Updates....

So sorry that I haven't published for awhile. We had this big reunion party that we were planning, and executed...let's just say I no longer remember what it was I did with my time before the party LOL. Unlike my husband, I didn't have vacation the previous week, and have been enjoying a very busy business this summer, despite the state of the economy.

Then a bit of recovery period was needed. So what has been going on here:

Hoobie: Hoobie is staying with us through August. He needed to have a biopsy while in my care, and while his owners came up to visit and get a taste for handling him. He regressed a bit after the biopsy, but I am happy to say we have him largely back and moving onto more things. He is a very detailed dog, so these things are going to sound ridiculous as a goal to any dog trainer LOL. Collars on and off without taking a fit, being brushed while not taking a fit, nail clippings---while not taking a fit, not guarding the back seat of the car, still working on the food resource guarding (this remains the most difficult) and toy resource guarding (not so much except to hand him the toy, this is when he gets most aggressive otherwise he will drop it so you can pick it up), not panicking when strangers are around, and on and on. Oh, and all things related to grooming (ear cleaning, clippers).

There is the most fun loving friendly dog in here, but I would say this is the most phobic dog that I have ever seen. It's very very easy to loose his trust for a bit. The fact that he is allergic to everything, has thyroid, and a chronic stomach problem not so helpful. He rallies though. For instance today he had the most fun for an hour or two or racing through the woods and swamp with everyone else. A Springer is a sight to behold in the wild woods!!!

Magoo: Doing wonderfully in his training of course. Surprisingly, this is Hoobie's best friend as far as playing goes. Magoo and Hoobie race through the woods and swamp together. Very, very opposite dogs. Magoo is willing to please always whether it benefits him or not. Hoobie is only willing to please if it benefits him, however, that does not mean he's not a friendly and loving dog. Hoobie is very complicated in every way, and Magoo is very simply. Magoo is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). Hoobie's system is complicated and needs frequent repair. Hoobie is super smart, which can either make him easy or super hard to train LOL. Magoo has smarts, but he is not super smart, making him very easy to train. Magoo trains with whatever. Pets, treats, toys, play, or nothing; Magoo is willing. Hoobie is food intolerant, a resource guarder, but also works best for fun or exercise and of course the outdoors.

Magoo is going to be a dog that you never need to worry about in any situation. Hoobie is a dog that his owners will always need to be aware of his body language. They are both great pals. Go figure!!

Leon the Boxer: Leon knows how to heel now, it's necessary for his owners to take the lessons now as well. Looks like this might work out next week. Leon is a boxer that is just too eager to play with other dogs, while having just a bit of a worry about what the other dog might do. His is really the sweetest thing with everyone, and when he knows the other canines, it looks like he is a friend for life. I expect that he will have many new friends in his future, and the rough edges will smooth out with his owners careful care and training. I am not sure that he will ever be very happy with dogs that growl at him as a greeting at first, but he may get the hang of ignoring that as long as his owners always keep him safe. When you get a rescue, you don't ever know everything that happened in his past, and he may have had a few rough encounters with other dogs in the past. Many dogs enjoy coming here, as they know this is pretty much a safe place for socializing with other dogs.

Leon My Doberman: Looks like his knee is recovering, and it may have been another injury other than his ACL that was bothering him. So thankfully, we don't need to consider bringing him for surgery at the moment, plus he is able to enjoy the rest of his summer with supervision and an eye on his activity level.

Leon took his very first watery adventure in the swamp lands today. I was very impressed. I think it finally dawned on him that the water really is only so deep. I hope one day that he warms up to swimming!!

Jack My Doberman: I hate to even jinx myself by saying this. Finally, I think I have come up with the formula for Jack to enjoy quite a bit of other dogs being here. Ironically, it has also affected the way I operate with the dogs. Jack likes a good two sessions of hard play during the day with the dogs he likes. Those are most of the dogs here. The exceptions to that rule seem to be Petey, Magoo, Logan, Teddy (who is coming in a few days), and I am sure there are a few others that I did not think of.

Molly: Not a current dog, but one that was here a few years ago. She turned out so well, that her owners are actually about to pull the trigger on dog number two!! They enjoyed the training so much, that dog number two will also be training with me. No better compliment than that. They also let me know that Molly is enjoying another off leash summer on the beach as a good little citizen.

Brujo: Having an excellent if stinky time here. My friend brought his dog who had just been skunked up on vacation. He did let me know of the incident before hand. Brujo was just dashing through the creeks here with his buds (Oona, Hoobie, Magoo, Leon, Jackie, and Lucey). Brujo is also adept at opening just about any door in our house with the exception of the outside doors (unless the front door is open to the screen door) and the door to or from the mudroom. He is very talented, and serves as a warning as to try not to have lever doors when you have a smart dog.

Oona: Oona's owners are welcoming a pink and furless new family member to their pack. A ten pound boy has arrived, and Oona is enjoying her time here as her owners concentrate on their new arrival. Oona has fallen for Minny Manny, the chihuahua and pug mix that comes here to play. She also likes Brujo, but prefers the smaller Minny Mann. Poor Bru Bru.

Oona also has a very maternal side, as does Lucey below. It's so cute to see her try and groom little Minny Mann from head to toe.

Minny Manny: Still remains the boss of the pack when he comes. For a dog that's like three pounds, he is quite impressive as he plays with dogs that are 100 plus. He is also not afraid to tell them to back off. He shares the love connection with Oona. Everyone loves Minny for some reason, even though he can be a bit bossy at times. He's Hoobie's favorite to hang with as well.

Lucey: Our Westie girl still remains a little spit fire and hunter. She is the perfect mix of ruff and tumble, and lady like demureness. Somehow she pulls this off!! Lucey is also very maternal. She is so patient with the big ruffian boys that we have here.


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LEON THE BOXER

Leon started his lessons the other day. Still seems like a very nice, sweet, and possibly the mellowest boxer that I have ever met. He seems to love everybody and everything, which is a bit of a problem because he likes to pull his owner over to potential canine playmates!!

The first lesson (basically longe line and sit on the dog) done correctly should begin to cut down on this quite a bit, and then heeling around distractions will further it for Leon. He is not adverse to doing what you want him to do:) He just needs to be taught exactly what that is.

Every new client has access to a blog with the training plans. Also, they can feel free to call me should they have any problems during the week. Each session when coaching a client takes an hour or more. If I feel a client needs additional help during the session, I don't charge them more for the additional time.

It's hard to imagine that someone left him in a shelter, but it seems that it may have been very lucky on Leon's part. No one was home with him very much according to the shelter, and so he took care of his needs for activity and elimination himself. Then a family found him, and immediately looked after his needs including training. It is such a pleasure when this happens!! Hopefully the transition into his new family keeps going smoothly.

And of course, I freaking forgot to take a picture of him, yet again, while I was enjoying him. Sigh next time, and if it should not be raining out, perhaps a video.


Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
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Welcoming Carole and Jean from Canada/Hoobie's Owners

Hoobies owners have made the trek from Canada. There is a little known Inn across the street from our street called the Ridge Road Inn. They have efficiency suites or small apartments for a weekly rental. The place is fairly new, and the owner is a very nice lady that likes dogs. Due to the rain and their late opening, I don't think many other people have arrived there yet. So it should be nice and quiet, and a quick walk down to the ocean as well. Course I was hoping for , maybe, the rain to stop. Seriously, the weather is never like it is right now, that being non stop rain.

Just looked at the weather forecast, and it's not making me feel very confident that I will see the sun again. You know once it comes, it's going to be like BAM HOTHOTHOT!! So our Canadian visitors are going to be wondering why we like to live here LOL. Really, we are not usually surrounded by damp and fog. We have been spoiled in that normally, around this time of year, we enjoy some very nice weather.

So the first visit with Hoobie went well. We haven't started the lessons with the owners yet. The stories they tell of Hoobie ruling their lives are horrifying. Hoobie used to need to be moved from room to room, just so the owners could enter their own rooms! If they left Hoobie out in the house, and went out themselves but forgot their key----Hoobie guarded the house from his own owners! He guarded each owner from the other owner (which we will be watching out for now, he hasn't displayed that towards me or my husband). Hopefully someday they will be looking back on those memories and laughing about them.

So now the lessons continue with Hoobie, and begin with the other very important part of the canine/human relationship. After a board and train like this, when the owners are reintroduced to their dog, it's a frightening thing for the owners. While they may see improvements, they may also feel like suddenly they can't read their dog, because they are not feeling free to charge up and boss the humans around anymore. Suddenly this dog seems unfamiliar, and the predictability the owners once had a strange comfort in is no longer there.

I can imagine how strange it must be to once have a dog that you needed to watch every move around, suddenly not be acting the same way. After all, the owners have not been involved in the training process thus far, nor seen the changes that have developed. They aren't used to this dog that is capable of not running every aspect of their lives. So now the owner education begins!! Wish us luck.

And someone, please bring me the sun back. I am so sick of being damp and mosquito bitten.


Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
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Tier Of Goals When Training The Behaviorally Challenged

Going to have to use Hoobie again, as he is my only behaviorally challenged training client at the moment LOL (thank goodness). So when a client like Hoobie comes in, the first thing I do is envision for that dog, what I want for him if he was my own dog. The next thing that comes into mind is the laundry list of things I ideally want to accomplish before the owners bring him home. Here is an example of such a list that comes to mind, and sometimes changes as I know the dog. For Hoobie, here is my list of priorities that mold the way I train the behavior modification part, and also influence my training of obedience exercises (like having a pet part of every command):


TIER OF GOALS FOR HOOBIE:

PRIORITY ONE-SAFETY FOR OWNERS (WEEKS ONE TO TWO VERY MUCH SO-AND ONGOING):

• Crate training in and out of crate. (includes muzzle off which is an indicator for Hoobie that he is going into the crate, and leash off which can also be an indicator)
  
• Acceptance of muzzle on and off when needed. It's so far really been muzzle off, as that was an indicator that he's going into the crate, when the muzzle is being used.


• Acceptance of training collar on and off.


• Later came the PVC pipe idea to get Hoobie off the muzzle with resource guarding issues, yet provide an in between place for him that keeps me safe while he aggresses, and does not make it necessary to give a strong correction. (or get a strong correction)


• Later came the e-collar to cut down on the extreme reactions of Hoobie to in the crate in duration, and also so hands do not become the focal point of being made to do something. He does very well on the e-collar on low levels.

• Not allowed to hump other dogs when out with them. Also, I don't mind that he investigates dogs, er, private regions. However, allowing him to prolong this beyond what is necessary usually leads to humping.

• Do NOT have the mindset to make excuses for bad behavior of Hoobie. Assuming he is not having a convulsion of some sort, and has not been hit by a car, tired is no longer an excuse that Hoobie just misbehaved. We can acknowledge that he is not ready yet for something, but it doesn't excuse it. There is a difference, and I need for the owners to have the mindset that bad behavior is not an excuse for Hoobie. The allowance for this, and the avoiding of things that might upset Hoobie are the reasons for his increased aggression. Now that he is going in the right direction, we need Hoobie to be firmly pushed in the correct direction and not backslide.

• Also later, the car goes to good places, not just the vet!!

PRIORITY TWO-LEADERSHIP (HEAVY WEEK ONE AND ONGOING):

• Nothing in life is free. Using what he knows and what he is learning to work for what he wants.

• Longe line, learn to follow and pay attention to leader without needing to be tugged or pulled along.

• Heeling, learn to follow and pay attention to leader in an exacting position.

• Auto sit, learn to pay attention to leader and stop when they stop (and in a consistent position).

• Recognizing the signs of when Hoobie is leading the owner/handler.

• How to recognize and address challenges from Hoobie.

• Resource guarding issues become part of leadership, but are addressed starting week 5, 6, 7 and most likely 8.

• Structure and discipline.
  

PRIORITY 3-TOUCH AND HANDS (THIS IS THIRD, BECAUSE WITHOUT SAFETY AND LEADERSHIP THERE WILL BE NO BEING ABLE TO TEACH HOOBIE THIS) AND OWNER/HANDLER TRUST:

• Petting feels good. Also verifying the fact that Hoobie does not appear to be aggressing because he's in pain when he's petted.


• Hands do good things. Hands open doors, hands get food, hands treat (when safe), allowing hands near means we go outside.


• Obedience training with Koehler molding methods. Very touch based training where molding Hoobie with hands allows him to realize that no hurt comes from this.


• Hands touch when he's feeling good outside, enjoying freedom, and relaxing with friends.


• When Hoobie approaches, instead of allowing him to demand attention, Hoobie sits and hands touch as he wanted on handler's terms not his.


• We started at points of his body that he seemed to enjoy, and then we spread out.


• Because he had learned to loathe touch, we needed to touch him first so that he learned it wasn't that bad in an obedience training way. Then, we allow him to indicate when he doesn't want it by walking away, and watching what the tail does. The tolerance of touch has been increasing in time and demand:) Otherwise, I would have the wait until he approached method. This is being done with strangers. However stranger interactions are very last on the priority list!

• Structure, Discipline, Clarity, and Consistency.

PRIORITY 4-RESOURCE GUARDING ISSUES (VERY BEGINNING STAGES OF THIS RIGHT NOW-DON'T KNOW HOW FAR WE WILL GET):

• This has been part of the crate training as well. Hoobie is not allowed to lunge, growl, bark, at anyone or thing passing by his crate or towards his crate.

• Hand feeding as the beginning concept of "everything is mine not yours". However, I will gladly share with you.

• Part of giving the medicine with the popsicle stick in the crate (as opposed to your fingers which would be a bit mistake right now) is for him to neither guard the popsicle stick (or try and grab it from you) or his space inside the crate. This is why children and adults who won't listen should not be allowed near the crate, and must be supervised to insure that they don't visit the doggie.
• In obedience, this has been done by walking by close to Hoobie, and expecting that he won't react while in a down or sit stay. In other words, Hoobie has believed in the past he owns all the space around him to:) Or guards it from his people. Also let's go removes him from his position if he has just woken up from sleep or looks a bit worried about "his space" (NOT).

• NO ON THE FURNITURE. AND THE TIMES I HAVE FOUND HIM ON THE GUEST BED, OFF THE FURNITURE IMMEDIATELY.

• NO IN THE FRONT SEAT OF THE CAR, AND THE BACK IS MINE TOO. MORE OF A TRAINING EXERCISE, AS THE OWNERS HAD A METAL SEPERATOR INSTALLED IN THEIR VEHICLE. THOUGH I WOULD LOVE FOR THE NOT TO AVOID THIS IN THE FUTURE, SO THAT HOOBIE CAN LEARN.

PRIORITY 5-GREETING KNOWN PEOPLE AND TRUSTING KNOWN PEOPLE (WILL BE IN THE VERY BEGINNING STAGES WHEN OWNERS ARRIVE BUT HAVE STARTED WITH MY HUSBAND):

PRIORITY 6-GREETING UNKNOWN PEOPLE AND TRUSTING THE HANDLERS IN GREETING AND BEING AROUND UNKNOWN PEOPLE (WILL GET STARTED ON THIS, BUT DON'T KNOW HOW FAR WE WILL GET) :

***Can I say that greeting children has not made the list. This dog is not safe around children. Children will not understand the ramifications in the near future of how to interact with a dog like this. Hoobie must be muzzled or in a crate out of the site and thought of children when they are around. And even muzzled, must be strictly supervised AND must have high quality muzzle that he can't get off or pinch through!!

Realize that each large and lofty goal has many steps and behavioral challenges in it. I mean for Hoobie it's as tiny as allowing the door clips on the crate to be touched without growling. That's how intricate the beginning steps have been with a normal stable dog that doesn't even become an issue.

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