Hello Everyone
It is time for to push my dog and take him to the Orchestra, Live Theatre and the Casino. After carefully assessing where a dog is at is important and knowing when and how much to push them. This is usually where self trainers get it wrong and it can have severe consequences. This can drastically reduce the dogs chances of passing. Pushing too far when the dog isn't ready can make them stop trying or enjoying it, preferring to stay home. I have had two dogs fail out because they stopped enjoying the job. This can happen at any age, and may not even be due to a person pushing the limits to soon but the dog just naturally learning that it doesn't like it anymore. Forcing the dog does not help matters but can cause more issues between the dog and the handler. Having your service dog resent you, is not a good way to have the bond you need with your dog.
Making sure your dog can handle different types of stimulus is important, however it is just as important to introduce them slowly and gradually to these stimuli. Assessing where your dog is at and when you can increase the duration and strength of the exposure, helps slowly acclimate them. Situating yourself where you can quickly and quietly leave, also ensures you are not a disruption to the people around you. Little tests at home can also determine your dogs readiness. How do they react to sounds on the TV, music in the car, things going on outside, where are they when you are doing everyday household activities. If your dog is over-reacting to the TV or doesn't have the patience to sit with you while you watch a movie, they are probably not ready to go to the Cinema, where they have to ignore the show, remain calm for over 2 hours, deal with the smell of popcorn and all the people, that is a lot of stimulus.
Sometimes self-trainers struggle with the opposite thing, making sure the dog is exposed. This is one thing that I have to make sure people in my self train program do. They get comfortable going to their same grocery store, the same clothing stores, and build a routine. This is all good for me to assess where the dog is at based on the situations that happen in their everyday life, and can let them know when it is time to take it up a notch by giving them suggestions on where to go or what to do. When self-training your dog, you are also limited to where you feel comfortable, but limiting your dogs exposure doesn't help them and eventually those exposures will happen randomly. Without preparing your dog for the sound of a buzzer (can go to sports games), a fire alarm may cause the dog to freak out. Even watching people run up and down a court helps to teach them that people running, doesn't mean that they get to go play. Having these things spontaneously happen, not only hinder the dog, sometimes to the point where they no longer want to work, but also put the handler in a state of panic, with a misbehaving dog. Pushing yourself to do new things, along with exposing the dog to these new experiences is very important, doing it in a way that you retain control over your situation and the dog so that both of you can get through it together.
Showing posts with label Puppy Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puppy Training. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2019
Monday, January 28, 2019
Service Dog: How does age affect training
Hello Everyone
Last night I got to thinking about the dog I am training and how old he is. Generally when you tell someone your dogs age, you give an estimate. Turns out, I was about 6 months off what I was telling people. When you say your dogs age, like kids, there is a certain set of behaviours that they should exhibit. We do not expect a 5 year old to know how to have a rational conversation, behave appropriately in public all the time or solve complex problems. However, we can assume that they are still trying to figure it out as their minds grow, what are the consequences and benefits of how they act, why are things the way they are (generally by asking why) and how do I communicate in a way that adults will understand me.
When gauging whether a dog has what it takes to be a service dog, we have to first take into account their age. I always laugh when people say that puppy behaviour lasts until they are 8 to 10 mo. This is in stark contrast to many pet foods that say feed puppy food until they are 2. Turns out the puppy food manufacturers are closer to the truth. People hate it when you compare raising a dog with raising a child, in my experience it is kind of the same, except in fast forward. The behaviours that parents have to handle for 2-3 years, dog moms only have to deal with for 3-6 months. Take in mind, just like children, as a puppy grows it goes through those same stages, baby, toddler, child, adolescent, teenager and finally an adult. This whole process takes 2-3 years and just like children, if you do not raise and train them right, they can turn into terrible adults.
The same reason that dogs are re-homed/surrendered is also part of the reason that dogs fail out of being a service dog. Dogs that mature faster and catch on faster are easier to work with, their is less time and money into teaching them what to do and for people trying to train their own dog, there may be a limit to what you are able to do and how much you are able to handle. Don't get me wrong, there are some innate behaviours that are not due to age, but general temperament, and usually these behaviours continue through all the phases of puppyhood or come as random tendencies that the dog displays without warning or cause, it is these that it is important to document and analyze the situation around.
The dog I am working with is going to be 2.5 in April. For many people this is an adult dog and they should "get it". Sorry to burst that bubble but for many breeds like Labs and Newfoundlanders (more social driven dogs) this is their teenage years and like a general teenager they question the rules, get upset and cranky, try and find ways around things and sometimes can not control their impulses. The things to watch at this stage is whether or not this behaviour continues past 3 in which case means it may not be worth it. The dog I am working with now can be restless/impatient and even though he is friendly with dogs, when the leash goes on and we come across another dog, he can be a jerk because he knows that with the leash on he can just do what he wants and go say hi. When I compare the frustrating behaviours I am working with now, and at times that make me want to give up, I remember a Lab that I trained, who is amazing at her job, but was just a terror to work with at this age. Pushing through these stages and staying consistent with the training makes a huge difference in the end. It is when you stop and give up that the dog realizes the behaviour is okay and you may be stuck with some of those behaviours going forward, the dog never living up to their potential of being a service dog.
Last night I got to thinking about the dog I am training and how old he is. Generally when you tell someone your dogs age, you give an estimate. Turns out, I was about 6 months off what I was telling people. When you say your dogs age, like kids, there is a certain set of behaviours that they should exhibit. We do not expect a 5 year old to know how to have a rational conversation, behave appropriately in public all the time or solve complex problems. However, we can assume that they are still trying to figure it out as their minds grow, what are the consequences and benefits of how they act, why are things the way they are (generally by asking why) and how do I communicate in a way that adults will understand me.
When gauging whether a dog has what it takes to be a service dog, we have to first take into account their age. I always laugh when people say that puppy behaviour lasts until they are 8 to 10 mo. This is in stark contrast to many pet foods that say feed puppy food until they are 2. Turns out the puppy food manufacturers are closer to the truth. People hate it when you compare raising a dog with raising a child, in my experience it is kind of the same, except in fast forward. The behaviours that parents have to handle for 2-3 years, dog moms only have to deal with for 3-6 months. Take in mind, just like children, as a puppy grows it goes through those same stages, baby, toddler, child, adolescent, teenager and finally an adult. This whole process takes 2-3 years and just like children, if you do not raise and train them right, they can turn into terrible adults.
The same reason that dogs are re-homed/surrendered is also part of the reason that dogs fail out of being a service dog. Dogs that mature faster and catch on faster are easier to work with, their is less time and money into teaching them what to do and for people trying to train their own dog, there may be a limit to what you are able to do and how much you are able to handle. Don't get me wrong, there are some innate behaviours that are not due to age, but general temperament, and usually these behaviours continue through all the phases of puppyhood or come as random tendencies that the dog displays without warning or cause, it is these that it is important to document and analyze the situation around.
The dog I am working with is going to be 2.5 in April. For many people this is an adult dog and they should "get it". Sorry to burst that bubble but for many breeds like Labs and Newfoundlanders (more social driven dogs) this is their teenage years and like a general teenager they question the rules, get upset and cranky, try and find ways around things and sometimes can not control their impulses. The things to watch at this stage is whether or not this behaviour continues past 3 in which case means it may not be worth it. The dog I am working with now can be restless/impatient and even though he is friendly with dogs, when the leash goes on and we come across another dog, he can be a jerk because he knows that with the leash on he can just do what he wants and go say hi. When I compare the frustrating behaviours I am working with now, and at times that make me want to give up, I remember a Lab that I trained, who is amazing at her job, but was just a terror to work with at this age. Pushing through these stages and staying consistent with the training makes a huge difference in the end. It is when you stop and give up that the dog realizes the behaviour is okay and you may be stuck with some of those behaviours going forward, the dog never living up to their potential of being a service dog.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Service Dog: Choosing a Breed
The first question people ask me is; how do I choose the dog? This is the first question anybody asks themselves when getting a dog, even a family pet. Choosing any dog should not be done because you like the way that they look, or because your family has always had that type of dog, or because you know people with that dog and they are great. I know many people who have given up pets because this is the criteria they used for picking a dog, this is also how I have received dogs myself. Many times it has nothing to do with the dogs potential, but the inability of the dog to suite the family situation that it was put into.
Take a deep look at your lifestyle. What do you do for fun? how energetic are you? what activities do you want to do with the dog? how much time can you actively spend training? what kind of space do I have available for the dog to live in?
Different breeds do have different traits and even though you may know a great Boarder Collie that has the correct temperament and fits into a household exactly like yours, that doesn't mean that every Boarder Collie will display these traits and have these needs. Choosing a herding dog as a service dog, or even a pet, comes with many challenges, however if you do not have the right household, space, time and energy to fulfill the natural needs of a dog like this, then training becomes a lot harder, longer and the dog may end up suffering in trying to go against some of it's natural instincts. If you are determined to stick with a breed that typically would not fit into your lifestyle, like having an apartment and wanting an Australian Shepard, look at older dogs and see if you can find one that is lower energy and has a temperament that matches your needs and ensures that you can fulfill theirs.
As puppies age and mature, they go through phases, sometimes growing into breed traits that they didn't have as a puppy and sometimes growing out of them. As a very little puppy, I had never heard my dog bark and he stuck to me like glue. Thought it was something I did not have to worry about. Barking and running are two traits of his breed, but felt like I would not have that issue. At about 8 months old, he decided barking was his new favorite hobby, and that the world was a big place that he just had to see. Because these traits were indicative of the breed, they were very big challenges to overcome and things that I work on to this day, but I have the time, energy, space and knowledge to adequately work with his behaviors, and give him an outlet, otherwise he could have become highly destructive.
Take a deep look at your lifestyle. What do you do for fun? how energetic are you? what activities do you want to do with the dog? how much time can you actively spend training? what kind of space do I have available for the dog to live in?
Different breeds do have different traits and even though you may know a great Boarder Collie that has the correct temperament and fits into a household exactly like yours, that doesn't mean that every Boarder Collie will display these traits and have these needs. Choosing a herding dog as a service dog, or even a pet, comes with many challenges, however if you do not have the right household, space, time and energy to fulfill the natural needs of a dog like this, then training becomes a lot harder, longer and the dog may end up suffering in trying to go against some of it's natural instincts. If you are determined to stick with a breed that typically would not fit into your lifestyle, like having an apartment and wanting an Australian Shepard, look at older dogs and see if you can find one that is lower energy and has a temperament that matches your needs and ensures that you can fulfill theirs.
As puppies age and mature, they go through phases, sometimes growing into breed traits that they didn't have as a puppy and sometimes growing out of them. As a very little puppy, I had never heard my dog bark and he stuck to me like glue. Thought it was something I did not have to worry about. Barking and running are two traits of his breed, but felt like I would not have that issue. At about 8 months old, he decided barking was his new favorite hobby, and that the world was a big place that he just had to see. Because these traits were indicative of the breed, they were very big challenges to overcome and things that I work on to this day, but I have the time, energy, space and knowledge to adequately work with his behaviors, and give him an outlet, otherwise he could have become highly destructive.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Getting Assistance to Train Your Own Dog
Hello Everyone
I am starting this blog in order to talk about training your own dog and some of the pitfalls and successes that can come out of it. For the past five years, I have been training service dogs and have been contacted by many people who have run into issues. Getting a trained dog is expensive and many times there is no funding, many people view training their own dog as more affordable. However, the one thing that they do not take into account is that there is a 75% chance a dog will fail, and this is with professional trainers, the odds of a dog failing out increases significantly with self trained dogs, not just due to incorrect training, but also people just giving up on them or working them past their limits. Consulting and working with a trainer will provide good training techniques, assist in knowledge about dog behaviour and provide feedback on whether training should continue.
I am starting this blog in order to talk about training your own dog and some of the pitfalls and successes that can come out of it. For the past five years, I have been training service dogs and have been contacted by many people who have run into issues. Getting a trained dog is expensive and many times there is no funding, many people view training their own dog as more affordable. However, the one thing that they do not take into account is that there is a 75% chance a dog will fail, and this is with professional trainers, the odds of a dog failing out increases significantly with self trained dogs, not just due to incorrect training, but also people just giving up on them or working them past their limits. Consulting and working with a trainer will provide good training techniques, assist in knowledge about dog behaviour and provide feedback on whether training should continue.
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