LET’S GO!

Exercise, exercise, exercise seems to be the rule of thumb not only overall health and well being, but I’ve found it to be profoundly important in my dog training regiment. Exercise is not the cure all, but it certainly has its place in my daily routine as much as it does in Jack and Bernie’s routine.

I know first hand how exercise impacts my day.  After a run, I feel balanced, empowered and rejuvenated.  I know a run can be both meditative or an avenue to work through stress by problem solving while I put one foot in front of the other.  For me, running is an opportunity to release stress, tension and do a little something for myself.  The days when I don’t run because its a rest day or life got a little too in the way, I feel it.  I crave to move and release the energy within while I remained static.

I recently read a blog post which cited research on the impact of movement in managing anxiety (http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/treatment/exercising).  The biggest take away I found centered on the lack of movement creates tension.  Tension is what some people link to feelings of anxiety.  Therefore, when I move, in my case, run, I release the build up of stress in my body through exercise and my endocrine system releases endorphin, the feel good hormone. Humans were designed to move and in the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, he points out the science behind humans actually being designed to not walk, but run. Let me just say, this book was a great read and even if you’re a nonrunner, still a great one to put on your list!

If us humans were basically meant to run, what about our furry friends?  If we find balance and generally feel good after exercise, wouldn’t our dogs feel the same?  I regularly see dogs who are highly anxious at home and demonstrate displacement behaviors which include barking and destructive chewing as some examples.  They are showing frustration and or separation anxiety in more severe cases.  These dogs rarely get exercise where they are panting and focused on moving with or for their owner. Not only is exercise or a high level of play necessary for a dog to become more relaxed in the home, its also necessary for the longevity and well being of the dog.

My active pups!

Let’s take Jack, who I’ve mentioned to be highly active.  I’ve seen first hand, if his energy doesn’t get worked out, he becomes frustrated, vigilant and impossible to keep under control.  Structured exercise regimen allows his visceral energy release and he becomes a more focused, relaxed and obedient dog.  Exercise alone doesn’t change your dog overnight.  A daily regiment of exercise, training and a structured relationship with you and your dog all together will lead your furry friend in becoming more settled and reliable.

If you want to start moving with your dog and running is the avenue you would like to pursue, check out the Runners World article which gives steps of how to do so http://www.runnersworld.com/running-with-dogs/see-spot-run.

No!No!No!

Last week, Eddie and I took a little vacay to Southern California to visit family.  Jack and Bernie had a bit of a vacation too at Howl A Day Inn in El Paso.

Bernie relaxing poolside at Howl A Day Inn
Bernie relaxing poolside at Howl A Day Inn
Enjoying their daily activities of playing with other guests.
Enjoying their daily activities of playing with other guests.

If you, the reader, find yourself in El Paso and have some time or are needing recommendations for boarding facilities, Howl A Day Inn is the place for you.  Check out their website for info: http://www.howladay.com.  They provide exceptional care for all the dogs in their facility.

While spending some relaxing time out in Sierra Madre or we like to refer to it as the ‘Dre, I was amazed by the plethora of out dated dog training methods and techniques still being used.  While imbibing on some tasty beers while watching some amazing World Cup soccer games, I saw 4 or 5 dogs with pinch collars.  (If you’re not familiar with pinch collars, check out one of my previous blog post about this issue).  Not only were people still using or rather misusing this tool, there were neighbors who were also telling their dogs NO!NO!NO! rather than redirecting or asking their dogs for a more appropriate behavior.  These experiences highlighted how positive reinforcement benefits the dog and owner.

What is positive reinforcement dog training?  I’ll start to answer this using the philosophy statement of Animal Behavior College (ABC) where I completed and obtained a certificate in dog training. According to ABC, “It is our philosophy that creating a relationship built on positive interaction and consistency can often deter future unwanted behavior problems, facilitate faster learning and even solve some existing behavior challenges” (http://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/training_philosophy.asp).  What this means to me, is rewarding behaviors which you want and redirecting and or ignoring the behaviors you don’t want. As I often tell clients during initial consultations, people tend to learn new and recall those things quicker when its paired with a positive experience.  Some of my most memorable educational moments were ones where teachers made learning fun and same goes with your dogs.  Dogs will go back to giving those behaviors which he finds enjoyable and its the owner’s responsibility in guiding the dog towards doing those favorable behaviors and encouraging them so he continues to do so.

How?  A huge factor is identifying what motivates your dog.  Dogs are motivated in different ways and finding those things which the dog finds the most exciting as the most beneficial to the owner.  Once you, the owner, knows what is the most exciting thing for the dog, you have the key to unlocking your dog’s potential.  Then its just a matter of pairing those motivators with appropriate behaviors.

One example of a unwanted behavior which can become an appropriate one for the dog is chewing. As science discovered, dogs chew to feel good.  When chewing becomes an issue for owners is when the chewing is perceived to be destructive.  All the dog is doing is acting out what he innately knows how to do.  More often than not, as humans, we tend to say “No”.  When we do so, we are expressing our displeasure with whatever is going on.  When the dog hears “No” he doesn’t rationally associate chewing on this shoe or this piece of furniture as inappropriate, he sees his owner with an angry face and an angry tone in her voice.  Often, us saying “No” actually reinforces the dog to continue the unfavorable behaviors since we are giving him attention and essentially marking that particular behavior for the dog.  A more pleasurable experience for the owner and dog is to redirect the dog to a chew toy when the dog is chewing on something he shouldn’t be and giving praise. Its also important to praise the dog whenever the dog is chewing on his own toys.  If the owner remains 100% consistent in redirection when the dog is chewing on something he shouldn’t be and praise when the dog is chewing on his toys, the dog will be conditioned to chew on only his toys.  Until this becomes second nature for your dog, managing the issue is a necessity.  Try positive reinforcement dog training, you’ll for sure see faster and more reliable results.

What Am I?

We adopted Bernie in October 2012. My husband was immediately drawn to Bernie when he saw Bernie be brought into an adoption event in El Paso. Bernie was quiet when all the other dogs barked and became excited when people visited. Bernie remained to himself and just watched as life went on outside his kennel.

From the very beginning, Bernie baffled us. What we thought Bernie to be demur, meek and static behind the eyes because he was slow to respond. Bernie didn’t seem to care to our advancement in play or exercise. Bernie was and continues to be cautious, analytic and independent and these personality characteristics were drastically different from Jack. This was the fundamental mistake Eddie and I made with Bernie. We mistakenly expected two dogs to show the same characteristics and we wondered why Bernie didn’t act the same.

We began exploring the idea of Bernie’s breed heritage. Shortly, after we adopted Bernie while we were out for a walk, a lady stopped us to chat. She asked us what Bernie was and I informed her that the rescue said he was a German Shepherd mix. She then said “he looked like a Basneji”. From this point forward, anyone had their own opinions about what he was from pit bull to jack russell terrier. Eddie and I decided to really explore what breed is dominate in Bernie.  The first lady’s input kept coming back to me.  Eddie explored Basenji and BLAMMO, the Basenji breed totally fits his personality.  Basenji’s in a nutshell are hunting dogs which allow them to be more independent and cautious.  As a breed, they are one of the most difficult to train dogs and HIGHLY benefit from positive reinforcement training.  Another key, is only to use a Basenji’s name in a positive manner otherwise, they won’t come to you.  Bernie fits all of these characteristics.  He analyzes situations and decides what and when and for how long he wants to participate.  His interest in toys can change on a dime and when his prey drive kicks in, he is locked in to whatever it is.  A wonderful friend and fellow dog trainer helped me to understand how to work with more independent dogs.  Its up to me as the human leader to make myself more interesting to him, so he’s more inclined to come to me and listen to commands.  This is a work in progress and its changed my interpretation on our relationship, in a health and positive way.

 

What do you think my breed is? Everyone sees something a little bit different.
What do you think my breed is? Everyone sees something a little bit different.

Bernie’s taught me to really understand and appreciate breed characteristics while at the same time taking to heart individual dog behavior and personality.  These two components are necessary for successful dog training.  I’m not saying, end all be all because there are other factors influencing dog behavior such as environment, health, age, diet and exercise, but its a good starting point in which to know how and what a specific dog may be motivated by to help in training.  Eddie and my next step is to get a DNA test for him to see if Bernie is what we think he is and to satisfy our curiosity.