Mumble is notorious for being resistant to staying at home alone. He has been known to escape confinement behind a dog gate (pushing it out of the doorway, climbing a bookshelf to get over it, and then climbing the moved-bookshelf to get to the kitchen counter and then over the gate) at the young age of 4 months; he moved a crate across the room while inside of it (resulting in a scrape on his back that caused a permanent scar), took a screen out of a window, ate / chewed through two doorknobs (mine and one at my sister's house - both have puncture marks from his teeth and are warped), and various other things to attempt to get out of any type of solitary confinement (or what he sees as such). More recently, he escaped out of a crate completely while we were visiting my sister for Christmas (my brother checked on him that day and called to say "was he in this pen-thing when you left him here? he's not now"). And then of course, he has rearranged my furniture... As in, pulled a large arm-chair several feet across the room so that it was behind the couch instead of next to it. I guess he thought it looked better there, or else was trying to move it to the window (when it use to be under the window, he loved to sit and look outside).
So figuring out what to do with him during the work day has been a constant source of stress for me. Originally, he was able to come to my office during the work day, but eventually the building owners put their foot down about that (although they seem to look the other way for smaller dogs). He started daycare at The Loved Dog at age 5 months, and for a while he was doing a combination of daycare there or in a pet sitter / dog walker's home during the week. Eventually this didn't work because unbenownst to me, Mumble had decided to be a "guard dog" at the pet sitter's house, and basically barked at the door most of the day.
Several months ago I found a great dog walker, named Lyn. You can read all about that process in an earlier post about Mumble staying home alone. Lyn was great because she was willing to listen and to work with Mumble according to the techniques / methods I already use. I showed her, for example, Mumble's "routine" for when I leave the house, which is something we learned in our training with Tamar Gellar, and she implemented it. I told her she had to be willing and able to say "no" firmly to Mumble if he was barking or pulling on the leash - that he knows how to behave but will "test" her. When Mumble started a Tricks class, I gave her a list and instructions of what he was practicing and she would try out some of the tricks with him when she visited. She was flexible, able to come multiple times during the day (more when he seemed hyper or anxious, for example).
And over the last several months, my life has become infinitely less stressful as Mumble has become more and more calm about staying at home. Of course, I know some of this is attributable to the fact that during this time period, he has had constant agility and tricks training, giving him ongoing and consistent "mental stimulation" which makes him better behaved in general. I know some of it is just due to maturity - Mumble at 1 year 5 months is just now starting to get out of the destructive puppy phase. But I also know a lot of it is because of Lyn, because she has been a constant in Mumble's life, and because she was such a perfect fit for what he needed in a dog walker.
So you can imagine the panic I felt when Lyn informed me that she is now moving away. She's very happy about this next step in her life, and I want good things for her! But selfishly, I of course wish she were staying nearby.
I'm faced now with the search, again, for the perfect dog walker. Perfect means available when I need them, flexible in terms of scheduling (it's not the same week by week), reasonably priced, experienced with dogs, and not too opinionated about how dogs should be walked / worked with. It is a time-consuming and exhausting task, one that took me a few months the last time around. I've google'd, searched through craigslist, talked to people referred to me by trainers and others, asked everyone I know if they know someone. I've emailed any and all persons who seem like they would be a good candidate and asked them my laundry-list of questions. You'd think this is a simple matter of availability + reasonable rate, but it's not so simple. The hardest part is finding the person who's personality is a good fit for how I want someone to work with my dog.
I've found that really experienced dog walkers, like "trainers," tend to be very opinionated about what works and think they know all about dog training already. And I'm sure they have great techniques, but I've put a lot of time and money into Mumble's training and I am more concerned with someone being able to do things my way than whether they can bring in their own training experience and techniques. My biggest pet peeve in this has been when I say "Mumble needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation..." and I get cut off because the dog walker wants to show what they know and starts in with "oh yes, all dogs need at least XX number of hours of exercise" or "dogs really need activity and structure." It's not that they are wrong, it's that they are not listening. I know all healthy dogs need exercise and activities, but when I say Mumble needs that I am not just referring to what dogs need in general. Mumble is unique among all of the dogs in our little pack of dog-friends in terms of how much exercise he needs a day, so I think it is safe to say his needs may be beyond what the dog walker thinks of as "typical." On days he is at home now, he gets an hour long walk in the morning with me, two thirty minute walks with Lyn and another 30-45 minute walk with me in the evening. 2.5 or more hours of walking a day is probably more than the average dog gets / requires.
I'm not willing to risk, by having someone who is not right for Mumble, back-tracking to the days when he hated staying at home. When I leave him in the morning now, he is calm as he lies in his "stay" position waiting nicely until I get out the door and tell him "take it" (at which point he gets to get up and get the treats and toys I've put on the rug for him). He doesn't try to get up and follow me out, doesn't dry at the door. My neighbors no longer complain about crying or barking during the day. And when I come home, he is just happily waiting for me. As it should be.
So the search is on, and in the next week, Mumble and I will be meeting with a few candidates to see if they are a good fit. I'm hopeful we'll find someone quickly this time, so we'll see how it goes!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Tricks Training, Continued
So last night was the last class for Tricks 1, which Mumble has been taking (along with his friends Chopper and Charlie) for the last six weeks at Zoom Room Culver City. You can read my previous post about Tricks 1 (which covers the first three sessions) here.
Here's a breakdown of the second half of this training:
Week 4: In our class, we didn't introduce new tricks in week 4, I think because we had been a little advanced the first three weeks so there were already a lot of tricks in our repertoire. We spent week 4 practicing and honing the tricks we had already been introduced to, with the focus mainly on ringing the bell, going to the mark, play dead ("on your side" for Mumble; "bang" for everyone else), and Yum Yum (which remained really difficult for most of us).
Week 5: In week 5, we introduced skateboards, which certainly made the class interesting. The dogs were introduced to it using the "touch" command to attempt to get them just to touch the skateboard. Some of them (like Chopper and Charlie) caught on really fast and were already making it move along and attempting to ride it. Mumble, however, was terrified of the moving skateboard. I think for this to work for Mumble, we would have to introduce it the same way Jaime introduced us to the teeter (which also moves) in Agility 1. I was convinced Mumble would be terrified of it, but Jaime so carefully conditioned the dogs to it (first having them eat treats off of it just while it was stable, then having them put their feet on it and get treats, etc), that by the time it actually was moving while Mumble was on it he was convinced it was a treat machine, and it is now his favorite thing in agility.
Week 6: This was the last class, and for the most part we practiced the things we had already been working on. However, there was one new trick added to the mix this week - Jumping through a Hoop. We were each given a hula-hoop and we used treats to lure the dogs through, starting with the bottom of the hoop touching the ground and slowly moving it upwards. I assumed that Mumble would be good at this because he already knows how to jump through the tire in agility, but for some reason he was super resistant and stubborn about it. After encouragement and assistance from our instructor, Dave (who basically gave Mumble a pep talk and got him all excited before I called him through the hoop), Mumble finally went through. But anytime I moved the hoop in the slightest, he went back to being resistant. Chopper was nearby, and I saw that he went through the hoop pretty willingly, but he was always looking ahead and not really at where the hoop was, so he kept tripping on it. Basically, no matter where it was, he was trying to step through instead of jumping through.
Overall, here's what I thought each dog was best at:
Charlie: Without a doubt, Charlie's best trick is "play-dead." I wish I had a video of it to post here on the blog because it is so dramatic, it's difficult to really give an accurate picture of it in words. To set it up, Charlie starts out sitting with her mom, who instructs her to "run to daddy." As she starts running towards him, he says "BANG!" really loud, pointing at her with a finger "gun," and Charlie instantly gives off this loud bark, leaps into the air, and falls back down into a "play-dead" position on the floor. For extra drama she sometimes bites at her dad's pants leg on the way down (like "I'm going down but I'm going to try to take you with me!")
Chopper: It's difficult to say for Chopper, because he learned almost everything we attempted (he's very food motivated), but it's not like there is a clear favorite that is done dramatically like Charlie's play-dead. Chopper's overall best trick was probably "sit pretty," which he mastered exceptionally well, especially for a dog so big (which makes it more difficult to balance). However, the trick that was the most exciting to see Chopper do was the skateboard. Chopper has always had issues with skateboard and barks at the kids in his neighborhood when they ride them, so the fact that he was so eager to attempt it at all was pretty great. And he really did try to "ride" it, not just touch it. He would put his front paws on it and push it forward, but again, his size made this more difficult than for the other dogs.
Hunter: Hunter did most of the tricks pretty well, but I'd have to say that I think his best was the hoop on the last day. Most of the other dogs still looked as if they were figuring out the hoop since we only did it this one class, but Hunter was a pro right away. His mom could hold the hoop up pretty high from the ground and he would run over and jump straight through it on command.
Mumble: Mumble did anything that involved the "touch" command as the basis pretty well, including ringing the bell and going to his mark. He will run over and stand on that mark on command no matter where you put it, and is always accurate with getting his front paws right on it. But I think his best was ringing the bell, which is ironic given that the first week it was introduced he was afraid of making it ring and would touch it so gingerly, or on its side, or hover his paw over it instead of on it. Now, you can put the bell on the floor and point to it and he just runs right over and rings it. For some reason, he prefers to make it ring twice in a row ("ring ring - now give me a treat")
Now that Tricks 1 is over, we are considering Tricks 2, but will probably postpone enrolling in that because during the next 6 weeks (or "semester" at the Zoom Room), I will be out of town a couple of times so Mumble would miss some sessions. Meanwhile, Mumble and Chopper are both starting Agility League at the Zoom Room this Sunday, which will give us something to do. Eventually, I think the next level of Tricks will be great to continue to build on these skills, and it certainly gives Mumble a lot of much needed mental stimulation. One of the great things about it was that the tricks give you the opportunity for structure in other environments. So for Chopper, for example, Mandy is able to get him to perform some of his tricks when he is in the waiting room at the place where he goes to daycare / boarding. This is a great distraction from what is typically a stressful place / time for Chopper (who has separation anxiety). For Mumble, it gave the dog walker something structured she could do with him when she came for a visit, so that during those days he is at home, he not only gets the physical exercise from the walk, but the mental exercise of practicing the tricks as well.
Here's a breakdown of the second half of this training:
Week 4: In our class, we didn't introduce new tricks in week 4, I think because we had been a little advanced the first three weeks so there were already a lot of tricks in our repertoire. We spent week 4 practicing and honing the tricks we had already been introduced to, with the focus mainly on ringing the bell, going to the mark, play dead ("on your side" for Mumble; "bang" for everyone else), and Yum Yum (which remained really difficult for most of us).
Week 5: In week 5, we introduced skateboards, which certainly made the class interesting. The dogs were introduced to it using the "touch" command to attempt to get them just to touch the skateboard. Some of them (like Chopper and Charlie) caught on really fast and were already making it move along and attempting to ride it. Mumble, however, was terrified of the moving skateboard. I think for this to work for Mumble, we would have to introduce it the same way Jaime introduced us to the teeter (which also moves) in Agility 1. I was convinced Mumble would be terrified of it, but Jaime so carefully conditioned the dogs to it (first having them eat treats off of it just while it was stable, then having them put their feet on it and get treats, etc), that by the time it actually was moving while Mumble was on it he was convinced it was a treat machine, and it is now his favorite thing in agility.
Week 6: This was the last class, and for the most part we practiced the things we had already been working on. However, there was one new trick added to the mix this week - Jumping through a Hoop. We were each given a hula-hoop and we used treats to lure the dogs through, starting with the bottom of the hoop touching the ground and slowly moving it upwards. I assumed that Mumble would be good at this because he already knows how to jump through the tire in agility, but for some reason he was super resistant and stubborn about it. After encouragement and assistance from our instructor, Dave (who basically gave Mumble a pep talk and got him all excited before I called him through the hoop), Mumble finally went through. But anytime I moved the hoop in the slightest, he went back to being resistant. Chopper was nearby, and I saw that he went through the hoop pretty willingly, but he was always looking ahead and not really at where the hoop was, so he kept tripping on it. Basically, no matter where it was, he was trying to step through instead of jumping through.
Overall, here's what I thought each dog was best at:
Charlie: Without a doubt, Charlie's best trick is "play-dead." I wish I had a video of it to post here on the blog because it is so dramatic, it's difficult to really give an accurate picture of it in words. To set it up, Charlie starts out sitting with her mom, who instructs her to "run to daddy." As she starts running towards him, he says "BANG!" really loud, pointing at her with a finger "gun," and Charlie instantly gives off this loud bark, leaps into the air, and falls back down into a "play-dead" position on the floor. For extra drama she sometimes bites at her dad's pants leg on the way down (like "I'm going down but I'm going to try to take you with me!")
Chopper: It's difficult to say for Chopper, because he learned almost everything we attempted (he's very food motivated), but it's not like there is a clear favorite that is done dramatically like Charlie's play-dead. Chopper's overall best trick was probably "sit pretty," which he mastered exceptionally well, especially for a dog so big (which makes it more difficult to balance). However, the trick that was the most exciting to see Chopper do was the skateboard. Chopper has always had issues with skateboard and barks at the kids in his neighborhood when they ride them, so the fact that he was so eager to attempt it at all was pretty great. And he really did try to "ride" it, not just touch it. He would put his front paws on it and push it forward, but again, his size made this more difficult than for the other dogs.
Hunter: Hunter did most of the tricks pretty well, but I'd have to say that I think his best was the hoop on the last day. Most of the other dogs still looked as if they were figuring out the hoop since we only did it this one class, but Hunter was a pro right away. His mom could hold the hoop up pretty high from the ground and he would run over and jump straight through it on command.
Mumble: Mumble did anything that involved the "touch" command as the basis pretty well, including ringing the bell and going to his mark. He will run over and stand on that mark on command no matter where you put it, and is always accurate with getting his front paws right on it. But I think his best was ringing the bell, which is ironic given that the first week it was introduced he was afraid of making it ring and would touch it so gingerly, or on its side, or hover his paw over it instead of on it. Now, you can put the bell on the floor and point to it and he just runs right over and rings it. For some reason, he prefers to make it ring twice in a row ("ring ring - now give me a treat")
Now that Tricks 1 is over, we are considering Tricks 2, but will probably postpone enrolling in that because during the next 6 weeks (or "semester" at the Zoom Room), I will be out of town a couple of times so Mumble would miss some sessions. Meanwhile, Mumble and Chopper are both starting Agility League at the Zoom Room this Sunday, which will give us something to do. Eventually, I think the next level of Tricks will be great to continue to build on these skills, and it certainly gives Mumble a lot of much needed mental stimulation. One of the great things about it was that the tricks give you the opportunity for structure in other environments. So for Chopper, for example, Mandy is able to get him to perform some of his tricks when he is in the waiting room at the place where he goes to daycare / boarding. This is a great distraction from what is typically a stressful place / time for Chopper (who has separation anxiety). For Mumble, it gave the dog walker something structured she could do with him when she came for a visit, so that during those days he is at home, he not only gets the physical exercise from the walk, but the mental exercise of practicing the tricks as well.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
"You call yourself a dog trainer?!"
Finding a good, reputable dog trainer can be one of the difficult challenges dog owners face these days. While there are certainly plenty of available "trainers" out there, the fact that anyone can call his- or herself a trainer makes it difficult to weed through the field to find a good one. It's not like there is a certification or licensing requirement that ensures trainers are appropriately qualified and experienced.
I've had a couple of experiences with "trainers" that illustrated this problem. Both involved the same person, who works at a pet store in my area. I have no idea what this particular store's policy is in regards to whom they deem worthy of the title "trainer," what experience these people have, or what ongoing training they receive. But this particular "trainer" is someone I would never want to be involved in training Mumble (or anyone else's dog, really).
(now, as a side note, I will readily admit before getting into the rant below that when Mandy first adopted Chopper, we took a dog behavior class at this pet store, and our instructor was great. We were naive then and just signed up for a class basically with no research or questions, and by luck alone, it worked out)
The first time I had a confrontation with this person was when Mumble was a little less than a year old. Mumble has had experience going out into public places since I got him at age 3 months. We go to the outdoor mall near my house on the weekends, the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, pet stores, etc. He used to come to my office on a regular basis. He's pretty good out in public and in stores, and for the most part stays right next to me. But of course, when another dog is around, he always wants to go and say "hi."
So one day we were in the pet store, buying dog food or treats or whatever, and Mumble was still a puppy and pretty hyper in general. He was behaving pretty well, but decided at some point that he wanted to walk the opposite direction from where I was going in order to sniff another dog. He didn't have his harness (he wears a Gentle Leader brand "Easy Walk" harness) that particular day. (In fact, now that I think of it, we may have been there to buy a new one to replace one he had chewed through, but that is a different story). So without the harness, he could pull on the leash pretty hard / far if he wanted to. Now, I am not saying that this isn't "naughty" behavior, but it is by no means aggressive or "out of control." At the time, Mumble was enrolled in Tamar Gellar's "Doggie Manners" class at The Loved Dog, and we were working on loose leash walking, but he had by no means mastered it yet.
A "dog trainer" happened to be wandering around the store at this moment, and he stopped to stare at Mumble. As I was attempting to get Mumble to focus on me and walk back towards me (rather than forcing him back by pulling the leash), the "trainer" came over and actually pulled the leash while it was still in my hand, jerking up on the leash so hard that Mumble actually yelped. He then started to lecture me about how my dog was clearly "out of control" and needed behavior modification training, how he had been watching me in the store and my dog was clearly trying to be dominant over me, etc. He said that I needed to immediately "establish dominance" over the dog or else he would become aggressive. He then explained that by "establishing dominance" he meant forcing the dog onto the floor and using my foot to hold him down by this throat.
Now, I'm sure many people subscribe to such aversive tactics as being valid training methods. And there may even be situations where it would be valid. But the method of training I had chosen to employ with Mumble, "The Loved Dog" approach with Tamar Gellar, is opposite in how it works. It focuses on positive reinforcement and building a positive relationship with your dog. In any event, in this situation, his "method" was entirely inappropriate, given that (1) I had in no way given this guy permission to implement such a tactic on my dog; and (2) Mumble was not actually "out of control" or dominant. In fact, I would think that suddenly jerking a dog's collar hard enough to cause pain would only create anxiety / fear in the dog, which are usually the underlying causes of aggression. I basically told him as much and stated that what he was doing would probably tend to cause the very thing he was claiming to prevent in dogs. He argued with me that the training I was attending was just a "feel good" training, and that my dog just continue to be out of control.
I chose to trust in Tamar, who is actually a known expert in dog training, rather than this guy who basically sounded like he had watched one episode of the Dog Whisperer and decided he knew everything about how to make dogs be "submissive" and therefore he could now be a trainer.
The second instance happened last night. I was again at the same pet store, this time purchasing cat food for Rascal. Because we were in the cat aisle, where there was basically nothing interesting like toys and bones to smell and explore, Mumble was pretty bored and he was just laying quietly on the floor beside me. All was well until a small dog started to walk past us, and Mumble turned his body towards it, still laying down, and started what I call the "border collie stare." For those of you who don't know (as I didn't until I had Mumble and started reading everything I could about this breed), border collies use a stare or intense "eye gaze" to try to control other dogs. For working border collies, who are actually herding sheep, it used for their herding duties and referred to by handlers as "the eye." Mumble isn't herding any sheep, so he does it to get other dogs to come over to him so he can sniff them, lick them, etc. When he isn't laying all the way down, he has his head down and walks kind of low until he gets to them, all the while staring intensely. This is the border collie's "working position," and apparently Mumble considers it work to get other dogs to play with him. (It's called "creeping" rather than stalking. Here is a picture on some border collie merchandise that is a pretty good illustration)
Now I know that "creeping" or laying down completely is not a perfect behavior, and on walks, etc. I work a lot on this and on getting Mumble to focus back on me and to keep walking forward. The thing about border collies, however, is that once they have gone into "work mode" it is very difficult to refocus them, so this is always a challenge.
(sidebar: I remember the first time this came up in our "Doggie Manners" class. We were working on loose leash walking and Tamar came around individually to work with each of us. When she got to me, she asked me what my concerns were with Mumble on a leash, and I said well he does this thing where he just lays down because he wants to play with another dog. She laughed at first and said that most people would probably love for that to be their biggest problem. However, when she later saw Mumble doing this and saw the intensity of it, she said "oh yeah, this is something you have to work on." Still, she saw it for what it was - Mumble's way of "working" on a walk if he wasn't given other work to do. It is by no means an aggressive behavior).
So back to the incident. Mumble was basically doing his "creeping" to this other dog, and wouldn't you know that about that time, the same hoo-ha trainer walks by. This time, he says to the woman with the other dog "Oh no, you don't want your dog to go over there, don't let her interact with that dog, it is clearly being aggressive and might attack your dog." Well, I just lost my temper right then and there. I told him that my dog was not aggressive, and that clearly he doesn't know what he is talking about. I explained to the woman with the other dog (Sophie) that Mumble was a border collie, and this is what border collies do, and I apologized that I had not immediately noticed him doing it and stopped it but that it was not aggressive, and he really just wants to play. Well, the "trainer" could not let this go. He kept saying "look at how he is standing, that is clearly an aggressive stance," and trying to get between Sophie and Mumble. He then argued with me and said "there's no way that's a border collie, that is a pit bull or something, and he is aggressive." (well, Mumble might be part pit bull for all I know, but he is certainly border collie primarily by looks and behavior).
I couldn't believe this guy had engaged in another altercation with me (and Mumble). I don't know what he has against Mumble, but clearly he understands nothing about dogs, and it truly worries me that despite his ignorance, he is working as a "trainer" and other people are relying on him for "expertise."
So what these experiences have really highlighted for me, as I reflect on them after I have calmed down from the immediate angry reaction, is the importance of being careful who you choose as a "trainer" for your dog. Anyone can call themselves a trainer, so that leaves the burden on us, the owners, to really do our homework before we accept someone into our dog's life.
Here are some tips for choosing trainers:
At the end of the day, remember that how your dog is trained, and what methods you use, is going to affect a big part of your life. Dog training is and ongoing, so whatever you learn from a class, you are going to be implementing your dog's whole life. Make sure, therefore, that it is something you can truly believe in and that realistically will work to benefit you and your dog.
I've had a couple of experiences with "trainers" that illustrated this problem. Both involved the same person, who works at a pet store in my area. I have no idea what this particular store's policy is in regards to whom they deem worthy of the title "trainer," what experience these people have, or what ongoing training they receive. But this particular "trainer" is someone I would never want to be involved in training Mumble (or anyone else's dog, really).
(now, as a side note, I will readily admit before getting into the rant below that when Mandy first adopted Chopper, we took a dog behavior class at this pet store, and our instructor was great. We were naive then and just signed up for a class basically with no research or questions, and by luck alone, it worked out)
The first time I had a confrontation with this person was when Mumble was a little less than a year old. Mumble has had experience going out into public places since I got him at age 3 months. We go to the outdoor mall near my house on the weekends, the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, pet stores, etc. He used to come to my office on a regular basis. He's pretty good out in public and in stores, and for the most part stays right next to me. But of course, when another dog is around, he always wants to go and say "hi."
So one day we were in the pet store, buying dog food or treats or whatever, and Mumble was still a puppy and pretty hyper in general. He was behaving pretty well, but decided at some point that he wanted to walk the opposite direction from where I was going in order to sniff another dog. He didn't have his harness (he wears a Gentle Leader brand "Easy Walk" harness) that particular day. (In fact, now that I think of it, we may have been there to buy a new one to replace one he had chewed through, but that is a different story). So without the harness, he could pull on the leash pretty hard / far if he wanted to. Now, I am not saying that this isn't "naughty" behavior, but it is by no means aggressive or "out of control." At the time, Mumble was enrolled in Tamar Gellar's "Doggie Manners" class at The Loved Dog, and we were working on loose leash walking, but he had by no means mastered it yet.
A "dog trainer" happened to be wandering around the store at this moment, and he stopped to stare at Mumble. As I was attempting to get Mumble to focus on me and walk back towards me (rather than forcing him back by pulling the leash), the "trainer" came over and actually pulled the leash while it was still in my hand, jerking up on the leash so hard that Mumble actually yelped. He then started to lecture me about how my dog was clearly "out of control" and needed behavior modification training, how he had been watching me in the store and my dog was clearly trying to be dominant over me, etc. He said that I needed to immediately "establish dominance" over the dog or else he would become aggressive. He then explained that by "establishing dominance" he meant forcing the dog onto the floor and using my foot to hold him down by this throat.
Now, I'm sure many people subscribe to such aversive tactics as being valid training methods. And there may even be situations where it would be valid. But the method of training I had chosen to employ with Mumble, "The Loved Dog" approach with Tamar Gellar, is opposite in how it works. It focuses on positive reinforcement and building a positive relationship with your dog. In any event, in this situation, his "method" was entirely inappropriate, given that (1) I had in no way given this guy permission to implement such a tactic on my dog; and (2) Mumble was not actually "out of control" or dominant. In fact, I would think that suddenly jerking a dog's collar hard enough to cause pain would only create anxiety / fear in the dog, which are usually the underlying causes of aggression. I basically told him as much and stated that what he was doing would probably tend to cause the very thing he was claiming to prevent in dogs. He argued with me that the training I was attending was just a "feel good" training, and that my dog just continue to be out of control.
I chose to trust in Tamar, who is actually a known expert in dog training, rather than this guy who basically sounded like he had watched one episode of the Dog Whisperer and decided he knew everything about how to make dogs be "submissive" and therefore he could now be a trainer.
The second instance happened last night. I was again at the same pet store, this time purchasing cat food for Rascal. Because we were in the cat aisle, where there was basically nothing interesting like toys and bones to smell and explore, Mumble was pretty bored and he was just laying quietly on the floor beside me. All was well until a small dog started to walk past us, and Mumble turned his body towards it, still laying down, and started what I call the "border collie stare." For those of you who don't know (as I didn't until I had Mumble and started reading everything I could about this breed), border collies use a stare or intense "eye gaze" to try to control other dogs. For working border collies, who are actually herding sheep, it used for their herding duties and referred to by handlers as "the eye." Mumble isn't herding any sheep, so he does it to get other dogs to come over to him so he can sniff them, lick them, etc. When he isn't laying all the way down, he has his head down and walks kind of low until he gets to them, all the while staring intensely. This is the border collie's "working position," and apparently Mumble considers it work to get other dogs to play with him. (It's called "creeping" rather than stalking. Here is a picture on some border collie merchandise that is a pretty good illustration)
Now I know that "creeping" or laying down completely is not a perfect behavior, and on walks, etc. I work a lot on this and on getting Mumble to focus back on me and to keep walking forward. The thing about border collies, however, is that once they have gone into "work mode" it is very difficult to refocus them, so this is always a challenge.
(sidebar: I remember the first time this came up in our "Doggie Manners" class. We were working on loose leash walking and Tamar came around individually to work with each of us. When she got to me, she asked me what my concerns were with Mumble on a leash, and I said well he does this thing where he just lays down because he wants to play with another dog. She laughed at first and said that most people would probably love for that to be their biggest problem. However, when she later saw Mumble doing this and saw the intensity of it, she said "oh yeah, this is something you have to work on." Still, she saw it for what it was - Mumble's way of "working" on a walk if he wasn't given other work to do. It is by no means an aggressive behavior).
So back to the incident. Mumble was basically doing his "creeping" to this other dog, and wouldn't you know that about that time, the same hoo-ha trainer walks by. This time, he says to the woman with the other dog "Oh no, you don't want your dog to go over there, don't let her interact with that dog, it is clearly being aggressive and might attack your dog." Well, I just lost my temper right then and there. I told him that my dog was not aggressive, and that clearly he doesn't know what he is talking about. I explained to the woman with the other dog (Sophie) that Mumble was a border collie, and this is what border collies do, and I apologized that I had not immediately noticed him doing it and stopped it but that it was not aggressive, and he really just wants to play. Well, the "trainer" could not let this go. He kept saying "look at how he is standing, that is clearly an aggressive stance," and trying to get between Sophie and Mumble. He then argued with me and said "there's no way that's a border collie, that is a pit bull or something, and he is aggressive." (well, Mumble might be part pit bull for all I know, but he is certainly border collie primarily by looks and behavior).
I couldn't believe this guy had engaged in another altercation with me (and Mumble). I don't know what he has against Mumble, but clearly he understands nothing about dogs, and it truly worries me that despite his ignorance, he is working as a "trainer" and other people are relying on him for "expertise."
So what these experiences have really highlighted for me, as I reflect on them after I have calmed down from the immediate angry reaction, is the importance of being careful who you choose as a "trainer" for your dog. Anyone can call themselves a trainer, so that leaves the burden on us, the owners, to really do our homework before we accept someone into our dog's life.
Here are some tips for choosing trainers:
- Get recommendations from friends, family, dog owners in your neighborhood and people you trust. Ask your vet if there is someone they recommend.
- When you get recommendations from others, ask them why they like / recommend this person. What do they know about the person's qualifications, personality, and methods?
- If you can't find a particular person who is recommended, check out organizations that provide training. Although every individual trainer will be different, usually the methods used within an organization will be similar. So, for example, Mumble and I took a puppy class with the West LA Obedience Training Club, and even though I didn't know anything about the person in particular who ended up being our instructor, I had heard good things about the organization as a whole.
- Whenever possible, talk to the person in advance. Trust your instincts about whether this will be a good fit for you and your dog.
- Research whatever you can find about the person / organization's methods and techniques. Humane training methods are essential, and positive reinforcement is preferable to aversive techniques.
- Find out about what training the person has received. Do they attend conferences and seminars on an ongoing basis? Do they have experience working under someone else who is known to be a good effective trainer?
- Investigate any affiliations the person has. Are they members of an organization, club, etc? If they say they are, or their advertisements say they are, check to at least make sure the stated organization exists.
- Most importantly, how does the trainer interact with your dog? I knew that Tamar was going to be a great fit for training Mumble instantly because of how she interacted with him and with me. She's so genuine and truly loves animals, and this is immediately apparent. The same has been true for our instructors at the Zoom Room.
At the end of the day, remember that how your dog is trained, and what methods you use, is going to affect a big part of your life. Dog training is and ongoing, so whatever you learn from a class, you are going to be implementing your dog's whole life. Make sure, therefore, that it is something you can truly believe in and that realistically will work to benefit you and your dog.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Valentine's Day Hike in Malibu
On Valentine's Day, Mumble and I headed up to Malibu with a group of friends (and dogs) for a hike. The gang included: myself, Mandy, Amanda, Jeff and Malinda (persons); and Mumble, Chopper, Fish, and Charlie (dogs).
Photo Credits (throughout): Malinda & Jeff Cvitkovic
We originally intended to hike the Escondido Falls trail off of Morning View Drive, which is a shady, easy trail that goes back to a little pool of water and a waterfall. Some of us have done this hike a couple of times before, and thought that it would be a great time to do it again given that we've had so much rain lately. Apparently, everyone else in the vicinity had the same thought, and when Amanda arrived in the parking area ahead of the rest of us, she compared it to Disneyland in terms of how crowded it was. A quick look-up on the iPhone lead us to the Corral Canyon Park trail a little south of our original destination on PCH.
The Corral Canyon trailhead is accessible from a small parking lot adjacent to the very popular (with the surfer crowd) food joint, Malibu Seafood. The trail was described as dog friendly and including amazing views, so that along with its proximity to where we all were when we needed a Plan B made it a good choice. You can check out a map of the trail here.By no means either shady or easy, our plan B trail provided us with quite a challenge for 2.5 miles, but rewarded us with breathtaking Pacific Ocean views the whole way. I outfitted Mumble with his doggie backpack for the day, and he definitely had his "working dog mentality" going. Although he immediately laid down to rest in the mud each and every time we took a break, as we were going he showed no signs of fatigue and simply plowed ahead, hunting lizards, sniffing and occasionally tasting trail-side grasses.
At the very beginning of the hike, we had to cross over a small running stream, which is an adventure with dogs who are trying to pull forward and splashing in the water as you are balancing on rocks and branches. (The two smaller dogs were carried here). After that it was a steep and steady climb for probably the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the trail until finally it became switch-backs, which were much easier to manage. The trail then wound around and back down to ocean-level. Altogether, we completed this hike in less than 2 hours, which included a few resting stops for dog treats and people snacks.
It was a truly beautiful day for this hike, and with all of the rain lately there was plenty to see (and sniff for those closer to the ground) in terms of vegetation.
This was Mumble's first hike, which was slightly unbelievable to Mandy and I when we thought about it, given that we use to go on hikes with Chopper all the time! He definitely enjoyed it, and he was tired out for a couple of days afterwards! I'm looking forward to checking out more trails soon, and inviting some of his other dog friends along as well. In the end, hiking with great friends and all of the dogs was truly a great way to spend a Valentine's Day afternoon!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Play Dates
Dogs, like toddlers, need a social life too, and play dates are an excellent way to meet this need. You schedule a time with someone else who has a dog that your pup gets along with, and you meet up so that they can "socialize." The dogs run around the house, wrestling each other and doing what dogs do, and the "moms" meanwhile swap stories about how their dogs behave, what food and treats they feed them, what their dogs are learning, etc. Play dates follow a loose structure, that includes making sure there are treats (snacks) available, and incorporating an "activity" like a walk together around the neighborhood. Certain etiquette must be followed, like extending an invitation for a play date at your own place if you've brought your dog over for a play date at a friend's house.
Mumble naturally has frequent play dates with some of his best buds, like Charlie and Chopper, because there are certain dogs we just happen to see on a regular basis. It is so interesting to see how he plays differently with different dogs. Charlie and Mumble are both endless bounds of energy, and they will wrestle each other, pin each other down, run across the furniture, etc, for as long as you will let them. Chopper and Mumble, on the other hand, will play for a little while, and then kind of just "hang out" and be mellow.
I like to schedule play dates with new dog friends whenever possible too. Recently, Mumble had a play date for the first time with Kehei, the 3 1/2 month old lab puppy belonging to one of my good friends, and then last week had a play date with Otis, a 2 year old dog that is very similar to Mumble in looks and personality.
Kehei and Mumble were great playmates! At 3 1/2 months old, Kehei is already close in size to Mumble, who is full grown, and actually had more energy than Mumble (which never happens with other dogs). We were there for a few hours, and at some point, Mumble just laid down underneath the table, but Kehei was still insistent on playing. It was quite amusing to watch, because usually it is the other way around - Mumble is usually constantly "bugging" the other dogs to play with him even when they are tired or "done."
We took Kehei and Mumble for a walk at the dog beach in Huntington Beach. Mumble is not a big fan of the beach because he is pretty terrified of the waves. He had to remain on leash for most of the time, given that he was so insistent on trying to get back to the car and away from the ocean that I was afraid if the leash was off, he'd take off and run into the parking lot / street. Kehei, on the other hand, is pretty trustworthy off-leash and he kind of roamed along near us, checking out other dogs and things and then coming back to walk close by. They met some other dogs and played in the sand, and all in all it was a pretty good walk.
Mumble's play date with Otis was awesome. Otis is so similar to Mumble, it was really amazing - you would look at the two of them and think that they must be brothers. Both have the markings of a Border Collie, but with shorter fur and super lean bodies. They both have distinctive looking heads / faces (the head that leads people to opine that Mumble is either part bull terrier or part pit bull). And such expressive faces! Their personalities were even more similar, and Otis's mom and dad and I had a great time talking about all the things they do that are alike. We also compared leashes, harnesses, toys, training techniques, exercise routines, and daycares.
We took Mumble and Otis on a walk in Marina del Rey that lead us past the canal and down by the beach. It was a beautiful walk, with lots of scenery, birds and other wildlife, and a great walking path with benches, abundant trash cans and even rolls of dog-poop-bags! What a great area to live with a dog!
Of course, one of the best benefits of a play date is that your dog is tired (and therefore "well behaved") afterwards! All of that running around and playing with another dog, Mumble is worn out and much more relaxed when we get back home. In my experience, socializing with another dog for an hour or two is so important because it doesn't just tire them out physically - the socialization party works them out mentally too. For a dog like Mumble, mental stimulation and socialization is just as important as the physical exercise. And play dates give you the opportunity to experience how your dog socializes. If your dog, like Mumble, goes to daycare, they are constantly getting the opportunity to play with other dogs, but you never really see how they interact. It's so important to understand fully your dogs personality and how he interacts with other dogs is a huge part of that. Plus, it gives you practice "facilitating" good social behaviors!
Mumble naturally has frequent play dates with some of his best buds, like Charlie and Chopper, because there are certain dogs we just happen to see on a regular basis. It is so interesting to see how he plays differently with different dogs. Charlie and Mumble are both endless bounds of energy, and they will wrestle each other, pin each other down, run across the furniture, etc, for as long as you will let them. Chopper and Mumble, on the other hand, will play for a little while, and then kind of just "hang out" and be mellow.
I like to schedule play dates with new dog friends whenever possible too. Recently, Mumble had a play date for the first time with Kehei, the 3 1/2 month old lab puppy belonging to one of my good friends, and then last week had a play date with Otis, a 2 year old dog that is very similar to Mumble in looks and personality.
Kehei and Mumble were great playmates! At 3 1/2 months old, Kehei is already close in size to Mumble, who is full grown, and actually had more energy than Mumble (which never happens with other dogs). We were there for a few hours, and at some point, Mumble just laid down underneath the table, but Kehei was still insistent on playing. It was quite amusing to watch, because usually it is the other way around - Mumble is usually constantly "bugging" the other dogs to play with him even when they are tired or "done."
We took Kehei and Mumble for a walk at the dog beach in Huntington Beach. Mumble is not a big fan of the beach because he is pretty terrified of the waves. He had to remain on leash for most of the time, given that he was so insistent on trying to get back to the car and away from the ocean that I was afraid if the leash was off, he'd take off and run into the parking lot / street. Kehei, on the other hand, is pretty trustworthy off-leash and he kind of roamed along near us, checking out other dogs and things and then coming back to walk close by. They met some other dogs and played in the sand, and all in all it was a pretty good walk.
Mumble's play date with Otis was awesome. Otis is so similar to Mumble, it was really amazing - you would look at the two of them and think that they must be brothers. Both have the markings of a Border Collie, but with shorter fur and super lean bodies. They both have distinctive looking heads / faces (the head that leads people to opine that Mumble is either part bull terrier or part pit bull). And such expressive faces! Their personalities were even more similar, and Otis's mom and dad and I had a great time talking about all the things they do that are alike. We also compared leashes, harnesses, toys, training techniques, exercise routines, and daycares.
We took Mumble and Otis on a walk in Marina del Rey that lead us past the canal and down by the beach. It was a beautiful walk, with lots of scenery, birds and other wildlife, and a great walking path with benches, abundant trash cans and even rolls of dog-poop-bags! What a great area to live with a dog!
Of course, one of the best benefits of a play date is that your dog is tired (and therefore "well behaved") afterwards! All of that running around and playing with another dog, Mumble is worn out and much more relaxed when we get back home. In my experience, socializing with another dog for an hour or two is so important because it doesn't just tire them out physically - the socialization party works them out mentally too. For a dog like Mumble, mental stimulation and socialization is just as important as the physical exercise. And play dates give you the opportunity to experience how your dog socializes. If your dog, like Mumble, goes to daycare, they are constantly getting the opportunity to play with other dogs, but you never really see how they interact. It's so important to understand fully your dogs personality and how he interacts with other dogs is a huge part of that. Plus, it gives you practice "facilitating" good social behaviors!
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