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.

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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.

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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!!


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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.

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Touching and Brushing the Hoobie Monster

Hoobie has been very extreme in not wanting to be touched or petted at first (except under his own terms). I have talked about the medical issues and his early history that contributed to this sort of fall out. He likes to be petted now. He even likes it when you approach him, unless he is resting sometimes. Or guarding someone. Well, there are still circumstances, but the act of actually petting him does not seem to be a phobia anymore (with those he knows).

In fact, he is under my desk right now, getting the occasional rub on the head (in a space that he used to like to guard, from the front while in a down, are specific instances where he is not totally comfortable giving full reign). He is muzzled, because this can sometimes be a point of contention. I have been training him, however, that when he comes to me and shares a space that is mine, he has two acceptable options. He is very welcome to leave for instance, should he not want to be petted. With chronically ill animals, this is an important point, because sometimes they have a valid reason for not want to be touched. The best way for us to know that, though, is for them to give a non aggressive signal, like leaving to their "place". The teaching of it is more abstract than obedience exercises, and needs consistency to be at all clear. The second option, is to accept the petting. The unacceptable option is to blow. With a muzzle on or other equipment, it's much easier on the dog to correct them during an unacceptable incident. Hoobie still does these on occasion, but they are ending quicker and quicker, and without the build up and severity that they used to.

So I have been introducing in a few different ways. One is very related to how I got Hoobie to accept and like to be touched. When he comes over for a pat, I give him a brush instead. If he stays and growls, I brush him about five more times after the last growl and then say "break". This way he knows that I will only continue X amount of times. If he keeps returning, I know he is liking it, but testing out his new theory on what I will do. Therefore, I become predictable and more safe. Also the activity becomes predictable and safer. The reasons for not using treats have to do with his medical issues and history, and the fact that it does not work with Hoobie. Luckily, there are other things that do.

Another thing I will do, is bring the brush along when we are doing an activity that Hoobie particularly enjoys, like a swampy walk. This is a walk where Hoobie gets to immerse himself in all the watery areas in the woods like creeks and wetlands. There is nothing Hoobie likes better than this, and so I start to associate things that he was leery about with these things.

Another way I go about it, is to start making it part of a command. Sit becomes, sit and be brushed for four times. Stand, down, et all become commands that require something extra to be done to make it successful. Again, it's the predictability that helps Hoobie relax and become accepting of touch and grooming things. He probably hates the toweling off and paw handling for any length of time more than anything now. I try to make the balance of his decision to be accepting, vs this is what you are required to have done. Hoobie is a dog where it's hard to find the right balance, but when you do find it you know it. You don't want to be overly firm, and you really don't want to be not firm enough. Hoobie needs communication to be right on to improve, and that's the most challenging part of Hoobie. I will talk a little more about this tomorrow, and some examples of when the right balance is achieved.


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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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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.


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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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Woodsy Fun With Hoobie and Gang

On the point in the video where Hoobie comes out of his crate tail wagging, I was trying to point out that every when he is pissy he does this. However, now that we have established his responses to things, it's very important that he is acting appropriately before released from the crate. So now although I could open the door when he's pissy, and he would most likely be fine, that won't train him the appropriate response.

Most times he comes out of the crate without any aggression except for two instances 1) I have just put him in the crate 5 minutes or less ago and 2) He was just hand fed and it's only been a few minutes.



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Preparing for Hoobie/Owner Training

Part of a responsible Board and Train package, is follow up and training with the owners. Hoobie's very responsible owners are on route during their 7 hour drive to stay here for at least a week and train with Hoobie and I. This means there is some prep work involved right now to be sure things go smoothly. With a case like Hoobie's where structure is critical to the success of the training program, I start out by designing schedules that can be followed. Hoobie has many special needs that need to do with his health, and these must mesh with the client's schedule and the training plan.


POTENTIAL SCHEDULE 1 (FEEDING,MEDICATION NEEDS AND OWNERS SCHEDULE WITH AFFECT THIS SCHEDULE):

6:00 AM Out and Thyroid Pill (see handling instructions during medication)

6:00-6:30 AM Dog Training Exercises (see where alternate half hours can be placed)

6:30 AM Stomach coating pill (see handling instructions during medication)

6:30-7:00 AM Dog Training Exercises (see where alternate half hours can be placed)

7:00 AM Feeding and last pill on alternating days. (see handling instructions for medication and crate training to see alternate handling of putting Hoobie in, feeding times, and equipment options)

7:00 AM to 9:00 AM Down time in crate. (see handlign instructions for crating)

9:00 AM -12: 00 PM Out to bathroom and free time for Hoobie (assuming that he is acting appropriately. (This is also another place that a half hour training session could come at the end of this time).

12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Out to bathroom and then down time in crate. (see handling instructions for crating)

2:00-4:00 PM Out to bathroom and free time for Hoobie (assuming that he is acting appropriately) (This is also another place that a half hour training session could come at the end of this time).

4:00-5:00PM Out and Dog Training Exercises (See alternate places where a half hour of this training could occur).

5:00-6:00 PM Out to bathroom and down time in crate. (See handling instructions for crating)

6:00 PM Thyroid Pill (see handling instructions for medication)

6:00-7:00 PM Free time for Hoobie. (a half hour of training time could be put here)

7:00 PM-7:30 PM Feeding time (See Crating Instructions)

7:30 PM-9:00 PM Free time which normally includes hanging out and watching tv with family.

9:00 PM Out and Hoobie Crated for Night (See Crating Instructions)







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Hand Feeding No 6 and Hoobie Down Sit Stand

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Hoobie Hand Feeding for Resource Guarding No. 4

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Hanging With Hoobie

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Charming and Active Hoobie

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Molded Downs W/ Hoobie and PVC Leash Attachment

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"Hand Feeding" Hoobie Day 2-Practice 2

Starting Hand Feeding With Resource Guarding Issues, The Good Moments:



I couldn't fit this all into the Youtube Permimeters, here are the bad moments and why it's a REALLY bad idea to train Hoobie with items that he is resource guarding. We are training to reduce the resource guarding here NOT training the down or sit. This is NILIF (nothing in life is free, and that especially goes for things that he will bite over).


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Welcome Back Happy Hoobie End Week 5

I would have to say this week has probably been the hardest with Hoobie. Week 1 may have been the winner as well, but it's hard to remember now that I did recover from it . Week 1 and 2 had me working at least six hours a day in care and training with Hoobie. After week 2, we had a two hour training session (rather than four hours broken up through the day) for all of week 3 and most of week 4. He was also unmuzzled (though still carefully handled) through those times. End of week four came a very important exercise that expands areas of touch and allowing that touch, the down using Koehler molding methods. OMG, this dog did not want to do the molded down. I think I know why this exercise over the molding of sit or stand was such a battle. This is used to get a dog under control at the vets or at home for medical assistance. It is more a matter of control to Hoobie rather than the actual touch part. I was very conscience of indications that he may be in pain. I did a 100 to 140 reps a day (inter dispersed through the day) with Hoobie. If there was pain, he would have been sore for the rest of the day, especially in the quieter moments of the day. Very likely, when he went to rest he would have shown discomfort going into a down.

Also like I said, this exercise is more than for teaching the down. Hoobie can do a down without the physical manipulation, though in training dogs like this I want first command and first performance. This is so important with a dog showing aggression towards....well anything....but especially for owner directed and resource guarding aggression. Most of the owner directed is fear based and control based. Fear based aggression or defensiveness is the easiest one to deal with. The bossy or dominant aggression is the harder one to convince a dog to give up. Hoobie has both.

The convincing him that petting is a good thing, hasn't been that bad (assuming there is no food or toy in your hand, and from the non controlling view of Hoobie - his back). Mostly that has been done with reward and positive reinforcement to this particular point.

Now remember Hoobie has food intolerance and resource guarding, and he aggresses when "treated" with either during training (and trust me I did put this too the test). In fact yesterday, with Hoobie's muzzle on, I fed him by hand or by hand with popsicle stick (this muzzle has a hole through the front, and Hoobie could in fact open his mouth wide enough to give me a good pinch in the front of his mouth). From now on, this is how Hoobie will be fed. He must give me a command for each bite. So just as my husband was saying "well isn't he doing good" I turned to explain to my husband he would still the aggressor if I moved, when Hoobie did indeed launch himself at me (or tried to), because I had turned to answer my husband. I almost forgot about that incident, until my husband came home from work and asked how that particular temper tantrum worked out (since that was the last time he saw me that morning, and Hoobie was still trying to get his way before he went to work). So today will be the second day doing that, but I am not teaching the down (though that is what I am getting), I am teaching some control of the resource guarding (down is still the molding of the down handling that is being taught). Today will be day two of handler feeding breakfast. We have three more weeks to go, and based on Hoobie's progress so far, it will take that much time just to really get started on it, unless he surprises me. This is always possible. In fact during week 3, I was sure that I had over estimated Hoobie's abilities and perhaps the training time LOL. I gotta tell you though, I don't consider even stable Springers to be the choice for a first time dog owner. They are tough and spirited and not that little a dog. Some weigh in at the same weight as a female Doberman. They are strong, and just because they are low to the ground does not make them small dogs. English Springers, like Hoobie, seem to be a bit smaller, but still quite built and active. He lacks bite inhibition, but I am sure that he has not unleashed the worst bite that he could give me. In fact, I am pretty sure he exhibited self control as he knows it.

Unfortunately, when SOME dogs learn the very true lesson that teeth=humans back off, they are going to lack any inhibitions about biting. So the trick is to teach them all sorts of situations and how to cope without biting. As you can imagine, there is quite a list of everyday situations that I would like to go over with Hoobie. I will touch on the most prevalent in the house, and in traveling with Hoobie. I am limited to my own creativity, and Hoobie's ability to get over his phobias within a time frame. These last two days, I have been very relieved to see the Hoobie that I know is in there again.

The very helpful things about Hoobie that allow for him to improve are:

• He really does like people, and he likes to be around people. He likes being petted right now by the people he knows in more varied situations than before. He seeks attention out even when he knows he is going to need to work for it. He runs to me for cuddles when he doesn't need to, he follows me out to lie beside me, he presses up against me for cuddling, he even comes on my lap (muzzled only allowed, if you move wrong and he was unmuzzled this would put you in quite a predicament).
• He doesn't mind touch, he just wants to be in control. To date, the humans ability to touch him at will has meant he will need to submit to something. Once we got going on the touch, I have had many requests (though I make him do something and do it on my terms) to be touched by Hoobie.
• Generally, when he learns not to be the aggressor on muzzle (truly not aggress, and that means you need to push him to see where he will), he doesn't seem to be the aggressor unmuzzled. When you start something new though, he doesn't generalize well, and so you need to muzzle him to again teach him not to be the aggressor in this new situation. At least there is a way, so that's good.
• He likes other dogs, which has been used as a reward. Course this is a reward that the owners won't necessarily have (and keep in mind that there are trained dogs here, not out of control dogs).
• He loves loves loves the outdoors. This is a huge reward.
• Excepting the down portion of training LOL, Hoobie does like the training. He likes doing it well and pleasing you. I expect the molded down will eventually turn into that. He likes giving me the down without molding.
• He is smart, but luckily not that smart. He can figure some things out that are not helpful, such as if he turns his body towards the front (which we are also training on approaching and touching from the front) he can delay the leash being put on or the muzzle being put on. Also he learned that not delivering the sit so willingly delays the whole down exercise!! However, he has not learned to hide his true intentions unmuzzled or with the PVC pipe. That is hugely helpful in knowing when he is truly progressing to the end goal.
• His body language is easy to read, even if his quick reflexes can be hard to avoid sometimes (at least twice so far). The watchful stare to the eyes is a challenge "if you come any closer or move unexpectedly I am coming for you". Shaking is usually when he is holding himself back from another bite or unwanted response to his handler. He is angry but barely controlling himself. I have only picked up on this a few times, and why it's so important to do molded exercises with dogs where you are touching them a lot, so you can feel their responses. When he looks away, you might not be able to get away with anything with him, but he is being respectful (ie letting you know that he is not challenging you). Panting means, he is doing what you want but not entirely comfortable with it. Tucked tail means the same. Tail wagging in the middle means he is pretty pleased with himself after a command or happy in general. High quick wagging tail means he is getting in an aroused state and a challenge may soon follow after.
• He can be moved quickly from a challenge to happy state, in general assuming he is not totally ramped up. Alternatively though, he can be happy and cuddling then totally concerned and challenging that you moved a certain way.

So we don't have the general treats and arbitrary touch to use as rewards, but we do have situations and events to use as rewards. Here is the thing though, it is going to be impossible for Hoobie to be rewarded for every moment in life. Though improvements were made early on in the less advanced training by being sure everything was good and happy for Hoobie, the truth is there are going to be some times where Hoobie is going to need to deal with what we know as "real life". Sometimes, he is going to need to get up and go out from his crate without trying to bite his owners, just because he is not totally happy that they are approaching. We are not going to want to reward Hoobie for not biting just because his owners walked by, we need him to know this is not acceptable. These are not unreasonable requests for a dog. Luckily, Hoobie has owners that have had him from puppy hood, nursed him through the medical issues that helped him be this way, and love him. A Hoobie in the shelter would not even be a consideration, nor is re homing Hoobie.

So a major reason for rehabilitating a Hoobie is that he has a home that will work with him and that already loves him (and doesn't have children in it). Another hopeful indicator for me is that while Hoobie has accomplished punctures-which no one wishes for or wants and are quite painful, he has demonstrated less control than we would like, but he has demonstrated control. He did get training before, but that training totally avoided these issues or did not deal with them. By having the owner be as still as possible, not facing, and not daring to move hand with treat, this actually taught Hoobie even more how to control his owners. So Hoobie still had and has loads of room for improvement. Also, there is an actual happy, friendly Hoobie in there that can and does enjoy life (including his owners and handlers). Finally, his owners have already endured four years of this. Already just the care time of Hoobie could probably be cut down quite a bit by his more cooperative behavior. The main problem is that he is the perfect storm of a dog. Medical issues in his youth before learning the goodness of hands, being a Springer in general LOL (and I am NOT saying they are aggressive, I am saying that they will wear you down whether cheerfully, fearfully, or aggressively with enthusiasm), not being able to be weaned by his mother, and having the Springer knowledge of how to control your owner and handler:) In order to train him, you need to be more stubborn than a Springer, and that is saying something (if you haven't trained yours, you wouldn't be aware and they can be lovely untrained dogs. try training your friendly lovely Springer though, and they will cheerfully and with love give you their middle digit). Luckily, I am more stubborn than a Springer, though I admit to going to bed at 8:30 most nights for the last five weeks .

So at the end of week five, we have wiggling wagging Hoobie. Tomorrow, dancing and prancing Hoobie will probably arrive. Why? Because he is figuring out that just doing what I want is no big deal, and a heck of a lot easier than arguing with me. Cause I really don't give up. Once a dog connects the ideas that nothing bad happens to him and I don't give up; they become relieved and know the name of the game. OR you could say we have a communication or language going on now that is understood. If only we could speak English to our dogs, this would be a whole heck of a lot easier. I don't hold it against Hoobie that he has tried to bite me. I totally understand this is the only way he knows to react to the situation. It's not that he doesn't love his owners or like me, it's that he feels afraid and feels a lack of control over the situation. By doing it in a different way, he does get control over the situation in a way that make us both happy.

Rewards and praise are great for many dogs. Even some very stable dogs though can be made crazy by too much of this being used. Some owners think their dogs out of control and heightened state of expecting a treat at any moment is what makes a happy dog. I disagree, a calm dog is a dog that gets his physical and emotional needs met. My dogs don't need to turn inside out at the idea of a walk, they get plenty of exercise and activity everyday. Treats are great, but they are quite limited in my house due my concern over their weight and health. Also, I really want my dogs enjoying the work NOT the treats associated with the work. I can start exercises with a treat, if they are afraid of that position or if they are having a hard time getting it. Case in point with my dogs, roll over was a very hard exercise to teach my dogs even with treats. They just did not feel comfortable going onto their backs, especially around other dogs. Treats helped them get over it, but I really know they enjoy what they are doing when they give it to me without a treat. In a beginning puppy or adult dog, I may start with a bunch of treat luring, but I know the way to really test your dog is without reward or correction. Or I should say the test of a trained dog is without reward or correction. In other words, they are doing the work because they enjoy the partnership and communication.

The other side of training is corrections. These are needed when reward does not entirely do the trick. I freely admit there are some dogs that do incredibly well with purely positive training. However, not ALL dogs do well. I can't say whether most dogs do well or not, as MOST dogs are not trained at all and vary in stability in their home. My dog, Leon, for instance naturally does not do most anything wrong. My dog, Jack, is a very different story even though they are the same gender and breed. Both are lovely dogs, and I love them equally as I have loved all my pets. Their difference in temperament and ability make them no less my beloved dogs. If one needs more work than the other, that is just the way it is, and that is what I need to provide. Same thing with medical attention et al, they are still your beloved companion.

Should you allow your dog to control you though? No, it's not healthy for the owners or the dog. I assure you that when Hoobie is taking a fit, he is not happy. He is in fact, quite distressed. Obviously, his owners can not go on the way they were. Their life became so restricted due to their devotion to Hoobie. So the things we are doing like molding and leash corrections, are not punishments. They are directions. Punishments are what would happen when you are already to late to change the behavior. After Hoobie bit me for instance, I went on with what I was doing (giving the medicine) or taking off the leash. I did it in the same controlled way that I started, being a bit more careful, obviously. However there was no punishment. After the medicine, I did need to corner him with a stool nearby, but it wasn't a punishment--it was needed to pick up his leash without being bitten again. I am sure that act did not teach Hoobie anything. If I am putting Hoobie in a position that he has broken during aggression, that is not a punishment. It's just doing what we were doing before, as calmly and in control as possible. If it is at all possible, I don't make any indication that the dog has done anything. Screaming, getting nervous, yelling, et all serve to just ramp a dog up. Now there is a difference between a short loud noise when stopping something from happening, then a prolonged yelling or screaming. Also you need to be able to read whether that did anything at all. Some dogs are very non plussed by this LOL. Other dogs are very accommodating to a quick short loud sound or command. Mostly dogs are very conscience of calm, practiced, and deliberate action.

This means the trainer needs to commit to the action with authority and commitment. To do these things half way only prolongs the training time. Something we really don't need with Hoobie. Looks like we are able to move on from down to other things now with Hoobie. That does not mean stop training on the down, but it doesn't need to be the primary exercise (I don't think) from this week forward. This has been an important part of Hoobie's training, and although it held us up a little, it was very important in him allowing touch. I am not even suggesting that the owners would go around doing this to Hoobie years from now randomly (ie not as a structured exercise). However, realize that a dog with trust, fear, and control issues needs to be worked to accept much more than will probably be asked in the end. That way those normal every day things seem like no biggy later on:)

Video will be taken on some of this progress today.

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Hoobie Off Leash and Unmuzzled June the 4th With Daycare Gang

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End Week 4 and Beginning Week 5 - Hoobie

IF YOU HAVE A DOG GOING THROUGH THESE PROBLEMS, PLEASE FIND A PROFESSIONAL AND DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS YOURSELF WITHOUT GUIDANCE OR UP FRONT ASSISTANCE.



Hoobie Monster has made great strides on weeks 1-4 in the "in-house" and being petted in the following areas:



1) He can be social and enjoy petting (unmuzzled) in the house or in our outside home areas (not with strangers in other words) with me and my husband, without feeling the need to try and bite. We do limit the pets to a few now, and we are aware of what he is and what he is doing. We can do this with him regardless of whether he has come up for attention or not. If he does come up to us, he is going to be petted, which he has learned to accept and (it seems) enjoy.

2) He has been taking medicine unmuzzled and from up high outside the crate. I have had two instances in week 4, where he did attempt to come after me. One where he did bite me up high. So I now make sure the leash is in my hand, in case (you can snap him away from you if necessary). The primary thing I think that makes him do this, is if you quickly move his "treat" away. I believe he is resource guarding, and so I am teaching him not to react to it now whether it goes slow or fast away from him.

3) He has begun relaxing on our outside in public "sit on the dog" so that he won't growl just because people come near us now (as long as they pass on) but he will sometimes till growl if people turn towards us.

4) Coming out of the crate is just about no problem at all now, and once he is inside he sleeps quite well and comfortably. About 50/50 reaction in being put back into the crate, and it depends on whether he has been pushed that day it seems.



Regarding growling, I know that one training camp thinks that growling is a great warning from a dog. In my experience, I have found that the growl is the start of a reaction. If you can divert the reaction either before it begins in a growl or it's at the low stages of a growl, the "reaction" stops and you can move the dog beyond that. It's also helpful to have equipment on the dog so you can demonstrate or reinforce a command instead (and move on). I feel if you allow the growl, you might as well say "if I don't now do what you want, feel free to do what you will" to the dog. Or that is the result that I have seen most often. The dog, if they are a bossy and smart dog, doesn't usually settle down and allow you to do whatever you were doing the next time. With a dog like Hoobie, a growl could come at you for a simple thing like removing the medicine dispenser from his mouth. It is unacceptable that he should think he can react to his owners for that.



Still there is more work to be done for Hoobie to make it at home. Week five has started working on some areas where Hoobie again needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone.

Here are the areas of work:
1) Car etiquette. As usual were you to give Hoobie his own way, and allow him to sit in the front, he might not give you any guff. Try to move him to the back though, without a muzzle right now, and you would be severely bitten. So the work on this is two fold, not only do we need to train him not to go in the front (unless invited) but it's equally important to teach him "back" while being touched. Why? Because you should be able to off or move your dog by touching them. Sometimes you will find them on the wrong place (like a couch or bed to which they have not been invited).
2) To be calm while out and about with strangers. We have started the ground work for this on week 4 with sit on the dog in public. Gradually we have been moving him into more crowded places, muzzled. He needs to be muzzled right now because the general public always has someone that will rush up behind you to the dog OR knows better and rushes up right in front of you. I had two children run up to me and Hoobie last weekend. This dog will bite right now, except for the people he knows---and even then during the pushing out of the box phase, he would like to do that as well.
3) And touching in other areas of his body that aren't normally petting areas without always needing to bite.
4) And A BIGGY resource guarding, which I think is what the high up cheese/whiz medicine attacks have been all about. I have been experimenting with this unmuzzled with Hoobie, and it seems to be brought on if you quickly take the spoon or Popsicle stick away.

Anyhow, this week (so far) we have unhappy horrid Hoobie. I expect this will go on for some days until he realizes what he is being asked is not so bad. In the meantime, the temper tantrums have reared their head doing exercises like down. Down done in the Koehler method (the actual steps not others' summarized and incorrect take on the steps of basic training) requires molding and shaping. In fact starting from sit, all the stationary exercises start like this. This method is made for all dogs, but is perfect for a dog like Hoobie who needs to learn that being touched is not a threat always. Young dogs with medical problems can become extremely phobic about this, due to the fact that they didn't learn that most touch is good early on. Whereas an older dog that develops medical problems that needs more frequent and perhaps uncomfortable veterinary care, has learned this already.

So far touch has been treated in this summarized way (weeks 1-3):

• I did veer from the sit on the dog exercise, as I allowed my foot or hand to "accidentally" brush by him (while muzzled). You are not supposed to acknowledge the dog at all, but I felt it was a good opportunity to introduce him to the concept that 1) you don't need to react to touch and 2) touch isn't all that unpleasant.


• During this period of time in week one where most of the obedience exercises do not start on touch, while he was out and about and muzzled, if he allowed for a pet then he was praised and it stopped. If he was petted and he started growling (again muzzled as he will bite, and we want to reduce his experience with biting), he would be petted until he stopped growling (sort of CAT without the dogs-hmmm perhaps I should market this as mine). Not knowing if pain was still an issue this was limited to his neck and back areas. He also seemed to like the top of his head petted, so while I normally wouldn't introduce a dog to this at first, with Hoobie this was an area that he sought to have petted.


• Week two, this went much the same as week one. Longe line was started with him. We moved the touching from neck to back and top of the head. Since he was muzzled during this, did very exaggerated movements in the front. With his back towards me, I could do this all with him unmuzzled.


• Week three, the stationary and molded exercises were started with the sit. The sit requires one to run their hand down the dog's back, and cup their bottom. We started this and stand on week three, unmuzzled. The end of week two thru the end of week 4, we have a very happy Hoobie within the new confines that we gave him. He has been able to play off leash and unmuzzled with the dogs and myself (and my husband). He has greeted repeating clients (muzzled) and only one has petted him:) He has been on low e-collar for off leash recalls, and to reduce growling when going back into the crate. He has been seeking to snuggle, but I do that either with the muzzle on or I move very little if he is unmuzzled. This is a problem area as his mouth is so close to skin, it would take very little for him to accomplish a bite. I don't sense that he seeks to, unless he gets scared and wants to control the situation. It takes very little to make Hoobie worried, but he accepts a lot more handling this week unmuzzled.
• At the beginning of week four, Hoobie was a happy camper and everything was coming together. He spent almost all the time out with us unmuzzled. We started trips off property in the auto, and he was muzzled for that and around strangers.


• Week four, at the end, we have started the molded down. You could do an electronic collar down with him OR the leash under the foot with less objection more than likely. The whole point of the molded or shaped exercises though, is that the dog (more importantly and in addition to) learns to accept touch in an authoritative manner rather than just learning the position. Hence the point is not to just get a down, but to allow Hoobie to be molded into a down. The end of week four, and the beginning of week five is where the trouble began. I did the molded down unmuzzled and I committed. Sadly Hoobie also committed to biting me. There was probably a way to stop him the way I was holding the collar, but I goofed. Also sometimes when a dog is really riled up they can be quite the contortionist. Bottom line, I was not fast and swift enough and sustained a bite to my arm that sweeps forward his front paws.
• Week 5, at the beginning he bit me again when I was giving him his medicine standing up, and actually bit my chest. I am assuming that is the resource guarding (he wasn't done with his treat yet) that we have not started working fully on yet. So I needed a way where I could work with Hoobie unmuzzled (I think it's a very critical time, and I need to see what his mouth and face are doing, and Hoobie needs to feel these exercises without the muzzle on) BUT also needed to accept the fact that he is too fast, sure, and committed to biting during this stage where he is really being pushed. I needed something between a muzzle and a leash alone. I am also working up quite close to him, and because of his problems this has been important. So now I thread the lead through some PVC pipe. I have to be careful that I am holding the pipe, but it gives me a lot more control on how fast and far Hoobie can get to me. I can also now read his facial reactions better.

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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.

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