Social Rehab at the Laguna Beach Dog Park

The Laguna Beach Dog Park (LBDP) is my favorite dog park in the area.  The setting is lovely and interesting, excellently groomed, and the people are always on top of their dogs.  The dogs, for the most part, are excellently socialized.  It's a wonderful place to go.

Zenzi and JoJo have been going here and there ever since Zenzi was old enough.  They always have a good time.  Zenzi follows JoJo's example, and is fine with other dogs off-leash.  Zenzi actually doesn't really care about the other dogs or people, she is only thinking about...

... BALL

Anyways, I used to take Dolce once a week to try to work on socialization.  I gave up on the idea.  He wasn't ready.  He was just over threshold and not learning or enjoying himself.  It was flooding, and not useful.  Lately, he's been SO MUCH BETTER on his walks, I decided to give it another go today.

Since food is banned in the dog park, I couldn't use treats to help him over the initial reaction to the environment.  So I brought my handy dandy "butt blaster" (Spray Shield citronella dog fight spray) and hoped that would suffice when paired with praise and petting...

... It did.

Dolce was initially off his rocker when we arrived.  A combination of reactivity, excitement, and anxiety.  Luckily, the place wasn't very crowded at all, and the small dog area was completely vacant.  So we went in there to absorb the place in peace.  Dolce did calm down after some initial fuss, and was getting sniffy and curious and polite, so we entered the big dog area with everyone else.  He was never off-leash for this excursion.  His greeting skills leave much to be desired.  Until he can master them, I don't trust him off-leash.  Now a lot of people will criticize that him being on-leash in an off-leash environment is a huge no-no.  99% of the time, I'd agree with them.  Dolce is just... Special.  So long as I was careful with my leash handling skills, it was not an issue.  The only time he felt tension on the leash was when he made a bad decision and required restraint (initiating a chase after another dog inappropriately, getting snarky if greeted, etc.).

Dolce's initial greetings were iffy.  He'd sniff, but he couldn't be sniffed.  He would snark, I would spritz the air behind him, and we'd be on our merry way until the next opportunity presented itself.  Mostly, we hung out on the perimeter and watched.  I'd praise him heavily for looking at the doggies playing, and give him his favorite scratches whenever he checked in with me.  He wasn't over threshold enough to not enjoy these things.  It was plenty of space for him to feel safe.  I was feeling better and better about my decision to bring him.

Eventually, much to my amazement, Dolce was greeting other dogs appropriately.  He sniffed, even from face to face, and allowed himself to be sniffed.  If he felt overwhelmed, he would make himself smaller instead of explode, and I'd get him out of there, praising all the while.  When he discovered that retreating didn't make the other dogs hunt him down, he gained confidence.  He became at ease, and even started to lower his tail.  He really liked this little chihuahua girl, and he tolerated a Boston terrier puppy brilliantly.  The chihuahua rolled over onto her back, and he sniffed her, then they play bowed, and chased each other around a bit.  The Boston kept saying hi over and over, and Dolce learned to greet gently of his own accord.  He even invited the puppy to chase, but they were interrupted by a big, white, fluffy dog.  Dolce snarked at this dog, I spritzed the air, we retreated, and Dolce immediately approached at a polite curve to greet the big, white fluffy dog.  They greeted nicely, and split peacefully.

I stood there with my jaw dropped.  I praised Dolce heavily, of course, but with my mouth wide open.  Dolce successfully greeted 3 off-leash dogs today.  Dolce was HAPPY to be in the dog park with other dogs.  Dolce played with the chihuahua.  Dolce invited another dog to play chase.  There must have been something magical about this chihuahua, because Zenzi liked her, too, and chased her around a bit for fun.

JoJo, of course, stuck to the perimeter, sniffing and marking.  She hammed up all the people and got lots of love and attention.

We left on a total high note.  Zenzi was just finishing playing with the chihuahua, Dolce had just greeted the big, white, fluffy dog, and JoJo was leaving a couple who had been petting her thoroughly.  Dolce was getting eager to go play with everyone else, but we left to make sure he wanted to come back for more.  Today was a glorious day. :)

Training Project: Sue Ailsby's 4 Training Levels

I go on and on about these to my dog-loving/owning friends and colleagues.  I just haven't really done them all yet.  So begins our first project:  Conquering all Four Training Levels by Sue Ailsby.

You can view what we'll be working from here.

I will be training both Dolce and Zenzi, but Zenzi is priority.  Dolce is much more "livable" right now, so Ms. Zenzi gets the most work right now.

After we finish the levels, we'll do Rally Obedience.  Concurrently, of course, we will continue our Agility and Herding lessons.  I have ordered the Train 'Em Tasks cards for AKC Novice, Advanced and Excellent levels, and they arrived yesterday.

I also intend to implement a much more vigorous workout regimen for Zenzi.  We will play ball or frisbee at least once daily until she's fully tuckered out.  This will take the edge off her hyperactivity anxiety.  Kind of hard to have self-control if you're jumping out of your own skin with constant cabin fever.

Dolce and Zenzi are working on their territorial barking with the front patio door open.  Using a gentle leader has proved very useful to discourage barking in as positive a way as possible, so I implement that if she doesn't respond immediately to my Enough cue.  I ordered a purple deluxe GL to be as soft as possible.  I bet she looks adorable in it.  I may go back to using it on walks if it doesn't irritate her fur as much as the old nylon one did.  It got stiff when she drooled in it or drank with it on and then it dried out.

I intend to video each level once we've completed the most challenging elements per topic.  Stay tuned!

For now, I leave you with this angelic photo:

Zenzi & Dolce bask in the afternoon sun.
What's remarkable is the fact that this is right in front of the patio door.
They're not at red alert.  They're relaxed.  Yay!
Good pups.

Obedience vs. Manners vs. Socialization

DOLCE

When I got Dolce, I thought I knew everything I needed to know to help him.  I knew how to clicker train, and I knew how to be tough to manage behavior problems.  What could go wrong?  I was wrong.  Dominance theory, and the popularized TV shows that propagate its methods, lied to me.  I soaked it all up, like the good student I am, and went to town.  Tough love, pack leader, submission... It was all an illusion that poisoned my relationship with my beloved boy.

Dolce and me, at the Irvine Animal Care Center on the day that we met.

So I switched courses. I pursued positive reinforcement, clicker training, counter-conditioning, exposure, socialization, desensitization, operant conditioning.  I became a Certified Trick Dog Instructor.  Now my dog was happier, more willing to try, becoming bolder, and losing his fears of strangers, beeping sounds, and even dogs.

Dolce, on the ride home from the shelter.

Then I got stuck.  I created IDOGS, a Meetup.com group that uses exclusively +R techniques to help other people's dogs overcome their issues.  Without an identical twin to manage Dolce while I worked with all these possibly beautiful BAT and CU setups, I was unable to help my own dog.  We attended group classes, even those designed for reactivity.  He showed tremendous progress when he was able to just be around the same dogs for a period of time, but still no progress on walks with dogs he didn't know.  We still have a lunging, growling, barking, staring mess to deal with.

Adorable, cute, sweet, innocent... Such a good boy 90% of the time.

So then I went pro.  I joined the staff at Wags & Wiggles Doggie Daycare and Training Center.  I work with dogs everyday who are as bad or even worse off than Dolce.  I learn what works, what helps quickly... Stuff I already knew, I got to put into practice.  I gained experience.

*     *     *     *     *

ZENZI

I got Zenzi exactly 1-week after Kibeth passed.  She was a craigslist puppy.  I'd applied for rescue Australian Cattle dog pups (looking ideally for a border collie, but happy with any sporty, intelligent breed), but was repeatedly denied strictly because I live in an apartment.  There were no border collie puppies available for rescue, nor Australian shepherds.  I really wanted a puppy, that was the whole point.  I could do everything my way, do it right.  Zenzi's litter's ad showed up on Craigslist the day after Kibeth crossed the rainbow bridge.  I went to see the litter as soon as I could, that following weekend, and picked her out of her siblings for her boisterous, playful, happy, food-driven personality.  She was the Tutu Panda puppy, because of her markings.

Zenzi at nearly 9 weeks of age, playing with Dolce.

Zenzi was only 5 weeks, 5 days old when I brought her home.  She was quarantined to an area in our dining room by an exercise pen.  She had her crate, water, and a pee pad in there at all times.  Dolce acclimated to her presence this way until she was 6 weeks old and got her first set of shots.  Introducing them went fairly smoothly.  He sniffed her rear as I held her, they sniffed noses, she kissed his... It was magical.  He babied her, but she was hardy and liked to play hard.  I knew he would be a great big brother, and a good substitute for her coming home, away from her family too soon.

Adoptive Mama JoJo, receiving kisses from baby girl Zenzi.

JoJo is, of course, a perfect example for Zenzi.  JoJo loves everyone, is tolerant of misbehavior, corrects Dolce appropriately, and is perfect in the house.  JoJo was no different with Zenzi, and their relationship is clearly like that of a mother and her offspring.  JoJo can correct Zenzi in an instant with a growl, look, or muzzle hold, and Zenzi always bows down to Mama Jo.  To this day, Zenzi kisses Mama Jo in thanks whenever they play together.  It really is darling.  JoJo can tell the difference between "Thank-you" and "I'm a pest!" kisses, and responds accordingly.  She has taught Zenzi so many good things.  I am blessed to have such a pack.

But Zenzi's genetics play a factor in her behavior.  Ever since her first puppy class, Stranger Danger has been a big stumbling block, despite my best efforts to safely and positively expose her to the world from day one.  Clearly, genetics came into play.  When I met her dad, he was a little nervous, quiet and reserved, but friendly.  Her Mom was quiet, sweet, polite, and affectionate, but clearly all about work.  These were farm dogs for a rural hispanic family, and they had work to do.

Zenzi does not play with any dog besides Mama Jo and Dolce.  Zenzi is afraid of strange people, and is skittish around novelty; though she recovers quickly with some patience and treats.  I taught her to Paws Up on objects that frighten her when she conquers them.  She does not like having strangers come into her house, and gives them her best big girl bark.  It took her about three days to acclimate to my mother's presence when she stayed for a couple weeks' visit.  Zenzi has adapted to attending doggie daycare, and may even have built one bridge to a canine companion, Deacon.

Deacon, the mini-Aussie shepherd AKA American Shepherd.
That furry black blob leading up to the camera?  Yeah, that's my Zenzi girl.

Zenzi barks at things that worry her, even though she only had one experience that could be considered traumatic.  She's territorial of the house, despite having my violin students come and go all throughout her puppyhood (they are part of her inner circle of trust, though!).  She does not like to be indoors, in small spaces, or very crowded ones.

There are a few things I did right.  I must have the only border collie around who doesn't pay any mind to bikers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, or cars.  Zenzi doesn't mind the sounds of big trucks, kids screaming, fireworks, or buzzing from a vibrating cell phone.  Her food and play drive remain intact and perfectly healthy.

*     *     *     *     *

I think there needs to be a fluid, perfect combination of obedience and manners training with socialization in order to raise the perfect dog.  Exposure is not enough, socialization implies a positive experience with each new exposure.  Obedience, to me, refers to a dog's ability to obey cues given by its owner/handler.  Manners are what a dog does automatically, because they know how to behave in that instance in human society.

What Dolce needs is more obedience and socialization.  In general, he has great manners.  Zenzi needs more of everything, being only a year old, but less-so in obedience.

Amazingly, what I'm finding helps both of them address their separate issues simultaneously is mat work.  I completely negated the benefits of using a mat prior to working at Wags & Wiggles, and have witnessed the benefits with my own eyes as I carry out tasks to perform with each client's dog (many include Mat Relaxation Protocol or basic Mat Stays).  So, what have I learned from these two very different dogs?

If you want a "perfectly behaved" dog, you need to do mat work.  Desensitize a dog to weirdness and craziness while they're holding a mat stay.  Teach a long down stay by using mat relaxation protocols.  It's fascinating the feedback you receive as you do various things to tempt your dog to break the stay.  If the dog breaks the stay, you can see how they do it, and get important information about the dog's emotional state to the previous stimulus.  For example, when I spread my arms out, Dolce broke his down stay, because that's what I do when I want him to give me a hug.  He was happy, eager.  When I made silly baby talk and wiggled my fingers at Zenzi, she jumped up and yip yap barked; she was clearly upset and overstimulated.  It's amazing how you can discover your dog's "weak points" and more easily decide how best to proceed with "fixing" them.

So, onward with training we go.  I'm working toward CGC and competing in obedience and rally with both Zenzi and Dolce.  I'm ordering Dolce a new tag.  His fetching tag reads "Wishful Thinking."  With our recent re-bonding via matwork, I've re-evaluated our entire relationship and come up with a new catch phrase for the little man:  Spirit Guide.

Whatever the challenges in dog training, it is ALWAYS best to pursue 100% positive training methods.  It is important to remember the bond with your dog, the importance of the relationship between you.  What you mean to your dog, and what your dog means to you... that's what training is really all about.  Building a line of communication to let each other know.  So listen to what your dog is telling you about the training you're doing.  You have a lot to learn.  

I learn from my dogs every day, and I love it.  They are great teachers with no formal education.  I aspire to teach with such compassion to my own species, as well as any animals in my care.  I hope every one else does, too.

Reactive Dog Skills

*I would highly encourage anyone with a reactive or aggressive dog to seek professional help from a qualified +R trainer in your area.  Missing critical readings of behavior is disastrous to training and the owner's relationship with their dog.

In working with my dog, Dolce, I'm finding the wisdom of The Third Way's approach to ring true.  Its founder, Chris Bach, says that dogs who are really scared of something can't ever be made to overcome their fear.  If a person is afraid of the dentist, at best, they will likely be able to tolerate, maybe not even be too terribly bothered by going to their appointment.  But there is always that nagging fear that whatever bad thing happened will happen again.

So, as we can't truly socialize fear out of a dog, we can teach the dog skills to cope really well.  These skills are, in my opinion:

• Sit
• Touch
• Front
• Watch Me
• Loose-Leash Walking/Heel
• Let's Go (180º turn)
• Look At That
• Bounce (BAT principle)

These are the cues I teach at IDOGS.  The +R manifesto states that you reward behaviors you like, and interrupt behaviors you don't.  One form of interruption can be to teach an incompatible behavior.  If a dog is in a Front position, facing its handler, staring into their eyes on a Watch Me cue, they can't be looking at a trigger.  If a dog is walking on a loose-leash, and can be called into Heel position at any time, they can't be out ahead looking for a trigger around the corner so the handler has no time to prepare or react to the situation appropriately.  Rather than continuing a dog who has encountered its trigger to stare at it, turning around and walking the other direction helps your dog trust that you will respect their discomfort, removes the threat, and will help the situation be a little less scary next time.  If every time the dog encounters its trigger, the owner marks that moment with an enthusiastic, but fairly calm "Look at that" and then the dog is heavily rewarded while remaining under threshold, a new association can form between the dog and its trigger(s).

What then, is this Bounce exercise?  It's how you can close the gap safely, at your dog's pace, while teaching them new skills.  This is the tricky part.  The handler must be able to read the dog's body language.  We're looking for a calming signal when we approach the dog's threshold.  This is basically anything that isn't freezing, lunging, barking, or growling.  It can be things such as tongue flicks, lying down, sniffing the ground, turning away and looking somewhere else, an eye blink, scratching, or sitting.  When the dog offers any of these behaviors, we mark with a word or clicker, and walk the dog away to safety and throw a party when we get there.  It is imperative that as the dog becomes aware of the trigger and starts to exhibit any sort of worry, we stop immediately and wait patiently for them to make a good decision AKA display a calming signal.  If we go too far, and the dog reacts, a simple "Let's Go" will suffice.  That was our mistake, so we needn't be mad at the dog.  Depending on how upset the dog is, we may have to practice calming down (take a break and go walk it off, give the dog a back massage, etc.), or try again another day.

So let's say a successful approach, calming signal, retreat has been accomplished.  It's rinse and repeat time.  If you were to draw your footsteps on a piece of paper, it would look as though you and your dog are bouncing off an invisible barrier.  That barrier is your dog's threshold, and it can only be determined by the dog, on that day, with that trigger, in that environment.  All these different factors contribute to the dog's state of mind for a given session, and we must remember that.  Just because feisty fido got within 3-feet of the exact same trigger in the exact same spot yesterday, it doesn't mean they'll be able to repeat that accomplishment today or tomorrow.

Let's say you've closed the gap, but putting things in motion, especially in close proximity, is still overstimulating your dog.  The Touch game can really help your dog stay focused on you while walking in heel position passed whatever trigger you're working with.  Dogs seem to find Touch intrinsically enjoyable, especially with someone they know and love.  If your dog is walking at your left side passed a trigger, cue Touch several times as you go by to keep your dog engaged with you and his/her mind off the trigger.  Do this several times, and try cuing less and less until your dog can confidently, happily, and calmly walk by the trigger while maintaining focus on you.

These are the tools I'm implementing with Dolce and my IDOGS clients.  Many people come for the first session, get the list of these tools and how to use them, and go on to come back a week, a month, or more later with drastically improved dogs.  It's a method you can't really do wrong, except if you push your dog too far.  You can't hurt the dog unless you get too close too soon.  I tell everyone, "If your dog is yelling at the trigger, you've gone too far!"

What are your favorite tricks of the trade for your reactive dogs?  Does teaching a skill, rather than truly desensitizing and counterconditioning, make sense to you?

Cheers!

How do you do?  It is Dolce here, please allow me to welcome you to our blog!  For the most part, I believe we have been candidly introduced.  Onto the discussion.

Now that Mum is allowing us all a turn at writing, I have a few things to say, if you wouldn't mind.  Primarily, I would like to remind everyone that although I am now the middle child and no longer the baby, I am still present and accounted for, ready for duty.

I like to think of myself as the helpful sort.  I make me Mum feel better if she's anxious, nervous, or upset in anyway.  How do I do it, you ask?  Well, 'tis simple, really.  I've discovered, through trial and error and my own creativity, that her mood improves remarkably with these human displays of affection called 'hugs and kisses.'  These aren't too terribly difficult to replicate from similar behaviors in dog behavior, really.  Kisses are more how we clean and groom ourselves -- but hey, whatever works!  Hugs are generally an invitation of play; play is something you do with a friend, so I suppose it's not too far to reach that hugs can be comforting as well.  Humans are a bit backwards, after all.  Have you noticed they only walk on two feet?  But I digress.

Mum has trained me to perform over 30 different tricks.  I have what she refers to as 'titles' in the Trick department, and proudly display them in my folder.  I am an Advanced Trick Dog, but am eagerly awaiting the time for Mum to explain just exactly what I must do to become an Expert Trick Dog.  Once this prestigious title is claimed, I may then be crowned a Champion!  Ooooh, how exciting does that sound?  I don't mean to boast, but it would be a grand achievement for a dog like me.

You see, before me Mum rescued me, I was kept in a yard all day and all night for a year with my previous owners.  Nobody bothered to teach me anything, and I didn't even realize there could be such a thing as house manners!  Please forgive me, it's not my fault -- you see, I was never allowed in the house prior to where I live now.  When I first set eyes on me Mum, I'd already been in several kennels at different shelters.  I barked at my owners' fence line, and had been abandoned to these cold, hard, small, lonely places.  Me Dad saw me first, and me Mum got me out for a walk.  How I loved to be free of the kennel, but how big and scary the world was!  There were people all about, walking dogs, running, yelling, talking to each other.  Why did they stand still?  Were they looking to hurt me?  Why did they run so fast?  Were they afraid of something I hadn't yet seen?  I hid under the 'picnic tables' just to be safe, but I felt safest sitting beside me Mum.  I leaned into her, feeling her warmth spread into my lonely heart.  She left me there that day, and I thought I'd never see her again.  The pain was awful.  But a few days later, she was back, and I got to go to a real home.

I learned house manners, I got to play with my family, I got to go for walks, runs, hikes.  They helped me overcome my fear of strangers, though I still find them scarily suspicious in the dark - Why, sir, are you wandering about this late at night? - On the other hand, this past Sunday, I met a delightful woman about Mum's age who taught me to put my paws on her arm.  I am well-versed in clicker training, and I do believe I made a good go of it.  Then she requested I put my head through my arms and under hers.  Very strange request, this human made.  I did my best to obey her, I am rather flexible and agile, you know.  She seemed to enjoy my presence, praised my intelligence, so I offered her some kisses as I do me Mum.  She seemed to appreciate them, too!  I must be a good kisser.

I wish I could overcome this one last hurdle.  I do love me Mum so much and I know she wishes I felt differently, but strange dogs are dangerous and so scary; I just cannot fathom accepting their presence in peace.  Surely me Mum doesn't realize the extremely dangerous nature of some of my brethren?  I am just a wee thing, very thin and light.  Surely I'd be no match in a fight, should worse come to worst.

Me Mum has begun training me in agility with a woman I've never met before, nor has Mum.  We have lots of fun doing the exercises, though, and I, for one, am looking forward to learning more!  I got started on it with a kind woman from San Diego, I even got to meet and greet her three grand dogs.  It took some work for me to be comfortable in their presence, but I felt reassured by this new woman.  She certainly speaks dog.

Oh, and I must tell you of my wife!  I have a beloved Auntie Pam who is the owner of Lily, my wife.  Lily is always wearing her wedding dress, just as I am always dressed in a tuxedo!  Surely we are a match made in heaven.  It was not always so... I was afraid of her, and she seemed offended by me, but it wasn't long before my charms swayed her, and we've been best friends ever since.  I don't get to see my dearly beloved very often, but when I do, I am a real gentleman.  I kiss politely, respect her wishes, and cater to her mood.  Surely a gentleman should know to do such things.

So I bid you all goodnight, and look forward to updating you in my adventures.  I am proud to announce, for the first time publicly, that I am my father's favorite.

New Things in Zenzi Land

Well, Zenzi's 4 new titles came and made a pretty addition to her collection. :)
Anasazi Dream Catcher, AKA Zenzi NTD, ITD, BB, BN, BI

Zenzi turned 6 months old on the 6th (!!) and so gets spayed and microchipped tomorrow.  Hopefully it's not too traumatizing for the little girl!  She's been so much braver in public lately.  She's getting over her stranger danger warnings nicely.

JoJo will be there to keep Zenzi company.  She's overdue for a dental.

Zenzi starts Puppy Sport class tomorrow, but obviously, will not be present for the first class.  Unfortunately scheduling conflicts with the spay prevented her from attending, but I will be there.  The trainer has kindly offered one of her MACH dogs for me to work!  I'm so honored!  We'll be attending a Control Unleashed workshop with this trainer for Dolce on the 17th.

[BTW, we have 2 new additions to the house!  Budgies AKA Parakeets, two of them, have made their way into our lives and we're really enjoying their cheerful song and beautiful colors.  I'll be starting a blog for them shortly!]

Dolce Bootcamp & The CCH Criteria for Obtaining His CGC

Now that Dolce has recovered (mostly) from his stressful encounter with the 2 off-leash dog-aggressive dachshunds, adjusted to life in the new apartment complex, and is showing signs of boredom -- we're getting back to work on his reactivity/insecurity.

Goals

• Build his confidence so he feels comfortable with me in new situations and environments.
• Be able to pass by a dog in close-quarters without stress or aggressive display.
• Be able to look into a strange dog's eyes without freaking out.
• Be able to ignore a reactive dog.
• Be accepting of even the most suspicious stranger in close quarters (no contact).
• Be comfortable enough to play with toys in public.
• CGC by the end of the year.

How We're Going to Get There

• I want to build his confidence through lots of obedience (Chris Bach's Third Way, Sue Ailsby's Training Levels), tricks, and agility training using positive reinforcement.  By working on attention to me, eye contact, cues, and handling, he'll be heavily rewarded with someone he knows and loves for interactions he'll experience with others.  I also think that because of previous training methods, he doesn't trust me as much as he would/could/should.  I want to build that bond more.
• I have three main criteria for him to feel that we've successfully mastered something.  He needs to be able to do it calmly, comfortably, and happily (CCH).  In order to address passing another dog in close quarters, looking into a dog's eyes, ignoring a reactive dog, and accepting a suspicious stranger, we are going to address all three elements separately.
• To help him be calm in his trigger situations, I'm going to do a lot of Relaxation Protocol (RP) work at a safe enough distance.  I will mark and treat for eye blinks, looking away, sitting, lying down, head down, etc.
• To help him be comfortable, we're going to do a lot of handling work at home, and do our training in new environments.  Jen over at Never Say Never Greyhounds pointed out the treasure trove of training locations with the dozens of parks at our disposal in a 5-mile radius when she gave me a lesson a couple Februaries ago.  Time to take advantage of these parks and really get Dolce socialized, but on his terms.  Distance makes a big difference, and just being out in the world and having a good training session should do wonders.
• To help him be happy, we'll be sure to begin and end training sessions doing things he enjoys most -- exploring the wildlife and new scents, as well as getting extra yummy treats for interacting with me.  The exploration portion is obvious -- we'll do a perimeter session at each new location.  As for the interactions... This means lots of name game, touch, and auto-sit practice.  He adores these games and glows with pride every time we warm up with them.  We've got the meat roll in the fridge, ready to go. :)
• To work on play drive in public, I'm going to really reinforce it at home.  When we go to places, part of our session will be to at least nose or paw touch, and chase a favorite toy.  This will likely be very slow-going, but if we can include just a little in every new environment, I'm hopeful that the connection will be made within the year.

Tools of the Trade

• We're going to walk with his SENSE-ation harness attached to his collar by the leash (or the Halti harness).  I believe this is the best way to be humane and have control.  I need to do a lot more work desensitizing and counter-conditioning having the harness (and his winter coat) put on.  Ever since the lady at the shelter put that noose-type leash over his head, he has been super paranoid about things going over his head.  Poor little man.
• We'll reserve use of the Halti halter for occasions when we will be working on proximity to strange dogs and control of Dolce's head will be essential.  He has that long, fragile Italian greyhound neck, and detests wearing it despite my utmost attempts to condition otherwise.
• I need to remember to play the calming dog music CD when I leave the house.
• I'm going to remember to take Natural Balance meat roll treats on all our walks, which will be solo save for the first walk of the early morning.  I have been using high grade kibble, but I don't think it's enough to really make the counter-conditioning process effective.
• Exercise, exercise, exercise.  We're going to get back into biking and jogging together on a regular basis throughout the week.  Good days to run are Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.  Good days to bike are Wednesdays and Thursdays.  We'll take the weekends off, I think.
• Marker word.  I feel very strongly that when teaching a new behavior, a clicker is invaluable as a marker for its consistency.  However, for behavior work, I think San Diego Pam has a point in that clickers turn a dog's brain into training mode.  I don't necessarily want training mode, because of the emotional aspect to this type of training.  So I'm going to use a marker of "Good boy!" to express my enthusiasm for his behavior.  "Good boy" doesn't always have to be followed by a treat like the clicker does, and his tail wags a little bit when I say it -- it's a reinforcer in and of itself to some degree.
• I'm going to use my realistically fake dogs, Rick, and Irvine Pam with her dogs, Lily and Bella, for setups before trying him out at IDOGS on Sundays.
• He's going to need to feel as though the car and/or his crate is awesome so he can wait there while I work with Zenzi (and vice versa).  We've been laying the groundwork at meal times for this, so hopefully this will not be a difficult transition when he has his crate in the car for our outings.

Plan of Action

• I learned a lot from Chris Bach's DVDs.  I want to build a chain, so I have to keep reminding Dolce how the chain works if he breaks it.  It's my job to set up the environment so he can be successful.  Dolce, I promise to give you more distance from now on, and to stop trying to force positive interactions on you. 
• I want Dolce to come to me and look at me for praise when he sees a strange dog while we're out on a walk -- no matter what the other dog is doing.  Cues:  Name, Watch, Attention, Heel.  After that, it's just a matter of duration and proofing.
• I want Dolce to enjoy being greeted by friendly people, and not to react strongly to unfriendly people.  He is to sit at my side to be greeted, and wait patiently to do so.  Cues:  Name, Heel (finish) + Handling.
• If we are caught off-guard and there is no way to get enough distance in time, I am going to jackpot Look-At-That and/or Watch, whichever he is more comfortable with, until the trigger is gone, with Dolce facing me, sitting (or if he's too worried, standing) away from the trigger.  Cues:  Name, LAT, Sit, Watch.
• I contacted Laurie Zurborg of Wags & Wiggles this morning inquiring about the upcoming Control Unleashed Workshop (4 hours, $120) and/or a Private Lesson (1.5 hours, $180).  I am going to take their CGC class with him when he's ready.  At the end of the class, we get to take the test.
• I emailed Chris Bach yesterday about her DVDs and Books on her method, The Third Way and which would most likely apply to us.  No response yet, but I am getting the DVDs via my subscription to Tawzer. :)

Thanks for following along in our saga.  This year may be the year it all comes together.  I surely hope so.  If not, we've got time... <3 div="div">

Holiday Reunion

Rick and I flew back to Michigan from the 25th-30th to visit family and friends for the holidays.  It was a wonderful visit.

I left the pack in the trusted care of my mother-in-law and Irvine Pam.  Dolce and JoJo had a great time with MamaMarge, and Zenzi had a wonderful experience at Camp Pam.  Zenzi made friends with Penny, a miniature schnauzer!  Zenzi has not had the opportunity to make friends with other dogs, so this is extraordinary.  Pam reports Zenzi even roughhoused with Penny.  I'm so proud. :)

When we returned the dogs to each other for the first time in those 5 days, the greeting was so exuberant and loving I nearly teared up.  I finally have a pack of dogs who are really attached to each other, love each other, and express that affection beautifully.  It was a sight to behold.  I'm so grateful for the wonderful care my babies received in my absence.

Canine New Year Resolutions:

• Finish Zenzi's house training.
• Introduce Zenzi to agility basics.
• Hike at least once a week with Dolce and Zenzi.
• Walk JoJo by herself everyday.
• The elusive CGC title for Dolce.
• The CGC title for Zenzi.
• Put an Expert Trick Dog title on Dolce so we can apply for Trick Dog Champion.
• Put Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert Trick Dog titles on Zenzi so she can be a Trick Dog Champion, too.
• Prepare Zenzi for the Public Access Test.
• Get Zenzi certified as a Therapy Dog.
• Earn any Novice Rally-O title with Zenzi.
• Earn any Novice Obedience title with Zenzi.
• More doing, less studying of dog training.

Personal Resolutions:

• Daily yoga workout Monday-Friday.
• Run or bike with Dolce a few times per week.
• Wake up early (5:30am), go to bed early (10:00pm).
• Read instead of watch TV to help myself fall asleep at night.
• Look more polished (makeup & hair) for teaching.
• Get to goal weight of 120lbs.
• Less soda and eating out, more water and eating in.

Zenzi's getting bolder, Dolce is getting more confident. :D

My new plan, now that Zenzi has had a couple weeks for all her puppy shots to kick in, is to take her to a "people" indoorsy place once a week, and an outdoorsy park place once a week for socializing.  Really, these are outings I would like to do anyway, so the fact that I'm socializing her simultaneously is just a bonus. :)

We went to the Irvine Regional Park, as I mentioned last week, for the second time this week.  This time, I brought Dolce along.  He is getting so much better about reacting to strange dogs, I figured in a remote place like the park, he couldn't have too much of an influence on Zenzi in a negative way.  This would be a good bonding experience.

I was right.

Dolce and Zenzi both had a blast.  However, the hydrant monster struck again, except this time, Dolce was its victim.  He gave the monster some "I mean business!" growls, gave it a wide birth, and half-circled up to it cautiously.  When he realized it was just a hydrant with a black trash bag taped over it, he literally hung his head in shame at his silliness.  He did do Paws Up, but declined a photo op. ;)

We hit the trail again, and the two dogs had such a glorious time exploring the sights, smells, and sounds of the nature at the park.  Zenzi remembered the horses, and showed no shyness approaching their fence.  Dolce didn't react to them either, surprisingly.  Livestock to be herded should not be so tall, or so he thought previously.

Onto some pix!

The Hydrant Monster

Ready to embark on our hike!

Zenzi fits into Dolce's old Walkeez harness.

Sniffing the scents...

Hitting the trail.

Lookout spot!

Isn't the park beautiful?

Obligatory sexy Dolce photo op.  Look at those muscles!

Tired, cuddly puppies after an hour of hiking. :)

And then today, we went to Pet Supply to get more cans for JoJo.  Zenzi was still trepidacious entering the little shop.  I'm not sure why, but it took much less enticing and much less time to convince her going in wasn't such a bad idea, so that was good.  She wasn't exactly eager to greet the staff, but did offer hand touches, sits, high-fives, and even tolerated some petting.  Something about cramped spaces makes her so much more uncomfortable for greeting.  We followed this visit up with a trip to PetSmart, where she was MUCH better.  She met two dogs and lots of friendly people.  She offered hand touches, was much quicker to permit petting, and required far fewer treats.  She likes the bigger space better.

All in all, both Zenzi and Dolce are doing much better, and they're both doing very well together.  I'm very pleased, and excited for our many years ahead. :)

Zenzi's 4th Puppy Class

I'm sorry this is late.  It's been really busy!

Zenzi had her 4th puppy class yesterday.  She was still pretty cautious going into the facility.  While we waited in the parking lot, she decided a steel trash bucket for the nearby poop station was scary.  So we did lots of "Go see!" and she got over it.

In class, we did a lot more socializing, this time with strange objects, Halloween decorations in particular.

• motorized hand wrapped in gauze
• mechanical walking/yapping small puppy dog
• Frankenstein head
• black witch's hat with a feathery brim
• bubble wrap strip
• umbrella
• two dome-shaped exercise ball things that are very small, hand-sized

She was a champ about ALL of these objects!  She nose touched, pawed, and knocked over the hand right away.  I was shocked, you could hear the gears, see the fingers twitching.  She thought the puppy dog was a great toy and had no problems knocking it down, putting a paw on it, and trying to wrestle with it.  The Frankenstein head was no threat, either.  She even tried to tug the string it would hang from.  I got her to put her entire snout IN the witch's hat with no hesitation right from the get-go.  She walked on the bubble wrap, and barely flinched when I popped some of the bubbles.  She had so much fun walking on it, she actually AIMED for it!  The umbrella was awesome, too.  She actually ended up POUNCING on it while it was open!  Open, close, back and forth quickly -- no problem.  The true genius of my puppy showed when she learned to put both front paws up, one on each of the dome-shaped nubby ball things.  And Amanda said it might take some time... Yeah, try 3 minutes tops. :)

Then we had puppy play time.  Zenzi just DOES NOT want to have anything to do with hyper, overactive puppies.  She even growled a meaningful, low, brief growl at them when they tried to gang up on her.  I got her out of there and we went off and played on our own.

Dismayed by her dislike of the hyper puppies, I called up Irvine Pam for a play date.  Technically she'd been to Auntie Pam's before; we took her there the day we brought her home to have Pam help introduce her to Dolce.  But it was night time, and we were only there for 10 minutes.  Anyway... We went out to Pam's place that afternoon, and Zenzi met Bella and Lily, a havanese and a maltese, plus Pam's friend, Marileen's dog, Bailey, a peek-a-pom.  The greetings with Bella and Lily went swimmingly (both young adult dogs, 4 and 3 years old), and Zenzi loved on them both instantly.  I was relieved.  The greeting with Bailey was not quite so smooth.  I had tried using a treat to break the ice (as I like to do), but unbenounced to me, Bailey is a food-guarder, and ended up snapping at Zenzi.  Zenzi, to my chagrin, was slightly affronted, but let it roll off as no big deal.  From there on out, Zenzi and Bailey were completely fine with each other.

Pam got her skateboard, and I demonstrated Zenzi's brilliance wheeling it around, and tolerating being hoisted up while I press down on the end with my foot, then crashing it back down (teeter practice, anyone?) and her scampering off only to get back on and look at me as if to say, "That was fun!  Let's do it again, ready Mom?"  We practiced tricks, did a nosework course with some cardboard boxes, and even a little agility jump box work.  Zenzi, of course, did not jump anything at her young age, but enjoyed going over a pole in the grass all the same.  Her nosework was amazing, too.  She found the treat fastest, and had never played the game before.  Pam even put the tray with the treat in a box, then another box over 2/3 of that box.  No problem, Zenzi stuck her snout right in there, bumped the top box off, and ate the treat.

I was amazed by Zenzi's boldness in this interaction at Auntie Pam's.  I had Dolce along, and thought perhaps that gave her some extra confidence.  Though, I really think the environment at Wags & Wiggles, with the daycare right beyond the training room, intimidates her.  Oh, Auntie Pam got out her Ikea tunnel when we were practicing agility, and Zenzi was SUCKED IN right away!  I could believe it!  She waltzed right up to it, then ran through at top speed, turned around to look at me with a big smile on her face before going through it the other way.

Pam keeps saying she's met a lot of smart dogs -- she's raised GSDs all her life, met several of her trainer friends' border collies... Zenzi is the smartest dog she's ever met.

Did I mention Zenzi pooped in class?  She also peed and pooped while playing outside at Auntie Pam's?  She pooped on the pack walk, and peed during IDOGS today, too. What a good girl!  Peeing and pooping in new places, outside, on-leash.  YES.

I got a new camera, and Zenzi LOVES JoJo.

JoJo has actually instigated play a few times with Zenzi. O.o

Dolce & Zenzi Play Photoshoot

I can't wait til I can get photos of them OUTSIDE. Ugh.  Vaccines, would you PLEASE hurry up?

Seriously, though, she IS growing up quickly.  Can you tell?

Derp.


Dolce is an EXCEPTIONAL big brother.  I cannot emphasize enough how happy I am with him.


I never EVER would have imagined he'd roll over for her, especially not as a puppy.  But clearly, he loves her.


They wrestle incessantly.  It's adorable and sometimes annoying, but SO GOOD for both of them!


He's very careful with her... for the most part.


For the first time ever in my house, there is the "bitey face" game! :)


So fierce...


But there are also hugs.


...and kisses.


There is also tugging.  Much tugging.

I am just so happy with the new pack, and so happy it's going this well so soon.  Dolce is the rough n tumble guy, JoJo is the rules enforcer -- a great combination for raising a puppy.  

I love watching her grow up everyday.  It's always a fun adventure for her, and so it is for me, too.  I can't wait to see what she's like grown up, but I'm also really enjoying these adorable puppy days.

Training Levels Session with Dolce - 1 & 2, Zenzi

We worked on Sue Ailsby's Training Levels tonight for Dolce's dinner.  I think I'm going to switch his meals up a bit, and give him a raw chicken wing or leg when I don't have time to train, and kibble when I do have time.

We did the following from Level 1 (which is all of the exercises from that level)

• Zen - dog moves off a treat in your hand while you are seated, dog stays off a treat in your closed fist for 5 seconds, dog stays away from your open hand for 5 seconds, dog moves away from a treat in a dog dish held in your hand.
• Target - dog touches your hand with her nose, dog reaches high and low to touch your hand with her nose, dog takes 3 steps to touch your hand, dog touches your hand twice to get 1 click, move the dog with your hand target.
• Sit - Dog sits with leash off, dog sits with hand signal only, dog sits with leash on, dog sits by an open door, dog works with no treats on trainer.
• Come - Dog looks for dropped treats at your feet, dog runs from person to person (in this case from a stay) 10' apart, dog plays come game between 2 people 10' apart, dog plays come game between two people 20' apart. (We've done this before, but I couldn't do the games tonight as I'm alone.)  Play hide and seek -- Dolce LOVES this game!
• Down - dog downs with leash off, dog downs on a hand signal only, change your position (turn away, kneel, stand on couch), dog downs with leash on, dog downs to earn a different desired reward.

And this from Level 2 before running out of meal

• Zen - dog moves off uncovered treat on floor, dog stays off treat on floor for 10 seconds, dog stays off treat on floor for 30 seconds, dog stays off a dropping treat and gets a different treat, use "find it" to get the treat.
• Focus - Dog finds your eyes, dog holds eye contact for 2 seconds, then 6 seconds, then 10 seconds, use the cue before doing something else <--- This was genius!

There's a bit more detail to it than that, but that's the basic summary of the first official training sessions. We used her handy dandy flash cards (scroll down to the bottom, they're free) having read the how-to in her ebook.  I am seriously hooked.  This is the best training book/how-to/regimen EVER.  It's already helping Dolce's reactivity since we're focusing more.

I literally can't wait to get future border collie puppy and start it with her. :) Her name will be Zenzi, which is German, and means to grow and thrive.  I'm probably going to be getting her from this future litter.  Her mama will be Ann Croft's dog, Kit.

Kibeth & Dolce Updates

Kibeth

Has been on steroids since last Monday night.  It hasn't been pretty.  The first 2 days she seemed fine.  The 3rd day, though, she peed in the bathroom (I don't think in the nearly 7 years I've had her, she's EVER peed in the house), had to pee every 2 hours, had to wake us up in the night, AND pooped in the house. :( Poor girl.  Now that we've been able to down her dose to just once per day, she's been OK.  She still drinks more than usual, still needs 5 walks instead of 3-4, and is HUNGRY.  She started trembling/shaking slightly tonight... I don't know if that's related or not.  I don't think she was cold justifiably, it was 74º in the house.  She wasn't doing her excited chitter, her whole body was jiggling slightly.
Despite all this, she shows NO improvement.  In fact, I think she's actually gotten a little bit worse -- she won't play as hardily or as long.  A friend told me that when they get down to just two things they love to do, it's time to start thinking about making tough choices.  Kibeth's favorite things list (in order, I think) now looks like this:

1. Walks, hikes, romps in the park
2. Playing tug (her version is never letting go), playing with stuffies (diminishing)
3. Zoomies
4. Eating/getting treats
5. Rolling in the sunny grass

I am just at a loss.  She really has started, it seems like this past week, to look like an old dog.  She's lost a lot of muscle mass in her rear end.  It's hard, because I know it only gets worse from here.  We're hoping the steroids can give us a little more time, make her last while here more comfortable... But I don't know if they can. :(

Dolce

He's made incredible strides since our trip to La Jolla.  I still haven't made a suitable post about that.  Too busy, I suppose.  Rick and I took Dolce to the Sheraton in La Jolla for a weekend getaway (a surprise gift for an early birthday present).  We had a great time, and Dolce was a SUPERstar.  So today was his first Pack walk experience at IDOGS in a while.  How many outbursts?  0.  How many lunges at the other member of the pack walk? 0.  He's made incredible progress this last week or two.  I'm so proud, impressed, and encouraged.

The Natural Way Philosophy is Born

I've been wondering what's going to make my training system unique.  So far, I've just been parroting what I've heard.  The only improvement I can offer is that I am sometimes able to use my above-average communication skills to convey something better than it was originally.

What have I come up with?  A Native American influence.  I'm calling it The Natural Way Philosophy.  Some may say I'm going to sound sort of nutty... but that's OK.  I finally found like I've found something that is unique, useful, and makes sense. I've finally found myself as a dog trainer.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.
"A fight is going on inside me." he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil -- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you --
and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then
asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
~Native American Proverb

Every time I read an American Indian proverb [or quote] like that, it shoots right through me, straight to my heart.  I am left pondering all the different metaphors the story or quote contains, coming up with so much wisdom, I get this rush of exhilaration.  Usually, these inspirational words of wisdom are very short, sweet, and to the point.  I want to incorporate such brilliance into my training method.

I have begun to focus on a combination of what many would consider relationship-based training with progressive-reinforcement and clicker training.  However, I have a whole new attitude.  I would never have achieved this blissful state of awareness had I not endeavored to incorporate the Native American-isms into my training style.

Dolce feels it.  I can tell.  For example:  We went for a 5.6 mile walk this afternoon.  At every single stop light where we had to wait for the crosswalk signal, I asked him to sit.  He sat as soon as he heard me over the traffic noise, and I pet him.  I verbally praised him.  I gave him his favorite neck scritches.  You know what he did?  He gave me a big smile as if to say, "Yeah, Mom.  This is how it's supposed to work."  Did he ever have an auto-sit at the crosswalk today?  Nope.  Did I mind?  Nope.  He did what I asked, and I was pleased.  He was pleased that I was pleased.  This is how training should work.

I've completely revamped my Granted Wishes K9 website to reflect this change discovery I've made.  I feel very proud of it.  The day after I made the changes, I got a new client.  These changes affect so much more than just my dog training.  It's helping my life.

Dolce's Tricks

With this trick, Dolce finished his requirements for Advanced Trick Dog (ATD)!

You have to do 5 of the Advanced tricks to qualify, and we did:  hide your face/ashamed, scratch art, jump into my arms, treibball, and play dead.


Now we're moving on to Expert Trick Dog (ETD).  This is the final title required before going for Champion.  Our first task is getting me a water bottle from the cupboard (instead of get a soda from the fridge).



This video is after about 30 minutes of free shaping/capturing clicker training. My plan is to backchain, first teaching him to pick up the water bottle and let me take it from his mouth with my hand. We'll do it from farther and farther away.  Then I'll put a skinny rope on the cupboard door for him to pull it open, get the water bottle, bring it to me, and put it in my hands. This is REALLY hard for Dolce. He's not naturally a mouthy dog, he prefers to work with his paws. The idea of retrieve is also a completely foreign concept. Wish us luck! I think we made a lot of progress for one session! I'm very proud. I honestly didn't expect to get this far today, let alone the first session.

Amazing Dolce Day

Major success #1

Dolce and JoJo went to the Laguna Beach Dog Park this morning.  It's been a long time since we've gone to the park, and we've pretty much decided to avoid our local one.  I was very excited to see what sort of progress we've made in this kind of environment, given all our successes on walks.  I'm sorry to say I was unable to snap video or pictures. I was too attentive to Dolce.

Luckily, as I was hoping, the small dog portion of the park was vacant.  The park is essentially one large grassy area with a steep hill (it's in a valley between mountains), and the small dog park is just a small, fenced off portion of it.  The fence is chain-link, so Dolce could soak up all the commotion without having to be part of it.  It only took him 15 minutes of CU exercises to be comfortable.  I was floored.  I didn't even know if we'd make it into the big park today.

I let JoJo into the park.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderfully social, rock solid dog.  Meanwhile, I just held Dolce in my arms.  I let him soak up being in the park from the safety of Mama's height.  It worked like a charm.  I walked slowly, and he just observed from my arms nice and calmly.  When we got to a part of the park that was pretty empty, I let him down.  He ran off to sniff and pee and poop.  Eventually, we were approached by a friendly lab.  Dolce was a little snarky at first, but quickly warmed up and greeted with rear end sniffs.  This continued for the next half-hour or so, and his snarks became less and less.

I can honestly say that before we left, Dolce seemed comfortable and happy among all those dogs.  There were probably at least 2 dozen dogs there, of all shapes and sizes.  He made friends with a mini Aussie and a mutt his size -- both males!

Major success #2

After we got home from the park and I ate lunch, we headed out to our friend Pam's for a playdate.  Dolce already knows Pam's dogs, Bella and Lily.  Today, though, we had the pleasure of meeting a guest, Oliver, an 8-month-old bichon frisé puppy.

To my delight and shock, Dolce was fine with Oliver instantly.  He never once barked or growled at Oliver, they had a very friendly rear-sniffing greeting, and that was that.  I've always had a suspicion from our encounters on walks that he's more comfortable with puppies -- I think this confirms it.

Here's a snippet from playing with Oliver:

I love seeing Dolce play like a dog.

And here's a little training Pam got in with her dogs + Dolce.

Order left to right:  Lily, Oliver, Bella, Dolce.

Dolce did three amazing things here.

1) He shared food nicely with other dogs who were also getting food.

2) He sat patiently for his turn and wasn't grabby.

3) He gave Pam his undivided focus among intense distractions!

We next got to play with Pam's jumps and practice our agility exercises.  Alas, my jumps are not here yet.  We also got to show off some of our tricks. Dolce is getting more comfortable performing on grass. :)

So that was our amazing day.  I'm so proud of him.  I can't wait for him to get his CGC!

Dolce's Reactivity Progress

Early Sunday morning, I held IDOGS.  Dolce went on the pack walk with Rick, and walked side-by-side with 3 strange dogs.  Not a single episode, minimal Halti corrections, and a few licks from his Licky Treat thing.  They were all girls, but still!

After going to San Diego to work with Pam and have our agility lesson, Rick, Dolce and I headed up to La Jolla (one of our favorite places in the world) beach.  It was Dolce's first time, and he did amazingly well!  Some dogs do better at home, some dogs do better in new environments, and some dogs are just bad everywhere.  Dolce is definitely better in new environments.

Dolce had his first ever encounter with seals and sea lions.  The darker one was quite loud and vocal.  I'm surprised to say Dolce was interested, but completely unfazed.  Horses gave him serious concern when we hiked the Regional Park, so I was very proud of my brave little man!

While we were there, we encountered a black lab puppy.  He was very polite about the surprise greeting from behind!  I told the owner it's best they not meet face-to-face, my dog was in training.  She immediately gave us space, but not much.  Dolce was fine either way.  Wow!

Happy boys. :)

And then this morning, on our walk, I really pushed the limits -- or so it felt.  I have resumed walking Dolce in his Halti (even though no matter how hard I try, it really gets to him occasionally), which makes a huge difference.  He's a very visual dog.  If he can't see it, it must not be that bad.  Anyway, we encountered a golden retriever, who has set Dolce off many times before.  This golden is a quiet, older girl, but has a hard stare.  Plus the bonus of long hair and bigger dog, which I now know to be triggers for Dolce.  He saw her about 15 feet away (very close!), staring at him intently.  He stared back momentarily, and I just let him, curious what he'd do.  Do you know what this smart boy did next?  He looked back at me for directions.  Not a treat, directions! So I told him what a good boy, and we walked toward the golden head-on (who was still on our same small patch of grass, but forward and to the left) with me between Dolce and the golden.  He got by without much more than a quiet, low, very brief growl and no treats whatsoever, nor a redirection of his face with the Halti.  I was stunned.  All the while, I was praising him in a whisper, "Oh, look at you, you're such a smart boy!  Good boy, Dolce..."  When we were in the clear, he got a huge jackpot.

Our 1st Agility Lesson EVER with Pam Johnson!

I first want to give a huge shout out to Pamela Johnson of Pam's Dog Academy in San Diego (read her blog here).  She gave Dolce and me our 1st lesson in agility yesterday at her school in La Mesa, CA.  We had a wonderful time, she was a terrific instructor -- very patient when I got what I call "foot stupid," and helped me learn where I was going.  I wanted to wait to really train Dolce in agility until we could have lessons to do it right the first time.  Our next lesson with Pam (most likely freestyle this time) will be Tuesday, the 17th.  

My 9 years of ballet training and 10+ years of horseback riding & horse training are definitely going to come in handy for all these dog sports!

We have a few exercises to practice.  The first was what I would call gymnastics.  There are 3 jumps in a row, about 1 stride apart.  Unfortunately, it was quite hot in the sun, and Dolce tried taking the path of least resistance at first, rather than jumping them without my luring hand.  He got it in no time, though!  My beloved husband was kind enough to get this on video...

From there, we did 4 jumps in a + plus-sign + shape.  Our job was to go around them with me standing stationary in the middle, using the arm closest to the jumps to guide Dolce over.  He really wants to be next to me, but he caught on pretty quickly, only needing a reward after each successful full-circle.  We took breaks while Pam demonstrated the next exercises with her beautiful and well-trained border collie, Twix.  Unfortunately, no video this time. :(

The third exercise involved me sending Dolce over one jump, then bringing him back around in a half-circle to a jump right next to it, facing the same way.  We did this in both directions, facing frontwards and backwards.  Again, no video. :(

The fourth exercise was sort of complicated for my footwork & armwork, but I caught on!  We used 4 jumps in a square to practice going over 2 of them, then turning to go over another 2.  Hooray, here's the YouTube video!  When Rick was heading back to take this video, Dolce followed him.  Dolce liked to check on everyone before he started the exercises.  I think he was saying, "Are you going to watch???"  But we need to be careful, or he'll go off-course to check on everyone in the audience at trials!

The fifth exercise started Dolce on send outs.  We started out with a 2 jump setup like the gymnastics in the first one.  We put Dolce in front of the end jump (jumping only 1 jump at first), and let him watch Rick put treats in a frisbee on the ground shortly after the jump.  When Dolce was really amped to get to the treats, I released him saying, "Over!"  He jumped the jump the first time like a pro, didn't even consider going around, which was a bit of a challenge before.  We worked our way back until we were behind the first jump, so now he had to jump 2 jumps to get to the frisbee treats.  He did it a few times perfectly, and we called it a day!  Sorry, no video here, either. :(

Overall, I think he has huge potential.  Pam guesses he'd probably have to jump 16" in competition and we set the jumps to only 12".  Considering the first activity Dolce came up with when we first brought him home was a mad one-man relay race of jumping over the back of the sofa to land on the seat cushion before getting to the floor, then reversing and going again, I don't think 16" will be a problem when we know our jobs and are more in sync.

So that really cheap agility set we got on Amazon?  What we can actually use out of it is the tunnel/chute (maybe on the chute), 6 weave poles, and the 1 PVC jump.  The tire jump is ridiculously cheap material.  So, we're getting 4 Clip & Go Agility Ready Jumps, like Pam's... So excited!

The +R Version of a Correction/Punishment

After watching this video by KikoPup on YouTube, I have decided to eliminate the butt blaster from our training regimen.  I am going to incorporate a whistle instead (read on).  I think they essentially serve the same purpose (at least they do for Dolce), but I always have my whistle on me, and it'll draw fewer horrified looks from onlookers.  [If Dolce had reacted to the butt blaster in a negative way, I never would have used it again.  It simply and strictly redirected his attention onto me in an immediate way that required no training.]

What I do:  when I make a specific, short whistle sound on our walks, he is to turn to me immediately, expecting a fun game of chase in reverse and a yummy treat; when I make the same whistle in the house, like when he barks excessively, he is to come find me and expect lots of pets and praise, play, or even a treat if I have one.

Today is my first official day training this and putting it into practice.  I took Dolce out with one of the greys (separately) on our afternoon walk.  I whistled, and when Dolce turned to look at me, I jogged backward and got out a treat, praising him for how smart he is.  I love that a whistle is a sound that dogs inherently orient to -- even the greyhounds!  So he and Kibeth or JoJo each got a yummy (it seems to work best for me to break the chicken jerky discs into 1/2, then Dolce's into 1/4 -- I feed Dolce one, then the girls get theirs, then he gets another afterward) every time I make this sound.

By the way, these treats seem to be Dolce's favorites for walks.

I've been getting Wellness, Wilderness, and Canidae mushy square treats,

but he always responds best to these lately.

Every dog I work with goes bonkers for them, too.

I just wish they weren't made in China. =/

It seems to have stuck into Dolce's brain after one training session; no surprise there.  The pleasant surprise was that it worked for Kibeth, too!  I'm excited for this, because Kibeth has started reacting to dogs who are acting rudely on our walks.  This will be an excellent management tool for the both of them!

We have our first social hike together tonight.  I'm hoping he'll be a good boy, and our new interruptor will help.  He's been a little on edge ever since we met Twix and Bailey on Tuesday.  I got some Natural Balance food roll (grain-free duck flavor) for the walk to help him cope.  I'll probably bring along some hot dog, too.  We generally don't use the Natural Balance because I hate how it crumbles.  We'll see if Pam's suggestion of refrigerating it prior to use helps!  It's certainly CONSIDERABLY cheaper, and I remember when I did use it, Dolce thought it was puppy crack!