Etiquette and Daycare on Long Sands Beach

Long Sands Beach in York Maine is a great spot to take your dogs for long walks.   There is at least two miles of beach there at low tide.   Most of the day, there is plenty of room for your dog to run and play. Very often Mannerly Mutts of York Beach Maine takes their client's daycare, boarding, and training dog to this beach.   All dogs need to be exceptionally well trained and responsive, however, before we can manage this.   Many of our dogs are electronic collar trained, just in case an emergency situation pops up.   You never know when you might find something the dogs are not used to on the beach, like a moose or a horse.   Our current crew, however, is pretty used to the horses at least.  None of us got to view the moose that came to cool off in the ocean this summer. In addition to emergencies, there are some rules at the beach, as long as just plain proper etiquette, when bringing dogs out and about around the public.   Official off summer season rules are that dogs, which are under voice control, may be off leash.   By under voice control, this means you should be able to recall your dog before they get under 10 feet from someone or something.   Additionally, your dog may not go up to a human or another dog unless specifically invited.  Furthermore, owners must be carrying poop bags, clean up after their dogs, and be carrying leashes in case they are not obeying. Personally, I know there are a lot of people in York Maine that would like to ban dogs off the beaches altogether.  This year, there has already been a restriction to eliminate walking off your property without your dog on a leash, whereas before dogs were allowed under voice control only.   Apparently, a lot of people were not following that rule.   I, personally, feel that the new law is not feasible to be enforced either.   Dogs were not allowed "at large" ever before, and voice control would be preventing the "at large" part.   Dogs were still at large a plenty around York Maine, which is an enforceable offense that comes with a penalty.    As usual, those people who were abiding the law will be restricted, while those that were not will stay as they were.  There has been a wide spread trend of un-friendly dog legislation nationally and internationally. This got off track a little bit, but my point is that I try to be an example to the extreme of what responsible care and training is when out in public.  One of my protocols (which is pictured) is to put the dogs in a stationary position whenever approached by another person or if they walk closely by.   There are way too many people that will exaggerate the slightest infraction, or become scared easily by dogs as they are not used to them.   At Mannerly Mutts, we try to show the public the example of dogs that can and should be on the beach around people. Please be thoughtful that the freedoms responsible dog owners have to bring their unleashed dogs in public is a privilege.   The best way to keep our privileges in tact is to demonstrate responsible dog ownership, handling, and training. MANNERLY MUTTS DOG TRAINING WEBSITE MAINE DOG TRAINING BLOG E-MAIL MAINE DOG TRAINER).

The Working Retrieve-The Beginning

This is a command a started with Jackie CD before he passed away last year.   Jackie and I were planning on competing at AKC Open trials this year.   Life and death are unpredictable fellows though, and they stepped in and ruined our plans.

I just finished Magoo's Companion Dog title.   Although we do not NEED to do any more Novice trials, I will probably keep him in the game until we are pointing in the low 190s.   In the meantime, I will start training the exercises for the Open trials.

Many dog trainers prefer to train their dog to Utility and then start the trials.   I am very new in the competition game, and Magoo is not my dog.   So I don't really know how long I will have complete access to Magoo.   Also, judging by the MANY mistakes I made in preparing for Novice my first times out, I would rather not carry forward such beginner mistakes into the more advanced levels of competing.  Once I finish a dog in Utility, I will most likely move towards training a dog all the way through before even competing at the Novice levels.   Time will tell, and experience sometimes changes the way you do things.  

Leon, a dog that I do not compete with due to his knees, is also going to learn the working retrieve.   He has an auto stand, however, and we will be working from that position instead of the auto sit stay.   Leon has  a play retrieve and loves it, and I would just like to firm up our work.   He will stop when he is "not in the mood" or treats aren't flowing freely.   A working dog, like a working human, needs to understand that it is a job.   Luckily, most dogs enjoy having a job, and just need to learn the rules of that job.   There is a lot of pride and partnership that goes into getting a working level out of a dog.   I am really not close to there yet, compared to other trainers who have been in the business 30-40 years, and were even perhaps reared in a family familiar with the dog profession.   Even us "old dogs" can learn new tricks though.  

The first thing that I will train for (beyond firming up my Novice performance) is the working retrieve.   Sadly, I did not find my own notes on this exercise.  So the first thing I will do is plan out exactly how the first week will go.

I recommend for clients and myself to go through the crating procedures, and then do a fifteen minute warm up on the old stuff before beginning the new exercises for the dog.  Once those are done, you are ready to begin. 

FIRST WEEK:


STEP 1: Warm up on Novice exercises until the dog is focused and attentive.


STEP 2: Leash should be on the dog to prevent fumbling for a stay correction,

if needed, and failing to begin the exercise properly.


STEP 3: Come to a halt in the heel position.


STEP 4: Give the dog the stay command


STEP 5: The left hand is positioned on top of the dog's muzzle at the mid

point. Done correctly the thumb will be pointed towards the trainer, and the

fingers will be on the far side opposite.


STEP 6: Center the dumbell in the palm of your right hand, and bring it against

the dog's mouth.


STEP 7: Say the command "[Dogs' Name] fetch", tighten your fingers and thumb

along the dog's mouth so that it opens, and allow the dumbell to roll into the

mouth so that it is right behind the canine's teeth. Don't allow the dumbbell

to roll to the back of the mouth, as that is something you will need to retrain

later, if you do.


STEP 8: The thumb and fingers of your right hand now gently hold the muzzle

closed around the dumbell, while your left hand moves from the top of the muzzle

to scratch places on the dog's head that they enjoy (ie right behind the ears).

Praise your dog as you do this "[Dogs' Name] Good [Boy or Girl]" for instance.


STEP 9: Move your right hand from the muzzle as you say "[Dog's Name] give",

and take the dumbell gently from them.


STEP 10: Release your dog with an okay.


STEP 11: Repeat ten times each session by going back to the beginning. Change

the location each time you come to a halt. Do this for at least two sessions

during the day. Seperate the sessions by the hours that you find convenient.



Should have video of a practice to follow.   NOTE:   IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU HAVE NOVICE SKILLS DOWN ADEQUATELY FIRST BEFORE GOING TO A WORKING RETRIEVE.


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Tri-Tronics Tracer Light Review

Tracer light fits in the
middle of the receiverTri

Recently, an old customer wanted to update their electronic collar to the expandable series. They have two dogs, and the Tri-Tronics Sport G3 is expandable to three dogs. They have two very old model non-expandable Tri-Tronics and need to use two separate transmitters.


Generally, I prefer the Dogtra collars, and here is why by importance to me:

1. Dogtra has 100 or more levels of stim that start lower than Tri-Tronics but are also seem to go as high as Tri-Tronics if you need that.

2. Dogtra’s distance between stims is more universal, where Tri-Tronic’s stim takes big leaps at about level 3 (out of six or seven now). Many times you are up the dial not be adverse to the dog, but because they work at a higher level naturally. Therefore you would want a more standard jump in levels than to suddenly be very high.

3. The metal on the Dogtra collar is less likely to cause an allergic reaction or irritation on your dog’s neck.

4. You don’t need to change a separate toggle button from dog to dog, there are just two separate buttons on the Dogtra collar.

5. Dogtra has a pager or vibrate only to alert your dog that you are looking for them. Very helpful if you have a deaf dog OR a dog later goes deaf due to old age. Tri-Tronics has a beeper, which obviously won’t be heard if your dog goes or is deaf.

6. Except for the more expensive long distance or digital screen Dogtra collars, the receiver and transmitter units are more compact.

Tri-Tronics does have some benefits however:

1. They have a six-dog model, which I find very helpful for use with daycare and boarding clients.

2. The cheaper Sports series has a two-hour charge vs. an eight-hour charge.

3. They tend to hold their charge longer than Dogtra does.



However, now they have another benefit that I love, albeit quite expensive to purchase. The Tri-Tronics Dog Collars now have an accessory called a Tracer Light. My customer wanted to buy the collar with these. Alone they cost about 44.00 without shipping. These lights attach to the receiver with the removal of two screws between the battery and receiver guts of the collar. This allows you to see your dogs out in the dark. My client lives right next door to me, so I get to see his dogs with the collars on. These work fantastic! I was dubious as to how they might be able to be seen, but they are quite visible while they are on their property in the pitch black.

I have other collars that go around dogs’ necks, and the lights are very weak and the collars do not last long. My customer reported that turning the lights on and off with the remote is very easy as well. Tri-Tronics advertise they should be visible for one half mile, though my dogs nor my clients’ dogs are ever that far away to test!

This is a product that gets thumbs up from me!

NOTE: Mannerly Mutts in York Beach Maine never sells electronic collars to the general public. We only sell to training clients who train with us. They must prove that they can train with basic equipment first, and then that they can understand and implement the concepts of electronic collars before being allowed to purchase from us.


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Mandy October 5th Update

Mandy is coming soon for an overnight. It's always exciting when we see our previous training clients from FAR AND AWAY (in this case Canada) come back so we can see how they have been progressing at home. In the meantime, I wanted to share the latest update on Mandy where her owner was excited that she had retrieved, and seems now confident enough to keep Mandy. She was actually considering doing the expensive training here so that it would be possible to re home Mandy later, but instead found the right partnership. Mandy is in the field a lot with her owner overseeing parks and such, and so it would have been impossible for her owner to be able to properly care for a dog that could not come along with her often. It is also an ideal life for a dog to be able to do this.

So here is Mandy's owner's update:

"We had a big 'first' this evening.

Until now, Mandy hasn't had any retrieving interests from either her Golden or Lab sides...unfortunate for me, as that's a prime way to exercise her four legs without wearing out my two.

This morning she had a dog walk/romp with a friend's Nova Scotia Tolling Retriever. We found a tennis ball in the local school yard and the toller retrieved with GREAT enthusiasm, Mandy taking note and somewhat joining in.

Tonight, after a few tosses, she caught on and retrieved admirably a number of times all on her own. What a thrill!

The toller will get treats in the morning. And I now have a new way to exercise my dog.

Just wanted to let you know.

Phyl, I'll be sending a one-year adoption update on Mandy on October 16. This year has been a learning experience for both of us, with some work still ahead, but we are now definitely a bonded pair.

Robin, this wouldn't have happened without your expertise and interest.

Mandy now wags and grins all the time, as she should.

Lee"


These are the results that keep me at it:)   Also these results CAN NOT happen without a committed owner.   It's a lot harder than you think, because it involves an owner learning to mask their own insecurities when working their dog.   The owner needs to behaviorally modify themselves in order to behaviorally modify their dog, and it's no easy task especially when they live so far away from me.   It's not like I can personally swing by if they are having a problem.

Congrats to my human and canine students!!   Thank you for making my business my dream job.

To see more about Mandy, just click on her name on our blog.

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Picture and Video Client Updates

Sorry guys, with Thanksgiving slamming into us, and a bevvy of canine guests to entertain, I have slacked off on blogging.   Many of my clients are no doubt wondering what their canines have been up to while they were here:)   So first some photos of our Thanksgiving day guests.




Bella is the sweetest English Mastiff girl.  She is very timid though, despite her large size.

"That's right, I really do sleep on the bed at home.  Er, yeah, that's my story and I am sticking to it"

Magoo hangs out on bed with friends Leon and Boris.  My poor bed, I don't know how it is able to deal with all this weight on it all of the time.

Where oh where did Tommy go?

Friends Tommy and Leon getting ready for a good nights sleep (on the bed of course).

Jake at the left is a dog who recently trained here.   Jake moved to an assisted living community with his owner.  It was great to see Jake on Thanksgiving, and to know he and his owner are happily comfortable in their new home.  Gus is in the middle.   Tommy is at the far right.

Gus Goo came here because he is a bit anxious around other dogs.   He trained here awhile ago, and it's nice to visit with him on Thanksgiving.

Tommy and Buddy become fast friends.  Buddy is Lola's "brother" in that he lives with her.  They both spent Thanksgiving with us.

Tommy is playing with Lola here, who is the lovely black and white girl.   Lola came here because she did not get along well with dogs.   She is doing much better now as you can see.

Tommy arrived from Switzerland a few months ago.   Switzerland has some BSL legislation, and don't know what a fine dog they are missing.   His owners will be visiting him soon, and are excited to see him for Christmas.



 This is a now old video of Tommy at the end of his third training week here.   He was just learning about being outside without the leash and on the e-collar so he could get MUCH needed exercise.    Tommy really appreciates this, and he has a lot of fun everyday with his canine companions now, especially out in the woods or chasing the ball.




Finally our most recent daycare video.   This isn't the whole day, but some introductions and a woodsy walk that is typically done during the day.

NOTE:   AT LEAST IN THE WOODSY PORTION THE DOGS USUALLY HAVE ON ORANGE VESTS, BUT I FORGOT WHEN I WAS VIDEOING THIS, AS I WAS ORGINALLY JUST GOING TO DO THE INTROS IN THE FRONT YARD.   MY APOLOGIES TO MY DAYCARE CLIENTS, I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL, AND USUALLY AM...SORRY ABOUT THAT.   LUCKILY NO ONE HERE ALLOWS HUNTERS ON THEIR PROPERTY, BUT THAT DOES NOT PROTECT US FROM SOMEONE WHO IS NOT OBEYING THE RULES.  



The below picture is just to show that the dogs do indeed relax during the day once we are done with our walkies.   There is snoring and everything.   Hogan is not in this picture, but on Thursday he was where my dog Leon is on the couch in the middle and fast asleep.

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