To Succeed or Not to Succeed

Dogs who take class have two very different complaints.

I hear, "My human did it so well at home! You should see him there: he's perfect at home. He just can't seem to do it in class."

But I also hear, "My lady is great in class. When we're doing the exercises there, she's great, but at home she couldn't care less."

OK, I don't really hear dogs saying these things, but I'm not far off about what they think when we make similar statements. I'm positive they roll their eyes at us when our backs are turned.

How can two such opposite views both be true? As usual, it depends. Let's start with the dog who doesn't perform as well in class as she does at home. Soooo common! For most dogs, class is extra challenging. Their skills are not so solid anyhow, and then we put them in a really stimulating environment and ask them to succeed. If your dog can focus in a class setting, you're a pretty awesome trainer. Some pups are nervous around other dogs and strangers; the environment itself can be distracting if it's new or it can be too exciting if it's where all the fun happens each week.

Here's something to remember: it doesn't matter a BIT if Mugsy does any exercise successfully in class! Let's treat dog class like yoga class: you both do what you can at the level you can and just HAVE FUN. No one is judging. Seriously. (If they are, you're in the wrong class.) Everyone is really busy watching her own dog and her own performance. Most of the real learning happens in your kitchen anyhow. We totally believe you if Mugsy does a five-minute stay at home! Yay for you and yay for Mugsy!

Now for the flip side. Why does your dog only come when we're in class doing the fun Monkey in the Middle game? Well, partly: it's FUN and it's a GAME! Are you keeping the home training fun? You may need to up the stakes and reward only for the higher stakes: Coco needs to EARN those treats. And how often are you calling Coco when you're not doing an exercise? Coco knows when the treats are out and you're going to that Training Thing so of course she's good. Now call her when she doesn't expect it and throw a HUGE party when she does--and TREAT. Mixing in obedience more often in your day makes Coco a much better listener--and makes you the coolest dad on the planet.

Be interesting! Be fun! Be surprising! And give your dog a kiss from me. The best part is that you're doing something fun with your dog regardless of the outcome. Ommmmm . . .

Thanks Giving

Woof! Arf! Yap, yap!

Your dog would like to give YOU thanks for being you. On behalf of Sophie and Charlie and Max and Fluffy, I'd like to thank you for being a GREAT dog person! You're reading a Dog Blog right now! See how great you are?

You give your dog the best quality food and the most motivating treats. You give her mental stimulation through food toys and games and obedience work. You take her on the kinds of walks she enjoys most, visiting new places if she likes them, avoiding your cell phone so you can focus on her. You take classes and try new doggie activities. You hire the most attentive dog walker. You have a pet-sitter move into your home when you have to go out of town because Sammy prefers staying home to living in a strange kennel.

Gunther gets to go on vacations with you sometimes! Twice a month he hikes a nearby trail. He goes to lunch with you at your local bistro. He has the best of everything: two dog beds, two dozen toys, a frozen marrow bone once a week, regular vet visits (with lots of accompanying treats!), and doggie friends he loves. He plays fetch with you, has a doggie seat belt in the back seat of the car, and has a blanket to crawl under on the sofa.

He's very grateful for all you do for him. It should be "a dog's life" we all want--especially because we don't have our furry friends forever no matter how much we 'd like to. They cherish every moment with you and know you never take them for granted either.

Thank you very much to the best dog family ever! You're the greatest!

Woof!

Social Butterflies

"How long do I socialize my pup?" "How do I know when I've socialized enough?" Ahh, questions that should perhaps be asked more often. Because socializing is so important.

Yes, young puppies need to have great experiences with different people, dogs, environments, noises, and surfaces (it's a long list that I can give you), but your job really isn't done ever. Of course your older puppy still needs to see a woman with a walker and to receive treats at the vet and meet new dogs. And your adult dog does, too. Socializing never really stops. It doesn't have to be as constant as with puppies under four months old, but if you don't keep the new experiences coming, your dog could become a wallflower.

There are adult dogs who have had bad experiences with new things or just not had enough socialization when pups, and those dogs may feel very uncomfortable being around children or skateboards or the ocean. It's not easy to get some dogs out and about. But a trainer can help. Not every fear needs to be faced, but we have to be careful not to cloister a dog because of difficulty with a certain issue. A little dog may have a problem relaxing around larger dogs, but he should still get to hang out at a cafe with you. Your poodle may really dislike kids, so she doesn't want to watch the soccer game in the field up the street--but she would enjoy taking a walk around the park.

Keep your dog active and provide the mental stimulation she needs. Agility class or obedience or nose work or just finding breakfast kibble around the living room! Keep life interesting for your so interesting doggie!

Puppy Plea

Is your puppy having positive socialization experiences? Here's a Plea!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjvCiutSspQ

Tasty treats and a light, upbeat tone should accompany vet visits and car rides and grooming and visits with children and tall men, etc.

Good puppy classes allow for professionally supervised off-leash playtime with other puppies: a trainer should keep a careful eye on body language so shy puppies aren't bullied by brazen pups and puppies should take brief breaks to avoid over-arousal.

Create the canine citizen you want later in life!

What I'm Treating This Week

"Do you carry treats with you wherever you go? For the rest of the dog's life?" Some people have an idea that positive training is just a way to build a fatter dog, that dogs only perform when you bribe them with treats. They're quite mistaken because rewards-based training (a favorite squeaky toy is also a reward, not just chicken) means using treats just to help a dog learn a new behavior; once the dog knows the cue, the treats are quickly weaned away. It's a solid way of learning.

But yes indeedy, I myself carry treats wherever I go with a dog and for the rest of the dog's life. Because:

1. You never know when something awesome will happen that you want to celebrate! (Like all three of my dogs calmly watching four skateboards suddenly plow by, though I jumped a foot. Yay, City Dogs!)

2. Scary dogs can appear out of nowhere and want to eat my dogs. (Throwing a few dozen treats straight at a strange dog just might convince him to change his menu preference at least temporarily.)

3. We are always training something.

Yes, there are always new things to learn, tweaks in behavior that can make things even better, and more training fun to be had. What am I treating this week? Tanner is working on "sidewalk." Like most dogs, he instinctively kicks the grass after he pees--but his kicks are fierce: dry LA dirt and grass and gravel fly everywhere. Mostly it lands on Dori--or me. Enough. I started by luring him to the sidewalk after every pee and giving a treat for that. Then we progressed to my giving the cue "sidewalk" and treating him for moving there on his own. We are finally at the point where he looks at me and moves to the sidewalk on his own. But the treats are still coming. It's not a solid behavior yet--and it's taken some time since I'm battling a natural instinct. He's happy making the same motion on the concrete, so we'll do another week of treats, I think, and then he will stop covering my white dog with grass. (The other two pups have light polite grass kicks.)

They're such sponges. Let's keep the learning going!

Less No, More Yes!

Be the Coolest Mama: point out the great finds on walks! Don't say no; say, "Yes! What's that? Let's go see!" Palm fronds are fascinating sources of pee-mail!

So many dogs are told no all the time, so when you can find something great to say yes to, you will be as popular as I was this morning.

It Takes a Village

Well, I hope a whole village isn't really needed to raise your dog, but we sure find that when dogs have a whole team on their side, behavior can improve more quickly.

If all the family members aren't on board or are even just inconsistent with what they ask of Scamp, poor Scamp will take longer to speak Human. If you're working on Loose Leash Walking but your dog walker lets Cleo do whatever she likes, poor Cleo is then reinforced for the wrong behavior (pulling). If the housekeeper doesn't crate Nelson when she vacuums (his safe place), he returns to chasing and biting not only the vacuum but his new friend the housekeeper.

And sometimes an additional professional dog trainer can help a dog turn a corner. Coco has learned lots of new behaviors from his in-home trainer, but he can't truly make the leap to solid training until he tries those behaviors around other dogs and distractions in a class environment. Some humans need an additional trainer to hear things in a new way--or to reveal new information that just didn't come to light with the first trainer. A second trainer's opinion can even verify sending a dog to a new home away from a dog he truly wants to eat. We wish every problem could be fixed, but sometimes other solutions are required.

Sometimes good friends need to help socialize a nippy dog and can be convinced to take time to toss around treats. And often other dogs can be enlisted to give a shy dog some confidence: walking with an outgoing buddy can bring Ellie out of her shell. Having neighbors who cross the street rather than cause Sam to go into a barking frenzy helps his training stay on track.

A doggie magic wand would be so great, but until that is invented, I'll take the help of our village people anytime!

Thanks!