you will see in the video below). He will make his out-run and if we are busy playing with our ball and ignoring his approach, he will quietly get closer to us and lay down waiting for us to kick the ball again.

Kay Lawrence explains that: “chase [ing] is loss of face for a collie”. I don’t doubt that Lawrence is right on the mark but I have to say, that Deuce and I really look forward to our weekly soccer games.

NOTE: Deuce also goes sheepherding weekly and you should see him working those sheep....

Do you really love me? Does it matter?

Laika our eight-year-old Kelpie-mix was born, I am guessing because we adopted her at the age of one, with weak hind legs. Her front legs and chest area are super strong. Because of the weakness in her hind area and because I am a trainer that loves a good challenge, I along with the help of a couple of great physical therapists designed a series of exercises to strengthen her rear legs.

We work on these exercises three times a week – similarly to a person going to a gym religiously. Her sessions of course are much shorter and she does not have to wear the ultimate in sports attire.

For the most part we work in the garage where I have a series of props and we move from one exercise to the next swiftly: me paying attention to the placement of her paws, her gait and balance, the wagging of her tail with open grin and making sure she gets treated for almost every well performed rep. A few weeks back, I started working with her on the same exercises outside. We make use of the natural terrain that is soft on the joints yet it represents a challenge because it is on an incline.

The sessions go like this: I work with Deuce - our young and energetic border collie on impulse control in a high-intensity game of whippet. If you have no idea what a whippet game is… stay tuned…. as I will write on this fantastic training tool/game in a future post. While Deuce relaxes and catches his breath, Laika and I work on her routine. A few days ago, as I launched her treat for her to “find” she remained with nose glued to the ground in a hopeful search for another treat. I called her after a few seconds to no avail. As I stood on our exercise “hill” the question: “do you love me”? popped into my head.

Well, then if you love me you would mind me and come rushing to our exciting game/practice…. If you love me more than a piece of kibble you would…Really? Does it matter if my dog loves me? Yes! It matters to my ego and to whatever motherly instincts I have (all of course directed towards four legged species- that is just my speed).

From the perspective of behavior and behavior modification however, my question is a moot point! It really matters little if my dogs love me because what really governs behavior (any behavior: our dogs, yours or mine) is MOTIVATION.

I have had more than one client feel somewhat embarrassed when after expressing (just like me) their desire to be loved by their pets followed by me telling them (as gently as I can) that it really does not matter if their dog loves them. In other words: to give up on the need to be loved by their dog!
Motivation should not be an undesirable “dirty” concept in our minds. It is actually natural – that is it is evolutionarily advantageous for any animal (yes, us too) to act out of sheer self-interest.

What is even more fascinating is that the motivation my dog can have at a given moment; including her lack of interest in our joint practice has so little to do with the wonderful, warm and fulfilling relationship we have.

Now take note: while I have let go of wanting my dogs to love me with adoration, I do want my dogs to trust me! I want them to feel safe and “know” that I will do anything in my power to protect them, meet their true needs and give them a break when their motivation is not 100 % in line with mine.
Does it matter that you love me? No, but it is sure nice to think of the possibility…