Hannah, a 1 year old Great Dane and 4 month old Bayleigh take a play break during class Saturday morning.
Hannah is sweet and gentle with puppies. As a matter of fact she was voted most popluar in her doggie day care's year book.

Today we have a link to What Shamu Taught Me about a Happy Marriage, one of the The New York Times most popular articles. It is a very entertaining read on how to train your spouse -like you would an animal- using positive reinforcement.

The principles that author Amy Sutherland used in training her husband are those that I employ daily training dogs.
To include:

Use a reward that is highly motivating to the animal.
Just like in dog training the author learned about her subject, and then used methods that her husband found rewarding and motivating.

The exotic animal known as Scott is a loner, but an alpha male. So hierarchy matters, but being in a group doesn't so much. He has the balance of a gymnast, but moves slowly, especially when getting dressed. Skiing comes naturally, but being on time does not. He's an omnivore, and what a trainer would call food-driven.

In dog training these might include, food, praise, affection, toys, access to people, play other dogs, tug, or something to chase.

Reward incompatible behaviors

At home, I came up with incompatible behaviors for Scott to keep him from crowding me while I cooked. To lure him away from the stove, I piled up parsley for him to chop or cheese for him to grate at the other end of the kitchen island. Or I'd set out a bowl of chips and salsa across the room. Soon I'd done it: no more Scott hovering around me while I cooked.

Most common would be to reward sit instead of jumping, quiet instead of barking, and chill out instead of begging.

Reward behaviors you want to repeat

I began thanking Scott if he threw one dirty shirt into the hamper. If he threw in two, I'd kiss him. Meanwhile, I would step over any soiled clothes on the floor without one sharp word, though I did sometimes kick them under the bed. But as he basked in my appreciation, the piles became smaller.

I was using what trainers call "approximations," rewarding the small steps toward learning a whole new behavior. You can't expect a baboon to learn to flip on command in one session, just as you can't expect an American husband to begin regularly picking up his dirty socks by praising him once for picking up a single sock.

In my Collie's case, I need Finney to be able to come to work with me, lay down and chill out for long periods of time until I need him. This is what he has been heavily rewarded for and what Finn will always readiliy "offer".

Ignore bad behavior

It was only a matter of time before he was again tearing around the house searching for his keys, at which point I said nothing and kept at what I was doing. It took a lot of discipline to maintain my calm, but results were immediate and stunning. His temper fell far shy of its usual pitch and then waned like a fast-moving storm. I felt as if I should throw him a mackerel.

For dogs this is used commonly for jumping, begging and whining.

If this blog has peaked your interest,and you want to learn to train your dog, husband, kids and even the neighbors in this manner, pick up a copy of Karen Pryor's book Don't Shoot the Dog. Karen is a former sea mammal trainer and it is she who is largely resonsible for the clicker training revolution. When I first read that book 10 years ago, I applied the postive principles to not only my x- husband but to my children as well.

My oldest son who is nearly 15 came along before I crossed over to positive training and he is still of the negative attention mind set, and to this day would prefer negative attention to none at all. My 10 year old daughter came along during my total embrace of positive training. This girl has fallen down whole flights of stairs and gotten up announcing to all "it's ok, I am fine!", even when she was not. We praised the heck out of her for being brave when she was younger.

By the time #3 came along, positive training kids was old hat to me.

Hint-tell the kids what they CAN do, not what the can't do.

I did use Karen's rules of positive reinforcement with my x- husband, much in the same way described by Amy Sutherland in her Shamu article, but their was a fly in the ointment. As those us who work with animals for any length of time learn--it is not possible to save them all. In my case I had a behavior to deal with that can not be addressed with positive reinforcement training. After all you can't ignore, or praise alternative behaviors if you don't know when someone is lying.

Shortly before the Buxton puppy mill seizure, I was contacted by Susan Britt at the Animal Refuge League to help out with the Paws in Stripes program at the Windham Correctional Facility.
The program has been in existence for just over 1 year and it has been a success for both the shelter dogs and the inmates. At this time they are expanding the training portion of the program and the inmates will be working with me 1x a week with the goal of the shelter dogs passing the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. This will help to make the dogs more adoptable while better utilizing the inmates training time.

Our plans were put on hold for the last six months or so, while the shelter worked tirelessly taking care of the Buxton dogs as well as two other puppy mills that were shut down.

We are now back on track and today was my second official meeting, and the first with a prison representative. My next step, is a four hour orientation at the prison, and then we will be good to go. I have been given permission to blog it. It should be noted that no tax dollars fund this program.

Paws in Stipes was featured on 207. Click here to watch the great clip! Just give it a minute to get to the prison segment.
You can read more about the Paws in Stripes program here on the Portland Press Herald and here on the ARL web site.

As the official tester dog, Finney will get to come to.

This blog wishes Susan Britt, former director of the ARL, the very best in her new job. We were all lucky to have you here! Paws in Stripes was one of the many programs that Susan directed, and she is already sorely missed.

You read about it, and now you can see it for yourself.

I got a lot of comments from a lot of people about last month's woobie blog. Fetch it here if you haven't already read it..

Apparently there are a lot of dogs out there, like Sandy who really dig their woobies.

Does yours? Please do tell us about it!

Talk to anyone who works with dogs and they all will agree to the same phenomenon.
Clients come in the weirdest of cycles. More often than not, there is a common similarity in any given week's work that is down right mystifying. I have had weeks where I have seen 7 Mastiff clients, all from different breeders and for different reasons. Oodles and oodles of doodle weeks, puppy weeks, dog bit my kid weeks, my kids are scared of the dog week, no one can come to my house week, help I am having a baby week, I need help with my pet store puppy week. There have been group training classes that fill with small dogs only, big dogs only, and shelter dogs only with no input from me. Recently I have had several puppy play groups where the entire group was filled with fearful and shy pups. Interesting to note that not one of these puppies would have been able to attend a normal rowdy puppy play group, but together they all helped each other be brave and learn about the world.

It goes on and on.

This last week's common thread was a new one to me.
I am coming off J- baby week. Nearly everyone who contacted me had a name that started with the initial J. Or a spouse that had the initial J and even dogs that started with the letter J. Nearly all calls were baby proofing and either they were expecting or had wee ones at home.

I have been saying for years that I wish I could some how figure out how to play these cycles in the lottery. Maybe someone can help me break this secret code that appears just out of my reach. These cycles are not unlike when you here the same song for a weekend, all in different places that you haven't heard for years.
Weird you know?

With my brain not being as young as it used to be I found myself getting quite a few of the J folks mixed up in head. I left two silly messages on people's answering machines where I laughed out loud while catching my mistake mid sentence. Thank goodness my new 08 black planner helps me keep everyone straight.

Today's blog is brought to you by:
Jane, Jamie, Jasper, Jayne, Jeremy, Jewel, Jill, Jim, Jingles, Jt, Jodie, John, and June Bug.

about the photo:
The Black Morgan Alphabet poster is avaibile for $12.00 plus shipping from Sea Dog Press here.

Watch this CBS news clip of a little boy with Asperperger's syndrome, a form of Autism, and his Golden Retriever service dog Candy running agility. In the three years of blogging here at A Dog's Life, I have to say, this is my favorite dog clip of all time. Maybe even ever!

Many of you tell me that you never watch the movies on blogs or emails. If you have a slow computer or a slow connection, be sure to check this out somewhere else. It is worth it.

While there is no specific scientific proof that dogs help kids with autism (yet!), more and more families report that dogs do in fact help their autistic children. I have seen it personally many times over.

Last last year I blogged my Lab client Hunter, and his little autistic boy Merrill. Many of you have been asking me how they are doing. They are doing well, but due to time constraints, the family was not able to keep commuting the three plus hours to class round trip.I have not seen them since the last blog, although we do continue to communicate via email. My work with Hunter has shown me just how difficult it is for families with young kids to carry out the type of training that an Autism assist dog needs. Not that it isn't possible to train your own dog, but certainly it is much more difficult.

More and more I find myself working with families with autistic kids. This should come as no suprise because 1 in every 166 kids is affected. Some families want nice pets and others are hoping that their dog has what it takes to be a service dog.

Candy the dog in the clip above was trained by North Star Foundation in Connecticut. Click here to visit North Star's web site. It looks like they are doing fantastic work over there.

I wrote the Executive Director, Patty Dobbs Gross, and told her of my intention to blog Candy and asked her if she had a quote to add.

Did she ever!

I have included the entire word document that she sent me because while she talks specifically about her program, she also gives a wonderful explanation about what is involved in training an Autism assist dog and offers help to families. Patty has also asked me to work with one of their dogs that is being placed in Maine this summer, and I will be honored to do so.

We Help Children Find Their Way
by Patty Dobbs Gross

North Star Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to place assistance dogs with children who face challenges. To date we have helped over seventy-five families around the country to meet their children's social, emotional and educational goals through the use of well-bred and trained North Star dogs.

Over half the children we serve are on the autism spectrum, although we also place North Star dogs with children who face a serious illness or who have suffered a loss. We use a different model of placement than the traditional assistance dog model that most people are familiar with, and this is due to the different roles that our dogs play. While most Seeing Eye or Wheelchair dogs need to have a multitude of trained skills, such as turning on or off light switches and picking up dropped items, our dogs tend to have less technical tasks such as comforting a child through a tantrum. Often this comfort doesn’t come from a task to be trained, but from the dog’s relaxed presence and focused attention.

My inbox has been brimming with links from readers to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior Position Statement on
The Use of Punishment for Behavior Modification in Animals.

While there, be sure to read the adverse effects of punishment.

I was just about to get around to blogging about their endorsement
of positive dog training, when Dr Patty Khuly over on the always fab blog Dolittler did it first.

I love it when that happens.

Saves me a ridiculous amount of time when someone says what I have been thinking and says it better than I could have.

Dr Patty reminds dog owners that the first rule of dog training is the same as that of Hippocratic oath:
"above all do no harm".
Hmm---seems I just said that last week in reference to "he who must not be named."
Must be true! She felt so strongly, she said it twice.

Fetch Dolittler's take here.

Just a little reminder-Positive doean't mean permissive.

Now go get yourselves a treat for trying to understand your dogs.

photo-is of my good pal Rhooney

"FOUR FEET"

--- Rudyard Kipling ---

Meet Four Feet.
He is a super sweet, and smart Sheltie who was named for the above Rudyard Kipling poem. Currently he has one more private session with me and several more group AKC CGC classes to complete.
Four Feet is one of the lucky dogs who gets to go to work with his human. Like many Shelties he barks just a tad too much. I have a trainer friend who says that all Shelties hail from the "Isle of Yap".

That is just not true, but it is funny!
Four Feets barking is not that bad, but as you can see from his posh work space, no barking would be best for all.

Some of the things that we have used successfully with Four Feet include:

-Teaching him to bark on cue
-use a Calming Cap in the car (sometimes)
-target training
-desensitize him to other dogs and noises
-give him alternative behaviors to do besides barking
-lots and lots of attention work
-downs
-stop a chain events before it begins
-increase use of Gentle Leader head collar
-stricter management!

Many people find comfort in the above poem as Four Feet's human did after the passing of her last Sheltie.

As a matter of fact I came across the poem yesterday on one of my favorite blogs when I read that one of the Three Woofs and Woo had passed. (snif sniff) A commenter had added the Four Feet poem in the comment section, and I knew right then and there that Four Feet would grace my blog today in memory of Briggs the red Border Collie.

Trooper, was terrified of storms when he first came into rescue. He used to get wrapped up tightly in a quilt to help weather them. Now he likes being wrapped in quilts just because he likes it.

A few weeks ago I got an email from a client with the heading 'Odd dog' at the top. Seems Becky's lab Wrigley has been 'strangling' a few of his toys.

She wrote: "I was trying to find some information on the net about a strange behavior our Yellow lab, Wrigley, seems to be doing more and more of. First it was with this enormous, and rather disgusting stuffed animal. We noticed that after he would wrestle it, he'd eventually grab its neck and suffocate! He will sit this way for an hour if we let him.

His newest object of affection is a big lobster toy that he suffocates on a nightly basis. We take these toys away when we leave, but whenever we're entertaining or watching TV, eating dinner, playing with his sister, it's back to suffocating! Have you heard of or seen this behavior before? I'm not too concerned, and he's still harmless whenever someone takes the toys away, just seems to be a weird new game he plays".

Had I seen it? Had I ever! Just moments before reading her email I had snapped a picture of Sandy next to my chair. Sandy loves to have things in his mouth, and he sucks toys like a baby sucks a binky. Sandy, self soothes himself, and he can stay this way for hours. I have noticed that he has a few special requirements on the texture and shape that he likes to use as his woobie. He likes plush toys that will form a ball shape when in his mouth.

Here's Sandy with a sheep in his mouth nearly asleep.

I have seen dogs suck on their beds, or have special toys that they get and carry when it is bed time.

Quite a few dogs I know have had their special woobies since puppy hood. I know of many other dogs who treat their toys like babies and nurture and sleep with them for years. When the woobie is either lost or eventually falls apart, many owners become frantic as the dogs pace and pace until they find another way to soothe, or the toy is replaced with a suitable substitute.

My sister's deeply missed golden Belmont had his dodo. The dodo was around for 3 years and it was a simple hard rubber ring that he loved to play fetch with and hang around with. No dodo substitute would do and when the next door neighbor's dog started "borrowing it", the dodo had to stay inside. Belmont would have made a great SAR dog as never gave up a search once he began. I was invovled in many a hunt for Belmont's dodo. The dodo was retired after my niece threw it in the ocean at Pomham Beach one cold fall day for a quick game of fetch and the floating dodo was sucked out to sea. Bell went swimming all around in the wrong direction and they were worried that he would drown trying to find it. My niece stripped down to her skivvies and swam with seals to get it back (yes seals and lots of 'em to). After three years of heavy duty dodo-ing, my sister switched Belmont over to tennis balls. She had this to say about that. "After the freezing cold seal incident, I tried to never throw the same ball twice so he would like all tennis balls equally, and not just a ratty one. We would have like 14 tennis balls around at any given time. We finally went cold turkey on the dodo after he lost it. I think I helped Bell look for that thing at least 1000 times over the course of about three years".

My good friend Holly at the Brown Dog Inn had this to add when I asked her if she has many dogs check in for boarding with their comfort items. "Generally the comfort items are as much for owners as they are for the dogs. Typically owners send items with their scent like shirts and blankets. We get a lot of stuffed toys, some have even sent small pieces of furniture and most recently "scented" socks".

While I can only ponder at how widespread dog woobies are, I would hasten a guess that it is more prevalent with retrievers, but I know many dogs of many breeds who have comfort items. Two of my friend Kathy's Border Collies Tucker and Beacon have long established toy sucking habits that sound very much like Sandys. Gracie, a puggle client sleeps with a night light. It is a ball that lights up when moved. At night she buries the ball in a blanket and goes to fetch it when she awakes.
I am far from an expert on dog woobies, and I don't very think much has been written on the subject, but it seems harmless enough to me as long as the toys do not fall apart and create a safety hazard, or like the bee toy in the movie Best in Show, it starts to run your life.

Does your dog have a woobie?

Photo credits
Thanks to B. Diane Myers for the photo of her dog Trooper and to Becky for her photo of Wrigley and for sending me a really good question.

Checkout Irina Markova and her poodles from the Conan O' brien show for inspiration. Irina performs with the Big Apple Circus. Be sure to notice that the dogs are performing quite happily.

Just a quick word of caution here. It is very hard for dogs to walk on their hind legs. Not all breeds were meant to do this and it takes a long time to properly condition even those that seem to have the knack for it.

To date my "Can't take it anymore" blog about owners taking dog training advice from self proclaimed dog behaviorist Cesar Millan has gotten the most web hits and sparked the biggest on line debate of all my blogs. Many of the commenters were not very nice and a few were deleted for being downright nasty. So why then you may ask, am I revisitng the Dog Whisperer issue again?

Recently a trainer friend of mine commented that if you put three trainers in a room with a problem dog the only thing they will agree on is that the other trainer is doing it wrong. I strongly disagree with this.

Yes of course there is more than one way to get an end result.
But, we dog trainer types live basically by the same creed that doctors adhere to:
"above all do no harm".
When we see harm being done, we must speak up.

The puppy owners that I wrote about yesterday all had to some degree taken advice from the show and run in the wrong direction. It doesn't matter that the show is for entertainment purposes only, and there is a warning to let us know such. Mr Millan makes problem solving look easy and many watching the show do follow his examples. Many viewers think having a great dog is as simple as these three steps that he deomostrates over and over again:
1-make a dog walk behind you
2-pop the leash
3-roll and pin your dog

None of this makes any sense at all.
And guess what? I am not the only one who thinks so. In what is probably the best article written on the subject in a long long time, Dogtime.com has published a wonderful overview of training methods. The ones that work, the ones that don't and the hows and whys that go along with it all.

Don't take my word for it. Click here and go read it for yourself.

Just in case you don't feel like clicking it, I cut and pasted the entire sidebar below. But there is plenty more to read on the web site.

sidebar: The trouble with Cesar
While television star Cesar Millan is credited with placing dog training on the public radar, the field's most respected behaviorists and trainers are concerned that many of Millan's ideas are unfounded. As for his methods? A few are downright harmful.

Putting your dog in his place
Cesar's way: Dogs assume either a dominant or submissive role in their "pack." If he doesn't get off the couch when you ask him to, it's your dog's way of telling you that he's dominant and you're submissive.

Why he's way off: The notion of a rigid pack hierarchy with fixed roles between humans and dogs is largely a myth. Dogs are most likely to do what we humans ask when they clearly understand what we want - not as a sign of submission. Patricia McConnell explains: "So many issues - sitting on the couch, coming when called - have nothing to do with social status, any more than how you do on a math exam reflects your social status. A dog who doesn't sit when you ask him to sit - in most cases - simply doesn't understand what you want."

The truth: In groups of canines, roles among individual members are both fluid and give-and-take.

Treating fear with fear
Cesar's way: You can "cure" a dog's fear by overwhelming him with the very stimulus that terrifies him.

Why he's way off: Imagine treating a human's acrophobia by dangling him over the edge of a skyscraper. This technique, called "flooding," actually leads to further psychological trauma in the form of learned helplessness: An animal learns that resistance is futile - his spirit is broken and he ceases to assert himself.

Trish King, Director of the Animal Behavior & Training Department at the Marin Humane Society observes: "In some of his shows, Cesar tells the owner how 'calm and submissive' a dog is, when to me, the dog looks shut down and fearful."

The truth: It may take weeks or months for your dog to truly overcome deep-rooted fear - and setbacks along the way are to be expected.

Snapping the leash or rolling the dog
Cesar's way: Physical corrections - such as snapping a dog's leash or forcefully rolling him onto his back - are an effective way to garner good behavior.

Why he's way off: Physical corrections add to your dog's stress rather than offer instructive information. You may temporarily stun your dog into obedience in the short run, but in the long run, the use of physical force increases aggression and, ultimately, your behavioral problems.

"You can lead with force, like Saddam Hussein, or you can be a benevolent leader to your dog by choosing a style more like Gandhi," says Tamar Geller, trainer to Oprah Winfrey's dogs and author of The Loved Dog. "Your approach will determine the type of relationship you have - and whether your dog acts out of intimidation... or respect."

The truth: Rewarding for the behavior you do want, as opposed to punishing for any number of behaviors you don't want, clearly communicates to your dog what's expected and is far more likely to generate confident, appropriate behavior.

Bailey takes a break at the puppy party on her Dad's shoes.

After my post holiday stress of counseling three families whose dogs bit kids Christmas Day, this weekend was like a breathe of fresh air. My Saturday puppy parties in the back room at the Windham Pet Quarters, are a welcome addition to my work week. The rest of the weekend was filled with new puppy clients all with the same issue.

"My puppy is attacking my kids".

I am not going to give all my hard earned knowledge away for free right here and now, but I will say in all three of my new puppy cases the owners were very glad they called a trainer. All three new puppy clients related to
me that seeing something done in person, is not the same as reading a book. All three clients were not sure what degree of nipping was normal and nothing they had tried seemed to help for very long.
Call a trainer people before your pup gets out of hand.

In all three cases the kids in the house were staying clear of the new puppy after they had been hurt, and the image of the big happy family was not looking likely to the parents.

For me there is nothing like starting a puppy out right. Puppy breathe is an added bonus. My Mom taught me the value of puppy breath at a very early age and I drink it in like others enjoy a fine wine.

Problem prevention is the key!

By now I am sure you are wondering what has become of the three biting dogs. I referred one dog to Tufts, and the other two were referred to their vets. In the later two cases it was clearly a case of holiday overload and owners who should have provided a safe getaway for their dogs. The second two dogs will receive further training after the vet check.
For right now, all three dogs are on very strict management programs . Keep in mind though that any door can be opened, and any dog can be let out by accident. There is a saying among trainers that "management always fails". If you have a problem dog, you cannot "just put him away" and think everything will be fine. You need management and training!
Also let this serve as a warning to all-
Dogs need a safe retreat during stressful times, especially holidays when routines are interrupted and we have less time for them.

Nike, named for the white swoosh mark behind her ears, got a puppy temperament test to determine if she was too over the top to live with young kids. She passed!

And speaking of pups, my own dogs got a much needed walk in the woods this morning now that the temperature is bearable. There was so much water melting off the trees, at times it felt like it was raining.

My puppy parties are free and pups under 4 1/2 months are welcome. Parties will be held most weekends through the winter at Pet Quarters in Windham.
January puppy parties will be held Saturdays at Noon. Other dates and times are subject to change.
Owners stay in the area with their pups, and play is strictly monitored.

Over on the on line yahoo group for fellow New England Border Collie rescuers, I have been asked to share some trick training tips to help get everyone through the winter. I figured you all are getting a bit stir crazy with all this snow and ice, so I will be sharing tips over here as well.

We got started when we viewed a You Tube video of Springtime, one of our more difficult placements. She was a Christmas puppy owner surrender from last year. She landed the perfect home in California with an agility competitor. We almost never allow out of area adoptions, but this dog burned through several foster homes with her high energy and reactivity to the world, and she really needed a very special working home to be happy.

Go Springtime!

If you ever wanted to teach your dog to ride a skateboard, it really isn't that hard. Many dogs in my tricks clinics pick it up in just a few sessions, but you have to lay the ground work first.

F irst the dogs need to be operant. That means the dog knows they have to do something to get something and we want to teach them to take risks. Unlike training in the old days where we commanded the dogs to work, dogs of today now learn how to "offer behaviors" and to be partners with us. This is carried out quite easily with a clicker, but you can use a marker word like "yes"!!

Step one

If your dog isn't already clicker savvy, check out the clicker/attention article on my web site here:

Step two

Teach your dog to be operant by playing the game 101 things to do with a box.

Go read
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167
Karen Pryor's 101 things to do with a box.

I can tell you that I am not a "purist" clicker trainer. I take short cuts (cheat!).

To get the dog interested in the box in the beginning, I use a dish towel in the box with treats underneath .This makes things move along much quicker. I am not saying you can not or should break down the behaviors into eenie meenie teenie steps, I am just saying, most of us don't have days to accomplish this first step.

Here are some more of my personal tips to get you started.

-Look at the box not your dog, and don't hand feed, but Click and toss the treat away from the box so they have to go back and interact with the box on their own free will.

-Do a little bit at a time- end the game before your dog gets bored.

-As your dog gets more and more interactive with the box, start to think of what it is that you want the dog to do. Stepping in it would be a great thing for future skateboard champs. Start to shape the behaviors you want.

-Don't be surprised if you dog starts whacking jumps and weave poles for a while when they get back into the agility ring. Don't let your dog see you laughing, and just ask them what you want again and then be sure to jackpot that, or you will have a swatting dog like Charlee.

-Don't be surprised if you come in your kitchen and see your dog standing in your recyclables like my Collie Finney! Again- no laughing!

-Once your dogs is offering behaviors at a lightning fast rate, you can still play the game for short durations, and the game ends when your pre-measured treats run out.

If you first start by rewarding your dog for interacting with the box, riding skateboards, ringing bells and easy buttons among many other tricks will be a breeze.

Next week after you all have been playing with your dog and the box for a little while, I will give you tips for skateboarding. In the meantime, check out Pete the Xtreme Skateboarding Jack Russell Terrier.
Too bad Pet Star is off the air, this dog is fantastic!

The sniglet contest in search of the perfect word for dog breath frozen on the inside of your vehicle is still on going.

Spur a Buxton puppy mill pup in his new home
photo A Carlson

Click here to read the follow up story concerning the court case against Chicago's Ami Moore who was brought to trial for abusing dogs by strapping eclectic collars to not only the necks of dogs training with her, but to their genitals as well.
While she was acquitted, it was due to lack of evidence of the specific location of the collars on the dogs, and to the actual degree of the shocks.

This again serves as a warning that dog training is not a regulated industry.
I stress again that if someone is doing something to your dog that makes you uncomfortable, take your dog and go! Do not let it continue.

I never have and never will use shock collars and I even cringe when asked to help out dogs that are contained with electric fences. There was a time when I passed on all jobs having to do with electric containment, but now I will take jobs working with dogs who are having extreme behavior issues due to an electric fence. These can range from biting the mail man, to cowering in fear and being afraid to walk in their own yard. I will not help owners acclimate their dogs to a new fence. I have seen and know too much.

Personally I think the shift to a regulated industry is just around the corner. Many of us have seen the writing on the wall and have gone through national certification process. Admittedly the CPDT at the end of my name, is not the answer to the age old of question of abuse and other trainers using abusive methods certainly could acquire national certification as I did.

I clearly remember way back in the olden days when I applied to apprentice with a local trainer at a doggie day in Massachusetts. I had been doing group classes for several years and wanted to learn more about behavior cases. The job paid well and included being able to observe all private sessions and teaching on my own in short time.
During the second half of my interview, I was allowed to observe a training session. A young puppy entered with a typical stressed out puppy family complaining of the usual---nipping and jumping. The "trainer" (term used loosely) did just about everything I would never do. Even as a newbie, I knew much better. Her solution for nipping was spray a horrid lemon based CLEANING chemical in the pups mouth that got in his EYES! That pup could have gone BLIND and been POISONED! For jumping she kicked the pups hind legs out from under him making him crash to the floor. This "method" could have crippled this puppy for life as his growth plates were still developing. Not to mention this act could have lead to other behavior issues. It turned out, even way back then I had much more experience training than what turned out to be the day care owner's daughter.

I gave her a piece of my mind when the family left, and then called the MSPCA. Know what they told me? Dog training is an unregulated industry and these were accepted practices because there was no set standard of one way to do things. They begged me to file a report to have on file in case they got lots of other reports and told me they really couldn't do anything about it.

All I can say once again and much louder this time -
buyer beware.

About the photo-
Warning extreme sarcasm alert-

Spur says-"hey! strap those electric collars on. Don't forget my nether region! Oh please, please, please spray me with toxic chemicals. Make sure you get my eyes. Oh, please please kick me and make me fall over.
Do it again! Do it again"!

I'm nursing a colorful bruise on my inner upper arm, where Finney, my 1 1/2 year old Smooth Collie nipped me hard, right after a wild karaoke induced romp in the living room. My two daughters and I had been singing (if you could call it that), dancing and rocking out to the Oxygen Channel Karaoke On Demand. Charlee loves to dance with us, and she was busting some serious moves. We got Sadie all hyped up and all the excitement must have put Finney into herding dog overload.

When Joan Jett's I love Rock and Roll ended, no sooner had I sat down on the couch than I felt a sharp nip on my arm. I screeched, pushed him away, and yelled at him to get out of the room. He got out all right---got out and stayed out.
How I wish I hadn't yelled at him!

Mr. Sensitive Collie Man relegated himself to a crate. It took several hours to get my Finney back and I am not yet sure of the lasting impression I made on the dog by overreacting to his over the top play. Even the power of cheese was no match for the trust I broke. He spent hours "hang dogging" just out my reach, looking all withdrawn and depressed.

Recently the discussion of hard and soft temperaments has been coming up in my group classes. I happen to have prime examples of both types living in my house. Charlee is the hard dog, and Finney is a classic example of a very soft dog. Make that mushy. For those of you that don't know, soft dogs are wonderful. They are super sensitive, and intuitive. They are usually a dream to teach to walk well on a loose leash and make super sweet pets. But the flip side may be a dog that is so sensitive, they may overreact to life's little challenges, and really be crushed by as much as a raised voice, or even a sharp look. Soft dogs may even get upset when you are upset for reasons that have nothing to do with the dog.
Generally soft dogs are very pressure sensitive and do not do well with any sort of corrections, but thrive with positive motivational training. Soft dogs have been know to shut down when asked to perform complex tasks. Collies fell out of favor as competition dogs many years ago because they didn't do well with harsh physical correction (aversive) training, but the breed is becoming more and more popular as they thrive with positive only training methods.

One of the challenges of living with the herding breeds, is that may nip when they get over stimulated. This is a big reason that many herding breeds do not do well in households with children. In Finn's case, there was nothing malicious about what he did. He had a momentary lapse into being the dog he was bred to be. If nipping continues I will view it more seriously, but for now I view it all as my fault. I should have managed him better, and most of all I should have tempered my anger. It is easy to get angry at dogs when they cross what we humans perceive as "the line." I can tell you now it doesn't do humans or dogs any good. No good at all.

If I had reacted exactly the same way with Charlee, she would have offered a dog apology with appeasement behaviors and then we would have made up within seconds. It is challenging for me to live with and train two dogs on complete opposite ends of the temperament spectrum, but Finn has taught me a lesson this weekend that I shall never forgot. Finney is back to being my buddy and I am back to treating him with kid gloves.
For now I am going to try to cut myself some slack.
To err is human, to forgive canine.

Doesn't he look sad with his Yoda ears on?

Read more on soft and hard dogs next month when A Dog's Life moves to the new pet section on MaineToday.com
Mainepets.com..coming soon!

Meet Jack. He is an American Brittany and a very nice pup.
Notice I didn't call him a Brittany Spaniel.
Brittany's are no longer members of the Spaniel family. I didn't know it either until puppy class last Saturday, and that is why I am posting his picture here. And because he looks like a candy cane with his splint on. He broke a toe when he was run over by his older sibling dogs on the way to the front door.

A few years back Brittany's were removed from the Spaniel class because they do not hunt like Spaniels. Brittany's point and Spaniels flush birds. Interesting!

Jack had to wait through one series of classes for his toe to heel, and he is now doing everything the other pups are doing in class except playtime. During play sessons, he just goes for a short walk. In Jack's class I also have 3 Field Springer pups all from working Champion lines and when all the owners get together, it can be hard for me to get a word in edgewise because they are all so into their pups. All four will be working dogs to varying degrees and I love working with them (and their people to)!

Maddie is in class with Jack. She will be hunting in no time and she is working hard on foundation skills which will help her in the hunt field.

Many dogs who come though class are more than pet dogs and often I need to adjust how I teach and what I teach to accommodate dogs with jobs. The working hunt dogs do things just a bit different from my pet pups, and that makes for interesting classes for me. Like it says in my bio, the more you know the more you know you don't know. People who love their breed and sport, also love to share information and I enjoy being their sponge.

FYI Portland Press Herald. In yesterday's very nice article on Agility you featured an American Brittany captioned as a Spaniel. Opps!

Featured on “Dog Talk” -authors John Ross and Barbara McKinney

A rolled up newspaper can be an effective training tool when used properly. For instance, use the rolled-up newspaper if your dog chews something or has a housebreaking accident. Take the rolled-up newspaper and hit yourself over the head as you repeat the phrase, "I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG, I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG." If your dog laughs at you when you do this, praise him.

I found the link to the above gem over on Pet Connection.com yesterday. Gina has a brand new rescue dog who ate a peice of an old couch and a reader posted the link in agreement with her that the "incident" was her fault.
Growing up, my Dad used a rolled up newspaper on our dogs nose for chewing and housebreaking accidents.
We now know that the dogs of our youth learned many lessons in spite of, not because of our out dated training methods.

Me and my Golden Ginger circa 1973. Yes those are horses on my shirt.

I have been remiss in my blogging duties over on Itchmo.com, but I just made up for it with a review of Pet Safes new Ultrasonic Faux Bird House.

In the last few weeks, I have been bombarded with ultrasonic pet solutions for barking dogs both on my welcome home pages and via direct marketing. The makers of these ultrasonic products claim it will solve both my barking dog problems and even stop my neighbor's dogs from barking. By emitting a noise only a dog can hear when they bark, the company claims the dog will find the product so annoying it will quiet them.

Beware direct marketers of the can of worms you may open when you fill my in box with crap.

To read my somewhat slanted opinion of Pet Safe's Ultra Sonic Birdhouse click here to go to Itchmo.com

Saturday marked Skyline Farm's first and hopefully annual Dog Day. With me was Charlee, Finney and my 10 year old daughter, who by the way is today's guest photographer.

My Freestyle demo to the song Locomotion at 12:30 was more than a bit sketchy in parts, but considering that Charlee has been out of work since mid July with a neck injury, and a badly cut ped,

she was more focused than I probably deserved. It was a lesson for fellow trainer Jenny Yasi and I on how to work our dogs under less than perfect conditions.

The very small ring was surrounded by dogs in very close proximity (always a challenge for my reactive dog) , and there were tons of treats littered on the ground where training sessions had been going on throughout the morning. Oh and did I mention the two horses that were ridden through the field that set off all the dogs barking mid way through my performance? Charlee kept her cool, but she was far from her peak. Me, I just had to laugh. What else could I do?

Recently I have begun to look at my Smooth Collie Finney in a new light. Some of you may know that I never thought the dog was very bright. Ok, I admit it, we all called him Forest Gump. Well I would like to amend that and offer a public apology to Finney. It was Jenny Yasi who pointed out to me that Finney is very much like a chemistry professor. He is methodical and maybe even a bit odd, but

there are lots of smarts under the nerdy exterior. Finney got his first 15 seconds of fame in the demo ring yesterday, where he was surprisingly flawless in a very short "How to get started in Freestyle demo". He breezed through target heeling, and several types of spins, and he even managed a bow at the end while offering total attention the entire time. Good boy Finney! Until very recently I didn't see him as a Freestyle prospect, but he is a gorgeous mover and his happy springy step makes him look like he is floating above the ground. Of course he is a much slower thinker than Charlee but I am (slowly) learning to adjust to that. He has a calm and cool disposition and is a very likable dog both with people and other dogs. Finn started his life with me very fearful, but we seem to have worked through most of that.
My dogs are like the tortoise and the hare and we all know that slow and steady won that race.

There were quite a few dogs who got to try agility for the very first time and I think a new crop of agility fanatics was born yesterday at Starline Farm.

Cudo's to Diana Logan CPDT for putting it all together.

H. Smith photos

While walking through a Portland neighborhood with a client, who just happens to be a huge muscular Pitbull/Mastiff rescue with a prior history of aggression and abuse, we came upon this dog fence running on an electric fence.

This dog is in FRONT of her fenced in yard. Apparently this family just lets the dog out the front door and the she runs the invisible fence line most of the day.
This is a recipe for disaster. Not only is the dog practicing unwanted OCD behaviors all day, but one of these days I can guarantee she will charge the wrong dog. Dogs out walking do not understand that the other dogs have invisible boundaries. If the dog on the electric fence gets zapped, over time she will make bad associations with approaching dogs and people, and it will lead to aggression. Notice I didn't say can, but in this case, I met a time bomb. Legally I am pretty sure that the dog is on city property and technically breaking the leash law.

To make matters worse, she lives on a corner lot!

Had we approached from the other angle and had that dog come running around the corner at us at full speed, as she always does, there may have been a serious dog fight-and no doubt public sentiment would have been against my client, the Pitty, who was just minding his own business. My client reacted better(or should I say DIDN"T react), than either one of my dogs would have under those circumstances. Thankfully she didn't stick around to meet and greet us and continued on her frenzied way.

I will never understand the need for people to have their electric fences run down to the street. If you feel the need to use electric fences, and no I don't like them, why on earth would anyone allow their unsupervised dog access to the sidewalk and near a road?

When we were walking back home, we were just about to cross the street to avoid the lab's property when she came snarling and growling at us from inside the wooden fence. That did set my client's dog off, but he was easily redirected. That Lab spends all day in a high state of arousal and she is time bomb.
If my client's dog had bit her nose through the fence, whose fault would it have been?

A local vet I know wired the front of his house like half a figure eight. If case the dogs get out the front door, they have a small space in which they can get in to the back yard. That makes quite a bit more sense to me than this!!!

A few years back I had a foster dog here over night. My son was walking her on my street when my neighbors let their 2 dogs out who are both on electric fences. The two dogs barreled around the house and came charging at my foster dog full tilt and a dog fight ensued. I love my neighbors, and their dogs and I still feel really bad about the fight, but technically my dog was on leash minding her own business and she was attacked. The foster dog nearly killed one of the neighbor's dogs with a bite near an artery, and to this day he walks with a limp. The rescue paid the other dog's vet bill, but we could not place the dog due to the fight, and she was returned to the family. I agonized over putting that dog to sleep due to the severe damage she inflicted to my neighbor's dog. Families relinquishing dogs do not always tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and we wil never know if she had a prior history of dog fighting, but in the end, we felt she deserved another chance due to the electric fence circumstances.

Let today's blog serve as a reminder that dogs do not understand that OTHER dogs are behind an invisible barrier and you need to supervise your dogs!

In many ways dogs are like toddlers-left to their own devices, they make bad choices.

I am pleased to announce that I have joined the writing staff over at Itchmo.com - news for cats, dogs and pet owners. Itchmo is a relatively new site that has grown in leaps and bounds in the wake of the pet food recall, where they did an absolutely incredible job of keeping us all up to date. By adding several more writers to their already top notch staff, they hope to soon have the number one place for pet parents on the web.

In addition to blogging here on a A Dog's Life I will be writing weekly in depth articles on training and behavior for Itchmo.com. My very first article is posted today! Those of you who have trained with me will recognize it as a slightly changed version of your Attention handout.
For the rest of you, if you ever thought about trying clicker training, teaching your dog to love their name, or just wanted a little more attention from your dog, my Attention article is a great place to begin.

Click here to fetch it.

While your over there at Itchmo, be sure to check on the latest pet food recall information. As a reminder, you can sign up with Itchmo to be sent email alerts for all pet food recalls.

In case you were wondering "Itchmo" is pet speak for itch-me- more.

In this photo Charlee looks more like a Halloween cat than a dog.

I posted this photo a few days back and asked you all to tell me what Charlee's body language was saying.

The dog is clearly uncomfortable and she has piloerectus. Now you all go wash your brains out with soap! While piloerectus is a funny word, it just means that her that her fur is sticking up. Fur sticking up is not always a sign of aggression, although it sure can be. It is the human equivalent of human skin prickles, but if I didn't know Charlee and came upon her, I would not get close.
Dogs use piloerectus to make themselves appear bigger and therefor more of a threat. Notice her tail is up and over her back like a warning flag. In this photo Charlee has puffed herself up all the way down to the base of her tail, to send a message to Chase the foster dog that she was not comfortable with him and he needs to stay away.

If you looked at the photo and thought Charlee wanted to play, and you own dogs, I strongly suggest you buy your own copy of Brenda Aloff's excellent book CANINE BODY LANGUAGE, A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE

If you took your up to a dog that was presenting a posture like the one Charlee is sporting in the photograph, there is a good chance that a fight would ensue. In this case, the foster dog had attacked her the day before and she was using her body language to clearly tell him to back off.

In this photo taken only 1 week later, Charlee is relaxed.

See the difference?

For a very long time I have been meaning to take pictures of Charlee hitting the Staples Easy button. I teach a monthly tricks clinic, and I wanted to add the photo to the Gooddogz Training School for Performing Arfs portion of my web site. Hitting the Easy Button is a trick that everyone loves to learn and it is not that difficult to teach, although a butler bell with a button on top is actually easier because the dogs don't have to touch the bell as hard to make a sound.

I love my new digital camera, but the few second delay can get really annoying and it was quite a bit more difficult to capture Charlee and the Easy button than I thought it would be.
I got lots of really cute pictures like this one of the dog

just after she hit the Easy button in a play bow expectedly awaiting her treats and praise.

Mostly I got a lots of blurry total photo misses, that I won't bore you with, but we did get a few decent shots.

Charlee soon got bored, rolled on her back and played dead to let me know she had just about enough. What we ended up with was (what I find hilarious) pictures that I just submitted to stuffonmymutt.com
Rule number one of trick training. Take what your dog gives you and run with it! Some of the world's best dog tricks were the dog's idea. It is much easier to put a trick on cue that your dog enjoys and offers to you, then to teach something totally foreign.

Now if I can just teach Finney to hit the Easy Button resting on Charlee's belly, we would really have something.

Easy button on my dog.

That was easy!

It is nearly impossible for me to walk into a room of puppies without exclaiming "These are the cutest puppies I have ever seen!" To which my new students always reply "I bet you say that to every class", and how could that not be true?

At the Peaks Island Common Hound Fair, one of the classes in the fun dog show was for puppies under 6 months. The class was called, "Puppies that most make you want one". Guess what, all the pups won!

Below are some really cute photos of my puppy clients. All were taken in the last month except the one of the Aussie on her bed.

Abbie

Jade on her first night of school

Lassie

All the puppies in this blog are under 3 months old. Do not wait to start training your puppy! Puppies are genetically programmed to learn about the world until approximately 4 1/2 months of age. At that time very important socialization windows close forever.
A young puppy is very impressionable! Puppies who get off to a great start with training and proper socialization learn what is safe and what is not. Many behavior problems like aggression and fearful behavior won't have a chance to develop if you raise your puppy right.

Be aware that all training and socialization programs are not the same! Do your research, observe before trusting someone with your puppy. Your puppy will hopefully be with you for the next 15 years! Work early to help give your pup a solid foundation.

Be advised that training and socialization is much more than
just STICKING YOUR PUPPY IN A PLAY GROUP and letting things take their course. A well run puppy play group is very strictly monitored.
Be warned that if your dog is frightened, bullied, or learns
to be the bully, puppy play groups can do more harm than good. A good number of my aggressive clients went to play groups every weekend.

If I hear one more time..."but we thought we were doing everything right. We went to playgroup every weekend, where Precious played with at least 30 pups", I may become physically ill.

Read this, and buyer beware!

Sadie asleep in my kitchen

The pups in this blog were included because the photos were adorable. Fret not. If you took your puppy for training with me, your puppy was the cutest puppy ever in the world. I am sure of it.

I was bummed out that I had to cancel my training appointment with Clio this morning. Instead I will have to get by with the is great picture I shot when I was last at her home.

Clio - a rescue Whippet/ Pit cross. Good dog Clio!

While surfing my photo album, I just couldn't leave out Maggie. She is newly adopted Golden,and I shot this picture in class the day we learned, that she does indeed like kids! Maggie's Mom submitted this to photo Caninekisses.com

And last but not least is 10 month old Hunter. He is the new service dog in training for a 4 year old boy with Autism. He will be coming to my house soon for a brief stay. So far he is working out great. There will be lots more about Tucker coming up just as soon as I get to know him better.

Recently I posted about how dogs have a big thing about space. Space is an important resource to a dog. "Top dogs", older dogs and dogs who understand doggie etiquette well, don't as a general rule appreciate their space being invaded. That pretty much sums up what Charlee is all about.

When Sadie the wonderful puppy was here, Muttlover asked to see pictures of Sadie with my two other dogs. I snapped a lot of photos, and mostly captured big blurs. I got plenty pictures of Finn and my kids and the puppy, but Charlee was not very interested in hanging around with her. Don't get me wrong, Charlee tolerated the puppy, but like an irritable aunt who gives the diapering chore to a younger cousin, it really wasn't her thing.
I don't think Charlee's idea of the pup is more clear than in these two photographs. Can you see the force field?

In the photos you can clearly see Charlee using her "energy" to keep the puppy away. In the first photo Sadie seems to be saying "Hey wanna play"? But in the second, taken only seconds later, she seems to be saying "yes maam, I meant you no disrespect maam."

Puppies can learn a lot from what is often referred to as a "seasoned bitch". A seasoned bitch is a dog who is good with pups, won't hurt them, yet teaches them all the rules. Guess we got that one covered.

Quite a few readers asked me to write about how we humans can use our own need for personal space in training dogs and asked for help especially in dealing with unruly dogs. That was a great question and one that I will write an in depth article about just as soon as I work on my summer a little bit first.

Here it looks like Finney is about to eat the puppy, but he is clearly smiling and enjoying their play time. She is letting him know that he getting too rough and Sadie used her body language to chill him out a bit.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know that we cared for Brewster the Golden Retriever in our home for most of last winter while his family was away. Brew had Lymphoma, and it was a very difficult time for myself and my family as we helped Brew pass on to the bridge. Brew had been a long time client of mine,and I worked with him since he was a pup to help him fulfill his role as resident therapy dog in the nursing homes that his family own in Massachusetts.
During Brews last weeks I could be heard muttering under my breath..."they better not get another dog! I won't take care of another one of their dogs. If they get another dog they better find themselves another trainer". And so on and so on.

Anyway, much in the same way that you forget the pain of childbirth, we are thrilled that they got another golden and that Sadie is visiting with us this weekend for the very first time. She is three months old and a bundle of sweetness.
She is just what we needed.

We added two new pets. Meet
Ice and

Onion.
Yes they are baby rats. Finney has been learning the ever important lesson...We don't eat family members! He has a high prey drive and he is obviously not to be trusted near them for a while. Finn was way too interested when they first arrived 2 weeks ago, but we have worked on quite a few self control, calming exercises in the presence of the rats, and he has become more directed at food when the rats come out, then the rodents themselves. Got to love classical conditioning. The rats are a precursor to Finney that something good will happen when they appear. In Finn's case this usually happens to be in the form of cheese. Thank you Pavlov! It is very important to train Finn to ignore the rats, as kids are kids and they are quite likely to forget that dogs are dogs. Charlee on the other hand, while a card carrying prey stocker of the canine kind, will not touch them as she truley understands that we don't eat family members. After all in the dog's world, the rats are our resource, not theirs.

I have said for years that I am not rodent ready, but my kids won me over when they printed out all sorts of interesting articles on clicker training rats.

In the not too distant future I hope to be blogging our

rats doing agility on a
course that we made ourselves.

We have already begun basic training and both rats are very smart. Interesting to note that Ice is the calm, outgoing, and social one and Onion is more nervous, shy and timid, and she likes women more than men, which is very much like having two puppy littermates. And just like having littermate pups in the same household, Onion will need lots more handling, socializing, training, and much more one on one time away from her sibling if she is ever to overcome this. Lucky for her, we have lots of rat trainers in this house. Our rat's breeder keeps telling me over and over that they can learn anything dogs can and that some can even be litter trained.
We have already introduced a clicker to them just to get them used to the noise, in conjunction with the kids giving them special treats. And just like pups, they are extremely food motivated. But unlike puppies, rats have a very strong "explore" drive , so it will be a challenge to learn how to redirect that.

For the record it took the kids years to get me rodent ready, and the rats sceeve me out, especially their long rat tails. But I do (kind of) like the rats and the rats really seem to like me. I would like them much better with a docked tail - like little mini rat pugs. Of course it would be cruel to dock a rat's tail- (or any tail!) and I am not advocating that by any means, and I would NEVER do such a thing, but I can dream right?

I can still hear the echo's of , but "come on Mom...please....you can train a rat to do anything a dog can do and you can write about it"....sigh, my kids sure got my number.
File under - what I did for love.

Charlee and I have started agility in earnest again and she needs to loose quite a bit of weight so as not to put too much stress on her aging joints and muscles.

She wants you all to know that she is not happy-

and that we never feed her-

and that you can put food in her bowl at any time. Any time at all, cause her humans don't feed her you know.

Sandara Davis and Pepper showcase one of the best freestyle routines to Achy Breaky Heart that I have ever seen. Pepper passed this spring at the age of 13. Most anyone interested in Freestyle has watched Sandra and Pepper's training videos over and over and over again.
Sandra says:
"It wouldn't be fair to get another Border Collie (my heart is a "shrine" to Pepper)".

Click here to see their great routine on You Tube.

Lovely Borzoi freestyle routine to "God Bless the USA".

If you can't view click here

If you have gotten out and about this last week, chances are you have already seen the great poster for this years 7th Annual Rotti Spring Stroll rescue event being held Saturday at Camp Ketcha. This is a big fund raising event for North East Rotti Rescue, as well as for all rescues attending who will be holding their own separate fundraiser's and walkathons.

There will be contests, canine demonstrations, silent auction, and special guests, to include: Flyball Demo from The Maine Coast Runners, Canine Freestyle, Drafting Demo, Scarborough Police K9 Team
Dominick the Trick-Performing Rottweiler, Linda Verville and Melissa Pelletier, author and illustrator of For Pete’s Sake, WMTW/Channel 8’s morning anchor Rachael Ruble will be at the Stroll from 11am – 2pm, Child/Dog Safety Demonstration, Slugger the Portland Sea Dog’s Mascot,
Animal Communicator Louise Poppema, and
2007 Mrs. Maine United States, Kristin Centeras well as lots of rescues and vendors. This is a good chance to learn more about different breeds, and maybe even add a new dog to your family.

Click here for the complete schedule of events.

I will be wearing as many as three hats that day.

Hat #1
Jenny Yasi and I are doing an informational Freestyle demo @ 1:00. Jenny is a trainer from Peaks Island and has taught her dogs Dandylion and Tigerlily lots of very impressive behaviors. You can check out her very interesting and informative training blog here on Clicker Training.com.

This is the first time out performing an entire Freestyle routine in public for me and Charlee. Our previous Freestyle experience consists of watching a lot of freestyle videos together, and bopping around the living room floor to really loud music. Charlee is coming off a sore back leg muscle and hopefully will be ready to rock this weekend. We just choreographed a whole new routine to the song Locomotion. Performing in front of so many people this weekend has me a little nneeerrrvvooouuuus. Can you hear my knees knocking? Charlee loves Freestyle and hopefully, we can both keep it together. Our goal is to get people excited about the sport, and stay in the unfenced ring (insert smile here).

Hat # 2
There will be a Child Safety Demo at 1:30 and Charlee and I are waiting to hear if we are needed to fill in.

Hat #3
After 11:00 I will be manning a table for New England Border Collie Rescue.

The info:
North East Rottweiler Rescue & Referral Inc.'s
Spring Stroll 2007 - Walk For Rescue
Saturday, May 19, 2007 (Rain or Shine)

Camp Ketcha
336 Black Point Road
Scarborough, ME 04074
10 AM - 3 PM

Directions to the Park
From the Maine Turnpike (I-95), take EXIT 42 toward US-1/SCARBOROUGH
Merge onto HAIGAIS PKWY. 1.4 miles
Turn LEFT onto US-1. 1.3 miles
Turn RIGHT onto BLACK POINT RD
Drive 2.8 miles, Camp Ketcha is on your left.

Charlee will be doing the Locomotion "Freestyle" with me At 1:00 pm

Brady at his graduation

The disturbing story linked below has been circulating on all my doggie group lists all week to very heated discussions. It is a fairly biased account of the charges against Ami Moore, the self proclaimed Chicago Dog Whisperer. Amy is charged with cruelty by excessive force - applying shock collars to the neck and groin area of her canine clients.

I have decided to post it here, not as a "presumed guilty" but as an eye opener to the consumer that all dog trainers are not created equal, and that dog training is a buyer beware industry.

We (trainers) are currently a self regulated industry, and just about anyone can say they are a dog trainer.

If your trainer is doing something to your dog that makes you uncomfortable. Speak up! If you are paying for your dog to be trained in your absence, you had better be very sure about the trainer's methods.

Click here to read the article from the Chicago Reader, "Who should you trust to train your dog"...

If you are looking for a dog trainer who uses only positive methods try the Truly Friendly dog trainers list for a trainer in your area. Those of us on this list have pledged to train force free. Also on this page are links to wonderful articles on force free training. Check them out!

The American Humane Association and Suzanne Hetts, PhD offer the following recommendations and precautions for owners to take in choosing a dog trainer.

7. Shun cruel collars. Stay away from trainers who insist you use a choke chain or prong collar. There are now many humane alternatives such as head halters. Shock collars should be avoided. If, during training, you have any doubts about the way your pet is being treated, tell the trainer to stop.

I love getting pictures of clients and I had to share this photo. On the far couch is Jerry, an Italian Greyhound who is only about 8 months old. In the foreground is his three year old Great Dane sister Mabel and I have had the honor of working with both dogs. Mabel recently passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test and Jerry is currently in my CGC class working towards his. As you can imagine, their human really needs to switch gears when working with each dog.

Jerry's current challenge is the first three parts of the test where he has to sit for petting. He is a sweet excitable boy. They are doing a great job of teaching him that rewards only come when he is firmly planted. Many people teach agility start line stays in this way and we have really found it works for Jerry.
And Mabel, despite her great size is a big baby. The three minute out of sight stay is where she had the biggest challenge, but she passed with ease.
Way to go Mabel!

In case you were wondering, the two dogs play incredibly well together.

Meet Gracie a 4 month old Puggle

My clients usually don't believe me when I tell them that their puppy is the cutest puppy ever. I swear I mean it at the time when I say it. I mean, come on...I work with the very cutest of the cute every day. Not unlike premier chocolates, my client's pups are my very favorites...when I am with them.

But Gracie's humans, a lovely retired couple from Standish, do believe me when I tell them that Gracie is the cutest puppy ever. They are hopelessly in love with her. Being of "advanced age" (their words, not mine!) , they recognize that they need lots of direction with this puppy, who, by the way is a major league spitfire. She has tons of energy.

Yesterday was our second in home session and as seen in the picture, we are working on relaxation techniques, and of course nipping. But but mostly we play hide and seek and she flies around the house trying to find us. When she does find us, she melts into a moosh of wriggles and delight. I am telling you, she is totally adorable. Hide and seek is a great game to help dogs and pups get their ya ya's out, and this pup has an extra dose of the ya-ya's!

Saturday update
To prove my point that cuteness runs rampant in my line of work, check out 9 week old Rosie - who fell asleep at the end of her first class today.

"Rose" and I took a training jaunt over to the food court at Maine Mall today. Here we are on the way in.

Here she is waiting for my sushi order.

And here she is hard at work on today's lesson, the ever important chill command.

When "Rose" eventually accompanies children at the hospital clinic to their office visits and procedures, "Rose" will be expected to just chill for long periods of time. We worked lots of meeting and greetings, and as I expected there were a few food surprises awaiting us on the floor, but she did great job at leaving each and every one. I can report that would not have been the case 2 months ago. uh uh, no way!
For a while there I thought "Rose" might even wash out of the program for thievery and general bad behavior. Somehow, I forget to mention that I awarded "Rose" November's Bad Dog Award, after she decided play tug-war with a clothe swag in her home. Problem was, there was a 20 inch TV sitting on said swag at the time and you guessed, "Rose" broke the television set!

Many of Rose's problem behaviors practically disappeared with the addition of a full life outside of the office that includes a new "Mom". Sarah has done a super job of tiring "Rose" out each day before work. They awake at about 5 AM and play for about an hour in the morning with two other dogs. Go Sarah!!!!

And here is a picture I shot of "Rose" during one of our training sessions at the clinic a few weeks ago. She is innately sweet and wonderful with small children.

Can I have an "ahh"?

Check out Frisbee trainer Zak George's video of his two Border Collies performing some great moves.

Direct link here

To start your New Year off, check out these training out takes over on You Tube of 8 Beardies from Hungary working on their Freestyle Christmas Video. After you watch the out takes, click here to check out the edited movie. It is a bit long, but lots of fun.

If you don't want to read today's blog, no worries. Today's entire blog is summed up right here. Just click this link, and check out 1 dozen articles written by
pet columnists, top trainers and behaviorists concerning the training methods of Cesar Milan. I am in agreement with all 12.

Two years ago when I started writing this blog (Happy Birthday A Dog's Life!) I spoke to the previous editor of Maine Today and asked him if I could write an article on why I was appalled at the National Geographic show The Dog Whisperer. This was two years ago and well before anyone had come publicly forward to do so. At first the answer was yes, but when we spoke again and I told him that the network would not be pleased and may sue us, he said he had to think about it. I worked hard on the article, and sent it to many friends and trainers to review and they all told me it needed to be read by the masses. But in the end, I chickened out. Although I do have freedom of the press, the risk of a law suit was overwhelming, and I was still a neebie at writing. While my blog on Mr Milan was still in the discussion phase, Pat Miller wrote an article on the subject for Bark magazine, that pretty much mirrored everything I had written so I decided to drop it. Just for the record, I do not have an editor as such and Maine Today never actually did forbid it, but the whole thing was just so dicey at that time, I took the easy way out, with my tail firmly tucked between my legs. There was also the chance that my blog would be canceled because of the article, and I bowed out for the greater good. In the last two years I have helped a lot of people and a lot of dogs and I wasn't ready to take that kind of risk.

So here it is two years later and I fell asleep last night watching (and cringing) to Dog Whisperer week on the National Geographic Channel. Oh brother, an entire week,of people sitting home playing arm chair trainer!
Some trainers think the show is good for the training biz industry. It shows the public that hiring a trainer can help them. Not me! Many force trainers embraced Cesar as a sort of second coming and dog training took a step back 20 years as more and more owners and trainers once again accepted force methods in training their dogs. People you do not have to use force and intimidation to train a dog. You relationship will ultimately suffer for it .

I am seeing fall out from the show. Lots of fall out. While we (trainer types) all universally agree that many of what Milan says is good info, there is nothing earth shattering about exercise, consistency and treating your dog as a canine and not a child. You can find this info in any training book or article.
What I do object to is the use of the force. I object to making force look so easy. Can you say EDIT? What I object strongest to is the use of force in working with shy and fearful dogs and the over use of force in showing electric shock, alpha rolls, and hanging on TV. All three of things would have gotten me fired when I taught at a Chain Pet Store many moons ago. Yet here it is on TV with Joe America trying it at home.

Guess what, I am seeing fall out and Dead dogs. You read right dead dogs. In the last 6 months alone, I have been called to homes where the owners or even worse, well meaning friends of the owners have practiced some of this and guess what, they got bit, or inadvertently got a child bit or a visitor not well known to the dog.

I am going to end it here and post a list from Dr. Rolan Tripp's web page listing a dozen articles written by educated people in the know of why force training is not the end all. Did you know that Cesar calls himself a dog behaviorist, but in order to actually be one you need to go to Vet school and get a PHD??? That is one of many things that burns trainers and behaviorists who have spent years studying their craft. Force training takes dog training back 20 years. No it is not still around because it works, it is still around, because people like to dominate, and get quick results. Guess what? Quick results are just that, quick results, They are not ultimate solutions and most people are not capable of doing things the Cesar Way. He has impeccable timing and how many times have you seen him bit on TV? What do you think that does for the dog owner's insurance policy by the way?
There is a big push by parents and trainer groups to add a P G-13 rating to the show because kids are rolling and correcting their dogs and putting themselves at risk using techniques seen on TV. I have seen this first hand as well. I don't let my own kids watch the show.
Dog training has evolved with the use of science! We clicker trainers actually use scientific data to back up what we teach. Did you know that? Did you know that most positive trainers and clicker trainers are cross over trainers? That means that we USED to use force and have found a much better way to teach our animals. It has been many years since I recommend a choke or a pinch collar to a client and it was only because the owners were infirm and weak.

__________
about the photo

Thank you Suzan Morris for emailing me pictures from the Freestyle clinic. Take a look at my dogs face, expression and overall demeanor. I think this picture illustrates a dog who is a willing partner enjoying her work. Can any one name a Dog Whisperer episode where a dog looks this happy and willing to work? Come to think of it, have you ever seen him teach the Come command?
Just a reminder that Charlee is a rescue dog with deep routed fears of other dogs, and she can be reactive. Yet here she is working happily in a room with about 40 other dogs.
How did this come about? It took a lot of time, patience and positive reinforcement. It took science and classical and operant conditioning.
NOT Domination!

"Rose" does Doga

Best Trick of the week. No make make that best trick of the month.
All I did was "capture" her stretch and then "lure" her head back. Now she "offers" Doga to the delight of everyone at the hosptial where she is in training to be a therapy dog for children.

DOGA, DOGA, DOGA

I got a lot of positive feedback about how much you all enjoyed taking the Penn State Behavior questionnaire yesterday. If you liked that one, here is another much shorter one to try. This one does not distinguish between human and canine elicited responses. There is an on line version, just scroll down to the middle of the page. At the end of the test you will get the results of your dog's drive. Drive being what motivates your dog, such as...

Play Drive
Food Drive
Sex Drive
Fight Drive
Defense Drive
Prey Drive
Herding Drive

The test will help you to distinguish the following:

Prey drive, pack drive, defense fight, and defense flight.

Your dog's natural drive will influence how you train them, ie toys, food, play, work. When I attended the Carolyn Scott Freestyle clinic she had us do an interesting test. We had to put our treats and toys away and we had one minute to find other ways to motivate our dogs to work for us. In competition of any dog sport there is no food and no toys allowed. Some people ran, and jumped and changed directions. Others blew in their dogs face, and some played a gentle shoving type game to name a few. I played a very successful mouth oriented got your feet game that Charlee and I often play. Originally I worked with her on that to help her to learn bite inhibition, since she didn't have it when we adopted her at 9 months. By the way it is not proven that bite inhibition can be taught after puppy hood, but I have given it my best shot and believe that she is much improved with the exercises we have done over the years and I no longer have bruises to prove it!

Click here to take the Volhard Canine personality Profile (aka CPP).

Penn State is conducting a very interesting on line canine behavior study. The more dogs that participate in the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire, the more accurate the results will be.
At the end of the 5 minute survey, you will receive your dogs results.
I think it is a very worthwhile way to spend 5 mintues.
Click here to take the test.

There aren't many Freestyle competitions in the Northeast (or country for that matter), but one day soon, Charlee and I will be out there strutting our stuff and incorporating lots of things that we learned at the Carolyn Scott Freestyle seminar this weekend.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that like many of you, I have a dog reactive dog. This weekend, Charlee left her snarks at the front door and acted pretty much like a normal dog. She was so good in fact that at the end, I became just a tad emotional and shed a hidden tear in her scruff because I was so overtaken at how far she has come. I am thrilled with how far she has come in training, our bond, and her overall performance level. I still am in awe that she recovered from her horrible bout with Pancreatitis. It was all just a bit overwhel