Doors Opening for Gal!

Today I am trying to get Gal to go through doors when I ask her to. She is a little leary because she doesn't quite know what is going to happen on the other side yet, or if the door is going to "get' her before she can get through. So we sat on the front porch with the adult dogs and propped the door open. Gal was on the outside and we wanted her to come on to the screened in porch. She would come close and then get a little nervous so we would send the adult dogs out to 'get' her. We told the big dogs "Go get Gal!" So they would go outside to where Gal was waiting and sniff her and then we would call them into the porch. She would follow them part way and then stop and retreat. We repeated this several times until she followed the big dogs on to the porch. We gave her treats when she made it all the way in and then played a game of tug and petted her some. She really liked that, what a food hound! This was easy for us because we just sat there with the door open and sent the big boys out to get her several times and all we did was to reward her when she got past the threshold. Before long she was comfortable in there and we closed the door for a short time and then let her go right back outside where she felt the safest.

Gal is learning to trust the house because she was raised in an outdoor kennel from 4 weeks old until now. She is great if we bring her in on a leash or carry her in but I want her to be comfortable coming in and out on her own before we bring her in to live here at 12 weeks old or when her siblings are all gone. So tomorrow we will do it again and she will probably follow the big dogs in with much less hesitation. This is a good way for her to learn to trust us. She will learn that when we call her, good things happen! We never want to scold a dog when they come to us, even if we are furstrated and feel she should have come sooner because we want our dogs to trust that being with us is the best place, and safest place EVER!

She wanted to come the first time but her caution won out. It took about three or four times. She recovers very quickly and each day she feels more comfortable than the day before. Now we would be further along if she were living in the house without her siblings but because she spends so much of her time with the others, it is quite an adventure to travel that far without them. The others will be leaving this week and next so she will gradually spend more and more time at the house or with the big dogs. This is very different than the way most people would raise their puppies but the principle to learn here is to be patient and reward what you like. If you don't have other dogs, by all means us a leash and just reward when they come in and out of the door. You can even stand with the door open and walk in and out and reward. We are experimenting and trying to see just how much of her education she will get from the older, confident, stable dogs. Don't try this unless your dogs are buddies with the puppy and she is excited about doing what the big dogs do.

Happy Training!
Mary

Is the Right Side the Wrong Side or is the Left Side Right??

Of course they both mean the same thing so before you get all confused or convince yourself that I am confused, please read further. It is traditional to walk the dog on the left side due to the way hunters us their right hand to hold their guns. Also the horse is walked on the right side so it would certainly be simpler if you were out for a ride with your horse and dog you would have one hand for each. The world is generally geared toward the needs of the right handed. If you stop to talk to a friend on the street it would be nice to be able to reach out with your free right hand to shake hands and say hello! It is also good, in the author's humble opinion, to have a standard side. This bothers some people for reasons I fail to comprehend. The reason I think it is good is because if you approach another dog walker. If you both have your dogs walking under control on the same side when facing each other the dogs would be on opposite sides. This is a safety thing. If the dogs don't get along or are leery of strange dogs then it is nice to have a little leeway to prevent a dog fight.

Dogs who are being trained for obedience competition MUST be trained on the left side of course. It is true that most people will never do this so there is some room for doing what feels good but for the reasons I state above I always teach the left side walking.

Another reason I teach the left side in my classes is that if everyone in the class starts teaching the side they like we end up having discussions about everything, whether it is necessary or not. I like to teach people who are willing to learn how to train, not people who want to come and convince me that their way is better for them. If it was working for them then they probably wouldn't have come to my class in the first place. Ha!

All that being said. If you are not attending a class where the trainer is teaching the left side and you are perfectly capable of training the dog yourself then do what you like. It's a free country! (at least for now) I really hate discussing this but in doing research on the history of left side walking I became frustrated at some of the silly ways people try to defend being obstinate about something like that. I just had to go there. Dog trainers are funny things, like me, we all have our little issues that get us going. Mine is a student who comes to my class to try and convince me that all my methods are unnecessary or plain wrong while their dog is being a nuisance and disrupting the class by refusing to come to his owner on the recall exercise. Ha! I finally started scheduling those folks out of my classes after two classes. I love 'em but it isn't good for the other students in the class to be taking up our time arguing about piddly stuff like that when there is so much to learn! That being said, I don't mind questions, questions are great!! It's debaters that are the issue. Go debate in some other dog obedience class! *smile* I like peace and tranquility! Come to your dog class with an open mind and ready to learn!! That's why you are paying the big bucks right?? To learn and grow with your pooch is as simple as listening and learning and following through.

This is supposed to be a little funny so I will leave you with this! The right side IS the wrong side, therefore the LEFT side is RIGHT. At least in my class!

Love you leftys and rightys alike,
Happy dog training!
Mary

Walking with Gal

Today I decided to teach Gal that the best place to be is on the left side of my wheelchair. How did I do that?

I cut up some hot dogs and dried them in the oven for a bit. I then put them in my treat bag, lots of them! We went for a walk around the 2.5 acres. All the dogs were with me. I am caring for my daughter's dog Latte' so there were four adults along with Gal. I started out by showing Gal that I had some really juicy treats. She kept running around my wheelchair in a counter clockwise motion. This is not uncommon for herding breeds. Every time she got to the left side of my chair I said 'yes!' and gave her a treat. Then I would continue on for the walk and wait for her to get back into that position again for another treat. I didn't worry about the fact that she would go off and sniff around at times or play with the other dogs, I just rewarded her when she did what I liked. The other dogs know this game so of course they stayed mostly by my left side in the heel position with their eyes glued on me. I kept a handful of treats in my hand so that I could deliver them quickly. By the time we made on circle of the property she was staying on my left side almost continuously watching for me to give her another treat. All this with no leash! What a fun game and we both enjoyed it immensely!

More to come later, this is just the first part of teaching a puppy to walk on your left side, which for us right handed people is the most convenient side. If you are a horse person it is essential because a horse is walked on the right side. That way you can walk your horse and your dog a the same time! That reminds me, I should do some research on why dog trainers started to use the left side for dog training. It is the only side used in dog obedience competitions.

Happy Dog Training!!
Mary

Helping Puppy to Find the Heel Position and Learn to Walk at Your Side

Today I had the pleasure of working with a really nice couple who are new puppy owners. I wanted to help them teach their puppy to desire to be right by their side when they are outside with her. The first thing I did was to get rid of the leash. I prefer not to use the leash at first when teaching this skill because most of us have a tendency to pull and jerk on the leash or let the dog pull us around for fear that we will hurt him/her. If you have to use a leash for this lesson it is a good idea to use a clip to hook the leash to your waist band or belt on the left side. This will help you resist the temptation to pull on the leash instead of helping the puppy to find the heel position by herself.

Make sure your puppy is hungry, I only feed a dog in training at night so that they stay hungry and I will have lots of opportunities to train all day. I usually have a canvas treat bag that will hook on my belt or waist band(available in pet stores) filled with goodies. I show the puppy the juicy treats so she can smell them and get the idea. Now when I say treats I'm not talking about store bought cookies. It is always good to use really interesting treats that will get and hold their attention. I use string cheese, cut up hot dogs (I use the chicken pork ones from Walmart and I dry them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.) or roasted chicken or steak left overs, especially if you are working outside with all the distractions that come with a walk. The treats should be soft so the puppy can ingest them quickly. They must be small, it's about the taste, not the filling. I like to use pea sized treats for a medium sized dog/puppy. Let the puppy smell the treats so he is interested and then start walking. The puppy is likely to lag behind and you may sort of drag him for a little while until he starts to follow you. He may wrap himself around you. Each time he gets to your left side, or anywhere near there, reach down and give her a treat. Be very generous with your treats. Feed them like a machine gun as long as they are on the left side or close to that spot. At first it will be tedious and it might feel like it's not going to happen but be persistent. Before long you should be able to give her a treat and continue walking. Try not to stop each time if she is willing to continue following you. This will give her the idea that it is in her best interest to find that spot and stay there. Don't give up. Most people will try this and give up right way because they underestimate their dog's ability to problem solve. Just keep at it and before long your dog will be walking next to you and watching, waiting for the next reward.

Keep walking forward and just reward if the right position happens. Never scold your puppy for wrong behavior. It's really not fair because he doesn't know it's wrong behavior after all. If you get tangled or he won't move to the left side just turn around so he has the opportunity to do the 'right' thing. Be patient and keep trying. Your dog will figure it out and you will have a dog who WANTS to walk at your side. If your dog gets fixated on another dog or a distraction then just turn and go the other way until he starts paying attention again.

Happy Puppy Training!
Mary

Keeping the PuppiesHappy

Today we are down to two three puppies left from the older litter from SiSi. They are 8 and a half weeks old. This litter includes our 'Gal". It becomes more work now that they are over 8 weeks so I went out to sit in the puppy run to give them their individual time so that they wouldn't think all I was good for was food and water and to bug them buy giving them the wormer paste that the vet gave me. Ha! Zero was becoming a little aloof because she hates the wormer paste and she associated me with that awful taste! Yikes, the paste monster is coming! So I sat out there waiting for her to decide to come to me so that I could give her some lovin'. She sat and watched as the others gathered around me for tummy rubs and a few kibbles fed by had. Slowly she started making her way towards me. She stopped occasionally to watch me as if to make sure that I didn't have the yellow bottle in my hand. As she came within reaching distance of me she became a little more cautious so I just looked away and paid most of my attention to the other puppies. She finally came over crawling on her belly like she was trying to make herself very small. Puppies do this to make sure that a person or another dog will know that they mean no harm. It's sort of like saying "I come in peace...". So I reached out to touch her but not on top of her head. If a dog is unsure it's best to reach under their chin or toward their chest so as to let them know you are not trying to trap them or pick them up.

Moments later she was climbing all over me like the other puppies were and all was right with the world. It felt good to give all three of them their individual attention so that they each feel like something special happens when the humans come into the picture. There have been times when I had a litter of puppies that I got too busy and didn't take the time to sit with them at this stage and some of the pups can become a little shy. This is easily avoidable so I am determined not to let it happen again.

Zero is so outgoing and I didn't want to harm her view of humans. On the  contrary I want to improve it at every opportunity. She used to come so quickly when people would come into the puppy run but that nasty yellow paste was not her friend. She had started to run away and I always want the puppies who leave to have a good recall when they go to their new homes. I can't control what happens after they leave but at least I can give them the best foundation while they are here.

She may be going to a new home tomorrow, I don't know, so it is a good thing that she is happy to be with humans as well as the other dogs. If she gets picked by a puppy buyer she needs to feel confident that the human is her source of comfort, not just the dispenser of the yucky stuff! Ha!

Happy Training!
Mary

Check out my new 'Rules for Puppies (and dogs) Page

Check out our new page on Naughty Dog Press that is specifically for people with new puppies or dogs with behavior issues like chewing, jumping on people, nipping or the like. Tell your friends!

Happy Training!
Mary

A walk with Gal!

Oh today was a good day, we are finally whittling the litter down to size. Sending puppies home to their new owners. I got to spend some time enjoying my adult dogs and taking little Gall along on a little excursion to my neighbor's house about a 10th of a mile down our dirt road. She was so curious and followed the big dogs as they sniffed the bushes and grasses on either side of the road. She looks like a little stuffed animal compared to the monster sized Aussies, Cash and Hondo her uncle and her father. What a barrel of fun. Her father 'Hondo' still has a lot of pup in him so he was really enjoying helping her check out every little scent they came across. Uncle 'Cash' is a more serious type and a little older so he was always trying to make sure that she didn't get too far away from me. I traveled in my power wheelchair so I had to watch out so as not to run her over as she darted to and fro along the road. So nice there are no cars or other dangers along our little easement road so we can walk off leash.

As I approached the neighbor's back door, where we usually stop so that the boys (Cash and Hondo) can beg for some dog cookies from my neighbor Billie, her dogs began barking and I thought Gal was going to run all the way back home. When she finally slowed down to look over her shoulder and saw that no one was behind her and she turned to rejoin us. The purpose of this walk (besides being very relaxing), was to teach Gal to accept new situations. She discovered that new places are safe and sometimes they end up with snacks and new toys. As we move along on this socialization we will take her to scarier places like the village where there are cars and people all around and even other strange dogs. When she got back to where we were she sniffed around my neighbor's garage, to see if there was anything for her to play with or eat most likely. Before long she found a large wine bottle cork beside the recycle bin. She was so thrilled! She ran around like she had found something really special and started trying to get the big dogs to play keep away with her. Of course her father was more than willing to oblige. She was having so much fun until she realized that she had her tooth stuck in the cork! Too funny. She was struggling to get the cork out. Looked like we would need a cork screw for a while there but she got it out for awhile and then the game started over again and again. Of course I watched to make sure she wouldn't get choked but she just carried it around. I love it when a puppy carries things in their mouth because that is a good sign that it won't be too hard to teach them to retrieve items, something I value highly as a service dog user/trainer.

Today she also learned that the little blue bag on my wheelchair contains something that makes walking next to me a very rewarding experience! When she found her way to the heel position (at my left side looking up at me) I pulled out a little piece of meat or a piece of kibble from the bag and rewarded her just for being in that position. Casually not on a leash or with any coaxing, just letting her know that I like it when she is right there and that I'm willing to pay for it!

Back we walked and by the time we got home she was really tired and ready for her nap. That is a great distance for an 8 lb puppy, especially with all the playing and exploring along the road. I keep in the house now in her crate when I can't watch her except when she is outside in the dog run with her siblings for a play session, at night she still sleeps with her siblings in the kennel. That will go on until the others are gone or until she is around 12 weeks old. I do that so that I can be sure to get a good night's sleep. If I did not have the kennel or her siblings for company, I would have her in the house of course but it is a blessing to be able to let her stay outside. I don't sleep well so loosing even a little sleep is a big deal to me. I do not relish getting up to go potty in the night or at sunrise like most pups need to do at this age. She is taking to the crate really well. No crying so far! That is a well adjusted puppy!

Soon I will have more time to spend with her and we will begin learning about retrieving, healing, and such. When she begins spending more time in the house she will start discovering which things are okay to chew on and which things are off limits. She will learn that the toilet is ONLY outside and that it's really fun to please me!

Happy puppy training!
Mary

Friday at Ranchito Larapinta with Our New Little 'Gal'.

Gal is 7 weeks old today:

Bill and I took our little "Gal" out for a walk with the 'big' dogs today around the ranchito. 2 and a half acres of dog heaven. She was so curious! I was really thrilled to see that she likes to pick things up an carry them around. Gal found the cover of an old tennis ball and made a toy of it right away. really good sign of confidence and good socialization. Yea!

She is not shy with the big dogs, a little cautious though, which is good. She needs that to survive. Her father doesn't seem to have enough of the caution to keep himself safe, ha! Her mother is a little too cautious so I think she got the best of both her parents. This is one of the main reasons I picked her, besides the fact that she is drop dead gorgeous!!!

She is still staying with her siblings out in the kennel tonight. I'm not ready to start the pre-dawn mornings just yet! Maybe in a few weeks when her siblings have all gone to their new homes.

Happy Training Y'all!

Mary

House Training Tips!

A  main component to house training is confinement. Crate training is the most efficient way to confine a dog and since dogs generally don't like to eliminate where they eat or sleep.........
 this can really speed up the process. There are other ways to contain your dog

Chronicles of Puppy Rearing

Raising Gal...........

Gal at 6 Weeks Old

 We have a new puppy! Her name is Gal. Gal is an Australian Shepherd puppy of course. Right now she is 7 weeks old and still in the kennel with her siblings and mother but she will soon be entering the world of the house dog and I will be chronicaling our life with this litte girl so that you can hopefully learn from our adventures with her. Here are a couple of pictures of her!

Gal