Agility

Agility is an absolutely fantastic sport for dogs, and for so many reasons. It's great physical and mental exercise, fun for you and your dog, and most of all it strengthens the bond between owner and dog. In order to be able to do agility, your dog has to learn how to pay attention to you and read the slightest of cues and respond to those cues in an instant. When competing, your dog is going through a new obstacle course and must look to you to know where to go and what to do. It takes hours and hours of training to get your dog used to all the different obstacles, but the process is extremely fun and completely worth it. I took a few agility courses with one of my dogs, he loved it and I noticed a great improvement in our everyday training afterwards.
There are a few things your dog must be good at before you even start the basics of agility. Having reliable recall and off leash behavior is a must, since agility is an off leash sport. Your dog must be able to be around other dogs and distractions and still listen to you.
You begin with the very basics in agility, usually just getting your dog used to the obstacles and using lots of treats and praise. But once your dog is familiar with what is required of him, you begin working on the most important part of agility, reading and responding to your ques. The finished product will be you running a little ahead of your dog and pointing to which obstacles you want him to do, while also saying their name. To get to this point you have to get your dog used to following your hands and knowing what each obstacle is called. For example, with the tunnel to you run with your dog and lead him into the tunnel with your hand at the same time that you say 'tunnel'. After a few times you run and wave him into the tunnel while you are a foot or two away, eventually you will be able to say tunnel and point from a long distance away and your dog will know what to do. This skill of looking to you for guidance and following your lead is something that will greatly improve all aspects of dog training, and help strengthen the bond between you and your dog. 

 

Surfing

With a trip to Santa Cruz in the near future, I ran across this video....I still can't tell if the dogs actually enjoy this, or if they just put up with it. I can't imagine how these people got their dogs trained to surf, I plan on looking into the technicality of it in the future. My guess would be that you need to start your dog young, and slowly get them used to being on the board, being on a moving board, and being out in the ocean water.... Which, for most dogs, probably takes way more time and dedication than I have. It would also take the right type of dog. My yellow lab, for example, would not be a good dog to train to surf, simply because he is an extremely sensitive dog who is scared of his own shadow at times. My black lab, on the other hand, has a very calm and cool temperament, he is much more open minded to new things, so he would be a perfect dog to train for this difficult of a task!
Here is a simple and brief breakdown of how I would go about this training:
Get the dog used to being on the board at home by having him sit and do tricks on it, always giving him the treat while he is on the board.
Have your dog stay on the board for long periods of time.
Slowly introduce distractions so your dog stays on the board even around seagulls, seals, whales, oh my!
Having your dog stand on the board while you move it, either dragging it (if it's an old, unused board) or carrying it.
Having your dog float on the board in calm water,such as a lake.
And finally, applying all of this in the ocean.
It seems this would take many months of slow, progressive training to accomplish.. I'm excited to see if any of my dogs will be willing to surf next week.

When to Call the Vet

Recently my family in Idaho had to say goodbye to their beloved dog, a nine year old Pomeranian who would likely still be alive if the vet had been called sooner. By the description of it, she had been showing signs of illness for days before she passed. Often times it's hard to know when something is serious enough to bring to the vet, or if your dog will get over it on his/her own. Here are some signs that more than likely say your dog should see a vet.

• If your dog has been through any traumatic experience such as hit by car, attacked by other animal, broken limbs etc..
• You suspect your dog has eaten anything toxic.
• Sudden weight loss.
• If your dog is not eating, drinking or is lethargic for more than 24 hours. (Lethargy may be hard to notice in some dogs, or may not seem like an emergency, but this was the main symptom our Pomeranian showed in her last days.)
• Diarrhea for more than a day or two, or diarrhea with blood. 
• Fur falling out/excessive itching or chewing.
• Any signs of bloat. This is a big risk for big chested dogs, and I may dedicate a blog to bloat in the future. 
•   Discharge from eyes and nose.
• An unusual cough, which could be a sign of a collapsed trachea, especially in small, short nosed breeds.

The list could go on and on, but this is a basic, simple list that covers a lot of the major problems that could be life threatening to your dog. Obviously you want to use your better judgment, you know what's normal and not for your dog. But if you are questioning whether or no to take your dog to the vet, it would be wisest to pay a visit or at least call. It could save your dogs life.

R.I.P Tootsie

Importance of Timing

 I feel that I cannot stress the importance of timing with dog training enough. You could be getting everything else wrong and still have good outcomes. In almost every post I've made I have tried to emphasize that the timing must be exact. As I was reading through one of my favorite dog training sights I came across this, which is a very good example of two very important aspects of dog training, rewarding only for good behavior and timing:

Believe it or not ...

You should NEVER reward your dog for unwanted behavior.   Instead, reward only good behavior.  Sounds simple, right?  You'd think it would be.  But most other dog training programs confuse this very straight-forward concept...

For example:

Let's say you're practicing the "Down-Stay" with your dog, around distractions.  Most other dog training programs suggest that when your dog breaks the command (when he gets up before the exercise is finished) that you go back to the dog and put him back into the down position... and then praise him?

Fact: What you're really doing is confusing your dog.  You're praising him for getting up before you've completed the exercise.  You've told him, "You've made a mistake... good boy!"  

Does that make sense to your dog?  Absolutely not.  

So, you end up having to do endless repetitions until either you quit or your dog somehow magically understands.  He might learn the exercise, but it will take 100 times longer than if you were communicating clearly with your dog.  And that's not intelligent dog training.

If you have all of your other techniques down to an art, but your timing is off, you will find that your dog is not learning to his full potential, if at all. One example I came across yesterday was when I was walking past my neighbors dog who always goes nuts when he sees our dogs. The owner was outside, preparing himself to 'correct' his dog, who was in turn getting ready to start barking.

What he did: The dog raced towards the fence and started to bark, like usual. His owner waited until that moment to rush up and give his dog a correction. The owner literally had to wrap his arms around the dog and force him to sit and clamp his mouth shut in order to stop the dog barking, once the dog was (forcibly) quiet, yet still totally focused on us, the owner praised his dog.

What he should have done: The owner should have raced forward before the dog started to bark, and distract his dog from us with toys or treats or lots of very accurately timed corrections. He should have quickly corrected his dog the moment he thought about barking, not afterwards. He should have rewarded and praised his dog only once he had his dogs full attention.

I have watched this owner and his dog struggle with the same problems for almost a year now, with no success...why? Because he has the timing all wrong.
The keys to dog training, Timing, Consistency, and Patience.

Dogs as Gifts

There may be nothing cuter than a puppy wrapped up in a bow and presented to you as a gift...BUT, there are a few things to consider before going out on a whim and buying someone a puppy.
I have personally had two experiences with giving/receiving a puppy as a gift. One time worked out great, the other not so much. Here are both experiences:
My mother's friend had been wanting a dog for months, so when his birthday rolled around, what better gift? He had never owned a dog before, so we went with an 'easier' breed, the Labrador Retriever. My mother picked out a sweet girl who was later named Stella. Now the person we were giving this puppy to was a responsible single adult with plenty of time on his hands and a willingness to learn about dogs. As you can imagine dog and owner fell in love and they are still living happily ever after. BUT, it does not always end this way, and if I were to take a guess, I would say that the majority of dogs given as gifts are given away/discarded by the age of two. Even if the dog is kept, is it in the best living conditions or only given the absolute necessities? Which brings me to my second experience.
Christmas two years ago, my dad decided to get a puppy for the kids for Christmas. They already had a Pomeranian who was well loved and taken care of, but she is an exceptionally easy dog. What my dad wasn't expecting (but he would have been if he were well educated and read my blog!) was the amount of a work a stereotypical puppy would be. This newcomer was loved by the kids for about a month before the novelty wore off. My dad was faced with a dog that screamed, and I mean screamed, in her crate, urinated and defecated all over the house, chewed everything in reach, and bit your fingers every time you went to pet her. On top of the common puppy issues he had to face, they were in a money crisis, and still to this day have not had her spayed or even updated on her shots. There is also the small problem that her and the other Pomeranian do not get along. Now, I have to give my dad some credit for making it through the rough puppy stage and not getting rid of the dog, but like most people who get puppies for gifts (especially gifts for their kids) he did not think through the responsibility of having another dog.

Lilly, the Christmas gift

This brings me to my list of reasons why is can be a very bad idea to give a puppy as a pet. 

1. Picking the right dog for you and your family is a very personal and emotional experience. Compare getting a puppy for someone to getting a house or wedding dress for someone. You would not pick a house for your friend, because the two may not be compatible. It is the same with dogs, that emotional bond between dog and owner is something only they can pick out. 
2. Dogs as gifts during the holidays is extremely stressful for the dog. There is a lot of chaos going on during that time, and after the initial surprise of the puppy, people will have little time to deal with the responsibility it brings.
3. People who get dogs as gifts often do not think of the time and money it takes to properly raise a puppy, only to realized the responsibility too late. 
4. There is an abundance of homeless dogs under the age of two at shelters. Buying puppies only adds to this problem, it is best to get a gift certificate to an animal shelter and letting someone pick out and adopt their dog. 
5. More dogs than you may think between the ages of 7 and 14 months are brought to the Vet to be euthanized because they were not trained properly and developed behavior problems. Most puppies do not live past the age of two, either because they are euthanized by owners, hit by cars, injured in fights or taken to the shelter.

While yes, getting a puppy as a gift can work out on occasions, it is not ideal nor very smart for both dog and owner. Once the novelty of a new puppy goes away, you may realize you don't have enough time, money, knowledge or passion to raise a dog. By then it will be too late.

 

Dog Backpacks

 

  Digging in my basement for backpacking supplies, I ran across an unused dog backpack, still in it's original casing. I thought 'hey, may as well use this since I have it.' The problem was, my only dog the pack would fit on was scared of it. I could tell the moment I put it on him that he was not happy, his tail and ears were tucked, his eyes were wide and he didn't want to move. This, as it turns out, was a very easy fix for us. My dog, Koda, loves fetch, and from experience I know that a bomb could go off nearby and it wouldn't phase Koda if he were playing a game of fetch. So to get him to not only tolerate the backpack, but learn to love the pack, I showed Koda his ball like I always do before fetch, and put the pack on him. This time he hardly noticed anything was attached to him. I also put on the pack before every meal. 

Ruffwear is a great brand for dog packs

After a few days of this he would associate the pack with a game of fetch and be really excited to put it on. He was time for the walk. To start a dog walking with a backpack, don't put too much weight in it. A dog can carry up to 20% of their own weight, but start off slowly. Go for a short walk and make sure the pack isn't chaffing anywhere. 

Slowly increase the weight, I usually fill up water bottles and put them in the pack. It only took me a week to get Koda trained enough for a backpacking trip. 

Backpacks can also be a very good training tool, as they help to tire your dog out more effectively than just walks. If you go for long hikes and don't like to carry water bottles, why not let your overly energetic pooch do the job? Backpacks can also give a hard to satisfy dog a job to do, which will help balance your dog's mental stability.

 

Getting Back in the Game

No, it is never too late to start training your dog. No matter the age or level your dog is at, you can always start training, or in my case, retraining. I left for an extended vacation last month, and I came home to some surprise behaviors. One of my dogs had started to show fear-based aggression signs towards other dogs while on walks. I had thought that I had trained this behavior completely out of him years ago, but all it took was one month for him to go back to step one. This goes to show that dog training is a continuous commitment that lasts for your dogs entire life.
So I was faced with the challenge of getting back in the game. Challenge accepted. Luckily, once you have trained your dogs the basic commands and have a foundation of respect and communication on which to work, it is quite easy to retrain your dog.
What would originally take me months to do would only take me a week to redo. For example, I had gone to great pains to get my dog to not react to other dogs, it took almost six months of consistent rewarding and correction and desensitizing exercises. After being gone a month, my dog regained some of these bad behaviors, and it only took me about a week and a few treats to get him back on track.
So moral of this story? Training is a continuous game that will never end as long as you have a dog, though with practice it will get easier, and it's never to late to start.

  My (sometimes) trouble dog enjoying his vacation.