And The Day Begins....

Leon and Jack-We lounge in bed until it's time to feed the doggies. At this very moment, we have only Hoobie and my dogs here. So it's one of those mornings where I don't have to rush around the house getting everyone's breakfast and needs taken care of. The boys rush out around the house as usual. If they really really need to go, then they pee. More often than not, they feel this task can wait until they are fed, and wait patiently by their food bowls (well, at least Jack waits patiently and normally in the sit that he has been taught to wait in).

Next Hoobie-So today we not only found Happy Hoobie in his crate, but dancing and prancing Hoobie!! I allow some of the jumping up from Hoobie right now because I know he's happy. I don't allow it to become bossing or ordering though. In a Springer with an aggression problem and a knack for training his owners to give him his own way, it's important that orders come from the owner/handler. It's also important that permission is given first for things like going in or coming out of the crate. The "nothing in life is free" (NILIF) system has been put into place. Hoobie is told to sit and wait and doors, at the stair, and before going in or coming out of his crate.

This sort of activity also starts to make things predictable for the dog. They start to know the rules and conduct that is preferred. Much like I prefer that Hoobie is predictable in his actions, Hoobie likes to know what he can expect from me. This is what I mean about setting up a communication between two different species.

I have just started allowing Hoobie to have his muzzle of for most of the morning. Since not just Happy Hoobie greeted me this morning, but sunshine itself, it was off for a brief unmuzzled walk to pee and poop. We also took a period of time just to explore.

Then back in for unmuzzled medicine given up high. Now that he is out of the crate doing this, it doesn't seem to bother him any more. I have been giving him brief pats when he is out, and touching different parts of his body. I haven't seen him tense up yet, or tuck his tail. If he did either of those things, I would stop. He SEEMS to be more and more accepting of touch, and even enjoying it sometimes. He presents his tail portion for scratching, but I have found if you scratch that too vigorously, he will growl. Then when I stop though, he has been receptive.

I am being very careful now with his muzzle off to watch his signals. Back into the crate though, we have pouting Hoobie. He tried to pull a fast one on me today, he went like he was going in, but he just dipped his head in the water while his whole body was still outside of the crate. Then he came dancing and prancing over to me, fully expecting that I would allow him to stay out of the crate. The thing is though, one of the biggest lessons here is that sometimes you need to do things you don't want. Also that the correct response to this is not biting, or charging the gate, or growling.

Sometimes Hoobie loves going into his crate, but not as the day of fun begins. I hear him howling right now. Something he rarely does anymore. He sounds so cute, and you want to just rescue him, but that would send the wrong message to Hoobie and he would start to backslide. I make sure that I am in a completely different room away from him, so he doesn't even know I can hear him.

ME-While I am waiting for daycare and for the next med dose and food to be given to Hoobie, I normally update my blogs. I do have some video of publically training Magoo from yesterday, but I will probably put that off a bit until I have some other video to download. I have my coffee now, and contemplate how the rest of the day's training is going to go. Also have to plan how to give quality time to Jack today and the rest of this week, as his least favorite (but lovely) dog is boarding with us, Petey (with Magoo and Lucey). Hoobie, Magoo, and Lucey all have a training schedule that needs to be maintained. Minny Manny, Roxie, and Harley all have an exercise schedule for the day. Our usual Wednesday lesson is coming with Piper at 11 am.

A busy day begins well.

Hoobie and Our Other Clients

Akuma, 8 month old Siberian Husky male: Sadly no picture this week. He is on week 1 of basic obedience which is the longe line progression and sit on the dog. He is a puppy so training is a great thing. However, in particular his love of other dogs and people causes him to pull on the leash, which his owner always has a tight grasp of (conditioning the opposite response). So before the owner's wrist surgery, they are being training on the basics of loose leash control. The puppy is super smart and friendly just isn't strong enough word for him. This is a great "problem" for owners to have:)

Piper, Cavachon (Cavalier/Bichon) 3 plus month puppy: OMG this puppy is so cute. She is owned by a couple of women in the area. Just basic puppy manners and obedience being taught. While wicked cute and friendly, she has already learned how to start controlling her owners every waking moments LOL. Training the humans more here than the puppy, who is not only super cut but very very smart.

Here piper is table training into a down, and we are commenting on how tired she is after a long lesson. However, in a few short minutes she livens right up again LOL.

Puppy zoomies, you have to love them and a sign of a nice healthy normal puppy.

Piper is on lesson three here:)

Magoo, 7 month Old Great Male Dane Puppy (In Daycare and Train):

Magoo (Great Dane with taped ears in picture) is going into the conformation and obedience ring. These owners have had two other dogs trained with me, and now we are going for four (Lucey is his sister).

Magoo and I should be going into the obedience ring this year, and he is doing very well. He's a solid stable confident but soft young Great Dane puppy. He loves the dogs and people he lives with, and he loves the dogs and people he does not live with LOL.

His favorite activity is fun of any sort especially in the woods. He is getting the obedience that he has been taught so far very well, even under distracting circumstances (IE field trips to the beach and various fields OR at daycare where other dogs are walking around). He just finished up week one of basic training, and now we will be onto week two this week:) He is going to do very very well in obedience OR at least as well as his handler does LOL.

Lucey, 7 year old Westie Lady (In Daycare and Train):

Lucey and I have been friends for a long time. I adore all of my customers dogs, but I have always wanted a Westie and this little girl is terribly cute and patient of her large brothers (Great Dane and Giant Schnauzer), who groom her and sit on her constantly.

Lucey thinks the stuff in the tv is actually there, and that it's her duty to chase or catch it off the tv. So that's her main training. The most challenging part has been getting to not only that but the other instances that she barks so we can have a complete training package at the end that is simple for her owners.

I just love her. Look at those eyes, they could melt steel .

Bella, 7 Month Old Mastiff Girl Puppy (In Private Lessons with Owner):

Very, very nice mellow puppy. It is surprising to note that very friendly mellow puppies are the hardest for owners to train. I think it's because the training is not as exciting or seem as important when your dog is not trying to nail you nor run into the street LOL.

Bella is on lesson six, and is very friendly and mellow. However, a friendly run into an elderly person or small child could send them for a loop.

She is about in the high 70 pound mark now of cuddly cute fun. She enjoys kisses and just about whatever attention you would like to give her. She prefers naps to training and sometimes walks. She is so easy, the owner's older parents are able to take care of her. Sigh, I would love to have Bella over for a long visit, but I guess her family is going to get to enjoy her:)

Willie, 5 plus year old Male Portuguese/Airedale Mix (In Private Lessons with Owner):

Willie was here last year to be taught not to eat the guests at his owners house. Since then, he has hosted parties attended by their family and by children.

Willie's owner suffered a horrible accident that caused an injury to her brain. So time is needed to teach other skills. Now it's time to train Willie's owner how to walk in public places with him, and remin calm and confident so Willie doesn't feel her angst.

I don't think anyone will see them in any dog parks anytime soon, but his owner has had practice now with Willie on the beach and in our property around other dogs and people.

Willie should not be left alone to his own devices in his territory, but with a calm confident leader, he knows that she will not let anyone in who is a danger to the home front, and can now relax from enforcing that duty.

Jillian, 5 plus year old Lady English Springer (In Private Lessons with Owner):

Jillian came here for extreme separation anxiety. She was breeding stock in her younger years and either relegated to an infrequently visited crate or chained to a tree. The adoption contract for her stated that she could never be returned. You can imagine that she did not come from a particularly loving home after doing her duty of providing them with a sellable product.

However, Jillian landed into a home that loves her. They just needed to be able to put her into a crate (as she was pretty adept at opening the LOCKS and chewing through those pesky walls). Pretty funny story posted about her disappearance early on, where the police had to point out that those were bite marks around the lock, and that no one broke in to steal Jillian!!

Jillian is a total love bug, while still exhibiting the typical Springer stubbornness cheerfully. Her owner is now interested in doing obedience trials with her. I am in the process of teaching her owner how to go about that:)

Hoobie, 5 plus year old Male English Springer (in Board & Train):

Here he is the infamous Hoobinator!! Believe it or not, there is a sweet nice sociable dog in there despite his fear that causes him to do his absolute best to try and nail you. His gig is up, I have seen the sweet Hoobie and I am going to try my very best to pull him out of there.

Today we discovered that neck rubs are not unwelcome. So there is the start of a touch that we can work from, and use as a potential reward.

Yesterday he had a screaming fit over me removing an eye boogey. Today, he allowed that. Now realize at this point any outside contact comes with the muzzle on. I have used a muzzle in the training plan of three or four dogs. The thing to realize is that when the muzzle is off, the response is lessened and not extinguished yet. There is (especially with a dog like Hoobie that has extreme phobia and fear) a whole bunch of training to do with the muzzle on, until he does not react inappropriately with it on. THEN realize that most likely he is going to strike out the first few times he is out with a muzzle, and leash handling, the use of motivators and consequences will start shaping his behavior with the muzzle off.

The reason for the muzzle on this type of dog is to show him, without continual conflict, that it's just so much easier and enjoyable not to put up a huge stink. To be able to do this without correcting him every second and allow him to start calming himself down, and learning how to put the controls and decision making ability in place for himself.

In dog training, it is so important that the dog come to the correct decision themselves, and this means communication as to the benefit/reward of doing that. And with any dog and especially a dog like this times three, this is repetition of events in various places over and over again demonstrating this.

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