Puppies are wonderful, and if you go about raising them the right way, they will seem a little less demonically possessed at times.
There are things that new puppy owners are almost always surprised or concerned about. If you haven't owned a puppy for a long while, there are some things you may have blocked from your memory, perhaps with good reason.
Puppies are wonderful, and if you go about raising them the right way, they will seem a little less demonically possessed at times. Novice is the first level of the American Kennel Club's obedience trials. Three different judges must at least qualify a team with a score of 170 or higher in order for the participants to move onto the next levels, if they would like to. You can move onto open and utility trials after that. When people see these dogs in the ring, they think it's all about "pretty walking". It's actually about a lot more than that. Here are some dog training obedience exercises from the Novice trials, and their real life applications. I have had four Dobermans that came from a rescue shelter, Doberman Rescue Unlimited. Two of them were two years old when they came here, one of them was nine or ten years old, and one of them was weeks old, Boris. Our first dog, while not from a rescue, was a three year old female Doberman that we bought from a breeder, when we were checking out her puppies. Our first dog, Jazz, did not think my husband was the center of her universe at first (for a good three months or so while we figured it out). Our second dog, Neptune, had some handling issues that took some time figuring out. Our fourth dog, Jackie CD, did not bond with my husband for six months (he had been returned for this several times after not bonding quickly to other men). Our fifth and sixth Dobermans, Boris and Stormy, did happen to instantly feel at home. Whether it was Jazz, Neptune, or Jackie CD or the hundreds of dogs that come through from clients, my love for dogs has nothing to do with them instantly accepting me. Bottom line is that you are building a relationship and need to earn trust and respect. You can not expect it will be given to you instantly until you put time and effort into the relationship. I have loved animals since childhood. In my adult life, I enjoy my time spent with dogs. I love doing things with them that they love doing. My motivation comes from a place that wants to provide my dogs with the most enjoyment possible. I am the rare person that has not, in fact, met the dog she wouldn't like. Other dog trainers told me that when I worked enough dogs, I would find some that I did not like (dogs that is). This has not happened, though I will admit to liking some dogs less than others. This usually just has to do with more time spent with a dog/owner team over another. I like them all, and I appreciate them all. I like the ones who are bomb proof to the most behaviorally challenged dogs that I have had the pleasure of meeting. "I will do anything to stop this [barking, housebreaking, destructive behavior, aggression, fear, pulling, stealing, not coming,]." I hear it all the time on the other end of my phone, through e-mails and posted on boards. What is this anything they are talking about? Well most of the time the owners think they are going onto the dark side, which includes the methods of flooding, kicking, hanging, yelling at, or hitting your dogs. However, I have personally never met a dog trainer or dog training school that uses these "methods" of dog training. I hear it in the trembling voice on the other end of the phone. Imagine their surprise when they hear or see my methods. That is, if they get that far in the first place. Dog parks can be a dog owning city dweller's solution to a space challenged environment so they can provide for their canines exercise needs. Urban budgets usually do not allow for dog park supervisory staff. There is no one in most parks checking on the doggie guests coming in, whether people are cleaning up after themselves, or available to safely and knowledgeably break up an inevitable fight. Vaccination or pest control medical records are not checked before people come in. The population of individual dogs and personalities changes all the time in these parks. Not all dogs are going to get along with any strange dog that walks up to them, even if they get along with most dogs. Some dogs are reactionary around toys and strange dogs, some dogs just don't like certain other dog personalities, and some dogs are jealous of attention taken away from their owner or live in canine companion. Combine with this the changing pack order that happens, and dog wanting to naturally maintain or protect their status. The changing of the pack alone can cause problems of aggression and fights. This might not be a problem with your dog, but remember you are surrounded by other strange dogs that this might be a problem with. No one wants their dog to get in the mix to simply defend themselves. Most dogs that go to dog parks are not trained. Here I am using my definition of trained, not the mere assuming the position of sit for a second and then releasing. Training (and a prosocial temperament) is what makes a dog more likely to be controllable when unpredictable situations occur. Training allows most of us to keep our dogs safe, and it's why most trained dogs don't need the confines of a dog park to get their exercise. Untrained dogs have no one to follow but themselves when a problem arises. The communication between the owner and dog for direction is non existent. This will only add to the problem above if a dog to dog or person to dog problem breaks out. Finally, as intimated above, disease and pests come into the dog park. Even waste that is picked up can leave behind germs, which can be a problem if you don't know what the many dogs that come through there might have. Because of the lack of supervision, sometimes these parks are nasty and dirty. Fleas are a pest that is common to be picked up at a dog park. An owner will never know if a dog has been fully vaccinated or potentially exposed to something like rabies (if there is a supervised dog park, this issue might be solved). The best solution is to train your dog so that you don't need a "dog park" to visit. Also, have friends whose dogs you know get together with you and your dog. Be sure that your dog is in control through training, when you walk them around strange dogs. This is the kind of socializing dogs need, not instances that increase danger to your dog. I would love to hear about supervised dog parks, please e-mail me or comment if you know of any. Need help training your dog so you can both have more fun and adventure? Call, e-mail, or fill out the client interview form. We can get you and your canine partner moving in the right direction. I am sorry to inform you, I can't even summarize this in a short article with a quick tip. That being said, if you are willing to do the work and practice it is not hard. Loose leash walking is one of the most common things asked for by dog owners. This is one of the fastest and easiest things to start in dog training, but you do actually have to train and teach your dog how to do it. It is not going to get better if you try and wait it out (or you will only get there when your dog becomes geriatric). When first training basic obedience, this is usually one of the first things we work on from day one. Then it is practiced and maintained going forward as the rest of obedience is built upon loose leash walking. What exactly is loose leash walking? When people talk about this, they are not usually talking about the more formal command "heel". However, it means that the dog can walk on the leash without going to the end of it and pulling or putting pressure on the leash. The dog has learned and knows how to walk on a leash in partnership with their owner. Loose leash walking is a very important skill for a dog to have. It allows the dog to go to more places outside of the home, and makes the walks enjoyable to BOTH the owner and the dog. It builds confidence and impulse control, which you will appreciate even more so if you have a reactive dog. Trust me, the dog is not comfortable pulling or lunging against their collar. That is one of the reasons that we teach a loose leash (the other is it is not too comfortable for their humans either). Dogs in general are much happier when the owner is not frustrated with them as well. By teaching this to your dog, you are only going to improve their life as well as your enjoyment of bringing them out with you. As for methods (or parts of methods, as a method is the whole process of teaching obedience via a plan) there are many:
The things to think about when choosing a method are the following:
There is a lot to think about when choosing the method for your dog. It is best to have a professional dog trainer walk you through it, if you are not already familiar with some of these methods and concepts. In the video link above, Boy was taught to do a loose leash walk in about 7 to 8 days. Then his performance continued to improve as his training was continued and maintained. Boy had some serious behavioral problems and fear in general. So if a dog like Boy (who was fearful and moderately aggressive) can be taught and learn, then it is super easy to teach this to a dog without behavior problems. The final outcome of loose leash walking should look something like this:) You can also get your dog to walk with you on a loose leash. It just requires a little work, time, and consistency. It's really not that hard with most dogs. Even reactive dogs will catch on in three weeks time, and you will be on your way. Want to know how? Just e-mail us, call us, or fill out our client interview. We will discuss our programs with you, and what is the best fit for your team.
If you spend time working with the dog you have, you will grow to appreciate them for who they are. A professional dog trainer will be able to design a training plan that will help you maintain an incredible working relationship:) I have said before, I do not see dogs as a listing of their faults as their total personality or "the real dog". I always see dogs as them plus their potential. That being said, not every dog's potential is to be the idealized "bomb proof" dog who loves everything and anybody no matter what. A dog with behavioral problems does have a very statistically high probability of dramatic improvement in some way. If we get beyond the point expected for the team, I will gladly take that. Sometimes and not often a dog does much better than I imagined for them. Owners should take that kind of success, if it happens but should know not to expect more of their dog than they can deliver realistically. If you have stopped working with a behaviorally challenged dog, realistically you should expect the behavior will revert back. Some people call this "unpredictable", but trainers who work with dogs know that is highly predictable and likely. An owner can not get to a level, and then drop back to no social interaction, no training ET, and expect the dog to be fine later on when put into a situation that is no longer familiar to them. Too many owners feel that because a dog now gets along well with the dog that lives in their home, suddenly they are now opened up to meeting all sorts of strange dogs. If you have a dog that does not like dogs getting into their face, and has not relaxed later on (though is in control around these dogs) with strange dogs getting in their face----please do not think your dog is now fine to have loose, not under command, and suddenly like strange dogs doing this. It is not unpredictable that something bad might happen, it is a highly predictable event. The owner is still responsible to manage the environment and work the training to keep their dog and others safe (or humans safe). This does not matter if the dog coming up is cute and friendly, if the behaviorally challenged dog does not perceive the circumstances in this way. Through socialization and practice the professional dog trainer or dog owner can find out that their dog does in fact like play and/or does like strange dogs. Sometimes their frustration at not being able to play comes across as aggressive actions as the dog gets too aroused, stimulated, and frustrated. Remember though, the DOG is coming to that conclusion under their own free will, a dog can not be forced to like playing with another dog. A skilled handler or trainer can bring out that natural inclination if it indeed exists. Some dogs are not going to like other dogs, especially strange dogs, coming right into their face. Often, one can train these dogs to be controllable and learn not to react when given a directive from their owners. This requires a lot of serious and consistent training. A dedicated owner is necessary for this to work. It takes a lot more work than if you happen to own a dog that really does like other dogs. Stress is involved in owning and working a dog like this. Again, dogs are more than their behavioral issues to those who love them. The rest of the dog is worth the additional work needed to get them to a safer and consistent base. When they are there and in control, this does not mean an owner can sit back, put up their feet, and forget what their dog is up to or doing, especially in new and different situations. I have owned three dogs like this (Shana, Jackie CD, and Neptune). So I am really aware of what it takes to do this. Sometimes owners do not listen or heed the warnings and an event occurs. It usually occurs when they decide it's okay to let Ginger meet the friendly dog after all. Sometimes it is because the owner is embarrassed that they do not own the kind of dog who they could expect to greet "miscellaneous friendly dog" politely, and they give into the peer pressure of the other owner who assures that their dog is friendly. The point is, it does not matter that "miscellaneous friendly dog" is friendly or not, what matters is how your dog perceives the situation. If you release them into "miscellaneous friendly dog's" space to their own devices, you have just given up control of your dog and are now hoping that your dog is not going to repeat the predictable behavior that they have historically done in the past. THAT does not work for the dog. They are not reading your mind, and we are not able to tell them in English that we would prefer if they did not bite "miscellaneous friendly dog". Trainers always try to explain to clients the clarity of being able to tell your dog WHAT to do rather than trying to have them guess what we want them NOT TO DO. Also, when walking a potentially aggressive dog in control around other people, we can not expect those humans to know what our dog is capable of. That is the owner's responsibility to know their dog, and to explain that to a public that will erroneously release their friendly dog towards you. The general public expects all potentially aggressive dogs to look wildly out of control, and be openly aggressive. The only one that can let someone in on the hidden behavioral challenges of their dog is their owner. Some owners will be so proud of what they have accomplished, they drop the training, and remain in complete denial about some aspects of their dogs personality. They believed that even though their dog never showed an acceptance of strange dogs, suddenly their dog is going to be able to handle this (out of the blue so to speak). So suddenly their dog is released in social situations that they would never have been while training was going on. That is not a good combination to have. It virtually guarantees that an incident will happen in the future. To the dog owner this guaranteed incident feels "unpredictable" when it happens. They feel they can no longer trust their dog. That is a shame, because what they can trust and predict is that their dog never did and still does not like dogs getting in their face. Should you not prepare them or release them to do "as they will", it really should be no surprise that they will exhibit the aggressive behavior. It really happens with all sorts of dog behavioral issues outside of aggression, but aggression is what will have dog owners giving up on their dogs, so that is what I am concentrating on in this post. If you go for years with a potentially aggressive dog that has not had incidents, this is usually due to training continuing, management of the environment (IE "no my dog is not friendly, my dog can not meet yours and your dog can not come over", muzzles and such). Just because the incidents did not occur does not mean that your dog suddenly loves every strange dog on the planet. The ones who do decide they are into strange dogs are pretty obvious about it. Though one point I should make is that their behavior can vary depending on the handler in whose hands they feel the most safe. I have at least one client's dogs who comes here, and their owner can not make them feel safe enough to release them to play, while the dog views me and my place as a safe zone. This does not frequently happen, but it can happen that a dog does not feel safe with their owner. Maybe because their owner is not that good at reading other dogs and/or their own dog. Lots of reasons may come into play for this, but again it is usually fairly obvious when this happens. So if this client suddenly decides that just because their dog is relaxed enough to do this here, that their dog can suddenly do this with them without the additional work and training (in this case to train the human), they are fooling themselves. Does are you struggling with your dog's behavioral problems? Mannerly Mutts Dog training programs can begin to make life a lot easier and more enjoyable for the both of you. A common mistake that a lot of dog owners make, is to wait until a situation is out of control before seeking to control it. Signals and signs are not recognized or ignored for far too long. This can makes situations that were easy to solve and prevent in the present, instead become big behavioral problems in the future. To me being a reactive human dog owner is one that has missed opportunities to calmly and gently get potential problems under control in the past. Because the owner has not been leading the way and allowing their dog to feel safe, the dog starts to make some decisions and actions that us, humans, won't be totally happy with. When the opportunity to correct this has been missed in the past, it appears to force the humans into a reactive role. To your dog this does not command respect or obedience, because the human appears unbalanced or terribly inconsistent in their rules and communication. Remember reactivity is something that appears to come out of the blue for absolutely no reason to the canine companion. Being proactive is more about knowing your dog and preparedness. It's also about not glossing over behaviors that can become problems in the future. Even if they are cute and not problems now, the proactive owner will find training and/or management solutions to proactively prevent something from getting worse or happening at all. As in poker, certain dogs have "tells" when they are about to react. My dog, Boris, wags his tail very fast if he has been told not to do something, but still intends to do it . For each dog their "tells" are different. Some people try to major in the minors with strict rules of canine communication, but the truth is that this communication can vary among the individual personalities of dogs. Statistical generalities can be made to try and predict future reactions, but remember that dogs are individuals. One dogs striping along the back can be aggressive, while anther's can be excitement at meeting an old friend. You can use what you know about your dog and their "tells" to correctly navigate them around corners. For instance, if you dog pricks their ears and tries to stare down a dog before becoming reactive, you can use this in your training program to redirect that interest to obedience and calmness instead (with the right professional dog trainer, of course). The proactive dog owner prevents future problems from occurring. The reactive dog owner flirts with the dangerous possibilities of not being prepared in the future. Which one are you? Need to learn how to create a working partnership with your dog, and get to know them better? Please check out our programs at http://www.mainedogtrainer.com/dogtrainingclasses.html In dog training, there is no one size fits all. How you go about training your dog should be based on many factors and judgements. Here are just a few things to think about: Your dog's general temperament which will encompass many things. Think of whether you have learned that your dog is fearful, confident, shy, bold, friendly, leery, reactive, mellow, and so on. Think of the specific situations (or general situations) you may see these things play out.
What are the answers to the above items for you and your dog? In order to get the best training for your team, it takes more work than just selecting the dog trainer closest to you that is the cheapest. Remember, this is going to be your cherished canine companion for the rest of their lives. Invest in making that the most enjoyable and fulfilling relationship for the both of you that it can be. Please check out our dog training programs located in York Maine and accessible from many New England locations. |
Author, Robin RubinOwner and Head Dog Trainer in Maine, Robin Katherine Rubin, started her Maine dog training business in September 2004. Our dog training facility is located in Southern Maine in York Beach and we help families enjoy their dogs more, making sure they listen reliably and resolving unwanted behaviors. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|