Smart Dog

Grilled Pork + Feta = Easy Subway Trip for Ike

Part of becoming a service dog involves getting used to a lot of different sights and sounds. Ike had a field trip today to our local commuter train station. 

It's highly likely that in his lifetime as a service dog, Ike and his partner will need to take public transportation. It's crucial to make these experiences fun for Ike.

To that end, I brought lots of yummy treats. Not just any treats, though. I brought the really yummy and smelly stuff: feta cheese and tiny pieces of grilled pork chop (leftover from dinner a few nights ago). 

Ike doesn't normally get this really delicious stuff in his everyday training. Going to WalMart isn't a big deal to him now. Going with me while I get my hair cut is old hat. The treats I use for those locations are more mundane (but still pretty tasty) because he's used to those situations. 

But a train station? That's big. And potentially scary. 

The grilled pork and feta cheese helped Ike create favorable associations with the potentially scary train. The noise of the station, lurching left and right on the train ride, the hustle and bustle of people, and the screeching and banging that a fast-moving train makes - any one of those could have thrown Ike into a tail spin. 

The feta and grilled pork helped ensure that his train ride was a fabulous experience. 

In addition to the really good food, I was careful to lower my standards for Ike. He was in a strange place. With lots of odd sounds. And almost every person there was a stranger to him. So instead of asking him for newly trained behaviors, I asked him for the very easy ones - the behaviors he's been doing since he was a pup. And he got paid BIG for each of those behaviors! 

This allowed Ikey to build up his confidence, to realize he really could lie down even on the rocking and rolling train. He really could sit as the train came into the station. 

If you're raising a puppy, remember to use very good food treats when you're taking your pup somewhere new. Also remember to lower your standards if you're training somewhere distracting or potentially scary. Let your dog take his time exploring and deciding when he feels comfortable. The more positive experiences your pup has, the more likely he'll become a confident, well-mannered dog. 

There's a lot more training ahead for Ike. But his first introduction to the trains and buses earned an A+ today! Next time we go back, we'll likely raise his criteria slightly -- maybe I'll ask him to sit for a little longer. Or expect him to watch me a little more. And maybe he'll get the feta and grilled pork every second or third treat. But by really upping the treat value this first time, I've created a positive association with trains and with training. And that's priceless.

Clean House?

I won't even put a picture on this blog post. I'm too embarrased. I spent all weekend cleaning. And cleaning. And then cleaning a little bit more. Actually, I wish I would have taken a picture of all the dog hair I vacummed and swept. 

The worst part? I need to clean still more. 

This is the life of a family with four dogs. Who might, on any given day, have five or six dogs in the house, depending on if we're watching someone else's dog(s), too. That's a lot of hair. A lot of slobber. A lot of dog toys hither and thither. 

I've worked six out of the last seven weekends. The house had gotten to a state that was, well, scary. As I was dashing off to private training appointments, I'd glance over my shoulder as I walked out of the house and this thought went through my mind:

I hope I don't wind up missing. The police detectives would have to come to this house and see all the dog hair rolling along on the floor like tumbleweeds in the desert.  

I wish I was kidding, but that really was one of the thoughts I had... I don't know why I'd turn up missing, nor was I even worried that I'd be missing. I was just worried that someone would come in and see the mess. 

The one thing that didn't slip? The quality of life for the dogs. They always had a freezer-full of stuffed Kong's and Squirrel Dudes. They always had a sparking clean water bowl with fresh water -- and ice, don't you know. Heck, when I did way-overdue laundry, their dog beds were the first to go into the washer!

As I'm home a little more now, I hope to restore the house to it's normal state. Never clean, but at least tolerable. 

Different Dogs, Different Rules

If you live with more than one dog, do the same rules apply to both?

I suppose in most homes, the dogs have the same rules. But in our house, different dogs have different rules.

Ike, the service pup in training, has the most rules to follow. His life is relatively structured, as he's going to have an important job - helping a disabled veteran lead a full life.

The other three dogs in the house have pretty relaxed rules. They're pet dogs, they don't have the same expectations placed on them as Ike. 

That must be confusing, right? Ike's rules are different -- more strict even -- than the rest of the dogs in the house. 

Not really. Ike's rules have been in place since the day he crossed the threshold. And they've never varied. They're the same every day, no matter what.

What rules are different for Ike? It would probably be easier to list what isn't different! 

• Ike is crated when we're not home. The other dogs are not. 
• Ike eats all of his meals out of a food-stuffed toy. The other dogs eat out of a bowl. 
• Ike eats in his crate. The other dogs eat in the kitchen. 
• Ike has to wait for his release signal ("at ease") before going outside. The other dogs just have to wait for the door to be opened. 
• Ike has to sit before I pet him. The other dogs get pets for free. 
• Ike's not allowed on the furniture. The other dogs live on our furniture. 

You get the picture: Ike's day-to-day life is different than his housemates. But this doesn't cause him any confusion. His rules never vary, they're the same every single day. 

So don't be afraid to have different rules for different dogs -- but only if you're consistent enough to remember the rules and apply them to the appropriate dog(s)!

P.S. Don't think that because Ike lives with a lot of rules, he's miserable. This guy loves his rules! (As I think most dogs do, if those rules are consistent.) His life is still pretty good: He still gets to rip it up in the backyard with his housemates. He still gets lots of love and attention from us humans. He gets just as many goodies (if not more) as his doggie housemates. Heck, he gets to go out in public with me on my errands! 

What To Do With Bad Behavior?

I teach dog owners how to notice and reinforce their dog's good behavior and how to get more of that good behavior.  

It generally follows, then, that I am often asked: "How do I stop my dog from doing bad things." It's a fair question - how do you get rid of the bad stuff?!

It's relatively easy and there are a few different options. Let's take a look at the solution in detail. First, take a look at that picture. Those are library books. Damage courtesy of Talos, the Great Dane.

If I'm wearing my Dog Trainer Hat, my first question to this owner (me, obviously) would be: How did the dog get those books? Dogs have a hard time getting in trouble if we limit their access to get-in-trouble things (like library books). In this specific situation, I had to make a quick dash to the grocery store, wasn't gone more than 30 minutes. I was too lazy to crate Talos and this is the scene to which I returned. 

Many dog owners think their dogs should "know better." What do they (the dogs) know? That this was a library book? That it cost money? What the heck is money to a dog?! To Talos, this was just something new to chew. It might as well been a brand new dog toy I bought him. (In the end, I guess, it was...)

So. If you don't want your dog to do something, limit his options! I told you this was going to be relatively easy. When you limit your dog's options, you'll also provide ample opportunity for your dog to get involved in acceptable behaviors. In my case, the easy solution would have been to crate Talos with a peanut-butter-stuffed Kong. That would have kept him out of trouble and reinforced him for being in the crate. But more importantly, it would reduce his habit of chewing on things on the coffee table. 

If you can't do it, you don't develop a habit for it. Simple, simple, simple. 

Think about all those things you want to stop your dog from doing. Here are some of the most common complaints and easy, simple solutions:

• Problem: Raiding the trash. Solution: cover the trash with a lid or put it out of reach of the dog. (He can't find out how delectable items in the trash are if he can't get his head into the trash bin.)
• Problem: Jumping on you and guests. Solution: Put your dog on a leash so he can't reach the guests AND teach him to sit in the midst of distractions. 
• Problem: Barking at people from inside the house. Solution: Close the blinds so he can't see out AND teach him how to speak and shhh when you ask him to (and then don't ask him to speak very often). 
• Problem: Chewing the table, baseboard, shoes. Solution: Keep a keen eye on your dog. Don't let him out of sight. Redirect him to an appropriate doggie chew toy and then praise effusely when he pays attention to his own toys. 

I could go on, but you're getting the picture. It's pretty simple once you start thinking like a dog!

Vacations: What Do Dogs Think?

My dogs spent last week at Lake Anna living it up while I was at K9 Nose Work (TM) camp. I was working, the dogs were vacationing. 

I always wonder: what do the dogs think about vacations? I don't think they even have "vacation" as a concept. I think it's just "a whole lotta fun" to them. 

I have Labradors, dogs of the water. My parents' place is on the water - the dogs go out the back door and trot (race!) to the water's edge every day. What a life. I've been badgering my husband to put a pool in our backyard for the dogs. He was a lifeguard as a teenager and he keeps telling me there's too much upkeep involved. 

The dogs beg to differ, I keep telling him. 

While our three dogs went to Lake Anna to spend the week with my parents and their Rottweiler, Ike was on vacation, too. He went to a puppy sitter -- the same woman who kept him when he was but a tiny 8-week old pup. She was happy to reuinite with him and take note of how much he'd grown. Ike enjoyed her black Labrador -- a very spry nine year old, Rosie, who kept Ike in check. 

Anyway, I was gone for a week from the dogs, they had no idea where I was or why there were where they were, but from all accounts every one of them had a fun time while on vacation. Sometimes I would like to have their outlook -- it seems to be something like this: take every day as it comes, don't worry about why or when, just enjoy it as it happens. 

Pretty good words to live by...