At the Fair Part I: The Obedience Demonstration (or lack thereof)

By Maya on October 18, 2011

Recently, our dog club was invited to do a dog obedience and agility demonstration at the East Texas State Fair! I was very excited to take my two dogs to their first PUBLIC showing! I was excited despite the realization that something would go wrong. Fortunately, I have developed a very high tolerance for embarrassment, so the high probability of looking like a dope in front of an audience wasn’t dampening my enthusiasm.

I arrived a little later than I had hoped, just on time to hear the “plan.” The plan was three rounds of the “show” over three hours. About eight of us would go one after another running the agility course, then a large group of us would do a group obedience demonstration. Horror of horrors! I didn’t know the GROUP demo part. The chances of getting Lizzie to look at me in the face while heeling are slim to none when there are a group of doggie butts in close proximity to sniff. PLUS we were in the livestock arena next to two Brahman cows! Task number one: make Lizzie understand that barking ferociously at cows is not permissible. Fortunately, I was able to communicate this rule to her relatively quickly, though I did have to remind her a couple more times during the course of the evening.

I got there too late, so Riyo missed the first agility run, and I went straight into the group obedience demo. It did not go quite so well. Lizzie, as I suspected, was far too engrossed in other dogs, cows, the smells of fried everything, and just generally not interested in me. If I had just gotten there early and let her sniff everything in sight BEFORE the first demo, I’m sure things would have gone better. So ended the first demo.

Second obedience demo. Now Lizzie has had time to settle down. The heeling exercise

German Shepherd Lizzie breaking a down-stay!

Lizzie, caught in the act of breaking her down-stay

does improve and we go into the down-stay demonstration. I dropped her leash and walked across the arena with many of the other handlers. All was going well, yes, my dog is doing great!!……Then, in the blink of an eye, all was lost! My dog went from politely laying in a line of other good dogs, to charging the arena fence in full, ferocious German Shepherd fashion. And as I am chasing after her, I catch a glimpse of our nemasis….a passing BIKE! If Lizzie could speak, you would be hearing “MOOOM!!! A BIKE A BIKE A BIKE! WATCH OUT! I’LL SCARE IT AWAY! IT’S A BIKE! DON’T YOU SEE IT! LOOK I SCARED IT AWAY! YEAH! STAY OUT YOU BIG NASTY BIKE THING!”  — (see the black blur in the picture? That’s Lizzie. A club member snapped that picture just on time to catch her taking off)

 

I finally catch her. She didn’t go far, and fortunately she didn’t go through the fence. I put her in a sit to snap her out of it and take her back into line as the our Club director calmly explains to the audience about these “issues.” Yes, this is embarrassing. More so because I can hear in my head all the people wondering what I am doing with such an obviously vicious and dangerous dog at a fair. Fortunately, the club teachers are the greatest and really understand dog. Even German Shepherds. They understand she is not a vicious dog. She just has a weak spot for barking at bikes and motorcycles!

The third demo, Lizzie did great. She heeled well, she did her stays (though this

German Shepherd Lizzie in line doing down-stay

A line of good dogs!

time I stayed close with her leash laid out where I could catch it should another two-wheeled contraption appear as you can see in the picture).

Despite the loud, dramatic snaffoo of the evening, it was a great experience for both Lizzie and me. We both really enjoyed it, though we do have training planned to stop her habit of chasing bikes and motorcycles. Next step is also to train an instant “PLATZ!” This will take some work, but I MUST be able to stop her in mid-charge, for her safety and to make sure she is never labeled a dangerous dog. (which she is not!)

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A fun training game to play with multiple dogs! “The Name Game”

By Maya on July 31, 2011

I found this little game to play with my dogs when I was trying to give them treats without mass chaos.  What was happening is none of them wanted to wait their turn to get a treat.  If I leaned down to give one dog a treat, the other three would rush in and try to grab it.  No, that just wasn’t going to work!  So came “the name game.”

Playing the name game is very simple.  I had all dogs “sit” the I started calling their name before giving a treat.  If another dog tried to rush in, they got a quick “no” for breaking their sit.  So in their mind, they are understanding that they are to “sit” until THEIR name is called.  So there I have four dogs, sitting, looking up very excitedly to get their treats!  Then I start making the rounds.  “Riyo!” he gets a little treat, “Darcy,” “Lizzie,”  “Carmina,” “Darcy,” “Riyo,” “Lizzie,” “Carmina,” “Lizzie,” “Darcy,” “Riyo” and so on and so on!  Mixing it up to keep them guessing!  You have to keep it fair though because they will notice if they get skipped an unfair number of times!

It is fun to do if you have multiple dogs and it helps them learn their individual names.  Sometimes when you have many dogs, their names start to blend together and they each think they have four names.  This little game really enforces which name is referring to them, and they love it!  It’s also really cute to see their excited little faces when they hear THEIR name called!  “OH! You’re talking to ME!”  :-)

ENJOY!

 

 

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Some dogs do not deal well with stress!

By Maya on May 9, 2011

While there are some dogs that seem to bounce around anywhere without effect, most dogs do get stressed when taken to new environments and situations.  Sometimes the only stress signs they show is the “yawn.”  Yes, the yawn.  It doesn’t always mean sleepy.  In stressful situations, dogs will yawn.  Other dogs will have much more dramatic stress reactions such as vomiting and diarrhea.

I am writing about this now because both Lizzie and Mr. Darcy had horrible stress reactions over the last two weeks.  Two weekends ago, I left Lizzie at a boarding place that a friend recommended in Houston, Texas.  Heidelberg Kennels.  I dropped her off on Thursday morning and picked her up on a Monday.  (I will discuss Heidelberg later)  Monday, I almost did not recognize her.  I even checked the little scar she has on her muzzle to make sure!  Her fur was falling out in handfuls, she looked like she had lost weight and was starving when she got home.  She also had horrible diarrhea and vomited.  This was all from STRESS!

The vet gave me medication to control the constant diarrhea and a bland diet that she was on for a week.  I had to get up every couple of hours all night to let her out before she started to recover.  It took two weeks for her coat to start to look normal again.  She also slept for three days after she got home.  The stress of staying at a strange, impersonal place was simply too much.  It was like she was willingly dying.  She was not sick from any disease, simply stressed and sad.  Talk about feeling guilty.

Then, yesterday, I took Riyo and Darcy to the agility event hosted by our wonderful local Obedience Club.  I decided to take Darcy too so he could try to get more comfortable in crazy environments.  I carried him around for a while, but he seemed to be unhappy with it, so I put him back in his crate.  Poor Darcy vomited and got instant diarrhea in his kennel.  What a total mess.  I had to leave the show early to take him home after hosing him and the crate off.  Then at home he was still so upset, he actually diarrhea’d as I was trying to blow dry him!  Fortunately, I keep medicine on hand for that and after spending a couple of hours resting in his crate, he was back to normal.

I’m sorry if this was a gross post, but I wanted to illustrate how dogs can have extreme physical reactions to stress.  This isn’t to say that you should never take your dogs anywhere, not at all.  I have to back up and start getting Darcy more comfortable with less crazy situations.  Riyo may not care for people, but I took him around so many places with me that he had a blast at the agility event.  I had his treats on the table by us and when people wanted to pet him, I’d say “he must be bribed” (which is true), and they would take a little treat, give it to him and get a little pet in.  It was fabulous.  But Riyo is obviously less sensitive to crazy locations.

Just FYI, be aware of the effects of stress on your dogs!

 

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The Doggie Dinnertime Ritual

By Maya on April 18, 2011

In my experience, the dinner time ritual that I started with my oldest dog is the most effective behavioral tool in so many ways.  It reinforces so many important dog behavior rules and training all in an exercise and it takes less than a minute a day.  Your dog learns respect for you, it reinforces your place as pack leader, prevents food aggression, promotes harmony between dogs in multiple dog households, teaches restraint, good manners, sit, look, ok release, and stay.  This is real doggie training bang for your buck.

Four dog dinner time ritual

Four dogs politely waiting to eat

I don’t remember why or when I started doing this with my first dog, Carmina, or even where I learned it.  I learned it from somewhere, but it has been so long I don’t know where.  Carmina, the mixed breed rescue dog who is now 12 years old was once what Cesar Milan famously terms a “red zone dog.”  She is the reason I started learning about dogs, simply to learn how to prevent her from knocking me off my feet while attempting to attack any dog in sight.  She was my only dog for 8 years, until I got Riyo four years ago.  Obviously, by the time I got 4.5lb  Riyo, I was comfortable knowing that I could trust Carmina.

Each dog since has been indoctrinated into the dinner time ritual.  It is much easier training one dog at a time, as you can imagine.  If you already have 4 dogs, it will be much harder to get this started.

Here’s what you do.  You have their food prepared, and your dog is all excited to start chowing down.  Usually, you put the bowl down and the dog’s head is in it before the bowl hits the floor.  Many dogs immediately become possessive of it at that point.  Instead, make the dog sit, then start to put down the bowl.  As soon as the dog starts to move in, stand up again and put the dog back into a sit.  If you have to put the dog into a sit, do it.  Don’t let that bowl hit the floor until your dog understands it is not allowed to move forward.  After the bowl is down, your dog will undoubtedly move toward it again.  Stay over the bowl like you own it and put the dog back into a sit.  You will be surprised how fast they figure this out.  Do NOT let the dog move toward the bowl until you release it with “OK!”  Most likely after a few days, they will get this ritual perfectly.

I taught each dog the same ritual as soon as they came into the house.  Since Carmina already knew the drill, I could easily focus on training Riyo because she knew the rules already.  Riyo learned within a couple of days.  The Darcy came and the same drill.  Carmina and Riyo would sit politely and wait until I explained the rule to Darcy.  He got it within a few days as well.  I also fostered a Doberman for a week that also learned the same drill within a couple of days.

Then, I added Lizzie who exhibited signs of food aggression, growling over the bowl, right off the bat.  That stopped within the first week I had her and never returned.  It was the same drill, the other three dogs waiting patiently and politely as Lizzie got schooled in dinnertime manners.

I also added the word “look” to the ritual.  Carmina I did not bother with “look” as she is old enough that seeing at all is an accomplishment.  The other three, as you can see in the picture, actually have to look me in the eye.  They also learn the release word “ok” extremely well.  You can talk, countdown, whatever, but until you say “OK!” the dogs wait.  Start with 10 seconds, but work up to where you can do at least 30 seconds to a minute with no problem.

my four dogs eating together

My four dogs eating together

As you can see, the result is four very different dogs eating right next to each other with no problems.  Considering Carmina (lower left) came to me with the caveat “she needs to be separated from other dogs,” this is a great thing.  Lizzie also could easily be an aggressive beast if left to her own decisions.

In conclusion, in less than a minute a day, this exercise helps with numerous behavior issues as well as teaches and reinforces obedience commands:  “sit,” “stay,” “look,” and “ok.”  It doesn’t get much easier and less time-consuming than that!

 

P.S.  If you noticed Lizzie has very little food in her bowl, it’s because she already ate half a bag of chicken and a raw drumstick during her tracking run.

 

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Review: Joint Complete for Dogs and People

By Maya on April 13, 2011

I must give a rave review for Joint Complete Liquid Glucosamine, and it’s good for dogs AND people!  My two large dogs and my mother take this supplement.  Yes, my mother too.

Joint Complete for Dogs

Nutritional Info for JC for Dogs

The company, Tropical Oasis, has both a human and dog formula with the same blend of joint-saving ingredients: Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, and Hyaluronic Acid.  These are all ingredients that protect and build cartilage and cushion the joints.  Joint Complete is one supplement that has real tangible results.

 

I was introduced to this product three years ago when I started giving my oldest dog this Joint Complete formula to try to stave off old-age hip problems.  She’s a bigger girl, a little over 65 lbs, and 12 years old now and still going strong.  No signs at all of weakening or pain in her hips.  She limps a couple of steps on her front legs when she gets up after a long nap, but other than that she’s just great.  She still loves walks; the longer the better.

Joint Complete Glucosamine Supplement for Dogs

Joint Complete Glucosamine for Dogs

I don’t know how much to credit to Joint Complete, but I think it has really kept her pain-free, therefore more active, and therefore she has not deteriorated physically.  I started giving it to her because I was noticing her slowing down, like she may be starting to feel some discomfort.  I do believe that had I not started, she would not be as chipper as she is today.  I also keep her weight down and give her regular exercise.  But again, I don’t think she would be going as strong without the Joint Complete.  I really think as long as I keep giving it to her, she will be around for a few more years yet and enjoying life.  That’s a long time for a dog of her size and thick build!

I also give the Joint Complete to Lizzie and have been since she was four months old.  Unfortunately, when x-rayed the vet discovered she has slightly crooked legs and shallower hip sockets than one would like.  This of course, is a precursor to hip dysplasia.  The scourge of the German Shepherd breed.  Although it had not reared its ugly head in her line before, poor Lizzie got the short end of the genetic stick.  I believe in a way she came to me because she’s a great dog and I will give her the best care possible to make sure those shallow hips don’t cause any problems for as long as possible.  So far, she just keeps getting stronger.

I also credit this in part to the Joint Complete.  All the vets and Shepherd people I consulted agreed that glucosamine is the way

Tropical Oasis Joint Complete

Joint Complete for Humans

to go.

 

It also lead me to their human formula of Joint Complete, which now I get for my 74-year-old mother.  She also has hip problems from a genetic birth defect.  Ironic right?  Since my mother can talk, she has taken this company’s human version by the same name, Tropical Oasis Joint Complete.  She was in a great deal of pain a couple of years ago, but since taking this she is markedly more active and I have not seen the type of pain she was in before.  I figure if it helps her pain, it must be helping the dogs as well.  They just can’t talk.

In sum, I think this product is a gem both for humans and dogs.  It’s the same ingredients, just adjusted doses for

Joint Complete human nutrional information

Joint Complete HUMAN nutritional info

humans and dogs.  Since I seem to be surrounded by little ladies with hip problems, I must say this product has been a huge help.  Thanks Tropical Oasis!

 

You can get both these products for about $10 off retail, plus use the discount code 4DOG and get 15% more off.  It helps on a budget:

Joint Complete Dog

Joint Complete Human

 

 

 

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Schutzhund Tracking Step 2 – short straight track

By Maya on March 21, 2011

I posted the long detailed tracking instructions from the Ledda’s website, but I thought it would be easier if I walked through it all step-by-step as I go.  The first step, illustrated in an earlier post is the scent pad.  After a couple of weeks of the scent pad, your puppy or dog should be running toward that flag and knows that there is food in that area.  Now, it is time to start laying a track.

Start with doing a straight track of 25ft or so, putting really tasty meat in every footstep.  Put in your flag, and do a small scent pad at the beginning of the track with a few pieces of food in.  Step out, drop food IN your foot step, and repeat.  At the end of the track, bury in the dirt or hide in the grass the dog’s “jackpot”!  I use a raw chicken leg.

Find a nice open place with either live green grass or dirt. Don’t do dry grass, concrete or anything like that. Grass or dirt that you can see your footsteps in. You must always know where your track is! Also, remember to do it early in the morning around daybreak. The cooler the better, and remember to avoid the ants.

Bring your dog up to the scent pad, tell it “SUCH” (Pronounced Sook, German for search). The dog should already start at the scent pad since you’ve been doing that, then stay with your dog and pat the ground at each step to show it where the food is the first time.  Help your dog through the track till he gets to the jackpot! They get the hang of it pretty quickly and will start forging ahead on their own in no time. Just make sure they don’t start skipping steps and food like Lizzie does. I’m having to go back and fix that now.

Here is a video of an early tracker. This pup goes nice and slow, eating at each footstep, something Lizzie and I are working on. These professional people start their puppies tracking at like 8 weeks old. I didn’t have a clue about it when I got Lizzie, so I didn’t start until she was 8 months. And since I am such and amateur, it’s taking me a lot longer to get it right than these people!

Keep doing your straight track until you can get a good 75 to 100 paces without the dog lifting it’s head. Your dog will start searching off track, but that’s ok. Just stop moving until your dog finds the track again, then move on. Help him if you need to. You just want your dog to keep its head down and not quit. If your dog is quitting on you, he’s not that hungry! Next time he quits, take him straight home and wait till the morning to try again. They learn fast and your dog won’t starve, don’t worry about that! Lizzie went home early once and she never quit again.

Next step, the corners!

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Catch-me-if-you-can! The runaway min-pin.

By Maya on March 5, 2011

Yesterday I was taking my dogs for a walk, usually I take the Papillons together, then the old lady Carmina, and then Lizzie. Not necessarily in that order. I could walk them all together, and I have before, but they all have different athletic abilities so it’s easier to take them separately, and I get extra exercise. But I digress. On my second loop yesterday with Carmina, a little Miniature Pincher came tearing across the street from seemingly nowhere. Fortunately the min-pin is a small dog, so although Carmina was far from happy and would have preferred just throwing the offending creature out of her way, we managed to get him out from underfoot and continue on our way. Half a block later, here he comes again, tearing down the road after us. He’s not aggressive, just a little unwise to rush up and try to sniff the butt of a much larger and entirely unamused dog.

As I start looking around trying to figure out who this dog belongs to before he follows us another block attached to my growling dog’s butt, a girl pull up in a little pick up truck. “Is my dawg followin’ yew?” … Um, yes. That would appear to be the case. She gets out of her truck, leaving it running and doesn’t take half a step toward the min-pin before that little package of canine lightening takes off in the opposite direction. So what does she do? Gets back in the truck and let’s the dog chase the truck all the way back down the street –as apparently the “dawg” will chase cars, but going to her was out of the question.

Thinking that that was the last I would see of the elusive min-pin, I finished the old lady’s walk and got Lizzie. 10-15 minutes later Lizzie and I make it back around to that street and as if on cue, here comes the little streak of black lightening heading directly for us. Are you kidding me?!! Here’s that same dog, in the same place, doing the same thing and no twangy girl in pajama pants anywhere in sight. Unlike Carmina, Lizzie is more interested in landing a big paw flat on the min-pin’s head, ducking and weaving thus frustrating the little dog’s attempts to sniff butt. I decide to just try to move on and jog off with Lizzie.

About a block down just when I think my plan has worked. Yes, you guessed it, again. Black lightning does strike twice. This time, he nearly goes under the tires of another passing truck before bee-lining for another shot at Lizzie butt. Now, I am truly aggravated and not just a little angry at little Miss Pajama Pants. So, I wheel around and start jogging back to what I think is the house the dog came from. As I get closer, I see the pajama pants hanging out, occupied with things other than looking for or securing her dog. This really ticks me off, so I yell in a not-so-congenial manner “HEY, COME GET YOUR DOG!” She looks over and slowly starts walking in my direction and as soon as she gets in non-yelling earshot the excuses start. He won’t come, they let him out, blah blah blah blah. I compose myself and tell her that her dog is going to get run over or something else unpleasant if she keeps letting him run loose like that. And then more excuses and, well, he has always come back and had only stayed gone a really long time a couple times.

I am fully aware that I completely wasted my time and breath, but I told her, listen, go walk him down if it takes you all afternoon. He’s got to stop sometime. So I start walking after the dog, basically in attempts to put her in the awkward position of forcing her to deal with the issue all the while trying to explain to her that she needs to try to train her dog to come. I could be wrong, but it seemed like a classic case of the dog that doesn’t come, then when he maybe did come in the past he got in trouble. Doggie translation “I go to person when called and bad things happen.” As I tried to give her some pointers it was pretty clear she wasn’t going to do anything about it, but I guess I felt I was at least trying to help the little guy. She also admitted to playing a game in the back yard where they would lunge at the dog so it would run and they’d play chase. Hmmmm….and you expect different outside the back yard?

I assume they eventually caught the dog. I went on my way after walking it down for about 15 minutes, but at least herded it back to the cul-de-sac where he came from. I suspect that nothing will change and the sad truth is that the energetic little black-lightening butt-sniffer will keep getting out and running off until one day his luck runs out. Sigh…….

Major rules I was taught for teaching come, just so your dog doesn’t do this nonsense:
1. When you say come, no matter what the dog is chewing, destroying or peeing on, if your dog COMES to you, YAY!!!! GOOD DOG!!!! Dog must understand that COME = YAY good things!!! NEVER call a dog to you to discipline it. If your dog is digging up your flowers, GO TO IT to discipline.
2. Keep treats around the house and practice saying “COME!” Every single time that dog comes to you, it gets a treat. (reinforcing COME= YAY!!!)
3. If your dog plays “catch-me-if-you-can” in your backyard (I went through this with Lizzie). DO NOT try to chase and catch her. You will lose and the dog will find it to be a fantastically fun game. Whoo hooo! In the back yard, just walk your dog down, calmly, slowly, and determined. If it takes you half and hour, do not run, do not try to catch, just systematically walk the dog down. I found that it kind of freaks them out and they give up pretty quickly. After about a month of doing this with Lizzie, she has now stopped that behavior.

It can work….Lizzie was definitely heading down the catch-me-if-you can road, so I asked for help, advice, and read books to find techniques to stop it. These major pieces of advice have done well.

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Fire Hose Dog Bed: The bed for dogs that like to get dirty

By Maya on March 2, 2011

I ordered a new Fire Hose dog bed from The Paws for Lizzie the other day to put in the car, and I was pretty excited about getting it!  I converted the back of my SUV to a dog kennel, and I’ve had a regular cloth bed back there.  The problem with that is when I go out with Lizzie to track, she often gets her feet dirty or just plain muddy.  Then, she has to get back in the car with her muddy feet on the cloth bed.  It makes a damp, smelly mess that’s not an easy clean.

I saw the Fire Hose bed description on line and it said that it was water resistant and you can just wipe it off to clean, so I thought, perfect!  And I think it really is perfect for what I need.  When the dirt dries, it just dusts right off and you can just shake it or wipe it off.  Nice!  I don’t feel bad about her jumping onto it with dirty wet feet.  It’s the perfect combination of utility and comfort.

This bed is for people with dogs that like to go out and get dirty or tend to destroy their beds.  It’s tough; nothing frou-frou about it.  It’s a little like an air mattress as well.  When the dog gets on it, the air deflates out of it.  It may weird some dogs out at first, but again, for the rough and tumble dogs, it’s just right.

Here’s how I am using it:

Lizzie with Fire Hose Dog Bed

Lizzie with Fire Hose Dog Bed

It fits perfectly in the cargo space there with her water.  As you can see, I have donated the cargo area to make it a big dog crate.  I didn’t like folding the seats down all the time to fit in a giant crate, so I got the dog barrier and it’s worked great.  I installed it a little differently than the directions tell you to, but I think it works better that way.  You are supposed to lengthen the legs until the barrier braces against the floor and ceiling.  I didn’t like that for several reasons: 1. When you brace something that hard against your ceiling it causes damage 2. the barrier has to go vertically and you lose a lot of space against the inclined seats and 3. it’s not very secure.  I just tied the barrier with that yellow nylon cord to the hooks in the back.  It’s worked great.  I got this type model, the ones with the big bars seemed like they may not hold as well or the dog would try to push it’s way through:

All in all, it’s a good set-up.  I used to let her hang out in the back seat, but there were several reasons I stopped that.  One, the Schutzhund people said that it’s possible when she gets excited she could damage the car even though she hasn’t ever done that before, also, she kept sleeping on the floorboard and it was turning into a hair nightmare trying to get it out of the carpet, but mostly because of a unpleasant mishap that I will tell later!

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An idiots guide to dog ownership: a more accurate title

By Maya on February 28, 2011

Yesterday, I was so excited and optimistically confident in my abilities because I had gotten this wonderful training mentor and all these great tips.  I am still excited and grateful of course, but at the same time I woke up today thinking, OMG I have to DO this stuff?!  It all seemed so easy yesterday watching Mr. Ledda, this veteran expert run his dogs through all the routines and showing me all these techniques.  Today, it’s all a big jumble in my head.  That always happens.  The experts make it look so easy, then when it’s just me by myself, chaos.  For that reason, I have renamed my blog.  I decided this is truly an idiots guide and I’m the idiot.

Now I really feel the pressure.  I can’t go back to these people without showing some kind of general progress, right?  When Mr. Ledda worked with Lizzie, she looked wonderful.  She was actually in a perfect heel or “foos” without even knowing it.  Lining up just right.  I was thinking, “is that my dog?”  Today, I started trying it by myself and yeah, not the same.  Goes to show it’s not the dog that can’t figure anything out, that would be ME.  Me, I say “foos” and two steps later Lizzie’s butt is out 45 degrees and she’s practically walking sideways.  ARG!  What am I doing wrong?  I just kept straightening her out and trying again, but I’m telling you, she would be perfect in a week with Mr. Ledda.  With me, (groan) we look like a sloppy drunk Mo and Curly trying to walk in a straight line.

I have yet managed to figure out how to get any of my dogs to heel.  I will keep trying with Lizzie and Riyo.  With Riyo, I still have not figured out how to get around the fact that I’d have to be 2 ft tall to walk and hold a treat in front of his nose.  All these techniques I’ve seen at AKC and obviously with Schutzhund uses the “hold-a-treat-in-front-of-the-dog’s-nose-and-walk” method.  Have you tried doing that with a 10″ tall dog?  Try it for 5 minutes and you’ll turn into Quasimoto.

I’m going to keep trying.  I am hoping that maybe I can eventually accomplish something just out of sheer persistence and tirelessly bugging all the experts for tips.

FINAL NOTE:  Looking sloppy saying “heel” and “down” is one thing. Training in German saying “foos” and “platz,” well, you REALLY look like an idiot.  Suffice it to say, if you are going to yell “Platz” at your dog in public, be prepared to get snickered at if your dog gives you the finger.

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Dog Training Tools for Tracking

By Maya on February 27, 2011

Here are the tools you’ll need when you’re teaching your dog to track:

1.  Long line or “tracking line”.  I got one that is too narrow so it is difficult to hold properly.  You should hold the line with our fingertip and let the line gently slide through your fingers as the dog moves ahead tracking.  This one here is “1 and I plan to order this.  For now I’ll make do with my too thin one.  NOTE: run the line UNDER the dogs front leg when it’s tracking.

Tracking Line

2.  Fur saver collar.  This is on every Schutzhund dog I’ve seen and used for all parts of the training. Generally they are not at your local pet stores, you’ll have to order.  The chrome plated steel is least costly, but will eventually rust.  You can find chrome on Amazon, but the stainless you can find at Leerburg, Elite K-9, or other specialty stores.

3.  FOOD!  High value food.  Chicken, beef, livers…things the dog doesn’t usually get and loves.

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Learning to Track with your Dog

By Maya on February 27, 2011

The first thing I did at the Saturday training session with Mr. Ledda was learn more about tracking.  He corrected a lot of my training mistakes and I am now on the rounded corners, tracking in grass, with part food/part no-food.  My biggest mistake was the corners.  I was doing them like the guys at the club, which are hard 90 degree corners.  It was too hard for Lizzie.  She would pass the corner and then circle back.  This isn’t good because she is not learning to find corners well and be exact.  So now we are doing rounded corners.

Tip from the session:  On the corners, stop and hold tension in the line until the dog finds and commits to the corner, then let it go.  The purpose is to help your dog learn to find and follow the corners without it overshooting and coming back.

Tip 2:  Keep a tracking log!  Every day you track, record the date, time, weather conditions, temp, track you laid, and how the dog did.  Score yourself and log the errors.

Tip 3:  WATCH OUT FOR ANTS!  Summertime is bad for tracking with food.  Don’t lay food if ants are going to get to it.  They will bite your dog’s lip and give it a really bad experience that it won’t want to ever repeat.

TIPS FROM RITA AT VOM HAUS LEDDA:  http://www.vomhausledda.com/tracking_tips.htm

When teaching a dog to track…initially…….only do so when it is cool and/or wet. Tracking is more difficult for the dog when the temperature is high and/or
dry. Tracking is more pleasant….and easier for the dog when the temperature is cold and/or wet

If you work a normal 8 hour day….or more….. and think you don’t have time to track 4 or 5 times a week, think again. Buy a miner’s light that you wear on your head. Works great! I climbed Mt. Fuji at night with a miner’s light…….and a good friend who owned a 24-hour convenience store……taught his dog to track with this method. :-)
Track before daylight in the morning…. before you go to work……or track in the evening….before you go to bed

When beginning to teach your dog to track, if the opportunity avails itself, allow your dog to ‘watch’ another dog or dogs…..that *love to track…and which are good at it.* If the dog/dogs are yours, tie the young/new tracker somewhere where he can watch….or hold him and encourage him to watch. Do this many times.
Especially allow your dog to watch while another dog enjoys tracking….and ***afterwards*** the owner makes a big deal at the end…and plays with the dog…and shows his pleasure that he and the dog have worked well together.*

Always make a big…fun….positive…*deal* after your dog has completed his track! Let him know that he did fine…and that you enjoyed working with him. Even if your dog wasn’t as *into it* as you would like for him to have been, do not show it. Be happy that
you both got out there and tried.
The above can be done with physical praise;i.e, petting/hugging….or throwing the ball/kong/toy….or using a bite toy….or just verbal praise.

Make tracking an exciting, fun event that your dog always looks forward to.
Before leaving home….or before leaving your dog’s kennel area, talk to him/her in an excited voice about tracking; i.e., tracking?….wanna go find it?…..are your ready?….Show him/her the articles/treats/long line, etc. Speak in a very ‘up’ and excited voice. When you reach tracking area, again show the articles or treats as you go to lay the track….and speak in an excited voice.
Just before beginning track….again speak in an up and excited voice.
Tracking is a team effort with you and your dog. Both need to be excited and looking forward to the activity. All little things you can do to effectuate this….will assist you….and your dog…to have an excellent ‘attitude’ about tracking….and when times and tracking get difficult, you will both work through the difficulties as a team….that works well together….to a successful end of the track.

As soon as your dog does 50 or 75 feet of straight track, keeping nose down…..begin corners. When teaching corners…..do easy, nice, rounded, five-step corners at first, heavily baited. Best to be sure your dog is very sure and very accurate on these types of corners – right and left – before teaching abrupt 90 degree corners

After your dog has done maybe 50 tracks or so…..and/or over a period of … say 2 months……..begin laying your tracks on various kinds of terrain.
Always KNOW where your track is. Even if the ground is hard packed dirt, you can ‘stomp’ and make an indention…and put your bait in each step…and you will see it. Be careful not to do too many tracks where your dog sees each piece of food. Always hide it if at all possible.
Lay tracks in varied lengths of grass.
Lay tracks in varied sparseness of grass.
Lay tracks when it is wet
Lay tracks when it is dry.
Try to avoid extreme heat. This is unpleasant and difficult for the dog…and should be reserved for when he is a ‘seasoned’ tracker.
Always know where your track is … and help your dog, if necessary. Do not worry that your dog is not ‘perfect’ in these difficult areas of varied terrain. The exposure is important. It will build confidence…for
you…and your dog.

When starting a dog to track…..and placing bait in each footstep, make the footsteps very close together. Each week increase the length. You may do several tracks in one morning….each a little longer than the last. You may even use the SAME tracks….the next day….or the day after.
It is not necessary to have a large area….nor to always have a different area…and you may put your tracks close together.
You may even use your lawn…or any part of your yard….to teach your dog to track.

Do not worry if the dog skips pieces of bait on the track.
When the dog reaches the end, have either a pile of food….or a toy…so that you and he know it is the end.
Some dogs, in the beginning….and even … later….will skip a lot of the bait the first time he does the track…If this is the case with your dog, on the first …. possibly …. dozen tracks … that you and your dog do …. when he finishes the track …. take him back to the beginning and let him do it over….remembering always to put another ‘small’ pile of food….or a toy….at end.
After about a dozen tracks….over a couple of weeks…or more, cease to allow your dog to redo the track…and get the pieces of bait he missed.
If, on future tracks, your dog continues to skip a LOT of the bait,
possibly you are feeding him too much….at other times. Or possibly he just wants to track for the joy of tracking….and pleasing you….and having fun afterwards.

When your dog will do at least 150 paces of straight track, keeping nose down…..with you up close on tracking line……begin moving back on line….keeping same tension on line (no tension)…..then move up again…..and up and back….and up and back…..until you can get out to end of line. Continue this exercise…….throughout tracking career of dog…..including training for FH

Sometimes your dog will get off the track. If your dog gets off the track, in your opinion, because it is difficult for him……subtlety () guide him back onto the track without his knowing he is being guided. Use soothing words such as … find it…succch…with some, but very little actual pressure on the line.
If your dog has gotten off the track, in your opinion, because of lack of interest in tracking, then use a very very very *up* and excited voice, and encourage him with LOTS of enthusiasm. When he appears to make any effort whatsoever, praise praise praise….and keep going. You may need to use more pressure on the line….but ALWAYS try to be subtle with pressure on the line. The dog should never realize he is being physically helped.
It is important that you NOT give too much help…and it is important that you use lots of *feeling*….when helping. This *feeling* cannot be imparted via email. It is something each handler must *develop.*

When training tracking……the majority of the time…….walk out to the left or right side of your dog…..on a short line (6 to 15 feet)…..Stay far enough to right or left of dog…..that you can clearly see his nose and how intense he/she is searching for the track. Concentrate. Watch and learn the ‘tracking style’ of your dog. Learn to be a ‘team’ member…..You and your dog are the team. :-)

Hide the bait on the track In the very beginning…..best even then…..to hide the bait on the track.
Pup or dog should learn to search for the bait without using his eyes. The more hidden the food, the more pup/dog must use nose…..and the sooner he/she will associate ground disturbance with delicious treat.
This sometimes mean, yes, you must bend over and bury *each individual bait* under blades of grass….. or whatever you must do…..so that pup/dog cannot see the bait. Also best to use bait that is similar to color of terrain you are tracking

After you have started turns with your dog…..and after he becomes confident on turns…..once a week do 100 to 150 pace legs *****heavily baited***** in continuous *U* shapes……for a total of 3 *U’s*. After 15 minutes, go approximately 30 paces out standing facing perpendicular to the middle of the first, third and fifth legs. Walk normally and cross the
first, third and fifth legs. Wait 30 more minutes…..then track your dog on short line (8 to 15 ft.)…..When you come to the area that you crossed, be aware and ready to help your dog…..if he is distracted by cross track. Most likely he will not be distracted by cross track. If he is, just help him….by showing him the continuation of the track in a nice calm manner. Never get angry, disgusted, disappointed, impatient. Be a team player….and help your team member.
This should be done in terrain in which the track….nor the cross tracks….are *an obvious* freeway. :-) You should barrrrrely, if at all……be able to see your track……BUT….YOU must know where it is at ALL TIMES. If you don’t know where it is, how can you help your team member? Only the day of the trial do you NOT know where the track is….(unless it’s SchH 1….and even then you’re probably so nervous that you forget where the track is…:-) )..and by then you and your dog are such a team…..that you find it together….. without giving any handler help. :-)

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Obedience training tips: focus and heeling

By Maya on February 27, 2011

Sometimes, you just get lucky. I happened to stumble upon the nicest couple in the world that happens to also be amazing dog trainers in both Schutzhund and AKC. They have competed internationally with their dogs since around 1975! They specialize in German Shepherds and just bred what may be their last litter. If I could only have five dogs! No, even I have limits.

AKC obedience is easy to get into. There are many clubs with that tend to have a congenial, friendly atmosphere. It’s easier to get help and instruction at these clubs. Schutzhund, on the other hand, is much harder. There is a lot to learn and if you are a newcomer it’s hard to find someone to take you aside and really teach you. Most have to just try to learn by watching. I am so lucky to have found these people who are willing to take their time to show me the ropes. I’ll share as much as I can here.

Here is the list of main items to master with Lizzie in obedience over the next few weeks. (I’ll work on focus with Riyo as well).
1. Work on focus: get dogs attention by making a quick little gasp noise to get them to look, the make a “click” sound, and treat. Keep treats all over the house and do this randomly all day long as well as in training sessions.
2. Heeling. Treat in left hand, up over dog’s head to keep dog looking up. Start one step at a time. Heel a step, sit, heel, sit while keeping the dog’s attention.
3. “Here” or “Front”. Get the dog right up to your belly and sitting straight. Hold your hand right on your stomach, palm up, so the dog gets right up on you on the here. If dog is not close enough, step back and pull it closer.
4. All this is done with motivation (food). No force.
5. Keep lengthening sit stays and down stays. Down stay needs to get at least 10 minutes.

Some additional focus tips:
Get a handlers jacket with high chest pockets. Pull the treats from there and hold in your mouth. If you always have your treats in your pockets, the dogs are always looking at your pockets and not up and your face.  Added bonus is you don’t get all your shirts and jackets dirty with dog treat crumbs.
Handler’s jacket that I just ordered from http://leerburg.com/trainersvests.htm:

Dog Training Handler's Vest

Teach the dog to catch and improve focus:

1.  first lob the treat underhanded to the dog so it sees it coming clearly

2. once they are good at that, hold the treat in your lips and get the dogs attention.  When the dog looks, make a click sound with your moth to mark the behavior and then launch that treat toward the dog like you would a spit ball.  Click must come within 1 to 1.5 seconds after the correct behavior.

3.  The purpose is to get a dog that intently looks as your face. You don’t always have to launch from your mouth. The purpose is to get good eye contact and have the dog focusing on your face and not what hand the treat is in!

Hide treat all around you house:  Put treat in place where you can reach them but your dog cannot.  This way at random times all day you can work on this focus game.

Suggested treats:  Pupperoni.  They are dry, not gross, and easy to carry around and store.

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Traing for Dog Sports or Companion Dog? The school of opposites.

By Maya on February 25, 2011

Rule:  If you want to train a dog for sports, build drive.

I must at this point go back and address my initial post about the Monks of New Skete book. As I’ve mentioned before, I am no professional or expert. I am stumbling my way through and making a lot of mistakes on the way, then recounting what I am learning from the more experienced as I go. The Monks of New Skete and many other training books are directed at people who just want a nice companion dog and have no interest in dog sports. Most people don’t plan on taking time every day to train their dog or try to get a title in some dog sport. If you are a companion pet person, Monks of New Skete and all the popular training methods out there are for you. Probably the most popular figure in the dog world is Ceasar Milan, and his show is also geared at people who just want their dog to behave and be a calm and enjoyable companion. Now, I never thought that this version of how to raise a dog would be so opposite from what I am learning about Schutzhund and agility dogs.

Building drive is a term that I have heard over and over since starting to get into these dog sports. This is a term that I didn’t think about a few months ago and if I did, I thought of it in terms of, oh no, prey drive! What I have been taught now by both Schutzhund and Agility people alike is that drive is key in all this training and that many of the conventional dog rearing techniques actually diminish a dog’s drive and therefore ability to excel in a dog sport.

Why the disconnect? As I’ve understood it so far, there may be a give and take especially when the dogs are young. The Schutzhund club members actually said they like their dogs to be “barely tolerable” until they get over a year. “Barely tolerable” is not what the average family is looking for in a dog, nor what the average person is capable of handling. The drive makes it easier to train the dogs in dog sports as it channels that drive into constructive and permissible activities, aka, the sport. In a companion dog environment with less experienced owners, letting a dog’s drive take over without tempering it with training and sport can turn into a domestic tornado and dogs going to the pound. We don’t want dogs going to the pound! We want dogs with nice homes, living comfortably! So, Ceasar, the Monks, and others are right to discourage a lot of dominant and drive building games that those interested in dog sports work hard at building.

Where I screwed up. I followed every rule to bring up a nice, well-behaved companion dog and in the process broke every rule for bringing up a working dog prospect. I was so proud that Lizzie passed her AKC CGC (canine good citizen) test at 6 months, but when I told the working club guy that he said “I’ll try not to hold that against you.” UGH?!!! I simply didn’t know any better and I didn’t realize I’d enjoy these sports until after I had my dogs. The most serious screw up is with tug-of-war. I had it so ingrained from the books and shows that tug-of-war = disaster. Apparently that is the case for many people. I went with the “if you play tug of war, you better win” method as well as the “DROP IT” immediately command. I’m sure anybody in the dog sport department will groan at that one. So from the time Lizzie was 2-5 months I fought with her daily and made sure I always won. She would look me in the eye and hold on to whatever it was she had and put up a great puppy fight that frustrated me to no end, but I was more relentless that she was. I even used the “coins in a can” method to get her to let go. To explain, a .38 doesn’t phase Lizzie but The Can is like nails on a blackboard, she HATES it. I found that I could not stop her from ANYTHING by the Monks’ “grab her by the scruff and shake with a firm NO” suggestion. Oh no. That was the start of a fight I would lose. But The Can is the Lizzie nemesis. So after two months of daily battles, I achieved perfect companion dog behavior. If my hand goes on it and I say drop, drop it and don’t tug, because if you tug you’ll just lose and feel like a defeated loser dog.

What I really achieved. A dog with almost no toy drive. JUST GREAT. I’ve been working the last two months to rebuild toy drive, but I can still see that imprinted hesitation when she strikes at a toy, tug or rag. I can see her look at me or whoever else is playing with this look like, “when is the dreaded can coming?” I know if I hadn’t spent so much effort in killing that behavior she would be tugging like crazy. I still haven’t gotten her to really put her body weight into a really good tug. Per club instructions, I started the rebuilding process by “back-tying” her to a tree and getting her to get really excited about a raccoon tail that I had attached to a fishing pole. This way, I wasn’t so close to it and she could feel comfortable really going for it. After two weeks of this, her drive went from zero to 50. Then she just planed. She will chase and grab at her toys and pull with about 50% of her strength. The club members are skeptical that she will ever go beyond this level of drive and they are not sure she will have the nerve to do protection at all. I’m now also not sure how much of her behavior is genetic and how much is inflicted by me. I guess the only thing I can do is keep trying and see what happens after 6 months to a year.  She may have reached her genetic potential, which is ok too.

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Schutzhund tracking – Step 1

By Maya on February 18, 2011

I am currently in the process of training Lizzie in tracking.  Again, I am no expert.  This is my first dog to try to train in this way; I am just recounting what the gurus are telling me.  I’m just going out there, getting information and and being trained by those who really know what they are doing.

The first step, or homework, I was given from the working dog club was to start feeding Lizzie on a scent pad outside. This is the first step to teaching a dog how to track. To prepare the scent pad, you go outside with your dog’s food and basically scuff up a little rectangle area about a foot by foot and a half in size. After you have scuffed up the grass with your feet a bit, you sprinkle the food around into the grass. Then, you bring your dog outside and show them the pad and they sniff around and eat the food. The part I missed is that you are also supposed to put a little flag next to the scent pad. They learn quickly that the flag means scent pad.

The point of this, as it was explained to me, is that when you scuff up the ground it creates the scent of disturbed grass. Dogs can distinguish the difference between disturbed areas where you have stepped versus undisturbed areas. By feeding them in the scent pad, they learn to associate the scent of disturbed earth with food.

This YouTube video show this first puppy training step:


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Working Dog Club – Schutzhund: An Introduction

By Maya on February 18, 2011

Well, I took Lizzie to a working dog club to see what it was all about.  I had no real idea what to expect; I just looked them up on the internet and followed my GPS out to a remote location where I found a lot of German Shepherds congregating.  First, these clubs are not for the casual pet owner.  These people take their sport seriously and spend hours and hours perfecting their skills.  I found they are nice people, but they certainly will not have patience for someone coming out and fooling around.  Some of these people have been in the Schutzhund sport for 20 years or more and really know their stuff.  They are excellent handlers and I have never seen such disciplined dogs in my life.  It’s very different from dog club AKC obedience.  This is for working dogs and people who really work with them, every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow.  Hard core!

I have been joining these guys every weekend for the last two months now.  The veterans train together multiple times a week, but I try to at least go to one or two.  There are three parts to Schutzhund:  tracking, obedience, and protection.  It’s like a triathalon for dogs and only the best dogs and most dedicated handlers actually can get titled.  There are three titles, Sch1, Sch2, Sch3 and there’s a lot more detail in there that I don’t grasp yet.

The first thing I learned is that Schutzhund not only is not for every person, it’s not for every dog.  It doesn’t mean you have a bad dog, but even for dogs specifically bred for Schutzhund, up to 90% will not make it all the way through.  The dogs have to have natural drive for the sport and the MUST enjoy it.  You can’t force a dog to participate in something it doesn’t want to do or enjoy.  That’s not fair to the dog.

With that preface, I don’t think Lizzie has what it takes to get a Sch1.  She is a very mellow, chill, puppy, which makes her a fabulous companion dog, but unlikely to excel in the protection aspect of Schutzhund.  The Schutzhund dogs have a practically unbreakable toy drive.  As I watched them, the dogs are so focused on earning a quick bite on their toy, they’ll work for it tirelessly.  Lizzie, well, she’ll get excited about the toy then a moth will fly by and…”MOTH!” or “LEAF!”   She just doesn’t see the point it going insane over a toy.  Why bother?

Despite the fact that Lizzie is not quite a star Schutzhund prospect, the club members are still willing to teach me as long as I show up and am interested in learning.  There is still tracking and obedience which she is perfectly capable of doing.  So, I continue to show up at daybreak in rubber boots to slog through the black gumbo muck to learn to track.  Lesson one, I was informed, is to forget having a clean truck ever again.  This I have found to be very true.  Lesson two, leave your ego at home.  Check.  And expect to feel like a bit of an idiot greenhorn.

These are some pics one of the club members took of a training session last month.  It is highly unlikely Lizzie will ever compete in this aspect of Schutzhund unless she unexpectedly shows interest in it as she gets older…but again, highly unlikely.  The dogs in the pics cannot wait to get onto the field.  It’s like the ultimate game for them and they just LOVE it.

Apollo

Gana

I’ll keep updating my progress with the working dog club and my associated daily training sessions at home.  I am really curious to see how this goes.

If you want to read more about Schutzhund, the United Schutzhund Clubs of America has a lot of information.

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