An outing

 Some of you might know that I am working towards developing Tess into my service dog.  Up until this point I've limited our outings to places and events that are dog friendly and I don't have to "declare" her. 

Recently she's been showing that she's ready for the next step beyond school meetings and family events - I felt she was ready for her first outing.  A club I belong to had it's meeting today.  I explained host of the building (the meeting was upstairs in the business) that I had a in-training service dog and got permission to take her.  Assistance and in-training dogs do not automatically share the same privileges as service dogs, and while I normally wouldn't ask - I thought it prudent since it was her first outing and wanted to make sure everything went well. 

She behaved herself perfectly.  During the 4 hour meeting she slept at my feet, didn't fidget, and showed herself to be ready for this step. 

In some ways this was a difficult first outing - it was a meeting among friends and so questions were asked that I felt obliged to answer.  And of course, they wanted to meet Tess. 

I got so many compliments on her behavior and her looks (she's very striking because of her oddly colored eyes, two toned nose, and her "whiteness" (even her eyelashes are white!).  I'm so proud of my puppy, and yes - I'm proud of myself.  Tess is *my* first dog, and even if that's a grey area - I can honestly state she's the first dog *I've* trained.  I absolutely love this dog and I'm already looking back fondly on the adventure (and education!) of puppyhood with her, even if she is too-smart-for-her-own-good. 

We still have a ways to go, but milestones like this one tell me I'm on the right path!

Dog food

*Deep Breath*  I should have a ton of references for this post, but unfortunately I’m 6 days away from a huge final of a very disorganized block.  If you have papers to share or links, please post them in the comments.  If you have questions, or have found a study you think I might be interested in, I will respond!

There’s a couple of subjects that real Really REALLY make me vault onto my soap box, even while my good sense tries to drag me off.

The raw food debate is one of them. 

Let’s get a couple things straight. 

This post is NOT advocating that you go out and prepare your own dog food.  There are those people who do this and do it successfully - but it can be tricky to get everything right especially if you are feeding a large breed or growing dog.  I don’t have any experience preparing my own dog food and although I know people who do it, and do it well, I completely understand vets’ position on these homemade diets - especially if the dog is having a medical issue.  The vet doesn’t know for sure what is going into the diet, how educated (or not) the client is, and may be dealing with a disease that has a nutritional basis.  HOWEVER (and you knew there would be a however), what annoys me is this:

The overwhelming amount of vets that advocate switching to a kibble (specifically AAFCO certified), upon hearing that client is feeding a commercial raw diet - a recommendation that isn’t based on real facts - even though we vets (or in my case - vet students) are lectured day after day about the importance of practicing “evidence-based medicine”. 

Argument 1 - Your dog or kitchen will make you sick

During one of my rotations, the dog was obese and the vet’s recommendation was to switch from the raw food diet to a kibble diet.  I asked why she didn’t recommend just feeding less of the current diet - it was an AAFCO certified, the dog was generally healthy even at a relatively old age and the client was very well educated about nutrition. 

Her response - “because of the Salmonella risk to the owner associated with feeding a raw diet”. 

REALLY???!??!?!???

I challenge you to find a study that demonstrates that dogs fed raw diets shed pathogenic salmonella at a higher rate than dogs fed kibble. 

You weren’t successful?

Ok Ok Ok…. Find me a documented case where a human developed Salmonella illness from a dog fed a raw diet……or a kibble diet. 

Another strike out? 

To the best of my knowledge, there are NO DOCUMENTED CASES where a dog gave his owner Salmonella. 

Assuming that we aren’t getting Salmonella from our dog’s bums (maybe because we have a strange aversion to ingesting fecal material or having it in our house? Or the fact that not all species of Salmonella are pathogenic?), the next argument is usually related to food prep areas.  The argument usually goes something like this: the raw meat has pathogens in it that can make us sick.  Preparing raw meat for our dogs in our kitchens will contaminate counters, utensils, and containers. 

They are right - raw meat DOES have pathogens.  That’s why you don’t cut your veggies on the same board you cut your chicken up.  You don’t serve your cooked chicken on the same platter you defrosted it on.  I’ve been cooking raw chicken since I was 9 and have yet to poison myself.  I very much doubt that defrosting the raw dog food patty in my fridge contributes to the overall bacteria load in my kitchen and if I DO get the urge to reuse the defrosting bowl for my breakfast cereal, I’ll try to restrain myself and get a clean one from the cupboard instead. 

Of course, there’s always the dog that eats their meal and immediately licks your face, however I don’t see vets advocating for letting kibble-fed dogs lick your face either…..

Let’s not forget that kibble based foods are not exactly salmonella free either…..but we’ll save that for the “recall” argument. 

Bottom line - there is no good research that feeding your dog raw food will cause it to become a shedder of pathogenic organisms, and if you’ve managed to feed yourself on a partially meat-based diet, you can probably manage to survive preparing raw meat for your dog in your kitchen. 

Argument 2 - AAFCO and meeting the nutritional standard

AAFCO is a minimum standard.  AAFCO is a starting point for making sure you are meeting your dog’s minimal nutritional needs.  BUT - just like you COULD get your daily requirement of energy and nutrients by eating McDonald’s and taking a multi-vitamin……SHOULD you?

I tok a variety of upper division nutrition classes as an undergrad.  The biggest point in all of them was that nutritional needs are met by the most basic dog foods (i.e. cheap) sporting that the AAFCO label (which is like….ALL the kibble you see in the grocery store) - and you are throwing your money away by buying high end dog food. (by the way, most of the high end kibbles are AAFCO certified, just like the lower end kibble, and there is raw food that is AAFCO certified as well....)

In summary, my professors taught that it doesn’t matter how you get the required nutrient and energy, as long as it’s there. 

What’s interesting is even though this is what they still teach in vet school (so far….) - on the human side there’s a real shift.  You can’t hardly throw a piece of kibble without hitting a new piece of research or recommendation that you get your vitamins and other nutritional essentials by eating REAL food.  Like veggies and fruit, and lean protein.  Turns out there’s a whole lot more in those wonderful structures we call “WHOLE FOOD” than we thought.  A tomato may have calories and minerals and vitamins, and fiber……but it also has all these other things in it that may contribute to health. 

Here’s something to remember.  WE DON’T HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT WHEN IT COMES TO NUTRITION.  Seems like the human side has figured out this much out.   Why can’t the vet profession admit it?  That perhaps there’s more to real whole foods than the components we can currently measure?  That perhaps dogs, like humans, have a need for other substances other than the established carbs, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins etc?

Dogs have a digestive tract that is remarkably similar in many ways to an adult human.  This should come as no surprise as dogs domesticated in our refuse heaps, eating our scraps.  I think the notion that dogs are wolves have perhaps hurt the raw food movement - dogs and wolves may share some characteristics, but dogs are not wolves.  In fact, it’s not technically correct to refer to dogs as domesticated wolves - wolves and dogs have the same ancestor.  Modern wolves and dogs are the product of that wolf-like ancestor.  However, I think that the unfortunate wolf-dog comparison is a marketing tactic that works for the general public and the smart owner and vet will set that image aside and evaluate the diet on it’s own merits, not on a marketing scheme. 

Bottom line - Human nutrition believes it’s important how you get the nutrients, not just that you get them, why are dogs different?  AAFCO is a starting point, not the definitive answer, and YES-THERE ARE RAW DIETS THAT ARE AAFCO CERTIFIED.

Argument 3 - Recalls

Real life scenario - a vet, hearing that the client fed a top end grain-free kibble, along with that company’s raw diet, looked it up on line.  “Ha! - they had a recall for Salmonella a couple years ago”, and then total dismissed food. 

Ummm….because none of those other brands that are regularly recommended by vets have EVER had a recall related to Salmonella or other food safety issue…..

The pet food in question had a recall.  As part of their corrective actions, their pet food is now HPP processed - a very cool technology that is used in the people food industry.  It involves time and pressure to kill any bacteria in the food, including pathogens, that may have gotten there during processing, either because the food is raw or because of cross-contamination post-cooking.  HPP processing is cutting edge technology and expensive.  The fact that this particular company has taken their recall seriously and implemented REAL corrective actions (i.e. process change), comforts me.  Is it fair to dismiss this pet food because of a recall several years ago and not also include Hills, Eukanuba and others that are regularly recommended (and sold) by veterinarians, and have much more recent recalls?  and no discernible corrective actions? 

Bottom line: Kibble has salmonella.  Raw food has salmonella.  Numerous companies have had recalls, both recent and historical - how many recalls, how recent the recalls, and what corrective actions were put into place after the recalls should be the criteria we judge the companies by. 

Summary

Why is there no good, controlled, non-biased (i.e., not paid by Purina) research on dog food?  Why do vets continue to use the arguments above to convince clients to switch to a low-grade kibble?  Could it be because Purina/Hills/Eukanuba/Royal Canine all sponsor huge projects at vet schools, give students free food and free stuff, and push their prescription diets at the hospitals?  What incentive is there to perform real research?  Who will fund it?   (speaking of research…..Is the vet community even aware raw diets exist beyond BARF?  It’s like doing all kibble research on a single, non-AAFCO kibble.)

When I started vet school I was upset that I would no longer get free pet food because of the new health vendor policy that doesn’t allow vendors to give free stuff to students, like pet food, backpacks, and books.  After seeing how much money these pet food companies have in our schools, and how much say they have on the direction of the research, now I think it’s a good idea to try and minimize the vendor’s impact.  I see students attending lunch presentations for purina or hill’s food, learning about a research study on Royal Canine’s Dalmation diet, and looking up nutrition information and feeding information in Eukanuba/Hill’s/Royal Canine nutrition books. 

Much like we as humans can get along just fine putting atrocious things in our bodies, dogs can do much the same.  If you think that feeding a high end kibble, or an alternative diet is a bunch of hogwash, that’s fine.  Continue to feed the lower end kibble.  There’s plenty of people that feel the same because of their pocketbooks, or other personal reasons.  However, I think it is a mistake for vets to discourage those of us that do believe it makes a substantial difference if they base it on the arguments above.  Design a controlled study, not paid for by a pet food company, and lets find out some answers.

"10 is the most wonderful number"

10 months.

I LOVE 10 months.

At 10 months, Tess LIKES playing with me.  Actually SEEKS attention in an appropriate manner.  Keeps half an eye on me even when she's DISTRACTED.  Is physically MATURE enough to be a lot fun - hiking, running, biking, tricks that require muscle strength ( don't worry - we aren't over doing any of these activities).  Sees ME as the source of all things fun. WANTS to please me.

I'm torn between wanting to say:

1.  my hard work over the last 8 months is finally paying off.....

OR

2.  she's finally mature enough at 10 months that the most recent training has finally sunk in (and all those hours in the last 8 months didn't make a damn bit of difference)....

OR

3.  I've finally turned into a competent trainer (only took 8 months....) that can finally be effective with Tess. 

Probably a combination of the 3.

Whatever the magic of 10 months, it seems I'm not the only one to experience the miracle.  I've been told over and over that (in dogs of this medium size - obviously doesn't apply to really big dogs!), 10 months is when it starts being REALLY fun.  It's like this switch in their brain turns on and they become these thinking beings that are capable of being companions and partners, instead of just really cute puppies that can do a few tricks.

Tess is still bold and independent, but I matter to her now and she's not as likely to wander afar.  She recently went through her second fear period, and while she's still unafraid and confident, I've noticed that she came out of it more like an adult and less like a puppy.  She doesn't always greet people with unadulterated delight, she has a smidgeon of self of control when it comes to birds, and only goes into "puppy zoomies" if under a large amount of stress.

For those of you with young puppies, or not so-young-puppies....DON'T GIVE UP! It gets better.  I promise.  Even if you puppy is willful, stubborn, and seems to have their own agenda :).  The time and effort you put into them now WILL pay off.  Don't get me wrong - I loved Tess-the-puppy every step of the way - she was endearing even when doing something especially naughty and she enriched my life in too many ways to count.....but I did wonder whether I would ever get that dog that could go off leash on a trail, or that I could trust in the house without constant supervision.  It seems like puppies grow up in leaps and bounds - not necessarily in an ordered progression.

I love my puppy, but I have a feeling I'm going to love my dog even more.....that may be a good thing since puppyhood lasts a year and I'll have the dog 10-15 years!

This morning Tess gave me....

Ulcers!

Essay - Dog Training

I recently completed my scholarship application for next year and decided to complete a supplemental essay for a shot at a dog training scholarship.  I very much doubt I'll get it, as my experience is so limited and recent, and I'm not a small animal focus - but it was fun to write.  In bold is the prompt, followed by my response.  If you have a story to share - feel free to comment!

Concisely describe your interest and experience with dog training.  Include the activities, your role and date(s) of the activities. 


In theory, I have been a dog person my entire life.  When faced with the real thing, I wasn’t sure.  

I grew up with outside dogs that occasionally slept in the bed and went running with me, but I craved that mythical relationship like the ones I have read about in Terhune’s books.  After working in a small animal veterinary clinic as an undergraduate, I saw dogs that jumped and whined and barked, destroyed things, were not housebroken, and thought leashes were to be tested for tensile strength.  I decided that I was mistaken - I wasn’t a dog person after all. 

Eventually, I decided I was ready.  I had watched a close friend raise two puppies into well-behaved house dogs and companions, and I felt the childhood longing of a dog of my own.  I did my breed research, read all the puppy books, and interviewed breeders.  On May 14, 2011 I brought home a cute little Brittany pup.  When Tess was 6 months old I realized that the traditional way of training - “no”, “leave it”, focusing on commands rather than games - wasn’t going to work.  She was smart, inquisitive, and about to turn into something naughty.  A classmate introduced me to positive training and clickers and I haven’t looked back.  Tess is my constant companion and a role model for people who thought clickers and positive training was too permissive and only for the wackadoos. 

I found out that training isn’t about creating a robot that will sit/recall/down/ or stay on command - instead it’s about building a relationship, about communicating with another species and learning something about yourself. 

I’m new to owning a dog and to training, but I’m so excited about this type of training.  Tess is quick to learn new things and to build on skills taught at earlier sessions.  She’s so focused and enthusiastic during our lessons that people walking by often ask if I’ll train their dog.  I love sharing my experiences, and I hope that others are inspired to explore and enjoy positive training and being with their dogs. 

 Before Tess I had trouble understanding the human-animal bond that inspired veterinarians to go into small animal practices, and the lengths people went to interact and provide for their dogs and cats.  Actively training my dog and becoming a student of dog behavior and their interactions with people has made me a better person, and I know it will make me a better veterinarian.

Tess's advice about stuffed animals

My name is Tess and I love stuffed animals.

Especially the one she has in the corner of her closet - the ones she planned on giving to to her cousin’s kids.  There’s a ballerina that I love tearing the tutu off of, and a cow that moos when I chew down to the crunchy center. 

I wait until her back’s turned.  Perferably when she has some sort of shirt over her head, or one foot in her pants and then go for it! 

I don’t always have the time to pick and chose and go for the one closest to the front. 

I think she on to me though, because I’ve noticed all the good ones are in the back. 

I must admit that those things are a bit like crack cocaine - I can’t really remember, but I’m told that my eyes dilate and I run around with puppy zoomies once I get one. 

She’s trying this training method that involves her pretending that it’s no big deal - but I can tell.  I can smell her body language and she warring with how cute I am with the the stuffed animals and how much joy I get….versus how very naughty I’m being. 

I’m faster than her - although it’s fun to see her try.  Lately she she’s been playing less chase and pretending that whatever *I* have that *She* wants is a game of fetch and if I bring it right to her I get a treat. 

Sometimes I feel like playing…..sometimes I want to play my own game.  Like rip the tutu off the bear and see how many times I can sail over the bed before getting her attention. 

It isn’t like she doesn’t know I like soft fuzzy rip-able things.  For xmas I got a stuffed purple teddy bear.  For New Years I got an “indestructible” soft penguin. 

For my fellow dogs that end up with such a puzzle as a really tough soft toy in the shape of a penguin, here’s my suggestions.

1.  Go for the tag.  They’ll probably notice and cut it off but at least you tried.
2.  Rip off the fuzzy horns.
3.  start at the feet - you can generate the most force by pulling there. 
4.  After destroying the feet, you will have access to the body cavity.  Quick!  before the notice pull out all the stuffing and pretend to eat it!
5.  they will probably defluff it for you at this stage.  Now turn it inside out.  This gives you better access to the head and beak and make it more vulnerable. 
6.  Destroy the beak so that when they turn the toy right side out, they are traumatized by the sight of a ravaged bird face - with only the beak gnawed out.
7.  give it to the German Shepherd to finish off. 

Principles to Train By

Poor Tess has not had good puppy days in these days leading up to the big exam!  Fortunately we have 3 weeks of winter break to do some catching up and play fun games.

One of the best things about working with a knowledgeable friend or paying a trainer is the feedback/reflection of your training.  Several important concepts I've been working DILIGENTLY to adhere to once they were brought to my attention are:

Say it Once - Don't say the command over and over, not for "encouragement", not for "motivation", not to make yourself feel better, not as a reminder to the dog while they are in the middle of the behavior.  Say it once, and if the dog doesn't do it, don't re-cue - enforce the behavior if you can with either a physical touch or a hand signal (dogs often respond better to visual cues rather than verbal ones - so it's important to "pair" them, and then make sure that the dog understands the verbal cue apart from the visual one).  If I feel the need to consistently re-cue Tess, I evaluate the behavior and decide whether I need to reshape it, re - pair it, reduce the number of distractions, or do more relationship building.

No Self Releasing - One thing I have to remind myself over and over is DO NOT RE-CUE THE BEHAVIOR IF SHE SELF RELEASES from a control behavior.  Control behaviors things like sit, down, stand, bow, side, close, house, bed etc.  I don't use the term "stay".  When I ask for a control behavior, there is an understanding that she needs to maintain that behavior until she is released.  100% of the time - not just while training.  Thus, if I tell her to sit because I'm cooking in the kitchen - I need to enforce that control behavior, just as if I told her to sit during a training session.  Being really careful and consistent with my control behaviors will lead to more consistency in high distraction situations. 

Don't Help -This is a hard one for me.  If it's a high distracting situation and I've said "side" (which means line up in a sit on my right hand side) and Tess doesn't do it right away, I tend to step to my left to give her more room on my right and invite her in to that right side.  Instead, I should just wait her out, give her a chance to be brilliant.  "Side" and "Close" (same behavior on the left side) are solid behaviors - we are reinforcing them, but not necessarily training them.  Same for heeling.  When she gets in front of me and starts to pull, I stop.  Because of the pressure on the leash, the correct response is for Tess to "self correct" herself into a side or a close and then we start again.  If that doesn't happen, then I turn 180 degrees and walk briskly.  I'm oh so very tempted to say "side" and "close" during these situations instead of letting her figure it out - and I should just let her figure it out.  The point is that she self corrects/recognizes the error in pulling - it is not a side/close training session!  However, by helping her, this point is lost.  When first training or shaping a behavior sometimes I do help with hand signals, positioning etc. - however, those "helps" definitely become crutches later on and its more difficult to "finish" those behaviors at the very end (verbal command, consistent, Tess understands the behavior etc.)

Treat for the exact response -  Here's another hard one for us!  I tend to take into account Tess's mood and distraction level when treating.  For example.  If I ask for her to go to her "house" and she hesitates, and wanders because there's a dog distraction, but still goes in the house, I tend to think "Boy!  That was really hard for her, so she definitely gets a treat!".  WRONG.  If I make it easier for her because she failed a previous time, or if she didn't do it with enthusiasm (just going through the motions), or if she got distracted and went a 'round-about way, or if she had to be re-cued or positioned - no treat, just verbal praise.  The treat is for telling her "YES - that was EXACTLY what I wanted".  Verbal praise tells her she did good, is on the right track, and she made good choices.  If I can't give her a treat after 3 times of repeating the same behavior, then I need to switch locations, switch what I'm asking for etc.

Once I started applying this principle to Tess's training, I noticed that she tried a little harder - she no longer got treats for just going through the motions - she had to be focused and enthusiastic.  

Treating for exact behavior doesn't apply to the same degree when I'm teaching or shaping a behavior.  I'm treating for "try" and new behaviors, it's only when I get that end behavior and she understands the end behavior that I switch to treating for exact response only.

Onto the next stage!

One of the most interesting things about having a puppy is to watch them go through predictable development stages. 

Tess is now 9 months old.  Tonight, she showed some fear behavior when my boyfriend got home especially late and made a lot of noise on the outside of the door.  She barked and growled and acted fearful - very unusual for her. 

It reminded me of that early fear stage that every young puppy goes through in the first months of life.  The change was marked - literally overnight she went from being a bold, independent, happy-go-lucky puppy, to a pup that barked at the bike in the garage that hadn't been there before.  It took about 2 weeks for novel situations and objects to stop evoking an automatic fear response. 

I've been able to observe most of the development stages in Tess so I wondered whether there was a second fear period around 9 months of age? 

After a bit of searching, it looks like there very likely is!  I love how development is so predictable. 

Tess have reliably moved through each development stage, so I have to assume with the onset of this second fear period, she is very close to puberty. 

This is important - because the plan is for Tess to be a performance dog, I do not want to spay her before the onset of puberty. 

First, a digression - this is personal opinion based on research that I have read (but I'm too lazy to cite right now), heard in class.  I have also grossly simplified the physis closure process and anatomy discussed - obviously more factors than just hormones etc play a role!  I using the radius and ulna as an example.  I have no idea when those two bones specific growth plates close relative to each other, but as it is 3am, I'm not looking it up. 

There is some research indicates that some "performance injuries" such as torn crutiate ligaments etc. may be linked to altering a dog before the onset of puberty.  Hormones play a huge role in growth plate (called a "physis") closure.  If you alter a dog before the growth plates close, the physis will delay closing because of the lack of hormones. 

"What's the problem?" you say, "so the plates stay open a bit longer".  The problem is that some physis' close before others on adjacent bones.  For example, the radius physis can close, and the ulna (adjacent bone to the radius that "connects" on the elbow) can still be open.  This isn't normally a problem - and in fact is normal - because the body has a plan/system/time line for when all the physis' should close so the bones are the correct size in relation to each other.  But when you take away hormones, you are altering that dramactically!!!!! 

So now, the ulna keeps on growing a little bit longer than it should - but the radius can't compensate for it. 

Uh Oh.....

Now that joint and ligaments are inherently under more strain when the dog is doing intense physical activity - like agility and jumping. 

I was really really REALLY hoping she would have had her first heat cycle before xmas so I could have her spayed over the xmas break, however, it looks like it's not going to happen :(.  My guess is that she will be 10 months old (beginning of January), which means I'll spay over spring break.  10 months is average for a dog of her size, and as she's hit all the other "milestones" on the nose, it was too much to hope that she would be early on this one!

You know you're a dog person when....

... the biggest decisions of your day (after getting out of a 4 hour class) is who gets to pee first - take the dog outside or use the restroom?  decisions desicisions!

Puppy Play

This post got rather long, so here's a quick summary of my thoughts -


1.  You are always training with every interaction and situation - either reinforcing or introducing new behaviors (good or bad).
2.  If I have to say the command more than once, I am teaching my dog to ignore me.
3.  When establishing a behavior, a logical progression of situations sets the dog up for success - with a few "test" situations thrown in.
4.  There is a way to give the dog what he needs developmentally, while still preserving the integrity of your training program.
5.  Not everyone is a dog person and its rude to impose my dog on them if my dog doesn't have proper manners - proper manners includes respect of personal space and not demanding attention.
6.  The freedom/off duty time cannot be micromanaged to the point where it is no longer a mental break for the dog. 
7.  How "far" you train the off-leash behavior will depend on your future plans with the dog. 

Ready for the entire discourse?

One of the common questions I get from other people that watch me interact with Tess on a daily basis is - do you ever just let her off leash and play?

This is usually while we are in the home room, which is full of my classmates sitting on couches, heating up lunches, with 3-4 dogs of various sizes and training levels running around.

A thing to keep in mind is that you are ALWAYS training.  When you are walking from the car and you are too busy because you'll be late to class - you are training.  When you only have 10 minutes to take the dog outside to pee and they refuse to play the crate game or put their nose in the gentle leader - you are training.  When you let your dog ignore you in a room full of paper, engage in questionable behavior (ie - excited puppy behavior that non-dog people may be uncomfortable with), ignores their name, and doesn't come when called.  Even then - you are training.

Tess's biggest training issues are related to her distractability and fixation on other dogs, and movement, and her tendency to lick people's noses in greeting.  Tess is bold and independent.  She's well socialized.  I'm not worried about her approprately interacting with other dogs and people on a socialization level - I'm worried about manners and training.

If I put her into a situation where there are a lot of other dogs and people (especially people sitting down on the ground and on couches) off leash, I am setting her up for failure - I know that she will ignore her name and recall, because we can't function in a situation 1/2 distracting.  Until I get good behavior in a less distracting situations, it's unfair of me to expect it in in a high arousal situation - and instead of reinforcing our training, I'll be reinforcing a habit of ignoring me in a high distraction situation.  Even worse - the home room situation would also reinforce naughty behaviors in addition to crime of ignoring me!  The opportunity to jump on people and furniture and knock over chairs and clear the coffee table (and couch) in a single leap!  Don't laugh - I speak from personal experience!

Don't worry!  I know that play and movement and being able to just "be a puppy" is an important part of a quality life!  I regularly let her off leash to play - but I control the situation for success.

• She gets to play with Reed (Golden Retriever housemate) in the back yard off leash.  I have a pocket full of treats and she regularly gets treats for checking in with me, and for looking at me when I call her name (I then treat and immediately release her to play again).
• She gets to play with new and familiar dogs off leash inside, if it isn't more than 2-3 dogs and no more than 3 or 4 people in the room.
• She gets to play with 1 other dog off leash outside in an unfenced area (and drags a very light long line).
• Every 1-2 weeks I take her to a fenced dog park during an "off time" (usually not more than 5-6 dogs) to play off leash.  I use this as my "check" - this is an extremely high arousal situation - and compare how she is improving over time.  How well does she listen to her name and recalls?  Does she check in?  Is she continuing to greet dogs and people appropriately off leash?  Because she still has a tendency to ignore me in a dog park situation, we don't do this really often - it takes me ~24 hours to rebuild the name game and recall to where it was pre-dog park.  I try REALLY hard not to do recalls or call her name at the park unless I'm almost positive that she was ready to do it on her own - so it lessens my chances of her ignoring me.  Remember that you are always training?  Repeated commands is training the dog that is does not have to respond the first time you say something - Tess ignoring me or me having to repeat a command is more likely to happen at a dog park, regardless of my best efforts, so I can't do it too often - have to rebuild the relationship between trips.  Make sense?  

For the first 3 situations (the dog park is too stimulating) Tess plays a few quick games to establish the value of the relationship before being released to play (and so she understands that although she isn't directly interacting with me during dog play most of the time - this REALLY REWARDING thing still comes from me - the source of all things fabulous in her life).  A few RZ games, nose touches, a few bows and then OFF SHE GOES!!!!!!  And let me tell you - she is BEAUTIFUL at full speed.  :) 

The dog park is important because it's my transition or bridge to high arousal situations (like the homeroom at school).  It's hard for her to be too naughty at the dog park, other than ignoring me.  She's never engaged in a behavior that I had to stop.

When she starts responding to me consistently in the dog park, then she'll be ready for off-leash in a busy homeroom - but not before then.

Am I being picky?  Absolutely.  I have the luxury of being able to keep Tess with me almost 24/7, thus I have lots of opportunities to physical and mentally stimulate her throughout the day without resorting to letting her off leash to run energy off in a situation not of my choosing.

I'm constantly walking the line between these 2 concepts -
1.  Giving her freedom that she has rightly learned and the reward of being "off duty"
2.  Being mindful of what she is learning and what I'm reinforcing while she's enjoying that freedom while not restricting or micromanaging that freedom/off duty time to the point she becomes resentful or anxious.

With your relationship with your dog, you may care more or less about your dogs responsiveness and control - I think a lot of the the decision is based on your future plans with your dog. 

I have big plans for this girl, all of which require her to develop self-control and focus her attention on me in very high distracting situations.  Agility and other performance competitions require a dog that can work through crowds, new places, and unfamiliar situations without losing focus.  I'm also considering designating her as my service dog, which requires many of the same skills. 

A digression - Another thing I consider when letting my dog off leash is that not everyone around me is a dog person.  *I* wasn't a dog person before getting Tess, and even now I don't enjoy unfamiliar dogs (or familiar dogs....) invading my personal space, demanding my attention, and slobbering on me.  My dog is my responsibility - which means that until my dog can run up to a seated person and politely sit a respectful distance away while seeking attention (and not demand attention if ignored), my dog has no business being off leash in an area with other people.  Period.  It is unfair of me to impose my dog on other people in the area.  I'm willing to "test" her behavior in a dog park because I figure there are mostly dog people there.  

Tess decides my trick is dumb

I did a shaping session this morning to teach Tess a new trick - putting her paw over her muzzle and eye in a "I'm so shamed" look. 

As she sat there and stared at me, and then bowed in front of me and stared, I decided to make my life easier and improve my chances of getting the behavior.

I put a piece of scotch tape on her muzzle. 

Tess was less than thrilled.  She curled her lip and then BAM, put her paw to the nose.

Success! 

Click. Treat.

I did it again. 

Click. Treat.

After a couple repetitions the tape got less sticky so I put it on the table beside me and waited to see if she would offer it without the tape. 

Before I could react, Tess darted over, grabbed the tape, then chewed and swallowed as I frantically pried her mouth open and stuck my hand down her gullet. 

I guess that's what Tess thinks about me putting tape on her muzzle. 

"Showoff" moments and training thoughts

 Two show off moments in one post!!!!

Above is Tess performing a "bow", which she does on verbal command.  "Bow" sounds a lot like "Down", so I pronounce it "B-oh".  She started offering play bows when we were working on 2 on-2 off behaviors so on Sunday I took the opportunity to shape and name it.  Our biggest problem? - she should rather bow than lay down!  She'll bow and I'll ask her - "Uh oh! what happened to your back end??????" She's just starting to show hind in awareness and having her switch on verbal command between down, sit, bow, stand is good practice. 

This picture is Tess playing "Yer Choice" with treats on paws.  Unfortunately she took the opportunity while I snapped the picture to eat the piece of kibble off of her left paw.  Definitely a naughty moment to record in the training log. 

Yer choice is one of those games that I have to work continuously - if I go a couple of days, or a week without reinforcing it, she regresses.  Impulse control is a HUGE part of Tess's training and personality, so I'm not surprised that this is one of our top priority games. 

Did you notice where these pictures were taken?  In a parking lot.  I got to school early, parked and decided to have an improtue play session behind the car, and try to catch up on some show off photos.  Training can happen anytime, anywhere.  By training in as many different locations, I'm teaching my puppy that I am the most exciting thing and all good things come from me - no matter where we are.  On our way to the lecture building, 10 minutes after these photos were taken, we had a good tug/play/fetch session. 

How do I know that she was interested and engaged?  For the first time today, I didn't have to use the gentle leader to walk her form the parking lot to the lecture building - flat collar only and no pulling!  It's a miracle!.....or maybe she enjoyed the spontaneity. 

I just finished an article on working with high energy/high prey drive dogs and an important concept to integrate into the training sessions is unpredictability and spontaneity.  This is hard - I'm a very organized, "plan-ahead" person that easily falls into a rut of what I do where.....I literally have to plan ahead for spontaneity - but Tess doesn't have to know that - she just knows that this morning she got to eat her breakfast in the parking lot, and then played with her favorite toy on the lawn while walking to school - 2 things that had never happened before. 

Tess goes hiking

Took Tess up to Feather Falls where we did the ~9 mile, 4 hour hike (plus an hour for lunch).  Tess did really well not pulling, paying attention to me, and practiced "relaxing" during lunch. 

While navigating trail obstacles (fallen trees from previous day's wind storm) I was able to use "over" and "under" to navigate us both through without tangling the leash.  We played in one of the creeks some and confirmed that Tess is NOT a fan of cold water.  She goes all pitiful and sad-eyed. 

We played almost constant RZ zone games (both sides) and a name game.  Only if she didn't respond to my RZ request did I do 180 degree turns to eliminate pulling.  Having her on leash for lunch reminded me that I need to spend more time with her out of her kennel, on leash, just hanging out with me.  If I'm being perfectly honest, my perfect puppy is a perfect pain and it's so much easier to just stick her in her kennel if I'm not actively engaging her, than to practice her being "chill" while I do something else. 

Overall it was a beautiful trip that I actually ENJOYED because I FINALLY have a puppy who's a joy to be with.

My sister made fun of me when she found out the dogs were coming.  "All we are going to hear is 'Yes Tess', 'No Tess', 'Heel Tess'".  I laughed and told her that actually she should hear nothing.  The strategy behind the training now is to stay silent - no verbal commands until she understands the behavior.  She makes good choices and is rewarded (including staying in that heel position in the reinforcement zone - RZ - and not pulling) and when she consistently chooses the correct behavior, THEN I'll name it.

It's unfortunate that in the action photos she looks like she is pulling.  She pulled very little!

The game I played today

Tess has a hard time with the game fetch.  Her favorite game is tug - so the concept that we will be taking a really good toy and she'll get it and bring it, just to have it taken away so it can be thrown again isn't her idea of a really good time.  

I've tried pointing out that her father was a VERY good retriever so it is IN HER GENES to do this, but she just cocks her head and looks at me with an expression that says "just because you bought me a orange biothane hunting collar doesn't mean I have to act like a retriever". 

Knowing that she regards tug, treats, games requiring lots of movement and speed, and certain toys as extremely high value, I try to incorporate them to make the fetch game have a higher value than taking the toy, running, and playing with it herself all by her lonesome.

 This morning, I played fetch, combined with hide and seek. 

First I let her chose a toy out of the toy box.  This itself is a reward - I usually dictate what toy we will be playing with.  She chose a toy ideally suited for fetch, a hollow rubber/plastic stick.  She ran around with it growling playfully, trying to engage me in a game of chase the puppy, letting me know she regarded this toy as HIGH value - higher value than engaging me. 

I tried some of the other strategies I've been using to reinforce fetch (see list at bottom of this post) but it quickly became apparent that the games were too passive and not engaging enough.  

In a brilliant move of sheer genius creativity - I decided to play hide and seek!

You see - I'm not normally creative, or brilliant, or a source (as my puppy continuously reminds me) of spontaneous fun.  I'm methodical and have a tendency to harp on one concept about 3 reptitions too many. 

I'm quite proud of myself - I recognized the problem, didn't try to play or train in a way that was doomed from the start, didn't get frusterated, and instead found a way to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish - reinforcing the concept of - I am much more fun than any toy, I am the source of all good cookies, and if you lose track of me - you better find me QUICK.  

As a side note - being creative and finding an alternative way to train based on Tess's mood and distraction level, instead of getting frusterated, has been my biggest challenge.  I'm seeing real progress in this area.  More times in the last 10 days then ever before I've had training sessions where I didn't ask for too much, didn't move too fast, and was able to train the pup I had right then instead of the one I planned for.  This is real progress for me as a trainer.  

She likes hide and seek - we've been playing it as part of our recall project, there's treats involved when she finds me and she gets to run around like a crazy idiot looking for me and focus all that energy doing something GOOD (trust me - one of the most difficult things about having a high-prey drive/high-energy puppy).

I tossed the toy down the hall and then disappeared around the corner. 

She tore around the corner with the toy in her mouth and dropped it in my hand.  Good girl!  Treat. 

I threw it down the hall and ducked behind the recliner.

It took her longer this time, and she arrived without the toy.  I looked at her.  She knew she should be getting a treat for finding me - so when she didn't get one, she knew she was missing some element to this new game.  I looked at the toy to give her a hint.  She got it immediately, ran to get the toy and brought it to me.  Good girl!  treat.  (BTW - this is why I love shaping behavior - she thinks through new challenges and looks to me for hints as subtle as where my eyes are going, puts 2 previously unlinked behaviors together, and voila!). 

I hid in progressively harder locations and she got better and better at having the toy in her mouth when she finally found me. 

Success! I created value for bringing me a toy while still engaging her at a high level - I didn't have problems with her trying to run off with the toy, or sniffing around like a bored puppy, or becoming a "distract-a-puppy". 

Training ideas:
For those of you attempting to train or shape fetch, here's some of the other fetch games I've played:

• Take the toy from my hand, then give it back for a treat.
• Drop the toy in front of me, pup picks it up and gives it to me for a treat.
• Throw the toy a short distance, pup picks it up, and I've moved in almost to the toy to give a treat.
• Gradually throw the toy further and further and stay stationary for the toy to be brought back for the treat.
• Have 2 toys - a good fetch toy (for Tess, this is balls and other stuff that moves and bounces quickly - she plays with them like a cat plays with a mouse), and a very high value tug toy (Tess goes nuts for the Skinz toys).  I hang the tug toy around my neck so she can see it.  I throw the high value fetch toy and when she brings it back and drops it in my hand I immediately go into a game of tug. This works best if the dog is highly tug motivated, and understands that tug is a reward for doing something I want that may be lower value than what they want.  It also works well for Tess because her biggest issue in fetch is veering off of me at the last moment, trying to engage me in chase, or taking a LONG time to decide to drop it because she wants me to tug.  
• Run away from the pup when they get the toy in a game of "chase the human" 
• Sporadically try to beat the pup to the toy after throwing it (nothing like a little competition to get Tess motivated). 
• Put a pile of 4 or 5 toys a couple of feet from you.  Reward the pup for finding and bringing the toys to you.  Eventually I want Tess to retrieve a specific toy so this is done in silence for now, except for a "good girl" when she brings me a toy.  I reward her, take it away and put it aside and wait for her to bring me another.  

Most of my problems with fetch revolve around keeping her motivated and interested in the game, and having her bring me the toy after she picks it up, so most of my game combinations are centered around reinforcing this.  

2 new games a recall project update

It's working!!!!!  Every week I'm able to recall her in more and more distracting environments.  I'm working through my distraction list  (I have listed all the distractions that might cause her to ignore a recall, and rated them from 1 to 10).  Since the zoomie incident in my previous post, I've added 2 more games to our recall games to try to cement understanding of the recall word when it involves her leaving something interesting, and what's likely to happen if she doesn't keep an eye on me. 



Hide and Seek
I will admit that I dismissed this game when I saw it.  *MY* independent puppy would NEVER search for me.  *MY* puppy is FAR too independent to care if I fell off the face of the earth.  *SHE* would continue to live her happy little life in the absence of my presence. Even if she DID notice I was gone - her superior nose would tell her I was still in the area, and she would feel no need to search for me.



I was wrong....oh so wrong...oh so HAPPILY wrong. 

The game is this:  In a secure, safe area, give your puppy freedom.  When they are distracted and take their eyes off you, without saying anything, hide.  Let them whine and get really upset before making a noise to help them out.  When they find you, praise them and give them a treat.   The premise is that THEY should be keeping track of YOU, not the other way around.



I tried it.  In the school homeroom after hours, she took her eyes off me to check out the empty kennels in the area and I ducked behind a couch.  It took exactly 30 seconds for her to start whining and running around looking for me.  AND SHE COULDN'T FIND ME! 


It was wonderful.


She couldn't find me.  I had to start making noises.  When she found me, she was OVERJOYED.



It didn't take her long to lose track of me again - I immediately hid in a different spot. 


It took her about 10 seconds to realize I wasn't visible.  No whining this time, and she found me on her own without help, but it wasn't easy for her to sniff me out! 


She seemed a little confused.  Wasn't the game that I kept an eye on her?  Why did I keep disappearing?????  It's so distressing for a poor little puppy!


Since then, I've tried it in the back yard.  After 2-3 "hide and seeks" I couldn't get away from her to hide - she was DETERMINED to not let me out of her sight. 


Cookies in the Corner
There is an excellent video on MartinisRanch Youtube channel (linked on the resource page) that demonstrates this game.  I like it because it incorporates the collar grab game, sending away from you, rewarding in the R zone, and the recall.  The basics are you send the dog away for a low value treat, and immediately call them back for a high value treat.  They learn that no matter how much they want to sniff around the area of the low value treat....the good treats are with you!  A lot of my recall issues are related to Tess thinking (and getting) reinforcement from the environment that (she thinks) is higher value than what I can give her.....this game proves her wrong!!!!   

Puppy Zoomies

Puppy Zoomies: Def. puppy brains leak out of puppy eyeballs.  Previously obedient puppy then turns into a gravity-defying missile that ricochets through space and time, running past you, towards you (and mostly) away from you.  Owner most likely turns into a chimpanzee, hooting and chasing.   As one might expect, this has a low success rate in retrieving puppy.

It's time for a recall project update!  I've had one case of puppy zoomies this week and while I did than the initial incident, I could have done better still.

What I did: Called her 1-2x when she broke criteria of the game (ran past the toy, then stopped to look at a man on the sidewalk).  When she ignored me and bolted, I didn’t panic this time - tried to keep track of where she went and follow her - but didn’t engage - didn’t chase - follow unobtrusively, tried to not let her see me.  I attempted to engage her in the game of "chase Mel" when she came towards me.

What I should have done:
Prevention: Drag a long line from her collar - We were in a safe (but not enclosed area) and while I've been granting her more freedom as she earns it, she should not have been at liberty without a line in this situation. The line I had was heavy, bulky, and picked up debris.  I had taken it off for the exercise we were doing because it was interfering with the lesson.  My friend has loaned me a light length of climbing rope since the incident and its much better.  She had been excellent during the lesson, so didn't expect to have an issue with our last toy toss/retrieve.  Without a line on, I should have thrown the toy much closer for the retrieve so I could have maintained better control.

Once the zoomies happened - Do. Not. Call. Her.  Even if I have a 50% success rate for recall in these situations, that's 50% too low and a major reinforce for her to continue to ignore me.  Instead I should have turned my back and walked away.  Perhaps even go around a corner so I was out of her line of sight if she continued to look at me, but not come towards me. Under no circumstance should I have moved towards her or chased after her. 

Zoomies are a result of her getting really excited - which is a good thing - not necessarily that she's trying to get away from me.  Once the zoomies start, it's not a recall issue unless I call her - and at this point in the recall project, calling her when I know I have a low chance of success is counterproductive.  Dealing with the zoomies in a neutral - not negative way - in order to preserve the enthusiasm for our play sessions, while reinforcing the lesson that she cannot ignore me is a fine line!!!  If I don't make a big deal of the zoomies and continue to reinforce the recall and having her keep track of ME through the games below and the recall project, eventually the zoomies will become a non-issue both because of training and she'll grow out of them somewhat. 

Solution! - pulling on the leash

There are a lot of different techniques to solve problems in dog training.  My intention in these posts, labeled "solution", is to present a solution that I found to solve a specific issue in Tess's training.

There are a ton of resources to help you solve your training issue - hopefully these posts generate more ideas to solve training issues for you and your dog.

Problem:  Pulling on the leash


Solution: Discontinue "heel" ( defined as asking for a specific position by my leg on a loose leash) - instead, use "let's go", meaning - "whatever my leash length is, don't pull".  If pulling occurs - immediate 180 degree turns.

AareneX has commented both here and on my other blog about her method of teaching a dog to walk nicely by her side, and if you are having a similar issue, I highly recommend you go back and read her comments on this post here. 

What ultimately worked for Tess was a variation of what I read years ago in the "Monks of New Skete" books (linked in the resource page).  To teach leash work they recommended working within a virtual box (ie - there is no box - but the pattern you are walking is a box shape!!!), making sharp turns to both keep the dog interested in your path, to "test" the dog's attention, AND to correct a dog.  It's more of an "oopsy - I turned and you didn't!  You must have not been paying attention....so sad."

I dropped the formal heel entirely - heel means stay at a certain position - something that in my current training I refer to as the Reinforcement zone (RZ).  Teaching the RZ AND for Tess not to pull was too much.  So I broke it down.  Instead, during our informal walks and runs I used "Let's go" - which meant she could go anywhere she wanted at whatever speed - as long as she didn't pull.  This was MUCH more fun for her - she felt like she had some control of the situation and choice - while still needing to respond to pressure and my cues. 

Occasional bumps at the end of the leash were tolerated - after all, because I changed the leash lengths depending on the environment, she needed to know the breadth of her freedom.  BUT - any sharp tug (darting forward for example, after a distraction) or pull that wasn't immediately rectified was IMMEDIATELY met with a 180 degree turn in the other direction.  I continued at whatever speed we were moving at - whether that was a walk, run, or sprint. 

The first 2 days I looked like a COMPLETE and utter idiot.  Good motivation to get on campus EARLY and get my run over before classes started.  I didn't travel more than 1 linear mile in 20 minutes because of my running back and forth.  But now, 10 days later, I can get through an entire 30 minute run without doing a 180 correction except perhaps 2 or 3 times in very high level distraction areas.  Tess is having FUN on our runs, my frustration level stays very low - and the most important thing - based on VAST amount of improvement in a short amount of time, I think Tess actually understands the concept, because I've made the criteria very black and white, and it offers her more of a choice in the activity. 

I also like the concept that there isn't anything intrinsically "negative" with this approach.  90% of the pulling is because she gets fixated on something and darts towards it.  By turning around, we are moving away from the thing she is interested in.  It's only once she can walk/run towards and past it without pulling that she gets to go towards it  - which she wants, and thus is a reward for being good! 

I am told this exercise (turns, pivots) will come in handy once I start doing more with my Reinforcement Zone exercises, which will morph into my heel. 

I'm beginning to think that if you don't look like an idiot while training your dog, you aren't doing it right. 

Crate Games with Susan Garrett

I spent my Sunday morning finishing "Crate Games" with Susan Garrett - a link to this product can be found on the resources page.

It was absolutely incredible. It's a bit pricey, I was fortunate to be able to borrow it from a friend at school.  After viewing it I can say without hesitation if you wanted to purchase one training video that would give you and your dog a good foundation for WHATEVER you wanted to do, this is probably the best "bang for your buck".

There is so much nuance in the crate games and the game applies to many more situations than I ever imagined when I outlined crate games in an early post.

I'm going to provide a quick synopsis of the DVD, including some of the key training points that I learned and was reminded of....but I highly recommend you beg, borrow, or buy a copy of "Crate Games" if you are interested in applying these principles. Another option is to explore the Youtube channels I have linked in resources - many of the videos on those channels cover crate games and you will be able to get a feel for how the game is played.  What I have provided as a synopsis here is not enough to explain the game fully.

Stage 1 - I love my crate

High value treats to establish value in the crate.  Dog does NOT come out of the crate. 

Stage 2 - Are you a Gambler

Dog still doesn't come out - but you delay treats, move around, provide a distraction like putting on a leash etc. to test the dogs knowledge that he needs to choose to stay in the crate, in a sit position until formally released.

Stage 3 - Yer out/Yer in

Don't play back to back games!!!!!!  This was my issue.....This is the first stage that the dog comes out, but you only reward when the dog choses the crate.  This is considered a VERY important stage, as one of the "life lessons" that goes along with this, is that when the dog isn't being given a job OUTSIDE of the crate, they should really really want to be INSIDE the crate.

Stage 3 - The collar grab game

The DVD puts this as part of Stage 3 Y, however I think it's separate from Yer out/Yer in because you ARE interacting with the dog when he's out.  I'm not sure whether back to back games are allowed with collar grab, or whether it's more of a transition game to the next stage.  This was the only unclear part of the DVD for me.  To be on the safe side, I probably won't play back to back games of collar grab, and will reinforce the collar grab as a separate game too.  The crate game is NOT named at this point.  Gradually work in an arc around the crate, continuing to latch between games. 

Example
The sequence of this stage was shown as:
Latch
Dog sits
high reward
release cue
low value cookie after grabbing collar
activate opposition reflex
dog goes to crate
high reward
Close door
latch
sit
open door
release
low value with collar grap
opposition reflex
dog goes into crate
high reward

Stage 4 - Scholarly Elements

At this point Garrett goes through 5 "scholarly elements" to crate games.

1.  Naming the game - before you name the crate game you must have success at distance, different angles, understand the collar grab, and must have ENTHUSIASM.  Play the game, and name the game as you release the dog.  Don't close the door between repetitions - bungee it open to reduce chance of an accident. 

2.  Changed my mind - release the dog the moment all 4 paws are in the crate.  When they come back play an exciting game of tug.  You can try and "fake the dog out" but playing change my mind a couple of times, and then not giving the release work and seeing if they break.

3.  Adding distance - ping pong the distance - don't just go further and further.  Go far, then close, than farther, than a bit closer.

4.  Motivated recalls - In the DVD she works with releasing on the name - however I do not want Tess releasing on her name.  When I say her name I want her to look at me, not come.  So I will be working on this with my release word (OK) and my recall word (check).

5.  Distraction big leagues - throw all sorts of things at them when they are in the crate to see if they understand criteria - don't break the plan of the door, and stay in a sit (assuming that you have opened the door and they haven't come out yet).  Throw toys and treats.  If they make a mistake (violate a criteria, shut the door and start over.

At this point, "Crate Games" moved on to the applications of crate games and some advanced concepts.  This is where I thought the DVD really shined - explaining and demonstrating the game was only half of the DVD.  Working through it's applications and through "real life" situations that didn't have anything to do with competition is why this DVD would be appropriate for any dog owner that wants a good "dog citizen" and who wants to enjoy being around their dog more.  I'm only going to discuss the sections that I found the most relevant to me right now - more games, ideas, and problem solving tips were shown!

Advanced Crate Game 1

Garrett advocates here that having one dog in the crate with the door OPEN while working with another dog is actually a good thing.  The dog in the crate isn't anxious because it's their choice to be in the kennel while the other dog is working - yes they want to be out there playing, but they are choosing to be n the kennel.  Prior to bringing the other dog out, play Yer out/Yer in with the crated dog and leave the door open- this releases them from the sit because once they go back in, as long as the door isn't closed again, they can go into whatever position they would like, as long as they don't break criteria.  (Initially when the door is opened they need to sit).  The dog in the crate continues to be reinforced for choosing to stay in the crate as you play with the other dog.

Advanced Crate Games 3

I found this to be extremely motivating for me to do crate games with all 3 dogs in the household.  To be able to have them in a xpen (exercise pen) or at the front door and have them auto sit while I released them one by one?  Or to be cooking in the kitchen and have each dog be in a certain place on the floor until I released them and not have them go after dropped food?  Or to have a bed or mat in the living room that they could go to and stay on, just like a crate?  Even when there are visitors - the dog knows to stay in the bed, just like they would stay in a crate?  Or, let's say you are playing with your dogs outside and you want to "crate" one of them while you deal with something....and so you have them jump up in the lawn chair and they know that it has the same criteria as the crate - they will be rewarded for choosing the stay there until they are released.

Trouble shooting

Garrett worked through several issues, some of which related directly to some of the issues I'm having with Tess.  Tess "saunters" in and out.  For drive INTO the crate, Garrett asked -

Are you using really special treats?  Treats that they've never seen before?

Have you built up value?

Have you been helping the dog?

Have you been working Yer out/Yer in stage long enough?

Have you added difficult distractions too early?

Have you been working the change my mind game?

Ummm....All of these ring true for me - there is a reason our crate game isn't where I want it to be - and I CAN be successful at this!  There is a reason Tess doesn't have the drive I want to go into her crate - but I CAN create it.

For drive OUT of the crate, Garrett points out several key points -

Too much value - have I built too much value for being in the crate (probably not)

Lack of understanding - have I been consistent with the criteria, and is it entirely black and white?  Am I moving when I give the release cue?  (ummm......this sounds suspiciously like my issues...)

Too many distractions - be unpredictable with the release, sometimes release right away (I'm very very predictable and need to change it up more). 



Important training lessons learned for Crate games and beyond

Failure: Don't let the dog fail multiple times in a row.  During the stages in the game, once you have a failure, retry at an easier level and work back up to the original level of the failure once you have reestablished value and understanding.  If at later stages of the game, the dog failes 3x in a row (for example, when working at great distances) - the dog is communicating to you that you have a hole in your training.

Cues: Don't say it more than once!  If the dog looks back at you midway through going back to the crate, just wait.  True of most training - not just for crate games.

Shaping: Reward for offered behavior that is different and break up the shaping exercise often with games of tug and playing.  I'm really really bad at belaboring the point and working WAY past Tess's attention span....

Bottom Line
In summary, I felt that the DVD was a great value and demonstrating how crate games are essential foundation exercises no matter what the dog's job is.  My temptation is to push pass the boring essential games like crate games, without taking full advantage of the lessons they teach.  I have a renewed focus and motivation for crate games and can't wait for my next session with Tess.

The line...

...between success and failure is mighty thin. 

And often, whether an incident is a success or a failure is up to you and your actions. 

As you know, I've been working diligently on something I call "the recall" project.  Approximately 60 recalls a day in highly controlled situations, broken into several sessions a day, all with the aim of creating a VERY positive association with the word "check" with progressively high levels of distraction. 

I'm going to preen a bit and let you know that it is going really really well.  Well enough that I've let her start playing with Reed, her very very very best friend in the whole wide world, because (at least in the house) she'll leave her play and come to me!  Amazing! 

So, with this kind of success "banked", why oh why did a situation more reminiscent of our "pre-clicker" days unfold on Sunday? 

Because I turned what could have been a success - Tess recalling to me, even while she zoomed around the dog park like a puppy on meth - into a failure. 

Instead of standing up straight, saying "check" and then engaging her in a fun game of "chase the Melinda", I turned into a hooting chimpanzee.

I may have spluttered out a feeble "come", but mostly ran around, arms outstretched, hunched over, playing "chase the Tess". 

Intellectually I KNEW the right thing to do was catch her eye and run in the opposite direction.  Practically, it seemed impossible and predictably, my fear she wouldn't come to me turned into a self-fulfilling prophesy.  Imagine that. 

As I sat on the grass, my disgraced puppy cuddled in my arms (looking VERY happy I might add, with no understanding that she may have shaved at least 5 years off my life) my instant impulse was to:

• Swear that she would never ever ever get to go off leash until her recall was perfect.
• Restrict her freedom even more - insist that she be perfect on a leash before ever giving her the chance at freedom again.  

W came over and proposed a very different solution.

Give Tess more freedom.  Stop acting like a monkey.

She suggested that if *I* responded appropriately to Tess's freedom, Tess in turn would respond appropriately to me when she had freedom. 

Tess has proved she has a good recall - she's not ready for total freedom in all situations, but restricting her freedom more and more, even while she's offering a better and better recall is unfair.  Freedom is important to Tess - the ultimate reward.  Being too stingy with it will lead to Tess feeling as if she needs to "steal" that freedom whenever she has a chance.  Far better that she is given it as a reward for her offering good behavior and giving her "choices" as she earns more and more freedom. 

It's scary.  I freely admit that I'm a control freak.  I love my puppy dearly.  The idea of her laying broken and bloody in the road and it being my fault is absolutely devastating.  One of problems is that I can't even imagine her being good and responsive - my mind can only imagine the worse.  Even though realistically she hasn't really given me any reason NOT to believe that if I act appropriately, that she won't. 

At the end of the puppy play session, we finished up with some agility skills on the playground equipment.  My bold and independent puppy flew up an almost vertical wall (an "A" frame) and then tossed herself down a covered slide. 

Looking very proud of herself, she decided to go UP the slide and then she took a flying leap off the equipment.  She stood there, about 15 feet away, looking at me for approval of her new found agility skills. 

My first thought was to lunge towards her and grab the leash that I had left dangling from her collar. 

I moved towards her like a monkey.

She eyed me as if to say "play chase?".

I caught myself.

The line between success and failure is thin.  Whether we succeed or fail will be dependent on how I react to what she offers.  

I stood up straight.

I yelled "Good Tess!" and moved away, looking over my shoulder invitingly. 

She smiled and bolted TOWARDS me, sitting in front and looking up at me expectantly.

I have a good puppy. 

Puppy play notes 10/16/11

For more explanation on Puppy Play Note posts, see this post here. 

1.  Can you do it in a box?  Building on last week's "cue vs verbal", we discussed going one step further - can you do it in a box?  The concept is to be able to give a verbal cue, even out of sight in a box, and have them obey.  After confession time (J snaps her fingers, I clap during my recall....), our little group went through all our verbal cues without any physical ones, to see how many our dogs would obey on verbal only.  Tess's list of verbal cues is very short - sit, down, pout, check (come).  So we ran through our list very fast.  The good news?  Provided that the distraction level isn't too high, Tess will respond to these verbal cues with understanding.  The pout is our weakest - which isn't surprising considering it is the newest verbal cue!  This week I am focusing on reinforcing the understanding of the verbal cues of sit and down, by saying the cue as I walk forward for example.  I started this morning - as I walked forward I said "sit" - the expectation that she would immediately sit as I continued to move away.  Sit is better than down, and she seems interested in our new "game".  :)

2.  Paws on the bowl - the next step.  Tess now puts her feet on an overturned bowl and can rotate around the bowl.  By dropping my shoulder and inviting her "in" I can have her start the hip "swing" as she moves into a correct finish or side position.  Starting working on this concept this morning. 
  4. Restrained Recalls  The group played with doing "self restrained recalls" with a long line around a pole.  It takes a surprisingly large amount of coordination.....I promptly forgot my cue for a recall and generally tripped over my own feet.  Other recall concepts discussed:

• Don't use the dog's name when teaching the recall - the name is an attention getter, not a recall or a release.
• Say it once and don't "change" the command.
• If the dog isn't looking at you during restrained recalls, you are too far away - move closer until you have the dogs attention and work from there.  
• Don't lean over, clap your hands etc.  Stand up straight, say it, and keep your dogs attention - movement, moving closer before asking etc.  
• Can incorporate a collar grab game into the recall game if you would like.
• If you are teaching a sit in front in conjunction with the recall, you can let the dog nibble at the treat, grab the collar as the dog sits, and then feed the treat. 

5.  Giving a bit of freedom.  Tess broke her collar when she was tied to a pole on the outside of "play" (we were rotating through dogs doing restrained recalls).  She promptly took off in the "puppy runs" and ran around the unfenced dog park, generally having a blast.  I promptly forgot everything we had been working on and ran around frantically that was later aptly described as a "monkey" - my arms hanging down, hunched over, making strange grunting noises.  After someone had managed to grab my puppy and I hauled her back over to the pole, W explained me that I need to start giving Tess some freedom.  She has a good recall if I remember and follow some basic principles - don't engage in chase, don't hunch over, don't change my recall command - and the best time to experiment with a bit of freedom is during these group sessions when there are lots of people and lots of her friends to act as an anchor.  If I don't let her have any "freedom" and thus the choice to interact with me during "freedom", she will take advantage of any freedom to bolt.  I had a chance to experiment with giving her some off leash freedom (with great success) later on in the play session, but I'm doing a whole 'nother post on what I learned so I won't say anything else right now. 

This covers our "homework" from the puppy play group.  See the updated skills list on the top of the webpage if you are interested in everything we are working on. 

General notes: I was having a "bad" puppy day, had a slight headache, and was in one of those moods all day where I was annoyed at Tess for the most stupid things.  Wasn't Tess's fault at all (of course) and as usual, most of our problems or progress roadblocks relate to my cue or my body language.  It's so encouraging to meet with a group that can give me feedback - I don't stay "stuck" for long and I'm reminded that I DO have a good puppy, that she IS improving, and we ARE headed in the right direction.