To The Woman Who Hates Dog Harnesses

This morning I got a pretty hateful comment on one of my old reviews for some leashes. The comment was in regards to my dogs wearing harnesses:

"oh god... harnesses.. great way to teach your dogs to pull are you too stupid to actually train your dogs to walk CORRECTLY on a collar?!?!?!?"

Usually I don't feed the trolls but today I decided I wanted to talk about this, since there's a huge misconception about harnesses.

Harnesses DO NOT teach dogs to pull on leash. Humans teach their dogs to pull on leash by not teaching them what they would like them to do instead of pulling. It can also be an impulse control issue as well. A "back clipping" harness **can** give a dog more leverage to pull if they have not been trained and the dog can be more easily reinforced for pulling because the owners might have less control. This is a training issue. It's NOT about what sort of gear you choose. Dogs can pull in any sort of gear at any time, even aversive equipment.

Now let's address the "too stupid" part. It is actually much more challenging to train a dog to walk nicely on a harness than it is a collar and if I can train a dog to walk politely in a back clipping harness, surely I can teach a dog to walk nicely with the leash attached to collar. My dogs can and do walk nicely in their collars all the time and I spend several nights a week helping other owners to achieve this as well, you know... at the dog training facility, where I work...

I **choose** to use harnesses on my dogs because I feel they are safer and more comfortable for the dog to wear. If a squirrel were to run across our path and they do lunge for it, their necks and tracheas are protected. Even the most well trained dogs might go for a squirrel or something and I'd rather the dogs not hurt their necks. I think a harness can be a great piece of equipment to use on a dog, especially for hiking and other outdoor adventures and we will continue to use ours.

We are product testers and I am fully aware the harness on Phoenix does not fit her very well. I didn't feel like bringing her home, putting a different one on her and re-filming.

My video response while walking the dogs.

For further reading about harnesses you can check out my friend Emily's post here:

http://dogmantics.com/is-it-harmful-to-attach-a-leash-to-your-dogs-neck-2/

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask. 

Phoenix & Zoe Training Class Updates!

I've been going back and forth about doing another training update, hopefully you guys aren't bored yet. This week was another really good week at training class and I'm pretty happy with both of my dogs! I'm sorry for not having any actual photos of them in class. I just didn't have time this week.

Phoenix did really well in her Impulse Control class this week and it's definitely something I want to celebrate and also tell you guys a funny story. If you follow me on facebook, I apologize for you having to read this twice. Our trainer set us up to do a game called "Over the River", basically they put down long lines and the dogs are supposed to stay on their side of the river while we cross the long lines. Anyways, it was really funny because as the training assistant was setting up the long lines, Phoenix picked up the drop leash and tried to give it back. It was such a cute and hilarious moment in class and it's something I wanted to remember.

Phoenix is feeling a lot better about the class and she isn't as fearful. She's still nervous any time we do stuff that requires her to be closer to dogs or the trainers but she's able to do it and she hasn't shut down. This past week she was even able to tug during class. Next week is her last class and I'm sad about it because I feel like she could really use more classes like this one and now that I've switched to working Fridays I won't be able to take her.

Zoe is having a blast in her nosework class. She absolutely loves it and she's doing great! I'm so glad I found something that she likes. She gets so excited when it's her turn to search! I've taken everyone's suggestions from last week's post to heart and I've been working on getting her the reward faster for finding the scent and I've also been working with boxes that are weighed down so she can't flip them. It's going really well and she's gotten to the point where some of the time she will gently scratch the box instead of throw it across the room. Which is great progress for it only being a week!

This week Zoe met one of her classmates and for a moment I forgot which dog I had and sort of had a mini panic attack. The dog is a rottweiler/airedale mix and he's huge. Zoe did great and was wagging the whole time but after a few minutes I ended up pulling her back and away from him because I don't like doing on leash greetings anymore after having Phoenix. Zoe is getting older, crabby and less tolerant of other dog's shenanigans so it's best if we are careful.

Phoenix is also loving her nosework lessons. Basically whatever Zoe learns in class, I come home and teach to both dogs. Phoenix gets really excited and she's been having a hard time waiting for her turn to search, which I'm going to work on with her. I'm glad both dogs are really excited about searching and I'm having a lot of fun with it too!

So that's about it for our training updates from this week. I hope it's not too boring for you guys!

Training Updates! Impulse Control & Nosework

Happy Training Tuesday everyone!

Phoenix has been going to Impulse Control classes on Fridays and if you've been reading my updates you will know that she's been struggling in the classes. She is a lot more afraid of other dogs than I originally thought. It really makes me sad because she's her true happy self, she plays and takes food and has a great time up until the first dog arrives. After the first dog gets there, she starts acting fearful and she's been getting stressed. 

This past Friday, I got to work early per my usual routine and I decided to try something different. We played for the first 15 or so minutes and then after that I asked for relaxation. I've been working for a very long time with both of my dogs to relax on the mat and that's what we did. I had her lay on her side and gave her a massage and some nice calm petting. She almost fell asleep but our instructor arrived and that was that. I have no idea if it helped or not but she did so much better. The dog that ran up to her two weeks ago was also absent and I honestly think that was a relief for both of us.

Phoenix was able to participate in all of the lessons and we didn't really use any barriers. In the photo above, she's actually out in the middle of the room with the other dogs close by. She settled on her mat as other dogs walked past her and she also was able to walk past other dogs and around the room. She did really well and she was a lot more relaxed than any of her previous Impulse Control classes. She has 2 more weeks of this class and I'm really hoping the next sessions go as well as this one did. 

Zoe is loving her nosework classes, probably a little too much. :D The only solo photo of Zoe is on the skateboard! Sorry about that! This was our second nosework class. I was not able to get any photos of her searching because I was too embarrassed to ask someone to do it for me and right now she's kind of a destructo-dog so taking the photos myself is an impossible task. Zoe has played way too many shaping games with boxes so when she gets to the box with the scent she offers all sorts of random behaviors. Most of them are hilarious but not exactly needed for an alert. Right now she's decided that flipping the boxes is what I want. She puts her nose towards the bottom of the box and flips them. At least she ignores the other boxes that don't have the scent so that's good. 

I was given advice by our trainer and several other people to try and get the treats into her before she can start offering crazy behavior with the scented box and I've been trying my best to do that. She definitely sticks to her alert but it's "be crazy time" with the scented box and I'm hoping I can get rid of all of that behavior soon. She's having so much fun in class and I'm really excited we found something that she likes to do! Phoenix is also learning the nosework lessons at home and both dogs are really loving it! We had a pretty good week this week and zero reactivity! Woohoo! 

Have you taught anything new to your dog lately?

Training Updates! Good & Not So Great...

Happy Training Tuesday everyone! I have some training updates on both dogs for you.

I posted this last week but Phoenix graduated from her Treibball class. That was pretty cool and she actually knows the lessons that were taught. It was a fun experience and something I hadn't taught before. I learned a lot and I'm hoping to continue with it!

Phoenix is still taking her Impulse Control class. I didn't update about it last week because she had a hard time in class and I wanted to think about it before I wrote about it. One of the other dogs got away from their person and ran up to her (nothing happened, she didn't snark at the other dog because I removed her immediately). Phoenix shut down on me after that for the rest of that class. She didn't want to participate in any of the exercises and she stopped taking food. This dog lives for food and loves to work so if she didn't want to do the lessons or take food, it was a pretty big deal. I wasn't very happy about it and I was pretty upset that Phoenix is really THAT scared of other dogs. She's always been a pretty resilient little dog, things would happen to her and she'd bounce right back. Taking her to class has really shown me a different side to her, it makes me sad and it's really eye opening.

 
We go to class early so she can run around the building and play. She will never be able to do play groups so it's the one little thing I can give her and nobody seems to mind when I show up early. We play fetch and practice our lessons a little bit before the class and she's a completely different dog. She's having fun and running around like she owns the place, then as soon as the first dog shows up she is just not herself. Her playful, enthusiastic self goes away. It's kind of depressing and it makes me glad that I never put her into classes when I first got her. Back then she definitely would not have done well. I also really regret the year and a half we spent in California because before we moved there she was doing pretty well with her dog/dog interactions and that year and half spent in isolation in the mountains was a year and a half we could of been training. Literally nothing went right leading up to the move from Oregon to California.. I was supposed to have a car and the freedom to do stuff with the dogs and that pretty much died when my car did. It sucked and I wish it could of been different.

 
The very next Impulse Control Class we attended went a lot better. She was still really nervous in class but nobody ran up to her and she was able to do the whole class. I was a lot more happy with how it went versus the previous class. I know that not all dogs are going to like other dogs but it would be nice if she could hang out comfortably with other dogs without being so nervous that they will eat her. That's really my only goal at this moment with her.

Zoe started her Nose Work class. I had been debating which dog I wanted to put into the class and I had no idea which one to choose. I generally prefer working with Phoenix more than Zoe. I love Zoe but she can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Zoe's general anxiety and resource guarding really stresses me out and I wasn't sure if she would even want to do the class. She's not very driven to play my games or participate in stuff. She loves to do her tricks and she has a lot of fun with them but she can be really independent and dare I say it... stubborn. Yes, she can be stubborn and I don't use that word lightly. Generally when people say their dogs are stubborn, it's because the dog isn't motivated enough to do the thing or not trained well enough and the training was not proofed. Zoe has the training and the proofing for me to say she can sometimes be stubborn and that can make it difficult on our relationship. I love her but sometimes I don't like the behaviors she does. The love but not like actually reared it's head on Saturday but I'll get to that in a minute. I'm hoping that she likes nosework and maybe she can learn to use her super sniffer for something other than finding rodents.

Zoe has done some nosework stuff before but not at all in a traditional way. She's been playing "find mom's keys" since we got her and we've done some other nosework games, too. I figured I would try the class with her and see how it went. She really liked the games we played during class and she had a good time. She was pretty excited that the first games she was learning involved finding various hidden food. Her mind was pretty blown that all she had to do was look for food and not do a complicated trick first. I also did some drive building with her, where I held her back, got her really excited to search and then released her to the boxes and it was so fun seeing her actually spring forward and happily do the thing. Class went really well. I also came home and taught the lessons to Phoenix, too.

Phoenix plays the nosework game. (We are out of boxes at the moment)

So after the class we had a work meeting and I'm not sure what I was thinking but I had both dogs out with me. I figured they would be okay to settle on their mat while we had the meeting. They settle on their mat together for all sorts of things, when we eat at outdoor restaurants and coffee places so this is not a new thing. Oh boy... I am such an idiot sometimes. One of my co-workers brought her little chihuahua and even though that dog didn't come near my dogs and had no interest in my dogs, Zoe spent 2/3rds of the meeting resource guarding her space. It was so bad that Phoenix kept getting up and refusing to lay down next to her. She was doing it subtly with just her eyes and some whining, it was not enough to where any of the trainers would notice but Phoenix and I both knew exactly what she was doing and I was like: "Oh. My. God. I am going to have to throttle my dog in front of a bunch of other positive reinforcement trainers. Crap." (No, I wasn't actually going to throttle her... LOL) It was so embarrassing! I don't know what got into her but seriously, the other dog wasn't even interested in her or her space. I finally ended up saying something and my co-worker was kind enough to pick up her dog. After her dog was safely in her lap, Zoe actually fell asleep and it turned out okay. The next meeting we have, my dogs probably won't be attending!

I don't know why Zoe has to be such an asshole sometimes but it can be really frustrating! I've put a lot of work into her and she's a great dog most of the time but those few times she's not it can be so embarrassing. I'm really hoping she continues to like her nosework classes, though! She seemed like she was having fun and maybe this is her sort of thing!

I will keep everyone updated on how things go with both dogs!

Are you taking any training classes with your dogs?

It's Not About Being Alpha

Zoe & Phee wait politely at the gate.

It's about good manners and safety.

I ask my dogs to wait and I walk through doorways and gates before them and if I don't walk through the door before them they need to at least be polite and not rush through or drag me out. It's not about being alpha. It's about teaching them impulse control and good manners. It's about safety. Rushing out the door can get a dog killed by a car. Rushing out the door can get someone knocked over and hurt. I also ask them to wait at the gate into the dog park until they are released and that's just reinforcing their good impulse control.

Happy National Train Your Dog Month everyone! I think it's pretty cool that there's a whole month dedicated to training your dog but really, training is for life. If you don't use it you lose it. We are constantly working on things.

One of the most important things to train a dog is impulse control. I talk about it all the time because it's so important. Dogs who don't know how to control themselves end up in the ER or dead.

Phoenix waits at the door.

We have a bunch of rules at our house and it's all to keep the dogs safe. I don't allow them in the kitchen while we are cooking, instead they can lie on the carpet near the kitchen and watch. I don't allow them to gobble up anything I drop, instead I ask them to wait and if it's safe I might release them to "get it". I actually had a client who's dog was hospitalized for a week after she dropped two Aleve pills and he ate them. He was lucky he didn't die. So things that are dropped are off limits unless I say it's okay to have it. I also don't allow them to eat things they find when we are out walking for the same reason.

I wish I knew who drew this so I could give them credit!

Again, it's not about being alpha or showing them who's the boss. The dominance theory has been debunked and we actually work together like a team. It's important that the girls have skills to keep them safe and good manners so they are not annoying to live with.

Whatever the dog does before she gets what she wants will be reinforced by getting what she wants. So if your dog rushes out the door and gets to go where she wants to go, that rushing out the door is reinforced and will be repeated. So if we teach our dog to sit and wait politely before we open the door and then she gets to go out, you are reinforcing her for sitting instead of rushing out. You are teaching the dog that by sitting and being patient she will get to go where she wants to go. The same thing goes for any behavior a dog will do. If the behavior is reinforced (by either you or just the dog getting what he wants) the behavior will be repeated. You are able to decide what is reinforced by training and management.

I do this with food and pretty much everything else. I've taught Kikopup's "No Mugging" and they are not allowed to just snatch or grab whatever they want. I also teach a solid "out" in case someone makes a mistake because let's face it. They are dogs and sometimes they do dumb things. I'm really happy to tell you that I've never had to induce vomiting with my dogs and we've never been to the vet because they ate something they shouldn't have. (Knock on wood!) I also keep my house really well managed and everything is kept out of reach and put away.

I also have rules for playing tug. The dogs are not allowed to take the toy until I say they can, they must not put their mouth on my hand and they must "out" when I ask. It's not about me being in charge or me being alpha. It's about me not getting my hand bitten off while we are playing. It's about being patient and polite. Sometimes they get to win the toy, sometimes I win but the game has to have rules. They understand the rules and they have a lot of fun playing.

Teaching a dog impulse control is not that difficult but it does take some time for them to get it. Pick a behavior you want to reward the dog for and wait for it. As soon as that behavior happens, they get the thing they want. You just have to be patient with the dog. If they are demand barking at you for something, wait them out. They can't bark forever. Barking does not get my dogs anywhere so it rarely happens around here unless I cue them to do it. If they are rushing out the door, put a leash on them and wait for them to sit or calm down. Then slowly, inch by inch open the door. If the dog breaks the sit, close the door. The dog does not get to go out until they can maintain that sit with the door wide open and you can walk out without them breaking the sit. (Sit, Stand, Down.. whatever you want the dog to do. It doesn't have to be sit.)

Being patient and staying consistent is very important. You have to decide what the rules are and make sure you follow through with them. It's all about the follow through. You can't just let the dog rush through the door one day and then the next they are not allowed to do it. It's the same with jumping up or snatching food, etc.

The girls are still dogs, they get to have fun and be dogs but because we have rules and because we do so much training they actually get more freedom than a lot of other dogs! You can achieve anything with your pups if you work hard enough for it!

Happy Training everyone!

Do you have any house rules for your dogs? Are you planning on teaching them anything new during National Train Your Dog Month? Tell me about it in the comments below! :D

Indoor Exercise and Impulse Control for Dogs

Have you ever been sick or hurt yourself? Maybe it's too hot or too cold for going out. What if you have a breed that can't tolerate the climate you live in? Maybe you're disabled and you can't always walk your dog. Your dog might be reactive and you just can't handle another day of barking and lunging.

I think we've all been there at some point in our lives where getting outside just isn't going to happen. I've had days where I was sick, days where it was way too hot and days where it was pouring rain. My dogs absolutely hate going out in the rain and they don't like being cold. Dogs still need exercise and mental stimulation and that's where coming up with indoor games is critical.

Recently I signed up for Susan Garrett's "freecaller" program. You got a portion of her "recaller" class for free. Sadly, her program is way too expensive for us and we couldn't continue with it but at the end of the free portion she did a live webinar. During the webinar Susan did a demonstration of her puppy playing an impulse control game that she dubbed the WOW! game. We've played a lot of impulse control games before and I really liked the way she did that game so about two weeks ago we started playing it, too.

Here's a video of my dogs playing the game. 

Note: In the video, you can see that Zoe does not like having her collar grabbed and she does not like being restrained. She is more weirded out about the restraint and doesn't like it when I use it to "drive her forward". I'm definitely planning on working on this!

After doing this game for about twenty minutes they were both ready for naps. They were exhausted and since the game is mentally and physically challenging it's win-win! They love playing this game and it's a great alternative for going outside. It also makes feeding time a lot more interesting than just pouring a bunch of kibble into a bowl and setting it down. Since they also have to "search" for the kibble it gives them a job to do and dogs love jobs.

Teaching Impulse Control is such an important aspect of dog training. They have to learn how to control themselves and that not everything dropped on the ground is for them. It's also helpful in so many other ways and makes living with dogs much easier. I plan on doing another post about this important topic so stay tuned.

Now for some directions. If your dog is new to playing impulse control games I would recommend taking a look at the It's Yer Choice tutorial. Kikopup also has a great one about teaching them not to mug your hand. I would recommend working on those two things first before proceeding on to the more advanced version of what I did in my video. You can still toss kibble and have them chase it for the exercise, though! I also do a version of It's Yer Choice (with the treats in my hand first and then near me on the ground) before I start the WOW! game to warm them up for it. 

Do you play indoor games with your dogs? What's your favorite?

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone!