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!

But we already have a dog store in our house...

...My husband feels this way, and I'm hoping others can relate.

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to buying stuff and shopping for my dogs.

I have tried so much stuff, and mentioning in my last post that I just bought the Sens-ation harness is bringing on this post.

Dolce is an unusual shape, just like my greyhounds.  None of the usual harnesses fit them.  I could walk into PetCo, Pet Supply, and PetSmart, and NOTHING would fit them, as far as harnesses are concerned.  The only one that sort of fit was Halti's harness for Dolce.  Like I mentioned, I lost it.  However, nothing has fit my greyhounds, and JoJo HATES wearing a harness.

I got Kibeth Hurtta's Y-harness.  It helps her get up and down the stairs in her golden years, and is the only harness that seems to fit her relatively well.

But seriously, I have tried it all.  Every time something new comes up, I have to buy one, I have to try it. I'm the same way with violin strings.  My clients all appreciate this habit obsession of mine.  My checkbook... Not so much.

I got Dolce the super fancy Walkeez harness, which has fleece EVERYWHERE that the harness comes in contact with the dog's body, including the belly straps!  I was so excited to get him the cream of the crop of dog harnesses.  Unfortunately, his unusual shape causes the fleece around his belly to rotate behind the strap, and defeats the whole big benefit of this harness.  We still use it on hikes, but I'm really bummed.  I could sew it, but I'm no seamstress.

Pam & Twix, New Gear, Anal Glands

Pam & Twix

Pam of Pam's Dog Academy in San Diego (AKA San Diego Pam) came all the way up to my neck of the woods to visit and have a doggie play day -- as much as Dolce would allow, anyway.  I was very proud of Dolce.  We walked with Twix, we played alongside each other, and he even took a little nap in his travel crate.  I was delighted with the progress we've made.  If Pam and I had gotten together when I first got Dolce and first noticed his reactivity, this would not have even come close to happening.  I was slightly disappointed Dolce didn't get to the point that he could play with Twix, but I got some valuable information about Dolce's reactivity.  He is not only worried about poodles and dogs with long hair, he's worried about males!  Thank goodness for learning opportunities.  Irvine Pam (who owns Lily) joined us later that afternoon, and Dolce was just as comfortable with Lily and Bella as ever.  However, Pam also brought a guest, Bailey, a 4-year old, male peekapom (pekingese x pomeranian).  Dolce reacted pretty badly to introductions with Bailey, even though trusted and beloved Irvine Pam was present.  The greeting streak has ended.

I wanted to thank Pam for a wonderful day together!  I admire her work in the purely positive training world, and hope that our schedules can align long enough for her to be my mentor as I embark on the dog training industry on my own!  I really want to compete with Dolce in dog sports, but taking group classes is unrealistic with his reactivity as it is.  She is an experienced competitor in a variety of venues, and a valuable resource.  I cannot thank her enough.

New Gear

I have lost Dolce's red Halti body harness.  I was relatively pleased with that harness, and am very saddened by its loss.  However, I have heard nothing but good things about the Sens-ation harness, and have ordered Dolce a green one.  We've been using a Halti head collar since watching this video by Dr. Sophia Yin when she worked with Podee, a dog who was dog-aggressive/reactive.  This has helped tremendously, and led to my breakthrough:  Dolce has to get treats until he is no longer worried about the trigger.  This has led to exponential progress in our training/counter-conditioning.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to Dolce's new theme color (which also happens to be my favorite color), green, instead of red, and I'll let you know how he likes it when it gets here!  Red is, as I said when I was little, the most festive color.  I also think it's associated with anger, aggression, etc.  Dogs also can't see red, only blue-green-yellow-black-gray-white.  I'm hoping green will be a new attitude for us both.  I doubt it, but we'll see!  This is along my same thought-processes that when we do finally conquer this reactivity stuff, Dolce might get a new name...

I'm also hoping to really focus on training Dolce to train.  I've been watching Emily Larlham's DVD set called 101 Ways to Think Outside the Box, courtesy of Tawzer Dog's rental program.  I am full of wonderful ideas how to go about motivating Dolce to work for food and toys, find the work itself reinforcing, and fill in our training gaps.  I love that girl!

Anal Glands

I've never had a dog who needed to have their anal glands expressed before.  I noticed a zit-looking growth on Dolce butt the other day, and didn't think much of it.  When it didn't go away, I did some googling, and discovered he probably had swollen (full) anal glands.  We went to the vet today to have that taken care of.  $28 later, he is empty, and it was confirmed his glands were quite full!  That must be SO uncomfortable.  I wonder if this is partially to blame for his less-than-perfect house-training and shy-pooper habits?  Anyway, does anyone know how often I should have this done?  Is there generally a schedule for this sort of thing?

Dolce's first pack walk!

So today at IDOGS, we had 2 pack walks on Hicks Canyon Trail:  the usual pack walk that occurs simultaneously during the working slots, and then a secondary one with the hugely improved working slot members:  Red, Zoey, Lily, AND...

DOLCE!

Yes, you heard right.  Dolce went on the PACK WALK. He was a superstar.  He only snarked (very, very small outbursts) twice at Red, who has a very intense stare, is a male (we're learning Dolce prefers females), has puffy fur (a huge trigger, it seems), and was the largest dog of the group (just a cattle dog mix, but still.

Rick was kind enough to take this photo.  This gives you an idea of the proximity we all were to each other.

I am so proud of the little man.  In the moment, I almost cried happy tears.  This is such a long road, it's been over a year since we adopted him.  That's about a year's worth of work.  We are SO CLOSE.

Tricks of the trade:

• Treat bag
• High value treats
• Low-Medium-High value treat trail/training mix
• Halti head collar (to help him make a better decision, AKA look away, when he's unable to if life happens)
• Spray Shield AKA butt blaster

We also went to Fashion Island Mall for some training there.  It's a dog-friendly mall.  Who knew dogs could go to Nordstrom's?  But yeah, they do!  He was spectacular.  Wasn't too upset with all the traffic for upcoming 4th of July shopping, and was very brave around the DOZENS of strange dogs about.

The New Look-At-That Game & HUGE Success!

Hi, guys!

So I just have to share this amazing leap forward Dolce made today...

When we set out on our 4.5 mile walk today, I decided to try something a little different with Dolce's reactivity.  I also brought JoJo with me, and I think her calmness definitely helped contribute to the idea.  Anyway, I tried doing "Look at that!" with every dog we saw, as soon as Dolce locked in on them.  He got treats and praise and a little mini party until he was no longer interested or focused intently in the other dog.  We would then continue forward until we passed the other dog (always head-on today), at which point another party would ensue, because we survived.  While we were passing the other dog, I would just take audibly deep breaths (calming signal to Dolce).  He picked up on my deep breaths instantly, and would relax with each inhale/exhale, but get a little amped in-between.  When we survived (without a nasty reaction, mind) then woohoo Dolce, the genius, who was polite to strangers of his own species!

Behaviors exhibited:

• mild whining
• quiet "talking"
• low, brief growl
• nervous excitement
• happy excitement

And wow!  On our walk, we encountered about 12 different dogs.  His reaction to each one got milder and milder.  We even pulled over for a runner and her JRT (who was politely running on-leash in heel position), and I had Dolce do a "front."  He got treats every time he looked at the dog as the dog passed us by (within 2 feet!) or if he chose to look at me, and he didn't give a single "bad" reaction!  He acted happy, as though he wanted to go say hi!  I was thrilled.

So yeah, this even worked in our apartment complex!  Which has been the nemesis for him.  Ex:  We saw our neighbor with his an Italian greyhound, who I would LOVE Dolce to be playmates with.  Using this method, for the first time, I got to at least say hi to the dog's owner!

I just wanted to thank all of you for your help, support, and contributions to this process.  We're getting there!

JoJo's ear cleaning day was massively successful!

So, about once a month, I clean JoJo's ears.  Her ears have always been HORRIBLE.  Filled with dried up, black gunk.  Finally, today, we got to have a cooperative session involving the sacrifice of many Q-tips and cotton balls.  I poured the ear solution into her ear while she was lying in the sun.  She let that soak in without fuss.  I then used Q-tips to carefully swirl the gunk up and out of her ear.  Not realizing how wonderful she'd be today, I didn't bother to get a before photo.  So I found this one online:

It was kinda like that, only greyhound-y.

So, here's the gunk that was removed out of both ears...

And here's the after photos!

right ear

left ear

Whew!  I'm so glad that's over.  She was such a trooper.  I think she knew she had to hold still for this to work, and she just cooperated!  It was wonderful to finally get all that gunk out for good.

Dolce's MAJOR Breakthrough & Intro to Agility...

I am still brimming with pride after today.  Cloud 9 is a beautiful place to be.

Now, I have to keep in mind, Dolce is not cured.  Not by a long shot.  He still gets upset by strange dogs, and will bark, growl, and lunge with the best of them.  But we're so close...

Rick and I went to Summerfest in Fountain Valley, California this afternoon.  They had a fantastic Disc 2 Dog demo/clinic.  I have to say, that was by far my favorite event to be a spectator of.  (It has also cured my curiosity for the breed of dog I'd like next, border collie or Aussie shepherd... Definitely border collie FTW!  No question.)  I got some great ideas for getting Dolce into frisbee, and it's totally on our agenda!  Intelligent Agility had a course all set up, and allowed visitors to give it all a go, regardless of their training, for FREE.

So, FINALLY, Dolce had an intro to the obstacles of agility!  We did some jumps (which were a piece of cake, especially for how low they were), conquered the tunnel with some coaxing via hotdogs, and climbed the A-Frame no problem!  Erin (founder of Intelligent Agility) said Dolce's natural jumping style was very pretty,  we were welcome in her classes as soon as we finished his rehab. :) I informed her that she hadn't seen the last of us.  It's nice to know where we'll be taking classes and getting to know the wonderful trainer in advance.

The best part, there were hundreds of strange dogs of all shapes and sizes there for this event.  He only had a few minor outbursts, nothing major, and in general, was easily redirected with chicken, treats, and especially hotdogs.  He even had excellent, border collie-like focus on-course for our hotdogs, and ignored the dozens of human and canine spectators.  He remembered all of his obedience commands, performed them immediately, and didn't go looking elsewhere for mischief.  I couldn't be happier with his attitude for this kind of work.

Afterward, Dolce was even social with several of the guys who were part of the tear-down crew.  He approached them, readily accepted pets, and only showed mild forms of apprehension when the men initially leaned down to pet him.

Sigh.  He's so talented.  I'm so excited.  I'm impatient for this dog-reactivity thing to be history so we can get on with the fun stuff!

Schutzhund Dog

So, I need a Companion Love Bug (Dolce), a Sports Dog (border collie), and a Protection Dog (?).

This last episode with our crazy neighbors has me on the fritz.  My anxiety is all over the place.  I started looking into Schutzhund training months ago, out of idle curiosity.  Now, I really want a dog capable of being a superstar in that world.

Does anyone know anything?  I am an absolute novice to this type of work.  I've always envisioned just having a companion, a sports friend.  Never a dog for this kind of work before.

I've read that the best breeds typically chosen for this work are German Shepherds, Dobermans, and Malinois.  I'm most attracted to Malinois physically, and German Shepherds for mannerism.  I guess I can rule out Dobermans, but I don't know much about them except I find them intimidating.  LOL - I suppose that makes them perfect.

German Shepherd

If they have natural ears, they're pretty cute!

Such beauties... Sigh.

ETA:  Dobes are prohibited in my apartment complex.  Go figure.  Stupid breed biases... :(