Sniff sniff is a "command" you should teach your dog!

I wrote another post a while ago praising the merits of a dog that will "sniff" on cue.
Sniffing is rewarding for most dogs so it can be a command and a reward. If your dog is sniffing then he isn't _________ (fill in the blank ie: gobbling down pooh, running away, barking, etc.)
If you led him to the good smelling spot then you are a good leader in his eyes.
You can be the leader that tells when to sniff and when to pay attention to you ... when to walk nicely on leash and when to take a sniff break ... when to ....
You get the idea!





Sniff is one of the foundation behaviours that we teach in our STEP ONE Training Workshops.
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html

Mat Enthusiasm

I was recently helping a family with their dog "Roxie", a Yorkie cross that barks intolerably at the doorbell.
Part of the solution was to train their dog to love Mat Games! This is a short video of Roxie's very first time playing the mat game:
***coming soon***

This foundation skill can be used in helping solve many behaviour problems and also as a way of teaching stay, leave it and ignoring distractions.

See our training workshop information on the next class to teach your dog this and some other useful life skills!
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html

Mat training instead of "no begging"

What is the big deal about expecting dogs not to beg? When I walk past a chocolate store I peek in the windows and my salivary glands are triggered and my senses are stimulated and my eyes get round ... why should a dog not have similar reactions to foods that tempt him?
Is it that they shouldn't look? Is it that they shouldn't act upon their impulses to take the food from our plate? Am I allowed to look in the store window? Am I allowed to look and see how much change I have in my purse? To buy? To eat? Chocolate!!!

Why do we expect dogs to have standards higher than those that we set for ourselves?

I consider begging to be a good opportunity to teaching a long reliable down stay behaviour!

Yoga has proven benefits ...

Dogs need relaxation too.
This is Katherine with her dogs Keegan, Daisy and George.

http://championofmyheart.com/relaxation-protocol-mp3-files/

SPCA Paws for A Cause

SPCA Paws For A Cause was held in Squamish on Sunday September 12th, 2010.

Maren and Katherine joined many other people with their soggy doggy friends for the annual event.

Activities included the group walk, dunking for weiners, musical sit, best trick contest, agility and clicker training demonstrations.



Join us next year! http://bcspca.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=paws_home

Train with us and teach your dog good leash manners, attention, tricks and the secret to winning the hot dog dunking competition!!!
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html

This video should go viral!

You will watch this video from start to finish I am sure!

Artistic, creative and fun for both the humans and the dogs! No suppressed dogs. No intimidation training. If dogs can be trained to perform behaviours like this through positive reinforcement methods then surely we can come up with intelligent ways of teaching them appropriate household manners without using excuses such as "dominance" and "alpha"... Afterall, it's really all just tricks to them!

Below is quoted from Kelly Gorman Dunbar:

Just like the treadmill video for the song “Here It Goes Again”, the video is extremely artistic and very entertaining. However, the best part for me is that it features dogs doing many different behaviors of varying levels of difficultly (but none too challenging on their own) very well, simultaneously in real time. The whole routine was filmed in one piece with no editing. While the routine is very impressive, the dogs are allowed to be dogs and to show their enthusiasm for the work.

It’s clear the dogs are having fun, enjoying working, and are comfortable being dogs, letting their own individual personalities shine through. There is nothing robotic or oppressive in their nature. In other words it’s clear to me the dogs were highly motivated and probably play/trained for the video.

This brief interview with the trainer Lauren Henry of Talented Animals confirmed my suspicions, “"We spent a lot of time playing with them … Each behavior is part of a whole game they’re playing,” she explains. “For instance: the dogs running around people’s legs at the beginning. Riot, the little dog on the left, I would have her go around the chair and then I’d throw the ball. Then I would have her go her around the chair twice, and then throw the ball. And then three times, and then add the person.”

The other great things the dogs’ performance in this video illustrates is that perfection is not necessary for an impressive presentation and that training can be fun at both ends of the leash. Very cool OK Go, very cool indeed.

To read Kelly Gorman Dunbar's full post and other great dog training advice see:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/music-video-thats-gone-dogs

Happy Dogs and Happy Humans! Positive Training works!

The scientific principles of positive reinforcement at work ... work that looks like fun though eh!!!?!!!

When dogs are trained through this method they actually want to do what we ask of them because of trust, communication and their relationship with us; their benevolent leader!

Dogs can learn to control their impulses if they are taught that is how they get access to the good things in life.

We promote using management to prevent "mis-behaviour" and then teach "correct" behaviour. Sometimes even getting a chance to misbehave for a moment can be reinforcing to a dog no matter the outcome. Polite social skills with people and dogs are taught in this way.

The behaviours or “cues” that we teach to our dogs are used as a "key" to things in life that they want. This is called the Premack principle and it is the basis for many of the exercises that we teach.

In this way "Obedience commands" can be achieved without any use of force or intimidation. In fact by using reinforcement correctly a behaviour can actually become stronger over time and more reliable in different situations. Over time you need to use “rewards” less and less often because that is how you strengthen the behaviour! Teaching off leash skills is not difficult because it wasn't used as a training tool in the first place.

With control and intimidation methods it is often the force that has to get stronger in order to maintain the desirable behaviour and it has to be repeated in different scenarios. The dogs' desire to "misbehave" hasn't been changed. It is only being temporarily suppressed ... until that time when they know you can’t make them do it or when they want something that they think is better than you have to offer or that time ....

We promote positive reinforcement training because we know it works and have seen it work over and over and over again ... with many different breeds and types and ages of dogs. Sadly I have also seen force and intimidation methods used on dogs and though in some cases it appeared to work to punish the problem behaviour it actually only suppresses it temporarily ... and along with it also suppresses the life in the dogs eyes. Aversive methods also increase anxiety, reactivity and aggression in dogs. What happens when a child or another person is unable to physically dominate a dog? Why can Walruses be trained?

If given the choice wouldn’t you or any other individual rather be with a trainer that uses positive reinforcement than one that uses coercive techniques? Using positive techniques makes the trainer feel better too. Win-win situation all round don't you think!?!


Katherine Mutzke and I team together to bring you Training Workshops such as STEP ONE and NEXT STEP - Out and About.
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html


Maren Bruun partners with Eagleview Veterinary Hospital to offer positive reinforcement training and socialization for new puppy owners! Start off on the right paw!
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/puppy-early-learning-at-local.html

WUFF WUFF! Gather Around! A Helicopter!

Time for some Anthropomorphizing !

We were out for a wonderful walkies today. Maren calls them "field trips". Dogs appreciate beautiful autumn days too! We were full of zoom! We were happy to run and play and explore the forest trails. Maren always seems to get her camera out on days like this so we stayed nice and close so we could have a chance of getting our picture taken!



Whenever Maren stops along the trail we know there is a pretty good chance of something good happening. Positive reinforcement works wonders! Kinda like gambling ... if there is even a slight chance of getting a jackpot (the good treats from the left pocket this time?!?) then it is worthwhile to keep trying it out. Lots more stories about that ... but back to today...

So Maren seems to always have us in the corner of her eye at all times. Whenever one of us checks in and looks at her she acknowledges us and then VOILA she says "Yes" and we get some kind of reinforcement ... sometimes a treat, sometimes praise, sometimes a scritchy scratchy, maybe a stick or a chance to run alongside her or play hide and seek in the brush or ... ooops, getting carried away ... it's just good to check in with Maren 'cause she finds fun and interesting and tasty things when we do that!

Our names are also important and worthwhile responding to! Same thing ... never know what kind of fun or good stuff happens after we hear our name. After a while Rocky doesn't bother responding to the name Trixie, or Baxter doesn't both responding to the name Opal, but if thier name is spoken ... instant HEAD FLICK!

Sometimes Maren calls the whole group to come with a whistle. I think there is video of that on the blog too ... the whistle is the BEST! It is always followed by the extra high value reinforcements (fancy dog trainer language but reinforcers can be different depending on the individual ... can't imagine why not all dogs love sticks like me but hey, I guess not all dogs love being petted either ... their reward might just be sweet talkings ...) anyway ... got carried away again talking about rewards! Maren's dog Opal turned on a dime once when a deer bounded away right in front of her ... hard to imagine but the whistle had been sooooo well reinforced and the response was so visceral and automatic that when Maren blew the whistle Opal just spun around and came! We are in awe... but our whole group turned away from a bear about a month ago too so I suppose we're awesome too!

So back to today ...
Oh, actually one more thing ...

Us dogs that have been hanging around with Maren for a while know the Gather Around Routine well. She stops. We gather around. Polite is right! Don't sit too far away but pushiness doesn't pay off either. If some dog tries to push another dog out then the other dog gets a treat. If some schmuck tries to hoard the treats then he gets pushed outta the circle (simply stepping into another dogs space works wonders). Some dogs are worried about other dogs coming close but even they soon learn that there is no threat there ... if a dog comes close then the treat rate actually goes up. Cool! I learned that one! I actually like other dogs getting into my space now! And, the longer you stay sitting, the higher your chances of more coming your way. Don't have to yell at us to stay! We like that idea! Then the ultimate reward ... give eye attention to Maren and then she leads us on the next part of the adventure!!! Arf Wuff Arrrooooooooo!

Twice today we encountered a motorcyclist. I don't know who heard the loud vroooming noise first, Maren or us dogs, but the sound of a motorcycle has become emotionally conditioned to mean good things to us. Maren moves off to the side at a wide part of the trail (the start of the Gather Around Routine that I just told you about.) Some of the dogs that have been doing field trips for a while actually turn to look at Maren at the first sound of a motorcycle ... or bicycle for that matter ... no yelling and compulsion or aversive training techniques needed to stop a bike chases ... but that's for another blog entry ...

So today ... yes, back to today again ... Dogs are sometimes said to have a sixth sense but Maren swears she didn't consciously hear the helicopter coming ... she had the camera out and was videoing us playing the "Name Game" when suddenly it was almost overhead ... and LOUD!

We had played the "Gather Around" game with the motorcycle earlier in the walk so the routine was fresh in our memory. Noise + Maren stops = Gather around and have the extra good treats from the left pocket and happy praise and take turns and make eye contact and then be released to romp and adventure some more!

Moral of the story?
"Why check out or chase or worry about a motorcycle or helicopter or whatever the case may be ... when Maren leads us confidently aside and makes it worth our while!" We trust our leader and take our cues from her!

Dog Star Daily has a lot of good advice and hey, here is that fancy word!
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/what-anthropomorphism

Some of the training games that Maren uses with us are taught in her Training Workshops. Check out http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html

Thanks for growling?!?!

The front page of the Whistler Question on Thursday September 2, 2010 had a picture of a dog that was taking part in a recent WAG fundraiser. The dog was in a crowded room at the k9 Wine and Dine event along with other four and two legged guests in a hotel banquet room type setting. The dog was dressed in a shirt, seated on a chair at a table, and was being hugged by two children that were family members -- and then made to pose for the camera. The dog was obviously stressed as could be seen by his facial tension, ears held back, whites of eyes showing, tongue lip licking, mouth pulled back, avoidance and that was without seeing the rest of the body! How far would this dog go sending "help" signals before someone noticed and helped him out of an uncomfortable situation. Maybe his owners never considered that just one more stressor could put their usually easygoing dog over the edge. Was he really fine or was he only worried about the camera? Was it the last drop that overflowed the bucket or was it the many small drops before that? Would this dog bite? Maybe, maybe not.... How do you feel when you are stressed and then faced with more and more stressors? Have you ever "snapped"?

This video is well known amongst dog trainers. Watch it carefully. Did this dog "suddenly bite out of the blue"? Watch for early warning signs that the dog is uncomfortable. If we educate ourselves on recognizing the early warning signs of stress in our dogs and help them get out of situations we can prevent unnecessary risk and possible injury. You may be able to help teach your dog to find their way out of a situation but sometimes it is up to us to step in before things escalate. If your dog is growling you may have already missed some subtle cues. Don't punish the growl. Watch your dog closely and help them before they feel the need to growl.



This is a highly recommended article by respected professional dog trainer and author Pat Miller. Pass it on to anyone you know with a dog!
http://www.peaceablepaws.com/articles.php?subaction=showfull&id=1282173843&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&type=Pat

If you are already seeing multiple stress signs in your dog you may want to consider some professional help. Contact us at maren@pawinhand.com or 604-892-4278

Dragonflies, Dogs and Life...

The other day I was out hiking with a group of dogs. We were near a pond at the edge of the forest. I had a lot on my mind over the last few days trying to educate the owners of a new puppy as to why aversive methods of dog training were not only cruel and potentially harmful but not even effective in the long run. Over the last few months I had also been entwined with changes in my dog service business and career. Contemplations of mid life changes were mixed in there as well.



So, with compassion and change on the forefront of my mind I made a discovery that brought with it more than it may have at another time in my life. Ahead of me on the dusty trail I saw a large blue dragonfly ... motionless. My first thought was that it was dead and I would collect it for my nature display. When I picked it up however, I discovered that it was still alive and I felt an instant surge of compassion. Compassion for a dragonfly. Was it hurt and beyond recovery? Should I put it out of it’s suffering?



I held it in the palm of my hand and stared at it’s iridescent beauty, totally mesmerized. Watching dragonflies in flight, riding the breeze and hovering can easily put me in a contented trance but staring into the many faceted depths of the eyes of a living one is ... is ... well, I can honestly say that my life changed that day.



Dragonfly behaviourist I am not, however as I observed the dragonfly in my hand it was apparent that it had been injured in some way, quite possibly it’s neurological system. It’s legs sporadically twitched and a few times his wings readied for flight but with erratic ineffective movements. A couple of times it’s body made odd contortions. I took photos of it with my camera phone as I considered whether there was a chance that the dragonfly was temporarily stunned and may regain function or whether it was kindest to help it quickly to it’s death. It didn’t seem to get worse or better. I carried it for a while in my camera case.



Some time later I took it out and again held it in my hand and observed it. Similar body movements to before. Then it’s wings started to quiver and vibrate more and more rapidly until the amazing insect flew out of my hand! ... and sadly landed once again on the ground. I quickly scooped it up so no dog would harm it and I felt the time was right to end it’s life. No sooner had I decided when once again it flew off ... I’d like to say that it flew to freedom but in an instant as fast as I could have done it myself, a dog snatched him and quickly ended his life. I was stunned but ...



What does this experience have to do with dog training and behaviour? As I watched the dragonfly I thought of compassion and understanding and what is normal behaviour for a species.

Coincidence? One of my all time favourite mentors, professional dog trainer and seminar presented is Sue Ailsby. She had a very compassionate and understanding style with dogs. Her website is called Dragonfly Llama. Check out http://www.dragonflyllama.com/index.html



Another one of my all time favourite dog trainers is Suzanne Clothier. She is author of the excellent book "Bones Would Rain From The Sky -- Deepening our Relationships with Dogs". It is available at the Squamish library as well as at my favourite dog book supplier www.dogwise.com Check out Suzanne's insightful articles on understanding dogs http://www.flyingdogpress.com/



And... some interesting symbolism about dragonflies. Verrrrry interesting indeed....

http://www.dragonfly-site.com/meaning-symbolize.html

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-dragonfly.html

Trailiquette

My daughter and I hiked up the Chief today and were of course accompanied by our doggie hiking buddies Opal and Trixie. (I just realized I have to do a post to introduce them properly!) Quite a few people commented on how well behaved our dogs were. I thanked them but made a point of mentioning that we do continually work on it.

Dogs are allowed off leash on the Peak Trail. I want to help ensure that they always are.

Trail Etiquette is a subject that has always got me very emotional. I remember when I was a child, seeing an article in a magazine "A World Without Dogs". It showed a photo of an empty beach. It had a great impression on me. The article mentioned that not everyone loves dogs but if dog owners were responsible and kept their dogs under control and picked up their waste that then people could share public places harmoniously together. When people let their dogs off leash and allowed them to jump up on and greet people, run over their towels at the beach, barge into children and rudely ambush shy dogs regardless of the other dogs and owners signals then dog will be less and less welcome in public places. Obeying signs is of course respectful too. I brought water for my dogs so that when we got to the creek where a sign was posted "Please keep dogs out of water ... drinking source for campsite" they weren't tempted.

Today it was important that my dogs stayed close to me. It was important that they didn't bark at people and that they moved to the side or waited at crowded parts on the trail. We only met a few other dogs today. The owner of one had the dog by her side and under control and said something about it not being good with small dogs. I respected that and ensured I had Trixie under control. Her dog was also under control. Respect. The other two dogs we met were sociable and respectful and again under verbal control of their owner. The dogs all had appropriate dog greeting behaviour and went on their way. I saw no dog feces on the trail either!

There is room on the trails for us all if we take some common courtesies. Please don't take your dog off leash in public places if you don't have good verbal control. Please train your dog. (on our hike today we used attention, targeting, mat work, wait, shadow handling and lots and lots of Premack principle with distractions such as chipmunks) Please appreciate that not everyone or every dog for that matter wants to visit with your dog. Learn about dog body language and teach your dog to respect others' as well.

Join our STEP ONE Training Workshop to teach your dog some foundation behaviours and then move on to our Out and About Workshop:
http://pawinhand.blogspot.com/p/step-one.html


Dog Star Daily article:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/mind-your-trail-manners