Intermountain Therapy Animals

Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) is a great way to help the community while involving your dog and also keeping up his or her training.  Check out their flyer below and come see their booth on September 10th at the PoochPalooza.

The Scoop about Dog Parks

First, let me give a disclaimer:  I 100% support Cache Humane Society and all they do for homeless animals, abused pets, the local animal community in general, etc.  I think that they are doing so much work to get a dog park in the valley is very admirable.  It will be such a boost for the dog population in the area and will increase general canine awareness positively.

Now, that being said, as a trainer, I think that you have to go into a dog park situation with a few reservations.  Here are some reasons that I do not fully embrace dog parks:

1. Dog owners are not responsible.  They go to the park, let the dog off leash and smoke, chat with other owners, text on their phones-basically doing anything other than paying attention to their dogs.  Meanwhile, Stan the Stud is running around, terrorizing the other dogs, enforcing his digging habit, and (heaven forbid), doing that thing that intact males often do with anything and everything.
2. Dog owners are not responsible.  Their dog poops, they leave it.  This is not only gross, but it's unsanitary and makes the park a haven for doggy diseases, disgusting flies, and putrid smells.
3. Dog owners are not responsible.  They don't properly socialize their aggressive dogs.  Fido the Fierce is dog aggressive and bites and runs down all dogs under 20 pounds.  Fido the Fierce's mom thinks the dog park is a great way for Fido to get exercise and thinks he's just being "friendly" with the poor Cavalier.  Or, in a similar vein, the owner knows that Fido is a bit nutty with other dogs, but thinks that by exposing him to all the dogs at the park, it's going to help.  
4. Dog owners are not responsible.  They don't properly socialize their shy dogs.  Helena the Hesitant is young, adopted, and was possibly abused before going to her new family.  Helena the Hesitant's dad thinks that she should just "man up" and deal with her fear.  So, he takes her to the dog park, throws her in the waves of doggy fur and watches as she drowns among slobbery balls and flying fur.  
5. Dog owners are not responsible.  They do not realize that five months worth of training can all go down the tube at one dog park outing.  How many times have you been at a dog park and heard Oggie the Oblivous's mom yelling at him to "Drop that!"  "No! No! No!" "Here Oggie, here boy!" and Oggie just happily ignores the broken record playing in the background.  All of a sudden, all those commands are deemed worthless and as your dog is 30 feet away from you and running in a pack of other freed canines, you have about .001% chance of enforcing anything you say.  Later that night, Oggie's mom wonders why he won't come in from the back yard when he's always done so before.
6. Dog owners are not responsible.  Fun instead of safety comes first.  Those packs of dogs at parks have the mob mentality-they think as a group and act together.  Sure, they may be having fun, but they are much more likely to do stupid things.  Fred the Follower could  be running, not paying attention, and slam into a tree, a fence, a sprinkler head...you name it, anything.  I've seen this happen and the results are not happy.  Another thing that happens is that owners allow their dogs to over-exert themselves which can lead to exercise-induced collapse, heat stroke, exhaustion, etc.

Notice an overlying trend to my list?  That's right, dog owners can often be irresponsible about their dogs.  Dogs will be dogs, especially when they get together.  You have no way of telling your dog, "Hey, Oggie, if you don't listen to me while you're at the park, you're not going to be able to go back for a really long time," or "Helena, honey, if you feel nervous, just tell those mean dogs to go away."  Anyhow, you get my point: humans are the responsible party for their dogs.    

So, here are some quick ways to counteract the negatives at the dog park:

1. Pay attention.  Yes, socialize with the other dog owners, but first and foremost, watch your dog-are they getting into trouble, causing trouble, too scared, tired, exhausted, or anything else they should be? Don't turn your back to your dog.  Watch them close and be their advocate, helping them out of situations that they aren't able to handle.
2. Do your own thing.  Socially, there are certain norms for communicating with others.  Bag it-tell the person that you're talking to that you are trying to keep an eye on your dog.   Don't make eye contact as often as you normally would with the person you're talking to-keep your eyes on the dog.  Be rude-interrupt the conversation if your dog needs you to act as a referee.  Apologize to your conversation partner later.  Excuse yourself when your dog poops-saying something as simple as, "I'll be right back, so hold that thought, I just need to clean up after my dog really quick before I forget."
3. Socialize anywhere but the dog park.  The dog park is not for dogs who are uncomfortable in new, strange, exciting situations.  Take obedience classes, do agility, have small play groups with friendly neighbor dogs, hire a private trainer, go to the pet store and work on appropriate behaviors, but do not expect to do beginning socialization at the dog park.  The park is a great way to keep your dog's socialization up-not to begin the process.
4. Go during off hours.  This a great time to use the park-maybe only a dog or two, maybe none, but there is the open range you may not have in your apartment.  This is also a good time to practice their recall-on a long line!-and the other habits that reinforce a reliable recall.
5. Don't go.  If it's dirty, unsanitary, not safe, just don't go.  Let the owners know why you don't want to go (in a polite way), and offer a solution.  (Hey, I don't like going to the dog park because there is a lot of diseases floating around.  Maybe we could put up signs encouraging people to pick up after their pets.)
6. Leave early.  Is Fido the Fierce being a bully?  Leave.  Is your dog acting scared?  Leave.  Are there too many dogs?  Leave.  Sometimes, it's better to have a healthy and safe dog than to give them a "good time."

Dog parks can be great, but they also have their own issues.  Please be a wise dog owner and think about your dog's needs first.

A Dog's Crate is His Castle

Most people think of crate training as a way to housebreak your brand-new puppy.  While this is definitely true, crate training can be so much more than this.

Waffe-one of Edna's puppies and also a CCI dog in training.

There are several other benefits to having a crate-trained dog.  Here are just a few of them:

• Travel:  The only way you can travel with your dog via plane is with a crate.  Plus, if you are driving a long distance, the crate will fit nicely in your car (as long as you don't have a extra-large breed).  If you are one of those people who has a truck and lets their dogs run around from side to side, well, let's just say I would highly recommend using a crate in the back instead for the next reason on the list.
• Safety:  Dogs in the backs of trucks can jump out, get heatstroke, can be thrown during a wreck, etc.  Additionally, a crate is a safe place for your dog to go during a thunderstorm, if there were an earthquake, etc.  If you buy a good one, they are sturdy and safe.
• Comfort:  A dog who is properly crate trained will find immense comfort in having their own little bedroom.  It is their safe space where they can go and relax.  Cheri's crate even comes equipped with a fan so on hot summer nights she can flip on her back and snooze away.
• Convenience:  Traveling some more?  The nice thing about the crate is that it can be your dog's home away from home.  If you are visiting family or in a hotel room, the crate is the perfect way to keep your dog from wandering in a strange and potentially hazardous environment.  What about the times when your mother-in-law who hates dogs comes over?  How about your neighbor's pesky kids who always pull the dog's tail, poke her eyes, etc.?  What if the repair guy is coming by and you're worried about Fido escaping out the doors or gates when nobody is looking?  These are all great times you can use the crate.
• Training:  Crates and training go hand in hand.  There are so many issues that can be worked on and resolved with proper crate use.  Potty issues, barking at the door, jumping on people, counter surfing when nobody is there, chewing cords, etc.; these are just a few of the negative behaviors that a crate could possibly help with (hey, you still have to put in some work too!) The crate, however, is NOT a punishment tool and your dog should never be thrown in there because he or she misbehaved.  
• Agility:  Go to any agility competition.  When the dogs are not active, where are they?  You got it-in their crates!

As you can see, there are a lot of good reasons to crate train your dog.  It is important though to realize that this blog post is about reasons why crate training is beneficial, and not necessarily about HOW to train your dog to be comfortable in a crate.  Let me just give you one hint:  shoving your dog into the crate and saying "Be a good boy," is not going to work!  If you want training tips on the crate, contact us at training@zoomdogagility.org.

The Reason Why - By Shaun Anderson

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that provides service dogs free of charge to people with disabilities other than blindness. These dogs are all professionally trained by experienced and talented trainers at CCI facilities for about six months, but their training begins much earlier than that. Volunteers can apply to raise the puppies that CCI breeds. These people are called Volunteer Puppy Raisers. This is what Becca and I do for CCI. Cheri is our puppy in training and we are raising and training her for CCI. Puppy Raisers receive the puppies when they are eight weeks old and are responsible to train them in basic obedience, house manners, socialization and a few advanced commands. The Puppy Raisers keep the puppies for about 15-18 months, then they are returned to CCI to go through Professional Training. People often ask us how we are able to give the puppy up after a year and a half and say they could never do that. They would become too attached. I thought that this would be the case too, but then Becca and I got to go to the graduation of one of her previous dogs, Zeeland. Zeeland was being placed with a little boy in Southern California with autism. We were able to go to California and meet the family that was receiving Zeeland. It was an amazing experience. It was evident that the family needed Zeeland much more than we did. We were able to see some of the things that Zeeland did to help the little boy, and it was incredible to hear the difference he was already making with the little boy. This made me realize that being a Puppy Raiser is not about getting a dog for a year and a half and being able to take it everywhere with you, but it’s about helping someone else. It’s about giving up your time, money, and efforts to do something that will be of far greater benefit to someone other than yourself. This doesn’t make it any easier to turn in the dogs. It’s a really difficult experience, but once you know the reason behind giving up the dog, it makes it all worth it.

A Returning Soldier

Aren't dogs just the best-what better welcome could you have?

Canine Poisons

Have you ever wondered if the table scraps you feed your dog are safe or not?  Here is a great site from National Geographic that points out some common human food that could possibly be fatal for your pooch:  Dog Poisons

Ultimate Dog Tease

Less Is More

So, you've now got this wonderful Pet Botanics dog treat and your dog loves it!  Let's talk about how much you should feed.

For commands already learned (sit, down, shake; things they've known since their first month or two with you and they do accurately the first time you ask 85-100% of the time) they should be getting minimal treats.   I actually suggest using a lower value treat than dog log for these commands, such as Charlie Bears or kibble. If you do use dog log, use no bigger than a PEA SIZED amount.  This is NOT just a figure of speech.  If the piece you handed your dog is bigger than one of those green, round, starchy vegetables, it is most likely too big.  An extra side note: do a random reward schedule, meaning, they only get a treat every once in awhile to reinforce these commands.  This will help you to begin weaning the dog off treats.

For commands they are learning (new agility obstacles, crawl, etc.) or ones that are difficult to master (heeling, stay...), you should be using a small sized treat, about the size of a marble.

For a command they've been having a hard time with, but they finally do it successfully (they have been skipping the last section of the weaves, but after some directed practice, they finally complete it all the way through); when they've been learning a new command and it finally clicks; when they've been a brat and finally do what you ask; or when they do a recall in a distracting environment...for all of these and other great behaviors, you can give your dog a jackpot reward.  My favorite way to give a jackpot is to give 3-5 larger pieces of dog log (dice-sized), all in a row with a ton of verbal/physical praise.

If you overuse this (or any other) treat, IT WILL LOSE ITS VALUE.  Overusing can consist of:

• not making your dog work for the treat/giving him or her freebies
• giving too big of treats (your dog will get full)
• always using your highest value treat for all commands
• giving the same amount for all commands ("Let's see, she gives me a treat the size of her hand for sitting, and a treat the size of her hand for going through the weaves.  Sitting is so much less work, so maybe I'll only do that and that way I'll still get treats..."-Okay, so dogs may not cognitively go through this exact process, but you get the idea.)

A few (hopefully obvious) disclaimers that should still be mentioned:  First, if you have a Great-Dane-sized dog, you may need to up the size portions on these (still think small though).  Second, treats are not the only forms of rewards!  Your dog should always receive a auditory positive marker (clicker, "Yes!", etc.) and possibly other praise as well.  And third, when you add new environmental factors that are considered high distraction for your dog, you should make adjustments on treat sizes as necessary.  For example, Cheri obviously knows how to sit, she sits for us the first time we ask at home, and most of the time when we are in public, and so she only gets verbal praise for doing it.  However, if there is another dog around, this is the most distracting environment possible for her, and so we make sure to reward her with a pea-sized or marble-sized amount when she does well.

What Some People Do for their Dogs...

 This daily phone call sure ends up getting her into a lot of trouble!  

So, this isn't the best quality, but it's still a great clip.  If you've never seen this movie, I would recommend it for a good old-school laugh. You can even check it out of the Logan Library for free!

Pet Botanics

Pet Botanics.  Dog Log.  Meat Treat.  The Good Stuff.  Call it whatever you will, but trainers and owners love the rolled meat created by Pet Botanics.  Here are some of the numerous reasons why I use this as my main high value treat reward:

• It has a strong, appealing smell, making it easier to keep a dog's attention.
• It's soft so the dogs eat it quickly instead of crunching forever.
• You can cut it or break it into whatever size you need-tidbits for smaller rewards and chunks for jackpots.
• It's actually nutritionally balanced enough to feed it to your dog for dinner.  I would only recommend this for certain situations because, among other things, what could you possibly use during training sessions that would one up a dog log dinner?
• Real meat is the main ingredient. For consistency's sake, I prefer the Lamb and Brown Rice variety
• No added colors and only natural preservatives.  So, you should keep only a week's worth in an airtight container, stored in the fridge and freeze everything else.  I recommend slicing the roll into 1 inch thick discs, then quartering those, and freezing it in ziplock baggies.
• I can buy it for a good price at my local pet store.
• It's delicious! (or so the dogs tell me, I just haven't been able to bring myself to try it.  Lots of people say it smells like beef jerky.)

As with any good treat, if you use it too often, give it away for free (dogs don't have to earn it), or give too much for each reward-it will quickly lose its value.  More to come on this aspect later next week.

PoochPalooza

We are more than excited to announce the PoochPalooza on September 10th!  This will be a great event to meet and mingle with other Cache Valley dog owners, view booths, win prizes, participate in low-key agility trials, and more!

Meet and Greet

Socializing is an important aspect for any dog.  Socialization consists of continually introducing your dog to new places, people, objects, and of course, other dogs.  Many dogs love to 'say hello' to any dog they meet.  Other dogs can be more shy. There are a few pooches who are dog aggressive and prefer that no other canine comes within 5 feet of their personal space.  Because of this variance in dog personality, it's important to follow a few simple rules when you and your dog are meeting another dog and his or her handler.

Meet and Greet Guidelines:
1.  Always ask FIRST before you let you dog within a few feet of another dog's space if you dog can say hello.

2.a.  Be prepared for a 'no.'  A lot of people ask, and then before waiting for an answer, they simply let their dogs pull them over .  Kind of defeats the purpose of asking, doesn't it? (I try to avoid blog ranting-but if I didn't, here would be a perfect place for me complain away.)
  b.  Likewise, if you are the one being asked, feel free to say, "Not right now, Fluffy is learning to behave and needs to calm down," or (this is my line), "Cheri is actually a service dog in training and is working right now."  I always recommend giving a brief explanation so that people understand you are just being a jerk.

3.  If the other owner does say yes, make the visit short and sweet, three to five seconds.  Any longer than this and you'll have two different scenarios.  Scenario A:  The dogs decide they are now friends and pretty soon they are jumping all over each other, the leashes are tangled, and you've got a wild, furry mess on your hands.  Next time they see a dog-what are they going to do since the last time was so rewarding?  Scenario B: One or both dogs will decide to get snarly-this can quickly escalate into a bad situation.

4.  Keep your dog nearby, sniffing only the other dog's front half.  There is no need for your dogs to smell each other's nether regions while on leash.  Believe me when I say that this is a socially reinforced trait and isn't necessary.   Out of the five service dogs I've raised so far, NONE of them have ever had the inclination to smell another dogs private areas unless the other dog did it first and shoved their own tail end in my dog's face.

5.  If you are still talking to the other handler, have your dog come back to your side and encourage them to sit or do a down.  This a great time to teach them self control and that you are more important than that other dog/human.

Being social with other dogs is great-just make sure that you are polite and consider other dogs and humans before you give into your dog's inappropriate behavior.

Universal Studio's Animal Actors-Agility Style

Many of you know that I was playing in California last week.  One day we went to Universal Studios and of course I had to go see the "Animal Actors" show.  Halfway through, they brought out agility equipment, so I frantically fumbled around and pulled out my camera just in time to catch this segment.  Enjoy this clip and feel free to post comments, especially about Competitor #2 (just keep in mind the name of the show...).

A Few Laughs for Today

comic courtesy of gocomics.com