Have you exercised your dog today?

Dogs need exercise.  We all know this but I don't think we realize the importance not just to the dog but to us.  That time you spend in exercising which has so many benefits; you get to enjoy nature, it is good for you, you build a relationship with your dog, etc.  It also gives you a much better behaved dog in with the least amount of time and effort, so it is a win win.

I do a lot of in home work especially with puppies but I also work with older dogs.  My first question is always how much exercise does your dog get?  If you the dog is not getting regular off leash runs than that is always my first recommendation.  I realize that for some dogs, that take off this is much more challenging than for others but it still needs to happen.  Running around the back yard is exercise but not good enough.  I also find in the back yard a lot of bad behaviours get created such as digging, chewing on your deck or furniture, escaping (and once they are good at it your are done), biting at you when you are out there, etc.

When your dog is on an off leash run it is a type of relaxed exercise.  He is investigating so using his brain, smelling all sorts of wonderful things.  He is running as much as he needs to, some days my dog just wanders in front of me other days especially if he has not been fun recently he runs and plays.  He is building the bond with you he constantly is being rewarded by getting distracted and then finding you.  The sight of you becomes a reward when he finds you, how cool is that.

Most dogs who are not used to running off leash will come home and sleep soundly for at least a few hours.  This is the perfect dog asleep in your house not chewing, digging, biting, etc.  It usually takes two to three weeks of regular exercise for you to start seeing a decrease in overall energy when he is awake.  If you start this when your puppy is young he then gets into the habit of this calm behaviour is how you act in the house which is a lovely habit.  Even when life takes over and you can't get your dog out for a few days once this habit is created even when they haven't had enough exercise my dogs give me a solid week before they start to get cabin fever and honestly by then I really need the walk too.

So get out and find someplace to walk your dog off leash where it is safe.  Enjoy the walk, enjoy the peace in nature, enjoy your dog.  They will thank you for it by being better behaved.

Are You Having Fun?

The whole point of getting a dog is to make your life better.  Yes there are things to do with dogs that nobody really loves to do like cleaning up poop or cutting nails but on whole I got a dog to be a happier healthier person.

Training should be included in this.  Are you having fun when you train?  You should be laughing.  If you are not you have to take a look at what's happening and make it fun.  Laugh at your dog when he screws up and then get him to do it again.  Don't get all bent out of shape, the world will not end, the sky will not fall and at the end of the day the dog will still curl up with you for some cuddles.

I am trying to create a habit of before I start training especially if we are going to work on something we are having a hard time with to tell my dog he is wonderful and make a list of my favorite things about him.  Every one of my dogs has had a characteristic that made me smile just by looking at it; my Sibe is his little black bottom lip, my Akita was his extremely expressive eyebrows, my Border Collie is  beautiful brown eyes.  When I start getting frustrated I look at that thing and it makes me smile.  Getting frustrated or upset is not productive and let's face it our goal is to get the dog trained in the shortest time possible and then move on.

Don't forget to smile and laugh when you training.  Sometimes when we are concentrating on what we are training we get very intense, remember to smile.  Your dog is trying.

To Shave or Not To Shave

I always feel bad for the dogs I see shaved at this time of year.  I know most of these owners are going out and spending money to have their dogs shaved because they think this will keep them cooler.  Dogs are very well designe, their coats protect them from both cold and heat.  When you shave your dog you are actually making him much more susceptible to heat issues such as heat stroke.

Here is an article with some more info on this subject

Thinking About Shaving Your Dog's Hair Coat For The Summer? Think Again.

Stay cool.

How Not To Greet A Dog

I am regularly surprised how people treat dogs.  I am not talking about people who are cruel to animals, that is horrible and they should be shot.  I am speaking about people who love dogs but have never learned how to appropriately interact with dogs.  I would say TV is partly to blame, movies like Beethoven the

wonderful St. Bernard who thinks he is human or commercials that depict dogs in unrealistic ways.  The other part is inexperience.  Maybe a dog at home who has very little personal space or someone who likes dogs but really has never interacted with them.  Our expectations about what our dogs should put up with from complete strangers is unrealistic and very unfair to our dogs.

You should never, ever, ever put your face into a dogs face that you don't know very well in other words live with.  That includes the neighbour's dog that you say hello to a couple of times a week.  Let's put it in human terms, can you imagine meeting someone for the first time and then grabbing your cheeks and planting a big kiss on your lips, worse imagine someone doing that to your child. That would be completely inappropriate and would cause action to prevent it from continuing.  Yet with our dogs not only do we allow it we correct the dog who would dare growl or bark.  A few years ago a Shitzu was in a shopping cart at Home Depot, one of the staff ended up getting bitten in the face.  Well the Shitzu didn't jump up and bite her the person had to have bent down into her.  I agree there is a responsibility to the dog owner to not only protect the people who come into contact with the dog but also her dog.  Dog's bite out of fear why would you allow someone to scare your dog.

You should always let a dog approach you, not rush into a dog to pet it.  You don't know how comfortable that dog is with strangers.  I know it's hard to accept but not all dogs love being pet by strangers most just put up with it.  If a dog wants to be pet he will approach you and encourage you to interact, if he doesn't then why should he have to.  I am not speaking about aggression just accepting that not every dog wants your hands all over him.

It especially concerns me that we teach our children to approach strange dogs

and pet them.  Yes most of them ask as they run in to pet the dog.  I have worked with enough aggressive dogs and I have seen how hard it is for owners to admit there dog may not be comfortable being petted and stop a child.  Do you want to risk your child?  Unfortunately when children get bit a lot of times it is in the face because it's right at the height of the dogs mouth.

I remember going to a friends parents house.  I always greet the dog and say hi but I only pet dogs who ask to be pet.  They questioned that I didn't like their dog to my friend.  Their dog never once asked to be petted and was completely happy with me not touching them.  It is sad how little understanding they had of their own dog.

If I am working with a dog that is worried or scared of people I will work very hard to change that.  I will also work very hard on my dogs accepting people touching them and kissing them.  All this will not change the fact that out of 6 dogs I have owned only one really likes peope touching him.  A lot of this is due to breed Akitas, Siberians, and Chesapeakes are not that people friendly, or at least mine were not.  These are well socialized dogs that nothing bad has ever happened other than one Akita who was a rescue.  These are dogs that regularly did Pet Fairs and were handled by 100's of people without ever a problem.  I always respected what their wants and needs were.  For my business they had to go to pet fairs with me and get petted, I in turn rewarded heavily and gave them regular breaks.

The Perfect Correction

The other day I was having breakfast with my son and I had an epiphany.  He was eating toast with peanut butter and jam.  My son is 4 years old so you can imagine pb & j and a 4 year old equal sticky stuff everywhere.  I had given him a wet cloth to wipe his face and hands when he needed to.  We were having a conversation and he went to use his sleeve to wipe his face and I said hey, nothing harsh just a mild hey what are you doing.  He instantly stopped looked at me and smiled said "oh yeah" and used the cloth to wipe his mouth.

What do we want from a correction?  We want the dog to perform the correct behaviour in this situation.  What do we not want from a correction?  Suppression, this does not help us in any way to help our dogs understand the correct behaviour.  Fear, same as suppression, useless in training.  Avoidance, in some situations may be useful but will the dog only avoid when you are standing right next to him and is the dog just looking for ways to perform the incorrect behaviour and get away with it.

Why is this a perfect correction?  I stopped him from practicing the incorrect behaviour.  He had enough value for the correct behaviour that as soon as I made him stop for a minute he chose the correct behaviour.  The correction did not suppress him in any way, after wiping his mouth he went right back to chattering about whatever we were talking about before and didn't give it a second thought.  The next time he went to wipe his mouth he remembered and used the cloth.

What is typical and nowhere near as effective correction?  Anger, how dare the dog do the incorrect behaviour, he should know better.  Physical force, it is felt that if physical discomfort is associated with the correction the dog will remember better next time.  Repetition, corrections happen over and over for the same behaviour with no change in action from the dog.

What can be done to make our corrections more effective?  Have you built enough value for the correct behaviour.  I stop a lot of behaviours with the collar grab, so I need to have built enough value for the collar grab.  Have you overfaced your dog, meaning are you putting your dog in a situation where the chance of success are nil.  Have you allowed your dog to earn reward from continually practicing the incorrect behaviour.  If there is a huge history of the incorrect behaviour it is going to take a lot of management and value building for the dog to perform the correct behaviour.

When you are working through all of this some thoughts to keep in mind.  Do you have management tools in place to prevent the dog from earning reinforcement from the incorrect behaviour?  If your dog has made the incorrect choice three times than change something he obviously doesn't get it.

Reactive Dogs and Your Emotional State

It always amazes me how my dogs react to my emotional state.  I have always known, dogs are very sensitive to the emotions of those around them.  Every now and then my emotional state is completely out of wack, for whatever reason and my dogs reactions become obvious especially my Siberian Max.

This past week my father was rushed to the ER and thankfully is on the mend but my Border Collie is looking all sad and worried.  I am wondering how much of that is due to my fragile state and/or the fact that I have been away a lot this and he hasn't had his usual share of exercise or attention.  It doesn't take much to throw Iggy of his game and this is a double whammy.

About 6 years ago we were moving.  Anyone who has gone through the buying and selling ordeal know how it stresses a person out.  You could say it was the packing that was making him nervous but because we had not sold our original house we did not pack until the very last week and Max started acting weird 2-3 weeks before the move date.  Max has always been a reactive, high strung dog.  By this time he was 6 years old so he had mellowed and wasn't usually a problem.  In the weeks leading up to the move he start guarding things; bones, bed, etc.  Not from me or my husband just from anyone else.

The same thing happened when I was pregnant. I had a very bad cold and of course being pregnant couldn't take anything.  Again Max starting guarding   The couch, food, etc.  Just really goes to show how your emotional state affects the emotional state of your dog.

You really have to be aware of your state when dealing with a reactive dog.  When Max was very young he was extremely reactive with other dogs.  We worked through it and by the time he was 2 years old was reasonably good around other dogs.  Meaning he could go to situation with a lot of dogs in close proximity such as a dog show but still couldn't handle a dog in his face.  I was at a Walkathon and there were dogs everywhere.  Max was with me and was handling it fine.  I was having a conversation with someone and they were starting to annoy me.  We weren't arguing but there was definitely a discussion happening.  All of a sudden Max started to react at dogs 10 feet away that had been fine a few minutes earlier.

Classes vs One-on-One Training

Thanks to Ian Dunbar, the father of positive dog training, the general public now understands that training your dog is in your best interest.  The life of the pet dog has changed and with it the need for training has drastically increased.  The biggest change is probably the amount of time that dogs now spend inside the house.  It has also been drilled into our heads to socialize, socialize, socialize.  This is how the dog training class was born.  You get a puppy and you take it to puppy or beginner class.  Your job is done.

What I see in my classes is not dog's who are undersocialized but dogs that are over socialized.  Most of these dogs spend the first 4 weeks losing their minds because of all the other dogs and people in the room.  The owners spend the time just holding on.  Don't get me wrong, I think dog training classes are a great step towards having a well trained dog, I just don't think they are a first step.

In my opinion first you train your dog.  That means your dog has a clear understanding of cues.  Walking on leash, coming when called, sit, stay.  Now you add distractions that you can control.  Can you do all this with your food bowl on the floor, with a child in the room, with a child running by, with your toy nearby.  Once a dog can accomplish this then you bring him to dog class and ask him to perform in this level of distraction.  It is hard for most dogs, the brain just cannot keep it together under the onslaught of distractions.

Starting with some one-on-one lessons walks you through these steps.  This way when you step into the class you and your dog have skills to fall back on.  To me this seems a much better approach then practicing the behaviour you are there to get rid of.