GROWTH SPURT!

While we were at Tractor Supply practicing some of her LEVEL 2 skills, I had to get her a new coat.  This girl shakes like a Chihuahua in this weather - she is not a fan of wind, rain or snow and we have it all right now!

She's going all leggy!

MILEMARKER: LEVEL 1 TRAINING LEVELS COMPLETE

Our first MileMarker besides basic socialization and exposure training was for Luna to complete her LEVEL 1 CORE by Christmas.  She has done this beautifully.

There are 5 basic criteria here:
COME GAME - Recall between two people
SIT - Verbal and Hand Signal Individually
DOWN - Verbal and Hand Signal Individually
TOUCH - Nose to Palm Targeting
LEAVE IT - In her case, she is already doing LVL 2 - open hand and on the floor

In the FACEBOOK GROUP that I run for this - I have created extra credit exercise for each behavior which we will be doing as well as it is good practice and fun for her to learn the extra skills.

Onto LEVEL 2!

THE ART OF SILENCE

https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/short-article-power-of-silence

Sit...sit...sit, sit, siiiiittttttt..SIT!  SIT DOWN! SIT!

All too often, I see parents of both the 2 and 4 legged variety spending far too much time and energy trying to get them to do something simple and every day like SIT.  How many times do we see pet owners who ask their dog over and over again to do what should be quite a simple command? Do they not know what it means?  Are they blowing you off?  Actually - you have probably taught them that either the cue is 10 repetitions long or that there is no consistency in the cue and they are confused.

We as human beings are a very verbal society and our preferred method of communication is verbal (and for many of us this is accompanied by quite a few gesturing waves thrown in for good measure).

Dogs primary method of communication is NON-verbal. So for them, the constant stream of information can be frustrating at best and overwhelming at the worst.

There are many times when we don't need to put as much verbal energy into a situation as we do. Deaf dogs can obviously learn just as well as hearing dogs, so the verbal component is NOT the key.  By learning when and how to use your voice in training, you can increase the effectiveness of your training by 60% with just this one adaptation.

Much like the old Santa Claus adage, dogs are watching everything you do, and they read far more off body language then the actual words, you say. It doesn't matter if you train your dog in English, German, Russian or a completely nonsensical language - people train in Harry Potter spells, Elvish and Klingon - the dogs don't care.

They don't know the word until you teach it to them, and they really have no preference for what spoken language you are using, but rather the timing, tone and energy level of it.  There is no standard cue you can use that your dog will recognize and immediately follow.  To them, most of the time, we sound like the Charlie Brown teacher - wah wah waaaah wah - SIT - wah wah - DOWN...

SO WHAT DO YOU DO THEN?

TIMING:  When TEACHING a behavior - acknowledge and mark with the word when they are DOING the behavior - not BEFORE.  Telling a dog that doesn't know DOWN to do so over and over as they stand there and look at you does not connect the word with the behavior you want in their mind at all.

Now if you see them in a DOWN - Capture it!! - That is when you say the word - YES! DOWN! - when they are DOING the behavior.

Once they understand the behavior - then you can start asking for it beforehand but they should be at about 80-85% reliability before this.

TONE:  Cues should be given in a CONVERSATIONAL tone.  If your dog can hear a cheese wrapper crinkle from 3 rooms away - they heard what you said right in front of them.  

Practice WHISPER TRAINING - how quietly can you say the cue and they respond.  This encourages focus and relating to the handler vs what can quickly become avoidance or stress behaviors in your dog and you feeling like you have to be harsh or punitive.  If you have to get loud or aggressive with your dog's cues - including things like Leave It - they do not know the behavior well enough.  It isn't a matter of volume - getting louder, more insistent and frustrated doesn't make behavior happen any faster - it just makes it less consistent.

ENERGY LEVEL - I'm not talking about Cesar Milan "energy" here but actual applied volume and movement energy.  The energy level you put into your words does matter.

When you're training something static like a body position - SIT, DOWN or STAND, impulse control exercises like WATCH, LEAVE and matwork or your dog is doing problem solving brain games - you want to put as little verbal energy into that as possible. When you want a calm behavior from your dog - you must have calm hands, calm mind & a calm mouth.

Now, if you're trying to get an active behavior, such as a fast recall or an excited touch - this is where you are going to direct a high level of energy and excitement.  When you want movement, be animated with your voice and your body - this is the time for praise parties and cheerleading.

Your voice, or lack thereof, should always reflect the energy level you are trying to achieve.

Especially for service dogs, I think it's important that you are able to communicate with them as simply as possible and being able to just give a quick hand signal that they can reliably respond to can go a long way to making things much easier in challenging public situations. If you don't have to stop and address your dog multiple times verbally - but can instead just give a subtle hand signal and keep going, you are likely to be much less stressed and in crowded or loud environments, you don't have to worry about being heard.

In the videos below, you can see the beginnings of hand signal only work with Luna. We want her to respond quickly and correctly, the first time a cue is given and be able to focus on Daishia in public no matter what the distraction.

These are taught as separate components to the behavior.

First we have to teach the behavior itself.  That is what I am doing here.  Introducing the beginnings of the behavior, luring her into position with a modified version of the finished hand signal that we will clean up as she understands and then marking and only telling her the word when she is in the desired position.

Hand signals I recommend but you can of course create your own

Then we will introduce what criteria she needs to meet to get it right - our 4 D's:

• DISTANCE
• DURATION
• Under DISTRACTION
• With DIVERSITY 

Then we want to put it on our reliable cue given in a QUIET, CONVERSATIONAL TONE (or even whisper) or SUBTLE hand signal (of which she will have both verbal and hand signal)

No loud, harsh toned verbals - no exaggerated, large body signals - no repeats. 
Then we can call the behavior complete.

Again, this is just the way that I personally choose to train things. This is not, by any means, the only way.

Sue Ailsby sums it up nicely in her introduction to her TRAINING LEVELS system.

QUIET HANDS, QUIET BODIES, QUIET MOUTHS
When a good dressage rider goes through her routine with her horse, she appears to be doing nothing. Her hands barely move, her body barely moves, and any words she says are whispered. This is the ideal for dog trainers as well – quiet hands, quiet bodies, and quiet mouths. Concentrate on what your hands, body, and voice are saying to the dog. He'll learn faster and easier when he's not distracted by extraneous motion and noise.

Here is Luna learning her SIT on signal.  She is a cheeky monkey in that she will sit if she sees/smells the treat in my hand - otherwise she will bark, back off and carry on.  This is not her misbehaving, she isn't being bossy or demanding - she is simply early enough in the learning process that she doesn't have an understanding of how payroll works yet.  She will learn that she still gets paid - in food, treats, play, praise or affection AFTER she does the behavior as we go but for now the important part is to show her HOW to do the behavior and then we will raise the criteria.

Her DOWN is being taught as a foldback down - meaning she doesn't SIT first. There are many reasons for this including to strengthen the difference between the two so when asked for a STAY in a certain position - she can maintain that position.

A lot of dogs taught DOWN from SIT generalize that it's coming and slide into a DOWN when asked to SIT - predicting you're going to ask for that - and then you have to retrain that. Or you can skip the SIT all together as it has nothing to do with the DOWN anyway.

In both of these videos, you can see I am clicking/marking the correct behavior and save the verbal components for praise and telling her what the behavior is called as we build it.

Try it - you might be surprised at the difference it makes!

PROGRESS REPORT 11.6.17-11.18.17

Over the last few weeks, Luna has settled in, gotten to meet and experience any new situations on her socialization checklist and started working on passive skills of calmness and impulse control.

We are working on skills from many different places right now:
PASSIVE SKILLS - just asking general calm behaviors and good choices
SUE AILSBY's TRAINING LEVELS 1 (and a few LVL 2)
C.L.A.S.S (Canine Life & Social Skills) BA/LVL 1
OFF LEASH Focus and Recall Skills

She also got to join my Thursday Group Class to work on some new skills and behaviors around other dogs she had never met.  Overall - very pleased with her progress. She is a wonderful little pup.

TRAINING TIMELINE

People have asked what sort of things Luna will be training on and what kind of timeline I expected her to be completing things in.  It always varies on the dog's individual personality and learning style as well as other developmental factors but this is the schedule of progress I am aiming for with her.

FIRST GROUP CLASS TRAINING SESSION - TRAINING LEVELS - COME GAME BEGINNINGS

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tpptraininglevelsgroup/

One of the first 5 behaviors taught in SUE AILSBY'S TRAINING LEVELS is the COME GAME which basically gets a dog coming quickly and enthusiastically between at least 2 people.

This is a great game for Luna's family to play while she is on her overnights with them and we will be adding all kinds of extra bits to make it more challenging for her.   This teaches her not only to come to each of them, but in the event there was ever an accident or she was hurt, frightened or lost - I would rather her go to someone willingly than run.

I know so many handlers that don't want their dogs to go to other people for various reasons, but I would rather my dog willingly go to someone and be safe than run the streets or worse, get hit by a car because they were never taught this simple game.

Luka is a good example.  He has been with me for years now but came to me as an unadoptable rescue.  He was the last of 6 siblings the rescue was trying to place, had no people skills and did not want to interact in any way, stayed to himself and if he got out - you weren't going to get him back without MAJOR effort on your part. 

He was 7 months old in this picture and already a jaded soul.  It took us a very long time to create a positive people response in him but it is still weak in regards to other people outside of his close inner circle.

This was tested one day when he and 3 of our other dogs managed to find a weak spot in the fence and escape.  They happily gallivanted for much of the day before we were able to locate and grab them.

But Luka, my dear sweet medical misfit who was already going blind and partially deaf, was having none of the catching him business.  He ran from the ACO, the police, the people trying to cajole him into coming.  He was in the woods, crossing rivers, clearing fences like a gazelle and all in the wrong direction.  The more people tried to reach him - the further and faster he went - he wasn't having any of that catch me business.

I finally was able to get him when he realized it was me calling and came to the edge of the woods, stopping long enough to realize a familiar voice but even then it took him about 10 minutes to trust it was me.

He is a prime example of why this early training is so important.  He has come so far with me and my close family and he continues to improve - but to be honest as his eyesight has gone and he has little hearing left - he is more content to just hang out.  He gets around really well for a dog with as many issues as he has (you'll see him in the occasional video cameo) but for the most part - he is an old man at 5yrs old.

We work on his recall passively and it is pretty good if he hears you (and there isn't a deer running in front of him) but it could be better.  Most dogs recalls could.  But that is why this is in the top 5 first things to teach this little lady.  COME saves doggie lives.  I will be adding a whistle cue to her training from this week as well.  I look forward to her progress with this!

FIRST GROUP CLASS TRAINING SESSION - BODY POSITIONS AND REAR END AWARENESS

Body positions form the basis of many more complex behaviors and tell the dog where you want their feet and body to be.  There are 3 base positions - SIT, DOWN & STAND.  As they progress we add criteria to sharpen the behavior.

• DURATION (how long you want them to stay like that)
• DISTANCE (how far away you want them to do it)
• DISTRACTION (yes, still do it even though this exciting thing is happening over here)
• DIVERSITY (that they can do it on a mat, near a hat, with a cat or beside a rat...anywhere)
• FLUID CHANGES (they can go from DOWN to SIT without standing in between or STAND straight to DOWN without sitting
• SPEED (how quickly they respond)
• SIGNAL (hand/foot signal only, verbal only, handlers back turned)

But before we can do any of the more complex things - we have to teach the base behavior.  I really enjoy using Sue Ailsby's TRAINING LEVELS as a structured order of teaching things and have used it for years.  I actually run a free FaceBook training group teaching this for anyone interested in anything from increasing their pets skills to dog sports to service dog work.  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tpptraininglevelsgroup/

In the beginning of this video is Luna working on understanding her base body positions and basic impulse control around high value food and other dogs.  Several of the exercises she has had no previous exposure to at all (STAND and TWIST/SHOUT). 

I start adding snippets of other criteria from above like Duration and there is obviously Distraction and as she becomes more solid in each aspect, I will separate and build on each part.

Towards the end, you will see I introduced a completely new concept with the spin circles.  It seems weird to think that a dog is not aware of their body, but puppies especially don't seem to know that their hind end does more than wag and follow along. 

When you are going to be teaching things that involve the dog moving their back end like swinging into HEEL position, or backing up into a tight space or from under a chair or even something as fun and simple as a BOW - they need to know they have a back end to be aware of.

There are several exercises you can use to teach this which Luna will learn and tonight we worked on the first which is simply to lure her into a circle and flex her body both to the left and right.  Because she was just trying to back up, a put my hand behind her to stop that and get her to just follow through with the curl.  This will quickly be faded out as she learns it. 

There are many ways to teach this behavior - this one was lured meaning she was following a treat but as she learns targeting this week, I will be changing to following a target instead of a lure. 

We also worked on PASSIVE MANNERS skills at the end - PUPPY ZEN - where we are teaching that to get what we want, we don't mug the hand but SIT instead.  This week we are introducing another two skills - LEAVE IT and TARGET and refining the ones ones she is already working on.

FIRST GROUP CLASS TRAINING SESSION - POSITIVE PUPPY PLAY AND SOCIALIZATION

Learning appropriate play response to a variety of other dog sizes, breeds, play styles, reactivity responses and learning to share space and resources is crucial to any pup.

But owners of giant breeds need to be sure that they expose their pups to small breeds early on in my opinion so they develop a gentleness and don't decide that Whack-A-Mole is a great way to interact.

Luna has met and interracted with a variety of dogs ranging from the Mastiffs Qui and Hoodoo, to Rebecca's little ones Izzy, Lilo and Laney (Boston Terrier, Frenchie and Frenchton) and of course she has my guys - a Collie, a Giant Schnuazer mix and the Scruffermutt Fizz. 

She is pretty well versed in every size, shape, hair type, infirmity, age and play style by now but it is important to keep building those skills.

Tonight she attended my group class with Dusty, a 9wk old Collie pup and Luna, a 1yr German Shepherd.

Here is a clip from the social interaction and play portion as well as a bit of the GO FIND game.

TRACTOR SUPPLY SOCIALIZATION & POSITIVE EXPOSURE OUTING

One of my favorite places for early positive exposure and socialization outings is our local Tractor Supply.

The staff are amazing, the store has enough traffic to make it interesting but not overwhelming and they are happy for me to bring in my new babies and work with them there.

We will do a lot of our early pet friendly Public Access behavior training here. Every trainer handles public access training differently in terms of when and where they go, but for me personally, I don't take pups into non-pet friendly places until they are completely housebroken and have some good core skills in manners and obedience.

Which is why when Luna has a potty accident in Tractor Supply, it wasn't a problem. We had a clean up and moved on, and in all fairness to her, I now know that I was right thinking she was getting antsy because she might need to potty, but I waited too long to respond... Completely my fault there honey!

All too often, I see handlers dragging puppies through Walmart before they are ready and between the lunging, barking fake service dogs and the overwhelming nature of Walmart on its own - it is not a wonder that these puppies develop nervous or anxious behaviors and often burn out or even wash out from service training completely.

Socialization and Exposure are NOT the same thing... And negative exposure can be worse than no exposure. How you introduce a pup to new things - especially around their fear period time frames - makes an enormous difference in how they perceive the world and cope with stress.


Please, if you are unfamiliar with fear periods, socialization protocols, how to create a positive exposure experience (it's not about the treats), how to read canine body language and how to desensitize and counter condition behaviors... Get with a trainer who knows!!

But back to our star...

She did beautifully meeting a variety of people including men in hats/sunglasses and some with beards, people who came down to her level and some who bent over her and she just took it all in stride. She is learning to keep her feet on the floor and offer a Sit when greeting people and she did so almost everytime with no prompting from me. Very proud of that girl!

Then we did some tough stuff - exposure work to unusual sights (giant stuffed dog) and sounds (construction toys) which she did so well at also.

She breezed through the visual one and showed me, we will need to work a little on the auditory one.

Exposure to scary things is an important part of training but has to be handled delicately.  I use her response to decide whether we are ready to try again.  If she will still approach and interact, take food and isn't shutting down - it is okay to push that little bit.  There is a fine line between desensitizing a puppy to something and overexposing them which can create a lasting impression that you then have to work much harder to change later.  Keep your sessions short and productive instead of trying to force the issue and stop before they get stressed.

We couldn't leave empty handed so she got a selection of new toys and I may have cleaned out a bit of their treat clearance bin... LOL  She also got a new bed for the car which she promptly put to use!  All that work tires a baby out.  Which is good news on the containment frustration issue - she slept all the way home!

1st WELLNESS CHECK COMPLETE

We just got back from our first Wellness Check with Dr. Munique of Veterinary Associates of Princeton.

I chose Dr. Munique to be her vet because we are on the same page about the importance of growth plate closure before spaying, she has a great understanding of Giant Breed nutritional needs and we are on the same timetable with vaccinations and parasite control.

It's nice to work with a vet that sees things the same way you do and isn't pushing to fix a giant breed puppy at 4 months old.

They were quite busy when we arrived and it was almost an hour before we were seen. Luna couldn't have behaved any better.

While we waited, she met some great people who learned about her breed / training and loved on her.

She was very settled and relaxed around the cats and other dogs - many people complimented her on her behavior at such a young age!

She settled on the bench and after about 30min, she was sound asleep.

When it was our turn, she did beautifully with her exam and Dr. Munique said she is in wonderful condition.

Current Weight: 14.8lbs
Heart / Lungs / Ears / Eyes:  All Clear
Body Condition: Great

Again, so many thanks to Shawna for producing such a wonderful litter and putting the extra time and effort in to help us choose the right pup...

She is amazing!

CONTAINMENT FRUSTRATION - DAY 1-3

Containment frustration is a common thing for a lot of dogs.  Whenever they are behind any type of barrier - in the car, behind a baby gate, in a crate - and they don't want to be there - they can certainly let you know with no shortage of vocalizations.  So what do you do?

First, it's important to understand WHY this is happening.  Most barrier issues stem from one of two places - frustration (over excitement or boredom) or anxiety.  Not all - but most. 

While there are certainly similarities in how you handle it - it is important to identify the CAUSE instead of just lumping it as a bad behavior and throwing a cookie cutter solution at it.

LUNA started the week VERY frustrated at any separation.  The car ride home was a tribute song to her people and the first night in the kennel was very, very long.  Neither of us got much sleep!

So why do this?  Why kennel her?  Why not just let her out?  How can you listen to that and not SAVE THEM!!

The answer is threefold:

• All dogs need to learn to cope with stressors but especially Service Dog candidates.  Trust me - there is a difference between a panic cry which would be addressed and general frustration. 
  
  Just like the divided camps of letting babies cry it out in the cot - trainers are divided on this issue as well.  I fall in the middle.  I will let a pup cry if it is a much higher level of frustration than actual distress and do not open the door if they are in an all out tantrum.  This WILL teach them if they cry longer, harder, more intensely - you will give in and let them out.
  
  Obviously if you live in an apartment or have a living situation where you can't allow this to happen, you have to have a different plan but in my case here, my dogs and I are the only ones effected.

• I honestly believe ALL dogs should be crate trained, regardless of if you are going to use a crate as part of their daily routine or not.  If the first time your dog ever goes into a crate is at the vet or the groomers - this is VERY stressful for them.  I include crate training in every dogs life, just like any other part of the HAPPY HANDLING series for vetting and grooming.  This is the same reason I believe all dogs should be taught to wear a muzzle - if the first time they ever have to is when they are in pain or shock from an accident - it causes a huge amount of stress.

• Luna will not be sleeping with me, as much as we both may want it.  People ask how can I let a dog go after they have been with me for so long, and this is one of the ways that happens.  Imagine how bonded she would be to me if I spend all this time training and living with her but create no coping skills for independence.  She can sleep with Daishia to increase their bond and sleep in her kennel to facilitate independence during her training here.

Her first day - she cried the majority of the ride in the car, anytime I closed a gate between us and for almost 2 hours that night, then anytime she woke up. A very long and unsettled night for all of us.  Gryphon actually came and stood by the bed staring at me like - Moooooom - Do something!

Keep in mind - this is perfectly understandable - she is away from her littermates for the first time, away from home and everything she knows - she has been in the cars for days and like an overstimulated toddler - she is just overwhelmed.

It will get better as we work on it.  If she is out WITH me, she settles and sleeps beautifully.  She has adopted a spot in the kitchen and will go there to rest whenever she gets sleepy.  She fell asleep chewing her cow ear the other night.  She just wants to not be separated which is understandable.

Day 2, we had 45min of crying and were starting to see breaks in it of up to a few minutes instead of a few seconds.

Day 3, we are seeing improvements again - I think in about a week or so we should have this much more under control!

SHAPING EARLY OFFERED BEHAVIORS

One of the great things about positive training is you are always looking for things to "capture" that you might need later. 

Capturing is when you see a behavior that you like or may be able to use later so you acknowledge and reward it when it happens.  

Since one of the ways Luna is going to learn to alert for Daishia is to put her paw on Daishia's leg while sitting, when she offered this behavior - we had a puppy praise party! 

You don't have to have treats or toys or anything ready - just acknowledge and recognize the behavior when you see it and begin to pair it with the cue you are going to use if you know it. 

Little one is already learning!