Today was Treibball training session #2. It went very well. Penny went first, since she tends to be the more excitable one. Malcolm was put in a "place" on a mat nearby where he mostly stayed. :-) He only got up a few times and went back when reminded. Penny did very well. She was a bit excitable at first, wanting to paw and mouth the ball. But she settled down and went to work fairly quickly. I included a new technique to help and it worked really well. After she nudged the ball I tossed a treat behind her to get her to move away and approach the ball again. This worked very well. It allowed me a chance to move the ball back into place in front of me and helped her move into a better position to try again. We're still working on nudging the ball towards me, from a distance of about 2-3 feet away. Tossing the treat also helped keep her from being confused and doing a down when I cued her to back up. I'm definitely still using the clicker for nose nudges, touches, and bumps to the ball. That's working REALLY well.
Then it was Malcolm's turn. Penny went into her crate temporarily as she just gets too excited to stay out of the way. Malcolm started with pawing the ball a bit too. With some polite no reward marks ("Nope!") he settled down into nose touches. He's a bit less enthusiastic than Penny, so his nose touches and nudges of the ball aren't very hard yet. That's fine. There's no rush. As we progressed he started nudging the ball harder, which was excellent. Those harder nose nudges got two'fer and three'fer rewards (two and three treats for each click, instead of just one treat for each click). He started doing the harder nudges more often, which was excellent. We'll have to work a bit on direction as time goes on. He's tending to nudge the ball to the side a bit, rather than straight on towards me. So I'll have to tighten up on his nose nudge placement a bit. But I didn't want to be too picky in the beginning, as I was working to encourage any form of nose touch or nudge.
I made a few mistakes during Malcolm's session, clicking on accident for the wrong thing. I just tossed his treat behind him in those instances to reset his position and we tried again. Not the end of the world. I accidentally clicked for a couple of paw touches to the ball, which I do NOT want to encourage. My timing was a bit off, no biggie. We just tried again. Any paw touches that happened after an accidental click I just used the neutral no reward mark and encouraged him again to nose nudge.
I decided to start incorporating the cue "Bump" for Malcolm with nose bumping and nudging the ball. The cue "touch" he tends to associate with a paw touch, so we're using "Bump" for a nose nudge. That's the word that most easily comes out, so we're using that instead of "Nudge." Penny isn't quite ready for the cue to be added in yet, but she's close. I'll likely start adding it in next session for her.
All in all, both dogs did excellent for their second try at learning Treibball. Soon I'll start working on training some directionals and a few other things. I had fun and it seemed like the dogs did to. I think we're all enjoying giving this new sport a try. Hope you'll join me here and read about our continuing sessions in the future.
What new training tips or techniques did you learn about recently that you found helpful? Please feel free to share in the comments! :-)
Donna Hill Treibball Video on YouTube
Friday, February 19, 2016
Thursday, February 18, 2016
First Walking Canicross Session
Today was our first walking Canicross session. Canicross is technically cross country running with your dog. The human wears a padded waist belt and the dog wears a harness and is attached to the padded waist belt with a tugline. The dog keeps tension in the tugline and helps the human to move faster with less effort. I am absolutely NOT a runner, but Canicross is used with walking and hiking too. We're going to be starting with the walking version. I'm hoping this will help me to more easily be active with my physical limitations.
I am using Ruffwear gear, their Omnijore Belt, Roamer Leash, Knot a long leash, Webmaster Harnesses, and Approach Packs. I started with Penny attached to the belt wearing the Webmaster Harness this time and Malcolm walking on a held leash wearing his Approach pack empty to get used to wearing it. The session went decent for a first time. Both dogs were very sniffy and distracted, but I expected that. All in all it went fairly well. The dogs seemed happy and excited to be out.
There's a few things I'll change for the next session. I'll be attaching the leashes to the rear leash loop instead of the metal leash ring in the middle of the harness/pack. The dogs moving to the side with the leashes attached to the metal leash rings caused the harness and pack to shift all over the place. Not good... I gave a quick try before heading inside to having the leashes attached to the rear leash loops. This allowed the leash to shift from side to side a bit and there was a LOT less harness/pack shifting. I also need to use the medium Roamer leash, not the Large. Even shortened all the way, the Large was WAY too long for urban walking on the sidewalk once it stretches out. The Large would be great for hiking though, to allow more freedom for the dogs to move around. I also needed to adjust the harnesses/packs so they sit lower on the chest for both dogs. Both dogs coughed just a bit from the harness/pack riding up a bit in front and putting pressure on their throats, though it was low. I took care of adjusting those once we got back home.
The Omnijore belt worked well. It was comfortable. I've left off the detachable leg straps for now. They're used to keep the belt from shifting up, but that's not a problem for me right now. I also wore my new Sketchers slip on gym shoes for the first time and I LOVED them. They were so comfortable and squishy. :-) I wore my new workout clothes for the first time too and they were also comfy.
It was a short walk, but a good first try. I'm hoping I don't get too much of a post-exertional relapse from this. Only time will tell. I'm hoping we all can continue this in the future. I just got a FitBit, so I'll be wearing that in the future to keep track of how far we go. The dogs will be switching off who is attached to the belt and who is wearing their pack each time. The dog attached to the belt will wear their harness only, no pack. The dog not attached to the belt will wear their pack. It will be good for them to get some variety in their physical workout. This also allows me to bring both dogs with. The dogs will eventually be carrying light weight in their pack (whichever dog is wearing their pack that time) so as to help increase their conditioning. I may eventually have both dogs attached to the belt, but we'll have to see how well that works. I figure better to start with one at a time, for now.
Hope you'll join me in the future as I continue to update our progress with walking Canicross and Treibball training!
What new sports/activities have you tried recently with your dog? Let me know in the comments.
:-)
http://www.ruffwear.com/
I am using Ruffwear gear, their Omnijore Belt, Roamer Leash, Knot a long leash, Webmaster Harnesses, and Approach Packs. I started with Penny attached to the belt wearing the Webmaster Harness this time and Malcolm walking on a held leash wearing his Approach pack empty to get used to wearing it. The session went decent for a first time. Both dogs were very sniffy and distracted, but I expected that. All in all it went fairly well. The dogs seemed happy and excited to be out.
There's a few things I'll change for the next session. I'll be attaching the leashes to the rear leash loop instead of the metal leash ring in the middle of the harness/pack. The dogs moving to the side with the leashes attached to the metal leash rings caused the harness and pack to shift all over the place. Not good... I gave a quick try before heading inside to having the leashes attached to the rear leash loops. This allowed the leash to shift from side to side a bit and there was a LOT less harness/pack shifting. I also need to use the medium Roamer leash, not the Large. Even shortened all the way, the Large was WAY too long for urban walking on the sidewalk once it stretches out. The Large would be great for hiking though, to allow more freedom for the dogs to move around. I also needed to adjust the harnesses/packs so they sit lower on the chest for both dogs. Both dogs coughed just a bit from the harness/pack riding up a bit in front and putting pressure on their throats, though it was low. I took care of adjusting those once we got back home.
The Omnijore belt worked well. It was comfortable. I've left off the detachable leg straps for now. They're used to keep the belt from shifting up, but that's not a problem for me right now. I also wore my new Sketchers slip on gym shoes for the first time and I LOVED them. They were so comfortable and squishy. :-) I wore my new workout clothes for the first time too and they were also comfy.
It was a short walk, but a good first try. I'm hoping I don't get too much of a post-exertional relapse from this. Only time will tell. I'm hoping we all can continue this in the future. I just got a FitBit, so I'll be wearing that in the future to keep track of how far we go. The dogs will be switching off who is attached to the belt and who is wearing their pack each time. The dog attached to the belt will wear their harness only, no pack. The dog not attached to the belt will wear their pack. It will be good for them to get some variety in their physical workout. This also allows me to bring both dogs with. The dogs will eventually be carrying light weight in their pack (whichever dog is wearing their pack that time) so as to help increase their conditioning. I may eventually have both dogs attached to the belt, but we'll have to see how well that works. I figure better to start with one at a time, for now.
Hope you'll join me in the future as I continue to update our progress with walking Canicross and Treibball training!
What new sports/activities have you tried recently with your dog? Let me know in the comments.
:-)
http://www.ruffwear.com/
Thursday, February 4, 2016
First Treibball Training Session
Recently I decided to focus more on my own dogs. With dealing with chronic illness issues, I've let go of some of my focus on my own dogs. They are still doing their service dog work, though Malcolm hasn't been working quite so often with me not leaving the house very often lately. I sat down and thought about what sports my dogs might be interested in and what I might be capable of doing with my current physical limitations. I came up with two things for now and one thing for possibly later this year. I decided to give Treibball (or urban ball herding) and walking Canicross (technically cross country running with your dog, though I'll be walking or maybe even hiking, hopefully) a try. Both I can start working on at home. Later in the year I may give Nosework a try, which I think both dogs may also enjoy.
Whole Dog Journal Treibball Article
About Canicross
Canicross for Agility Conditioning Part 1
Canicross for Agility Conditioning Part 2
(while I don't participate in Agility, I thought these articles had some great points)
For Treibball all you need are the balls, typically exercise balls, and some kind of way to indicate a "goal" area (like cones or goal posts). For Canicross, you need a waist belt and good shoes for yourself and a harness and tugline for your dog. I have the waist belt (I have the Omnijore belt from Ruffwear), dog harnesses (I have a few to choose from, so I'll see which work the best for each dog), and tuglines (Ruffwear Roamer leashes from Ruffwear, though I can get the Ruffwear tugline if I need to) for the dogs for Canicross. I'll be buying some new, lighter walking shoes for myself soon. I needed to buy some balls for the Treibball. I decided to start with a jolly ball as I was worried that my dogs' enthusiasm with their paws and mouths may pop exercise balls. Jolly balls (I got one without the handle) remain functional even when punctured (and won't pop in a way that might scare your dog) and they are quite thick, though still somewhat soft. I thought that would be good to prevent any mishaps with teeth or nails in the beginning until they get the techniques down. Once they have the nose nudge/shoulder bump techniques down I'll buy a few exercise balls.
Today I decided to try starting Treibball with the dogs, since I got the jolly ball yesterday (from Chewy.com, which I absolutely love for their excellent prices and customer service). I started with Penny, as she tends to be the more excited dog. I put Malcolm in Penny's crate to keep him out of the way. I originally planned on trying to start and follow the basic method I found in Donna Hill's Treibball video. I'm having trouble getting a good link for the video. I'll put one in as soon as I can, but in the meantime you can search youtube with "Donna Hill Treibball" to find it.
Of course, Penny being the dog she is, she can't "follow the rules" and just let me use an established method to train her. :-) Penny has always been an over-enthusiastic nose bumper. It's part of the herding dog in her (we think Australian Cattle Dog). It took us quite a while to get her to quit nose bumping us in the back of our knees after we first got her. So I have avoided teaching her a nose touch so as not to encourage that behavior in her. Donna Hill, and others, suggests teaching a nose touch to hand and then using some assorted methods to transfer that to nose touching and nose bumping the ball.
Well, Penny put two and two together VERY quickly and realized that she was getting rewarded for nose bumping my hand. That progressed (degenerated) fairly quickly to nose bumping me in a variety of places trying to get the click and treat. Yeah, not so good. I realized that I absolutely did NOT want to encourage this and I needed to get her touching the ball only FAST. So using a sort of haphazard combo of luring, shaping, and capturing I started working on getting that nose touch/bump focus on the ball. I sat in a chair and held the ball between my feet so it wouldn't roll. She's starting to get it, but I have to be SUPER careful with my clicking. Penny is incredibly smart. She puts things together VERY quickly. So my timing with the clicker has to be pretty precise or she starts chaining together behaviors that I didn't intend. She started chaining laying down and nose bumping the ball, which sort of defeats the purpose. I used my no reward mark "nope" to let her know I didn't want her pawing/clawing the ball.
She started getting frustrated, so I knew I needed to change things up. I decided to work while standing and using body language and cues to move her back away from the ball that was slightly in front of me. I encouraged her to come forward and nose touch the ball, still not using an actual verbal cue yet. She started doing it, even bumping the ball a bit towards me. Lots of rewards and a party for doing that. She got a little frustrated with me asking her to back up a bit so she wasn't crowding the ball, but she responded. She started to get a bit frustrated so I got one last decent nose touch to the ball and we quit. We trained for longer than I planned because I needed to figure out what would work for her as an individual. We're all learning this together. It may not be exactly how to train it, but I just want to do this at home for now, not taking a class. It's just supposed to be something new and fun for us to do at home. I'm trying to keep things relatively simple.
Now it was Malcolm's turn. I let him out of the crate and put Penny in to keep her out of the way. I started with a hand touch for Malcolm. I quickly realized that for him, instead of an open hand (as is usual for most touch training) I needed to use a closed fist. Malcolm is very well trained to give paw and do a paw touch to an open hand. He was getting confused by me trying to use an open hand for a nose touch, so we switched to a nose touch to my closed fist. That worked very well. Using the clicker he got that very quickly.
After playing around with having him nose touch my fist in a variety of places and heights I started to switch to the "close the door" step explained in Donna Hill's video. Well, using a paper target, all he wanted to do was grab the target with his mouth and tear the paper. We were both getting frustrated with that, so I decided to try working with him like I worked with Penny. I used the nose fist touch to target the ball more than I did with Penny. He started to understand that so I eased off of using the fist every time. He'd nose touch the ball a few times and then need the fist touch target to "remind" him.
Then he too started to get bored and frustrated with me just holding the ball between my feet. I decided to again follow what I did with Penny and got up and encouraged him to nose touch and push the ball toward me a bit with it a little in front of my feet. He started doing that fairly well with a little bit of luring and capturing. Then my husband came home so Malcolm had to go bark at the sound of the garage door opening, so the session was over. :-)
All in all, I feel it was a good start for both dogs. We'll see how they progress as we continue. I realized that I need to continue to be flexible on method, though I'm keeping things very positive right now with using the clicker and treats and just a verbal no reward mark for communication. I also need to get a new treat pouch. The one I have is small and can be a pain in the butt to get treats out of. I'm leaning towards getting the Dog Gone Good one, but I'll take a look. I also need to make a training treats "trail mix." I went through nearly an entire bag of soft training treats today between the two dogs. That's just not healthy or affordable. So I'll be mixing the soft training treats with some small crunchy treats and maybe some kibble to increase the quantity of treats available while still being more affordable.
I hope you'll join me here next time as I continue to share our adventures in Treibball training. I'm hoping to start the walking Canicross next week some time. Look for our Canicross adventures in the near future.
What new thing(s) have you been working on recently with your dog(s)? Let me know in the comments! :-)
Ruffwear Outdoor Dog Gear
Jolly Pet Bounce and Play Ball
Whole Dog Journal Treibball Article
About Canicross
Canicross for Agility Conditioning Part 1
Canicross for Agility Conditioning Part 2
(while I don't participate in Agility, I thought these articles had some great points)
For Treibball all you need are the balls, typically exercise balls, and some kind of way to indicate a "goal" area (like cones or goal posts). For Canicross, you need a waist belt and good shoes for yourself and a harness and tugline for your dog. I have the waist belt (I have the Omnijore belt from Ruffwear), dog harnesses (I have a few to choose from, so I'll see which work the best for each dog), and tuglines (Ruffwear Roamer leashes from Ruffwear, though I can get the Ruffwear tugline if I need to) for the dogs for Canicross. I'll be buying some new, lighter walking shoes for myself soon. I needed to buy some balls for the Treibball. I decided to start with a jolly ball as I was worried that my dogs' enthusiasm with their paws and mouths may pop exercise balls. Jolly balls (I got one without the handle) remain functional even when punctured (and won't pop in a way that might scare your dog) and they are quite thick, though still somewhat soft. I thought that would be good to prevent any mishaps with teeth or nails in the beginning until they get the techniques down. Once they have the nose nudge/shoulder bump techniques down I'll buy a few exercise balls.
Today I decided to try starting Treibball with the dogs, since I got the jolly ball yesterday (from Chewy.com, which I absolutely love for their excellent prices and customer service). I started with Penny, as she tends to be the more excited dog. I put Malcolm in Penny's crate to keep him out of the way. I originally planned on trying to start and follow the basic method I found in Donna Hill's Treibball video. I'm having trouble getting a good link for the video. I'll put one in as soon as I can, but in the meantime you can search youtube with "Donna Hill Treibball" to find it.
Of course, Penny being the dog she is, she can't "follow the rules" and just let me use an established method to train her. :-) Penny has always been an over-enthusiastic nose bumper. It's part of the herding dog in her (we think Australian Cattle Dog). It took us quite a while to get her to quit nose bumping us in the back of our knees after we first got her. So I have avoided teaching her a nose touch so as not to encourage that behavior in her. Donna Hill, and others, suggests teaching a nose touch to hand and then using some assorted methods to transfer that to nose touching and nose bumping the ball.
Well, Penny put two and two together VERY quickly and realized that she was getting rewarded for nose bumping my hand. That progressed (degenerated) fairly quickly to nose bumping me in a variety of places trying to get the click and treat. Yeah, not so good. I realized that I absolutely did NOT want to encourage this and I needed to get her touching the ball only FAST. So using a sort of haphazard combo of luring, shaping, and capturing I started working on getting that nose touch/bump focus on the ball. I sat in a chair and held the ball between my feet so it wouldn't roll. She's starting to get it, but I have to be SUPER careful with my clicking. Penny is incredibly smart. She puts things together VERY quickly. So my timing with the clicker has to be pretty precise or she starts chaining together behaviors that I didn't intend. She started chaining laying down and nose bumping the ball, which sort of defeats the purpose. I used my no reward mark "nope" to let her know I didn't want her pawing/clawing the ball.
She started getting frustrated, so I knew I needed to change things up. I decided to work while standing and using body language and cues to move her back away from the ball that was slightly in front of me. I encouraged her to come forward and nose touch the ball, still not using an actual verbal cue yet. She started doing it, even bumping the ball a bit towards me. Lots of rewards and a party for doing that. She got a little frustrated with me asking her to back up a bit so she wasn't crowding the ball, but she responded. She started to get a bit frustrated so I got one last decent nose touch to the ball and we quit. We trained for longer than I planned because I needed to figure out what would work for her as an individual. We're all learning this together. It may not be exactly how to train it, but I just want to do this at home for now, not taking a class. It's just supposed to be something new and fun for us to do at home. I'm trying to keep things relatively simple.
Now it was Malcolm's turn. I let him out of the crate and put Penny in to keep her out of the way. I started with a hand touch for Malcolm. I quickly realized that for him, instead of an open hand (as is usual for most touch training) I needed to use a closed fist. Malcolm is very well trained to give paw and do a paw touch to an open hand. He was getting confused by me trying to use an open hand for a nose touch, so we switched to a nose touch to my closed fist. That worked very well. Using the clicker he got that very quickly.
After playing around with having him nose touch my fist in a variety of places and heights I started to switch to the "close the door" step explained in Donna Hill's video. Well, using a paper target, all he wanted to do was grab the target with his mouth and tear the paper. We were both getting frustrated with that, so I decided to try working with him like I worked with Penny. I used the nose fist touch to target the ball more than I did with Penny. He started to understand that so I eased off of using the fist every time. He'd nose touch the ball a few times and then need the fist touch target to "remind" him.
Then he too started to get bored and frustrated with me just holding the ball between my feet. I decided to again follow what I did with Penny and got up and encouraged him to nose touch and push the ball toward me a bit with it a little in front of my feet. He started doing that fairly well with a little bit of luring and capturing. Then my husband came home so Malcolm had to go bark at the sound of the garage door opening, so the session was over. :-)
All in all, I feel it was a good start for both dogs. We'll see how they progress as we continue. I realized that I need to continue to be flexible on method, though I'm keeping things very positive right now with using the clicker and treats and just a verbal no reward mark for communication. I also need to get a new treat pouch. The one I have is small and can be a pain in the butt to get treats out of. I'm leaning towards getting the Dog Gone Good one, but I'll take a look. I also need to make a training treats "trail mix." I went through nearly an entire bag of soft training treats today between the two dogs. That's just not healthy or affordable. So I'll be mixing the soft training treats with some small crunchy treats and maybe some kibble to increase the quantity of treats available while still being more affordable.
I hope you'll join me here next time as I continue to share our adventures in Treibball training. I'm hoping to start the walking Canicross next week some time. Look for our Canicross adventures in the near future.
What new thing(s) have you been working on recently with your dog(s)? Let me know in the comments! :-)
Ruffwear Outdoor Dog Gear
Jolly Pet Bounce and Play Ball
Monday, October 12, 2015
Front Attach No Pull Harnesses, if you must...
Today I'd like to show a properly fitted front attach no pull harness and an improperly fitted front attach no pull harness.
I'd like to start by saying that I'm not a huge fan of these harnesses. They have their uses. I have concerns about how these harnesses impede the shoulders and gait, especially in young, growing dogs. Also, don't fall for the "positive only" hype. These harnesses ARE an aversive tool, just like the much maligned (but much safer) prong collar. An aversive tool makes doing the inappropriate behavior uncomfortable so the dog doesn't do it again. Front attach no pull harnesses put pressure on the shoulders and chest and make pulling uncomfortable. As a friend rightfully describes, they also threaten to pull your dog's feet out from under them because of how the leash is attached below their center of gravity. I have seen dogs dash to the end of the leash only to be flipped over in mid air after hitting the end of a leash attached to a front attach no pull harness. Make no mistake, these harnesses are far from the innocuous tool they are touted to be. They are actually quite aversive simply by wearing them, even without a leash attached. I've also seen quite a few dogs back right out of these harnesses and get loose. They have their uses with certain dogs and certain situations. I wish they weren't as prevalent as they are.
Here's an article with concerns highlighted by a veterinarian.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_7/features/the-no-pull-debate_20782-1.html
I also have to add that many pet store clerks have minimal to no training on the fitting and selection of training tools. Please be careful accepting their recommendations for training tools and their fitting.
The picture above is of a front attach harness that's relatively properly fitted. You can see the straight line created by the girth strap and the top strap. The chest strap is at about a 90 degree angle to the girth strap and sits across the breastbone. The top strap is also sitting over or just slightly behind the shoulders.
Above is an improperly adjusted front attach harness. The harness is upside down, as the black strap should be under the girth, not over the top. The harness being placed upside down means it will be impossible to fit and adjust properly. The top strap is also in front of the shoulders, rather than on or behind the shoulders. This will lead to limiting the range of motion of and pressure on the neck. The chest strap sits too low, potentially leading to an even worse trip hazard for the dog. There is no straight line formed by the girth and top straps. Fitted this way, the harness will cause undue pressure on the neck and shoulders, severely impeding the gait. This is how a pet store clerk advised a person I know to (improperly) fit the harness to their dog.
Now take a look at the demeanor and body language of my dog Malcolm in these pictures. He looks comfortable and relaxed in the top, properly fitted picture. His ears are up and his mouth is open and relaxed. In the second picture you can see how uncomfortable he is with how the harness is adjusted. His ears are back, his mouth is closed and his face tense, he's shifted his body weight funny and is a bit hunched. Imagine him trying to walk in the improperly adjusted harness...
ANY tool has pros and cons to it. Choosing which tool is most appropriate depends on the individual dog, handler, and situation. If you need help choosing a training tool, please contact me at fcdogtraining@gmail.com
I'd like to start by saying that I'm not a huge fan of these harnesses. They have their uses. I have concerns about how these harnesses impede the shoulders and gait, especially in young, growing dogs. Also, don't fall for the "positive only" hype. These harnesses ARE an aversive tool, just like the much maligned (but much safer) prong collar. An aversive tool makes doing the inappropriate behavior uncomfortable so the dog doesn't do it again. Front attach no pull harnesses put pressure on the shoulders and chest and make pulling uncomfortable. As a friend rightfully describes, they also threaten to pull your dog's feet out from under them because of how the leash is attached below their center of gravity. I have seen dogs dash to the end of the leash only to be flipped over in mid air after hitting the end of a leash attached to a front attach no pull harness. Make no mistake, these harnesses are far from the innocuous tool they are touted to be. They are actually quite aversive simply by wearing them, even without a leash attached. I've also seen quite a few dogs back right out of these harnesses and get loose. They have their uses with certain dogs and certain situations. I wish they weren't as prevalent as they are.
Here's an article with concerns highlighted by a veterinarian.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_7/features/the-no-pull-debate_20782-1.html
I also have to add that many pet store clerks have minimal to no training on the fitting and selection of training tools. Please be careful accepting their recommendations for training tools and their fitting.
 |
| A relatively properly adjusted front attach harness |
The picture above is of a front attach harness that's relatively properly fitted. You can see the straight line created by the girth strap and the top strap. The chest strap is at about a 90 degree angle to the girth strap and sits across the breastbone. The top strap is also sitting over or just slightly behind the shoulders.
 |
| Improperly adjusted front attach harness |
Above is an improperly adjusted front attach harness. The harness is upside down, as the black strap should be under the girth, not over the top. The harness being placed upside down means it will be impossible to fit and adjust properly. The top strap is also in front of the shoulders, rather than on or behind the shoulders. This will lead to limiting the range of motion of and pressure on the neck. The chest strap sits too low, potentially leading to an even worse trip hazard for the dog. There is no straight line formed by the girth and top straps. Fitted this way, the harness will cause undue pressure on the neck and shoulders, severely impeding the gait. This is how a pet store clerk advised a person I know to (improperly) fit the harness to their dog.
Now take a look at the demeanor and body language of my dog Malcolm in these pictures. He looks comfortable and relaxed in the top, properly fitted picture. His ears are up and his mouth is open and relaxed. In the second picture you can see how uncomfortable he is with how the harness is adjusted. His ears are back, his mouth is closed and his face tense, he's shifted his body weight funny and is a bit hunched. Imagine him trying to walk in the improperly adjusted harness...
ANY tool has pros and cons to it. Choosing which tool is most appropriate depends on the individual dog, handler, and situation. If you need help choosing a training tool, please contact me at fcdogtraining@gmail.com
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Safety... I can't believe I even have to say some of this...
Lately I've been seeing a lot of things about dog training and dogs that are frustrating me. I think the biggest of those has to do with safety. I'm seeing stories of people getting bitten and injured and so many of them could have been prevented or minimized. My friends with service dogs are telling me stories of how people are interacting with their working service dogs in entitled and dangerous and stupid ways. So I'm going to write some things here that I personally think should just be common sense. Hopefully people will start understanding and incidents can be minimized and eliminated.
First, you absolutely DO NOT have to interact with strange dogs!!!!! Just because you see a dog DOES NOT mean you are entitled to interact with that dog. I hate to break it to you, but not all dogs like strangers and not all dogs like children and not all dogs like other dogs, period. And it doesn't matter if your dog is friendly or you like dogs or you're good with dogs. You saying these things after we tell you to leave our dogs alone is code to responsible owners that means the person saying them is going to ignore our requests for you to stay away and truly doesn't understand dogs. Before you interact with a dog you don't know, ASK!!! Ask if you can greet or pet a strange dog or if your dog can interact with them. Secondly and MOST importantly, RESPECT what that owner has to say. If the answer is no, there's likely a very good reason for it. The dog may be reactive, aggressive, sick, or even working (in the case of service dogs). You are NOT entitled to interact with another dog simply because you see it!!!
Second, and I never thought I'd have to say this, but DO NOT reach through, under, around, over, etc a barrier (fence, car, window, etc) to pet a dog, especially a strange dog!!!! Reaching into where a strange dog is at is an excellent way to get BIT!!!! I am continually stunned to hear stories of not only children but ADULTS reaching through or over fences, even reaching into cars to try to pet strange dogs. Quite simply, DON'T, ever!!!!
Third, if you love dogs, learn about dog body language and communication. I can't tell you how many times I've been told a dog is friendly when the dog is actively performing reactive/aggressive behavior (barking, growling, snarling, stressed/reactive body language). Dogs communicate through body language. It can be quite subtle, but often it's quite obvious once you know what to look for. Learn some basics of what happy, scared, and aggressive dogs look like. If you're unsure, ask an experienced dog trainer (like me)! Learn some of the common stress signals that dogs show when they are getting stressed or anxious about a situation. Learning this essential communication will help you more safely interact with dogs. If a dog is growling, snarling, snapping, biting, etc DO NOT interact with it!!!! A dog exhibiting those behaviors is beyond stressed and you stand a very good chance of getting hurt if you force an interaction. I can't even believe I have to tell people to not interact with growling, snarling, snapping, biting, etc dogs. It boggles my mind that people ignore such obvious signs of stress... If your dog is exhibiting any of these behaviors (growling, snapping, snarling, barking, etc) please contact an experienced dog trainer without delay. These behaviors don't just get better on their own. Ignoring them can lead to serious consequences.
http://barkpost.com/dog-body-language-charts/
Fourth, as an add on to number 3, learn how to safely monitor interactions between dogs and children. Simply watching them isn't enough. You MUST learn about stress signals and dog body language so you can know what a dog is "saying" during these interactions. Many children are bitten by dogs they know. Sometimes it's a lack of appropriate and adequate supervision. Far too often, it is that the supervising adults don't know what signals to look for that indicate a dog is getting stressed. When in doubt, keep dogs and children separate. Better to be safe than sorry...
Fifth, STOP anthropomorphizing dogs!! What does that mean? It means putting human motivations and interpretations on dog behavior that are completely wrong and are not at all accurate interpretations of what the behavior actually means. Misinterpretation of behavior can lead to issues and even bites/injuries. This is also related to learning about dog body language and communication. Learn what dogs are REALLY trying to communicate.
Sixth, TRAIN your dogs!! Training your dog can help eliminate and prevent many problem behaviors and makes them safer and more enjoyable to live with. If you're unsure how best to train your dog, please contact an experienced dog trainer (like me).
If you'd like more information about any of these topics or other dog stuff, please contact me at fcdogtraining@gmail.com
First, you absolutely DO NOT have to interact with strange dogs!!!!! Just because you see a dog DOES NOT mean you are entitled to interact with that dog. I hate to break it to you, but not all dogs like strangers and not all dogs like children and not all dogs like other dogs, period. And it doesn't matter if your dog is friendly or you like dogs or you're good with dogs. You saying these things after we tell you to leave our dogs alone is code to responsible owners that means the person saying them is going to ignore our requests for you to stay away and truly doesn't understand dogs. Before you interact with a dog you don't know, ASK!!! Ask if you can greet or pet a strange dog or if your dog can interact with them. Secondly and MOST importantly, RESPECT what that owner has to say. If the answer is no, there's likely a very good reason for it. The dog may be reactive, aggressive, sick, or even working (in the case of service dogs). You are NOT entitled to interact with another dog simply because you see it!!!
Second, and I never thought I'd have to say this, but DO NOT reach through, under, around, over, etc a barrier (fence, car, window, etc) to pet a dog, especially a strange dog!!!! Reaching into where a strange dog is at is an excellent way to get BIT!!!! I am continually stunned to hear stories of not only children but ADULTS reaching through or over fences, even reaching into cars to try to pet strange dogs. Quite simply, DON'T, ever!!!!
Third, if you love dogs, learn about dog body language and communication. I can't tell you how many times I've been told a dog is friendly when the dog is actively performing reactive/aggressive behavior (barking, growling, snarling, stressed/reactive body language). Dogs communicate through body language. It can be quite subtle, but often it's quite obvious once you know what to look for. Learn some basics of what happy, scared, and aggressive dogs look like. If you're unsure, ask an experienced dog trainer (like me)! Learn some of the common stress signals that dogs show when they are getting stressed or anxious about a situation. Learning this essential communication will help you more safely interact with dogs. If a dog is growling, snarling, snapping, biting, etc DO NOT interact with it!!!! A dog exhibiting those behaviors is beyond stressed and you stand a very good chance of getting hurt if you force an interaction. I can't even believe I have to tell people to not interact with growling, snarling, snapping, biting, etc dogs. It boggles my mind that people ignore such obvious signs of stress... If your dog is exhibiting any of these behaviors (growling, snapping, snarling, barking, etc) please contact an experienced dog trainer without delay. These behaviors don't just get better on their own. Ignoring them can lead to serious consequences.
http://barkpost.com/dog-body-language-charts/
Fourth, as an add on to number 3, learn how to safely monitor interactions between dogs and children. Simply watching them isn't enough. You MUST learn about stress signals and dog body language so you can know what a dog is "saying" during these interactions. Many children are bitten by dogs they know. Sometimes it's a lack of appropriate and adequate supervision. Far too often, it is that the supervising adults don't know what signals to look for that indicate a dog is getting stressed. When in doubt, keep dogs and children separate. Better to be safe than sorry...
Fifth, STOP anthropomorphizing dogs!! What does that mean? It means putting human motivations and interpretations on dog behavior that are completely wrong and are not at all accurate interpretations of what the behavior actually means. Misinterpretation of behavior can lead to issues and even bites/injuries. This is also related to learning about dog body language and communication. Learn what dogs are REALLY trying to communicate.
Sixth, TRAIN your dogs!! Training your dog can help eliminate and prevent many problem behaviors and makes them safer and more enjoyable to live with. If you're unsure how best to train your dog, please contact an experienced dog trainer (like me).
If you'd like more information about any of these topics or other dog stuff, please contact me at fcdogtraining@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Dominance and Pack Theory- Let's Not Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water
No, dogs are not wolves. Yes, strict adherence to dominance theory is outdated and not entirely accurate. But let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Dominance theory was based on the observation of wolf behavior. Advances in behavioral studies and new research has proven that dominance theory and observations done on CAPTIVE wolf populations do not reflect much of the true behavior of wild wolf populations. Wild wolf populations are usually based on small family groups of parents and offspring. Their behavior is quite often TOTALLY different from captive wolf populations and packs, which are often unrelated adults or young adults forced to live together. My assumption is and new studies are showing that this forcing together of unrelated adult wolves leads to very different behavior profiles developing that is found in wild wolves. Ritualized aggression and dominance behaviors develop in an effort to manage such a disparate group of individuals.
No, dogs aren't necessarily out to dominate us. Dogs are opportunistic and do what works. Observations of feral dogs and feral dog packs show they are unlike wolves and wild wolf packs. But that doesn't mean we have to throw the baby out with the bath water, behaviorally speaking. Dogs have evolved to live with us, but that doesn't completely squelch the instinctive canine behaviors. We routinely are "forcing" dogs to live in artificial packs with us and with other unrelated adult dogs. So why do we assume that there is NO relevance to the behavior seen in the artificially created wolf packs seen in captivity, just because their behavior is different than wild wolves? Are we not creating an artificial pack with our domestic dogs in many situations?
I'm not a believer in strict dominance theory. I don't believe every dog is out to dominate us, that that is their ultimate goal. But I do belive in the concepts of pack theory because I've seen it over and over. Competition for resources, living together in close proximity, etc all bring out pack behavior. So while I fully accept dogs are NOT wolves and captive wold behavior is very different from wild wolf behavior, I can see SOME similarities in captive wolf pack behavior and domestic dog "pack" behavior. I believe it is very important to consider this when working with and training dogs, especially in multi-dog homes and situations (like dog parks, doggie daycare, etc).
No, dogs aren't necessarily out to dominate us. Dogs are opportunistic and do what works. Observations of feral dogs and feral dog packs show they are unlike wolves and wild wolf packs. But that doesn't mean we have to throw the baby out with the bath water, behaviorally speaking. Dogs have evolved to live with us, but that doesn't completely squelch the instinctive canine behaviors. We routinely are "forcing" dogs to live in artificial packs with us and with other unrelated adult dogs. So why do we assume that there is NO relevance to the behavior seen in the artificially created wolf packs seen in captivity, just because their behavior is different than wild wolves? Are we not creating an artificial pack with our domestic dogs in many situations?
I'm not a believer in strict dominance theory. I don't believe every dog is out to dominate us, that that is their ultimate goal. But I do belive in the concepts of pack theory because I've seen it over and over. Competition for resources, living together in close proximity, etc all bring out pack behavior. So while I fully accept dogs are NOT wolves and captive wold behavior is very different from wild wolf behavior, I can see SOME similarities in captive wolf pack behavior and domestic dog "pack" behavior. I believe it is very important to consider this when working with and training dogs, especially in multi-dog homes and situations (like dog parks, doggie daycare, etc).
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Dog Nutrition and Cats are Different
I'll start off by saying that there's no one right way to feed our dogs. That's right, you heard me. I'll say it again, there's no one right way to feed our dogs. You'll find opinions on pet nutrition to vary widely. Some people can become quite militant that their way of feeding is the ONLY way to properly feed and if you don't feed that way then you're harming your dog. I call baloney on that. I've known many people using a wide variety of diets and methods to feed their pets and their pets were healthy and led long lives. Not everyone can afford $109 a bag for dog food or spend hours at a time making homemade food. I know I sure can't. People don't need to feel bad if they're feeding the best they can afford. There are better and worse choices within every budget level. We need to find what works best for our individual dogs, our individual needs, AND what we can afford. I can recommend the highest quality all raw homemade dog food to my clients. But if they can't afford it, or it makes their dog sick, or they are physically unable to keep up with making it, it does nobody any good. I know for me, with my disability, I simply don't have the energy to prepare a homemade diet. I can barely prepare meals for myself and some days I can't even do that. So I do a good quality dry with frozen raw and my dogs do well on that. Each situation is unique and we all do the best we can.
Here are some general recommendations I make for choosing a dog food:
So what can you do? Research. Learn about pet food labels and how to interpret them. Read and compare pet food labels. And buy the highest quality food that you can afford and that your dog does well on. If your dog is having chronic ear infections, hot spots, skin infections, chronic intermittent vomiting and/or diarrhea, gas, then diet may be a cause. Have your pet seen by a veterinarian to rule out medical causes. But understand that most vets don't have very much education when it comes to nutrition. Vets get one class on nutrition in veterinary school and it's sponsored by the big pet food companies like Hills, Waltham, etc. Bit of a conflict of interest there if you ask me. And before you put your pet on an expensive prescription diet from the vet, read up on the ingredients of those high-priced diets. Holistic veterinarians are an excellent resource for a more complete perspective on nutrition and diet.
Also, while a raw diet may be excellent, if not balanced properly it can be hazardous to your pet's health. Balance is important as well as considerations for the reality of bacterial concerns with feeding raw meat. Raw diets aren't as difficult as some people make them out to be. However, there are things that are essential to a raw diet in order for it to be balanced. One of the most important components of a raw diet is calcium. Meat is high in phosphorus and must be balanced by a calcium source. If you want to explore raw diets there are a wide variety of sources for information available. Do your research, consult with a canine nutritionist or holistic veterinarian, and be careful what recipes you follow. You don't want to necessarily follow "Bob's raw food recipe" found at random on the web without having a basic understanding of balanced raw food feeding concepts. Also, some people foods are highly toxic to dogs, so be aware.
Contrary to what you may hear from militant raw feeders, not all dogs tolerate raw. I've known quite a few dogs who got very sick on raw, even when their owners did everything correctly. My own dog lost his tolerance of raw as he got older. Meals with raw made him vomit and it got progressively worse. Took out the raw and substituted high quality canned and no more vomiting. So raw feeding isn't necessarily the magical cure for everything as some tout it to be. Also, a common misconception is that you will harm your dog if you feed kibble and raw at the same meal. This has not proven to be true. Also, my own dogs would vomit if I fed raw one meal, kibble at another. Feeding them together at the same meal eliminated the vomiting and they do very well.
There's a lot of information out there about dog nutrition and feeding. Some of it is great, some of it is junk. I'll include some resources below for those who would like to learn more.
Some of you may ask, "Well, what do you feed your dogs?" I feed a combination of high quality, all natural dry and a commercially available balanced ground frozen raw product (fed thawed and gently heated, but not cooked). I occasionally add in ground flax seed, coconut oil, fish oil, and canned pumpkin. This works very well for my dogs. Their poops are small and firm, their coats are nice and shiny with no itchies, their breath is good and their teeth look fine, eyes and ears are clean and healthy. That's what works best for me, my dogs, my budget, and my energy levels.
Also, on a very personal note, my PERSONAL opinion is that I will not feed my dogs whole raw bones. I have heard over and over how raw bones are safer than cooked and don't cause problems. But I personally have seen dogs with intestinal perforations and broken teeth from RAW bones. I will not feed my dogs raw bone unless it is ground to a very small size (like rice grain sized or smaller). That is a choice I make that goes very much against the generally accepted views of raw feeding. Please NEVER feed your dogs or cats cooked bones!!
*VERY IMPORTANT!!! Cats are different!! Their nutritional needs as obligate carnivores are specialized. I think the most important thing to know is that dry food is NOT optimal for cats. A diet of only dry food can contribute to serious and even life threatening health problems for cats including diabetes, kidney failure, and urinary and bladder issues including urinary blockage (a life threatening medical EMERGENCY). Cats NEED a moist animal protein diet with minimal to no carbohydrates in the form of canned, raw, and/or homemade. Please see the following links for more information:
http://www.catinfo.org/
http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/diet.html
http://www.catnutrition.org/
There's so much more I could say about pet nutrition, but it can't all fit in one post. Please join me in the future for more information on pet nutrition. If you'd like additional help in learning about pet food nutrition, labels, and choosing a pet food, please contact me a fcdogtraining@gmail.com. Please consult with a veterinarian before making any changes to your pet's diet, especially if your pet is showing any signs of illness or health issues.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/helpful-dog-food-articles/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/holistic-healthcare-library/food-diet---general/147/top-10-myths-about-pet-food-and-nutrition.aspx
*Disclaimer-The information in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. This information does NOT constitute or replace veterinary advice. Please consult with a qualified nutritional and/or veterinary professional prior to acting on or relying on any of the content. Author assumes NO liability.
Here are some general recommendations I make for choosing a dog food:
- Try to avoid foods with corn, wheat, soy, BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin, sugar, artificial colors and flavors, calcium propionate (a preservative)
- Try to avoid foods with unnamed meats and meat meals, and fats (like meat by-products, meat and bone meal, animal fat, etc). When the meat is unnamed, it can be anything, including euthanized pets. This is a fact, not hype.
- Try to avoid foods where the primary protein source is by-products or by-product meals. These are not as high quality of protein sources. But don't panic if your pet food has those in them as long as they are named meat sources (chicken by-products, beef by-product meal, etc)
- Named meat meals are a perfectly adequate protein source. Chicken meal, for example, is chicken that has been cooked down and had the water removed. It is a concentrated source of protein. Named meat meals may actually mean there's more protein in the food as the water has already been removed, so it isn't lost during the processing. Water lost during the processing means there's actually somewhat less of the protein in the food.
- Try to find foods with named animal protein sources (like chicken, lamb meal, etc) in the first five ingredients
- Be aware of ingredient splitting. The first five or so ingredients is what the food will be primarily composed of. For example, if the first five ingredients contain ground corn, corn gluten meal, meat by-product meal, corn middlings, animal fat, then you know the food is primarily corn.
- Be aware that some carbohydrates can boost the protein levels and percentage, but these may not be as good for your dog as animal proteins. Some examples include peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc. There's nothing wrong with having these in the dog food. Just consider what's in the first five ingredients.
- Avoid switching foods too often. Switching foods too often can contribute to digestive upset and creating a picky dog. It may be beneficial to switch protein sources or brands a few times a year to obtain a more balanced and complete diet.
So what can you do? Research. Learn about pet food labels and how to interpret them. Read and compare pet food labels. And buy the highest quality food that you can afford and that your dog does well on. If your dog is having chronic ear infections, hot spots, skin infections, chronic intermittent vomiting and/or diarrhea, gas, then diet may be a cause. Have your pet seen by a veterinarian to rule out medical causes. But understand that most vets don't have very much education when it comes to nutrition. Vets get one class on nutrition in veterinary school and it's sponsored by the big pet food companies like Hills, Waltham, etc. Bit of a conflict of interest there if you ask me. And before you put your pet on an expensive prescription diet from the vet, read up on the ingredients of those high-priced diets. Holistic veterinarians are an excellent resource for a more complete perspective on nutrition and diet.
Also, while a raw diet may be excellent, if not balanced properly it can be hazardous to your pet's health. Balance is important as well as considerations for the reality of bacterial concerns with feeding raw meat. Raw diets aren't as difficult as some people make them out to be. However, there are things that are essential to a raw diet in order for it to be balanced. One of the most important components of a raw diet is calcium. Meat is high in phosphorus and must be balanced by a calcium source. If you want to explore raw diets there are a wide variety of sources for information available. Do your research, consult with a canine nutritionist or holistic veterinarian, and be careful what recipes you follow. You don't want to necessarily follow "Bob's raw food recipe" found at random on the web without having a basic understanding of balanced raw food feeding concepts. Also, some people foods are highly toxic to dogs, so be aware.
Contrary to what you may hear from militant raw feeders, not all dogs tolerate raw. I've known quite a few dogs who got very sick on raw, even when their owners did everything correctly. My own dog lost his tolerance of raw as he got older. Meals with raw made him vomit and it got progressively worse. Took out the raw and substituted high quality canned and no more vomiting. So raw feeding isn't necessarily the magical cure for everything as some tout it to be. Also, a common misconception is that you will harm your dog if you feed kibble and raw at the same meal. This has not proven to be true. Also, my own dogs would vomit if I fed raw one meal, kibble at another. Feeding them together at the same meal eliminated the vomiting and they do very well.
http://therawfeedingcommunity.com/2015/01/08/digest-this-kibble-may-actually-digest-faster-than-raw/
There's a lot of information out there about dog nutrition and feeding. Some of it is great, some of it is junk. I'll include some resources below for those who would like to learn more.
Some of you may ask, "Well, what do you feed your dogs?" I feed a combination of high quality, all natural dry and a commercially available balanced ground frozen raw product (fed thawed and gently heated, but not cooked). I occasionally add in ground flax seed, coconut oil, fish oil, and canned pumpkin. This works very well for my dogs. Their poops are small and firm, their coats are nice and shiny with no itchies, their breath is good and their teeth look fine, eyes and ears are clean and healthy. That's what works best for me, my dogs, my budget, and my energy levels.
Also, on a very personal note, my PERSONAL opinion is that I will not feed my dogs whole raw bones. I have heard over and over how raw bones are safer than cooked and don't cause problems. But I personally have seen dogs with intestinal perforations and broken teeth from RAW bones. I will not feed my dogs raw bone unless it is ground to a very small size (like rice grain sized or smaller). That is a choice I make that goes very much against the generally accepted views of raw feeding. Please NEVER feed your dogs or cats cooked bones!!
*VERY IMPORTANT!!! Cats are different!! Their nutritional needs as obligate carnivores are specialized. I think the most important thing to know is that dry food is NOT optimal for cats. A diet of only dry food can contribute to serious and even life threatening health problems for cats including diabetes, kidney failure, and urinary and bladder issues including urinary blockage (a life threatening medical EMERGENCY). Cats NEED a moist animal protein diet with minimal to no carbohydrates in the form of canned, raw, and/or homemade. Please see the following links for more information:
http://www.catinfo.org/
http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/diet.html
http://www.catnutrition.org/
There's so much more I could say about pet nutrition, but it can't all fit in one post. Please join me in the future for more information on pet nutrition. If you'd like additional help in learning about pet food nutrition, labels, and choosing a pet food, please contact me a fcdogtraining@gmail.com. Please consult with a veterinarian before making any changes to your pet's diet, especially if your pet is showing any signs of illness or health issues.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/helpful-dog-food-articles/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/holistic-healthcare-library/food-diet---general/147/top-10-myths-about-pet-food-and-nutrition.aspx
*Disclaimer-The information in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. This information does NOT constitute or replace veterinary advice. Please consult with a qualified nutritional and/or veterinary professional prior to acting on or relying on any of the content. Author assumes NO liability.
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