The Smart Dog U Blog

Talos Goes Above and Beyond

This is the good part of raising service dogs. Hearing how well they're doing in their forever homes with their forever partners. (For a look at the ugly side of raising a service dog, read my turn-in post...)

I talked to Talos' forever person, Kathy, today about the possibility of us dog-sitting for Big T while she takes care of some medical appointments. (Yeah, never a problem for us to dog-sit that big lug. We're here for him (and her) anytime, no question!) 

What I heard about Big T and what he and Kathy are accomplishing made my heart sing. 

Talos was trained to be a balance dog. He helps Kathy stay on her feet. You can see the video of their very first meeting and just how he helps her keep her balance here. (It's really something to see!)

Anyway, Kathy said Talos has expanded his job description, all of his own doing. He goes and gets family members when Kathy needs some help -- he'll seek out people, one at a time, until someone can come and help her. He also alerts Kathy when it's time to change different medical equipment. Neither of these (monumental) tasks were trained by the service dog agency, these are things that Talos has picked up all by himself. 

These minute changes -- untrained, mind you -- speak to a deep bond between the dog and his person. These are things that Talos just picked up over time, as a result of spending a lot of good, quality time together as partners with Kathy. 

Ahhh, after all the heartache and the second-guessing that happens after raising a service dog, it's nice to hear how well the match was made and just how valuable each part of the team is to one another. 

A Preview of Life Without Ikey

Ike's gotten a little lost in the shuffle between my travel schedule and with the addition of Caysun. It's easy to forget about dogs when they're being good, isn't it? And Ikey's been a whole lotta good, especially lately. Especially with the addition of the little spitfire we call Caysun. 

We're getting a taste of what "Life Without Ike" will be like. And we don't like it at all, especially Caysun!

Yesterday began a three-day trek for Ike. He's being put into service as a representative for Hero Dogs at their many fundraisers and public appearances.  Yesterday, Ike and I went to a local country club to join Hero Dogs and all the other puppy raisers (and pups!) for a golf tournament to benefit Hero Dogs. I had to leave Ike behind because they needed him the next day (today) to head to a Federal office building to represent Hero Dogs at the local Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

Ike is Caysun's go-to guy for fun and entertainment. I didn't realize just how much we (the people) depended on Ike to run interference, to puppy sit, and to pretty much keep the puppy out of trouble -- until he wasn't here for a few days, that is. 

Thankfully, the big dummy will be back here with us tomorrow. 

But: in only a month (give or take) Ike will be returning to Hero Dogs for good. No more coming back home. 

Ikey, you will be missed in more ways than one! You're going to get lots of hugs and kisses when you come back tomorrow because now we know just how much we rely on you here at home. 

5 Reasons Puppies are Easier than Kids

I don't have kids. I have dogs. Let me say for the record: I DO NOT believe my dogs are my kids. I'm not their "mom," I don't think of them as kids with fur. I love them so much because they are dogs. Canines. Non-humans. 

Ok, now that we're clear on that, let me tell you why I think puppies are easier than kids. 

1. Puppies want only three things: food and water, sleep, and access to the grass for bathroom breaks. That's it. 
2. Puppies are so easily comforted and quieted. The pup is crying? It's for one of these reasons: lonely, scared, hungry, or gotta go (to the bathroom). Fixing the crying is SO easy, and it's so easy to figure out what the heck they want. 
3. You can CRATE a puppy. Legally! And it's encouraged. This, alone, is the very best thing about raising a puppy vs. raising a kid. 
4. Puppies grow into dogs really quickly. They are "kids" for only about 8 months or so. And "teenagers" for only a few months after that. Then they're laid back and easy. 
5. Puppy Breath! Need I say more?! Kids can projectile vomit into your face before you even know it's happening. But the worst (best, I think) thing that'll happen if you hold a puppy up to your face? You get puppy kisses that are full of puppy breath! I'll take puppy breath over vomit any day. 

There you have it. And for all you parents out there: relax. I know you love your kids. And you should. I'm not saying puppies are better than kids, just easier. From my vantage point, at least.

Finally a Free Weekend

I've been working and traveling way too much the last three months. Finally, finally, I have a weekend off. Completely off - don't have to work, no travel, nothing. The only thing on my schedule is house chores, sleeping in, and relaxing. Here's what Saturday looked like:

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

Housetraining: There's Light at the End of the Tunnel

Caysun is 11 weeks old and has been with us for two weeks now. I've been keeping a housetraining journal here on the Smart Dog Blog. You've seen how the crate helps with housetraining a pup, you've seen a typical housetraining schedule.

Finally, after two weeks, I'm seeing progress! 

Late yesterday evening, Caysun was gated in my office with me. She walked over to the gate and started to paw at it and whine a little bit. It was a delayed reaction, but I finally got with the program: Caysun had to go to the bathroom and she was trying to get to the back door! Yahoo!

I jumped out of my desk chair, ran to the gate, and then ran outside with her. The instant her little paws hit the grass, she was peeing. I slathered on the praise and told her what a good girl she was. She seemed proud, I think. Or maybe that was just relief, who knows. 

Later that evening, when we were in the family room where she had direct access to the "bathroom door" (the door she always goes out to get to the outside), she went to the door and scratched. If I hadn't been in the room with her, I wouldn't have known she was scratching at the door - she has the tiniest paws - but that rule of "don't ever let the pup out of your sight" served me well here. Again, I jumped up and ran outside with her, another party was had after she did her business. 

Whew. It's quite a chore, housetraining a pup. But, MAN!, is it worth it. And it's comforting to know that all this scheduling, crating, and watching is beginning to pay off! We're not done, not by a long shot. We've got at least a month of watching-her-like-a-hawk and 100% management ahead of us. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And that's comforting for this bleary-eyed puppy raiser.

Crate Love: Loving the Crate ALL the Time

Caysun's Crate Love is coming along nicely. She's running to the crate at meal time. She definitely knows where the goodies are delivered. We're making good progress. After she finishes her meal, she lays quietly, waiting to taken outside to do her bathroom business.  She's doing so well, it's time to up the criteria a little bit.

Our latest lesson includes her being crated at other times (other than mealtime or bedtime). This is a little harder - the other dogs are moving about, I'm in the room and then back out of the room, and all she can do is watch. It's definitely a tougher job than just going in the crate when nothing else is going on. 

To make the task a little easier, I pair it with a known Crate Love activity: meals. So today, I fed her lunch in the crate, closed the door and went about my business. When I move from room to room, every dog in the house follows me. (If you don't have a Labrador, you might not know this about them - they LOVE to be wherever you are. Even the bathroom. I'm not kidding. I wish I was, actually.) I digress (again). So, this time, after Caysun's done her meal, I didn't let her out right away.

There was whining. There was a bark or two. I ignored her, kept doing my chores, and the dogs, of course, dutifully followed me around. She made noise for about five minutes, nothing more than a whine here, a bark there, but finally realized she was there to stay. Bored with barking, she fell right to sleep. 

Quick note: Usually, I advise you to get your pup out right after eating. The reason I raised the bar for Caysun's crate love today was that (1) she was ready for it and more importantly, (2) she had just peed and pooped outside before her meal. I have an hour or two on my side. The instant she wakes up, though, I'm going to carry her outside to let her do her business. 

As Caysun gets accustomed to staying in her crate after a meal while the other dogs are out and about, I will start crating her at times other than mealtime and bedtime. I want her to be used to crating whenver and wherever. We've got a long way to go, but we're moving along at a nice pace -- keeping things fun for Caysun. 

Stay tuned, I'll keep you updated on everything puppy that we go through!

Housetraining 101: A Day in the Life of a Puppy

Housetraining a puppy is pretty simple. Simple, yes. But not necessarily easy. Here's the simple part: get the puppy outside frequently, limit her house freedom to only the room you are in, watch her like a hawk, and make liberal use of the crate when you can't watch her. 

Here's Caysun's (almost 11 week old, Labrador pup) daily schedule:

5:30a Up and outside for a long pee. 

5:35a Back in the crate for a snooze.

7:15a Back up and outside for a quick pee.

7:30a Breakfast time. (Fed in the crate while I shower).

7:45a Outside for pee and poop. 

7:50a Play hard with Ike, running, jumping and wrestling. In the same room as me, where I can watch her. 

8:10a After 20 minutes of play, time for another pee break. 

8:15a Kitchen time with me and the other dogs while I drink tea and eat breakfast.

8:45a Another pee/poop break. 

8:50a More play time with Ike in my office, where I can watch her. 

9:30a Naptime!

11:00a Outside for a pee and poop break. If you're keeping track, this is the 6th time outside this morning! Every pee/poop session has been productive. And better yet: no accidents inside! Yay!

12:00p Lunch fed to Caysun in her crate. Then naptime!

2:30p Awake and ready to go! Outside for pee/poop break. 

2:35p Play time in my office with Ike. 

3:00p Pee break!

3:15p Play, play, play!

4:00p Pee/poop break outside.

5:00p Dinner in her crate. Naptime in her crate while I prepare dinner. 

6:30p Out of her crate and outside to pee/poop. 

7:15p Pee/poop break outside. Then Play! Where we can watch her. 

8:00p Pee/poop break outside. Then more play time. 

9:30p Last trip outside to pee and poop, then down for the night, in her crate. 

2:00a Sleepy trip outside to pee (she wakes me by whining in her crate).

That's 14 trips outside for pee breaks. Some days I'm out of the office more, and then she's crated while I'm gone. She's been ok for 4-hour stretches, as long as she's crated. 

The moral of this story: get your puppy outside a lot! As much as possible for structured pee/poop sessions. What's a structured session? You take your pup on leash to the bathroom area of your lawn. Stand there and wait for him to go. Don't wander the yard with him. Don't take him on a neighborhood walk. Stand there and simply give him about a six foot radius. When he goes, praise him and have a little puppy potty party! Then play with him outside. Celebrate your success!

New Puppy = Everyone's On the Same Page...Or Else

Ever want to peek behind the curtain of life with a dog trainer? Here's your chance. Complements of my (really wonderful) husband (despite the story I'm about to tell, in which he's the villain.)

So. I'm working really hard to get Caysun's Crate Love going. I'm crating her at different times of the day. For varying amounts of time. With me in the room sometimes, and sometimes not. 

She's doing a great job. On the left you can see Caysun with her "big brother" Ike. She looks perfectly happy, doesn't she? 

All day today, I'm working with Caysun, fiddling with different criteria of Crate Love. In between, I still have a real job to do -- dog training and all the administrative tasks that go along with the job. The admin work is a job all unto itself, but I digress... 

For me, crating is the ultimate "safety net" for both me and for the dog. I can work without worry or wonder. House training stays on track. There are no chewed shoes. It's great. 

So. After working all day in my office (and with Caysun), off I go, merrily on my way to actually train some dogs (go figure), and I leave the Crate Love task to that really wonderful husband I mentioned earlier. The dogs are in his care for about 5 hours. 

I come home and say to him "It smells like poop in here." (Hey, you wanted to peek behind the curtain, I'm not covering anything up - this is the real deal here.)

He says, "Yeah, the puppy pooped." 

"Yeah, no kidding," I'm thinking, but I'm smart enough to keep that in my head. I ask innocently: "Was she in her crate?"

"No, I was in the shower."

"In the shower?! IN THE SHOWER?! You can't leave a 9.5 week old puppy unattended to TAKE A SHOWER!" Again, these are my thoughts, not my words. (Ok, so now I'm editing a little bit. There was some cursing in my thoughts. Four letter words. That start with F.)

What I actually said: "You can crate her while you're in the shower. That's actually a really good time to crate her." (Doesn't that sound better than a lot of F words?)

I swallowed a lot more bad words and went about my business. It was difficult - I worked all day today (and yesterday, and the day before) on getting Caysun comfortable in her crate. Crating her while he was in the shower would have been perfect practice for her. (And clearly, for him, too!)

So while I'm going about my business, I find another pile of poop! This one's in the dog bed! In the dog bed! And I was wondering why none of the dogs wanted to sleep in the bed...I had just found my answer. 

I couldn't resist a see-I-told-you-so smart aleck remark about the value of crating, but I did limit it to just one. 

I come out to the living room to move the crate into the bedroom, where Caysun sleeps in her crate - happily, I might add! - each night, and what do I run into? A big puddle of puppy pee. 

I'm at work for 5 hours and there are (at least) three puddles or piles when I return. Really?!

Clearly, I need to spend a little more time working with my husband than I do the puppy. Clearly, the pup's got the Crate Love thing down pat. Just wished the husband did, too. 

Teaching Caysun "Crate Love"

Caysun's learning to love the crate. It's important for any dog to accept crating, but especially important for a service pup in training. When Caysun returns to Service Dogs of Virginia, she'll need to be crated frequently while the other service dogs in training are rotated in to their training sessions. She'll also need to be crated after she's spayed or if she's injured and the vet orders crate rest. 

Here's how I start the "Crate Love" process:

• All meals are fed to Caysun in the crate. That means that at least three times a day, good things are associated with that area. 
• When it's time for a nap, I put Caysun and a Kong filled with a little peanut butter in the crate. As she's licking the peanut butter out (a pleasant experience), she usually falls asleep (another pleasant experience for her).  
• When I have a treat for her, I deliver it into the crate. 
• I move the crate from room to room, so there's no "right" spot for the crate to be. The crate is good no matter what room, what view, what surroundings. The crate is what makes it "right" to be there. 

Just today, 4 days into the "Crate Love" program, she dragged a toy into her crate to play with it. Sweet success! I want Caysun to think of her crate as her space, a spot where she can relax, where good things always happen. 

I haven't yet put crating on cue. I'll work on that after I've developed Crate Love a bit more. I can put the behavior on cue any time, but it's crucial that I have good feelings associated with crating first. 

As I type, she's fast asleep in the crate, dreaming happy puppy dreams...

The Training Begins: Caysun

She's been here long enough to settle in and get to know her new housemates. While her training started the instant I met her, we're ready to begin formal training today. 

What's the difference between day-to-day training and formal training? Not much, really, when you get right down to it.

Day-to-day training happens everytime Caysun and I are together. It happens when she's playing, when she's going to the bathroom, when she's wandering about the room. I call this kind of training "the rules of the road," because it's the way I teach the pup my expectations about how dogs behave.

It's as simple as moving my legs when she puts her paws on me. In just two days, Caysun's figured out that sitting elicits so much more attention than putting her paws on me. She's learning that leaning her front paws on the cabinets when I'm fixing her dinner isn't nearly as good as sitting. She's learning that there's a very specific path (and door) that leads to the outdoors where she goes to the bathroom. 

Formal training will begin today. Formal training usually happens in a training session. I separate her from the other dogs, I have a specific goal and behavior in mind, and we work toward that goal, and mark our progress. Eye contact, for instance, is one of the behaviors I'll work on with her today. I will set out with the specific goal of clicking her each time her eyes meet mine.  

Both types of training are equally important. You can't just do one of them and expect a well-behaved dog. Eventually, we'll work the formally trained behaviors into the day-to-day training, as Caysun becomes more fluent with the behaviors and is capable of doing the behaviors in an everyday environment (with the other dogs around, in the face of larger distractions, etc.).