Fun, effective dog and puppy training information to help you have the best dog in the neighborhood! Written by Laurie Luck, professional dog trainer and puppy expert.
When I detailed Nemo's and my adventures in K9 Nose Work, I didn't have any pictures. During a trial, no one except the official trial photographer is allowed to take pictures. All competitors have the option of purchasing any or all of the photos taken during the trial. At this trial, the photographer captured Nemo's Exterior and Container elements. Here's a look inside a little piece of a K9 Nose Work trial...
Nemo's ready to go for his Exterior search
We had great success at the Exterior element. It was a fun search -- it ran the length of the building, probably 100 feet or so, and included the sidewalk and part of the wooded section, as well as the porch/ramp behind the building. Nemo located the hide lickety-split and was paid handsomely.
Who's the nervous one?
The element that worried me the most? Containers. Nemo has a history of looking at all 20 identical containers and just picking one, any one. I was definitely a little apprehensive.
Nemo says: I got this!
This day, however, he was on it! He was ready to go! He picked the correct container with certainty. Another element in the bag!
Nemo's Bounty
We had such a good time searching, I was over the moon with just the NW1 title (meaning Nemo found all the hides in each of the four elements). I was really surprised -- and super excited -- to get these ribbons. Talk about icing on the cake! For all his success, Nemo was served a fresh off the grill chicken breast that evening!
I think I could get almost unanimous consensus from dog owners that we don't want our dogs to be afraid.
The problem is that fear looks different to one person than to another. And to further complicate matters, each dog (or person) displays fear in a different way. It's no wonder that scared dogs get labeled as aggressive, stubborn, silly, or even dominant (a word we hate here at Smart Dog U).
People aren't good at reading fear in people, even, and heck, that's our own species!
This morning, I had to give blood. Not for any heroic blood-donation reason -- just because it was time for my routine "am I healthy" check.
I realize that no one loves needles, but I have a serious aversion. I've actually considered therapy to help with my unreasonable fear. Just thinking about the blood letting (as I call it, which, I know, doesn't help with my fear) causes fear and discomfort.
It's going to be bad even if it goes really well. I crossed my fingers, said a little prayer to the blood letting gods, and walked through the door. Unfortunately, as you can tell from the picture, things didn't go well. It went about as bad as it could go. And when there's underlying fear to begin with, it makes everything -- even the smoothest of experiences -- seem monumental.
Today was Nightmare on Laurie Street. I couldn't count the number of times the needle went in and out of my arm before the lady said "I'm sorry, we'll try the other arm."
"The OTHER arm?!" Sweet criminey, just kill me now. I don't think I even have another arm, do I?
Still laughing and chatting like an idiot (because that's what I do when I'm scared), I managed to find that other arm and offered it up to her. If it's possible, the procedures performed on other arm hurt worse than the first arm. I've only panicked two other times in my life (once when I was skydiving and the other when I thought a serial killer was in my house), but I could feel the edges of panic starting to tickle.
Which, I know, is ridiculous. Absolutely ridculous. I wasn't going to die from this. I wasn't even going to be in exruciating pain. It wasn't going to last all day. There wasn't going to be permanent scarring. I was being unreasonable. I get it.
However, that didn't change my physical reaction. My brain processes. My biochemistry.
When it was over, the blood letter actually said to me: "Careful, don't step in the blood on the floor." Oh sweet Sally, today's going down in my book as one of the biggest, baddest nightmares of my life.
What does this have to do with a scared dog?
Everything.
So often, I hear people say "It's just so silly that he's afraid of people! All our friends are really friendly, they love dogs, and they just want to say 'Hi' to him. Why does he have to be so silly?"
Or sometimes it sounds like this: "He's afraid?! Really? So why does he go after people if he's so scared? Shouldn't he be running away from them?"
Occasionally it goes like this: "But I make sure the vet visit is fun for him. We always go to the dog park afterward so he knows the vet is a good place."
Ah, if it were only that easy.
If it were that easy, I would be donating blood at every chance. I wouldn't give a rip that I had to get stuck 12 times to draw a measly two vials of blood. I'd be checking my cholesterol every week!
It ain't that easy, believe me. I don't want to be afraid. I don't like the panic. I despise the discomfort.
As I was leaving the blood letting, I thought to myself: what WOULD be rewarding enough for me to go back and have that done every year? For me, it would either be money (no less than $50,000), a month in Tuscany (free, of course and with my dogs [traveling in the cabin, of course -- which would probably cost a whole lot more than $50,000]), or the superpower of eating anything I want and not gaining weight.
And that's it.
So for your fearful dog, here's my advice. Think long and hard about what your dog loves. Not just likes, but I mean really goes ga-ga over. If you don't think your dog should have people food, maybe people food is exactly what your dog would find rewarding enough in a bad situation. And not just any people food. I'm talking filet mignon. Or sardines. Or tripe. Don't jugdge your dog on his preferences, just get him what really matters.
Don't judge your dog on his fears. If he's scared of a table, then he's scared of the flippin' table! Don't discuss with him how silly that is. Just accept it. Tables are scary. Period. And go about the business of helping teach your dog that either the table is pretty darn rewarding OR teach him ways to cope with that scary table.
Know your dog's triggers. Maybe it's moving objects (joggers, strollers, motorcycles, etc.). Maybe it's noise (kids playing, thunderstorms, fireworks). It doesn't matter what the triggers are -- just know them.
Now that you know the triggers, avoid 'em! Don't take the "well, he's gotta get used to it sometime, might as well be now" approach. That would be like having someone forcibly take me into the blood letting room and holding me down during the entire blood letting.
Yeah, that will never work. I promise you. For me or for your dog. Abandon that line of thinking right now. It'll save you a lot of frustration and it'll save your dog a whole lot of fear and possible resentment toward you.
Back to me for a minute. I had a couple of really good blood letting experiences in the past. So much that I wasn't dreading today's as much as I normally do. This one bad experience has now set me back even farther than where I originally started. I might forgo this torture for five or ten years.
Never forget this: one setback can make the problem lots worse than where you started. It's up to you to protect your dog from the scary things even when he seems to be improving. You can do some real damage if you let your dog's fears realize themselves.
I got slapped in the face at a recent conference for pet bloggers. Not literally slapped in the face, of course, but figuatively. I'm a dog trainer. I love dogs precisely because they are dogs. I love them because they are canine. My dogs are my dogs -- not my four-legged kids, not my furkids. I appreciate my dogs for their dogginess.
At this conference, pets were allowed. I saw ferrets in harness, I saw cats in strollers, and I saw lots of painted dogs. Dogs in dresses. Dogs in hats. Dogs made to look like lions. I saw a cat dressed as a cowboy. I kid you not.
The only thing I had in common with some of my fellow attendees was blogging. And that was kinda depressing.
I saw several ill-mannered dogs. Dogs that didn't really like being at a conference. I saw dogs being pushed in strollers, being shushed when they barked at the cats, dogs, bunnies, and ferrets.
I also saw some really happy dogs. Dogs that didn't know they looked like a lion. Dogs that didn't know their coat was dyed to look like a rainbow. And I'm cool with that: the dog was happy, the human was happy. That's what I live for.
The thing I didn't quite understand was why people would let their ferret greet unknown dogs. Schooner stumbled into a stroller (yes, really) of ferrets. When I realized what he was sniffing, I called him quietly away, and rewarded him for coming away.
The ferret-lady said to me "Oh, he's fine with the ferrets!"He meaning Schooner. I wasn't quite sure how she knew that -- heck, I wasn't so sure of it myself, and I've lived with this dog for several months.
I politely declined to let him meet the three ferrets which led to a very disappointed ferret-lady.
I couldn't understand why a dog owner would give their dog the chance to "play" with a ferret when he might actually kill the ferret.
From a dog trainer perspective, my question is: why set your dog up to fail? Yes, a dog cut to look like a lion is ridiculously cute. But when my dog saw this creature, he did a triple-take. He was so curious about what type of beast was in the hotel lobby, he couldn't make sense of it. That lion-dog was the center of attention -- from both people and dogs. And all of that attention wasn't necessarily good attention.
Dressing your dog up or grooming your dog to look like another creature is fun. But before you do it, take the dog's well being into consideration. If there aren't any other dogs around and the dressed up dog is happy: go for it! If you're setting your dog up for unwanted (by the dog) attention: quit it!
Dogs aren't our little dolls. Using them for our entertainment and not thinking about what the dog is going through is unnecessary.
I got some good blogging ideas between my subconscious nervous tics due to all the animal craziness by which I was surrounded. So it wasn't a total loss...
Our names were called and Nemo and I walked toward the start line. Our first element was Vehicles. There was a nice breeze and Nemo's nose was working long before it was our turn to come from behind the visual barrier and begin working the hide.
We got the go-ahead sign. Nose twitching, Nemo took off. Past the first vehicle. Past the second vehicle. I was having a hard time keeping up with him! He came to the third vehicle, nose glued to the body of the car, and he nailed the hide in the wheel well.
"Alert!" I called. It seemed like forever before the judge said "Yes! Pay your dog."
Whew! One element down, three more to go.
Nemo and I were a team in a K9 Nose Work Trial. We were going after the first level: our goal was the title of NW1. The only route to an NW1 title is through four correct "finds."
Our second element was Exteriors. The hide -- birch scented cotton swabs -- was somewhere on the outside of a cabin. Our search area included the cabin's exterior, the sidewalk, and the ramp/porch. It didn't take Nemo very long to find that birch scent under a dandelion in the crack of the sidewalk. Another successful alert.
Two down, two to go.
Our third hide was Containers. Our nemesis. Nemo had falsely alerted in practice sessions quite a bit in this element. I did my best to stamp out my nerves, took a deep breath and gave Neems the "find it" cue. Two steps in, three steps to the left, Nemo gave me the tell-tale signal that he'd found the birch yet again. Another "Alert!" and "Pay your dog!" scenario.
Just one more and we'd have our NW1. Pressure was really on (on me, of course, this is all just a fun game for Neems).
The last hide was in the Interior element. The search area was inside a kids cabin at a 4-H Camp. Nemo got "in odor" almost right away, and it took him several seconds to really pin it down. In a Nose Work Trial, the dog's nose has to be on the odor. I need to be able to tell the judge, if asked, exactly where the hide is. The judges are excellent at their job -- you can't see the hide no matter your angle. The only clue you have is where your dog's nose is.
I made the call when Nemo's nose stopped moving and his head went up and under. Our last hide and another success!
We had so much fun together -- we were really a team and really on it that day. The whole day (and it was a long day -- from 8:30a to about 5:30p) felt good. I knew Nemo's body language, I was confident when I called alert and he was rock-solid on his finds.
At the award ceremony, I picked up Nemo's very handsome NW1 ribbon. Our first ribbon ever for anything! It was thrilling.
In addition to the NW1 title ribbons, there are also ribbons awarded for exceptional teamwork between dog and handler. These "Pronounced" ribbons are given for the teams that earn their title and only if every judge independently deems the team outstanding. When Nemo and I were presented with our NW1 ribbon, we were also given the Pronounced ribbon! I was floored. The NW runs felt good to me, but I was taken by surprise with the nod from the judges.
In that Vehicle search, the one where Nemo blasted past the first two cars with nary a glance, he was the second fastest dog of the day! We collected a 2nd place Vehicles ribbon!
His quick work on all four elements was somehow fast enough to earn him the Third Place Overall ribbon! He was the third fastest dog of the day!
We left with a lot more than we came for. And a lot more than we ever expected. I was full of pride for Neems -- and happy that we spent a good day together. The best thing about the day -- and about the entire sport of K9 Nose Work -- is the camaraderie. All the judges, competitors, and volunteers are all rooting for the teams. It's not a win or lose sport -- everyone and every dog can come out a winner. Which is the best thing of all.
It's hard to believe how quickly Schooner is growing up! Just a few weeks ago it seems, he was but a wee little pup!
Physically, he's growing at an astounding rate. Mentally, he's taking big leaps as well (thankfully!).
I just completed his five-month old questionnaire for Service Dogs of Virginia and was amazed at all the things this boy knows (and is in the process of learning).
If you have a puppy, your pup is also able to accomplish all these things. Schooner is just a regular puppy, he has no special intelligence or skills. So if you're looking for more to teach your pup than just sits, downs, and loose leash walking, take a look at Schooner's list for inspiration.
By five months, Schooner is expected to be at least working on all of these. Some of these he should already be pretty good at.
Don't worry, it's not all work for Schooner. In fact, it's usually a lot more play than work! As you can see from this picture, we take lots of training breaks and field trips where he can let it all hang out and be a regular pup. Here he's trying to figure out just how those two dogs got all the way out there (they jumped off the dock and swam) and whether he's brave enough to try this amazing feat (he wasn't -- at least not that day).
Watch me (look at me when I call his name once)
Auto check in (looking at me frequently just to "check in")
Leave it (don't touch it) with food in a closed hand, open hand, on the floor, and while walking past the food on the floor
Touch (his nose to my hand or lid) from 1' or 2' (or farther if possible)
Touch that object when it's affixed to the wall
Loose leash walking (polite walking without pulling)
Recall (come when called) in the house, outside, away from play
Sit (in front, on my left, and on my right)
Down (in front, on my left, and on my right)
Stay (from either a sit or a down, to hold that position)
Release (tells the dog when they can get up or move or quit the behavior they were doing)
Meet and greet (meet people and dogs without pulling on the leash or jumping)
Look at that (dog will look at a distraction when asked) By asking the dog to look at something, we are getting rid of the startle/bark, and also getting the dog's attention back on us while letting them check out the distracting thing)
Mat (go to your mat and lay down)
Kennel (run to your crate, go in, and lay down)
Up/Off (put your paws up onto something, take your paws off something). Can also mean get up onto something (onto the bed, for instance) or get off of something
Back beside handler (helpful especially for a large dog so they are easily maneuverable in tight spaces like hallways, trains, restaurants, etc.)
Back in front of handler (helpful when the dog has gone through a door first, turned to check on the handler, then needs to move backwards for the person to come through the door)
Go in (dog goes under table and lays down)
Wait (dog waits at the gate, door, etc. for the signal to go through)
Over (roll over)
Shake (fun trick) -- dog offers his paw when asked
Hurry up (dog goes to the bathroom). This is really handy when the handler needs to go into a public place and needs the dog to empty before entering the building or meeting.
In upcoming posts, I'll dissect each of these a bit more and give you tips on how to teach them and why they'd be helpful for you to teach your pup. Even older dogs can learn how to do these things. They're fun to teach, and helpful for you to use. What have you got to lose?!
What cool things have you taught your puppy to do? Leave a comment below and share with us and the readers!
Do you let your dog run off-leash in public? Maybe on a
deserted trail? Or in a big field? Or maybe in your yard while you’re
gardening? If your answer is yes, realize that you are putting your dog in danger,
as well as those people who are walking nearby. Think I’m crazy? Think your dog
is so friendly that he wouldn’t harm a fly? Think his recall is 100% reliable?
In the past month, three dog-training friends have
experienced dog aggression from unleashed dogs. In all three incidents, both
they and their on-leash dogs have been injured. All three incidents required
emergency veterinary care for the dogs and wound management for the people.
This month’s article will talk about how to protect your dog and yourself from
an unleashed dog, when and where it’s safe and appropriate to have your dog
unleashed, as well as the risk and danger to which you’re exposing your dog
(and others) when unleashed.
What’s the Problem with an
Unleashed Dog?
Unleashed dogs have always evoked a silent fury from me –
for many reasons. First, unless your dog has 100% recall (meaning: you can call
him away from a herd of deer), you’re putting your dog at serious risk of
getting lost, run over, in a fight with another dog, or shot (in some states,
it’s legal to shoot a dog that is harassing livestock). By the way, there’s no
such thing as 100% recall – even the best dog trainers out there can’t control
the actions of another thinking being. You might have mighty good recall, but it’ll
never be 100%. Just like I’m not a violent person, but there might be the
perfect storm of conditions in which I might haul off and punch someone (if
their dog is unleashed and gets into a fight with mine, for instance). The cost
of “freedom” is very high – and the dog could pay with it’s life. And I get
angry when I see owners knowingly put their dog at risk by unleashing the dog
when they haven’t trained a reliable recall.
He’s Friendly!
That fury I mentioned earlier? It’s silent until that unleashed dog comes
barreling over to see my reactive, leashed
dog. The owner is jogging behind with a big smile, “He just wants to say hi.
He’s very friendly!” While your dog
might be the director of the social committee, not everyone’s dog enjoys
another dog running up to him. Some dogs are downright offended (or terrified)
and will react with snarls, growls, and lunges toward Mr. Friendly (and so very
inappropriate) Dog.
My favorite unleashed dog incident happened about 15 years
ago when I had a dog who didn’t like people. He was always on leash in public. He was fine with dogs, but not their
owners. We were at Assateague Island and an unleashed dog came bounding up with
the owner’s obligatory “He’s friendly!” I told the guy it was no problem, but
he had to stay where he was, he couldn’t come closer. “How am I going to get my
dog?” he asked. “Call him,” I said. “He won’t come, he wants to see your dog.”
I was thinking “you should have thought about that before your let your dog off
leash.” What if my dog felt the same way about dogs as he did people? That
unleashed dog would have been in a world of trouble. And that’s not fair to
that unleashed dog. His owner let him experience “freedom” without teaching him
how to stay out of trouble (by teaching him to come when called). Just because
your dog is friendly doesn’t mean every dog out there wants your dog to come
say hello.
The Risks of an Unleashed Dog
Most states and municipalities have a leash law. If you
allow your dog to run unleashed in a public space, you’re putting yourself and
your dog at risk. You are liable for your dog’s actions. If your dog is
unleashed and gets into a fight with a leashed dog, the law will probably
protect the leashed dog. You will likely be responsible for any medical and
veterinary bills resulting from a dog fight.
Leashed dogs rarely get hit by cars. It’s those dogs that
are running loose that wind up in the emergency veterinary hospital with
grievous injuries and whopping medical expenses. Hit by car (HBC) accidents are
preventable! Keep your dog leashed.
Leashed dogs rarely show up on “Lost Dog” posters. If your
dog on a leash, he’s probably not lost. You don’t have to plaster your
neighborhood with signs, worry about where he’s spending the night, if he’s
safe or if he’s dying in a ditch. Leashes save lives.
How to Protect Yourself from an Unleashed Dog
Unfortunately, you can encounter an unleashed dog anywhere:
in your neighborhood, at the park, or in the woods. My first piece of advice was going to be “Tell the owner to
call their dog.” But it’s not likely that calling their dog will do any good.
If they taught their dog a reliable recall, they wouldn’t allow their unleashed
dog to approach another dog in the first place.
Carry your cell phone with you on walks with your dog. You
can call for help (police will respond to a dog fight) and you can also snap a
picture of the unleashed dog (and owner if they are with the dog) to show the
authorities. Use your video function if you can keep your wits about you.
Keep some spray deterrent on you when you’re out in public
with your dog. There are a few products on the market that may help prevent a
fight from starting, but there are very few out there that will actually stop a
fight that’s already started. I like Spray Shield, an air horn, and a
relatively new product called Interostop. You can find them all online and they
are relatively inexpensive.
I also carry dog treats with me. I use the treats to train
my dog while we’re on a walk, but those treats also come in handy to throw at the unleashed dog. Sometimes you can
get lucky and the unleashed dog will stop to eat the food and you can beat feet
out of there without incident.
If you haven’t taught your dog a reliable recall (he’ll come
away from a running squirrel, a tennis ball, another dog, etc.), don’t let your dog off leash! You’re not
only putting your dog at risk, but you’re also putting another dog and person
at risk. If your dog doesn’t have a reliable recall and is also “iffy” with
other dogs, definitely don’t let your
dog off leash. Even if you’re in what you think is a deserted area. I don’t
want to bear the brunt of your dog’s aggression when I show up with my leashed
dog on the other side of the “deserted” trailhead. It’s not fair to me or my
dog to worry about unleashed dogs when we’re out enjoying nature and adhering
to the leash law. There are 20- and 30- and even 50-foot leashes if you want
your dog to have the ability to “run free,” and that will also keep me and my
dog safe when we’re all out there enjoying the beautiful outdoors together.
I just hit "SEND" on my first article for the Virginia Maryland Dog magazine. They invited me to write their training articles and I jumped at the chance to bring gentle, positive reinforcement training to their audience.
Coincidentally, their current issue has a Great Dane on the front that's available for adoption. It was kismet! The editor tries to feature adoptable dogs on every cover of the magazine. The stable of writers is quite impressive -- several veterinarians, a pet safety expert, and now a clicker trainer!
My focus will be on solving common behavior problems and helping dog owners have fun with their dogs. I hope you'll join me over at Virginia Maryland Dog magazine!
Poor Schooner. He's smack in the middle of losing his baby teeth. Here's this gigantic 4.5 month old puppy (about 60 pounds) with a big head, legs the size of tree trunks, and these wee bitty baby teeth in his giant maw.
Just the other night, he was drooling as he slept. Startlingly, I noticed the drool was tinged red. And (not) coincidentally, I found blood droplets on the floor a little earlier in the evening. I didn't put two and two together until just now -- duh. Anyway, I've not had a pup teethe quite so hard -- the blood-tinged drool, the whimpers after he finishes his meals and the incessant chewing. This boy's got it bad.
He's ruined a concrete Great Dane (go figure) statue thanks to his relentless chewing of all things hard. Occasionally, I'll catch him chewing the wrought iron railing going down to our basement, or the marble on the corner of our outdoor fireplace. If that feels good, his poor toofy's much be killing him.
Imagine my surprise when I went to wash the couch cover and I found two perfect little puppy teeth! At least two of them have made their way out. From what I can tell, he still has most of his back teeth and a couple of canines. All the others look to be big-boy teeth.
So here's my question: does the tooth fairy visit puppies? And if so, what do you think he/she tucks under their doggie bed?
It's such a dilemma, having a not-so-social dog. I'm exceptionally social. It's hard for me to not be social. Yet, when we're out walking, I need to be less social to keep my little black Labrador comfortable and calm.
I just did a little emergency u-turn with said black Labrador (the little girl on the left there) when I saw my neighbor coming up the street with her dog.
The social butterfly in me cringes as I turn away. I want to shout "I'm friendly! Really! I'm just turning around because of my dog." And Lily's friendly, too, just very reactive when she's on leash. (Reactive means she barks and acts like a nut at the sight of another dog. She will cause no harm whatsoever, but it flips the other person and their dog out quite a bit.)
The picture to the left was taken during a professional photo shoot in a local park where we have a leash law. You know where this is going...
As the photographer was snapping shot after beautiful shot of my Lily (who is very clearly on-leash in this picture, thank you very much) an off-leash dog comes barreling into the shot, completely out of control, the owner saying "He's friendly, he's just saying 'Hi'."
Them's fightin' words to the owner of a reactive dog. I could go on for 12 blog posts about that one incident, but I refuse to digress. At least for today. Back to my sociability and Lily's lack thereof.
So I'm left wondering if my neighbor recognizes that I turned around and avoided her and her dog because I was looking out for my dog. We live far apart, relatively speaking, and we don't see each other often, but it really pains this extravert to well, subvert my social side. I feel the need to explain it to everyone. Which is why you're reading this -- I need to get it OUT somehow.
If you are an introvert, having a reactive or antisocial dog is right up your alley. You have a really good reason to keep moving along when someone wants to chat. But for me, the most chipper kid on the block, it's tough.
Don't get me wrong. I'd much rather appear antisocial and keep Lily happy. It's just that I then have this unresovled need to be polite and let someone know that I really am social. I'm cuckoo, don't you think?
Does your dog match your personality type? How so? Or how not? Please leave a comment.
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