What Longe Line Days 4-8 Looks Like

First Clip Lola Part 1 of Longe Line from Prev Week:



Clip Part 2 of Longe Line with Lola, which includes the dropping of the leash.   (5 of the 20 minutes of dropped leash captured):



Magoo demonstrating what Day 8 of Longe Line should look like:



Maine and New Hampshire Dog Trainer
Mannerly Mutts Blog

June 21st Date Fearfuldog Challenge is Due=$$$s to My Animal Rescues

June 21st of 2009, I had a very tough case of a dog named, Hoobie. He is an English Springer who was trained by me, and returned by his owners. This dog was biting or charging at his owners weekly. Hoobie had serious medical issues as a very young puppy, that caused him to mistrust humans. Humans were of course trying to save his life, but at such a young age he had not as yet learned to trust hands. Years later, Hoobie was out of control.

Hoobie was one of the most extreme cases of human aggression that I had ever had. A previous trainer who believed in treats offered Hoobie three cookies, and gotten bitten three times for offering from his hand.

As with many trainers that have been sold on a "one fits all process", fearfuldogs felt free to make negative comments to me not even able to answer questions on the methods I used that she supposedly knew so well.

" Would someone please rescue this dog! Koehler, molded downs, 2-4 hour training sessions, eegads! " D Jacobs http://www.fearfuldogs.com/

Clearly someone who also does not understand that not all training is formal training, but molding behaviors in everyday circumstances. Feeding, crating, walking, and interacting with Hoobie were all opportunities for training and correcting behaviors. It was not an easy journey. When asked what D Jacobs did not like about "molded sits" or " molded downs" in the Koehler method, the information shared back was typical of this political dog training movement:

"It is not because I am disinclined to debate the merits of the work I do with fearful dogs or how much I know or don't know about dog training, or the relationship I have with my own dogs. I will not read or contribute because it causes me too much distress to hear about how this dog is being handled."  D Jacobs http://www.fearfuldogs.com/

Oh, okay.   My personal opinion is that like all members of this political dog training cult, actually knowing what you are talking about and being able to talk specifics is of no value.   Understanding the science fiction of certain "scientific studies" funded by the political dog movement, who shock dogs on high levels randomly o collars not known about or used in the USA.   That is because it is unimportant to know how training occurs much less how electronic collars can be used on low levels humanely.   This is about the feeding frenzy for the dollars paid for dog training, and securing part of the market without requiring trainers to know much to anything about results.  Dodman and Dunbar are two of the main beneficiaries of this strategy.   Dr Dunbar, however, has recently been talking about the lack of standards in the dog training industry, that he himself has spearheaded!!!

Sadly his proteges do not feel this is referenced to themselves.   The damage has been done, and those that can not train to a standard have no idea how to recognize it, even if it's their own dog that does not improve or learn with their methods.   Blithely, they go on talking about theories and science, and can not recognize what the living breathing individual dog right in front of them is telling them, unless they react like a scientific laboratory experiment or communicate in just the way the general dog population communicates.

The APDT does little to dissuade their members that knowledge in the form of results is necessary to hand out CEUs to the professionals in their organization (meaning that CPDTS need only pass a multiple choice test, and then upkeep their education by, well, just any member *not a professional member in anyway* that is willing to put on a seminar.   Awesome, how great for the general dog owning public and the naive "trainers" who drank the sweetly poisoned punch when it was offered.

This "trainer" was quite brave in issuing the following challenge, which I can only guess she thinks that I did not keep:)  I guess that is she is ignoring requests for confirmation that she is keeping her end of the deal.   In the wrong assumptions that she has made about methods and me as a trainer, she made an equally wrong assumption if she thought I would ever let this go.   I am most like a terrier who will not give up until I have cornered my rat.  The truth is that I copied the whole web posting from http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/, including the below challenge made by Deb Jacobs of fearfuldogs.

"You are right, there was no need for me to be snippy, I am not by nature a snippy or confrontational person. I read your post later in the evening, actually I could barely read your post, it was so troubling to me. I have to think that you believe you are doing what is best for this poor dog. I will not be reading your posts or commenting again. It is not because I am disinclined to debate the merits of the work I do with fearful dogs or how much I know or don't know about dog training, or the relationship I have with my own dogs. I will not read or contribute because it causes me too much distress to hear about how this dog is being handled. I will credit you with being honest in sharing how you have managed this dog for the past 5 weeks. My guess is that after this dog is returned to his owners he will bite someone. The owners will blame the dog and you'll blame the owners. He may be euthanized, rehomed, given up, or kept isolated for the rest of his life. But I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and say that if in a year this dog is living happily and comfortably with his current owners, I will gladly donate $100 to your preferred animal rescue. I will also be willing to question my belief that most of the techniques you are using have no place in the modern age of dog training. I apologize for my rudeness. p.s. You can find my email address on my website at www.fearfuldogs.com should you want to get in touch with a year from now. I hope you prove me wrong, for Hoobie's sake."  D Jacobs http://www.fearfuldogs.com/

Well, Deb, I am in touch with you.   You seem to be ignoring me.   Don't think that  I am not armed with the orginal correspondence if legal action needs to be taken on my charities behalf for your payment.   That would just be another sad mistake on your part.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/ Maine and New Hampshire Dog Trainer
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/ Mannerly Mutts Blog

Her Name Was Lola, She Was A Showgirl

Our newest residency student's name is Lola. She is a female Pit X. She looks like she may have a fair amount of lab in her.

I will write a little history about her here. She was adopted at six weeks. Just so people know, if you can avoid removing a puppy at before 11-13 weeks from their mother and litter, this is the best thing for the puppy. That being said, there are situations out there where a puppy is being ousted in a non-breeders home OR finds themselves motherless for whatever reason early on.

Puppies who are removed early often will have special needs in order to grow into a balanced dog. There are many situations besides early removal from the litter and mom, where a dog will need extra special care. Early removal is just one of many situations that will most likely require special care and consideration. Of course, in my opinion, a well planned training program is always necessary for a dog, but truthfully some dogs are going to be more naturally bomb proof than other dogs. The dogs that are removed from their litter and mother too early are often not the bomb proof dogs that are going to sail through life fine without a good leader.

Lola's problems have been manifesting themselves in reactive and aggressive behavior towards dogs (especially when on leash), and an uncomfortableness around children. Also there are resource guarding issues.

Day one for a dog like Lola is comprised of a lot of things. For one, she will be tethered to me while out and about in the house. Freedom is a resource that I control. Right now she is not equipped (behaviorally speaking) to have that freedom in the house. When she is not tethered to me, she will be in her crate. There is a lot that I can do while she is tethered to me in addition to training though. It's really important for her to be out and about and learning the rules of the road right now. Structuring a day for a dog like this is very important too. You want the dog to be able to predict what is going to happen during the day, as you guide them through the appropriate behaviors. So for instance every time I stop or come to an opening, I put Lola into a sit. Since she has the very beginning understanding of what a sit is (and wasn't smart enough to hide this from me LOL), getting out of the crate only happens when she is in a sit.

Last night, she went into a sit very willingly to leave the crate. After being fed and let out this morning, she had a more belligerent look on her face (once her immediate needs were met) when asked to sit. So I went away, had some coffee and breakfast. Went back down and said "sit". She almost did it once, but did not do it after five times of the command. Therefore, I went upstairs and enjoyed a bit of the today show with the other dogs. Guess what happened the third time I went down? Lola was already in a sit . Thems the rules, to get out of the crate you must be in a sit (oh and quiet too).   If you have a reactive and resource guarding dog, you should check with a trainer on how to do this safely, especially if there is a food bowl in the crate. I always leave my face out of the crate, for instance. I have them stay in a sit so I can easily slip on the collar. If the dog does not know any form of the word sit yet (is entirely green in other words), you can form the leash first into a loose lasso (clip end through handle) and slip it around the dog's head. I've had about 10 years of practice with this, so it's always best to have a trainer talk you through this with a reactive, possibly aggressive, or feral dog. Lola hasn't needed this, I just thought it would be a good mention in the crate rules scenario when you are working with a dog that you hardly know yet.

While I am making her sit every time I stop, we will later be going through the molded sit routine from scratch to get to the one command sit.   Also with any dog that has a behavioral issue, molding is a great trust exercise.   It trains the dog to relax their muscles at their owners touch at first, before going onto consequences and rewards for sitting or not sitting.   When you get to the correction part, most owners make a common mistake of tightening on the leash OR giving the correction before the command is even given.   The right way is to get the dog used to the concept of having a loose leash, so the owner has more control.   This is what a lot of owners are not knowledgeable about how to understand to train to a loose leash, and that this gives them more control (as does off leash training when ready).   So it's loose leash, then command, then correction if not done within a second (corrections are mild after having gone through the molding steps correctly with most dogs), good dog if command is performed, once in a sit (either way) the leash should be loose again, and finally the release word is given.  You need to give the dog the opportunity to weigh there options in order to give them the opportunity to learn.   If you are always going to take control of the situation rather than teach the dog, the dog will never learn control, themselves.   This is a really important concept when dealing with the behaviorally challenged dogs.

Lola hasn't been extremely pleased about going into the crate. So she will be fed in there, have some toys in there, but... In the meantime, she needs to go into the crate when necessary. If I don't need to get confrontational with a dog about these things, then I don't. Lola has responded well to the method where she is on leash, and I walk towards the crate. She will pull back for a moment, but if I just stop and wait, she will come towards me and the crate again. You need the dog on a slip training collar and leash to do this, if they are bound and determined to get away. The worst thing that can happen is she slips her collar and realizes that she could get away. This just makes the training go backwards. This morning putting Lola in the crate has been a lot easier, as I have made it as non confrontational as I possibly can. It's an attitude like this "look it's no big deal", but then you follow through and bring her out later with a little bit of freedom or training (which will feel like a little bit of freedom right now).

Tethering her to me starts to extinguish her first instinct to bolt for freedom as well. Most dogs enjoy actually being with their people, and once she figures out she can relax with her new best buddy (me of course) it will become much easier for her to just follow me around, and not look for the exit at every opportunity. Once she stops doing that, we can start considering letting her off tether in our home. It's not something that you want to do before she is ready though.

When I have a dog that is a possible bolt risk and has aggressive possibilities, there are certain safety measures I put in place.

• I pay attention to the status of all outside doors.   I lock some that friends or family (despite my frequent directions not to) may decide to open and come into unannounced.  The front door that we like to keep open to the screen or glass door is now closed from now forward.
• Be aware, some dogs are very prepared to go through window screens (and sometimes glass windows).  So closing the windows and having a dog that seems that panicked tethered to you is a very wise idea.
• Since we have a pen for going outside made of chicken wire, if I have a possible flight risk, I bring them out on lead personally to go to the bathroom in the pen.
• Even if there are no other dogs or people around, she will remain tethered to me when outside the crate right now.
• I make sure she is in the more well made thick wire crates.   Some crates are shockingly cheap, and Lola would be able to dismantle them quite readily, where other dogs would not even think of trying.
• Always have her on a slip type of training collar when outside of the crate, so as not to slip her flat collar.
• Always take the slip collar off when going into the crate (and put flat back on) so it doesn't get caught on a wire and choke her.
• Clothing should be leather shoes, thick jeans, bulky sweatshirt, when dealing with any dog that you think may deflect on you.   Often dogs that are going to turn out okay, will still panic and use their teeth in the moment.  We all want to protect ourselves, our clients, and the dog from making an unnecessarily bad mistake in the beginning of training.
• I try not to use muzzles on most dogs, but in the beginning and especially if the quarters are going to be tight with the object of their angst, I find muzzles are helpful not only for prevention but also to calm the dog down.   Once they realize they are not going to be able to take the action that they would like, and that you (the handler or owner) have things under control, the dog can relax and go with the flow.   Remember, it's totally important that the dog training have nothing to really worry about.  We use our trained dogs here, and people familiar with taking direction from me to start and win the dog over (and habituate them to things that previously frightened or concerned them in some way).

When you are entrusted with someone Else's dog, you need to be extra specially responsible and careful.   Someone is trustingly handing over their beloved family member to you.  My yard remains unfenced as I do a lot of off leash training.   Therefore, while I may drop a longe line at the end of training (meaning longe line is still attached but handle not in my hand), she will not be allowed off leash (really) outside, though she may be prepared to get a sense of it.

Today, we will be focusing on "let's go" and "sit on the dog training" which will be loaded into Lola's blog (with this posting) so her owners can follow along with what we are doing.

Maine Dog Trainer, New Hampshire Dog Trainer, Massachusetts Dog Trainer, and sometimes Canada Dog Trainer

Mannerly Mutts Dog Training Blog

How To Be A Balanced Human

I talk a lot about balance in dog training or creating a balanced behavior in a dog. Balance means not too much of one or the other. Or not too little of one or the other.




I try to translate this to my personal life as much as possible. My unbalance in life is that I either do tasks at a 100% level or I relax at a 100% level. For instance, if I relax too much and get behind, then I try to catch up on every little thing on one day (cleaning, taxes, finances, vendor correspondence ET). If I exercise I either exercise for an hour (or worse much more) everyday no matter how I feel, or I can't bear to exercise at all.



Recently, I have been trying to apply what I do in dog training with a mixture of "have to", "want to", and "should do". By doing a little of everything, I am more up to date and less stressed. Course I haven't totally caught up yet. Today though, after biking to clients and working many dogs, and knowing that I have about three residency cases coming in soon, I have elected for a little alone time with my dogs, Gigi and Magoo this morning of nothing other than relaxing.



I have been fighting off the impulse to work into every second every little thing I could multi task, because that is going to happen from tomorrow and through the next several months.



When my business gets like that, what we do is take "our or hour" - cations. Mini family breaks where we stop everything, leave the house and enjoy each other. We might go to the 123 for a lunch out with the dogs in tow on their outside area, or to Fox's for ice cream with the dogs, or the Cherry Tree----or perhaps a bigger trip to Cape Elizabeth, Fort Foster, or Fort McClary. It's just a time for me, my husband, and our dogs to unwind just a bit as if we are on vacation.



Enjoy balance in both your dogs' and your own life!!



New Hampshire and Maine Dog Trainer

Mannerly Mutts Blog

Frisbee Fun

Our first Doberman, Jazz, was magic with a Frisbee. Neptune, Jack, and Leon never had the knack. Both Neptune and Leon loved the Frisbee idea, but could only catch it in their mouths at short distances. Both loved to either chase it or the one getting it. Our newest addition, Boris, shows some promise.

Thanks to Jazz, we have investigated several types of Frisbees for large dogs that tend to rip apart anything they are able to (toys wise that is). Here are some pros and cons of our finds.

The Nylabone Frisbee:

Unless you have a puppy named Boris, this is a pretty indestructible toy. If you do have a puppy like Boris, be sure that you play with this only as a Frisbee and not a chew toy. I must admit in desperate moments, we let Boris chew on this. So now one side has a dent.

Cons: Hard on human hands when catching it, as far as I am concerned. Especially sharp after Boris has chewed on an edge. Dogs like to chew on this, and this may be a con for some owners.

Pros: A very hardy Frisbee toy that can not be pulled apart or chewed up that easily. It actually needs pretty concentrated chewing in order to get damaged. Seems to fly better than your standard human Frisbee despite the weight factor. Does double as a chew toy if you would like. The least likely to be an ingestion danger if left alone with the dog.

Rubber Type Frisbees:

I really like these frisbees a lot.

Pros: Easy on human hands! Easy on dogs mouths, as well one would think. Tough, not so easy to rip. The very edge of the frisbee is usually the first to go. Dogs don't seek to chew on this Frisbee so much.

Cons: Does not fly as well as other Frisbees. Less tough than a Nylabone Frisbee, but adequately tough. Not a large danger, but could be an ingestion danger if left alone with the dog.

Nylon Cloth Frisbees:

This was the first Frisbee that worked well with Jazz.

Cons: Can rip easily and be punctured by large breed canine Frisbee enthusiasts. You want to get this Frisbee quickly away from your dog so they don't have their way with it. Definately want to use this only for Frisbee type games. Could be an ingestion danger if left alone with the dog.

Pros: Very easy on human hands. It flies far very easily even for those of you as hopelessly Frisbee challenged as my wife .

Human Plastic Frisbees:

Cons: Tends to break just from a canine catching it, never mind if they try and chew it. It tends to break into sharp jagged pieces as well.

Pros: None that I know of as far as playing with canines. The cheap ones don't even tend to fly that well.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

Super Nanny Has Great Dog Training Tips?

I do not have children. However, I really enjoy the show Super Nanny. I think because it shows how certain skills can make a real difference in relationships between children and their parents. Also some of those skills are or should be used in dog training.

What are these qualities that I see that remind me of dog training AND/OR good dog care?

1. Consistency, consistency, consistency. In both cases, beings without the knowledge of how to navigate through human society as yet.   This builds both a communication between parties, and a knowledge of correct societal behavior.
2. Praise
3. Discipline
4. Activity and Exercise.
5. Parental participation

These all happen to be a good part of any dog training plan as well.   Bringing up a child is harder, as they have the ability to verbally talk back and argue LOL.   Plus time outs in crates would most likely be frowned upon.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogpsot.com/

2ND Leg on Day 2 of Vacationland Dog Show

I inadvertently hit a future goal today, when Magoo completed his second leg with a 188.5.   It did seem to work better to NOT tire Magoo out in the morning.  Who knows though, the spirits of dog training were with us this warm afternoon.

Tomorrow it's going to change a little as Bri will be with us, and my friend, Missy, will handle Bri during the long stays.   I was going to perhaps have Missy handle Magoo if he had his two legs, but he is slightly distracted when we line up for the stays, and Bri won't be that distracted.  Plus Bri is smaller by more than 50 pounds.   I have never tried Bri with a different handler.   Of course, this is all assuming we pass the first part of Novice for Bri.

Magoo was definately more acclimated to the environment today, which was a huge help.   A conformation judge ran up to us, and was disappointed that both of Magoo's ears weren't standing.   He is an attractive dog both physically and temperamentally non the less!!

So proud of Magoo today.   But I would be anyway, he is an awesome dog.   I did not have a helper today, and I wanted to concentrate on just getting our leg.   So sadly, I have no video to show you what a ten point difference would look like.   Hopefully, tomorrow, Magoo will be in good form again, and we can show you the best performance that I am capable of right now:)

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

First Leg for Magoo

Magoo's first leg video:



I had tired him out a bit more with exercise yesterday.   He was way distracted by the grass and the different dog smells in the beginning.   We completely missed our first auto sit.   Our last leashed autosit almost gave me a heart attack, as you can see him start to down and then catch himself. 

His heeling was better on his first trial where we disqualified.   So I am not going to exercise him as much before we go to our third trial today.   This will be Magoo's only fourth time in the ring.   I don't necessarily have a friend going with me (my friend Cindy was assisting yesterday), so I don't know whether I will get the video or not.   We will see.   Gotta get ready now, I will be leaving for the second day of Vactionland's dog show in 45 minutes.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

May 20th Ends Unlimited Off Leash Beaches in York

Every year, as the tourists pull into town, there is a period from May to September, where the laws change for off leash dogs on our town's public beaches. From May 20th to September 15th, verbally voice controlled dogs are allowed off leash on the beaches from sunrise to 8 AM. From 6 PM to sundown, dogs are allowed on the beach leashed only.

Interested in the animal control ordinances of York Maine? I am included the link below.

http://www.yorkmaine.org/Portals/0/docs/Ordinances/AnimalControlOrdinance_2006-05-20.pdf

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

Preparing for Trial Notes

I figured out finally that it was not last year I was trialling, but the year before. So it has actually been two years since either Bri or I have been in the ring. There are a lot of training and handling things that have been coming back to me, but I had forgotten. These have been my own way of doing things and experiences when preparing:

1. Do not step off before you say heel when practicing or in a trial. This is something that I have been way guilty of, and I am sure that I suffered handler points off for.
2.  Also point #1 holds true for when you say stay, say it first them walk away.
3.  When training for the stay commands, vary the length before you give the command so that your dogs do not start to anticipate. I change the time before I walk away, while I stand there, and when I come back and stand next to them. Otherwise, you will find that your dog starts to anticipate when you are likely to move.
4.  I do front and finish totally separate when practicing. They are just two positions, and I don't want the dog to bypass position one. I find the easiest way to do this is to practice them at different practice sessions, and not as anything close to one movement. Before I got into competition, I always trained come as one move to the finish instead of a front and finish, and that all had to be retrained later on.
5. The week and days before the trial, try not to focus or panic over any one thing.   I try to do the routine over and over again, and if something isn't quite right---I go over it quietly and don't make a huge fuss over it or do too many reps on it.   I have found that doing the latter is a great way to confuse the dog and pretty much guarantee something unexpected will happen.   For instance, the first year her fronts were not straight.  So the days before the trial, we did a whole lot of reps on fronts.   So in the ring, I got front everything, including auto sits.  Whoops!!   I am sure if I thought hard enough, I could come up with some other examples on how this screws up the preparation.  

The other thing that I learned is, nothing is every going to go perfectly.   I had arranged for Bri's owner to come with us on her days.   If you have two dogs in the same class, you need someone to handle the second dog in the long stays.   So I had prepared a weekend that we both thought Bri's owner would be free.  Turns out, they forgot about a wedding on that day.   Luckily, I have some friends that are going to stand in.   I am going to do some prep work, but I don't know how either Bri or Magoo would react to having someone different handling them.   It may not be a big deal in the stays, or it could confuse them greatly.   Even if I practice with other people now, the real test of how it will go is going to be the trial.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com

Tennessee Natural Flooding Disaster-Help Needed

The International Association of Canine Professionals is a group that looks out for each other. One of our members reported that there has been a natural flood disaster in the state of Tennessee. They are on the ground floor helping out the rescue efforts there to shelter and protect pets in the area.

If you can help in any way, please contact TFloyd0817@aol.com. Apparently the news in our area has not been mentioning this natural disaster very much. Here are some articles that I found on it.

York PA Red Cross to the Rescue
Environmental Report on What Happened
CNN's Report
Obama Declares Disaster Region

New Hampshire and Maine Dog Trainers
Mannerly Mutts Blog

Too Fast Eating for Boris

Boris and Leon are good friends. They have their occasionally yips and yaps at each other, but they are probably the best together as far as sharing and playing. Boris has been so understanding about the sharing, that he allows Leon to go into his food bowl. I discourage this and have Leon leave it. Recently, I noticed that Boris threw up his breakfast on two days in a row.

I realized that he was eating too fast, in order to ingest all his food before brother Leon would wander over. This is no good for two reasons. The first reason is Boris as a growing puppy needs to eat his food in peace. The second is that vomiting can cause very serious issues with your dog.

So in addition to monitoring them for now during meals, I have been teaching Boris how to eat slowly. Truth to tell, I always thought Boris ate a little too fast like a little piranha. Food used to fly everywhere, so he has gotten better than he was when he fist came here.

With Boris, the best way has turned out to be lured sits in between mouthfuls. I hold the full bowl in my hand, have Boris sit, then throw one mouthful into the bowl with the release word.   That way instead of inhaling food too quickly with air and then throwing up, Boris is instead eating slower.   There are some products on the market that have a stem in the middle of the bowl which is supposed to slow down eating.   You can also put a smaller bowl upside down in the middle of the larger dog dish to slow down eating.

 

I prefer to use this time to put in a little training with Boris.   Since I have spent so much time with my clients and the competition coming up, Boris and Leon's training has slacked off.   So any small additional time, such as his feeding time, is a bonus.

 

http://www.mannerlymutts.com

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com

Thee Privileged Pet LLC Closes in York ME 5/3/2010

There are a limited number of ways that you can vacation with your dog. One way is to have them stay in a kennel, another way is to bring them with you (need rv dog friendly, camp dog friendly, or hotel dog friendly places to do this), and another option is to have a place like mine where dogs stay in your home. I actually know a few pet sitting people in the area that do this. To be in the home, however, there are some training and temperament requirements that are insisted upon by the owners of these establishments. These are usually found by referral of veterinarians and others in the area (hard to locate without a referral in other words).


An increasing number of people don't want to place their dogs in a kennel. I am one, it would have to be an absolute emergency for me to need to do that. Luckily our tenants and friends, my pet sitting friends, and others have been there to help if we need to leave for a couple of days. We almost always vacation with our pets, and know of pet friendly places to do this.



One of the kennels in the area is closing, The Privileged Pet LLC. Actually I believe the official day of closing was May the 3rd. The house and kennel now look to be for sale. It is a small kennel, and in reading an article done about them recently, the economy and probably the increase in more home like accomodations have most likely made doing business hard for them. The overhead of keeping a facility like this, even though it is small, is no small thing.



I am curious as to what will happen to this property now. Although it changed ownership (and was closed down before for a little while), it has been a kennel for at least 23 years or so.



Maine and New Hampshire Dog Training

Mannerly Mutts Blog

Training Others' Dogs for the AKC Ring

I have been spreading my wings as a trainer in more than just size differences and temperament differences in dogs trained for the AKC ring, but I have taken on clients and friends dogs to get my experience in the ring.   Some trainers have a large family of dogs, in case things happen where their dogs can no longer accompany them into the ring.   I like for MY dogs to have all my attention when clients dogs are here, and I feel I have only enough energy to keep 2-3 dogs of my own perfectly happy and content.   Some trainers have even been known to train a foster dog to this task, but the problem comes in when you don't want to hold up a perfect home for the dog (or now you can't part with your foster LOL).  Taking on clients dogs is a unique opportunity.  

From the owners, I need access to the dogs during weekdays.   My client brings his dog to daycare due to this, and my friends are at work...so Bri is available to me during the weekdays.   Other factors can influence me on what is best to train on that day.   Today for instance, we have a moment of cold and windy (but sunny weather) that may bring more hardy Mainers out to some outdoor places.   So today might be a great day to bring a dog into distracting areas to do long downs or sit on the dogs.   Last few days were rainy, so we did a lot of group indoor stays with whoever was here and able to do that with Magoo and Bri.  You can make an indoor environment more distracting by bouncing balls, using an untrained puppy named Boris to run around and play through the participants, opening doors, timing it to when vehicles to pick up daycare are coming ET.   While it might not be worth it to go out and find distractions (as they won't be plentiful or probably on rainy days), you can still practice indoors.

I am really trying to make these practices count, and not try to overwork the dogs plus have them be practice sessions that will turn out to bite me in the butt in the ring (not ever literally of course ).   When out walking at a heel and for auto sits, being really sure that my body and foot movements will represent what I do in the ring is very important right now.   This is more about retraining me, BUT I have to make sure I now train the dogs to interpret the difference in the body movements now.   Why don't I just walk as I did in practice before?   Most likely this will cause points off.   There are very specific rules on what the human party in the transaction can and can not do.   I have had quite a few points taken off for having my hand in the wrong place during a command before.   If I have put the work into the dog, I prefer not to point myself out.  Yikes!!   It's a lot to think about, and it's best I think about it now BEFORE going into the ring.

Other things can effect what I work on during the day.   Who is here is sometimes a consideration.   Magoo gets along with everybody, and so far everybody likes him (human and canine LOL).   But Bri and Roxy are not so fond of each other.   It's not clearly evident unless they invade the other's space, but I prefer not to have them interact too often.  So since Roxy is coming here today to board, it's a good day to work with Bri off the property in distracting and public areas.   Thankfully, the weather is also cooperating with this plan today.

I have realized by getting my legs in the past, even if something goes a little wrong, I can usually save both of us from pointing out by keeping my body language the same, when I am in the ring.   So the dog can go "oh look at this piece of straw in the ring",   "oops wait where did my handler go, I better catch up."   If I instead look back, as if I am going back to the dog, I have clouded my signals up for my partner.  I am no longer in a leader position, as I have instead indicated that I may go back for them.  This can make an oopsy worse than it needed to be.

In training dogs that are not mine, I have found it quite different than training my own.   At home, I only have to worry about the humans who live here being inconsistent.   I can't control that when Bri and Magoo's owners interact with them.   I can give them clues and tips, but I know they both use the term "come" differently than I do in the ring.   It might have been smart of me to develop a different word for the recall in the ring, but we are a bit too far along to mess with things right at this moment.   I often don't have the opportunity to work them around their owners either, which provides a much different type of distraction in the ring.   As you could see in the video, Bri wasn't looking towards her owner, so she has become used to her owner being with me when in the ring from last year.  Many times, training may not be used in the home of the dog at all!!  So the only time they get practice is with you.  Should I ever wish to become a professional handler for others (a long time from now), it will be imperitive that I have these things sorted out and planned for.   First, I need to get better at my handling skills.   Luckily, I enjoy the art of dog training, and the bonds it creates between me and my canine friends.

Do I want to do this ring style body langauge when just going for a casual walk with my dogs normally?   Of course not...   The better you can prepare your dog for a scenario that may not be usual, in general, the better you can prepare your dog for real life situations.   By training my dogs and others for public as well as private performances, I can provide more opportunities of enjoyment and freedom for mine and others' dogs.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com

Er, Bailey, What Were You Just Up To?

I was scooping poop towards the backyard, but "someone" was interested in another project. Though I did not witness it myself, I do believe the culprit can be seen in the picture. Bailey!!

I think the last picture speaks pretty clearly for itself.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/

http://www.dognewsisgoodnews.com/

Boris the Horrid!!

The desk ones, he is contemplating what is best to steal off my desk (just on the other side of the couch that he is looking over LOL.  He's got the face of an innocent, but the mind of an imp and the ideas of a gremlin.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

Biking and Tether Ball with Board and Daycare Clients

Tether ball anyone?



How about a bike ride instead?





http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/
http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/
http://www.dognewsisgoodnews.com/

NOT A Good First 2010 Trial Performance(s) for ME

The Casco Obedience Club Trial did end up being the perfect one for Magoo's first showing ever, my first trial of 2010 since (June 2009 legs earned on both Bri and Jack), and Bri's first trial since the same June 2009 trial. It had very large classes, but was a pretty tame show area. Still, I was far more nervous of this first 2010 event that I wanted to be. After working the dogs that morning, my best bet was that Bri may stand a chance at her last leg, and that Magoo would not stand a chance. Boy was I wrong LOL.

First of all, Bri has done very well before; it was totally my mistake in only acclimating her for a week before the trial. After viewing our tape, I am also quite certain that during the auto sits; I am probably not walking the same when practicing with her as when I was in the ring. My body language seemed to be confusing her, so it's going to be very important that I really pay attention to body position and footwork between now and May 20ths trial. You will note she did every auto sit...somewhere in the ring, it just was not beside me sometimes it was behind me (and I remember wondering where the heck is Bri Bri? I didn't want to mess her up further by looking for her at that point). Sometimes it was behind me; sometimes she walked away a little before doing it. She was paying attention to me well during the leashed heel, but was still farther ahead than I would like, so I need to reposition her for heel AND I also want to move her into a bit more of a six inch distance from me. I also underestimated how excited she would be to be back in the ring. During both the leashed and off leashed fast heeling, you can see her excitement charge ahead. She loves being the center of attention, and that has worked for me in the past. This time though, I was too cocky that we would get sleepy calm Bri in the ring. In fact, she did not light up that day until we stepped into the ring. So Bri and me had no chance in getting our leg during this trial, and that was totally my fault. So here we come Vacationland, and we have a month so this should be very much improved.  In the meantime, enjoy how cute Bri was, while I performed horribly.



Magoo despite his puppy antics earlier in the morning was more focused. There is one instant during the off leash heel where he walks over to the fence, but he returns when I am told to halt. So we would not have pointed out for that. However, at the last part of the tape, you will see that I seem confused during the recall. I thought the judge asked me to move my dog. I said "stay, and what move my dog?" She said no leave your dog, and I said "stay" again. At which point she said, you can't say stay again, you must leave your dog. I effectively disqualified us. The judge did allow us to do the recall, which was good as practice for Magoo. His heel was good, but most of his sits were crooked or in front of me. He did a really great figure eight, but missed one of the sits. And during the recall he sat crooked for front, and almost did a front for finish.

My entire fault, totally. Magoo is my first client dog in the ring, though I am doing all the training for free as practice. He is also the youngest dog (1 and a half) that I have brought into the ring. Not happy with my performance, but happy with both of the dogs, Bri and Magoo. As a team we will all show much better in May. Just dusting off the cobwebs now. One thing that was good is both tapes didn't look as bad as the performance actually felt. I am the worst at this, but the worst thing one can do is let their nerves get to them if it does not start out stellar. As much as I know this, I always know that I need to practice in that setting as well as the dogs, in order for me to get accustomed to it again.



Am I going to stop showing because I had a bad performance? Heck no, it's all about improving skills and seeing what your errors are when training. Then you can move that advice on to your clients (as best as possible) in their training. You can never expect your clients to do as well as you do, BUT if you are not more advanced and haven't investigated what is needed in order to succeed at those advanced levels, then you will be passing on even more mediocre training suggestions to your clients. Then they do not know how to improve their partnership with their dog, or even that it can be done.

That performance shows not such a great partnership between those dogs and me. They did have fun, and they enjoyed being out there with us. Now the smart thing one might think for a trainer to do is bury this, and only mention the accomplishments by simply pretending this day never happened. However, I like to show the journey it takes to do this. So many people are intimidated to do obedience, they worry about what others will think, the mistakes they will make, or can my dog do it. Obedience is really not that intimidating, and if things go wrong you fix them for next time. For a trainer, it is important to branch out form just doing your dogs to doing many types and breeds of dogs. This is what I am doing for free right now with dogs that I do have access to. I will take the lumps when I do bad, and move on by experimenting with the ways that I do things. Not many people have three perfect trials in a row from beginning to end. While that would be wonderful, know that about four other people that followed me had things happen like the dog going for the gate (on the other side of the ring) during a recall after a pretty solid performance otherwise. So you try to practice in situations later that give you time to fix the problem. It can also be a one time only problem, one never knows. Finally, the human part of the equation cannot get better without being committed to taking their lumps when mistakes happen for the better good of creating a strong partnership between dog and owner. If I just threw up my hands and said "wow that was so embarrassing, obedience is so stupid and not natural", then I would not be growing the way that I think I should. The reason I like the obedience as it always was is it really creates a strong bond with your dog that allows you to move onto the more exciting aspects of training (retrieve, selection, tracking).

So if a client can do this 60%, then they can at least have an increased partnership with their dog even if they choose not to compete. However, if you don't polish up your skills in these areas, you are not experiencing exactly how this works, and therefore a client cannot experience exactly how this works.

I do not have the kind of grace that other dog owners have out there on the ring. My body position has improved leaps and bounds though (as sad as that is LOL). I was never a good dancer, and I got easily confused during aerobics. So experiencing how body position works so much better with my improvements (that are not stellar) really hits home as to how these details make it clearer to the dog, and therefore they can follow your lead much better. I still have a lot of work to do, and I am putting my nose to the grindstone so that I can hopefully accomplish Magoo's three legs in May, and Bri's last leg that is left towards her Companion Dog title.

If I can be okay with embarrassing myself publically, anyone can be okay with it.   I hope that the May tapes of the progress can inspire people how much fun this is.   And I hope my willingless to show warts as well as accomplishments can show that the world does not end if you have a bad day.  I have always had stage fright, but have managed to muddle my way through corporate presentations and now dog trials.  I have only gotten five legs (three with Jackie CD and two with Bri) in my career as a professional dog trainer.  I also know that in order to advance to Open, I have to start getting scores in the high one nineties in Novice, and I am not there yet.   I can qualify right now, but have not ironed out the kinks in my body work and in the training program to get to the optimum performance that I want.   How will I get there?   Try and try again AND practice practice practice!!

So the go forward training plan is largely this:

· Magoo Plan 1: Find as many distracting packed with dogs’ events (craft shows, charity walks, matches,) to continue to accustom Mr. Magoo to the fact that checking out other dogs is not allowed. This just means making it ho hum for him. We usually use Petco and the beach, but he is pretty acclimated to those areas, so he just needs more strange and distracting areas.

· Magoo Plan 2: Doing attention training to keep his focus if another dog is at the fence line again.

· Magoo Plan 3: Straighten out the auto sits which includes being very focused on my body language while training, and how that is going to manifest itself in the ring. I have a feeling that when I am practicing, I am probably turning my shoulder instead of staying straight. I may also be cueing them (which I can't do in the ring, to sit where I want).

· Magoo Plan 4: Work on front and finish. We worked on this quite a bit, but again I think in the distracting setting is the key. It's hard to find off leash places where one is allowed to do some off leash training (under distractions) like this. First though, I need to make sure the position stands up in the non-distracting setting of my home, and I am not throwing out cues by mistake. I really need to be sure I am moving exactly as I will in the ring, while I am practicing.

· Magoo Plan 5: Devote every other day to practicing whole routine, and videoing it for progress. Want to see this done in different areas.

· Bri Plan 1: Basically work with her consistently between now and May 20th, especially in distracting situations.

· Bri Plan 2: Be more exacting on Bri's heel position.

· Bri Plan 3: Practice more running heels with Bri in situations that would make her very excited.

· Bri Plan 4: Still need to work on her closeness during the figure eight outside circle. She was a bit wide at least once.

· Bri Plan 5: Similar to Magoo, auto sits need to be straightened out, with most of the emphasis on what my body is doing during practice.

· Bri Plan 6: Every other day practice total routine, video it, and change up location.

· Me Plan 1: Pay attention to body position for practice to become body position for ring!!!

· Me Plan 2: Particular attention to be paid to what my body is doing during auto sits.

· Me Plan 3: Get cue cards so assistants can order me around as if I was at a trial.

· Me Plan 4: Come up with alternative distracting areas for the dogs rather than the same old ones.

.Me Plan 5:  Get ahold of an arm band holder, so I don't find myself in the uncomfortable position of needing to fiddle with the rubber band during the trial.   Man!!


Looking forward to sharing the improvements during the May trials. I may find time to download some practices, but I have older technology so downloading, importing, and then transferring take a large amount of time.



http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/

http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/

http://www.dognewsisgoodnews.com/

Trialling Two Dogs

On this Sunday, the big day for trialling Magoo and Bri comes around.   Their pictures will tell you these are two different breeds of dog.   There are more differents than that obvious one, and even the difference in their size, which affects a number of things as well.

Bri likes to sleep late into the morning.   Yup, just like me as a lazy tween and teen.   She is not a morning person.   So exercising her before the trial is not such a great idea.   She has also gotten a bit out of shape, so doing too much with her so that she gets tired will backfire big time.   Bri almost always has to go to the bathroom (number 2) about 11am when we have gone to trials before.   So I really need to make sure that she potties before we go into the ring if it's anywhere around that time.  In general, it's a really good idea to make sure you dog has done everything they need to do, as this could make them uncomfortable in the ring...and they may just NEED to go right then.  Bri has always managed to get the higher scores that I have made when we trialed before.   I personally think her pink cuteness blinds the judges to her flaws, but they see so many dogs that I know this must not be true.

Magoo on the other hand, is still a young Great Dane puppy of 165 pounds.   The size factor has meant being sure to get him used to not using his size and strength in public, and hopefully this holds over to the very exciting atmosphere of this trial.   This trial is in a middle school, and there are likely to be baked goods and children running around with baked goods asking to pet your dog.   Not to mentioned in a crowded gym area with three rings set up, and spectators.   It's not the most chaotic scenario that I have had for a trial, but it is close.   Magoo will be exercised before we go.  

Both dogs will be warmed up for about 10 minutes or so before the trial (starting outside and going to inside).   Luckily I have some help coming with me (Bri's owner).   I hope to get some good video of both in their individual exercises.   Bri's owner will be helping handle Bri during the long stays.  

Bri only needs to get one leg to accomplish her companion dog.   This is Magoo's first trial and so he needs all three legs.   In the past, Bri has tended to lie down during the sit stay for one minute.   This has been the reason in the past for some lost opportunities for a leg.   After a year, this has been the only week that I have worked with Bri reminding her of what she knows.   Surprisingly, she is showing the most trouble on the stand.   Occaisionally she also lagged a bit on the off leash heeling, but that has not cost us a leg.

For Magoo, last time he was really taken with the crowd looking at him (at a match).   I have been working a lot with him in Portsmouth and on the beach with interested on lookers (sometimes a bit too interested and insistent on saying hi to the dogs while in the middle of a session).   Magoo has been doing really well there, so hopefully that will transfer to the ring as well.

When trialling two dogs, it is important to realize a couple of things.   One if they like each other, they can be a major distraction to each other.   When I used to bring Bri and Jack together, at the beginning you could hear one crying in the crate, and it was obvious that the other dog heard it too.   So you need to try and prepare for that.   I am not bringing a crate for Magoo, but you do want to prepare a dog if they will be crated at the trial.  Also if both dogs are in the same class, you need a handler for the second dog during the long  stays.

Once you get used to it, trialing is a really fun activity to do with your dogs.   Both Magoo and Bri love the attention that they get:)  

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/

http://www.dognewsisgoodnews.com/

http://www.canineprofessionals.com/

Differences in Standards in Dog Training

Very cute puppy in Petco video graduating, however it is clear the puppy is still in training at this point. She is training in her graduation video. A trained dog will repeat behaviors and understanding due to the repetition done before graduation, not during.



This must not be an AKC trial, as the leash did not come off during the stand. Also, for some reason, in AKC trials they insist on your non leash holding arm swinging "naturally" (is not natural for me) as you walk. Though it's not perfect, I hope you can see that this heel is more fully trained than the one above which is in it's beginning stages.



It's always interesting to see the different "interpretations" of heeling. However, heeling is meant to be a specific position and not just a loose leash or come towards me command, as "Let's Go" is. Standards in dog training are so important for the behaviorally challenged dogs, as it challenges them, stimulates them, and refocuses them on a task. It also creates a team work atmosphere.

If you are a dog owner looking for a trainer, make sure that they know how to train to a standard for your own good and the good and safety of your dog:)

Peaceful Power Walk at Parish Cemetery

Parish Cemetery is a beautiful and peaceful place in York Maine. People visit with their relatives, joggers enjoy the peace, and a quick quiet dog walk is always welcome.

The grave stones are very interesting, and you wonder about the stories behind some of the pictures. There is an older part in the right hand corner of the cemetary, but most of these headstones are recent.

Some of the headstones seem to be works of art. It makes you imagine the person that may be resting there.

Ollie was just enjoying the day out for his walk.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

http://mainepets.mainetoday.com/

http://www.dognewsisgoodnews.com/

News and Updates for Mannerly Mutts Dog Training

April 18th is the first spring trial for Magoo (Client's and Friend's Dog). This will be Magoo's first trial every, and Bri (friend's dog) just needs to finish up her last leg. We got our official notice that we are in on March 31st, and now just waiting for the judging program to determine the earliest that our class can start. Times can be held up, but they can't start until the posted time. The Casco Bay Dog Show will be at Bath Middle School 6 Old Brunswick Road Bath, Maine. This is actually going to be a new venue for us, and it sounds like it may be inside. My wife has a horror of inside shows, as she has always gotten the legs in outside shows. Oh well, should be a good time, anyway. Magoo's owner will be there, which will be a bit distracting as well. NOTE: THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE WERE OFFERED TO GET OUR INSTRUCTIONS BY E-MAIL. WE NORMALLY DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE ARE IN UP UNTIL THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE SHOW SOMETIMES!!! Novice B Judge is Robbin Shea.

April 24th Portsmouth Petco CGC Testing-Yup our big boy Leon is going in. We have never attended a CGC test, and might as well get our boy, Leon, a title. He deserves it and is such a good boy. Should be a great outing. From 9am to 5 pm at 1465 WOODBURY AVE
PORTSMOUTH, NH.

May 20th thru the 23rd is Vacationland's and York County Kennel Club's dog show in Wassamki Springs-56 Saco St Scarborough, ME 04074. Should Bri not have made her last leg, she will be here at this thankfully (outdoor show). Magoo will either be attempting to get two or three legs at this showing, depending on what happened on April 18th. Robin will be trying not to get many handler error points off (hand position in the recall, well timed auto sit, correct hand positioning during heel, not doing both a signal and verbal command et and so forth. Handler error negative points alone can point one out during the trial). Important when going to a trial where other dogs have gotten legs, you need to check that the judges are different. Your dog must earn three legs under three different judges!!! Bri ILP159964 has had Judges Mr H E Whitney & Mrs Diesem previously and both legs were at 185. Bri's biggest problem in the ring is going from a sit into a down, which automatically makes sure that you will not get the leg:( Novice B Judge on 5/20 is Robert L Harris. Novice B on 5/21 will be Janet Lewis. Novice B Judge on 5/22 will be Norma Hamilton. Novice B on 5/23 will be Ms Alison Jaskiewicz. NOTE A WELL RUN AND PRETTY SHOW, BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT YOU COULD GET ALL THREE LEGS FOR YOUR DOGS (PLUS ONE LOL AT A SHOW LIKE THIS.)

Summer Hoping to bring Boris through, and possibly revist the possibility of bringing Devon through the Novice trials (perhaps even Leon). It's hard in the summer with the increase in business, so we will see how it goes. Boris has to be trained one way or the other by then, so that may not take up anymore time, except traveling to the trials:) Devon is totally healthy, and quite smart. He does have a temperament typical to a Thai Ridgeback while looking like a cute puppy of a breed that no one can quite place. So he would take much work to make sure no temperament issues crop up unexpectedly, and that means lots of road trips for training in various scenarios. Boris and Leon and two very not behaviorally challenged dogs. Leon has not trialed due to his knees. His knees seem to be feeling very well right now, and I think if I don't rep him out on sits, he will be able to do it. Little known fact is that you can have no auto sits happen, but if everything else goes well with as little error as possible, you CAN qualify for a leg:) Leon has been trained to do an auto stand rather than a sit, and we will just keep it that way and go through the trial, thus giving his knees a break until the long sit. Boris is just beginning his training, but we fully expect him to be a star. I have been asking if anyone else has had experience bringing a three legged (gremlin LOL) thru obedience trials.

June 26th - June 27th Penobscott's at Cumberland State Fairgrounds174 Bruce Hill Rd.Cumberland, ME Boris and/or Leon and/or Devon may be going with us. Bri and Magoo may train later on for Open. The judge of Novice B is Phyllis Broden Broderick on June 26th. Evelyn VanUden is the judge on the 27th. I like this show too, but one year they had an elderly judged booked for both conformation and obedience. Between that and the torrential thunder storm, my wife showed eight hours later than scheduled.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/