Tips

Also See:
Training Philosophy
Puppy Kinder./Basic Obedience

Halloween - Canine Considerations

As with all holidays, Halloween presents its own set of challenges for our canine friends. Here are some tips for helping it be a safe and enjoyable holiday for everyone:

1. Monitor all the Halloween treats and keep out of reach, especially chocolate.
2. Start using calming essences such as Rescue Remedy or Recovery Remedy a day or two before, continuing until a day or two after Halloween.
3. Consider keeping your pet in a quite, safe place (perhaps in a kennel in a back bedroom) during the visitation times of Trick-or-Treaters, to avoid escapes or unpredictable interactions between your pet and guests.
4. Practice calming behaviors for your dog, and help them to achieve that, during the extra stressful times. Remember to BREATHE, do TTouch or massage or other body work, put on calming wraps, use calming background music, try blue colored towels or sheets to lie on or be around (blue is a calming color).
5. Monitor your pet's activities, if they are accompanying you on Trick-or-Treat rounds, so they do not bother other people and do not get into or eat something undesirable.
6. Remember to reward good behavior, whether it is simply being calm, or being quite.

Successful Training Sessions - Set Your Intention, Make a Decision

The longer I work with positive motivational methods, the more convinced I am about the important part intention plays in working with and training our canine companions (or any animal). My work with various energy methods, has further emphasized this concept. In large part, our intention, focus, and thoughts significantly influence the outcome of whatever we do. I am finding that the human factor has even more influence in the canines behavior outcome, than I ever thought. To be sure, there are other factors involved. But the lack of good, clear intention, has enormous ramifications in the training outcome, usually detrimental.

Energy follows thought. Successful trainers believe in the ability of their dog to do something (right/well), rather than thinking/focusing on the dog's past or current seeming inability to do it "right". If you think your dog is stupid, dumb, or unable to do something, chances are good that they will demonstrate that for you. Over the years, I have watched many students bring about significant changes in their dog, just by changing their intention.

So, how do you do it? Start by setting your intention (thinking, envisioning, verbalizing ahead of time), about the outcome of your training session. Decide you are going to have a great training session, rather than waiting to see what transpires. Be proactive rather than reactive. For example, I will say "today Fido and I are going to have a great training session, and he will do (name some specific exercises) faster than ever before, with less help from me, and in perfect position." The more clearly and detailed I can "see" it, the better.

And of course, you need to do this more than once. Pay attention to the changes that you start to see happening, over time. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are little. If you find it difficult to believe in actual changes, perhaps you can find it acceptable to believe in the POSSIBILITY of change. In addition, you can change the idea from focus on your dog changing, to focus on you changing, saying something like "I am going to experience a wonderful training session with my dog. I will be clear and concise in communicating with Fido." You can go even further by describing in detail how you will do this (be prepared, have motivators ready, clear my mind of everything else that I have been thinking about today, etc.)

The hardest part is usually in remembering to do it. It only takes a few seconds to change our way of thinking. It gets easier, the more often you do it. Start taking charge of your training sessions, in a positive way, and become a more successful trainer. Think it, "see" it, do it..intend it. The rewards follow.

Get a Clue--Observe Your Dog's Posture and Body Language
Pay attention to your dog's posture, body language and movement for important clues about his physical condition, and even reason's for difficulty in training exercises.

This dog (left) has a painful back. Notice how high its back is being held, with its stomach pulled up. Also notice how wide the back feet are placed, relative to the rest of the body and the front feet. These can all be attempts by the dog to relieve stress, tightness and/or pain. How do you suppose this dog would feel if you tried to make it sit by pushing down on its rear end? If it was being "uncooperative" for a sitting exercise, would you think he was being difficult or ornery? Or would you ask yourself why and go looking for clues to the unwillingness to sit?

This is a free standing position that this dog naturally stops and stands in. It is not being influenced by a collar/leash attachment.

Noise Phobias
There are many resources available for dealing with Noise Phobias. This is a list of simple, quick interventions to consider and/or try with your pet. They are free or inexpensive, in no particular order, and should be done in a way that the pet can choose to not accept them (move away from it).

1. Play some soothing music.
2. Do TTouch on the pet.
3. Put Flower Essences like Rescue Remedy or Recovery Remedy in the pet's water, or on treats/food, or spritz in the air around the pet.
4. Put a blue towel (calming color) on the floor for your pet to lie on, especially good if in a place the pet considers "safe".
5. Put a few drops of lavendar essential oil (preferably theraputic grade) on some fabric or cotton ball and put it next to your pet.
6. Stroke their ears.
7. Keep your breathing slow and relaxed around your pet.
8. Do EFT tapping for the noise fears.
9. Put a body wrap on your pet (TTouch method using Ace bandages), always supervised.
10. Print words like "calm", "relaxed", and "peaceful" on cards and put under their bed or water dish.

Head Halters - Help or Harm?
Consider the head halter, as it is used on dogs. We use it to help control them, especially for pulling on the leash. There are many considerations in fitting and using them, including type, style, materials, handler, and workmanship. This article is about the points of attachment to the head halter and the dog, and the effect on the dog's body and mind. Whether it is a help or harm is really in the hands of the handler.

Head halters can be used in two ways: as mechanical devices to control the dog, or as educational tools, used to teach the dog the desired behavior, through balance. Dogs can still pull with them on, but usually not quite as much, when used the first way. I prefer the second way, with the goal being to eventually not have to use it at all, the dog having learned balance and self control.

When you attach the leash to the head halter, under the chin, there can be significant stress and strain to the dog, possibly damage to the spinal column or, even death, if/when the dog gets its neck wrenched or snapped back. For sure it is not conducive to clear headed thinking and good choices by the dog while this is happening. Especially if they are in pain from this process.

Instead, think about using two points of contact, the head collar and a balance harness (TTouch methods). With two points of contact you can influence the outcome to a much safer, more desirable and less damaging result. The dog's neck does not get folded in two by the dog hitting the end of the leash because you can intervene before he gets to the end, thorough the additional attachment to the balance harness. The snapping and jerky motions on the head collar can lead to neck injuries, which may very well go undiagnosed. According to Dr. Sue Ann Lesser, DVM, (16 years experience in canine spinal manipulation) "A nonprofessional may see this as a dog who is squinting, doesn't like his neck touched, carries one ear higher than the other, has a painful facial expression, snaps when petting is attempted, or hides in seclusion." (Animal Wellness Magazine, 2007) "The two points of contact approach minimizes the torque to the cervical spine caused by the use of a headcollar alone." She especially warns against using head collars as the sole point of contact on dogs with cervical disease or wobblers disease.

The next time you see someone using a head collar on a dog, pay attention and watch what is happening to the dog's body in the process. You might be able to suggest an alternative method (with balance harness) that brings about the desired behavior with less stress and strain on the handler and the dog.

Kenneling Travel Tips

1. Clearly mark your kennel(s), with a distinctive design (see below).
2. Well in advance of travel, train your pet to be comfortable being in a kennel. The last thing you need is to add one more (unnecessary) stress, when your animal may already be in a stressful situation, such as emergency medical transport.
3. Prior to travel, freeze water in the required tray that snaps inside the kennel door. Put the frozen tray of water in the kennel at the last minute, with your pet, before checking them in at the airport. By the time your pet is loaded into the airplane, there should still be ice/water in the tray. If you put just water in the tray, it can easily get spilled during the process of loading, leaving none for your pet to drink during the journey.

Put a distinctive design on your travel kennel, so that you can identify it from afar, such as watching it get loaded into the airplane while you are waiting to board the plane. When I was traveling with three dogs, I used one, two or three stripes of yellow tape, to identify which dog/kennel I was observing. I could see this from any direction/angle.

Be Objective about Training

Many students tell me their dog "knows" how to sit (on command). When asked to demonstrate this, we see that the dog does not sit on command. The dog may just stand there, or start pulling on the leash, or mouthing the leash or any of a multitude of other activities. It is probable that the event(s) that the student remembered did indeed have the dog sitting on command. The stumbling block here is that the student thinks the dog understands "sit" in all situations, based on a few examples, and doesn't realize how limited the dog's experience and understanding is. "He did it yesterday" seems to translate into "he knows it."

However, without realizing it, the student has probably generalized from the fact that the dog did indeed sit on command, under a few certain circumstances, to the dog knowing and understanding sit, under all circumstances. This is true of the other "commands" as well, the "come" or recall, being probably the worst for unfortunate or even tragic outcomes, due to this generalization or misunderstanding. Far too many people start off-leash/uncontrolled setting work, before their dog has a solid foundation in the exercise, on the basis of one or two correct responses.

One needs to appreciate the fact that when any part of the cue (command) word is different (sights, sounds, smell and more) it is a new and different exercise to the dog, and therefore not necessarily the same response is required. If your body position is in any way different, if your clothes are different, your voice or inflection is not exactly the same, if there is someone talking in the next room or yard...all of the variables affect the whole, complete picture of what your dog is taking in, in response to "sit". If you change ANY part of it (whether you realize it or not), to your dog, the exercise is different, and might need a different response. (If you repeated your cue word "sit", did you say it exactly the same way each time, or did your intonation change?) It is much less likely that your dog is being "stubborn" or deliberately trying to sabotage your efforts, than that he has noticed something different about your behavior, and is responding accordingly.

So reassess your powers of observation. Be honest with yourself about what your dog really observes, does and understands, not what you want to believe or hope your dog knows. Be aware of the whole picture (including yourself) that your dog sees and senses, so you know what may be causing the confusion (and hence, not achieving the behavior you desire). Without objectivity, you will be guessing at what it is you are trying to change. Your "target" behavior might be a supposition on your part, rather than an actual behavior, if you are not careful.