Listening to Silence

Listening to Silence

by lennearbNo Comments
Your new puppy has been running you ragged all day, or, really, since before the day began, since she asked to go out at 3am and was ready for breakfast and the start of a new day at 6am. On your day off. In the couple of hours you've been up, you've already rescued a stray sock from her and stopped her from chasing the cat. By the time she collapses in a momentary exhaustion onto her dog bed, all you can think of is tiptoeing by so you can get a chance to fold the laundry, make a grocery list, and clean the bathroom before she wakes up again. But wait! What does it teach your puppy if she earns attention by chewing sneakers and barking at other animals and gets ignored when she lies quietly on her bed? Unfortunately, she will quickly learn that calm, relaxed behavior does not get attention, but that attention can be earned by what we...
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Practicing for Real Life

by lennearbNo Comments
I am going to admit this: I don't really like cleaning, especially vacuuming. Fortunately, there is a lot less vacuuming required by the hardwood floors of my current house than in some of the carpeted apartments I have lived it. Less, but not none. Sirius Black, like many animals, highly dislikes the high-pitched motor of the vacuum. We've worked on desensitization, so he is no longer afraid of it, just uncomfortable around it. Unfortunately, unlike Nefertiti, who also dislikes it, he won't head for the farthest reaches of the house when he sees me pull it out. Instead, he tends to lie down somewhere close where he can watch me. Most often, the spot he chooses is right on the rug or floor I am planning to vacuum. This is where training for real life has it's moment to shine. I have written before about training relaxation and down on a mat. I teach this exercise in all my classes and to most of...
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What’s in a Tail?

What’s in a Tail?

by lennearbNo Comments
I was walking Sirius yesterday, and someone complimented his tail. This happens frequently—it is an amazing tail—and wouldn't be worth mentioning, except for what she said next: "What a great communication tool." I'll admit it. I just stared at her in dumbfounded silence for a moment and then kept walking. Why was I so taken aback? Because Sirius's tail is one of his worst communication tools, at least when it comes to communicating with new dogs, and has, in fact, caused him trouble on multiple occasions. Let's start with a word about body language. Dogs communicate through vocal signals, of course, but they depend much more heavily on body language. (If you want to learn to better understand dogs, you can't do better than to start with body language.) Tails, both in movement and position, are one form of this body language. A very broad brush explanation of tail position follows. Dogs have a neutral or resting position, which is where they characteristically...
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Dress for Success, Part 3: Leashes

Dress for Success, Part 3: Leashes

by lennearbNo Comments
6 word blog post: six foot leather or fabric leashes.   I was seriously tempted to leave this post at that, since that is my best advice by far, but I eventually decided to add a few details. Length Four to six feet is a good standard length for most purposes.* Shorter leashes are okay for some uses, but they almost always end up being too short for others. It's easier to hold lower on the leash when you need to than to have multiple leashes for different occasions. Long lines, or multiple six foot leashes hooked together are great for long-distance training if you don’t have a secure area or you want to take your practice on the road. Never retractable leashes. They break, they get tangled, and they reinforce pulling on the leash. Material Fabric or leather. I prefer solid materials, but if you are going for that fancy design, make sure to check it is coupled with solid construction. The width of the...
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Dress for Success, Part 2: Harnesses

by lennearbNo Comments
When I first started working in shelters as an adoption counselor, long before I was teaching, our standard advice was that small dogs should be walked on harnesses to protect them from trachea damage, and that large energetic dogs should be walked on "no-pull" harnesses to help their owners manage pulling. I carried that advice with me when I started training, but over time, I have gradually expanded my recommendations in favor of harnesses. I now recommend them for nearly all dogs, but especially energetic dogs, reactive dogs, and dogs that are strong enough to pull the people that walk them in directions those people don't want to go. I mentioned above that "no-pull" harnesses manage pulling, and I think it is important to emphasize the difference between stopping and managing a behavior. Managing a behavior is like putting the trash into a cabinet: the dog can't reach the trash, but he doesn't learn anything about not going through trash that's available....
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Dress for Success, Part 1: Collars

by lennearbNo Comments
Story 1 We were walking our dog near our house when the dog ran up to greet Sirius Black. We looked around, but saw no one near the dog. When he approached close enough, we were able to catch hold of his collar and read the address, less than a block away. A minute later, we were ringing the doorbell and returning the dog home to his family, who didn't even know he was missing yet. Story 2 We were walking our dog near our house when the dog ran up to greet Sirius Black. We looked around, but saw no one near the dog. When she approached close enough, we were able to catch hold of her collar and read the information. The phone number had been disconnected, and the address turned out to be out of date. It took close to 18 hours to locate the dogs owner, only a few blocks away, and get her home.   Both of these stories are...
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4 Pieces of Advice for Me

by lennearbNo Comments
Sometimes people talk about writing a letter to their younger selves. I haven't found any service that will deliver one of those yet, so I hope you can benefit from my advice. Train Earlier Bailey earner her nickname as the best dog. No matter what you wanted to do, she was happy to do it with you, whether that was a long hike or a lazy day on the couch. Her easy-going nature made it easy to ignore her less appealing traits, like going through the trash, as well as her issues, like stress in the car. When I finally started training with her, when she was 8, she was able to pass the Canine Good Citizen test on the first try. The experience also helped with other issues, like the car stress. I only wish I had tried it sooner. Don't Live Downtown Don't get me wrong: living downtown is the right choice for a lot of people, and it even seems to...
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Here’s to 6 More Years!

Here’s to 6 More Years!

by lennearb2 Comments
Later this week, we'll celebrate the sixth anniversary of Sirius Black's adoption. I find this almost impossible to believe, but it's true. A lot has happened since we first brought him home, and he lay motionless on the floor of our living room, giving his best impression of a dog with no personality. When we first brought him home, I was an animal welfare professional, but far from a behavior professional. My husband—who wasn't even my husband yet—had never had a dog before. All three of us had a lot to learn! We've made some mistakes along the way. In fact, have some useful advice stored up for the future; things like, don't take your noise-phobic dog to a sesquicentennial of a Civil War battle, unless you want to spend the entire day walking at the far end of the battlefield from all the events. But, mostly, I have good memories. We've been through a lot together, including three moves, several job changes,...
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A Mile on Someone Else’s Leash

by lennearbNo Comments
A few times a year, we will have friends or family bring their dogs along on a visit.* For someone who has not brought a new pet home in more than a half decade (more about that next week), it can be easy to forget the experience of having a new pet in your home. When you bring a new pet home, whether it's your first or your fifth, there is an immediate change to your schedule. It just takes longer to feed, walk, and play with multiple dogs than it does to do the same thing with one. And so often they need to be fed separately. Or what if the new dog won't eat? What if all the dogs just want to eat someone else's food? When you step out of the house, the issues continue. Will the dog react to a squirrel? What about a rabbit? A jogger? Another dog? When I walk with Sirius Black, I more or less...
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Happy Fourth!

by lennearbNo Comments
I love fireworks and thunderstorms. I feel almost guilty admitting this, when these loud noises are so terrifying for so many dogs, including Sirius Black. However, at moments like this, it seems especially important to admit the truth. This is Fourth of July weekend, and I will probably attend at least two fireworks shows this weekend. In fact, a lot of my planning around Fourth of July usually goes into deciding when and where to attend fireworks. And, since this is the mid-Atlantic in summer, I have been told to expect thunderstorms several days this weekend. That will make it an even tougher weekend for Sirius, who is already on edge after several bad storms this past week. It's always important to practice good fireworks safety, but it's especially important to look out for the safety of our pets during this holiday. Every year, many dogs and cats are reported missing over this weekend, since even pets that normally don't react to...
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