Work With The Dog You Have, Not With The Dog You Wished You Had

Jackie CD 2003-2009
He was never going to like
strange dogs in his face:)
We loved him anyway,
and worked the dog we had!

If you spend time working with the dog you have, you will grow to appreciate them for who they are, and be able to maintain and design and incredible working relationship:)

I have said before, I do not see dogs as a listing of their faults as their total personality or "the real dog".   I always see dogs as them plus their potential.   That being said, not every dog's potential is to be the idealized "bomb proof" dog who loves everything and anybody no matter what.   A dog has a very statistically high probability of dramatic improvement in some way.  If we get beyond the point expected for the team, I will gladly take that.   Sometimes and not often a dog does much better than I imagined for them.   Owners should take that kind of success, if it happens but should know not to expect more of their dog than they can deliver realistically.

If you have stopped working with a behaviorally challenged dog, realistically you should expect the behavior will revert back.   Some people call this "unpredictable", but trainers who work with dogs know that is highly predictable and likely.   An owner can not get to a level, and then drop back to no social interaction, no training ET, and expect the dog to be fine later on when put into a situation that is no longer familiar to them.  

Too many owners feel that because a dog now gets along well with the dog that lives in their home, suddenly they are now opened up to meeting all sorts of strange dogs.   If you have a dog that does not like dogs getting into their face, and has not relaxed later on (though is in control around these dogs) with strange dogs getting in their face----please do not think your dog is now fine to have loose, not under command, and suddenly like strange dogs doing this.   It is not unpredictable that something bad might happen, it is a highly predictable event.  The owner is still responsible to manage the environment and work the training to keep their dog and others safe (or humans safe).  This does not matter if the dog coming up is cute and friendly, if the behaviorally challenged dog does not perceive the circumstances in this way.  

Through socialization and practice the trainer or owner can find out that their dog does in fact like play, does like strange dogs.   Sometimes their frustration at not being able to play comes across as aggressive actions as the dog gets too aroused, stimulated, and frustrated.   Remember though, the DOG is coming to that conclusion under their own free will, a dog can not be forced to like playing with another dog.   A skilled handler or trainer can bring out that natural inclination if it indeed exists.

Some dogs are not going to like other dogs, especially strange dogs, coming right into their face.   Often, one can train these dogs to be controllable and learn not to react when given a directive from their owners.   This requires a lot of serious and consistent training.  A dedicated owner is necessary for this to work.   It takes a lot more work than if you happen to own a dog that really does like other dogs.  Stress is involved in owning and working a dog like this.   Again, dogs are more than their behavioral issues to those who love them.   The rest of the dog is worth the additional work needed to get them to a safer and consistent base.   When they are there and in control, this does not mean an owner can sit back, put up their feet, and forget what their dog is up to or doing, especially in new and different situations.  

I have owned two dogs like this, Jackie CD and Neptune.   So I am really aware of what it takes to do this.  Sometimes owners do not listen or heed my warnings and an event occurs.   It usually occurs when they decide it's okay to let Ginger meet the friendly dog after all.   Sometimes it is because the owner is embarrassed that they do not own the kind of dog who they could expect to greet "miscellaneous friendly dog" politely, and they give into the peer pressure of the other owner who assures that their dog is friendly.   The point is, it does not matter that "miscellaneous friendly dog" is friendly or not, what matters is how your dog perceives the situation.   If you release them into "miscellaneous friendly dog's" space to their own devices, you have just given up control of your dog and are now hoping that your dog is not going to repeat the predictable behavior that they have historically done in the past.   THAT does not work for the dog.   They are not reading your mind, and we are not able to tell them in English that we would prefer if they did not bite "miscellaneous friendly dog".  

Trainers always try to explain to clients the clarity of being able to tell your dog WHAT to do rather than trying to have them guess what we want them NOT TO DO.   Also, when walking a potentially aggressive dog in control around other people, we can not expect those humans to know what our dog is capable of.   That is the owner's responsibility to know their dog, and to explain that to a public that will erroneously release their friendly dog towards you.   The general public expects all potentially aggressive dogs to look wildly out of control, and be openly aggressive.  The only one that can let someone in on the hidden behavioral challenges of their dog is their owner.

Some owners will be so proud of what they have accomplished, they drop the training, and remain in complete denial about some aspects of their dogs personality.   They believed that even though their dog never showed an acceptance of strange dogs, suddenly their dog is going to be able to handle this (out of the blue so to speak).  So suddenly their dog is released in social situations that they would never have been while training was going on.  That is not a good combination to have.   It virtually guarantees that an incident will happen in the future.  To the dog owner this guaranteed incident feels "unpredictable" when it happens.  They feel they can no longer trust their dog.

That is a shame, because what they can trust and predict is that their dog never did and still does not like dogs getting in their face.   Should you not prepare them or release them to do "as they will", it really should be no surprise that they will exhibit the aggressive behavior.

It really happens with all sorts of behavioral issues outside of aggression, but aggression is what will have dog owners giving up on their dogs, so that is what I am concentrating on in this post.  If you go for years with a potentially aggressive dog that has not had incidents, this is usually due to training continuing, management of the environment (IE "no my dog is not friendly, my dog can not meet yours and your dog can not come over", muzzles and such).  Just because the incidents did not occur does not mean that your dog suddenly loves every strange dog on the planet.   The ones who do decide they are into strange dogs are pretty obvious about it.   Though one point I should make is that their behavior can vary depending on the handler in whose hands they feel the most safe.   I have at least one client's dogs who comes here, and their owner can not make them feel safe enough to release them to play, while the dog views me and my place as a safe zone.   This does not frequently happen, but it can happen that a dog does not feel safe with their owner.  Maybe because their owner is not that good at reading other dogs and/or their own dog.   Lots of reasons may come into play for this, but again it is usually fairly obvious when this happens.   So if this client suddenly decides that just because their dog is relaxed enough to do this here, that their dog can suddenly do this with them without the additional work and training (in this case to train the human), they are fooling themselves.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

The Resource Guarders

Our late and great Jackie CD was a
resource guarder, due mainly to
his health condition.

First, let me define what a resource guarder is in my opinion. A resource guarder is a canine, who has an overdeveloped concern that something they want is either going to be taken away OR they will not have access to it. This concern is usually expressed at first through growls, putting their paw over the object, lining objects up around them, or eyeing down an on comer. If this problem is ignored and not dealt with immediately, teeth will most likely be involved soon after. It does not take a canine who has this fear or concern long to realize an argument can be ended quickly with teeth. After the teeth are involved, bite inhibition decreases exponentially if the problem is ignored.

NOTE:   Often puppies will try to intimidate you, but just need a firm no and discipline.   An adult rescue may try and challenge you as well, but again a no or firm reprimand may easily sway them.   Not all dogs that try this once or twice are actually resource guarders, but may become them if an owner is unusually reluctant to stop the behavior or has a visible fear of dogs.   However, the type of dogs that I am talking about in this article are usually having a larger problem than the before mentioned.  Also it is the actions the dog shows when the item is attempted to be retrieved rather than the actions alone (gathering up toys, some dogs just enjoy placing them) that indicate whether you have a problem or not.


This concern for the canine exhibiting these behaviors may be very real (actually not receiving proper care or nutrition) or WAS very real at one time (stray and starving for a period of time and needing to fight to be fed). More often, the concern isn't the reality of the situation (in other words nutrition and care is more than adequate). Sometimes, there are times where we must restrict our canine companions access to things, or need to take something away from them. For instance, the need to remove garbage that is dangerous from a canine's mouth.

What are some things that dogs might consider resources?

• The owner, themselves. A dog might guard that owner from their own spouse or children. Sounds funny, but if you are dealing with this problem...it's really not.
• Strange people they like in general. Actually, my dog, Jack, is the only dog I know to have done this. If he decides he likes another dog's owner, then he used to attempt to guard that owner from their own dog.
• Something (anything like a piece of paper) that another dog or human has OR is about to bend down to get. The dog in question does not need to have the item themselves, they may just be guarding it from you or another canine.
• Food
• Toys
• Rocks
• Dead Things
• Favorite animal friend
• Things like seaweed that are not really food, but dogs know they can ingest.
• Laundry
• Rooms
• Crate
• Vehicle Interior
• Doors
• Tissues (what is it with Springers and tissues?) or paper products like towels in general
• Dog beds or mats
• And everything else that I have forgotten

This condition can come about due to many variables in a dog's life. They are not only the sole property of adult rescue dogs whose history may be unknown, believe it or not. Unfortunately, this can happen when responsible owners adopt a puppy. Here are some things that I have found make up the perfect storm for a resource guarder:

• Serious medical issues early on that make certain resources far to important to a young puppy. One of my client's dogs, Cerber a handsome GSD, had elbow problems and surgery starting before he was six months old. He was regulated to a pen area, and had just a few 15 minute potty breaks a day due to the healing process. He had both his elbows done, so it was closer to a year before he was able to do anything resembling what other dogs can do. He seriously did not want people taking either his food or peanut butter kong. You know this sort of thing is a judgement call. I believe the right judgement is for the sanity of your young puppy that he has something to do if he has this issue. However, be aware of the behavioral problems that may develop so that you are prepared.
• A first time owners' attempts to be sure their dog is not a resource guarder, but are done a bit too vigorously!!! Then what happens, is the dog gets a very real concern that things are going to be taken away willy nilly. Dogs need relaxation and breaks, and overdoing something can be a serious mistake that may in fact bring on the behavior that you didn't want in the first place.
• If a dog has a "ingesting" problem, and certain things needed to be kept from him/her; this can later manifest itself into resource guarding. My dog, Jack CD, had this very problem. Some dogs just get fixated on eating things they shouldn't.
• Prior abuse or neglect can cause this problem. If the dog ever had to fight for their food or could not count on food being given at all. In some dogs, this can cause a problem later on, if the dog gets out of this unfortunate place and into a good home. Of course in the original home, it will most likely be a problem, but neglectful and irresponsible owners won't notice or care!!
• A puppy that was separated from their litter a bit too early OR the mother did not nurse them, could have quite a few issues including resource guarding. So just be aware, if you decide to take a dog from a breeder and this has been disclosed, that you are going to need to be prepared and start a plan quite early to combat issues like this. Likewise a puppy from a shelter that has the same issues. It's great to rescue these puppies, just be aware that they often have special needs.
• I will commit the wost blasphemy here, and say it might just be part of their personal makeup. Humans all have unique personalities. There are some things that annoy us individually that do not annoy others (the sound of scratching annoys the heck out of me). Dogs are just as individual as we are:) I am not convinced that my dog's, Jack's, low tolerance for dogs being around "his" stuff isn't just what makes Jack, well Jack. Even in Jack's case, he is much more tolerant now, but we keep an eye out for the patience level waning. He's not thrilled about humans necessarily taking his stuff either, but he has a more infinite patience level for that.
• Insert here the infinite number of other things that I have not thought of yet.

A training and behavior modification plan is, of course, the best action in these cases. Some cases will be much simpler than others. It really seems to depend on how long the initial behavior was either allowed to continue OR the correct solutions were not found right away. Sometimes an owner is working diligently on a problem, even with the help of professionals, but the wrong answers and direction were given. This is not to say that every dog can be saved, and there is always the perfect answer. However, the vast majority of dogs that have ended up in the general dog owning public are able to be greatly improved upon in their ability to adapt to living with the human population as a pet. Children can be the great variable in this situation, in that you would hope a parent would never endanger their children no matter how much they may love the dog. If I don't take on a resource guarding case, it is normally because I don't think the children in the family should be exposed to the dog. Again, some problems are bigger than others, and some resource guarding dogs have a fairly simple issue that does not cause immediate endangerment.

So what sort of things would I expect to hear as options in a training and behavior modification plan for a dog whose primary problem is resource guarding:

1. The trainer should be interested in a detailed history of the dog with a strong emphasis on any medical history.
2. An obedience training plan is a must. The dog must be able to be communicated with. Yes, additional things that do not need to be done for just obedience training will need to be implemented, but it will be all for nothing without a strong partnership and communication developed to support the progress. (Can't emphasize enough the importance of a really, really well trained place, stay, and come command. These are stationary and movement commands that really really help with a dog that has aggressive responses to situations, and helps them learn the alternate things that can be done.)
3. The balance of discipline, trust, and respect should be talked about. With a dog like this, you need to have trust for the dog to relax around you should they have a treasured thing, which they have been allowed to have. Discipline is the form of communication that says there are some behaviors that absolutely will not be tolerated. Respect comes from the understanding of the working relationship between you and your dog. I didn't mention love. Why? Because I have yet to meet the dog that did not love and adore their owner no matter what. The actions of resource guarding have nothing to do with a dog not loving you.
4. Options options options. How will the trainer make this work? How will they measure their progress? What will tip them off to the fact that it's time to try something new or change up something? The number of tools, methods, experience, and knowledge of very many different things stacked the odds in favor of your individual dog finding the right mix.
5. So many new trainers or trainers that do not work with resource guarding or aggressive dogs THINK they have seen every personality in dog training. You are going to want to know that your trainer has seen a wide variety of personalities, and that they are continually surprised and awed by what they can see. I have had my easiest and hardest dogs this year alone. This isn't to say I haven't had many a hard dog in the past, because I most definitely have. In six short years, I have lost track of the hundreds of dogs that I have seen. I know that owners are sometimes not exaggerating in any form or fashion what they are actually seeing. Experience will give you a trainer that knows the behavioral bends that a dog can take, and will let them know that they are not going to know that dog (necessarily) in the first few weeks.
6. Management vs training. What do I mean by that? Well first of all, I firmly believe that any good training is bound to involve behavior modification on some level. Training is a method to communicate and set up a partnership with your dog. Behavior modification is the change in a behavior that is not wanted in the human household (and is a reasonable expectation) to one that is more acceptable. Management is the means by which to keep people and other living beings safe. Crates, muzzles, when to allow the dog near people, and managing the environment are all ways to manage or stack the odds for safety. Management normally includes things that you eventually do not want to need to count on OR you want to eliminate them all together OR you want to have to use them in very limited and short term ways. In any aggression or such case that I can think of, there is going to be a degree of management discussed.
7. And everything else that I have forgotten to mention.

So know that this is a serious problem. Every dog does not have to love to share, BUT do not let serious behavioral issues manifest and fester. You may be faced with a much larger problem down the road if you do not find the appropriate and working answers quickly.



Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Hoobie One Week Anniversary At Home

It is with relief that I report Hoobie has had a successful week one back at home. Even when I work so hard on a case, I don't feel like anything has been accomplished until I hear that things are working at home. By no means is any one's job done just yet, but I have been pleased with the three reports on Hoobie that I have received in the last week from his owners. Even more importantly, the owners seem pleased and comfortable with the tools that I have given them.

Hoobie sounds like he is very happy at home. He is settling into the changed rules regarding his sleeping arrangements, and the behaviors that will no longer be tolerated. It's important that the owners keep this all consistent, as he is likely to "test the waters" during the next few weeks and months. I don't think that he can beat the positives in his own doggie life that have been made (and that will be an incentive to him):

• Hoobie has an area where he can sleep undisturbed (as do his owners LOL). With a chronically ill dog, it's important that they get rest and relaxation. A dog that gets unrealistically angry when awakened, IMO, is a dog that is not getting his ZZZs that are needed.



• As with the above point, Hoobie's daily schedule allows for down time for him to get rest during the day.



• He is no longer on sleeping pills to get through the night, and does not need to tolerate any adverse affects of those. (such as grogginess during his awake hours)



• He no longer has incidents of vomiting and diarrhea. One can only imagine that this makes him feel healthier and more active. (and more tolerant) We may have eliminated the need for one of his other three medications as well.
  



• He is able to be out more, and enjoyed a lot more by his human and canine friends.
  



• He is able to start making friendships with the canines that come into his home.
  



• He is able to enjoy walks outside the house around strange people and canines.
  



• His owners are able to take him for car rides now, without the fear of him trying to jump into the front seat with them and be out of control. He is able now to learn to behave in the car under his own steam, rather than have to remain behind the metal grate and separated from his family.
  



• He enjoys being petted now!!! Not just on his own terms because he is afraid humans are going to be unpredictable every moment now.

• For both physical and mental health reasons, Hoobie can now be groomed at home instead of having to be sedated at the vet's office.

And so now Hoobie gets to start his second chance at a stable dog's life in a human family. This has not been an easy case. I am very proud of Hoobie's owners for being the dedicated and responsible people that they are. You don't often have the privilege of working with clients like this.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Hoobie Went Home Wednesday Afternoon

After four months here, Hoobie went home this last Wednesday afternoon. He had a seven hour car ride awaiting him, and a trip through customs. I heard from his owner waiting at home during the last three hour stretch that Hoobie was asleep in the car, as his other owner finished up their long commute.

The hardest part, for me, is over; but I still have a job to do when Hoobie is home in the form of being support for unexpected situations, and commenting on the training an maintenance going forward. I am hoping that news starts coming as soon as the owners and Hoobie are settled; so that I know how things are going. This is the letting go stage, which is hard for a trainer like me. Hoobie was my charge for four months of hard work. While I am so enjoying my mini vacation this weekend, and can feel the weight of everyday care and responsibility for Hoobie leaving my shoulders, it is still my job to make sure everything goes forward at home well. Plus, I naturally worry about my dogs and owners for a good few months after a behavioral case like this. Hoobie being the most behaviorally challenged dog that I have ever seen in my care. Luckily, he was only forty pounds!! He is also bright, able to learn, and the problem was not that he didn't like people (or other dogs).

I should be back to my daily postings, now that "summer season" has officially ended. My dogs training has become sloppy, so I will be concentrating on that. I will also be concentrating on finishing up my training manuals on adult dogs and puppies during this period of time. I will be revisiting whether I think Jack can go through Open reliably next Spring, and hopefully take in some seminars. Also, I am considering doing some group classes next year----possibly. We will see on that.

I will pat my back on the Hoobie case a year from now if his owners are happy and he is still at home:) For now, I wait in anticipation for news of my little monster.

I was very proud that before he went home, Hoobie's owner bathed, brushed, clipped his hair, clipped his nails, et without a blow. This is something any one of which, he needed to be sedated and put to sleep for at the vets. We also watched tv together as my husband popped in and out one night, this is something that Hoobie would race across the floor for to bite the incoming person, whoever it was. Now the trick is, to keep the progress going at home.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Updates Ending on August

Magoo: I am currently training him on the last official exercie, the finish. I am also enlongating the distance for come front. These two exercises in obedience, you need to be careful of. That is you most likely want to do them completely seperately. In addition, I have found that using the command heel for finish makes it less confusing for the both of us. I personally train finish one way or the other, and others will train both different kinds of finishes. I may change this up with Magoo, though I am undecided on that yet.

For polishing later on, I will want to have people stand in as posts for his figure eight, and strangers "examine" him during a stand. I have a feeling I will have plenty of volunteers for this, as we are going out in public now.

If you don't train the exercises seperately, it is more likely that the dog will go right to finish instead of stopping at front. I have learned this the hard way LOL, and needed to retrain both of my dogs to do them seperately.

Hoobie Doobie: Hoobie's days resemble the following lately, as far as his training schedule:

1. About one half to one hour of maintence work (depends on how the performance is) every day on the exercises he started on so he remains somewhat fresh for his owners. So these are the sits, downs, stays, "let's go", place, crate, and heeling type of exercises.
2. At least one half hour to an hour of grooming work, which incorporates the obedience exercises. Hoobie operates better when he knows what is coming up. So if I say "sit", and brush him---then he knows this is going to be over soon. Typically, I use sit for brushing, clipping the front nails (with paw command), shaving, toweling, and ear cleaning. I use down for brushing and toweling especially his front legs, which is the area he is the most sensitive of. I use stand for brushing, shaving, and clipping his back nails. We can get through a session of doing all of these now pretty much without a "blow". The front legs are still the thing that he comes close to tantrums on at this point, and I suspect this is where the injections when he was younger may have been given. This is totally done muzzled at this point, and should continue that way for a long while. Hoobie needed to be put to sleep for this process before.
3. At least one half hour to an hour of territorial and guarding behavior work a day. Hoobie guards areas like the back of cars or the inside of his crate (even from the outside when his food bowl or toy are in there. He became very good with me alone with him and the crate, and I have been working him up to other canines (as a prelude to humans) being around the areas that he is territorial or guarding over. He is also a resource guarder, and so working him to not demand the cheese whiz that comes with his meds, but instead learn to "leave it" and "take it" in various different scenarios. He used to have a very hard time when territorial met resource guarding (ie cheese whiz through crate bars which is the safest), but that all came together a little while ago when we were alone. Now I expect him to do it when others are around milling outside the crate. It's the easiest and safest way to do it. He's good outside the crate most times, but I feel it's very important to use the PVC pipe just in case.

So now with Hoobie's homecoming getting close, it's time to coach at least one owner how to keep this moving forward. The trust and relationship that I have built with Hoobie also needs to be built with his owners. As with most couples, it looks like one will be at the head of Hoobie's training. The same is true in my house, my husband enjoys the benefits of the training but does not so much participate. The one problematic thing in a behaviorally challenged dog like this, is that one way or another, whether the other spouse is home less or not, he needs to learn that the more infrequent home inhabitor is just as important as the primary home inhabitor.

There are at least two ways that I envision this going. And I will write about that tomorrow LOL. I need to remember especially about silence and space in this next posting for Hoobie. At home, I think he was getting a bit freaked on being examined so much, and the owners need to remember there is a time and place for that BUT ALSO dogs need to be left alone sometimes as well for their own mental well being.

Akuma: He is starting on his downs and comes. Akuma's owner's left hand has become partially disabled. It's surprisingly difficult to train a young puppy with only one maine hand, even if it is the one that is usually used in training. It makes the molding into a sit or down a bit harder, and I have tried to modify what I can for Akuma's owner. Leash position, holding, and body movement and attitude become even more important when you have less body parts to rely on!!

Akuma does not really have any behavioral issues, other than he loves people and would love to pull his owner over to all people that he sees. Very friendly and sweet dog.

Leon #2: Leon's owner was able to take her first real walk without me. Leon is a lovely boxer but not so lovely on the first meeting of other canines. He can be quite alarming really, and there is a protcol that must be done before he meets other dogs. However, after meeting other dogs, he is a good friend and playmate.

Right now we are concentrating just on the ability to walk past other dogs that are leashed and minding their own business. It takes practice on the owner's part to remember to be calm and in control so that anxiety does not travel down the leash to inadvertently alert that something is wrong. He is not ready to be walked into a pack of strange dogs.

Leon also is a lover of humans in any form. He has two little girls of his own that he loves.

Tucker: Is a new lab puppy client that will be starting next week! I have met him boarding with me at 10 weeks old, and he is quite a little puppy. Love him. He is probably four times the size now!!


Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Hoobie's Crate Finds A New Home

Hoobie is staying with us through August now. His home has been going through repairs, and his owner wants to train the visiting dogs that come to the house before Hoobie comes back. Both not bad reasons for Hoobie to stay put. It certainly will make the transition back home easier for both Hoobie and the owners.

So Hoobie's education is continuing. The following has been accomplished with me, and needs to be transferred to Hoobie's owners:

• Commands learned have been let's go, stand, heel, place, crate, sit, down, leave it, take it, and stay. Now some of these he would perform before, now he is reliable in distracting circumstances.
• Grooming in a muzzle is no longer an activity for which Hoobie must be put out OR can only be in short spurts.
• Hoobie is enjoying petting, In fact, he often seeks it out from both of us.
• Strangers that are at all dog savvy are not considered an instaneous threat to Hoobie.
• Walking in public (with a muzzle to protect a public who might reach out to pet without a thought) is pleasant and Hoobie enjoys these.
• He is taking his medication in the crate through the bars in a sit (he's territorial and a resource guarder) with the use of the commands "leave it" and "take it" making him a more polite boy.

So now that he is going to be staying longer than expected, we have moved onto some more advanced parts of his training. It's all well and good that he trusts me much more around his food, treats, and space but what about others... It's hard to recruite strange humans (strange to Hoobie) to drop over all the time, but we do have strange and known canines coming over all the time. So while I am not expecting the owners to serve Hoobie's favorite food in the midst of a party while he's out of a crate, I am teaching at least more impulse control while in the crate.

This is important because he is territorial as well. So previously, tackling the resource and territorial aggression in the same lesson seemed too much for Hoobie. Now he is prepared for it. Can't find my camera, but right now Preston is lying next to Hoobie's crate and next to his food bowl. Hoobie is napping without concern. However, when Magoo just tried to approach, Hoobie started in with a low growl indicating he thought a threat was coming to his food.

I have just moved Hoobie's family room crate to be more in the traffic of both me and the dogs. His crate previously was in a solitary room and in a remote corner of the family room. If we can get him to stop guarding the small spaces, we can eventually get him to stop guarding whole rooms. This is a long term goal I am talking about, I am expecting that Hoobie will be crated according to the rules and schedules that we map out. Right now, the reason that he is not guarding whole rooms is because he is not allowed to be in the position where he would. It's part of teaching him the correct responses to replace the need to guard.

Part of training a dog like this, is to show the reasons why guarding is not necessary. You also want to show the dog what NOT guarding gets them. That is not guarding the car, gets a car ride to a fun place. Not guarding the crate, allows the crate door to open to all the possibilities there. In comparison, an altercation is not such a desirable thing for the DOG . That is what you are teaching, an aggressive reaction on the dog's part is not worth the loss in freedom and the other things they enjoy. Of course in order to do this, it's always good to be sure that you are not inadvertently giving a negative. For instance, when Hoobie's thyroid problems were untreated, a pet would have been and did become a negative thing. I'll talk again how we have been making this a positive thing, and how this was further continued to grooming et.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

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.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Hoobie's Vet Visit

Hoobie needed to go to the vet to get a lump checked out, which presented itself as the owners were leaving from Canada to here. It was aspirated at my vets, and it didn't show any tumor cells or infection. We don't want to cause Hoobie anymore pain now, so no addition biopsy, but watching it's progress for the next two weeks.

He did have an yeasty ear infection. I was expecting a whopper of a temper tantrum, and my husband was going to capture it, but instead Hoobie was a gentleman and innocence itself.

At one point on the tape I say Hoobie presented his true self right away. I worded that wrong, I meant that Hoobie showed his learned aggressive behaviors right away, though not full blown (no attacking at the movement of my computer mouse, OR if I brush my pants et). When I normally use the term "true self" in dog training, I usually mean the dog that emerges once the fearful issues and bossy without context issues are addressed. That is the dog's true self in a domestic environment. Not a dog without issues or flaws, but a dog that is at their best for their individual makeup.


AT the end I am showing the vet, who is doubting my sanity now, the bruises left by Hoobie's paws by his previous tantrums as he tried to grab me to bite me (muzzles are an awesome way to wait a dog out, without allowing him to bite and showing him that he is alive and safe when he is all done). I will write more about when you work dogs with muzzles, and then transitioning them off during everyday life activities later. He has not tried to grab me with his paws or had a tantrum in three days (counting today, and assuming it stays that way).

Here are some photos I took. I wish I got a tantrum on tape. The owners, I am sure, are quite familiar with how it looks. At that point, I was totally concentrating on Hoobie, rather than instructing my husband to grab the video camera!!

I could have avoided being bruised (and keep in mind I do bruise like a peach) by swiveling the leash and D ring up behind Hoobie's neck. However, I thought it a good time to show Hoobie that he won't get away with bullying me from the front, and if he was going to go into a full out tantrum, what better time to work it well than when he is on muzzle. These bruises happened towards the end of week 1, as we began working on touch with muzzle on. Now we are at the end of week 2.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Hoobie Day Five (obedience-Day 9 Here) Longe Line

So this is day 5 of Longe Line work. You can compare this to the start of Day Nine with Magoo starting heel, where I briefly show what day 8 longe line would have looked like.

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

Written Parody of Pat Miller's Letter to Animal Planet Re Proposed Doggie Boot Camp Show

I can't copy Pat Miller's actual letter, which has recently been shared to me, that was sent off to a Cheryl at Varuna TV, cpanlilio@varunatv.com, for the new show called "Doggie Bootcamp". (the following is a parody of the letter that was shared with me)

Hey Cheryl,

I have concerns over the program in the works called Doggie Bootcamp show being considered for Animal Planet.

The more modern and scientific approach to dog training, which recognizes the very well researched fact that dogs like to eat, and the facial expressions of dogs, and guarantees that the owner feels good about themselves, of course and unless the training in this philosphy does not work and the dog needs to die due to not adhering to this philosophy. We do not need another "Dog Whisperer" even though the public is literally crying out for solutions that make sense, and may train their short term problem dogs into lovely companions. This is something the dog training world simply does not need.

Since people are too stupid to learn to use anything but treats and love, why not offer a program that goes over the same old thing. After all, their is always plan B, euthanansia, which is completely dog friendly when treats don't work.

You may remember my now infamous quote, ""Not all pain-causing methods are prosecutable abuse, but the risk of a dog with aggressive behaviors being abused by someone who uses pain causing methods is high, so yes, given the choice, if it were my dog who had an aggression problem and my only choices were to euthanize or send it to someone who used pain-causing methods, I would choose euthanasia for the dog's well-being. I think a gently death is preferable to abuse." - Pat Miller You can find this posted on the Canine Professional Certification Board by my own hand in Yahoo groups in messages 421 and 430. I also reiterated what I said yet again on the Truly Dog Friendly board on message 7015 (that is unless someone finally deleted them). If the dogs on your program can not respond to treats and love only, then death is the most friendly choice for the dogs. Even a firm no can be unfriendly in my book. Best not to put a dog through any real kind of training program.

And forget these pesky trainers for goodness sake! You should recomend my philosophy for the owners to try at home, and if they get hurt because that personality does not respond to people who can not effectively and efficiently teach the dog commands, then death would be the next and most logical (and dog-friendly) step. Dog trainers do not understand the infinate complexity at throwing food at a situation. Or pretending to be a tree for months, perhaps years on end, so that they can take a walk with the dog. Trainers think freedom and exercise is fun for a dog, and helps even better than food with behavioral problems. Dogs such as this, that require work or exercise are better off dead. That way, people without a responsible and caring work ethic towards their dogs can be happy! It's not about the dog, it's about the people being able to have fur kids, that is as long as the fur kids conform to their ideals of what a stuffed dog that does no wrong should be. Course these poor people can't have real kids, as that would require discipline and teaching, as well as spending a heck of a lot of time with them, so they wouldn't become a mess. Society frowns, after all, on crating and leashing up your children.

I strongly suggest that you contact people such as Jean Donaldson who are high profile but not necessarily accomplished in dog training, and consider themselves behaviorists though they would like a piece of the training pie (by creating mass hysteria in an easily manipulated public sector), who allows her dogs the reward of sexual gratification on her leg. This is the example that I would enjoy your show showing to the general public. Any true dog lover would willingly provide this outlet for their dog. By redefining what reward can really be, you will be doing the public a true service.



Yours Truly and Woofs and Wags,

P. of Truly Dead Dogs