All good things come to those who wait

I knew this day would come.

I knew this day was possible.

I knew I couldn't give up hope.

Looking into his eyes, despite the fact they were adolescent eyes, I knew one day I would be writing this blog post. And today's the day!

Tonight for the first time Shelby and I walked all the way around the block with no leash. I was so proud of him!! Yes, he still pushes the limits on how far away from me he wants to jog ahead, but he was able to be checked with voice commands. We had two encounters with three others dogs out for walks, granted they were across the street on the opposite sidewalk, but still ... !

In the past there would have been no holding him, or shutting him up for that matter. (See previous post "Surviving Puppy Adolescence")

Yet there he was this evening prancing at my side with a yip and whine or two, (maybe it was three - anything is better than the incessant barking fits he'd go into) and he was quick to check in with me with those loving attentive eyes turned up to me as if to say, "look, look, look mom - other dogs!!" I couldn't help but smile in admiration!!


So here he is now in the evening shadows of my office - 13 months later. And I couldn't be more proud of him. That's my boy!!

A "Tired Dog" is a "Good Dog"

And now back to our regularly scheduled topic.

When you own a dog, not to mention a big dog, and he just happens to be a reactive big dog, you are very familiar with the idea that "a tired dog is a good dog." That being said, be very careful just how quickly you jump to this solution. The phrase should really be "a calm dog is a good dog." When I say calm I mean a dog that has self control, a dog that can self calm, one that can modulate it's own behavior on command. At the very least it is a dog that will hold a neutral position whether that is a "sit" or a "down" despite being excited, until they are calm.

When I started classes with Trish I figured that exercising them before class would help. It totally backfired on us. Instead of being easier to direct Shelby was even more "ampted" up.

My girlfriend who has a "reactive" female Labrador decided to put her in agility. The logic being that it would focus her energy and give her an outlet for all her extra energy. Her dog did well but in her second class she was bit by one of the other dogs. There are so many things that should have been done differently to avoid her dog getting bit but that's not the point here.

My point is however that an easily over excited dog should not have another over stimulating outlet for their energy until they have a bit more self control. If you want to hear from the experts as to what this should look like check out these great resources:

Guidelines For Teaching Self Control, by Suzanne Clothier
Understanding & Teaching Self Control, by Suzanne Clothier

At our house it looks like the following:

• Both dogs have to go to their bed and lie down quietly before each meal time. (Quietly being the operative word here when it comes to Shelby.)
• Even after their food is served they must wait until I give them the release command which in our house is simply "Release"
• If one dog is getting affection the other can not push in. They are told to "sit" and "wait". Whining and vocalizing gets them nothing but the command to "be quiet". Sometimes I have walked away without giving Shelby even a pat if he has been exceptionally demanding
• If we are going somewhere and they have gotten over excited they have to sit at the open door until they are calm and quiet before I "release" them outside.
• If they are overexcited and barking when we get to the park they have to lay down and not until they are quiet are they "released" out of the car.
• Our dog park is double gated at the entrance. My dogs have to hold a "sit stay" with their leashes off so I can go and open the second gate. They don't move to enter the park until they are "released".
  

This last one has a made a huge difference. Before I started insisting on this, Shelby would make such a racket that all the other dogs that were even slightly excitable would hover by the gate and charge him in their excitement as he entered. He never got hurt but it was enough to make me worry. Now even if we enter with him barking and whining by the time we enter the park any interested dog has lost their initial interest and my dogs can enter without getting mobbed. All around much safer for all the dogs.

One more point to keep in mind is that your dogs will take thier cues from you. It's hard wired into thier instincts as pack animals. When you raise your voice or talk sharply, a dog hears this tone as being excited, similar to barking. Realize that it will only reinforce their already excited behavior, and give them the idea that you are excited too, so it must be okay! Instead speak softly and in quiet tones to get your dog to calm down, and they'll realize soon enough it's not appropriate behavior for the situation.

Trust me this is not an easy thing to always practice when you own a "reactive" dog. They seem to be able to go from "zero to crazy" in a split second all on their own. I continue to struggle with keeping my voice calm everyday. That being said, it's good to keep reminding myself what my focus should be and why. Hopefully it will help you too, if you as well find yourself with a dog that needs self control as much as they need exercise.

"Nothing in Life is Free"

I recently came across some very good dog training articles. They are all presenting the dog training concept of "Nothing in Life is Free". This approach is one of the clearest simplest ideas I've seen. The idea makes so much sense on so many different levels I hope you will check it out. Living with a dog or dogs in your family should be a pleasure not a burden. If ever there was a simple owners manual that should come with every dog this would have to be it. Check out these links below:

• Nothing in life is free (pdf download)
• Nothing in Life is Free - Explained further!

On Dog Training in general

• Positive, Negative, Neutral

Even though NILIF is the least of what you should know when it comes to raising a dog it is the simplest starting point I've seen out there that can save even the most careless owner a lot of grief.

Let's be honest about Labradors

Labradors are a challenging breed to own. Raising Labradors from 8 weeks old is even more challenging. Just when you think the worst is over, because they have stopped chewing everything in sight including you, they become "teenagers". If you make it through puppy adolescence with your sanity intact the full realization hits as to the extent of the commitment you've embarked on.

Please don't misunderstand me. I absolutely love my two Labradors. I wouldn't trade them for the world regardless of the challenges the last year and 1/2 have brought. I just think that it's very important to really consider what you're doing when you choose to bring a Labrador into your life.

My thoughts went in this direction after talking to a young woman at the park. She was in the area on chance and when she saw me and my Labradors out for some exercise and ball fetch time she stopped to let her dog get some wiggles out. As it turns out she was raised with a Labrador as the family pet. Of course, this Labrador was the ideal perfect temperament of a Labrador. When her mom got divorced they bought her a Labrador, this was her mom's Labrador she had with her. Unfortunately with the house a lot quieter, now that all the children were adults and no longer at home, this new addition to the family had been able to set all the rules. As the daughter told me the story I realized quietly to myself what a huge mistake they had made. Her mom was out of her element in setting limits and establishing good leadership for the Labrador, not to mention offering him good exercise. Than there was the fact that he was intact and even she admitted this made him harder to control if another dog was around. At two years old this Labrador's behavior was easily 8 months behind Shelby.

With this in the back of my mind I saw an article and it made me think that more people need to see the full picture when it comes to Labradors. The article is titled: "Labrador Retrievers: What's good about 'em, What's bad about 'em." Although I don't agree with everything mentioned in this article it is worth considering many of the points brought up before you decide on a Labrador Retriever as your next "family member."

If you find yourself reading this and saying, "too late - I've got one and they are part of the family now", please realize that the challenges I found in raising my two Labradors is why I started this blog. Hopefully this blog will help you find the answers you need to enjoy what in my opinion is one of the best breed of dogs.

Bark Busters - The truth will be told

One of the things that impressed me the most when I started looking for answers was that the best information I found out there was free. For instance "Flying Dog Press" Suzanne Clothier's website contains free articles she has written that cover many important topics. Topics that people are often seeking answers for when they run into problems. Her love for and compassion for animals and their owners is tangible in everything she writes. Then there are the awesome articles written by various trainers on the Clicker Solutions web site. Once again the training articles are free.

I was reading through a dog discussion forum today and came across this post form someone who shared her experience with Bark Busters. Having never had any first hand knowledge of their approach, as the price alone made me think twice, I was interested in what she had to say. You can read Tricia's post here, and here was Bark Busters response (also see comments). Personally I am still glad I kept looking for other options when a Bark Busters trainer was recommended to me.

As I've said before there is no quick fix, there are no short cuts, the promise of a "lifetime guarantee" is absurd. What you should look for is a trainer who can go the distance with you to help you train your dog the first time with out charging you "an arm and a leg". Dogs are group, family, (yes I'm intentionally avoiding the word "pack") animals. Apart from dog-dog indiscriminate aggression which I will not even venture to offer comment on as I have no training on that very serious issue. It has been my experience that most behavioral issues are best addressed in a group setting. When adolescence issues are most evident around other dogs than they need to be addressed by a very competent trainer in the presence of other dogs. Everything from asking for focused attention, walking on loose leash, coming when called, and polite greetings with other people, are all best taught with the distraction of other dogs and people.

Update 11/17/06:
Here's another first hand experience with a "Bark Busters" Trainer. This one once again confirms my point. Dog trainers are not all of a sudden bullet proof because they are "Bark Busters" trainers. They are human like the rest of us, and it is our responsibility as responsible dog owners to be proactive in the care and training of our dogs. I know a tremendous amount more now about raising and training dogs than I ever did before acquiring my two dogs and I'm not done learning. There are great resources out there for those of us willing to take the time to find them. And the rewards far out way the effort!!

Labrador's are amazing companions

When the puppies were 4 months old and able to start exploring the community with us we took them everywhere we could. That meant that some of our favorite restaurants were the dog friendly ones. We hung out on patios for our meals and even though it was cooler outside as we were soon moving into fall (as we are again now) it was worth it. The dogs were with us and learning manners in public.

One of the best things I did was to purchase a soft lined waterproof picnic blanket. We would lay this down next to and just under our table and then tell the dogs to "go to their bed". It really helped anchor them. They knew the boundaries of where they could move within. Not to mention, of course, that outdoor restaurant patios are not the cleanest. I didn't want them polishing the concrete where food had dropped with their tongues. The blanket solved both issues nicely.

Then we hit adolescence - and trips to restaurants with the dogs became a significantly less frequent occurrence. We tested the water early in our work with Trish and although things had definitely improved we still had a ways to go. No one enjoying their meal, even though it's outside, wants to be disturbed by rude, over excited, barking, or whining dogs. And they weren't getting any smaller or cuter to compensate for their behavior. So our goal was clear, - calm, quite, anchored to their blanket politeness, - when they went out to eat with us.

Well today was another "Reward Day" for all our hard work. I took them by myself to lunch and they were absolute models of politeness. They held perfect "sit stays" while I laid out their blanket and then settled in quietly. We sat at the outer edge of the patio to be out of direct foot path. However, this meant that we were next to the dish room cart the waiters used for the dirty plates as tables were cleared. Shelby was closest to the cart and never said a peep. He stayed lying down verses his typical jump up to demand attention and get under foot. No over excited whining or barking as the waiters came close. I was so proud. At one point he appeared to fall asleep (though us dog people know that is impossible) and didn't even crack an eye lid when someone passed by.

Yes, even so, we still have things to work on. But having come this far means that we all have more freedom and can enjoy more privileges, making all the hard work worth it!! For me, my Labradors are a joy to have around. I see more smiles around me when I have the dogs. Even for those who may never chose to have a pet themselves, it does seem to bring joy to most everyones day. Being able to take them back out into the community is a real pleasure. As the summer comes to an end it's nice to enjoy the last nice warm "patio dinning days" with the dogs.

It's worth it, I promise!!

When you have those break through moments they reward you beyond compare. I promise!

I had one today with Shelby. As I've mentioned before there was a time just about this time last year when I truly believed that every squirrel and bird in the neighborhood had conspired against me. They seemed to come out in full force when ever I would try and take Shelby for a walk around the block. He would yank on his leash and carry on like an insane dog barking and whining and lunging. The prong collar didn't seem to phase him in the least and all my yelling at him was of no use it only added fuel to the fire.

We've been working so hard this past year to change our approach, to work with the language he understands, to set new positive boundaries and expectations. I was rewarded today. I've started very short distance walks off leash in the neighborhood, mainly when I'm running next door or across the street to the neighbors. Nutmeg is the angle of perfection on these walks, and much to his credit Shelby is getting more reliable. Well, today I made it to the end of the drive when I was distracted by a neighbor and stopped. Shelby stopped in a perfect "heel" next to me without my having to say a thing as I talked across the street. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him quickly shift to my right side and he yipped. Ever in tune with them when off leash I quickly called him back to my left side into a "sit stay". Once I knew he was anchored I ventured a look at what had caught his attention. There, just three houses down, was a squirrel darting across the street. Fixed at my side Shelby was having a fit, barking whining and carrying on, but to my amazement it was evident at points that he was trying hard to contain himself. Just two reminders to "stay" at my side and "leave it" was all I had to add.

I was shocked! Just a few short months ago he would have been off in a flash, especially since he was off leash. Despite the loud fit he was having at my side - he was at my side. I know that this is only one test and that we will not always come through them so well but what amazing progress we have both made. I was so proud, my neighbor was impressed, I couldn't stop grinning. Calmly and quietly when he was finally quite I told him what a very good dog he was. What a moment - one worth waiting and working for. I have to keep reminding myself that he's just 17 months and we've had to back peddle a bit in that time.

One thing was clear today though, we're well on our way - both of us!

Working on "calm"

Since reading Suzanne Clothier's book on teaching your dog "Self Control" I've really been working on reinforcing a "calm" state with the dogs. I was about to say especially - Shelby, but realized that was not fair. In being more observant lately I have noticed that although Nutmeg does not whine or show her general state so obviously she is often just as wound or agitated. She'll play the submissive card overly easy, or she'll sit perfectly still but her muscles will be twitching hard from her shoulders to her back legs. Although more subtle this still represents a more "reactive" state.

To redirect them or help to calm them I have been using "the ignore" a lot. This morning though it didn't seem to help so I sent them outside and played fetch with them. We then came inside and tried again.

I suppose I should mention what we were trying to do in the first place. It was breakfast time, as always they had run to their bed in the kitchen and dropped into "down stays" waiting for me to serve up their food and "release" them to eat. Now some of you may be thinking - well of course they're excited and anxious, it's time to eat. My thought was this. If I want to foster "calm" than rewarding their over reactive state, with something as huge as breakfast, would not have been ideal.

My efforts payed off! It was dog class today and the ride over had far less whining to suffer through. There class went much better than last week. Shelby was completely focused on my husband and Nutmeg was completely keyed into my commands as well.

It's amazing how perceptive dogs are!! I've also become more aware of subtle changes in them and this has proved invaluable. To those of you with "reactive dogs" my challenge to you - that I challenge myself with every day - is to see them more as "highly perceptive dogs" and realize that they are only mirroring you!!

"Bark Busters" - BUSTED!!

This was my personal experience . . .

When I first realized I was headed down the wrong path as the dogs entered adolescence I started to look for another trainer. Someone who understood specifically what we were going through and had real solutions. Our holistic vet recommended a "Bark Busters" trainer. I'm sure the trainer had been doing the rounds and left brochures at the office. The vet asked me to let him know how things went. The first referral he had made had gone well but he wanted to know how things went for us. So I gave the trainer a call.

I had to leave a message as no one answered, but my call was returned that very evening. The trainer was very understanding and took the time to ask what I felt were very relevant questions. He was empathetic and compassionate. Then we discussed the details. He said that he started with at least a 2 hour session where he primarily educates his clients on the psychology of dog behavior and what motivates dogs to do what they do. He than said he does (to my best recollection) ~5 sessions with the dogs. For this he charges $500 per dog, but since we had two dogs he was only going to charge us $800. Oh, but wait, there was a life time guarantee!!

All my relief in finding a trainer that understood went out the window. Was he insane!! I understood that we needed to change our approach, that our dogs needed to practice new behaviours, that we needed to practice better handling skills. How was that going to happen in the limited time he was saying he would actually be working with us? I felt caught between a rock and a hard place, I love my dogs and wanted things to change, this guy had taken the time to talk to me, he was saying he could help. But, huge gulp, how much was it worth to me?

My intuition said keep looking, get over your guilt, buck up and find something that rings true for you. Feeling guilty is not a good place to start any commitment!!.

That's when we found Trish. So far we have spent $600 in classes. But here's the difference, $600 payed for two separate 6 week long classes; 12 - 1 hour classes for both dogs or 24 hours between the two. It also included another 6 week long class just for Shelby; 6 hours. In all, that is 30 hours that have included other dogs, and distractions, not to mention the ongoing support of Trish over the course of the past 5 months. This actually will take us through the end of October. That's 7 months of support and training progression through some of the more challenging developmental stages in raising a dog, especially Labradors.

The price may still seam high in some of your estimation, but it's been more than worth it. Trish rarely has more than 10 dogs in each class, the last two have been more around 7. The activities we do build on the basic obedience we already had but with a fun and games twist, all the while learning important skills. Like I've said before you need to observe a trainer conducting a class before you decide to work with that trainer. It has to be right for you. I didn't know any better when we started in a class of 20. Perhaps for most dogs this is the perfect set up and they will do fine, unfortunately this was not the case for us. Perhaps paying $500 for a week with a "Bark Busters" trainer is more to your liking. Personally it feels like a real sham to me when faced with the reality that shaping a dogs behavior takes time. Their are no quick fixes, no free lunch, and anyone who says that they have the quick Magic Pill should be - BUSTED!!

Surviving Puppy Adolescence

Hitting the skids . . .

Everything seemed to be going well until my two dogs hit adolescence. Then things really changed. It didn't help that I had majorly sprained my ankle as they were entering this stage and the weekly hikes came to a complete stop. When we headed back out over a month later all hell seemed to have broken loose. Hiking became a complete battle. With two 7 month old Labradors vs. My arm, shoulder and neck I was losing and losing fast!! Beginning obedience had gone so well with my two labs out performing in every way. My husband and I were so proud. Now intermediate obedience was off to a bumpy start with things going from bad to worse. The suggestions from our first trainer were worthless. I felt she was at more of a loss than we were. She should have been able to help. She was a trainer!! The class format left no room for helping with our challenges and we dropped out and lost half our money - for two dogs. I began my research in earnest at that point. I searched every where for some insight as to how to work with the personality components of a Labrador through this stage of development. I finally found some links that began to make sense of what we were going through.
• Surviving Your Puppy's Adolescence, by Tehani Mosconi
• Puppyhood and Beyond, by Sue St. Gelais
This was the best I found. The second link really helped put things into perspective. But there were still no details on how to deal with my specific day to day issues.

The simple act of taking a walk had become a nightmare. Shelby, our boy, would bark and whine incessantly. Any distraction from a bird or squirrel set him into fits and boy could he bark. Nutmeg, our girl, would take her cues from him and it would go from bad to worse in a heart beat. We were lucky if I could take it for more than a block.

I franticly searched through Amazon's dog training books and the recommendations for each book. Soon I was more confused than when I started. Then by some miracle I found the "Dogwise" web site and the books by Turid Rugaas. I cried as I read her book "On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming signals". Finally, I began to understand that they had been trying to communicate with me despite their change in behavior. I now understood when they were trying to calm themselves down, when they were trying to calm me down, and how I could help calm them down in turn. I learned that I could help facilitate the valuable calming behaviors shown here "Calming Signals Picture Gallery". Skills they needed to continue with their training despite the increased impulsivity and highly distractable stage they had entered. Not to mention, these skills were vitally necessary for them to have in order to safely and properly communicate with other dogs they interacted with.

It was also around this same time as well that good fortune also allowed me to find an awesome trainer. The first time we talked Trish spent twenty minutes on the phone with me and never once mentioned that her usual fee is $35/ half hour. Then, knowing full well what was going on with my dogs, she invited me to a class that had been going already for two sessions. A generous offer as a new dog with issues was going to be added to a class just settling down and working well together. I decided to take Shelby as he was the worst offender. Shelby added his fair share of chaos to the class. Trish was patient and understanding. At the end of class Trish worked with us one on one and showed me in a matter of minutes that simply ignoring him until he calmed down was the first and biggest step towards changing his behavior. I didn't need to respond to his bad behavior to effect the change I wanted, I needed to ignore it. As soon and he would stop his whining he immediately got a treat. If he jumped up he was immediately given her back. Quickly taking cues from her that night I ignored him completely but stayed close, giving him my back and offering no eye contact unless he was quite or calm. It was amazing the change in him in just five minutes. Even so they were the longest five minutes of my life.

Things changed dramatically at home after that. When my husband came home from work he would ignore the dogs until they were calm. He would stay in the same space as them but they got no affection or eye contact or verbal acknowledgement until they were calm and quite. By the end of the week the over excitement level at arrival moments was gone within seconds not minutes. We had made a big baby step, but it was only the beginning. The incessant barking during walks took three month to fix. Huge improvement happened in the first month giving me the encouragement I needed to keep going. But they were the longest months ever in the first year.

I found another good book during this time:
• Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide.
I quickly realized after reading Turid Rugaas's book that the more I understood what my dogs were saying to me the more I knew what I needed to do so they understood me. I was more sensitive to there needs because I could make sense of their body language. Trish did warn me to take this book with a grain of salt. The book goes into extensive detail describing the slightest changes in facial expression and puts a label on it. Even I found that keeping it simple and looking for generalities makes more sense. Is your dog happy, sad, fearful, relaxed, or negotiating. These are the basic simple things you need to be able to see, not just in your dogs but in the dogs you encounter in the community while walking your dog. Here's a great article from another very generous trainer that has posted articles to the web:
• The Fine Art of Observation, by Suzanne Clothier

We continued with the training classes with Trish and even she was pleased with the changes. In every class there was always compassion and empathy from her and new tricks to try for the next week. Things began to turn around. I was getting my dogs back and learning more and more about them every day. I was falling in love, head over heals in love!!

Where to begin . . .

Hindsight is always 20/20.

There are many things that I wish I had known before I started my own adventures into the world of living with Labradors. Hopefully some of these resources that have been invaluable to me, even though I found them a bit later than I really needed them, will help you avoid some of the problems that I encountered.

• The first resource that any dog owner, regardless of breed, should have in their house are the two books by Pat Miller: 1) The Power of Positive Dog Training, and 2) Positive perspectives: Love Your Dog Train Your Dog

• Another absolute must for owners of every breed of dog are the resources of a brilliant women named Turid Rugaas: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals.

• Then there is: The Whole Dog Journal.

None of the above recommendations cost very much at all and are worth far beyond their weight in gold. If you truly want to raise your dog(s) to be happy well mannered members of your family not to mention good citizens of the community you work, live and play in than start off on the right foot.

Yes, this past year was my first venture into living with two large dogs. So you may be saying to yourself "what could she possibly know about dogs", "she barely knows what to do herself". You may be right, but what I can tell you is that I've done my homework. I've run into problems and found nothing out there to point me in the right direction. I've spent countless hours doing research. I was fortunate to finally find a good trainer to work with who complimented what I was reading in these books. My "good trainer" did not cost me a small fortune or give me false promises. And, the first thing she invited me to do was come observe her classes. All signs of a good trainer - trust me on this!!

Perhaps that is why I felt inclined to start this blog. I remember running into trouble as my "boy" Shelby hit puppy adolescence and looking to see if there were any internet forums or blogs that had some insight to offer. I was open to anything; trainers, experts, even first timers like me who were out there sharing their knowledge. I found nothing really useful. What I did find were commentators on Amazon bashing alternate training books. This only left me spinning in circles between books. Most of the rest of what I found were forums with poor answers to real questions, nonsense web sights that were more concerned with the politics of training approaches and told you nothing of real value, or sites that pushed a product for a price.

The resources I've listed above come from people and entities who simply love dogs and want everyone to experience the full amazing benefits of adding a canine companion to your life. The links on this site will take you to good quality resources that I hope will help you as they have helped me. My hope is that this blog will be a starting point for you to find the answers you are looking for.