Friday, August 29, 2008

York Maine Animal Control Ordinance


September 20th is the day when dogs can run leash free on the beach all day long!!! Know your animal control ordinances. Here is a link to York Maine's animal control ordinance, section 10 relates to public beaches.


Section 12 relates to the dangerous dog law.


Maine dog trainer located in York Beach Maine. Mannerly Mutts provides private, residency and group dog obedience classes in York Beach Maine. Please call Maine dog trainer, Robin Rubin, at 207-361-4395. For general questions please e-mail at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com or check out the website at http://www.mannerlymutts.com.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Thursday Thirteen (13) Things You Loose When Adopting A Dog


Here are thirteen things you loose when you adopt a dog:



  1. The ability to sleep in or all night (dogs need to go to the bathroom, and there is no indoor toilet for them as yet).

  2. Ability to be spontaneous. Dogs require your care and attention. There are times you are going to need to be home, or be absolutely sure that someone is there in your place.

  3. Money. Veterinarian appointments, unforeseen illnesses, food, pet sitters, training lessons, dog treats, dog toys, et al all require money to be expended.

  4. The likely hood of not having poop or pee on your floor or rug at some point no matter how well trained your dog is (diarrhea waits for no one to open the door).

  5. Time. Dogs need your time and attention during each and every day.

  6. Being a coach potato. Dogs need your energy as well to keep them entertained and fit.

  7. Some friends or guests. Some people are very allergic to dogs and do not take allergy medicine because they figure they will be able to avoid dogs, or they just do not like dogs. So they are more likely not to visit.

  8. Secure in the knowledge that someone else is taking care of your pet well. Just as in child care, there are those "professionals" that will abuse your animals. It's best to take all the precautions that you can, and your dog or cat can't tell you about what is going on.

  9. Being worry free in general. Due to the short lives and likely hood of some illness in your pet, you will likely worry about the pet that you care so much about.

  10. Being lazy about putting food away. Hey, what would you do if there was a cake laying right out in the open? Or a roast?

  11. Being unaware of where certain chemicals are. Lots of things can quickly kill your pet that are in the house.

  12. Not being resposible for another. Dogs are a lot of responsibility. It's not only a pet owner's job to keep their pet safe, but also keep other pets and humans safe from the said pet.

  13. Being lonely:)


York Maine Dog Trainer, Robin Rubin, can be reached at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com for any questions or inquiries. Ready to start dog training in Maine now? Call Robin at 207-361-4395. Most services offered can be found at http://www.mannerlymutts.com/.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Jackie Aggression Logs

8/26/2008 Mixed it up with Logan when getting all excited playing with Gigi.

7/23/2008 Went after Leon when Leon went to pick up a part of a feed bag in the garage.

Just about a month in between. We have been having Jack drag a lead around, so todays incident was a bit easier to break up. Logan wanted nothing to do with it, but Jack had his dander up today.

The easy thing is to prevent it when you see it coming (a look body position et). It's a bit harder when everyone is playing well, you go to type something on the computer, and bam he's into it.

Jack spends the rest of today except training in his crate.

When Stubborn Girls Get Old


This picture is of my girl quite young. She was probably 4 or 5 in this picture. She didn't start slowing down until age 9. I remember the day. We were on a beach in the Portland ME prom area, and there were about seven or eight labs running around. They all saw Miss Boo (Jazz's one of many nicknames) and surrounded her.

Now before, she would have chased and tormented every dog there until they were all exhausted. On this day she looked directly at me from the middle (as if she was the center of the flower) with a distinct "help me" on her face.

I knew then that Jazz had started her decent into middle or old age. She is now 14. Until a couple of years ago, she was still running and chasing ball. Since then she has developed a slight heart condition, wobblers, almost no eyesight, and almost no hearing. Still she does the perimeter check of the yard almost every day.

Until about two days ago, she was still going up the stairs. Now I carry her.

Course, Jazz is a stubborn dog and DOES NOT LIKE things being done for her. Even when she can no longer do something, she would just prefer to fall down the stairs than have you carry her. She thinks it's undignified, we make her be carried anyway. She grumbles and flails her paws all the way down the stairs, then kicks mightily until you put her down already!!

Now that her two important senses of eye sight and hearing are all but gone, she does not appreciate you guiding her. She still wants to do it on her own.

While her enjoyment in life is depreciating, she is still enjoying her life. As her owner and best friend, it's hard to see her struggle. It's important to enjoy the times we have left when she is having fun rolling in the grass, or discovered Jackie trying to hide from her by flattening himself on the floor LOL. To appreciate that the young girl you knew is still in that body that is now failing her. That spirit still lives on.

It's important not to dread the inevitable decision to be made, but enjoy our last moments, days, weeks, months together until the right time comes.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Hot, Sticky, and Humid


It's one of those days that you are going to feel damp, moist, and uncomfortable all day long. Yet it really does not feel hot enough to justify turning the air conditioner on. On these days I feel achy and just want to lie somewhere that a cool breeze will wash over me.

There are those dogs that count on me. Namely, Manny today is due for his walk. I peel myself off the faux leather couch, and call Leon to come be my company on the walk there.

See these days with the gas prices my transportation goes like this walking is best, biking is second best, and only if absolutely necessary OR I am going stark raving mad with cabin fever, the Nissan Exterra, yellow with my business information on it.

Today Leon and I hoofed it to Manny's. Leon loves these times alone with me, and is more than willing to be the entertainment committee. Manny seems to have a fondness for the mountain of dog that he calls Leon. You see Manny is a Chihuahua mix. Even though it's only a half mile to there, my pony tail was damp with sweat. Leon was a bit more sprightly.

Manny always greets me with this military crawl over that turns into jumps of joy. He has learned to pop his head into the collar that I bring with me, while I remove his e-fence collar. Then when he is leashed, off we go.

I try to mix it up for him each day. Sometimes I veer off the dirt roads into some woodsy trails that I know that lead to streams. Today was a bit nasty with bugs who were going after Manny like small angry birds. So dirt roads it was, being that they had less of the nasty things on them.

Nothing terribly exciting happened today, but I know Manny enjoys these times where his day is broken a bit from the same old. It holds the promise of a bit of adventure and companionship for him.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Melanoma's and Treatments


I have found an article on the vaccine for melanoma now being used by veterinary oncologists, and comparing that with what has traditionally been done.


And another, sounds like it prolongs life but not really a vaccination as I know it. Can't wait to talk to a veterarian oncologist about this.


Some info on someone else going through this, and the difference between oral and other melanoma.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Really? Melanoma?

For the love of God, can Leon catch a break already. Isn't it enough that he had two cruciate tears in his knees.

Two weeks ago, I saw what I thought was a small scab on the back of Leon's left leg. Forgot about it thinking he got it running thru the woods.

Next week, see really big bump on Leon's left hind leg. Vet appointment made immediately. Biopsy came back yesterday, and what was thought at first to be non-cancerous is in fact melanoma.

The vets believe they did get the whole mass. And apparently (I need to do research on this), there is some sort of vaccine???? We have had some human family members pass away from this vile thing recently. I am not real excited about this. A bit freaked out as a matter of fact.

I'll let you know more, as I know more, and post what research I find and receive.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Gigi Sleep Over


I have been in just the most awful mood lately. Between my dogs who are enormously cute, and this Gigi who is beside my bed doing her tippy tappy happy dance combined with the "come play with me noises", how can a bad mood survive?

I mean really? Thank God for Dog.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Introducing Manny

Manny's our newest little every weekday walking client. He is all of 10 pounds soaking wet. His owner owns a few very prominent businesses in town, and is very busy during the day. It was felt that Manny would enjoy some outings during the week.

Manny is quite a character. His tiny size does nothing to dampen his enthusiastic spirit and gusto for life. When I walk him with my Doberman who is 8 times his size, Manny will make it clear he is there to support my Doberman should anything frightening cross our path LOL.

Course, he was all set to go after the plastic ducks. As I let loose his leash, he looked at me as if to say "really you would let me go near those clearly pshycho ducks".

Here is Manny:















Need to train your dog in the York Maine area. Call Mannerly Mutts' Head Dog Trainer, Robin Rubin, today and get started on a better relationship with your canine companion. 207-361-4395 mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.

Monday, August 18, 2008

The Boys of the House


Dog sitting is Jackie. Jackie came from Doberman Rescue at 2, and was intended to only foster here before adoption. However, I fell in love, and so Jack has had to suffer with staying here. He is my demo and competition dog, and our loved companion. He helps very much with teaching other dogs obedience, participating in play when dogs board, and working with me towards his Companion Dog for AKC.





Human male is my husband, Robert. He also helps out as the "friendly stranger" and frequently demos for me what my clients will do wrong without instruction LOL. I call him the great dog "untrainer".





Dog lying next to husband, is our Leon. We got Leon as a puppy from Pamelot in Georgia. He was training for competion, but two bum knees have made competition not possible for him. However, he is still a valuable asset as a demo dog of a kinder and gentler nature than Jack, and is of course our much beloved companion. He is the definate baby of the family.

Another Trainer's Experience in the Autism Service Dog Industry

Here is another trainer's experience in the service dog industry. I have permission from the trainer to post this, however, the owner's names et have been taken out.

About a year and a half ago, I was approached by the [Local Foundation for Autism Service Dogs]
and asked if I would help train one of their pups to be an assistance/service
dog for an autistic 5 year old child. They explained that this family was so
in 'need' of a dog for this child, and it was also believed that the mother
of the child was possibly in the autistic spectrum. They lived with her
mother who was legally blind, and her father, who worked very erratic hours.
They told me that this family had already started a program with another dog,
but they were unable to get it trained well enough to be of any help. The
Foundation removed the first dog from the home.

I told them that I would be more than happy to have their new pup attend my
group basic obedience class (which I allow folks to repeat for free as long
as I have a slot available), and if the family did their homework and if the
family and pup were ready, they could also attend my CGC and Therapy Dog
classes. I told them that this was no guarantee that the dog would be suitable
for the 'job', nor would this certify them to have an assistance/service dog.
This pup was a 12 week old goldendoodle 'hand picked' for this service by the
organization. They assured me that the only thing they wanted was a well
behaved dog for the family, specifically for [Child].

[Local Autism Service Dog Foundation] personnel contacted me every other day, to explain that they
wanted a dog who would focus on [Child]; they called to ensure that there was a
spot available in the class; again to ensure that I 'remembered' that this dog
would be for an autistic 5 year old; they called to pay for the class via
check; they called to tell me that [Mother] might need some extra help; they
called another day to say that the ENTIRE family would be attending training to
make sure everyone was on the same page. They assured me that they would be
following up and following through with this family because they didn't want
them to fail again with one of their pups.

First class started, only the mother attended my mandatory orientation,
which was fine as long as she was able to implement the homework and have her
family follow through and do the same things. The second week, [Mother], [Child]
and Grandmother (Grandmother uses a cane to assist with her blindness) came to
class, which was very uneventful as it seemed things were going well, and
[Child] was fine being with the Grandmother. He was not disruptive at all, sat
quietly, but never made eye contact with me, which I know to be a symptom of
autism due to having worked with an autistic child about 10 years ago. One of
my 'homework' assignments for class is a 'focus' or 'watch' command, and the
mother commented that this exercise actually helped [Child] to be able to
make eye contact with them! By week three, and at least 7 phone calls to me
from [Mother] about the biting, puppy crazies, chewing, jumping, and no one in the
family able to control the situation, I spoke with [Local Autism Service Dog Foundation] to voice my
concerns. [Child] would not go near the puppy unless it was sleeping, which
they
allowed him to do, but as soon as the dog woke up, [Dog] started acting like
a puppy, which NO ONE in the family wanted him to do......vicious cycle.

Fast forward - class was completed - they got a 'certificate of
participation' - not of graduation - as they clearly were not doing the
homework, they
were not confining the dog, they admitted there was no consistency, the dog was
jumping, still having potty training issues, only performing commands 'when
he felt like it', [Child] was not going near the dog because of the sharp
puppy teeth. However, [Mother] was totally enamored of [Dog], and liked him
greeting her by jumping up, liked having a semi-large puppy that brought her
attention when or if she walked him the in the neighborhood. Every antic he
pulled in class (and he was a real ham!) she laughed and rewarded by stroking
and
talking to him.

[Local Autism Service Dog Foundation] called to ask if the family could attend again - which I agreed
to, as long as it was only [Mother] that attended to ensure that she could focus on
the exercises and to enable me to work a bit closer with her. Of the 6
scheduled classes (she said she did not need the orientation again, which I
disagreed with as I didn't believe she actually absorbed everything the first
time), she only attended 4 of them, and with very spotty results. Still
laughing at [Dog's] inattentiveness and pulling, jumping up and wrapping her up
in
the leash, and on and on.....

I spoke again with [Local Autism Service Dog Foundation] - advised that they needed private sessions to
enforce in a real life scenario what needed to be done with [Dog]. I
declined the job at that point as the client was over an hour away, and I felt
that
they needed to hear from someone else what they MUST do to ensure that the
dog was not removed from the home again. I recommended a friend of mine who
lives closer to the client, and she did the sessions, telling them exactly the
same things that I did, the only difference was that it was in their home.
She commented to me that there was no structure, discipline, follow through or
leadership in the home - not only for the dog, but in the family as a whole.
My friend followed up with them one more time, and she was told that things
were 'getting better, but were by no means perfect'.

My point in this entire long saga is that even if the DOG was of a nature to
be a service/assistance dog, who is ensuring that the organization is doing
right by the DOG and setting it up to be successful? Where are the people
who so wanted this to 'work' for this family?? Why is the FAMILY allowed to
be responsible for getting, or not getting, this dog ready to be the help they
are looking for? I am in no position to know all that is going on for them,
but it was pretty clear that this was not a family that would be able to
manage this large energetic and intelligent dog, especially on their own!! I
tried to explain what their goals were for [Child] and the dog, and [Local Autism Service Dog Foundation]
said that they were the one's that were to follow up and ensure compliance, not
me.

[Local Autism Service Dog Foundation] has not ever followed up with me or my friend about this dog and
family. Hopefully things did get better, but I am not too hopeful that
they'll have this dog where it needs to be for [Child]. [Mother]a seemed to use him
to
take the focus OFF of [Child], which I believe was not the point of the
training.

One Breeder's Experience in Autism Service Dog Industry

I have permission from this breeder to cross post. The owners names and the states have been changed.

In May I donated a young chocolate lab male to a non-profit
organization that trains service dogs for autistic children as well
as seizure alert dogs. I bred this dog, trained this dog, got his
CGC, TDI certification, micro-chipped him (as I do with all my pups)
and made sure he was current on all shots. This dog was great with
children, tuned into them and responded well to their direction and
ignored any and all inappropriate actions toward him (not that I
condone this, but in the real world, it happens) and my kids could
walk him on lead without any issues, he maneuvered through medical
equipment without a second glance, and was all around a great dog at
20 months.

Anyway, I felt that he had a greater calling then family pet with an
occasional Therapy visit under his belt and when a family called me
to see if I had a dog that might be appropriate for training as a
service dog for their autistic dog, I mentioned [Dog]. I also told
them that, while he was well behaved and that I had done the CGC and
TDI, I did not train service dogs and he would need to find a trainer
for him.

They found a trainer a couple of counties away and she came to see if
she thought [Dog] would fit the bill as a service dog. This woman
presented herself in a very knowledgeable manner and was all about
the dog and how he was going to be such a good service dog, blah,
blah, blah and she took [Dog]. We knew he had some initial shyness to
strange places and people, he's not one of those labs that thinks
everyone is his friend, and wants to size the situation up first so
we were concerned about hooking him up with the child that we
initially sent [Dog] for but, because he was donated for that family,
the family would not be charged for a different dog, just the
training. This little boy had quite a few more problems then just
autism and had to travel to [Far Away City in USA] several times a month for
doctor visits and treatment. It was deemed that [Dog] would not be
suited for him but was definitely going to work for someone a little
older.

Present

A week ago, I got a call from a woman in [Far Away State in USA] who said she
had a dog that had been turned into a shelter with all his paperwork
and she wanted to get him registered to them. First, I mentioned all
my dogs and puppies are chipped to me so I should have gotten a call
if one of my dogs ended up in a shelter so I was just floored by that
and then she told me it was [Dog]! I had to get off the phone to
process that information and compose myself because my heart broke
right then!

I called her back and got the rest of the story. [Dog] did, in fact,
go to a child that has epileptic seizures and they couldn't be
happier with him. However, the trainer told these people that she
got [Dog] from a shelter that someone had turned him in with all his
papers and she didn't know why. This upset me because we were doing
a good deed and I do everything possible to ensure that my pups DO
NOT end up in shelter by micro-chipping and a return clause in the
contract.

Then, I get more of the story. Apparently [Dog] has received no
training other then the training he got while he was here. I have
seen that the trainer is taking credit for his CGC and TDI certs.
[Dog] is showing some behaviors that he never had here such as
growling at other dogs. He was raised in a doggie day care
environment, he played with every type of dog with no problems,
ever. I don't think in the entire time he lived here, I EVER heard
him growl.

The trainer told the family that as [Dog] bonded with their daughter,
he would begin to alert them to an impending seizure. They were
initially told that there service dog would alert to a seizure, roll
their daughter onto her side to keep her from choking, and call 911.
Needless to say, [Dog] didn't learn any of that.

I am sure that I don't have all the story, but I would think that it
would be very difficult to train a dog as a service dog, even with
the background he already had, in a little over two months. I have
no doubt that he will alert to seizures as he bonds with the girl,
but that's a bit risky to assume, IMO.

Since then, I have heard some horror stories about how this woman
runs her training program from people with no knowledge about [Dog].
This trainer came to me highly recommended.

I haven't seen the contract to see if there is anything that can be
done. This family is on limited resources as well. The kids at the
school that the girl goes to witnessed a seizure at the end of the
year last year and researched non-profit service dog providers and
did fund raisers to pay for the dog ($3000.000). Their local tv and
newspapers traveled to [Far Away USA State] to interview this trainer after she was
chosen. The entire town was behind this family and thought they were
doing the right thing.

Is there anything this family can do? Who would they contact to
complain about the lack of training their service dog received? Are
there any trainers near [Far Away USA City] that would be willing to help
get this family back on the right track with their service dog (he
has been renamed [Another Dog Name]).

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Gigi-First Attempt at Owner Introduction to Other Dog

So right up until the have the dogs meet went okay. Then three attacks. Gigi does have a muzzle on, so she can't really do anything with her teeth. Still don't really want her to think it's game on as usual.

They walked together with Gigi on lead. Some nips were ignored which sometimes can be no big deal, but you know, with a dog like Gigi I like to be really sure.

Gigi-Notes After Follow Up Lesson 3

You actually are getting better at the handling. When we were going through the fence reps, there were a few really good times where your leash hands were in excellent position. Remember, the better the correction is, the less we correct. We want to get off the corrections someday for the most part, except maybe as a reminder. The thing is, in order to shape the behavior this is the safest way to give a correction and consequence for her actions that she will understand. It's not fun, but what I always put in my mind, especially on a case like this, is the alternative which is really no fun for everyone. So better that she gets the corrections she needs now, to shape her future behavior later. So remember your success can be measured by a goal of being able to have her do about turns away from dogs four out of five times successfully (this at this point meaning without a leash correction at all, just swiveling her head towards you). Now remember these are the reps that can cause Gigi to anticipate later when you are doing straight auto sits to try and cut in front of you. Don't let her, require her to pay attention, and start correcting her early if she continues to do that, so she is sitting by your side when you stop. Keep requiring her either by bumping her or leash handling or e-collar handling to be straight when she goes into a sit. She is now doing the auto sits better with you, but with an aggressive dog I like to see them straighten out. Keep on with the attention training, until you start to get something like what you saw me and Jack do when standing still together. Once you get to about thirty seconds, I will give you some other exercises to start building that into something that you can take on the road with you. Do not be so isolated when doing the long line work. Do not run with her, though that keeps her with you, but you want her to pay attention to you and stay with you even when you are being dull, and the other distractions look oh so tempting!!

****I will write more about what we did in the actual lesson later:)

Gigi-Dog Introduction Additional Notes

Gigi's owner is attempting an introduction for the first time today on his own except for some small input from me regarding questions he has had. Some good news in that Gigi was able to walk around the older Golden, and listen to commands. The actual introduction part, not so good as she (muzzled) landed the poor dog on his back. Input after that was to have Gigi let's go with her owners away from a situation in which she aggresses, and if she continues again when they try to introduce, stick her back in the crate for the rest of the afternoon OR keep her in a long down (or sit on the dog) where she can get in no trouble. A small bit of progress however, and not a bad practice session for her owners.

Here were some notes given, below.

1) She does not appear to be particularly territorial. This might be different at your house, but it doesn't appear so as she accepts Jackie there readily. So this is why whether you are inside or outside should not make a difference. Sometimes, a bit of room so you can maneuver quickly makes it a bit easier.2) Lots of movement in a dog that Gigi has not accepted yet, will slow down the process. She will get all prey driven (think skateboarder reaction) when that happens with a dog she doesn't know. Now you have seen me do this with other dogs, but not in a situation where I plan to make them friends. I am training Gigi not to react to the movement of a strange dog then, but not expecting they will be best buds afterward, as she will be a tad worked up until she gets used to that. It was more for pushing her when we hadn't seen other strange dogs, and the dogs were not SO strange that she was going to react.3) I don't think I have ever just walked Gigi up to the dog. I more allowed her to wander in that direction if she was calm, and she looked interested and not excited. I try to make it as low key as I possibly can. Very ho hum, oh there is a dog over there. So what, oh you want to go check it out? Rather than Gigi come over see this dog. Then if they happen to be close by, naturally I tend to have butts a plenty around the face area. Actually, dogs normally tend to do this on their own. It's a very non confrontational way to meet. Again, I don't start forcing them into position, I may subtly maneuver if it seems close and just a little help is required. Hope all is going well over there in the meantime

Gigi-Dog Introduction

1) She does not appear to be particularly territorial. This might be different at your house, but it doesn't appear so as she accepts Jackie there readily. So this is why whether you are inside or outside should not make a difference. Sometimes, a bit of room so you can maneuver quickly makes it a bit easier.2) Lots of movement in a dog that Gigi has not accepted yet, will slow down the process. She will get all prey driven (think skateboarder reaction) when that happens with a dog she doesn't know. Now you have seen me do this with other dogs, but not in a situation where I plan to make them friends. I am training Gigi not to react to the movement of a strange dog then, but not expecting they will be best buds afterward, as she will be a tad worked up until she gets used to that. It was more for pushing her when we hadn't seen other strange dogs, and the dogs were not SO strange that she was going to react.3) I don't think I have ever just walked Gigi up to the dog. I more allowed her to wander in that direction if she was calm, and she looked interested and not excited. I try to make it as low key as I possibly can. Very ho hum, oh there is a dog over there. So what, oh you want to go check it out? Rather than Gigi come over see this dog. Then if they happen to be close by, naturally I tend to have butts a plenty around the face area. Actually, dogs normally tend to do this on their own. It's a very non confrontational way to meet. Again, I don't start forcing them into position, I may subtly maneuver if it seems close and just a little help is required. Hope all is going well over there in the meantime

Friday, August 15, 2008

Gigi Update


Things have been going a bit slow for Gigi and her owner, but not due to lack of work!! There is a bit of catch up an owner has to do in the handling department that they haven't been doing during the board & train portion. Plus, Gigi is quite frankly a difficult dog. In not only does she have fear issues, but she is a pretty dominant and stubborn girl as well. This does not mean she is not fun or loving, however.

For instance, she recently boarded here, and tried to resist being offed the furniture. Most dogs at this point in training would not even think of pushing or challenging their trainer. I think her owners have already gotten past this with her at the home front, but I sent along directions for dealing with it anyway.

The first couple of weeks home for these behaviorally challenged dogs are always the worst. The owners need to get used to the new rules and handling requirements. Gigi requires a lot of detail in her handling than a non behaviorally challenged dog. Combine that with the fact that right smack outside her door is the city and with some unusual distractions for being on the a busy city street (ie skateboarders and horses). So now, we have completed three weeks on my property and I believe she is in her third week at home. We have one more follow up lesson to do, at least. More if the client would like, as they are doing a really great job of working with her.

I personally really like Gigi. In fact, I like her more and more each time I see her. I think of all the work these people are going through, wonder if I am giving them too much, then I see Gigi again, and think she is totally worth it. Not an easy dog. She is the type of dog that will give you a crash course in dog training a dog to an extremely high level. I mean you really have no choice if you are going to change up her behavior, so you can forget you had a problem in the first place.

I don't think she'll ever be a dog park dog, and luckily her owners do not expect that either. We are just working on controlled walkby in close pressence to other dogs walking past her (towards her is the worst) or Dog forbid they bark or something LOL. Gigi is pretty sure this is the first sign of an attack, although she has gotten used to this as a friendly and excited sign in dogs she knows. Still doesn't like it in unknown dogs.

Unfortunately during training at home she needs a muzzle so both she and her owner can feel a bit more comfortable. It took me three weeks (in the city) to get Gigi off muzzle when she was feeling more secure with our walks in Portsmouth. If you look up my videos you will see us doing this. Now she is back in Portland where she has never learned to be comfortable doing this, and in fact I think some of those memories are working against them. That and she has not ever really been lead by her family before, and so they need to take her slowly forward. It becomes a lot easier to do if you don't need to worry that the dog will deflect on you badly if they panic or get a bit uppedy, and you can still be gentle in your training. The leash work can be a bit much if the owner is panicking or worried that the dog will deflect. So the muzzle takes the possibility away from Gigi that she is going to get away with it, as well as having a calming and more confident effect on the owner. Luckily with Gigi, you can tell by her breathing rate and body language when she is all fired up. So now the goal is for her breathing to become more relaxed, and her body language to become more relaxed. Once that happens consistently for a week or so, the muzzle can come off again.

Learning will have taken place that she can be non-reactive and safe under the guidance of her owner. Sounds simple enough right? But it's not always that easy. A fearful/dominant dog like Gigi does not like to give up the control, because she does not feel safe, and has not learned to feel safe when she does. Unfortunately, this has been four to five years in the making before she was adopted. This is a really good reason for potential adopters and rescuers of dogs to read the article Behavioral Bends by Julia McDonough. It gives owners a heads up, and a reason to prepare with really excellent training immediately.

I would assume Gigi's problem is most likely that she was never exposed to anything before being abandoned. She may have been a dog that never left her home or immediate yard. It's also possible she had a traumatic experience from which she never got over when she was younger.

However, I think the first is the answer, as she has really no social skills with other dogs. In fact, her owners have commented on the doggy skills coming forward only now!! I really do think the only positive interaction Gigi ever had with dogs was here during her first three weeks. Can you imagine? That's a lot, even beyond training, for her to be taking in right now.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Gigi-Notes to Client After Follow Up Lesson Two

First exercise:
Sit on the dog or informal long down, not actual long down:
1) You need to have the leash tight under your bum, so that only enough is out for her to lie right next to you, comfortably. There may even be slight tension on her neck if she puts her head down to sleep (fat chance LOL).
****This is not a formal long down, as the actual command "down" is never given, but totally expected. Move that chair very close to the street. By the time she is completely relaxed (ie not shaking or trying to lunge) a lot has been accomplished believe it or not.
2) The above is ever more important if you take it out of the yard (ie to the prom).
3) The under the foot, sit on the dog is okay, but the you seated sit on the dog is the best, especially if she relaxes under her own power when dogs are around. The secret is that there is no "pass " given as far as tightness on the leash and not accepting her chin on you or her trying to get up on the bench.

New Exercise Attention:
1) One exercise that actually works the best with treats at first. So be sure to use those. I have found that by far the cheapest are hot dogs cut up. The only time I suggest no hot dogs if there are any health issues (ie heart disease or the likely hood of a genetic disease that may pose a health risk later on).
2) In the beginning, (and I will give you more directions later on once you have mastered this), you want Gigi to look at you with the command "look". If she does this for five seconds without breaking and you can reward great. Be very picky about this.
3) If she breaks in those five seconds break it into smaller parts. You want her to be doing this four out of five times easily before you start making it harder.
4) Keep this in non-distracting environments now (in your house, in the front yard, and in the park but far removed from other dogs).

****Remember as the length of time gets longer, don't be so quick to repeat the "look" command. I wouldn't use Gigi as that name is used so much that it can't consistently be used as a command except by "Gigi Look". So be sure that the word "look" is in the command. Wean off the luring when you can. If she gets distracted, you can always go back to single command look (ie not much time until, good girl, treat).

***Once we start getting to 15 to 30 seconds, she can break but must look back at you immediately to get the treat.

Heeling Notes:
1) I want Gigi's nose not to turn into your thigh when heeling every time she starts to get anxious. Use your knee to bump her nose away.
2) Get her heeling and auto sitting correctly in your yard first and consistently before going out there.
3) If a particular heel does not go well (and it's not due to pushing her too fast, it's just kind of sucky) repeat that heel the way you want it a few times.

Down Notes:
1) As you go towards a situation that is going to make Gigi nervous, give her the command down. If she doesn't, use the foot under the leash correction, where you take up the slack as she gives it to you.
2) Use this alternately with sits when in situations uncomfortable for Gigi. Like how we were walking past the barking dogs.

Notes on Walking Near Strange Dogs (and people she may react to whether friendly or not):
1) Don't allow yourself to get so flustered that you forget where your hands are when walking past strange dogs (if it's a volatile situation, remember to be sure the street is somewhat devoid of people close by) or people. In fact, start really trying to think about that, if you have to, grab your pants leg.
2) If you are coming up to a child or skateboarder, give her a correction and command before you come up on them. Do this until she stops locking on when going towards or turning and trying to jump or lunge on them. I would want a good month of this reliably happening before I stopped.
3) Remember in tricky situations where people and dogs may be passing to your right, you can hold the leash with your left hand there.
4) If there is enough room, you can turn a safe distance away from dogs and distractions, and let the leash loose. At that point, if she doesn't come, you can either allow your body movement forward to give her the metal collar correction, or you can even give an e-collar correction before she hits the end. If she comes right with you, be sure to tell her she is a good girl.
5) Which reminds me, on about turns walk away from Gigi briskly once you turn around. This will start her off briskly in your direction if she is paying attention.

Auto sits:
1) Give her a second to reach position herself.
2) Remember the timing of the correction if she stops doing it or doing it in the wrong position again. Now you want to do it each time right as you come to a stop (right foot closes into left foot). Also remember you should come into a smooth stop, you don't need to stop short abruptly, and that will help Gigi more.
3) Start relying less on the leash, and more on the e-collar if she does not do it correctly. This is so we start getting as hands off as possible, and let her make the decision.

General Observations:
1) Be sure you are as vigilant with the praise that you give Gigi when she does something right, as you are with a correction when you are correcting her behavior. She needs an indicator that she has acted right or done the right thing in order to repeat that.
2) Still keep her muzzled. I want her to stop trying to put her mouth near your thigh in distracting situations. Probably a week more will do it, if you are sure her head meets your knee when she tries that.
3) Strategize your leash position when training. (ie when is it good to have it in right with left hand loose, when is it good to have it just in left hand, when is it good to have it in right but still holding with left hand). Training is not just this, but the leash is the major control point, so the leash handling and position is very important due to that.
4) If Gigi becomes overloaded, don't abandon the situation, just back it up a bit and move it forward as much as possible. Like when we did about turns before walking past the fences, or used the vehicles as a buffer right now while dogs are walking the other way. The more you are able to be successful with Gigi, the more she learns, and the more you are able to move it forward. She just isn't ready to follow you right next to the fence right now:) But if you repeat these successful moves with her, and bring her in at a comfortable but not excruciatingly slow pace, she will get it.
5) Look out for any possible aggressive behaviors that she might show at home, and be ready to work on them immediately with her. Like if she gets aggressive over the furniture or

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Gigi-Various Notes on Dog Introduction with Gigi

1) Start with crate confinement, and look for Gigi to be calm not ramped up in crate first. Keep humans et to the minimum and everything low key. Other dog can wander around and do whatever.

2) Then we want sessions of sit on the dog until Gigi is showing now shivering or ramped up symptoms. We want to do this with both dogs, and perhaps stagger the seats so that Gigi or the other dog is at the butt end of the other. However, we don't want to have enough freedom so that an altercation can occur.

3) Then I would hang out with Gigi on a leash, but not on sit on the dog. Try to orchestrate butt to butt sniffing. If she snarks or growls, back in the crate she goes until the next time.



***Remember let's wait a week at least until Gigi is used to following your lead. Then we want the atmosphere to be as least distracting as possible, as that's been the way it's worked here so far.

I wouldn't have anyone walking her until you and your wife are very comfortable walking her in these situations. Once a few months of that has gone by, then you could think of who you could get to walk her. If there is another trainer/dog walker in the area, or if it's a family member you can give the rules to and practice with. She really needs to be following you first. Indications of progress would be less attention given to outside stimuli, and more attention to your lead. These are indentified by decrease in locking on and concern regarding oncoming distractions. Also comes by no longer needing to give corrections for on leash good behavior. So it does sound like you are going backwards a bit, but remember you are still new to handling Gigi, and it's hard to download years of training info into a human brain into a short period of time LOL. Not impossible however. I think a good couple outcomes of walks on your own would do a lot to give you the ability to read Gigi, before she even thinks of reacting, and train her out of it with you.