Trying out the new dog puzzle toys

Last night I decided to try out the new dog puzzle toys I got on sale from Petco.

They were all on sale for under $10 each, so I decided to give them a try. The purple one and blue one were labelled for small dogs, but I figured either of my dogs could try them out even though Penny is medium sized and Malcolm is large.

The dogs figured them out pretty quickly, as in under a couple of minutes. But it gave them something a little different to do. These are definitely best with supervision only. The plastic they are made of isn't very durable. The little cup covers that the dogs move on the purple and blue games are quite thin and could very easily be chewed up. Even a good solid chomp would likely damage them. So if you have destructos or chompers best to stay away from these for safety's sake.

I used a stronger smelling training treat to put in these at first to encourage my dogs, but you could easily use dry kibble if you wanted to. The green star game rotates and you can adjust how difficult or easy it is to rotate by a knob on the bottom.

In the end, I definitely wouldn't pay full price for them or any of the puzzle games I've seen. They're just too easy and most dogs figure them out very quickly. But they are good to give a dog something a little different to do from time to time. I would definitely use these with supervision only and put them away when the session is over.

One added bonus I found for my dogs is the little cup covers make for a great retrieves training session once the puzzle is empty. They were scattered all over the place so I used the opportunity to work on my dogs' retrieving skills by asking them to pick them up and hand them to me so I didn't have to bend over to pick them up (bending over would aggravate my health condition). Malcolm, my German Shepherd mobility service dog, has a lot more practice and training for retrieves than Penny, my cattle dog/basenji in home medical alert service dog. Malcolm even helped by picking up the games' bases and bringing them to me.  :-)

Last night though, Penny did her first ever distance directed retrieve. Penny was being very enthusiastic and tried to toss me one of the cups she'd picked up. It bounced about 5 feet away from the chair where I was sitting. I pointed towards it and told her to "get it" and with some encouragement she went and got it, brought it back, and mostly got it into my hand. :-)  I had to grab for it a little, but she got a treat party anyway. Her first ever send away retrieve and she did so well!! I'm so proud of my girl...

Both the dogs enjoyed their sessions with the puzzle games, though they didn't last very long. They seemed a bit disappointed when I put them away. I'll bring them back out on another day.


If you'd like suggestions for toys and games to help give your dog something more to do, please contact me at fcdogtraining@gmail.com

Some thoughts on training your own service dog, or owner-training

Here in the USA, disabled people are allowed to train their own service dog to assist them with their disability. However, just because you CAN do something doesn't necessarily mean that you SHOULD. Utilizing a service dog is becoming very popular. However it is not necessarily the best way to mitigate every disability.

It is my personal belief that if you have not trained multiple dogs through basic to advanced obedience and if you don't have the knowledge to deal with basic problem behaviors and potty training, then you don't belong training your own service dog, especially not training your own service dog without the assistance of a qualified professional dog trainer. That trainer doesn't have to necessarily be experienced in service dog training, but that is a huge bonus. You should also be able to afford the minimum necessities of housing, feeding, vet care, emergency vet care, gear, training classes, etc. without having to fundraise for those basic necessities. If you can't afford even those basic things, then you really likely can't afford a dog period.

I am a professional pet dog trainer with years of experience training dogs for myself and my clients. I am also disabled and have now successfully trained my second (and third) disability assistance service dog(s) for myself. Owner training your own service dog is NOT simple or easy or even necessarily inexpensive. It takes time, energy, and most importantly knowledge of dogs and dog training. Those of us who train our own service dogs to high standards spend hundreds if not thousands of hours training our dogs in their obedience, disability related tasks, and public access skills (which means training in coping with the vast stresses and new experiences of working out in public places), which can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years depending on the age of the dog. This is not easy and is not something to be undertaken lightly.
                http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access.html

Before I began training my first service dog I spent months researching about service dogs, speaking with service dog handlers and trainers, joined a yahoo group for service dog owner trainers. Even with all my experience I still felt slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of training a dog to assist me and be able to function well and assist me out in public. I did extensive online research about training and recommended minimum training standards, public access tests to help determine if a dog is prepared for working out in public, service dog laws, service dog etiquette, etc. Now I know everyone isn't as detail oriented as I am. But it seems that nowadays everyone is deciding on a whim to just go out and get a dog to train as their own service dog, often with very negative results. Every time a dog is labeled a service dog and misbehaves out in public it gives the public a bad representation of service dogs. This makes things much more difficult for service dog handlers that have put in the time and effort to train their service dogs to a high standard.

In order to be able to be accompanied by a service dog, the handler must be legally considered disabled, which means having substantial impairment to one or more life functions, including but not limited to caring for oneself, walking, seeing, hearing, thinking, working, eating, sleeping, etc. No disability, no service dog.

And because I HAVE to say it, the ADA law defines a service dog as a dog TRAINED to perform tasks or work that mitigates the handler's disability. Emotional support and comfort by the mere presence of the dog is NOT considered task trained and such dogs are not legally considered service dogs and their handlers do NOT have the right to have them in places where dogs aren't generally permitted. The law states a service dog must be housebroken, under the control of the handler, and not present a health or safety risk to the general public (generally interpreted as not being excessively dirty and not behaving aggressively or dangerously).
               http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Also, there is NO legally recognized or required certification, registration, and/or identification of service dogs in the USA. Places of public accommodation are NOT allowed to ask for or require any form of documentation for a service dog or require specific types of gear for the service dog to wear. When it is not readily apparent if a dog is a service dog, a place of public accommodation may legally ask two questions. Is this a dog required because of a disability? What tasks or work is the service dog trained to perform. No other questions or inquiries into the handler's disability or demonstration of tasks may be asked for or required.

Also, VERY importantly, a place of public accommodation has the LEGAL right to ask for a service dog to be REMOVED if the service dog is out of control and the handler does not take action to effectively regain control, if the dog is not housebroken (as in goes potty in a business), and/or behaves dangerously/aggressively or is excessively dirty. So just because you say your dog is a service dog DOES NOT give you carte blanche access.

Choosing a suitable dog for a service dog prospect can be quite difficult. Not every dog is suited to being a service dog. Service dogs must have extremely stable temperaments and be absolutely structurally sound. It's not as simple as "get yourself over to the shelter and rescue a dog." Great service dogs CAN come from shelters and rescues. I know, my first service dog was from a shelter. But choosing a prospect takes time and proper temperament and structural evaluation. When I was looking for my second service dog prospect, after my first service dog retired due to arthritis, I looked in shelters and rescues in SIX states for nearly a YEAR and never even saw a dog I thought I should go and evaluate. I ended up getting an amazing young adult male dog from a breeder I've known for over 20 years now. So the process of even finding an appropriate service dog prospect can take a long time and should not be rushed.

And as for choosing the breed of your prospective service dog, especially for a first time service dog trainer and handler, there's a reason the big programs use Labradors and Golden Retrievers. While you may want a special breed, if you don't have extensive experience with a specific breed, do yourself a favor and choose a breed known for success in service dog work, like a Lab or a Golden. While I know Labs and Goldens don't work for everyone, choosing breeds not normally known for success with service dog work is starting from behind in many cases. And while just about any breed MAY be able to do service dog work, it doesn't necessarily mean that they SHOULD or that most individuals of that breed should or can do the work. You also need to consider breed specific issues regarding housing, BSL (right or wrong, it exists), public perception, etc.

And a service dog may or may not be the most appropriate way for you to mitigate your disability. Being accompanied by a service dog is a lot like having to take a toddler everywhere. You have to watch out for them, make sure their needs are met, make sure they stay safe, etc. Service dogs attract a LOT of attention from the general public. People interrupt you, ask invasive personal questions, distract your service dog while they are working, interfere with your service dog while they are working by petting, blocking, sending their children over to pet, allowing their children to pet, yell at, hit, or even jump on your service dog, etc. Some businesses will try to deny you access because of your service dog. All of these things you have to be prepared for and be able to cope with while being assisted by your service dog. Don't get me wrong, it's not all bad, but it can be depending on the location and the day. So you have to determine if the assistance you gain from a service dog outweighs the additional energy spent and stress of being assisted by a service dog. Is your disability such that you can handle the unwanted attention?

I personally wouldn't trade my service dog for anything other than being healthy and not needing them anymore. Being assisted by a service dog can be an incredible experience and partnership. But it is not something to be taken lightly and not something to undertake yourself without doing your research and being assisted by an experienced trainer.



If you'd like more information on service dogs and/or the service dog training process, please contact me at fcdogtraining@gmail.com

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access.html

Balanced trainer introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Renee and I'm a balanced dog trainer...

Sheepishly waves to a chorus of "Hi Renee!"

And what is a "balanced dog trainer" you ask? In technical terms, this means a trainer who uses all four quadrants of operant conditioning (often termed "scientific training") as well as classical conditioning and counter-conditioning along with other behavior modification techniques.

What does that mean to the average person? A balanced dog trainer is a trainer who uses a wide variety of tools and techniques (within reason, of course) that they vary according to the individual situation and needs of different dogs and owners. This includes the use of punishment (as defined by operant conditioning)/corrections.

I joke that if you ask 10 dog trainers about training tools and techniques you'll get 11 different answers. Everyone has an opinion when it comes to how best to train a dog. Unfortunately, the latest trend in dog training is the positive-only movement. The positive-only movement has commandeered the dog training world, which has become embroiled in its politics. People who use tools and techniques outside the realm of what is considered to be "positive-only" are demonized, made out to be poor trainers at best, abusers at worst. Having experienced this demonization first hand, I feel it's important to show an alternative perspective on what balanced training really is, that balanced trainers are NOT abusive, as well as the serious limitations of "positive-only" training.

Dog training used to be pretty darn harsh. It was done with a lot of physical force, harsh corrections, alpha rolls, minimal rewards, etc. In response to this, dog training has swung to the polar opposite end of the spectrum, with positive-only, where at its strictest, you can't even tell the dog "No" as that's punishment. According to militant positive-only adherents, punishment will destroy a dog emotionally and will irreparably harm the relationship with the owner. Of course there are varying levels of application of "positive-only" methodology along with varying levels of devotion, sometimes bordering on cult-like fanaticism. Woe unto those who use methods that are considered outside the realm of "positive-only!"

I think it is a very important improvement in dog training that we've swung away from harsh methods. However I have seen serious limitations with the swing to the other end of the spectrum in  "positive-only" training, much to the detriment of the dogs and owners involved. I believe that intentionally limiting the tools and techniques that are acceptable to be used in dog training (again, within reason, some techniques and tools will always be abusive), as positive-only training does, unnecessarily limits the dogs that can be helped. I prefer to keep a wide variety of tools and techniques in my toolbox, so that I may be able to help in a wide variety of situations. Limiting the tools and techniques used is like only keeping a hammer in your toolbox. Sure, a hammer can be used in a lot of different situations. But it just can't do the job that a screwdriver can do. You need to have the screwdriver in your toolbox too AND know how to use it. I feel the same about positive-only dog training, which is the hammer. It can't be the only tool in your toolbox. I believe a solution is to be found somewhere in the middle, a balanced application of a variety of tools and techniques.

The following article does a good job of outlining the issue, so I don't feel the need to reinvent the wheel.

http://karmaperformance.weebly.com/when-did-balance-become-a-dirty-word.html


I am a FIRM believer in positive reinforcement training. This is where you teach the dog a behavior and then reward the dog for doing the behavior correctly with something they find rewarding (like food/treats, playing with a toy, physical affection, etc). I believe that it is very important to use positive reinforcement in TEACHING a dog what behaviors we want them to do. But I'm also a believer in balance. In every dog's training there comes a point where there must be consequences for failing to comply with our requests, once they've been taught what it is we're asking. Those consequences can vary according to the situation, from ignoring the dog doing attention seeking inappropriate behaviors, a verbal correction, a leash correction, giving the dog a time out, etc.

In all my years working with MANY different dog breeds and individuals, I have yet to find one method that consistently works for ALL dogs in all situations with all owners. People have different learning styles, so why should we assume dogs are any different? No one style of teaching or learning works best for every person and I believe the same applies to dogs as well. Different dogs and dog breeds have different temperaments and thus need different training styles and tools. Different owners vary in their abilities to train and apply different methods. If something isn't working, I believe it's important to have a variety of techniques and tools to use so both the dog and owner can succeed.


This blog will be my balanced perspective on a variety of dog related topics including training, care, nutrition, etc.