Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Ruff Love
I recently bought Susan Garrett's book, Ruff Love. It is a behavior modification program that strengthens your relationship with your dog(s). The core theory behind this book is that dogs do what is reinforcing; If a dog is allowed the freedom to choose what is most rewarding, he always will. Stage One of Garrett's program will teach your dog that everything good comes from you. You control the environment so that the dog focuses on you and will respond to you instead of other dogs, sights, sounds, smells, etc.
The program begins by having the dog crated at all times that you cannot be with the dog. The part of the program I am having trouble grasping is that the dog should be in it's crate for the majority of the day. The crate is to be placed in an environment where the dog will not be exposed to other dogs in the house. When the dog is taken out of the crate, he must be on leash.
The second criteria is that the dog must be in a head halter. The dog should wear this halter while he is in his crate as well. Because my dogs are small and easy to physically control, I will definitely not be using the head halter. They have good leash manners so the head halter seems unnecessary.
The third criteria is that the dog must be on leash while going to the bathroom. YES! Something I already do. The point of this is that the dog learns to potty quickly. Thankfully my dogs potty as soon as we get outside. I usually have to walk 2 blocks to get a poo though.
The fourth criteria is supervised socialization. This one is going to be difficult. The dog should not be allowed to have unsupervised interaction with other household dogs at any time. How am I supposed to do this in an apartment? I realize the value in this step because my 7 month old Noah is definitely more attached to my 1 year old Sherlock than to me. When I take Sherlock outside and not Noah, when we return, Noah greets Sherlock first. This is probably why he isn't as responsive to me when we train. Whereas if I take Noah out and not Sherlock, Sherlock always greets me before Noah.
The fifth criteria is hand feeding. This is something I actually will enjoy doing. Noah eats a lot faster than Sherlock. Sherlock is a grazer and will step away from his bowl for a few minutes, only to return and find that his food is gone. Hand feeding the dogs separately will allow me to feed the appropriate amounts to both dogs.
The sixth criteria is no toys. The dog should not have access to toys unless interacting with the owner. This helps reinforce the idea that all fun things come from the owner.
The seventh criteria is the dog must always be on leash any time he is outside. He shouldn't be allowed to run or swim with a group of dogs because Garrett wants to avoid a pack mentality from developing. She does allow the dog to be off-leash when the owner is there to supervise. The owner should have constant interaction with the dog during this time though. The goal of this is to develop a great recall and to enforce that all fun things come from you.
During the first stage, there are relationship-building games and management tools that must be implemented. These include hand targeting, collar grabbing, and a sit-tug-sit game.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
What am I hoping to accomplish through this program?
1. Boost confidence in both of my dogs. Both of my dogs are insecure in their own ways. I am slightly concerned that this program will make Sherlock's separation anxiety worse. The program is supposed to make the dog focus on you, but honestly, I'm not sure if Sherlock could be any more focused on me.
2. Develop highly motivated dogs who are willing to work with lots of enthusiasm and intensity for me. Have total off-leash control and a flawless recall.
3. Cure dog-aggression. Sherlock occasionally snaps (never bites, but growls and chases away) at certain dogs. For some reason he is insecure around big dogs and small bully type breeds (i.e. frenchies, bostons, etc.) - He doesn't seem to mind french bulldogs anymore because when we go to the run in the morning, there are a few french bulldogs who are always there as well and he's actually started to play with them. Sherlock has become highly selective in who he plays with - he favors fluffy dogs and dachshunds. His favorite dogs are poodle-mixes, dachshunds, poms, and any dog in the maltese/bichon/havanese group. Noah still loves all types of dogs, but has started to resource guard from dogs.
So I have been easing my dogs into phase one today. First, I covered the toy box so they don't have access to toys. I took away chews and bones and am only giving them these while they are tethered in the apartment. They have spent the majority of the day tethered on a leash - in the same room, but unable to interact with each other. I took them out separately. I took Noah to the dog run. He is very shy without Sherlock and didn't really play with any of the other dogs. I must say he has impeccable leash manners when Sherlock is not with us. I then took Sherlock on a walk around the city for about 1.5 hours, with a short stop at a foreign dog park. Sherlock didn't play with any of the dogs.
So far my dogs are pissed. They refuse to eat their bully sticks while being tethered and are currently lying on the floor looking incredibly depressed. Occasionally, Sherlock will look at me and start whining. Tonight I fear will be the worst, when they get my bed privilege taken away.
I really don't think I will be crating them as I actually don't even have a crate that Noah could fit in right now. I don't want to buy new crates until I move, which won't be for another few weeks. I do think the crate will be too traumatic and I think tethering will be a good substitute. We shall see though.
The program begins by having the dog crated at all times that you cannot be with the dog. The part of the program I am having trouble grasping is that the dog should be in it's crate for the majority of the day. The crate is to be placed in an environment where the dog will not be exposed to other dogs in the house. When the dog is taken out of the crate, he must be on leash.
The second criteria is that the dog must be in a head halter. The dog should wear this halter while he is in his crate as well. Because my dogs are small and easy to physically control, I will definitely not be using the head halter. They have good leash manners so the head halter seems unnecessary.
The third criteria is that the dog must be on leash while going to the bathroom. YES! Something I already do. The point of this is that the dog learns to potty quickly. Thankfully my dogs potty as soon as we get outside. I usually have to walk 2 blocks to get a poo though.
The fourth criteria is supervised socialization. This one is going to be difficult. The dog should not be allowed to have unsupervised interaction with other household dogs at any time. How am I supposed to do this in an apartment? I realize the value in this step because my 7 month old Noah is definitely more attached to my 1 year old Sherlock than to me. When I take Sherlock outside and not Noah, when we return, Noah greets Sherlock first. This is probably why he isn't as responsive to me when we train. Whereas if I take Noah out and not Sherlock, Sherlock always greets me before Noah.
The fifth criteria is hand feeding. This is something I actually will enjoy doing. Noah eats a lot faster than Sherlock. Sherlock is a grazer and will step away from his bowl for a few minutes, only to return and find that his food is gone. Hand feeding the dogs separately will allow me to feed the appropriate amounts to both dogs.
The sixth criteria is no toys. The dog should not have access to toys unless interacting with the owner. This helps reinforce the idea that all fun things come from the owner.
The seventh criteria is the dog must always be on leash any time he is outside. He shouldn't be allowed to run or swim with a group of dogs because Garrett wants to avoid a pack mentality from developing. She does allow the dog to be off-leash when the owner is there to supervise. The owner should have constant interaction with the dog during this time though. The goal of this is to develop a great recall and to enforce that all fun things come from you.
During the first stage, there are relationship-building games and management tools that must be implemented. These include hand targeting, collar grabbing, and a sit-tug-sit game.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
What am I hoping to accomplish through this program?
1. Boost confidence in both of my dogs. Both of my dogs are insecure in their own ways. I am slightly concerned that this program will make Sherlock's separation anxiety worse. The program is supposed to make the dog focus on you, but honestly, I'm not sure if Sherlock could be any more focused on me.
2. Develop highly motivated dogs who are willing to work with lots of enthusiasm and intensity for me. Have total off-leash control and a flawless recall.
3. Cure dog-aggression. Sherlock occasionally snaps (never bites, but growls and chases away) at certain dogs. For some reason he is insecure around big dogs and small bully type breeds (i.e. frenchies, bostons, etc.) - He doesn't seem to mind french bulldogs anymore because when we go to the run in the morning, there are a few french bulldogs who are always there as well and he's actually started to play with them. Sherlock has become highly selective in who he plays with - he favors fluffy dogs and dachshunds. His favorite dogs are poodle-mixes, dachshunds, poms, and any dog in the maltese/bichon/havanese group. Noah still loves all types of dogs, but has started to resource guard from dogs.
So I have been easing my dogs into phase one today. First, I covered the toy box so they don't have access to toys. I took away chews and bones and am only giving them these while they are tethered in the apartment. They have spent the majority of the day tethered on a leash - in the same room, but unable to interact with each other. I took them out separately. I took Noah to the dog run. He is very shy without Sherlock and didn't really play with any of the other dogs. I must say he has impeccable leash manners when Sherlock is not with us. I then took Sherlock on a walk around the city for about 1.5 hours, with a short stop at a foreign dog park. Sherlock didn't play with any of the dogs.
So far my dogs are pissed. They refuse to eat their bully sticks while being tethered and are currently lying on the floor looking incredibly depressed. Occasionally, Sherlock will look at me and start whining. Tonight I fear will be the worst, when they get my bed privilege taken away.
I really don't think I will be crating them as I actually don't even have a crate that Noah could fit in right now. I don't want to buy new crates until I move, which won't be for another few weeks. I do think the crate will be too traumatic and I think tethering will be a good substitute. We shall see though.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Noah is 7 months old
Noah turned 7 months old today. He weighs 22.6lbs and is 17" tall. His growth in terms of weight has slowed considerably. He used to average 4-5lbs a month and now it's around 2lbs a month. His legs should be finished growing, but he should fill out a bit. Given this growth curve, I think he will mature to a healthy weight of around 28 - 30lbs. As you can see from the picture, he is considerable taller, wider, and heavier than Sherlock now. Some interesting behaviors have surfaced over the last month. I think Noah is going through his second fear period. He will freeze or run away when he notices something out of place or sees something he has never seen before. Thankfully, he only reacts to objects and is still as friendly towards people and other dogs as he has always been. The second behavior which I do not want to escalate is that he has started to resource guard from other dogs. Primarily, every time someone brings a toy into the dog run, if Noah ends up with it, once the other dogs start to chase him, he gets very tense and growls if they persist. I have been working on a drop it command. He tends to respond better to "out" than "drop it", so I am going to work on "out". I want to get to the point where I can yell "out" from across the park and have him drop whatever he has. Additionally, solidifying a better recall will help in these situations as well. He is still submissive towards adult dogs and continues to either flop on his back or lick at a dog's face. I think his guarding behavior stems from insecurity, so continuing with training will be great to strengthen his self-confidence. All in all, it's been a great month for Noah and he is maturing into a great dog.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Manhattan, the new Seattle?
It has been raining at least every other day for the past few weeks. I have never been to Seattle, but now I don't think I need to go. Here are a few pictures that I took tonight - I have always had a raincoat for Sherlock. If he gets slightly wet, he looks like a drowned rat, not to mention that he hates water. When we went hiking in February, he would find alternate routes to go in order to avoid stepping in a stream. I started to feel a little bit bad about not providing a raincoat for Noah, so I finally gave in and bought one for him. As you can see, Sherlock hates water while Noah loves it.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sherlock graduates from Intermediate Level II
Sherlock graduated from Intermediate Level II at Who's Walking Who Dog Training in New York City. The class decided to have a working class instead of a graduation. Over the past 6 weeks, we have worked hard on a better understanding of basic commands. We have been practicing sit, down, and stand at a distance, using both verbal and nonverbal commands. My trainers have told me that dogs don't generalize so asking the dog to sit while he's by your feet is different from asking your dog to sit while he is 10 feet away. During the last two classes, we practiced heeling in and out of a line of chairs while other people were sitting in the chairs with their dogs on their left. We practiced giving sit/down/stand at a distance while sitting in chairs and while our backs were turned to the dogs. All of these are great exercises that I will have to continue on my own.I am moving at the end of this month to Delaware, where I grew up. I have located what I think will be a good training school to continue training. I am excited to begin agility with Sherlock. I really don't know much about the sport, but I have a feeling that he will excel at this. Not only does he really enjoy working for me, but he has the drive to do what I ask, he's confident and decently quick and agile for his size. He may not be the fastest dog of his size, but where I think we will have an advantage is the fact that I already have off-leash control and that his focus on me is excellent.
During this off time between moving to DE and starting up new classes, I will have a few weeks to try and focus on a few things that I have been neglecting...
Goals for Sherlock:
1. Sit from a 20 foot distance
2. Stand using verbal command
3. Tighter heel and finishes
4. 3 minute sit-stay
5. 5 minute out of sight stay
Goals for Noah:
1. Understanding of finish left and right
2. Sit from a 20 foot distance
3. Stand using verbal command
4. Good foundation of heel
5. 3 minute sit-stay
6. 5 minute out of sight stay
I would like both of my dogs to pass the CGC test by the end of August. The biggest problem will be getting them to do the out of sight stay with a stranger for 3 minutes. Lots to work on.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Crate Training
I have recently begun to reevaluate the use of crates. I never technically crate trained Sherlock, but when he was under 5 months old, I would try to keep him in his crate for at least 15 minutes a day. In the summer, he actually preferred to sleep in his crate (as long as the door was open) because it was so hot. The only time Noah ever spent in a crate was during his flight from South Carolina to New York. At some point when he was around 4 months old, I tried to put him into his crate and he was incredibly scared. I realize now that it was disservice to both of them to not crate train. A crate should be a dog's safe haven. Any time the dog is stressed, it needs a place to go and relax without worrying about being bothered. So in the past week, I have slowly begun to reintroduce the crate to Sherlock. Last night, I began teaching him the command "crate". I threw a treat into the crate, pointed with my finger towards the crate while giving the command "crate". Once Sherlock retrieved the treat and was inside the crate, I signaled him down. Wow, what a fun game for him! Even Noah wanted to join the fun. However, he doesn't fit into any of the three crates I have. So I will need to buy a big crate for Noah. Last night, I couldn't find Sherlock on his dog bed (where he normally naps) and I actually found him sleeping in his crate! Today has also been a pleasant surprise. Three times now, he has gone into his crate to nap. I think he likes the security of a crate and it's also a place where Noah cannot bother him. I can't wait to get a crate for Noah. I probably will not make them sleep in their crates, but I do want them both to be comfortable traveling in a crate, especially if I plan to compete with them. I am going to look into Susan Garrett's Crate Games DVD.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Spring 2009 Updates
I have been incredibly negligent with my postings! A lot to catch up on....
SHERLOCK:
4/17/09: Sherlock turns 1!!!
I threw a dog pawty for Sherlock and two of his friends from the park came over. I made dog cupcakes for the pups and a cake for the humans.
Here is the recipe that I used:
Dog Cupcakes with Carrots and Oats
Ingredients:
Muffins:
* 2 cups shredded carrots
* 3 eggs
* 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
* 2 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 3 cups whole wheat flour
Frosting:
* 8 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
Instructions:
Muffins:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Lightly spray cups of muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl stir together the carrots, eggs and applesauce. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl whisk together the cinnamon, oats and flour.
5. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended.
6. Spoon mixture into muffin tin. The dough will be thick, so you may wet your fingers to press the dough into place.
7. The dog cupcake will not rise very much, so do not worry about over filling the muffin tin.
8. Bake for 25 minutes.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or serving.
Frosting:
1. Blend both ingredients with a hand mixer until well blended.
2. Spoon into a pastry bag for easy decorating.
3/23/09: Sherlock graduated from intermediate obedience level I. The trainers scored it out of 200 points and Sherlock passed with a score of 178. He failed to complete a full 1 minute sit-stay (-20) and sat a bit wide on the call to heel (-2). Despite these flaws, he did great! He's a very intelligent dog and of course it was my fault for not practicing these things more with him. I'm very proud of him.
NOAH:
Noah has entered the teenage phase. He no longer looks like a little puppy. At his 6 month mark, he weighed 20lbs and 17" tall! He is more confident, but still looks to Sherlock when he is unsure. He picks up on obedience commands quickly, but likes to weigh his options and takes longer to respond than Sherlock. He still receives a lot of compliments on his unique look - mainly due to his red coloring. Sometimes Sherlock gets jealous!
4/29/09: Noah graduated from intermediate obedience level I. He scored a 190 out of 200 points. Our biggest issue is still heeling. I haven't spent enough time practicing on heel. Normally I keep Noah in a loose leash walk and very infrequently ask for a tight heel. I will be taking a break from group classes for a month or so to work exclusively on what we have already learned and most importantly, to work on heel, before we begin more advanced training.
3/21/09: Noah graduated from basic obedience at Who's Walking Who Dog Training in New York City. He and a King Charles Cavalier were the only dogs to show up to graduation. Noah passed with flying colors. He was mellow and calm and did everything that I asked of him.
SHERLOCK:
4/17/09: Sherlock turns 1!!!
I threw a dog pawty for Sherlock and two of his friends from the park came over. I made dog cupcakes for the pups and a cake for the humans.
Here is the recipe that I used:
Dog Cupcakes with Carrots and Oats
Ingredients:
Muffins:
* 2 cups shredded carrots
* 3 eggs
* 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
* 2 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 3 cups whole wheat flour
Frosting:
* 8 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
Instructions:
Muffins:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Lightly spray cups of muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl stir together the carrots, eggs and applesauce. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl whisk together the cinnamon, oats and flour.
5. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended.
6. Spoon mixture into muffin tin. The dough will be thick, so you may wet your fingers to press the dough into place.
7. The dog cupcake will not rise very much, so do not worry about over filling the muffin tin.
8. Bake for 25 minutes.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting or serving.
Frosting:
1. Blend both ingredients with a hand mixer until well blended.
2. Spoon into a pastry bag for easy decorating.
3/23/09: Sherlock graduated from intermediate obedience level I. The trainers scored it out of 200 points and Sherlock passed with a score of 178. He failed to complete a full 1 minute sit-stay (-20) and sat a bit wide on the call to heel (-2). Despite these flaws, he did great! He's a very intelligent dog and of course it was my fault for not practicing these things more with him. I'm very proud of him.
NOAH:
Noah has entered the teenage phase. He no longer looks like a little puppy. At his 6 month mark, he weighed 20lbs and 17" tall! He is more confident, but still looks to Sherlock when he is unsure. He picks up on obedience commands quickly, but likes to weigh his options and takes longer to respond than Sherlock. He still receives a lot of compliments on his unique look - mainly due to his red coloring. Sometimes Sherlock gets jealous!
4/29/09: Noah graduated from intermediate obedience level I. He scored a 190 out of 200 points. Our biggest issue is still heeling. I haven't spent enough time practicing on heel. Normally I keep Noah in a loose leash walk and very infrequently ask for a tight heel. I will be taking a break from group classes for a month or so to work exclusively on what we have already learned and most importantly, to work on heel, before we begin more advanced training.
3/21/09: Noah graduated from basic obedience at Who's Walking Who Dog Training in New York City. He and a King Charles Cavalier were the only dogs to show up to graduation. Noah passed with flying colors. He was mellow and calm and did everything that I asked of him.
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