Prong or Positive Reinforcement?

I had a client come for class last night who mentioned that she had taken her dog to daycare and the daycare owner put a prong collar on her dog to train it.  First of all, her dog is a Doberman puppy.  Prong collars don't belong on puppies.  Secondly, I use positive reinforcement with her dog and now someone else is using compulsive training methods. I believe this will be confusing to the dog.  I'm not sure why the daycare person took it upon herself to train the dog.  I serve three functions here--daycare, boarding and training.  When a dog comes to board here and jumps on me, the owner says I shouldn't let them do that and I should know better because I am a trainer.  I remind them they have not hired me as a trainer but are simply bringing the dog here to board--training is extra.  The same with daycare, the dog is here to be loved and to be socialized with other dogs, I have not been hired to train the dog but to babysit the dog.  Yes, I do correct the dog is it has bad manners but that is all.  Again, training is extra.  I have clients who bring their dogs here to board who go to trainers that have different philosophies than I do and I do not push my training methods on them.  Now on the the prong collar issue.  If a dog is trained from the time it is brought home as a puppy, the training will be much easier as the correct behavior will be the only thing the dog knows.  Unfortunately, most people wait until there is a problem, the biggest being pulling on the leash.  I have been very successful teach all types of dogs, from a Peekapoo to a Great Dane, to not pull on the leash, all without a prong collar.  Having a dog walk next to you is nothing more than a habit for the dog.  It will take time to establish this habit but I promise it can be done.  If you want a quick fix, the prong collar will work.  It will also work to make your dog fear you and become aggressive.  I believe that trainers who resort to prong collars as a first line of defense are trainers who are not creative in learning different methods to train the dogs.  I want my dog to walk by my side because she loves me and wants to, not because she might have physical pain if she doesn't stay close enough.  Emma is my service dog, she is a Landseer Newfoundland.  I got her when she was 6 months old and started training her right away.  She started formal classes at 3 months old.  Emma was trained on a buckle collar, not even a training collar.  She is CGC, TDI and PAT and has 2 legs toward her CD title.  So if you want a stable, well balanced dog, please take the time and do the training and don't look for a quick fix.

This week's outing

Today we went to PetSmart again.  Apollo does fine in all other stores.  He just has a problem when he sees other dogs.  And today it seemed like it was only small dogs--a pug, a dachshund.  The golden retriever he didn't back at.  So we worked and worked.  Stop barking at the dog, sit and watch me and get a treat.  Over and over.  A couple of times, Apollo actually sat and looked at me instead of barking at the other dog.  Hooray, we are making some real good progress.  He gives me an automatic sit every time I stop walking in the store and will sometimes automatically drop into a down. 

Another outing

It was outing day for Apollo today.  He is still having trouble not barking at other dogs in the store but he is getting better.  It is a fear bark as I can see the whites of his eyes and his fur is not raised.  I thought that being part of a pack would help his socialization as he was not socialized by his previouis owner.  People think that if they have another dog, that is socializing the dog.  According to Dr. Dunbar, a puppy needs to see 100 dogs and people before they are 4 months old.  How many dogs do you think see that many?  We went to Super Shoes where there was an adoption clinic.  Apollo was finaolly quiet and his reward was to go greet the other dogs.  One of their dogs was very aggressive towards Apollo but the other one was fine and they did the normal greeting.  Then we went to PetSmart and he did pretty good.  Need to work on "watch" more to redirect his attention, although he can look at me and bark at the other dog at the same time.  Then I took Emma and Apollo to Joann's.  Emma is supposed to be training Apollo and Apollo is better behaved than Emma is.  I guess I'm not strict enough or consistent enough with Emma when my attention is directed elsewhere.  Every time I stopped, Apollo would lay down and wait.  I've been putting a Starmark collar on him but I don't think he needs it anymore.  So ever onward.

Courage

Courage arrived last evening around 7:30.  When I picked him up at the airport, he was a little traumatized and didn't want to come out of his kennel.  I took him out, put a leash on him and he was fine, except for the slippery floor at the airport!  We got home and he was introduced to the pack. I let him outside and he didn't want to come in.  It took Apollo, my husband and some beef to be able to get him in the house and then it involved me carrying him in. He made immediate friends with Apollo and they played hard for an hour and a half until they both fell down from exhaustion.  I think Courage has some pent up energy from his long trip.  So that I could get some sleep, I set up a crate for Courage and put him in there to sleep.  He didn't complain at all.  He slept until Apollo woke him up to go out and play at 6:30 this morning.  Courage is much happier this morning.  He went out and played and came in when the rest of the pack came in.  He has bothered Emma some (Courage has not been neutered yet) but she growls and he backs off.  He knows to sit to get a cookie.  I'll get an idea of what else he knows later when I work with him.  He is a very lovable boy and everyone is getting along wonderfully.  I am looking forward to working with him and watching him evolve.

Another trip to PetSmart

Apollo went on another outing to PetSmart today.  He was more successful than the last time but there was only one other dog in the store.  He barks at things, people, birds, when he is in the car.  Today we worked on the quiet command.  I took hotdogs for treats.  My plan was to feed, feed, feed while the other dog was in sight and stop feeding when the other dog disappeared.  Apollo's plan was different.  His plan was woof once, put his butt on the floor and then wait for a hotdog to appear.  He did very good with his plan, however, having the other dog in his sight is still a problem.  Guess I have to come up with another plan.

The Second Outing

Apollo went for his second outing in public today.  First we went to PetSmart.  One of the local shelters was having an adoption clinic so I knew there would be dogs there.  Apollo sat and waited by the door until I told him to go in.  As soon as he got in there, he saw another dog and started barking.  I made him sit and be quiet.  We gradually made our way over to the dogs that were up for adoption.  It took a while, but Apollo was finally able to greet them without barking at them.  Hen quickly learned then when he saw another dog, the appropriate behavior was to sit but he still barked a little.  We will need to work on this some more but he did get a new toy for being so good. Then we went to Target.  I took both Emma and Apollo in Target.  Apollo stayed right between me and Emma.  Every time I stopped, Apollo sat.  I was talking to some of the employees about the dogs and Apollo even laid down.  I was hoping Apollo would learn from Emma and Apollo was better behaved today than Emma was!  Now we are trying to get a poodle up here from the south to be trained.  What a great job I have. 

Day 28

Thought I should post about Apollo's progress.  Today he is feeling his oats and trying to convince everyone else he is in charge.  He barks and snarls and the other dogs just look at him and walk away.  He is coming along nicely on his training.  He has his basic commands down although he is still a bit reluctant to down, but he is getting better.  His stays are good and we are increasing the distance and time on those.  He has an object that he has been taught to "take it" and "bring it", however, not without some tooth marks and some shaking it around.  He is a very mouthy dog and is having a little trouble with this.  He will go around behind me and sit on command, however, he sits facing me instead of away.  My arms are nowhere near long enough to get that treat out far enough to get him to turn around.  Guess I'll need another human to help me with this.  He needs a lot of work on come, as most dogs do.  I'll be teaching him a really reliable recall that will teach him to come every time he is called.  So all in all, he is doing pretty good.  He is really a very smart dog.

Day 18

Well, today has been quite a day for Apollo.  Two dogs pooped in the house this morning while I was in the kennel.  From the looks, I am going to blame one of them on Apollo.  And they had all just come in.  I was sitting on the couch and noticed Apollo pulling on the homemade quilt my husband bought me years ago--I looked and he had chewed a hole in it.  I was getting dressed and noticed a rip in the crotch of my most comfortable jeans--I have no idea when he did that.  When I was getting ready to go outside, I could only find one red clog.  I finally found the other one hidden in the bedroom in pieces.  Good thing I love him.  I just want to know--how do I get the puppy out of him???

Day 17

Apollo was neutered last week and is doing well with no complications.  It didn't slow him down at all.  He was right back to himself the next day.  His training is going well.  He knows "sit" and we are working on "stay".  He will do "down" for a treat.  Today he learned "take it" and "leave it".  That went pretty quickly.  It's easy to work with a dog who will work for food!!  When I looked over the lists of tasks he needs to learn to do, it doesn't seem as overwhelming today.  There are 3 lists and some of the behaviors are the same on all 3 lists.  Apollo is going to make me a better dog trainer than I was before he came.  Every dog has something to teach me and I am grateful for everyone that comes and spends time with me.  They have picked out 2 veterans that might be appropriate for Apollo.  I have talked to one and she seems very nice. I think Apollo would be a very appropriate service dog for her.  I will be calling the other one this afternoon to see what her needs are. 

Day 6

This morning started with a disagreement over a cookie.  My girls like to save their cookies and then get all upset if anyone even looks in their direction!  Anything for drama!

Today Apollo and I went for a walk.  I knew it was going to be a challenge because whenever I put him on the leash, he pulled.  Apollo's head is resting on the back of my hand as I try to type this.  I pulled out the Starmark collar and put it on Apollo.  He didn't care for that much at all.  He got used to it very quickly and walked very nicely on the leash.  Then we worked on "down" and he almost has it.  He knows to sit if he wants anything.  He is going to be a good service dog.  He spends a lot of time sitting on my lap and is very alert to noises that seem strange to him.

Dinnertime is always fun when a new dog comes to the house.  Of course it takes them time to learn the rules and the other dogs are on high alert lest someone want their bowl.  I made the mistake of feeding Emma before Apollo tonight and when I saw Apollo start towards Emma's bowl I reached down to pick up her bowl.  She must have seen Apollo too and when I reached for her bowl she bit me.  Ah the joys of my job!  It's not bad, doesn't need stitches and my tetanus is up to date so we're all good here.

Day 5

Well, there was a little excitement here tonight.  Apollo decided to pick a fight with Emma and he got all of the dogs on him.  I don't know why he picks on the females instead of Barney, probably because he knows Barney will kick his butt!  We got it all sorted out and Apollo is unhappily cooling off in a crate.  I hope this stops when he gets neutered.  After I let him out of the crate, he went and found Barney and started licking his face and rolling over on his back.  I guess he listened to Barney's 2 hour lecture when he got here!

He has been eating 1 1/2 cups of food twice a day and getting snacks in between.  He is learning to sit and wait for his dinner until I tell him OK. 

Day 4

Lily is here today and she finds Apollo a bit overwhelming.  She is more Apollo's size and he won't leave her alone.  She is quite disgusted with the whole situation and has crawled up on the couch with me to escape his antics.

Apollo went to the vet today.  He weighs 35.6 pounds and the vet thinks he will weigh 50-60 pounds full grown.  We practiced out out in public manners today.  We need a lot of work.  Apollo barked at everyone and everything in the vet's office.  He does not know how to walk on a leash.  There seems to be a little bit of fear aggression.  When I placed my hand on his nose and told him "no bark", he bared his teeth at me.  If he was barking and Emma got too close to him he snapped at her.  He was fine all through the exam, even having his temperature taken.  So, I'm not sure what was going on but will keep on top of it and get him out to get him socialized more.  He is going to be neutered and microchipped next Wednesday, 10/10. 

Day 3

Apollo and Emma have been wrestling around the house all morning.  There was a slight skirmish between Emma and Apollo over one of Emma's toys but it was minor.  I heard Apollo barking this afternoon and thought he wanted to go out but I found him in the kitchen barking at his bag of dog food on the counter!  We worked on down some more.  We are always working on come to get him to come in from the garage.  He hasn't caught on to the fact that cookies are passed out every time you come in the house. 

Day 2

Apollo only got me up once to go to the bathroom last night, however, my husband said Apollo got in bed 4 times to snuggle with him!  Apollo has 2 barks, a whiny bark that says let me in and a deeper bark that he uses when he barks with the pack.  We did some training today and all he knows is sit.  We will be working on down and come for the rest of the week.  He is a loveable little guy and will make a great companion and helper for someone.  He hasn't eaten since he got here but he sure gobbled the snacks while we were training--almost ate my fingers, too.  He is not sure who will play with him yet but he does know that Wilson is only going to growl and snarl at him.  When he is in, he wants out on the porch, when he is out on the porch, he wants in.

We had a mild breakthrough today.  I had to go out to the kennel and Ray was out in the barn so just the dogs were in the house.    When I came back to the house, all was quiet.  Apollo was not scratching at the door and screaming like being alone was the worst kind of torture.  When I opened the door, he wasn't even by the door!!   Progress!!

Apollo has arrived

This is Apollo.  Apollo was a free dog on craigslist in Kinderhook, NY. My friend Heather from SFLS made me aware of him.  I talked with the owner and made arrangements to go meet him and see if he was appropriate for the Shepherds for Lost Sheep program.  Of course I took him. He is about 7 months old and is a GSD mix.  The only problem he has is that he absolutely hates to be alone.  He got to meet Maggie and Tim and Danny before I brought him home and they approved of him.  We got home and he had to meet the whole pack here plus my daycare dog was here.  Barney proceeded to give Apollo the instructions of the house, I'm sure included in those instructions was the fact that Barney is the Big Dog!!.  Dinnertime came and it was time to start learning sit and wait for his dinner.  He didn't eat all his food and it disappeared.  He really wasn't too concerned.  He is still settling in.  I can hardly wait to see what tonight brings!!  I'm not counting on a lot of sleep.

Service dogs

I am so bad at blogging and journaling.  I think I will remember things and then I remember nothing.  So let me catch you up.  At the end of August I went camping with Shepards for Lost Sheep.  This is a family that obtains and trains dogs for veterans.  I wanted to learn more about training service dogs and they were gracious enough to include me in their family.  I didn't know how bad it sounded until I said it out loud--"I went camping with a bunch of people I met on Facebook."  Haha.  Luckily they are some of the nicest people I have ever met.  They had with them a dog that has been a service dog for 3 years and a dog that has been a service dog for about 3 months, a dog that was just beginning her training and a dog that was to meet her vet for the first time and finish up her training.  I took Emma with me hoping they could show me what I needed to do to meet the requirements for her becoming a service dog.  Tim said she was very well trained and went through her Public Access Test and she qualified to become a service dog.  She is now my registered service dog.  Emma learned a lot about being a service dog from the dogs she went camping with.  She was off leash for 2 days in the woods and never left me.  She laid at my feet whenever I sat down.  Now that we are at home, she makes sure she is where she can see me.  I need Emma with me because I have back problems that cause my legs to give out and she prevents me from falling and helps me on stairs which are scary for me.  I am getting grief from some factions of the public about having my service dog with me at all times, they don't understand.  Some are willing to be educated and some are very closed minded and unwilling to learn about how my dog and I are a team.  Right now, there are certain places that will not allow my dog access.  If my dog can't go there, neither can I. 

Yesterday I had a young lady call me to ask if I knew anything about training service dogs.  Now I know why I went camping when I did.  This young lady needs a psychiatric service dog to help her function normally in life.  What a blessing it is to be able to help her and her dog.  I contacted SFLS to see if they had any tips on helping with the psyche end of it and they emailed me 3 pages of information that is very helpful.    I am looking forward to working with this young lady and her dog.  She has a young family and will be able to do things with her family that she would not be able to do without a service dog. 

This is a picture of Jason meeting Harley for the first time.  Jason had a service dog that died and Harley is going to be helping him out with things that he can no longer do for himself.  Thank you for your service Jason.

Rescue

I love rescue and am very involved in it.  I have many friends who are involved in rescue.  Then problem with rescuing puppies at a very young age is that they are taken away from their Mom too soon.  There is a reason breeders keep puppies for 8-12 weeks before they adopt them out.  There are certain things that the adult dogs teach the puppies and it is something different every week.  I took Emma at 6 weeks because I was impatient. Now I cannot get her to go down stairs.  Well, Mom teaches them how to not be afraid in the 7th week.  So this is a person mistake and not a problem dog.  I have to deal with it.  So when you get a dog that was taken away from Mom too soon, it is very important to get that dog socialized with as many other dogs as possible so the dog can learn how to be a dog and how to not be afraid.  This takes a lot of work and a lot of patience.  So if you adopt one of these type of puppies, please be aware and don't give up.  You can always call me.

Spoiled dogs

Do you consider your dogs spoiled?  I do.  My dogs have the best of everything.  They have good food.  They are allowed on the furniture if they want to be there.  They get lots of hugs and praise and treats as rewards for good behavior.  They sleep in the warmth in the winter and the cool in the summer.  Lots of cool water.  They usually get what they ask for--like asking for a Kong to be filled.  At night they sleep where they want, inside or outside, in a crate or not.  They get scraps of people food when we are done eating.  However, my dogs have rules and they know who is in charge here, and it's not them.  I just fostered a very spoiled Pyr.  He was rather big at 140 pounds and stood almost as tall as my waist.  His owner just loved him to death.  He wore a bib when he ate.  He went to the groomer every day.  He had been to formal obedience classes.  His owners split up and lost their house and his Dad had to go live with his parents.  He couldn't take the dog because the dog has resource guarding issues.  He was not to be trusted around little people and food.  He was adopted by a couple who had him for 3 weeks and then sent him back to rescue.  Why? It seemed that the dog claimed the ball was his and bit the man to get it.  Here is where he ended up.  I decided to work with this dog.  I tried hand feeding him--that wasn't happening or I would not have a hand.  For four days, I held his bowl while he ate.  On the fifth day he bit me.  He had a fit if he was in his kennel with the gate closed and I would pour water into his bowl next to his food bowl. The funny thing was he would take a cookie from your hand with no problem.  It was decided last week to send this dog back to TN, where he had come from.  This morning I was transporting him to Catskill for the first leg of his trip.  I could not put him in the backseat because I had my grandkids back there.  He was riding with his paws and head on my right leg.  When it came time so shift, I reached for the shifter and he attacked me.  He must have decided the shifter was his.  When I reached for my coffee cup, he grabbed my other hand.  I was being attacked while I was driving with 2 little kids in the backseat.  I managed to get control of the situation, drop the kids off and put the dog in the backseat.  From there he was no problem.  This was also not a warning bite, it was a bite and hold type bite.
So the question is how spoiled do you want your dogs?  Do you let them know who is in charge?  There is more to dog training than obedience classes.  This dog should have been corrected the first time he tried resource guarding, but he was probably a cute little puppy and he would grow out of it--right?  This guy claimed to love his dog beyond compare and yet he created a dog that will most likely have to be put down at the age of 2.  Do you love your dog enough to make him a responsible citizen?  This speaks to the matter of BSL.  Pyrs are on the list.  I have been working with Pyrs for a great number of years.  This situation is not a matter of what breed the dog is but how he was raised.  So do you and your dog a favor and practice leadership skills that let your dog know who is in charge--and it hadn't better be him!

Hide and Seek

How many of you play hide and seek with your dog?  It is a great game to firm up their recall.  The kids can play it with the dog.  Hide somewhere in the house and then call your dog.  When he gets to you praise him and let him know he is the smartest dog in the world.  This makes the recall fun for both of you instead of frustrating when you are "formally" training and the dog ignores you.  If training isn't fun for you and your dog, you're not doing it right.

Positive Punishment

I just got around to reading some old emails and this stuck a chord in me.  I am guilty of telling my dog no or uh uh.  Guess I have some work to do.  For those of you who don't know who Susan Garrett is, she is an agility trainer which means she doesn't have a leash attached to her dog to give corrections when the dog does something wrong.  Leslie Nelson said if you want to see what kind of trainer you are, take the leash off.  I definitely have work to do.

Positive Punishment:
If you are still using positive punishment (physical or verbal corrections) in your dog training please know they are not only unnecessary but they are taking you a step away from where you really want to be; one of harmonious teamwork with your dog. Because I do believe our dogs are a reflection of our abilities as a dog trainer, when I see someone trying to teach something like  a sit stay and they come out with "errrrrr" or "noooooo!!" or "aaah aaah" when their dog moves I immediately think, two things.
My first thought is, wow, that dog is being blamed because his owner did not do a good enough job teaching him sit means "don't move . . . no matter what."
My second thought is that you are drawing attention to yourself, just as if you were clearing your throat to make a big announcement to a crowded room . . .
"Aaaah aaaah, excuse me everyone, if you can hear me I would like to draw your attention to the absolute crap job I did of training my my dog's sit stay, you will notice he did move toward the distraction  . . . thank you, thank you for this acknowledgment."
I know sometimes it is frustrating because we believe the dog "should know better" but the solution to your frustration does not lie in physical pain or intimidation. The answer lies in a better manipulation of the reinforcement your dog is seeking.~~Susan Garrett