Resolved for 2016

by lennearbNo Comments
What will you train your pets to do (or not to do!) in 2016? A new year is right around the corner, and, like many people, my mind is turning to the things I want to do next year. Although I adopted Nefertiti in 2007 and Sirius Black in 2009, there are always more things I want to do with them. Some of these come from friends, training colleagues, and clients. Many others come from the part of the training process that i sometimes describe as whackamole (an inelegant turn of phrase that I promise does not involve any actual whacking). Inevitably, any training or behavior modification regimen will bring to light new things you want to work on with your pet. Some of this is because successfully addressing one issue makes one that seemed minor in comparison more pressing. Other times, some part of the solution or management routine can actually contribute to a new problem or solving one problem may allow...
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Training—This Time with Squirrels

by lennearbNo Comments
My husband and I refer to this time of year1 as "ground squirrel" season because of the number of squirrels we see in our neighborhood hanging out under trees; dashing across the street, seemingly as close to our dog as possible; and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Most of the year, when the squirrels are hanging out in the trees, Sirius Black will ignore them. However, when there are thirteen squirrels hanging out under a tree a few feet from where we are walking, ignoring them becomes a lot harder for him. Instead, he thinks it would be a good idea to chase them. Barking at them is also a good alternative. (Barking is also his reaction to sheep, deer, and geese that are not where they belong.) There are a few ways to deal with this: I can resign myself to being spun around like a top by an almost-fifty-pound Border Collie mix barking and pulling.2 I can take advantage of this...
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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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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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Out of Place

by lennearb1 Comment
We were walking today when we saw two Canadian geese. I barely noticed them, as we see geese several times a week, but Sirius, who normally walks by geese without a second glance, started watching them intently as he prepared to charge or bark. What made these geese worth noticing? Instead of being by a lake or stream, they were hanging out on the University of Maryland Quad. In other words, they were out of place. When working with dogs, on both training and behavior modification, it is important to understand how they see the world and when they will or will not generalize. In my training classes, I often tell my students that dogs don't generalize well. No matter how well they demonstrate "Leave It" in class, they are likely to go home and revert to their previous habits of picking up things that catch their attention, unless a lot of work is put into the activity at home. That happens because, in...
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“Drop It!” Dos and Don’ts

by lennearbNo Comments
Scene familiar to most dog owners. The dog is in the next room. You hear a noise, and then in walks the dog with something in her mouth. What happens next? A reliable drop cue is a lifesaving skill for your dog, but it is one that I find particularly difficult to demonstrate in class, where most dogs are so focused on treats that they aren't interested in picking anything up. This blog post is intended to serve as a refresh or supplement for training drop at home. The basic mechanics of teaching drop are easy. Your dog has something (ideally a toy or another safe object). Say drop. Present a reward (food or toy) that is more exciting than the object. When the dog drops the held object, click or use a verbal marker, give rewards. Five dos and don'ts: Don't wait until your dog has something dangerous to practice drop Don't reward dropping with a less valuable reward Don't let your dog turn grabbing off-limits...
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Talk to your dog! (Your phone’s not listening)

by lennearb1 Comment
Have you ever seen this? Someone is walking down the street with one hand on the dogs leash and the handle of the stroller and the other holding their phone to their ear. As you approach with your dog, what are you thinking? Do you feel confident that they will be able to react if their dog starts to lunge at yours? Or maybe you are a parent of small children. How do you feel as someone approaches your family texting on their phone while their dog eyes your unsteady toddler warily? I will admit right now that I am sometimes guilty of paying more attention to my phone than to my dog, whether it's texting, talking, or checking the baseball scores. However, in a recent push to improve our walking, I am working to become more aware of my own behavior and how it effects my dog. Part of this effort is understanding the role of technology. I have recently heard several...
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4 Life-saving Uses of a Strong “Stay”

by lennearbNo Comments
Most of the dogs I see professionally, as well as most of those who grace my personal life, are in serious need of some practice with relaxation. So I concentrate a lot of my energy, as I have discussed before, on helping dogs develop a strong relaxed down. However, there are many of times that call for a strong stay without the relaxation. To clarify, since "wait" and "stay" can be used in different ways, in these cases we are looking for the dog to hold his or her location until released. Holding a certain posture is less critical. Stay in the car. Stop me if this has been you. The dog and a bag of ________ [groceries, laundry, fill in the blank] are in the back of the car. You park the car, get out, and open the back. Before you can grab the bag, out pops the dog. Wouldn't it be nice to have a strong stay so that the...
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A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

by lennearb2 Comments
When I started training, we used to describe using a clicker to taking a Poloroid photo of the desired behavior. These days, however, many of my (human) students are too young to have more than a hazy idea of a Poloroid, so the analogy doesn't work quite as well anymore. However, I recently realized that the concept is even more relevant than it used to be. In an era when cellphone cameras capture every cute pose and expression our dogs make, what could be more relevant than the concept of taking a photo to capture desired behaviors? That is what markers help us do. Markers signal to our dogs when they have done something right. Of course, we reinforce our approbation with food or play rewards, but the use of a marker makes this connection cleaner and clearer. If you are rewarding a sit, during the delay between sit and treat, your dog may have looked at the ground, licked his lips, and...
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