OK, I got busy and neglected my blog for a few days! We're still working on the dogs' behavior on walks and Riley is still doing well, though she did let out a little bark after we passed a dog the other day. Finlay gets a little better each time, but Dorito still sets him off more than most dogs!
My copy of "It's Me or the Dog" by Victoria Stilwell arrived and while I've only just started it, I really like it so far! I like the way it's formatted as it's broken up nicely in the event you want to search for a particular topic. There are also some beautiful photos in the book as well. I'm anxious to get into it more so I can learn more of her techniques.
Overall, the dogs' behavior in the house is pretty good. Riley still barks a ton when she sees a critter. I think Fin has realized he needs to be quiet before I let them out, but we're still working on that with Riley.
I'm getting toned legs from all the walks I'm taking! I take them twice a day and since I have to walk them separately, that's 4 walks a day for me! Granted I'm not taking them each on the 2 mile walk, but the walks I do take them on are about 3/4 to 1 mile long. They are definitely getting me in shape!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dog Training - Day 14
Whew, it's been a day! Just a long day, nothing crazy. I did just complete a super-cute bull terrier shirt. I'll post a photo in the a.m.
OK, so I realized I'm getting WAY too long-winded with these updates, so they will be shorter. The gist of it is that Riley is doing really well, saw several dogs today and handled all of them really well. One was a very energetic pit bull who was pulling towards her and she didn't make a sound. She saw him alright, but acted like a lady! ;) I have to say, I am still moving to the other side of the road when I see another dog, but she's doing great!
As for Finlay...Can you guess? Yeah, still acting up when he sees another dog. I don't think we saw one on our morning walk (it seems so long ago, I can't remember!), but we saw what looked like a Maltese or Malti-poo this evening and he was still anxious and barking. The dog was in its own yard and I think it was calm - my focus was on Fin - and I think it may have been a good training scenario for him, but I honestly had a hard time calming him down. Now I'm really wishing that Victoria and I had worked with Finlay instead of Riley on this one! ;)
It's OK, a challenge is a good thing and I will feel such a sense of accomplishment when Finlay acts like a gentleman when we see another dog. I'll be the proudest dog-owner on the block!
Good Night!
OK, so I realized I'm getting WAY too long-winded with these updates, so they will be shorter. The gist of it is that Riley is doing really well, saw several dogs today and handled all of them really well. One was a very energetic pit bull who was pulling towards her and she didn't make a sound. She saw him alright, but acted like a lady! ;) I have to say, I am still moving to the other side of the road when I see another dog, but she's doing great!
As for Finlay...Can you guess? Yeah, still acting up when he sees another dog. I don't think we saw one on our morning walk (it seems so long ago, I can't remember!), but we saw what looked like a Maltese or Malti-poo this evening and he was still anxious and barking. The dog was in its own yard and I think it was calm - my focus was on Fin - and I think it may have been a good training scenario for him, but I honestly had a hard time calming him down. Now I'm really wishing that Victoria and I had worked with Finlay instead of Riley on this one! ;)
It's OK, a challenge is a good thing and I will feel such a sense of accomplishment when Finlay acts like a gentleman when we see another dog. I'll be the proudest dog-owner on the block!
Good Night!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Dog Training - Days 12 & 13
All I have to say is: S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
Riley and I saw Dorito (Finlay's nemesis) on our walk last night and while she did stiffen up when she saw him, I got her to focus on me and she didn't utter a sound! I gave her a treat which was ready and waiting. She looked back at Dorito, but kept quiet so I told her "good girl", she re-focused on me and I gave her a handful of treats. I figured she should realize that she hit the jackpot with her good behavior! I was so proud of her, I petted her and told her how good she was. I think I was beaming with pride the rest of the way home.
Finlay and I went 2nd and if anything, I had much more confidence than usual. Confidence does surely help, but Finlay and I didn't see any other dogs. However, I used the opportunity to practice getting his attention while we walked. I would say his name then treat him when he looked at me. It is something I wanted to practice so that when we do see another dog, he'll be more likely to focus on me when I call his name than the other dog.
Day 13 - Morning Walk:
Riley and I saw Dorito again and again, she was a champ! This time, the owner himself seemed surprised because the night before, his father was walking Dorito and not as accustomed to my dogs and their antics. Because Riley was calm, Dorito was also pretty calm. Again, I gave Riley a jackpot of food when she behaved well.
Now on to Mr. Fin...When we left the house this morning, we had a jogger and a chocolate lab & owner coming our way. Finlay saw them and pulled, so I crossed the street. He began barking (I'm not sure if it was at the jogger or the dog, because lately he's been doing both), so I turned and walked the other way. This time he did settle and I gave him a treat. When we turned around, after walking a few steps, he started barking again, so I turned again got him settled and gave him the treat. Because I was so focused on him, I didn't realize the lab was gone and had not passed us, but the jogger had. This is why I think he was barking at the jogger. In the meantime, Dorito came down to our street but had crossed and started going the other way as we approached the next street. Finlay did bark, but I was able to get his focus on me and treated him. Dorito's owner must have been thinking, "That's more like it, that's the dog I know!" ;) Eventually, I will post about Finlay seeing Dorito and being calm. It may take a while, but it will happen!
The lab had gone up the street that we turned on. They were a good distance ahead of us and while Fin pulled a bit, I was able to focus him on me and we had a nice walk. We saw the lab again as they turned to go a different way and when Finlay saw them and did not react (granted they were walking away from us), I gave him several treats. Baby steps, baby steps!
Day 13 - Evening Walk
OK, this post is getting way too long, so here are the cliff notes...Riley did great, though barked once as another dog started barking and lunging at her - she didn't start it, yea! ;)
Finlay saw Dorito and by now I'm sure you can all guess what that meant. Yep, I had little impact and he was barking and lunging at Dorito...Then we saw a silky terrier. I was ready, the treats were ready, Fin had calmed down. I let the owner and his son (who had the leash) have the sidewalk and I took the grass, in fact, I walked in the mulch just to make sure there was enough space between us. I had a handful of treats that Finlay could see. He was all eyes on me...and then the darn kid let the dog have free reign on his flexi-leash and he got within inches of Fin. You can imagine, he didn't like it. The silver lining: he didn't go crazy, turned and barked, then I was able to get his attention back. Baby steps, baby steps!
Riley and I saw Dorito (Finlay's nemesis) on our walk last night and while she did stiffen up when she saw him, I got her to focus on me and she didn't utter a sound! I gave her a treat which was ready and waiting. She looked back at Dorito, but kept quiet so I told her "good girl", she re-focused on me and I gave her a handful of treats. I figured she should realize that she hit the jackpot with her good behavior! I was so proud of her, I petted her and told her how good she was. I think I was beaming with pride the rest of the way home.
Finlay and I went 2nd and if anything, I had much more confidence than usual. Confidence does surely help, but Finlay and I didn't see any other dogs. However, I used the opportunity to practice getting his attention while we walked. I would say his name then treat him when he looked at me. It is something I wanted to practice so that when we do see another dog, he'll be more likely to focus on me when I call his name than the other dog.
Day 13 - Morning Walk:
Riley and I saw Dorito again and again, she was a champ! This time, the owner himself seemed surprised because the night before, his father was walking Dorito and not as accustomed to my dogs and their antics. Because Riley was calm, Dorito was also pretty calm. Again, I gave Riley a jackpot of food when she behaved well.
Now on to Mr. Fin...When we left the house this morning, we had a jogger and a chocolate lab & owner coming our way. Finlay saw them and pulled, so I crossed the street. He began barking (I'm not sure if it was at the jogger or the dog, because lately he's been doing both), so I turned and walked the other way. This time he did settle and I gave him a treat. When we turned around, after walking a few steps, he started barking again, so I turned again got him settled and gave him the treat. Because I was so focused on him, I didn't realize the lab was gone and had not passed us, but the jogger had. This is why I think he was barking at the jogger. In the meantime, Dorito came down to our street but had crossed and started going the other way as we approached the next street. Finlay did bark, but I was able to get his focus on me and treated him. Dorito's owner must have been thinking, "That's more like it, that's the dog I know!" ;) Eventually, I will post about Finlay seeing Dorito and being calm. It may take a while, but it will happen!
The lab had gone up the street that we turned on. They were a good distance ahead of us and while Fin pulled a bit, I was able to focus him on me and we had a nice walk. We saw the lab again as they turned to go a different way and when Finlay saw them and did not react (granted they were walking away from us), I gave him several treats. Baby steps, baby steps!
Day 13 - Evening Walk
OK, this post is getting way too long, so here are the cliff notes...Riley did great, though barked once as another dog started barking and lunging at her - she didn't start it, yea! ;)
Finlay saw Dorito and by now I'm sure you can all guess what that meant. Yep, I had little impact and he was barking and lunging at Dorito...Then we saw a silky terrier. I was ready, the treats were ready, Fin had calmed down. I let the owner and his son (who had the leash) have the sidewalk and I took the grass, in fact, I walked in the mulch just to make sure there was enough space between us. I had a handful of treats that Finlay could see. He was all eyes on me...and then the darn kid let the dog have free reign on his flexi-leash and he got within inches of Fin. You can imagine, he didn't like it. The silver lining: he didn't go crazy, turned and barked, then I was able to get his attention back. Baby steps, baby steps!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Dog Training - Leash Aggression
Since I'm a bit behind on the blog, in an effort to catch-up, I'm going to post my daily progress and also add in the specific training I did with Victoria.
Our biggest issue is the dogs' behavior on leash when we see another dog coming towards us. The dogs don't seem to mind when a dog barks at them from inside their own house as we pass, or when we pass a fence and that dog is in their yard barking at us. For some reason, it's just when they see another dog walking.
Victoria and I worked on this with Riley and with the help of our neighbor's dog, Maggie (a beautiful Golden Retriever who is sweet as can be). We had a handler with Maggie on the opposite side of the street from our house and off to the right. As we walked out the front door, it wasn't long before Riley saw Maggie and started barking and lunging. Victoria promptly turned on her heel, walked the other way for about 4-5 paces then turned back and walked in the direction of Maggie. We had to do this a few times before Riley realized we weren't going to go towards Maggie if she was barking; once she was quiet, we would head back towards her. When we did get to where we were right across the street from Maggie, Riley didn't bark, but was looking right at Maggie. Victoria told me to reward her because although she was looking and interested in Maggie, she wasn't barking at her. Eventually, the goal would be for Riley to be focused on me, or just not interested in the other dog, but we are taking baby steps!
It took about 5-10 minutes of this training for Riley to "get it". Much to my surprise, she even did well when Victoria turned the leash over to me! In fact, at the end, I was able to get within about 5 feet of Maggie with Riley. It felt so good, I almost cried! I was so happy to see that it is possible and that it does work!
Now the key is to see other dogs on our walks! I may have to borrow some neighbors' dogs just so we can get in some practice. I especially need to practice with Finlay.
Our biggest issue is the dogs' behavior on leash when we see another dog coming towards us. The dogs don't seem to mind when a dog barks at them from inside their own house as we pass, or when we pass a fence and that dog is in their yard barking at us. For some reason, it's just when they see another dog walking.
Victoria and I worked on this with Riley and with the help of our neighbor's dog, Maggie (a beautiful Golden Retriever who is sweet as can be). We had a handler with Maggie on the opposite side of the street from our house and off to the right. As we walked out the front door, it wasn't long before Riley saw Maggie and started barking and lunging. Victoria promptly turned on her heel, walked the other way for about 4-5 paces then turned back and walked in the direction of Maggie. We had to do this a few times before Riley realized we weren't going to go towards Maggie if she was barking; once she was quiet, we would head back towards her. When we did get to where we were right across the street from Maggie, Riley didn't bark, but was looking right at Maggie. Victoria told me to reward her because although she was looking and interested in Maggie, she wasn't barking at her. Eventually, the goal would be for Riley to be focused on me, or just not interested in the other dog, but we are taking baby steps!
It took about 5-10 minutes of this training for Riley to "get it". Much to my surprise, she even did well when Victoria turned the leash over to me! In fact, at the end, I was able to get within about 5 feet of Maggie with Riley. It felt so good, I almost cried! I was so happy to see that it is possible and that it does work!
Now the key is to see other dogs on our walks! I may have to borrow some neighbors' dogs just so we can get in some practice. I especially need to practice with Finlay.
Dog Training - Day 11 - Murphy's Law
So, Victoria told me to walk the dogs separately so it would be easier to handle/train them when we encounter another dog. This makes perfect sense because the dogs feed off of each other when they see another dog, making things worse. When I go on my early morning walks, I never see anyone with a dog. I see joggers, lots of birds, and the occasional deer, but never people with dogs.
Remember, since I've started this training, I hardly see any dogs ever - so I figured it would be safe to take both dogs at the same time since the mornings are especially quiet...
Well, this morning, not only did we see a dog, but we saw Finlay's nemesis, Dorito. Dorito is a Lhasa Apso and for some reason, Finlay does not like him at all. Perhaps it's because Dorito is still intact and likes to pee on our mailbox, marking Finlay's territory as his own, I'm not sure. What I know is Finlay does not like that dog, period. Of course, that's who we saw this morning.
Riley actually did pretty well, not reacting until Finlay started pulling and going bonkers. I was also able to easily calm her down, but the same can't be said for Fin. Luckily Dorito's owner just kept walking as I was struggling with tangled leashes and loud terriers (sorry neighbors!) and as soon as they past, all was quiet.
Alas, now I will get up 30 minutes earlier (I am not a naturally early riser) so I can walk them separately. One thing is for sure, these dogs are going to get me in shape!
Evening update: Ask and you shall receive! Tonight we saw dogs and unfortunately, Finlay didn't do so well. We saw a West Highland White Terrier coming our way and we were in a nice, open area, so there was plenty of room for me to walk in the grass so we weren't so close to the other dog. Well, it didn't matter. Every time I tried to walk in the other direction with Fin, he would turn around, pulling and barking at the Westie. He knew it was behind him and didn't want to do anything but bark at it. I tried calling his name to get him to focus on me, tried the "watch" command, but all his focus was on the Westie, nothing I did seemed to help or even register.
Riley and I saw a chocolate Lab the minute we walked out the door. Since it surprised us, she barked a bit, but I was able to get her attention on me and let him pass. She pulled a lot as the dog was going in the same direction as us, but again, I was able to slow her down and get her focus on me. Then, they turned around and passed us and she did well. She did bark once, but that was it and she responded to me very well. Further down on the walk, we encountered River, a Ridgeback/Pit mix who we've met before. He loves to play so almost immediately, he jumped towards us, doing a play bow. Riley sort of bowed/crouched down and began to bark at him. I don't think hers was a play bow...I think she was spooked because quick movements startle her. I was able to talk to the owner with just a bark here and there and was always able to get Riley to focus back on me. We then walked behind them for a bit and she was just fine. I think I'm making progress with her.
Remember, since I've started this training, I hardly see any dogs ever - so I figured it would be safe to take both dogs at the same time since the mornings are especially quiet...
Well, this morning, not only did we see a dog, but we saw Finlay's nemesis, Dorito. Dorito is a Lhasa Apso and for some reason, Finlay does not like him at all. Perhaps it's because Dorito is still intact and likes to pee on our mailbox, marking Finlay's territory as his own, I'm not sure. What I know is Finlay does not like that dog, period. Of course, that's who we saw this morning.
Riley actually did pretty well, not reacting until Finlay started pulling and going bonkers. I was also able to easily calm her down, but the same can't be said for Fin. Luckily Dorito's owner just kept walking as I was struggling with tangled leashes and loud terriers (sorry neighbors!) and as soon as they past, all was quiet.
Alas, now I will get up 30 minutes earlier (I am not a naturally early riser) so I can walk them separately. One thing is for sure, these dogs are going to get me in shape!
Evening update: Ask and you shall receive! Tonight we saw dogs and unfortunately, Finlay didn't do so well. We saw a West Highland White Terrier coming our way and we were in a nice, open area, so there was plenty of room for me to walk in the grass so we weren't so close to the other dog. Well, it didn't matter. Every time I tried to walk in the other direction with Fin, he would turn around, pulling and barking at the Westie. He knew it was behind him and didn't want to do anything but bark at it. I tried calling his name to get him to focus on me, tried the "watch" command, but all his focus was on the Westie, nothing I did seemed to help or even register.
Riley and I saw a chocolate Lab the minute we walked out the door. Since it surprised us, she barked a bit, but I was able to get her attention on me and let him pass. She pulled a lot as the dog was going in the same direction as us, but again, I was able to slow her down and get her focus on me. Then, they turned around and passed us and she did well. She did bark once, but that was it and she responded to me very well. Further down on the walk, we encountered River, a Ridgeback/Pit mix who we've met before. He loves to play so almost immediately, he jumped towards us, doing a play bow. Riley sort of bowed/crouched down and began to bark at him. I don't think hers was a play bow...I think she was spooked because quick movements startle her. I was able to talk to the owner with just a bark here and there and was always able to get Riley to focus back on me. We then walked behind them for a bit and she was just fine. I think I'm making progress with her.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Dog Training - Day 10
It's getting to the point where I never see other dogs on our walks and now I actually want to so I can work on training them!
Each dog got 2 walks today and we never once encountered another dog. Riley did encounter a cat and much to my surprise, she didn't make a peep! She did stare at the cat and the cat stared back at her, but that was it, no hissing from the cat and no barking from Riley. We stood there for a bit, talking to the cat's owner and not a peep, so I gave her some treats and we were on our way.
Finlay did so well with heeling, it was such a pleasure to walk with him, but again, we saw no other dogs.
Oh, I almost forgot, Riley and I saw a deer on our morning walk and that was cool. It was about 15 yards down the street from us, crossed the street, paused and looked over at us, then disappeared in the brush. I pointed the deer out to Riley since she wasn't looking that far ahead and while she saw it, she didn't bark, just pulled a bit, out of curiosity I'm sure.
With the barking today, it's mainly been at the back door, when they see a critter. I go to the door and wait until the stop barking before I let them out. Fin usually stops first, but it takes Riley a while to settle...she gets SO worked up! But I wait...and wait.
Finlay is being pretty barky right now and has been for the past hour. He's been out to potty, so I'm not sure what it's all about...I'll have to see if the frog is on the patio, because that's usually why he does this when it's dark out...the frog is hanging out, getting his dinner on our patio and Fin barks at him, I'm sure that's how it is for every household, right? ;)
Each dog got 2 walks today and we never once encountered another dog. Riley did encounter a cat and much to my surprise, she didn't make a peep! She did stare at the cat and the cat stared back at her, but that was it, no hissing from the cat and no barking from Riley. We stood there for a bit, talking to the cat's owner and not a peep, so I gave her some treats and we were on our way.
Finlay did so well with heeling, it was such a pleasure to walk with him, but again, we saw no other dogs.
Oh, I almost forgot, Riley and I saw a deer on our morning walk and that was cool. It was about 15 yards down the street from us, crossed the street, paused and looked over at us, then disappeared in the brush. I pointed the deer out to Riley since she wasn't looking that far ahead and while she saw it, she didn't bark, just pulled a bit, out of curiosity I'm sure.
With the barking today, it's mainly been at the back door, when they see a critter. I go to the door and wait until the stop barking before I let them out. Fin usually stops first, but it takes Riley a while to settle...she gets SO worked up! But I wait...and wait.
Finlay is being pretty barky right now and has been for the past hour. He's been out to potty, so I'm not sure what it's all about...I'll have to see if the frog is on the patio, because that's usually why he does this when it's dark out...the frog is hanging out, getting his dinner on our patio and Fin barks at him, I'm sure that's how it is for every household, right? ;)
Dog Training - Walking/Heeling
OK, now you know what my dogs' issues are, so I'll discuss the training I received from Victoria for those issues.
Walking - Victoria worked with me on the "watch" or "watch me" command. This is something that I had previously taught my dogs, so that helped. With a treat in your hand, hold it near your eyes and give the command, we use "watch". This gets your dog to focus on you. We did this a few times - and in doing so, Victoria realized that Riley does not have a soft mouth when taking a treat, so we also worked on the "gentle" command. With the gentle command, Victoria did not give Riley the treat if she tried to get it without being gentle. She then said "gentle" and slowly lowered the treat to Riley. It didn't take long for Riley to realize that grabbing the treat wasn't paying off, so she started lightly taking it. Success!
Back to the watch command...Victoria had me walk with Riley and while walking, I would say "watch" and when Riley looked at me, she got a treat. Then, whenever she would look at me on her own, I would praise her or give her a treat. This got her attention on me and she slowed down and stopped pulling on the leash. I should note that after the dog seemed to understand the command, I would mix up giving a treat or just saying, "good girl/boy". Victoria noted that this is important because you won't always have food on hand and they need to learn that they won't always get a food reward.
In our first 10 days of training, this has probably been the most successful thing for us. Victoria noted that I should walk the dogs separately because of the aggression issues and with the watch command, the dogs are heeling very well and not pulling much. At this point, Finlay is responding especially well to this and walking right by my side. Riley is doing well too, but pulling a bit more than Fin. Since Riley has the issue of taking the treat too hard, I am also able to work on the gentle command with this and all other commands. She's getting a lot better and is starting to take food gently without having to be told...but not all the time just yet!
Walking - Victoria worked with me on the "watch" or "watch me" command. This is something that I had previously taught my dogs, so that helped. With a treat in your hand, hold it near your eyes and give the command, we use "watch". This gets your dog to focus on you. We did this a few times - and in doing so, Victoria realized that Riley does not have a soft mouth when taking a treat, so we also worked on the "gentle" command. With the gentle command, Victoria did not give Riley the treat if she tried to get it without being gentle. She then said "gentle" and slowly lowered the treat to Riley. It didn't take long for Riley to realize that grabbing the treat wasn't paying off, so she started lightly taking it. Success!
Back to the watch command...Victoria had me walk with Riley and while walking, I would say "watch" and when Riley looked at me, she got a treat. Then, whenever she would look at me on her own, I would praise her or give her a treat. This got her attention on me and she slowed down and stopped pulling on the leash. I should note that after the dog seemed to understand the command, I would mix up giving a treat or just saying, "good girl/boy". Victoria noted that this is important because you won't always have food on hand and they need to learn that they won't always get a food reward.
In our first 10 days of training, this has probably been the most successful thing for us. Victoria noted that I should walk the dogs separately because of the aggression issues and with the watch command, the dogs are heeling very well and not pulling much. At this point, Finlay is responding especially well to this and walking right by my side. Riley is doing well too, but pulling a bit more than Fin. Since Riley has the issue of taking the treat too hard, I am also able to work on the gentle command with this and all other commands. She's getting a lot better and is starting to take food gently without having to be told...but not all the time just yet!
Dog Training: The Issues
First, I'm going to cover my dogs' issues and the issues on which I worked with Victoria.
Leash Behavior - Probably the most frustrating issue. When on leash, my dogs go berserk when they see another dog. It doesn't matter what kind of dog, big or small, they bark at them all! They also lunge at the other dog and Riley tends to nip at Finlay (redirection of her aggression). Not only is this embarrassing, it's not healthy for the dogs. Note - This behavior is worse in our neighborhood, but does still happen to a lesser extent in parks and other "neutral" locations (territorial behavior for sure).
Barking - Excessive Barking (Ha, right when I typed that, Finlay barked!) - The dogs bark whenever they see a critter out in the yard (bird, squirrel, lizard, etc...), Riley barks when she sees a dog or cat on TV, and Finlay just barks for no reason (boredom?).
Manners - We have had some disputes with my family over my dogs' manners. Namely, Finlay stealing food off coffee tables or Riley jumping up in someone's lap at the dinner table. There are also issues with Riley getting into your lap and demanding attention.
Walking - The dogs also need help heeling on the leash.
For the most part, we worked on the above issues, mostly focusing on the leash/walking and manners. All in all, I think some of the training will help with other issues as well, because we are reminding ourselves that we need to teach the dogs what behavior we like. I've ordered a copy of Victoria's book from www.amazon.com and when it arrives, I will use it as a supplement to the training she provided to me.
Leash Behavior - Probably the most frustrating issue. When on leash, my dogs go berserk when they see another dog. It doesn't matter what kind of dog, big or small, they bark at them all! They also lunge at the other dog and Riley tends to nip at Finlay (redirection of her aggression). Not only is this embarrassing, it's not healthy for the dogs. Note - This behavior is worse in our neighborhood, but does still happen to a lesser extent in parks and other "neutral" locations (territorial behavior for sure).
Barking - Excessive Barking (Ha, right when I typed that, Finlay barked!) - The dogs bark whenever they see a critter out in the yard (bird, squirrel, lizard, etc...), Riley barks when she sees a dog or cat on TV, and Finlay just barks for no reason (boredom?).
Manners - We have had some disputes with my family over my dogs' manners. Namely, Finlay stealing food off coffee tables or Riley jumping up in someone's lap at the dinner table. There are also issues with Riley getting into your lap and demanding attention.
Walking - The dogs also need help heeling on the leash.
For the most part, we worked on the above issues, mostly focusing on the leash/walking and manners. All in all, I think some of the training will help with other issues as well, because we are reminding ourselves that we need to teach the dogs what behavior we like. I've ordered a copy of Victoria's book from www.amazon.com and when it arrives, I will use it as a supplement to the training she provided to me.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Back to the Basics
I was very fortunate to get to spend some time with Victoria Stillwell from Animal Planet's, "It's Me or the Dog" last week. Victoria came by to help me with my wild terriers, Finlay and Riley. Now, I've talked about them before and you know they are my muses for Hound and Thistle and you know how I love them. It is clear that we didn't do the best job training them and we have some issues that need to be addressed, so I'm going to blog about our progress which will help me stay committed to the training.
Victoria could not have been nicer and did not judge me for the way my dogs are. That meant so much to me because I do realize that I didn't do the best job...it's the old, "give them an inch and they'll take a mile." Now, my husband and I have tried various training methods and have not been successful thus far. After meeting with Victoria, I can see why - we hadn't tried her methods which are purely based on positive reinforcement. Now I want to note that we did not use forceful methods before, but we tried the "choke chain" (which in itself has a horrible name), tried a citronella collar (we never wanted to use a shock collar) and tried to show our dogs that we were the leaders...None of which worked.
Victoria explained to me that our goal is to show our dogs the appropriate way to behave in the human world. After all, they are animals and we can't expect them to "guess" what we want and they do what comes naturally. She told me that what I needed to do was to reward the dogs when they were doing what I wanted them to do. Sounds simple, right? Yeah, I thought, "Why couldn't I have figured this out myself!" I was too busy telling my dogs, "no" instead of showing them the behavior I wanted and rewarding it when I got it. With this new knowledge, we started our training session.
Please keep in mind that what I write on here is my interpretation of what Victoria taught me and I would ask you to refer to her book for specifics from her (you can purchase her book, "It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet" at www.amazon.com) . I would not want to lead anyone astray or misinterpret her training, because I am not a trainer and she is such a fabulous trainer! In my next post, I will discuss my dogs' issues and the training methods I was taught. Then I will update you on my day to day training which will be short posts about our progress along with what I learn from Victoria's book.
Stay tuned!
Victoria could not have been nicer and did not judge me for the way my dogs are. That meant so much to me because I do realize that I didn't do the best job...it's the old, "give them an inch and they'll take a mile." Now, my husband and I have tried various training methods and have not been successful thus far. After meeting with Victoria, I can see why - we hadn't tried her methods which are purely based on positive reinforcement. Now I want to note that we did not use forceful methods before, but we tried the "choke chain" (which in itself has a horrible name), tried a citronella collar (we never wanted to use a shock collar) and tried to show our dogs that we were the leaders...None of which worked.
Victoria explained to me that our goal is to show our dogs the appropriate way to behave in the human world. After all, they are animals and we can't expect them to "guess" what we want and they do what comes naturally. She told me that what I needed to do was to reward the dogs when they were doing what I wanted them to do. Sounds simple, right? Yeah, I thought, "Why couldn't I have figured this out myself!" I was too busy telling my dogs, "no" instead of showing them the behavior I wanted and rewarding it when I got it. With this new knowledge, we started our training session.
Please keep in mind that what I write on here is my interpretation of what Victoria taught me and I would ask you to refer to her book for specifics from her (you can purchase her book, "It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet" at www.amazon.com) . I would not want to lead anyone astray or misinterpret her training, because I am not a trainer and she is such a fabulous trainer! In my next post, I will discuss my dogs' issues and the training methods I was taught. Then I will update you on my day to day training which will be short posts about our progress along with what I learn from Victoria's book.
Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)