Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cash, training, training in unusual conditions, walking
Cash has this tendency to get excited when he sees me get his leash out. Now, this wouldn’t be so bad because he’s good at controlling himself even when he’s excited, but he whines.
I mean, whines like you wouldn’t believe. It’s this engine-breaking sort of noise that drives me INSANE, and it continues from the instant he sees the leash until we get ten feet down the road.
Cash is a king shepherd. The breed came from interbreeding German shepherds, malamutes, and great Pyrenees into a whole new breed, recognized by the American Rare Breed Association. Of those breeds, the German shepherd is prominent — and do you know one of the things they’re known for? Oh, yeah. Vocalizing.
I’m noise sensitive. I don’t do well with whining. Or barking. Or shrieking. Or anything else like that, really. So Cash’s hysterical whining when we walk? I don’t do so well with it.
The usual fix for this sort of whining is to wait to move until the dog goes quiet. There are, however, a few problems with this if you’re me (or like me):
1. It takes the dog so long to go quiet that I’ve failed in non-reacting because it got on my nerves.
2. It takes the dog so long to go quiet that I had to leave because I was going to be late for everything else, so we either skipped the walk entirely or I left before he went quiet.
3. Every time I move when he does go quiet, he starts whining instantly and… see above.
I was talking to Quin about all this, because the whining drives her insane, too, and she started offering suggestions.
Q: What about scolding him?
J: No good. It’ll increase the anxiety and he’ll whine more.
Q: Oh. I guess the same goes for popping the leash or pushing him back?
J: Yeah.
And then Quin came up with a brilliant idea. It was this: get Cash’s leash out. Put it on him. Walk back into the house and continue doing whatever I was doing before. When he settles down, take it off him.
This was brilliant. More than that, it started working that very night! I’d been trying to fix this problem for months with no success, and this was so smart and so simple that I wondered that I hadn’t thought of it before. Leash him when I’m wandering around, so he learns to not get so excited at getting leashed, that very likely nothing fun is going to happen. Leash him ten minutes before I leave and continue about my business, so he has time to settle down before I pick up his leash and we go for a walk — rewarding the quiet behavior without driving me crazy or making me late.
It’s brilliant! And it’s worked! Now I know how my clients feel when I walk in, suggest something, and it works. So simple, and yet so clever!
J
Several months ago, I was talking to my assistant trainer Quin, and she was noting that Cash’s anxiety seemed to be ramping up. After discussing it, and laughing that I’d tell my clients, “Stop running him on the bike, start doing working dog walks,” I decided it was time to buckle down and follow my own advice!
I still don’t know why Cash’s anxiety began to ramp up. I’m not sure what the trigger was, exactly. But I do know that I hadn’t been walking him regularly; you know how the builder’s door always squeaks? Well, the dog trainer’s dogs are often neglected! I’d been busy and taking them for fast bike rides, rather than the emotionally stabilizing walks.
Walks are funny; there are all sorts of theories on why they work. There’s one theory, that it triggers in them a pack mentality and lets them know that the humans are calling the shots and protecting the pack, so they can relax. (I subscribe to this theory.) There’s another theory, that it’s because it’s working the dog’s body and mind, giving them good calm time with their parent, and teaching them to listen and be calm. (I also believe this theory, but I believe the theories dovetail! Many others would disagree with me there.) And of course, there’s a million and one theories in between and to either side that give ever more reasons or combinations thereof.
It’s impossible to prove one over the other. We’d have to crack open our dogs’ brains and peer inside, see what they’re feeling and thinking. You can choose and theory and run with it, and in fact, I highly recommend doing so. Research theories, see what makes sense to you.
But whatever theory you believe as to why it works, that doesn’t change the fact that it worked!
I started walking Cash. Ten, fifteen minutes a day. Not long walks; these weren’t really walks to exercise him, but walks to get his emotions back in tune with me. Within a week the anxiety was completely gone, and that was the only change I made.
It’s good to remember to practice what you preach. Then my own dogs become the story!
J
The Pet People of Los Gatos asked me to write an article on how to properly walk your dog. I did so, and I’ll re-print it here for your edification!
Many people think that taking Fido out for his daily walk means he’s going to drag you down the street, pausing to sniff and pee, taking a look at the world and everything in it as it goes by — and that this is good for him.
The truth is, this kind of walk will only wind him up without giving him enough exercise, and teach him that the world is over-exciting and the person on the other end of the leash — you — can be ignored.
Pet People would be happy to put you in touch with trainers who can teach you and Fido how to walk together, but in case that’s not an option or you’d like to give it a go yourself, here’s a guide toward proper dog walking that will exercise your dog’s body and mind.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: classes, dog parks, recall, resources, training, walking
Occasionally, people ask me about classes. If I can remember, I’ll start putting them on the calendar here!
Classes are on a drop-in basis, and typically only for clients who have already had an assessment. If you’re interested in a specific class, but not private training, contact me and we’ll set up a short, cut-rate assessment so you can come to class and be up to speed with the terminology and what’s expected!
Everyone must have at least a short assessment, so they know the basics. I try to make sure these classes are as safe as possible!
Available classes take place in Los Gatos, by a schedule I send out a few months ahead of time. Typically the Dogs Downtown class takes places on either Saturday or Sunday morning, every other weekend. The other classes vary.
Dogs Downtown Classes:
$15 per household prepaid (non-refundable; you can pay via paypal or check), or $20 the day of. We practice understanding dog body language, on-leash greeting, confidence building, good manners, and walking through crowds and scary downtown things. This is also a good time to catch me if you have questions or problems have cropped up, but you don’t need a whole session.
Off Leash Recall (or “come”) Classes:
$25 per dog, space is limited. You will need to bring treats and a long rope (20 ft or more), and we’ll go through how to get your dog listening and tuned in under medium-stress situations, outdoors. It’s best if your dog is at the stage where they know what “come” means, but choose not to listen occasionally.
Dog Park Classes:
Space in dog park classes is limited for safety’s sake. Cost is $25 per dog. We meet outside the dog park, practice checking dogs for good body language, spotting problems, entering, working with our dogs so they listen even at the dog park, work on recall, and learn how to know when it’s safe to be there and when it’s time to leave.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expecations, philosophy, training, walking
One of the MOST IMPORTANT things I can tell people is that they need to walk their dogs — properly. (I haven’t posted about walking properly, but there are all sorts of articles on how to do it, with different ways of teaching you and your dog to walk together. Try Googling it!)
I’ve also hit a LOT of resistance from clients lately. I hear a lot of reasons as to why someone feels they don’t need to walk their dog, so I’m going to debunk some myths here.
1. My dog isn’t energetic.
That’s probably true. Dogs are like children; most kids I know would rather play video games than go to martial arts class. But just like children, going for a walk is better than napping. Whether or not they get out and work their muscles, they still have a need to exercise. The fact that they’re bottling energy up just means it has to go somewhere — likely toward whatever behavior we don’t want them doing, or to feed anxiety, aggression, and stress. A low energy dog still has energy, and in fact, many high energy dogs look lazy — they’re bottling that energy up. My pit bull, Lily, is a VERY HIGH ENERGY DOG. She sleeps all day. If I don’t make her get out and exercise, she looks low energy… and then she turns that energy she bottled up into anxiety and destruction. (Furniture, to be precise.)
2. My dog has a yard to play in.
Again, let’s look at kids. Are your kids more likely to sit and play video games, or go wander around in the yard by themselves? If they do head into the yard, do they get bored and come back in if no one is out there playing with them? And if you banish them to the trampoline by themselves, do they wear themselves out or do they come back in shortly, bored? All those same answers are true for dogs, too.
3. But training is going so well; the problem’s gone away.
The problem has gone away because you are exercising your dog and because you’re working on it. It takes both things to solve your problems. Like getting fit requires both exercise and eating healthy, and one doesn’t work without the other, keeping your dog emotionally fit requires boundaries and exercise. As soon as you stop exercising your dog, they take that energy and put it right back toward arguing with you.
People laughingly say that tired dogs are good dogs, but it’s true. Walking them works their body and drains off energy that MUST be put toward some use — if not walking, then arguing. Walking them also stimulates their minds so they aren’t just stagnant and bored and pondering bad ways to get attention. How do you feel at the end of the day if you’ve done nothing? Dissatisfied? Edgy? Cranky? Your dog is the same way. Now what if you’ve gotten something done? Do you feel accomplished? Tired? Satisfied? To a dog, walking is getting something done — they’ve followed their leader, seen new things, made sure the neighborhood is safe, worked as a team with the rest of their pack (you).
Even if you don’t walk correctly, walking is still important. It is the number one most important thing you can do.
So get out! Get some air! Get some sun and some exercise. Take your dog to the coffee shop, the post office, around the block, to the park. Enjoy the day… and make your best friend mentally and physically healthier!
