Jillian, Sometimes It's The Little Things

I forgot to take Jillian's picture today. She was looking good too, since she has just been to the groomer. English Springers are a breed so filled with silliness, life, and in charge of themselves. Jillian is no exception and is very smart.
When Jillian disappeared from her (locked) house before her lessons, her owners were convinced there had been a break in. They called the police, who then looked at the door which had been locked. Know what they found? Teeth marks on the lever inside. Jillian also excels at dismantling crates that are collapsible.
Due to her previous life as a breeding dog, Jillian was getting so upset when her owners left her in her crate, when they went to their jobs. Because of her making accidents in the house when they were gone (and picking the lock) leaving her out was not an option.
This weeks lesson came with the report that Jillian is now found sound alseep in her crate, rather than panting, watching, barking, and carrying on when her owners leave her. Also her owner can now pump gas without Jillian trying to escape the car and have a fit. We just needed to let Jillian know that yes indeed her owner was coming back. We had also needed to teach her to relax in the crate for short periods of time first.
A problem like this seems so small, unless you are coming home to find the escape artist and resulting mess in the house every day. To the caregivers of the dog however, this is such a huge thing and relief. Part of taking care of separation anxiety is demonstrating to the dog that they have nothing to be worried about. Sit on the dog has also been a large part of this. It's a simple exercise, which I will post tomorrow. As simple as it is, without direction, most clients do it wrong. It's all about quiet, space, and following the leader. It does a lot to calm a dog down, when it's done correctly.
Jillian's obedience is coming along with her separation anxiety progress. Next time, perhaps I will take her picture. Until then, I am giving you a brown version of an English Springer. Her name is Pearly.

Jillian's Jitters (from one week ago)

This winter, Mannerly Mutts has been working on the case of Jillian. Jillian's owner actually contacted me last fall. On her first scheduled lesson, I got a call where the owner thought her dog had been taken out of the house!! In fact, Jillian had turned the lock, and traipsed down to the pond looking for her owner. Jillian's owners were referred to me from a previous client. My client's dog, Willie, liked to try and bite anyone and everyone who came into HIS house. Since then, Willie has hosted some family Easter and Christmas parties:), and being a delightful non-biting host, of course.

Jillian has gone through a few crates since that panicky day and the elapsing few months. Unfortunately, our schedules did not align after that first lesson, but now we have found a corresponding day to work each week.

Jillian was a breeder dog. She is an English Springer, and had just had her last litter of puppies when my client discovered her. My client's had decided on an adult dog, because it would be easier than training a puppy (or so they thought Hah!!). Jillian had never really had a family to her own, and was kept pretty much chained to a tree or in a crate. So upon bonding with the human female of the house, it became pretty upsetting to see her go. You can imagine that perhaps Jillian never knew when she would next get our or get attention in her previous life. Now she had doting attention and she did not want to loose it!!!

Due to her messing in the house when the clients were at work (and the subsequent ability to pick locks apparently LOL), Jillian has needed to be crated. However, she has been upset the full period of time that she is in there, and has been figuring out ways of dismantling crates!! Then it will only be a short trip to a door that she may figure out how to open. Yikes!!

The first step has been to get Jillian to become unconcerned when the crate door closes on her. So we started just by putting Jillian into the crate, waiting for her panting to stop, then treating her immediately. As the spaces get shorter and shorter, we just treat her as soon as her breathing becomes calm (thankfully she is very food motivated) for a period of reps. Once we got her there, (and now the client can put her in the crate and leave without poor Jillian getting into hysterics) we start timing her for five minutes, then wait for breathing to calm (if not already), then 10 minutes. These sessions are all done now while the owner is in the house, but perhaps not in the same room. It depends on what we need to back it down to for Jillian.

Obedience is also being used. Jillian has not bonded with the male owner of the house yet. Sit on the Dog is being done by the male owner (and I will soon describe this exercise) to 1) have Jillian stationary away from the owner she gets separation anxiety for and 2) to have a bonding experience start with the male owner. These sort of commands start to give Jillian more confidence, and the owners can direct her to more experiences where she feels safe, and KNOWS that her owners are coming back for her:)

Wish them luck. These are very committed and loving owners.

Friday Blog Fish

This blog talks about nutrition and dog food. Something that I look into a lot, and my client's ask me a lot about:)

This blog cautions about making your own recipe for your dog's food.

This blog talks about some crisis management at HSUS (Humane Society of the United States).

This blogger filmed a day of play!

Blog of dogs and their jobs.

Canine Legislation Resources

As dog owners (cats do not so much have this problem YET) or in the dog profession, it is wise to be aware and have a plan to act against certain legislation that may come to an area near you!! There are organizations out there compiling the facts for you if you are knowledgeable and looking for them.

The AKC keeps an updated list of actions being taken for canine legislation.

http://www.akc.org/news/sections/legislative_alerts.cfm

Karen Palmer, of the International Association of Professional Dog Trainers and a big part of their Canine Legislative Committee, keeps a running commentary on various legislation efforts on her blog.

http://gooddogowners.blogspot.com/

CPAC, which is the Canine Political Action Corps, also can keep you up to date on legislation for dog trainers and groomers specifically!! In fact, a hot topic of debate lately has been the NY bill that has been proposed.

http://www.caninepac.org/news.asp?article_id=24

CPAC is also giving seminars on this that can be found here:

http://www.caninepac.org/news.asp?article_id=25

The next two places are mostly for Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) but may touch on some other things. Understand-a-bull is a great place to check on places that you may travel through, to be sure that you and your canine won't end up in a tragic situation.

http://defendingdog.com/
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/index.htm

And one about People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, which illustrates why PETA should horrify all members of the animal owning public!!

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

To belong to an organization that discusses this quite a bit for all dog professionals, consider joining IACP at dogpro.org.

Does your dog need training for real life? Call Maine and Southern New Hampshire's dog trainer, Robin Rubin, at Mannerly Mutts 207-361-4395. Or e-mail at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.

Apparently It's Time To Step Away

Leon knows how to get my attention during blogging time LOL. All he has to do is put puppy paws on my computer. Now that the backspace key has been hit several times, and the wireless keyboard relocated beyond his reach, I am taking this as a sign that it's about time to do something with my big puppins.

Heck, why not get some play in with the gang that is here, and my puppins.

Leon says "Just step away from the computer". Alright if I must. Turns out, it is a beautiful day today, and just the right temp for some outdoor frolicking in the snow!!

Puppy, Puppy Reo:)

****Note the slobber on Reo from another puppy in the room LOL. He was having a good time this day.

Every now and again, we are lucky enough to get a training client boarding with us while they are still a puppy. It's lots of fun for everyone, and also lots of additional work. Puppies are not smaller versions of dogs, they are dogs that are not mature mentally of physically yet. They are in the process of learning EVERYTHING. Sometimes people forget, since they have had and adult dog for the past 9-13 years, of the differences between puppies and dogs.

Here are things that I do additionally, and need to watch for when I have a "puppy in the house"!!!

1) Have plenty of opportunities for them to go out and do their business outside.
2) Supervise, supervise and then supervise some more. When you can't supervise, please crate them or have them tethered to you. For instance, puppy in the house threw up a dish cloth from his owner's home in the first few hours here. I am sure that he had made quick work of it, and the owner's never even knew he was in possition of it.
3) Which is a good lead in to the next point, that puppies are fill of wonder, curiousity, and mischief. The best idea is to make sure that puppy is entertained during his waking and non sleeping hours. Of course you can't do that 24/7, but you need to create interest for your puppy and many play opportunities.
4) Puppies are growing, and they can damage themselves. I try and make sure puppies don't jump from any unreasonable heights. (or expect them to jump into the cab of my truck at too young of an age).
5) Young mischievous puppy behavior sometimes effects the adult dogs LOL. As trusted Pluto proved the other day when he greeted me with the chewed up version of one of my favorite sneakers. He is usually the best boy.....sigh. Apparently he got caught up in some puppy memories even though the puppy had been in a seperate room napping.
6) As an owner or boarder of dogs, it's good to realize that puppies eat quite a bit. They eat almost as much or as much as their adult versions do. This is because they are growing things such as bones, skin, muscles, et.

Have fun with your puppies, but remember that they are growing and learning. It's our job to keep them as safe as possible in the meantime.

Wierd Things Dogs and Cats May Like

I was just reading another blog about a cat that likes bread.

http://www.underdogged.net/?p=246

That started me thinking about the things that my dogs and cats have liked.

My cat, Clyde (deceases a long time now), liked shiny gold things. He stole a ring once and hid it in the couch. He also liked to steal nail files.

My dog, Jazz (also deceased this winter), just loved bananas and marshmallows. Her brother, Neptune (deceased about four or five years now) also loved the marshmallows (we used to hide his heart medications in them).

My dog, Jack, LOVES bread. When we first got him, he would jump on anything or into anything to get at bread. He's more calmed down about it after training, but he still gets the "twirly eyes" for his bread. If you had a steak and bread side by side, I swear Jack would go for the bread.

My dog, Leon, likes coffee. I found this out in a very disgusting way one morning. I had gone to the shower, and my coffee cup did not have a lid on it that morning. I came out and went to take a sip, and something was not right. The coffee was all thick and gooey......like dog drool!!! How quickly did I spit that back into the cup LOL!! I haven't left my coffee alone with Leon since!

Trainers and Training Plans

Many things help a dog trainer successfully teach you to train your dog or puppy. One of these things a trainer should be able to do is to let you know their plan for training. They may not know your dog yet, and may not have the specifics all in place, but they should have a general idea, theory, and knowledge of the order of a set of skills and how they are built on each other. A trainer should be aware and know the changes they will make based on the age and temperament of your dog (once they have done a consultation). Again they may change based on your dogs responses, but the generalities stay the same.

Here is an example of a twelve week training plan to teach Basic Obedience (the skill sets needed for real life, and are also transferred to AKC Novice):

Week 1: Starts an exercise called sit on the dog. You would think I was crazy if I described it, but through it's gentle and non confrontational nature, it starts the dogs (or puppies) and owners off on the right foot.
Week 2: (New Commands) Starts longe line work. The many steps of longe line work in this week are the basis for heel and recall commands. However, neither are started on this week. As the weeks progress each previous exercise has new goals and polishing. New exercises are introduced ONLY after the client has proven they have done their homework first.
Week 3: (New Commands) Heel, sit, come, and release command are started. Week 2 is a very important basis to have started the dog's (or puppies) understanding of these concepts. Puppies get worked with more voice and play, and different equipment. The understandings are primarily the same, in fact, puppies are great to do this due to their natural bonding nature. They aren't as motivated to leave their owners as yet to explore, and easily diverted back. Their body weight is less, and their nature is very malleable. There is no reason that puppies can't have a quality training plan, you just tweak it a little.
Week 4: (New Commands) Place, Sit Stay, and Stand. So far many of these commands have molding or shaping included in them. The dog or puppy is getting more and more comfortable with soft hands shaping them into movements, and becoming more pliable. A dog or puppy should always come to trust the touch of the human leader. It also helps with leadership issues later on, and makes really crazy or chaotic future events much less likely.
Week 5: Down is the only new command. Work begins being done in four different outside locations, and two different inside locations for distraction work to begin in full force.
Week 6: Begin exercises to fade out the equipment for reliable performance.
Week 7: 50% of training without equipment. Pattern exercises are being done, but a string of performance exercises is not done together as yet.
Weeks 8 & 9: Identify weaknesses and distractions. Use these to polish performance. Also identify any distractions (noise, food, stranger, et) not used as yet. May include things like recall through stayed dogs, heeling through owner/dog teams, et
Week 10 & 11: Harder exercises in distracting settings. At the beach near a volley ball tournament for instance. Doing pattern exercises and drills with light lines or no equipment.
Week 12: Test for certification of my course. Otherwise no certification is given.



The above is just a summary of some things you should expect. With puppies, I normally have the additional crate training, alert to potty and pee breaks, schedules for potty and pee breaks with feeding regimes, out and leave it commands (actually for both dogs who need it and puppies), proper equipment use and handling (for both dogs and puppies), proper body position, and proper attitude when training the dog. A dog trainer's job is to get the best possible out of both the dog and owner.

There are different methods and ways to go about things, but the basics of a training plan and the knowledge of the hows and whys of a training plan are essential knowledge that a dog trainer MUST possess. Also look for a dog trainer to be able to demonstrate these skills with their own dogs!!!! AKC titles and such are outside evidence of a trainer's skills. They are not only telling you that they know what they are doing, but a judges in an outside entity have agreed that they know how to train a dog.

The problems come into play if a trainer has only ring trained their dog, however, most owners and dogs that go through this process have pride in their accomplishments and don't want to show badly outside the ring. It's easy to identify those that do, and this is where the performance in person with a trainer and their dog can help:)

Dogs Competing for Their Lives/Owners Competing for Their Rights

In the dog training world, legislation may be coming soon to regulate the dog training profession. As with all legislation, this is something that I could both welcome or be concerned about. I would welcome it if it did so to secure professional conduct and results. I do not welcome it, if it comes just to ban tools or methods. I also do not welcome it if it is to bring training to be prescribed by veterinarians who know nothing about training dogs. I also don't want to see this trend promote or degenerate the expected training performance of the professional dog trainer (as a result of some current trends in dog training today).

There are those in the dog profession, who feel that a measurable test of their skill in training a dog is useless or unnecessary. I disagree strongly, especially when reviewing what is going on with our world and the world of pet ownership today. One way professional dog trainers keep up on their skills is to compete in measurable tests of their training skills. I want this to become a requirement for all professional dog trainers in the future in order to keep our business and profession as successful as it can be. Success being measured in not only the ability of dogs to keep their homes or acquire their homes, but also in the ability of owner's to keep their rights of enjoyment of their dogs AND dogs to keep their rights to be able to exercise unencumbered (but not untrained).

My Concerns: It has been in the best interests of the Veterinarian community to secure market share by taking over the industry of dog training as well. They have done this by emphasizing scientific and behavioral studies in dog training, rather than also (or at all) focusing on skill in dog training. Every dog trainer should be aware of the theories, methodologies, and their history. However, being able to actually train a dog to a measurable standard (there are tests out there put on by the UKC and AKC) is equally important. These groups largely believe that it should not be required for a dog trainer to show any measurable skill in training a dog. They say things like "it's unimportant, people just want companion dogs" or "why spend all this time on a behaviorally challenged dogs when there are all these other "nice" dogs out there. (article to follow on some future date)



People like Ian Dunbar, of Dogstardaily.com, has been one veterinarian that did not sticking to his introduction of puppy classes and the correct upbringing for a dog. Although having earned nothing beyond a Companion Dog title on his own dog, he considers himself the authority figure on dog training at advanced levels and in adult dogs that have behavioral problems. In my opinion, this has been a great marketing scheme for him and others, which is motivated primarily by greed not by accomplishment or concern for dog and owner welfare. His stay on the Association of Pet Dog Trainers created a huge rift in the dog community, and offshoot organizations such as Truly Dog Friendly and the No Shock Collar Coalition. Names that sound innocent enough until you realize the misrepresentations and lack of knowledge of the dog training tools in question by these very groups. These groups and Dogstardaily seek to suppress and misrepresent the truth, which is apparent in that they do not allow open discussion unless it directly agrees with their views. For instance, you can not discuss how the Koehler Method of Dog Training ACTUALLY works, you can only discuss the bad parts of it, inaccurate or not. You can not explain the modern technology of e-collars that now offer various levels that include very gentle and almost imperceptible levels. You can not talk about how these are not used mostly as aversive or coercive, but as a gentler piece of equipment than the training collars with the additional benefit of better timing and off leash control. You can not discuss these things with these groups unless you misrepresent or present ONLY the cons to this group of "trainers".



NOTE: The Koehler Method of Dog Training is a progressive training program that relies on the owners putting the time and effort in to train their dogs. The problems usually come about when people do not follow the instructions in the book, go to fast, and become frustrated. Becoming frustrated and too harsh to dogs IS NOT ANY PART of the Koehler Method of Dog Training, in my opinion.



It's the results of these marketing tactics that cause misinformation to leak out to your average dog owner, that concern me most. Also the trend of some Veterinarians, such as Tuft's own Dr Dodman, who have in the past gone for medicating a dog rather than training a dog. Some of this has reported to have changed at Tufts, but I have had talked personally with at least two owners who did not find their answer in a pill as prescribed. Additionally, there was my own experience before I became a dog trainer, where I was expected to fax in the problem to Dr Dodman for my faxed back medical analysis. I am glad I was intelligent enough not to do that. Not all dog owners are aware of the pitfalls of these practices and the lasting harm that can be done.



This redirecting of the training industries to professionals who do not regularly train dogs to any standard AND do not recognize their own limitations, has increased the lack of knowledge that average people have of dogs and how they learn, in my opinion. Dogs that are studied in laboratory settings are not in real life situations. Theories, while good to know and contemplate, do not account for the flesh and blood living right in front of you. Unfortunately this has caused more and more people to be unaware of how to train and care for a dog. Instead, they expect a dog to be more and more like a stuffed animal, without the will to exercise, explore, and be an active living being.



My Hope: If there is legislation coming to regulate the dog industry, it takes an unexpected and welcome turn. One, it should require all dog trainers to demonstrate, through testing to a standard, their ability to (at the very least) train their own dog to this standard. I think further, that they should be able to train a client and the client's dog to take the test as well.



A multiple choice test of other skills and understanding of methodologies and science can also be given, but the tests for certification as a dog trainer through state or federal law need to include proof of skills. There are organizations out there that do give these sort of tests through Video and live demonstrated ability, I believe they should be included in the legislative plan. The NADOI and IACP both give certifications based on demonstrations of skill. IACP is in the process of revising their video taped test to be taken by dog trainers that will be titled as professional. The NADOI already requires uncut video tape of the demonstration of a trainer's abilities. There is no sane reason, in my opinion, why a professional dog trainer should not be required to submit proof of their actual ability to train. There should be NO EXCUSE as to someone in the field claiming that this is not necessary. If you are a professional dog trainer, you should be able to train a dog, at minimum, in basic obedience in a measurable way.

Behavior modification needs to be based on client satisfaction ratio, I think. It's relative to what the dog was, what the client expected, and is there improvement in both the lives of the dog and the clients. A multiple choice test in behavior theory will not flush out those results, although it may be useful just to be sure the dog professional is aware of these. However, a multiple test on theory is just a memorization exercise. Many times a dog of a different upbringing may give signals that veer from the path of theory to the path of reality.

What is the harm in not expecting professional dog trainers to be able to take a measurable real time test of their skills?

Here are just a few examples of legislation that is currently overtaking the United States by storm, due to poor or sloppy or no training?

Breed Specific Legislation
Limits of Numbers of Dogs that Can Be Owned
Dogs Banned from Public Areas
Leash Laws that Do Not Allow for Any Off Leash Places Outside the House

If professional trainers do not have the skills to train a dog, how will owners be able to train their dogs? Who will they learn from? Distaste for dogs in the non-dog owning public will grow, and these laws will continue to infringe on the rights of the responsible dog owning public.

Here are some other organizations unconcerned about the quality of training a dog and owner may be taught, in my own opinion:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (if you don't know their agenda, you should educate yourself)
Humane Society of the United States (Ditto)
Truly Dog Friendly (wants to direct methods and tools to be used, but does not place any emphasis or reliable training or the rewards of reliable training to both family and dog)
Dogstardaily.com (Ditto, and has many members from the Veterinarian community who have not trained dogs to any standard, as well as the main portion of their trainers that do not believe in training to any standard, of either their own or their clients' dogs)

JUDGE ME BASED ON MY CLIENT'S PERFORMANCE?

I just can't help myself today. I was reading one of the Dogstardaily's blogger's (I don't know yet if this particular post is on Dogstardaily.com) dog training blogs. In the this post, she complains about dog trainers being required to actually teach obedience skills in a measurable forum, and asks instead to be judged on her and her client's performance.

Not so long ago she proudly posted the following pictures and videos of her client's GRADUATION in a completely quiet gym at a school. No other dogs around, people, nothing. It should be a pretty stunning video of the end of a client's sessions, right? I'll let you decide.

http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/2008/10/danno-graduates.html

Now if I had to judge a trainer based on this FINISHED product, I am not so impressed. Also a lot of trainers feel, as this one did, that if only they were interested in the sport, of course their dog could do it LOL. It's maddening that some people can't see their limits, or that they have limits. I readily admit that I have mine, and therefore, have referrals if necessary. Not having done this yet, they don't understand how the precision and handling help their client. For instance, this trainer could have let their client know that shoulders straight and walking briskly forward brings the dog forward. They would also understand that they lost the leash too soon, or did not properly train a heel position. Behind the owner and lagging is not heel position. I could tell the owner wanted the dog in heel, that's why they angled back to look. If they were doing that with an on leash heel, it will tend to drive the dog backwards not forwards just by body language.

On another trainer's site, here are some videos that show the BEGINNINGS (I couldn't find it, but there was one of his whole class working in a parking lot or something off an airport!!!) of another's training. I don't know this person personally, but I know impressive training when I see it. I also know happy dogs when I see them.

These are two extremes of trainers clearly. However, I think it's fairly important to know how to yourself, and show your clients how to train their dogs for distracting situations. In an empty gymnasium (and if you are showing something you are proud of) this should be a no brainer. If a trainer can't do this for you, and push you to your very best for the partnership and enhanced life of you and your dog, then you are wasting your money.

A trainer that had done the work of competing, might also notice how the precision and timing help and improve the behavior modification as well. And socializing, and performance, and relationships.....

Birthday Parties By Robin Bengston!

Robin (cool name huh?) Bengston is a trainer that I correspond with from time to time. I think she is really cool, and recently she shared some birthday party work that she and her canine partners do:) Enjoy!

Friday Blog Fishing

This is my rant for the day, after reading my "favorite" social networking site DogStarDaily.com, and managing not to bash my head against my desk into sweet oblivion. This has been building up for awhile, so these may not refer to recent postings.

Actually, DogStarDaily.com has surprisingly had quite a few posts on the fact that some of the rabid advocates of the "middle of the road" spin off of the "truly dog friendly" phenomenon use aversives.

(TRANSLATION: for most of my audience who doesn't know the politics of dog training. These people pretend to not be extremists while blocking comments, limiting posts, and not allowing answers from their blogger to information the blogger posted about. If you need to hide and control it, there is something there to hide folks!!)

No not aversives, you say (which may include the word no, body molding, or a leash correction)!! Yes, those that have been preaching to the choir, can not honestly say that they don't use aversives. Apparently they just like to in secret, so they can demean others who use methods that largely aren't aversive and compete with them in the market. Or that's my opinion anyway.

In the spirit of venting and serving up my Friday blog fishing in a different way, I am listing these as "there must be something wrong with me, as I don't do the following":

I don't have a "heart dog" as some trainers claim to. All my dogs and pets have been or are my heart dogs or pets. It's like saying you have a favorite child. Huh, that's positively dog freindly? Luckily dogs don't need therapy LOL. Or maybe they do and just can't ask for it!!

I don't accept payment for services before meeting with or talking to the client.

I don't ever wish that I did not have dogs, didn't have children, or wasn't doing what I currently do right now. I'm thinking some of that training some people don't like too much to do, or do well might help this situation.

Being bitten is not all in a days work. I have been bitten once, and deflected on once since starting. Both my fault, of course.

I am unable to train a dog fully around all distractions in two weeks. (It's the same blog as above, sigh)

If I have to hold up a cookie to get a command performance, then I have not trained the command. (It's the same blog as above) heavy sigh

I don't serve dogs or allow them to manipulate everything around them. (I do what is in their best interests to protect them and their freedoms. We have a partnership and both have duties to perform in that partnership.) This has more to do with what makes the human feel good, not in the best interests of the dog and family.

Dogs will obey commands, even when I don't have a treat or toy in my hand (unlike in this photo) once they are trained. A trained dog also does not need corrections. I don't consider a dog trained if I can only get them to perform with treats or corrections.

I am not afraid to give straight answers to questions, not conflicting answers or the run around. Still am very unclear as to what titles or designations her dogs may or may not have beyond CGC, TDI, or Rally titles LOL. And if you look on her blog bio or her website, you will be equally as mystified.

Then try and figure out, does this trainer use aversives or does she not? Hmmm, different answer everywhere you go. Then she says one should "show not tell". Sure saw this trainer doing a lot of telling on the Greatest American Dog, though sadly this trainer did not win. In fact lost to a dog owner. Seems she can't honestly say she doesn't do this just to live with her dogs, she just doesn't want anyone to know this:) Or heaven forbid, correctly try techniques at home that aren't even aversive.

I don't misrepresent training methods that I have supposedly learned by linking them to articles that inappropriately depict them. In my opinion, a person that does this hasn't learned very much about the method, as claimed in the blog. The article even talks about negative reinforcement correctly LOL. Negative simple means to take away, and reinforcement means to increase. It does not need to be aversive or a yummy treat, for the love of DOG. Koelher relies on you showing a dog gently and patiently with many repetitions. Those that don't do their homework and don't understand the method, may do harm to their dog as this blogger seems to be admitting she has.

I don't have promotional pictures of my dogs where they look afraid. Also can be found by scrolling down here.

I have a real problem with allowing dogs to hump other dogs. I would certaintly not leave them at a daycare that allowed this.

I don't put people down or demean them or villify them if they want a well trained dog. I understand that most people want the best in safety and freedom for their dogs, and that's why they do the best obedience training that they can.

I really feel for any of the general public that would give this social website with blogs from such "experts" any credence, whatsoever. The shame is there are some knowledgeable dog trainers on there somewhere, who very infrequently post. The main posters are people with minimal experience dog training, or who won't answer a straight question about their experiences dog training. IMO, this is all about money. Note that the bloggers have their products advertised on this site. Ian Dunbar's products are prominently displayed as well. He is notably well known for creating a huge divide in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, before trying to play both sides of the fence. Unfortunately, the reason he is doing this is not for the dogs, but soley IMO for his own profit. This couple of Ian and Kelly Dunbar can jaunt off to here and there all they want, but IMO they are hurting dogs and the profession of dog training in seeking to dominate the market.

Just my humble opinion of course.

Things that Put Me in A Good Mood

Reason number one, Gigi and Paddington went to Paddinton's home and spent the night together. Okay, get your head out of the gutter, they are both spayed and neutered, so it's purely a platonic friendship. I had high hopes that the results would be the same once they both got to their respective homes, and Gigi true to her form here has accepted Paddington as her family friend. Very good news that will help her in the future, and will help her owners as well.

Jack does a roll on a hard surface. We have been training on soft surfaces, and this is his first attempt on a hard wood floor. Then on to sand, snow, and road!!




Reason number two has to do with my own behaviorally challenged dog, Jackie. Day three of increased freedom and no attempts on Leon's person, even with some things he has been obsessing around, I am not saying there haven't been one or two looks, I am saying we ended week 4 without the attempts to be bad that happened previously. This does not mean I can prop my feet up and breath a sigh of relief, and let Jack up to his own devices. This does tell me the improvement is ongoing, and I most likely won't need to live with two seperated dogs. Jack makes me work for it though, he does.

End of yesterday, day four, Jack was allowed a stuffy on his dog bed in the bedroom. When Leon returned, Jack started the growling with the I am about to lunge pose. This was stopped much eaiser than it had been in the past, with Jack dropping into his down on command immediately, even though the "anger sequence" had gone into "launch mode". More importantly, Jack settled right after that and did not continue with the looks or guarding. At this point, he is still dragging a six foot lead, and at any point where there is potential, I am at the other end of that loose six foot lead. Additionally, playing and wandering times are strictly supervised. That means I am actively watching them and involved, when Jack is allowed any freedom to roam or go up to Leon.

Also today, a terrier was loose in the neighborhood and running towards us, and Jack did not challenge my leadership by trying to take care of matters himself. I am not saying he was not thinking about it, but for the third time in the last two weeks when a potential problem situation occurred, he did recognize that I was taking care of it. It's so much easier to do that, when you don't have to worry about what your own dog is attempting to do!!! There really needs to be a partnership developed to do this with certain dogs like Jackie. Jack looked a bit tense, but he didn't bark and remained in his heel position. I did my job, and kept the offending beasty away from us. Leon and Manny were with us, and so this remained a time where Jack's protective instincts would kick in.

I am happy with the potential that is being demonstrated in Jack's behavioral modification. It could not be done without the use of obedience and the additional advanced retrieving and fetching skills that both boys have learned. It has been equally important that Leon listen to commands and directions as well in order to have planted situations that I can train Jack around.

One incident happened on January 18th, where I did not catch the fact that Jack was guarding the couch from Leon. Unfortunately Jack did connect with his teeth briefly. The leash should have been in my hand so I could have diffused the situation immediately. So we took a training step backwards that day. Being that this is at least a three month training process, that happened less than a third way through our training plan, so I wasn't surprised that Jack tried something. He had made me a bit complacent by being a good boy up until that point. Much of the plan is to test or proof Jack's responses when it "seems" like he has the freedom to make the choice, but in fact he does not.

Here is the summary of his training plan:

• First, the rules. (scroll to the middle of the post to see what the rules were on week 1) Some have been updated. Jack does not need to sleep in a crate outside the bedroom anymore, but is allowed on his dog bed in the bedroom. He is exhibitting enough self control to not be muzzled for two weeks now.




• Relaxation and molding exercises. Teaching Jack to release the tension in his muscles when I touch him. Also using this exercise for posing as well, so I can manipulate his limbs et, and have him begin to instantly relax as I do this. Massage and petting are helping this along as well. This has to do with yielding (ie owner says something or needs to physically manipulate the dog, dog allows this willingly and is used to it).




• Relation to relaxation and molding, really firming up left turns for attention and movement.




• I have been teaching the commands of roll over and over even in distracting areas where other dogs are or on different surfaces.




• Open exercises of fetching and jump around dogs and "wanted items" that Jack normally obsesses over.




• Leon doing his play retrieve taking items that are placed around Jackie. Jackie does not have a muzzle on, but he is mostly tethered or back tied during this exercise. He has never attempted to get up, but this is a safety measure during the early part of the training.




• Leon and Jack have at least a half hour a day where they are trained on obedience, freestyle, tricks, or retrieve together. They are actually a great team when they are working.




• Leon and Jack have at least one walk where they are coupled together during the day and must heel with me.




• Jack has one heel or loose leash walk alone with me a day. Preferrable to areas where there are dogs out. He is expected not to reacte if another dog comes running up to us.




• Jack and Leon are allowed to play with their toys in close proximity as long as Jack does not reacte to Leon. If only Leon has a toy, and Jack is not interested in his, Jack is not allowed to obsess or try and guard that toy, and certaintly not reacte to Leon.




• Jack is doing fetch and retrieve with and around things that he becomes obsessed about.




• Jack trained not to follow Leon's every move or think he can dictate what Leon does. Obedience combined with commands such as look, leave it, and out have been combined to achieve this.

Every week a little more freedom and a little more free time is given to Jack. He is praised and rewarded in times where he would have reacted before, but now chooses not to. Times where he is relaxed and is not obsessive are times where he gets some special atttention or alone time later. At any time there is a set back, those freedoms are reduced again or taken away for a time.

Here are some before and after shots of body language (note Jack is muzzled in the before):

Gradually over time, it is my hope, that as the freedoms increase the control that Jack has been exhibiting over his "over reactions" will take hold and become part of his personal behavior under his own steam.

So far so good. Some really nice progress and self control has become apparent. Many times with a dog like this, the misunderstanding that their previous reactions "weren't that bad" or "didn't get to the point of drawing blood" can cause some of us to not take the action that we should have (or were unable to) sooner. I take heart in the fact the list with Jack was so long two years ago, that I thought walking this dog on lead would be a huge feat (even though I am quite used to doing this with many and plentiful dogs). I never dreamed that we would be able to accomplish a Companion Dog title, as we did last year. This required Jack to heel off leash while many people and other dogs looked on. Now the list has become smaller 1) finally fully address the resource guarding AND 2) make it crystal clear that Leon is not an appropriate scapegoat or punching bag for Jack.

As for doing the open exercises, Jack is bright and smart enough to get that easily. Put all of that together, and Jack will be a dog will A LOT of work into him but truly exceptional. This is so much easier with a dog that is not "behaviorally challenged". On the other hand, the work that Jack and I have done together have not only strengthened an already strong bond, BUT will benefit "behaviorally challenged" students so much in the future.

Gigi and Paddington Show They Are Friends Now

After about two and a half days, Gigi and Paddington were doing this:




Instead of Gigi doing this, when she first came here (seems so long ago now):



We are also happy to report that Gigi and Paddington's relationship has remained friendly after they went home. These are the results that make dog training so worth it!!! We are able to use Gigi's obedience skills to calm and control her, while she figures out another dog means her no harm. Equally important, is the other dog does not see or experience anything physically negative from Gigi, and that puts them at ease and able to befriend her as well.

Your dog experiencing behavioral issues? Call Maine's Dog Trainer for your Maine Dog Trainng needs. Robin Rubin of Mannerly Mutts is glad to help. Call 207-361-4395 or e-mail mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com for your Maine Dog Trainer.

Gigi Has a New Family Friend

Paddington is a dog in Gigi's Owners' family. Previously, Gigi has not been able to warm up to or accept Paddington. Paddington is a super soft and submissive dog, and so he had come to be very worried about Gigi.

So we all decided to try a little camp Mannerly Mutts retreat for the Gigi and Paddington together. Sometimes the nervous energy of the owner or the stress of doing something so new and hard for the owner's learning curve (and Gigi is a tough little personality) can dampen the progress that owners can make on their own. In this case, that had come to a successful point, but had a hard time passing that one barrier.

The very first night, we started Gigi out in the crate with Paddington on the outside. Paddington was pretty worried about being in the same room with her. She did well once a couple of tantrums were over with, she stopped with the vocalizations that told me she was very worried about this as well. So then she was allowed out of the crate but with a muzzle on. Overall pretty good, some rushes at Paddington but very mild and obviously she was just trying to make a point.

I have noticed that Gigi is worried about dogs bigger than her. While we can never really get into the dogs' mind, from observation of her behavior, it seems she has the "I will get you first or I will be sure that I can push you around first syndrome". The handler needs to teach Gigi that this dog that she is meeting is not a threat, and therefore does not need her "treatment". The problem with the treatment being, is it's a big barrier for friendships with the other dog even being possible when she is acting like a nut. And not a nut in a good over the top play way either, but by trying to pile drive the other dog and dominate him or her.

Equally important in this case was to have Paddington's trust that Gigi was going to act appropriately (or as appropriately as a totally socially challenged dog can act) and that he can enjoy her and not worry about her. So once the muzzle on, we worked on some positive interactions. The first night, Paddington was like "no way am I going to trust this little black girl". Day two, he did not seek to hide from her as much, but I had to make him come up the stairs and be with us. By this time, Gigi had made her good intentions known to Paddington by doing the socially challenged Gigi back leg kick. Normally in most dogs, this is a warning move, but much experience with Gigi has taught me that this is HER invitation to play and be her friend. Gigi has not to date gone back on her friendship promise once this move rears it's head. Still Paddington, not familiar with this other Gigi, needed a bit more time before he could consider the friendship possibilites.

Day two and a half, Paddington is looking pretty comfortable around Gigi. His tail wags high when she is around, play bows are offered by Paddington, and he does not look to uncomfortable by her over the top "method" and play style. He is beginning to trust that this won't end badly for him now. Paddington starts coming up the stairs to seek out Gigi and everyone's company on his own steam today. There are about six or seven play sessions with Gigi and Paddington involved with each other. Gigi has tried humping him a few times, and has been discouraged from that particular activity. (I should also mention that on day one, Gigi tried to hump my husband). Especially when Gigi wants to play, and Paddington is lying there, she tries to hump him when she gets discouraged that he is not moving. Other dogs here have told her to bugger off, but Paddington being unusually soft and submissive does not. So the owners and handlers need to tell her to cut that out (just in case, it doesn't mean a dog is going to do anything bad, but avoiding this can cut down on a lot of future problems. Other dogs can just misunderstand this move and attack).

Gigi is very intrigued with Paddington's hair as well. I have just realized that she hasn't met any real long haired dogs here. She seems to seek through his fur, as if to confirm there is actually a dog in there LOL. Crossing my fingers that this goes as swimmingly on the way home:)

Leon is Fetching

The upside to the winter quiet is the amount of time I have to concentrate on my own dogs. Jackie is being readied for spring trials in Open AKC competition. Leon can't trial due to his inability to keep along sit (bad knees), but he is still able to work and play along side me. I have been training him in an auto stand rather than an auto sit for instance. I am working on the long stand stay LOL. Down works too of course.

One thing we have been working on together, is having Leon pick things up for me. Leon can so far pick up the following and give to me:

• Highlighters or pens


• Keys


• Chain collars


• Leather muzzle


• Leashes nylon or leather


• Remote controls


• All his toys


• Gloves


• Dumbbell


• Shoes


• Skarves


• Dog Coats


• Dog Flat Collars


• Mail or Pamphlets (warning, they get damp)

I have been trying to figure out how to get him to pick up a bowl lately. After we go onto bowls and baskets ET, I will teach him a hold when following me, rather than just when bringing the object to me.

Leon and I have been having a lot of fun with this. Leon's always enjoyed the "getting part", but he now enjoys the bringing and giving to me. I wonder if he thinks I have become really clumsy lately (or clumsier than usual)! We were working around my two Great Dane clients on the beach as a distraction the other day. I had left every one's leashes in a pile a bit away from us while the Great Danes played, and Leon and I did a bit of work.

Leon was doing his free style moves, and picking stuff up for his very clumsy owner. At the end, I started over to get the leashes. I did not ask Leon to get the leashes, and I saw him look from me to the leashes and back at me. So I stopped walking. Leon took off, grabbed a leash and brought it back to me! He took his praise, and dashed off two more times until I had all the leashes. I loved this, as he saw a need that I had and solved it on his own. Course he had his trademark Leon grin on as we headed back home.

Leon and the gang even got a business card handed out that day. It wasn't during the fancy work, but in a long down stay. When the dogs go to the bathroom on the beach, I down them while I pick it up and then typically walk about a quarter of a mile away to "deposit it". Then I walk back to the dogs, they are in a down this whole time, and release them. If anyone who has dogs is on the beach, they normally can't believe it. They will say "why are those dogs all in a down"? " You mean they will stay there until you return". There was a lady on the beach beginning to work with her puppy. We talked, the dogs were released to meet the cutey, and I got a card out.

I keep joking with the Great Dane's owners that they need to be put on commission LOL.

The Darkest Evening of the Year Book Review

Dean Koontz is one of my all time favorite authors. He is not a writer of dog stories, but a few of his MANY books feature Golden Retrievers (he owned a GR named Trixie) and other animals. He has subject matter that skips around from spy, sci fi, horror, thriller, and suspense. Part of his charm is that you just don't know what you might get when you pick up one of his books.

This book's main character is a woman who participates in Golden Retriever rescue. As usual there are many dark parts to this story. However, as in most of his books, there is a beauty and goodness that rules most of the book through the dark and horrid actions and thoughts of the villainous characters.

Through excellent story telling, Mr. Koontz is able to capture how most people feel about beloved pets and family. This book is an excellent read and adventure. As usual, Mr. Koontz remains one of the few horror masters in which you can be reasonably sure there will be no horrible passages of pet death and torture . Another reason that he is one of my favorite authors.

Looking for Maine Dog Training for your canine companion? Give Maine's Dog Trainer, Robin Rubin, a call at 207-361-4395. Or e-mail Robin at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.

Television Shows and Dog Training

Most dog training shows, no matter the method, make me crazy and cause me to watch all at the same time. This is true be it Cesar or Stillwell.

Both shows have one thing in common, they do not use a leash to train at times where common sense would dictate this to most. It especially concerns me where a segment begins with a dog ripping the leash out of the owner's hand to then bite a passer by (a Stillwell episode) or an off lead dog runs across the room to bite his/her owner (a Cesar episode). Is it really necessary to afford a dog another or first bite in a training program? The number one goal in a behavioral modification case is to PREVENT this from happening, not cause it to happen. I wonder if the producers do this on purpose to either sensationalize the show, or they feel the need to prove these things do happen?! I can think of better ways to demonstrate this than on hapless humans that wander by during taping episodes.

On the other hand, I do like that the episodes do not cut away from the problems encountered. I only wish that the trainers would also recognize why the problems were encountered, and take steps to correct it in the future. Also, they should explain in that episode what went wrong and how to do it correctly.

The other thing that the shows have in common, is there is never a discussion of appropriate (leash) equipment to use or how to hold a leash. If they go in and flexis or chain leashes (the absolute worst) are used, they never discuss the benefits of a nice leather leash, and how to grip it through the handle AT ALL TIMES. Nor does the advice "what you can't do on leash, you can't do off leash" EVER come up. Just having something that stays in your hand in a good grip, can be a huge help to someone. While a chain leash IS strong, it's better to not have to hold on with all your might by training your dog AND using the appropriate equipment when training your dog. A chain leash is very hard and pinches the human hand. The links are slick if you attempt to hold onto them, and it's only purpose is to attempt to hold back a dog that is clearly out of control.

Every trainer is different of course, and the one thing two out of three dog trainers will agree with is that the third one is wrong LOL. Television, as well, is about more than distributing good information, of course. They have advertisers that want a good viewer base, and there are other shows to compete with. I just wish we could fix a few safety things with these shows, and still make them sensational to the viewing public.


Need to train your dog SAFELY? Call Maine's Dog Trainer, Robin Rubin, at Mannerly Mutts Dog Training 207-361-4395. Or e-mail for your Maine Dog Training needs at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.

Flipping the Cookie

I have been doing much trick and freestyle work with my dogs in addition to their regular obedience. I was becoming convinced that a dog could flip or not flip. Today I decided to see if there were any directions for cookie flipping out there:)

Now I will try this, and see how it goes .

RECENT BOARDERS

Magical Days

In working with dogs, there are so many magical days. I normally forget to document most of them. Then there are times where I didn't bother to get the camera, just wanting to stay in the moment. Yesterday was just such a day:)

It started with our boarder and behaviorally challenged, Gigi, waking up. Gigi is so much fun, the very first thing she wants to do each morning is play. Play with doggie companions who are game for such play:) So she tippy tappies around on her toes identifying each playmate and making "inquiries". Gigi is also a student of play, as she had never done it before with a dog. I notice she studies hard what the other dogs are doing, and then tries it herself. I noticed her doing this, when she figured every likes to chase each other. Then she didn't know what came next after she got to them though LOL. Then she started figuring out about boxing, wrestling, and mock mouth fighting.

So yesterday, Leon was fetching my slippers, and it finally clicked to Gigi. You chase the thing, you get the thing, and then you run and get chased. Her and Leon had such a wonderful time doing this. Gigi even brought the slipper back a few times as Leon was trained to do. You have to watch her though, as she is likely to rip and shred, and these were my good slippers:)

Gigi and Jack also got to playing for a little bit. Jack's been teaching her that mock mouth fighting does not mean giving pressure to sharp teeth by whining at her when she is too rough. So Gigi had a heavenly morning right up her alley and gave my dogs a bit of entertainment as well.

Yesterday was a horrid weather day. It started with snow, and by the time Roxy and Harley, two Great Dane clients, needed walking, it was sleeting out. So I put on my boots with the screws in the bottom (works great by the way) and leashed up Leon with his pack on. We walked there with Leon being reintroduced to the concept of heeling to a client's house, as his knees have been doing really well lately. Leon and I got the Great Danes and went down to the beach, which was at low tide.

The dogs really had fun despite the adverse conditions. Well everyone except Roxy who has a horror of all that is damp. She does not do wet, and so she just stuck close by me as Harley and Leon tore up the beach. The good thing about bad weather days, is that the beach is totally empty even at low tide!! My hands were numb by the time we went back, because I had to take the gloves off to get all the dogs leashed up again.

When I went home it was time for training. I did fetch exercises with Jack around the worst distraction I could think of, bread that he couldn't eat while training. I had him also doing fronts through two English muffins lying on the floor, and needed to concentrate on fetch and give while auto sitting and staying next to two muffins. A whole lot of training has been going around things he tends to be an aggressor to Leon over in order to increase his tolerance threshold and obedience threshold around those things. In the meantime, and until a semblance of that goal is reached, he is limited as to his total freedom that he used to have in the house.

Leon was next, and we did his practice retrieve. He understands getting and retrieving keys, gloves, scarves, remote controls, and his toys. Now I am starting working him on a bowl. We also did his freestyle dance moves, which he loves. I think I will start this with Jack as well.

And thus ended a very productive and fun day. All the dogs slept very well that night:)

Goals for 2009

At the end of each year, I look over the things I want to accomplish in the next year, and sometimes this means also finishing up somethings that I had scheduled for the year before. Here is my list that I will be working on for 2009.

1. Compete Jack (my Doberman) for his CDX.



2. Finish up Bri's (tenant's Am Staff) last CD leg, and move her to CDX.



3. Bring Devon (tenant's Thai Ridgeback) into competition this year.



4. Tighten up training for competition in general, and try to eliminate as many handler errors as is possible. Move scores to high180s and then 190s.



5. Finish my IACP CDT test and NADOI application.



6. Money is tight, and my husband is lucky enough to be in the mortgage industry. Identify some low cost but meaningful seminars close by. (that will be a chore Ugh)



7. Get at least one client to go through AKC Novice this year.(have two potential candidates now)



8. Marketing, marketing, marketing.



9. And related to above, keep on with the Green Dog project.



10. Compete puppy and Novice training manual redo.



11. Related to all of the above, better manage my free and busy time.



12. Grow business by (at least) 60% again this year.

Do you have goals of your own for your dog? Call Maine's Dog Trainer, Robin Rubin, at 207-361-4395. Or e-mail for your Maine dog training needs at mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.

Response to Blogging Ethics

http://gooddogowners.blogspot.com/2008/12/blogging-ethics.html

I do everything out there pretty publicly. It's any one's right to comment on me publicly, my e-mails, my comments, my blogging et. You know, feel free that is what this is all about. People comment on others such as leaders et all of the time and their choices as if they know them, and do not have first hand experience. Often quite negatively...

If you are choosing to send me a nasty e-mail, and if you are public or are of influence as a leader and role model, be aware that you might be in real danger of being outed. Especially if I feel an ethic and moral obligation to do so. Even more so if I have the documentation to back it up. So the best thing one can do is not feel so safe in your [the collective your] little cocoon or world when going out in public. I don't.

Enron was taken down because no one wanted to say anything. Patients are abused in hospitals due to non disclosure. In order to be respected, one must be respectful of anyone even if they don't consider those people on the same plane. To do otherwise is to risk foolishly exposing yourself for who you are, and to expect people that know of your [the collective you] position as a leader and role model to ignore whatever it is you are doing now. You are not in your living room. If you are not my friend, do not expect that I will keep something damaging that you say to me in confidence. If it is worrisome enough, I most likely won't, so be forewarned. Written, faxed, e-mail correspondence to me becomes my property unless I have otherwise stated that I will respect your privacy for whatever reason. If you are my friend, my actual friend, you would not send me correspondence like this anyway, and you would not act in a manner that would lead me to question your ethics or moral judgement.

Making what someone in a position of leadership, responsibility, and as a role model public normally serves to cease that activity, or they are going to be very careful who they are morally bankrupt and unethical with. If that makes me appear or I am unprofessional in that venue, I take sole responsibility for that. It means my ethical and moral meter has gone off to an extent that I am unable to ignore it any longer.

When someone makes a public recommendation for a leadership and role model figure on a public board, it should totally be able to be commented on publicly. Otherwise just make a private recommendation. That's what public boards are for, it is not your living room, as several others have attested. To do that is to invite others who have NOT had the same experience to comment. If it's done privately, the the only person that knows the recommendation is the person who gave it and the person who received it. No one else who might disagree knows about it, and thus would not feel obligated to comment on it as it did not appear publicly.

I did not have a good experience with Cabella's non slip foot slip on wear (one came off my boot after two steps, but I am tying them on now). This is something I feel totally justifying and commenting about. Service industries and public figures in organizations fall under the same rules. Thus they should act and perform in a way that they are able to be proud of OR defend. Making statements behind someones back rather than to their face or publicly can be a sword with two sides. One, you have not confronted the person as they should have been. Possibly the reason for this being that one has no first hand knowledge of this. But two, you did not publicly let others know who may mistakenly believe this "leader and authority" is as they appear.

My failure in this instance was many years back in not confronting a person immediately, and with related parties in attendance. Also in not reporting my disappointment in the performance in any kind of way. Additionally, I trusted someone (actually people)in a situation that I had no business putting that sort of faith into. I bear the horror of that inaction on my part.

My failings are that my politeness and not wanting to believe the worst in some people, even when staring it in the face, causes me to not act in a timely manner many times. My acting in a different way may have saved me additional future conflicts and the misplaced trust in a person who sought to mock a situation that I was/am truly heartbroken over. My timely actions may have even caused that situation to have a totally different outcome. Those are my failings, and I admit gladly to them as a warning to others. Not about an individual, but a warning of when situations are observed, don't have regrets as I have to not report them.

At the very least, prompt action may cause someone in a leadership and authority position to carefully question their actions in the future, and not feel so comfortable carrying certain actions out. While I hate masking or suppressing ones real nature in dog training or in human consequences, this can be more beneficial that allowing someone to continue feeling wrapped in a cocoon. It does not promote peace and love as the commenter above posted, but it does promote "act professionally and don't bash others as if you are exempt from acting professionally".

Sometimes what promotes peace and love also brings down an organization thru lies and deception OR covering something up. Once it's uncovered, one has to deal with that. Or that was what I learned in Corporate America. You could either say "yeah the sales team is being completely honest about having earned their bonuses" or you could at least inform the president that the "items shipped at the end of the month had no batteries, are likely to be returned, and I don't see us making payroll this month never mind paying those huge bonuses if you do this". It's always been my goal to act responsibly not keep the peace or PR nonsense at any cost. As far as my "ego" being involved, doing something like this does NOTHING for me personally. In fact, I put myself out there for being unprofessional in my "better later than never" comments. I don't believe I have made more friends and admirers by doing this. However, perhaps I have made a newbie think before just going by the recommendation of another to at least be aware or check out the recommendation.

Doubtful that it will keep the parties from continuing to bash me , though they may be a bit more careful how and to whom they go about it. That was not even on my radar as to why I complained, but how that sort of free flow information for the leader or role model's personal gain might affect another. I am a big girl and can take it as far as names flung my way, especially as I continue to prove those people wrong.