Dog Behavior and Exercise a look at before and after

11.52 in a, after, and, at, before, behavior, Dog, exercise, look

My friend Emilia just emailed me a great photo of her dog Nellie. They were in my Manners Class this last Autumn, along with Nellies dad Nick. Nellie is an absolute sweetheart! Friendly as can be, totally outgoing, motivated to learn, pays attention in class! Her mom and dad have always said she has lots of energy, and that sometimes its hard to deal with, as you can see from this picture... You can also check out her energy level on my "chewing illegal items" post. 

Well they went on a little getaway where Nellie was able to run like the wind forever and a day... and when she got home she could barely chew her dinner let alone get into mischief. This is living proof why our domestic dogs need more exercise than they often receive. As I often say in my classes and privates: A tired dog is a happy dog, and a happier owner! A pictures worth a thousand words... and proof of how good a run-around session really is!  

Read more

Dog Behavior a realistic look

19.13 in a, behavior, Dog, look, realistic

Poncho and I just got home from spending a nice romp on the baseball field. Before we walked around ourselves I spent a few minutes just watching the young kids with their parents playing catch, doing warm-up drills, and getting settled in before they started their game. I noticed there were some kids throwing the ball in every direction they could - even if no one in particular was there to catch it...just giggling and flailing about - having such a great time. Then there were the two boys that were rolling on the grass...down the hill, just rolling and rolling and rolling... I started giggling - remembering doing that as a child too, and having so much fun. 

My question today is: how come all we expect from children is to laugh, play, enjoy themselves, not talk to strangers, and maybe say please and thank you? We dont ask them to problem solve every issue they may encounter or even leave it up to them to entertain themselves - unless we supply or arrange the activities. Why do I bring this up? Because it seems we expect differently from our domestic dogs, even though they are mentally equivalent to a two year old human. 

So, what are we supposed to do? I say, treat them as dogs, while having expectations that would equate to what theyre capable of doing, not what we wish they could do. If your dog has never learned to *retrieve*, then you cant expect to throw the ball fifty yards and have him or her go fetch and bring it back dropping at your feet on the first try. Maybe they will! If so, throw a party! If not, then teach your dog what you want in a way they would understand. Making it simple, like the kids learning T-Ball first, before moving up the difficulty ladder. Set them up for success! Otherwise you may be the one that gets frustrated. 

Skills like this are discussed and taught in my own classes here at The Inquisitive Canine in Ventura. We talk about making training steps easier or more difficult for you and your dog. When you are learning something new, or when youre wanting to advance on the skills your dog already knows... Its lots of fun, but we still focus on realistic expectations. Makes for a much more fulfilling and rewarding time. 

Read more

Shaping Your Dogs Behavior Stop Look Listen and Maybe Change Your Own Behavior First

22.48 in and, behavior, change, Dog, dogs, first, listen, look, maybe, own, shaping, stop, your

When it comes to getting our dogs to change their behavior, sometimes its best to change our own behavior first. As a certified professional dog trainer, and loving dog mom to Poncho the dog, one element of communication that Ive learned is more important than many others is the art of listening. And with our pet dogs, listening also means observing since body language is a dogs first language.

One of our latest Dear Inquisitive Canine advice questions came from a woman who mentioned her dog Colby developed behavior issues after a family vacation. To read the entire column, you can click on the Noozhawk Dog Behavior Advice Column link. In addition to the information in the advice column Id also like to address two other topics of canine body language and what they might be communicating.

• Dog Communication and Warning Signals: Our beloved canines have a wonderful way of communicating with body language. It’s their first language and one us humans need to pay better attention to. There’s an old joke: “What do you say to a growling dog?” Answer: “Thank you!” They’ve just told you they aren’t happy about something.
• Growling Leading to Biting: The “I’m upset” escalation scale for dogs is: freeze-growl-snarl-snap-bite, bite harder, bite even harder - bite harder again… Dogs will continue to progress up this ladder if 1) they feel they are being ignored (“No one is listening to me! Next time I better speak up louder by biting!”), and 2) What they are “saying” is being punished out (“The last time I told my humans I was upset by snapping at them I got in trouble. I guess I’ll have to “‘speak up” louder the next time, which means I’ll need to bite! Maybe then they’ll listen.”)

Remember my dear human (and maybe canine) friends out there: the art of being a good communicator is not just talking - its also about listening, or in the case of listening to our dogs, the art of good observational skills.

Read more

Its all in how you look at it training versus a chore

08.06 in a, all, at, chore, Dog, how, in, it, its, look, training, versus, you

Heres a question (or two) for all of you dog folks out there:

Do you exercise with your dog? Do you look at walking your dog as a chore? or something fun to do together...? A nice break in the day if you will...

I realized that just like me and my running, setting a goal is a great way to stay motivated. I looked around for a dog-friendly race so Poncho and I could go together, and lucky for us we found a few... Thank you Santa Barbara Athletic Association! So now Im not only taking Poncho for walkies, but were actually in training! At least thats how Im looking at it... 

I wonder if that "Moms in Motion" group will start a sub-group called "Dog Moms in Motion"? Ive asked... and have been ignored... bummer... I bet theyd get a lot more people signing up!

What are your goals with your pets when it comes to "exercise"?

Read more

Isnt it time to look at how we treat our dogs

04.15 in at, Dog, dogs, how, isnt, it, look, our, time, to, treat, we

Okay folks, heads up! This Ventura dog trainer says its time we look at "treats" and rewarding our dogs in a new way. Ive been doing this myself for quite awhile now, and Id love for you to join me in this new way of thinking. 

I think we, as humans, are programmed to look at the word "treat" as that something extra we "earn" doing something thats considered "difficult" for us. Maybe something mentally challenging like studying for an exam, and passing with flying colors, "Hey I deserve a treat tonight." Or little Johnny getting an "A" so he gets a piece of cake. Maybe something physically challenging like training and competing in a triathlon...to celebrate, athletes will take themselves out for a nice meal...or ice-cream! Or parents will take their kids for pizza after a game. We earn it, we deserve it... If we dont do something extra special we dont get it... 

Okay, thats fine for ourselves, but what about our pet dogs? Most people end up giving their dogs their meals out of a bowl without asking them to do much of anything besides "sit" before its placed on the floor... big deal. Then I get training calls about needing help with being quiet in the yard, jumping up to greet people, walking poorly on leash... Well geez, why not use your dogs meal and give them pieces of it whenever theyre doing something you want? This way your dog is "earning" it, but youre training at the same time...getting more "bang for your bowl" so to speak. 

Ive been taking Poncho out a lot, all over town, teaching him to run next to me while on leash. I seem to be the only one using "treats"... but what Im actually using is his meal. Sure Im using higher value stuff because I want the behavior badly, so Im going to use something more motivating...at least for now. Once he "gets it" and is trained, Ill be able to use less and less... or something lower value. 

Im not looking at it as "rewards", Im looking at it as his meal, his daily sustenance, and when were running I look at it as his personal "aid station". I mean come on! When Im running a race there are aid stations every mile! Water, electrolyte drinks, oranges, energy gels, bananas, protein bars, and much more.... a lot of non-food items too - just to make everyone happy and as comfortable as they can be. So why cant I be Ponchos "aid station"? His kibble, turkey, and roast beef are equivalent to my energy gels and protein bars? 

So the next time you pack your own lunch, your own snack, your kids snacks, or pass through the burger drive-through or a Starbucks, remember to pack snackies for your dog too... then use them to reward those behaviors you want! 

BTW, this ice-cream moment was because Ponchos dad happened to be eating an ice-cream and Poncho ignored the mail truck driving by...thats a huge "win" in my book! Bonus! 

Read more