Regress, Progress
Happy Wednesday. A few things going on, so let’s get to it.
Lacey is almost 6 months old, now. She is doing very well in some areas, but she needs work in other areas. On the up-side, her sit/stay, down/stay, and recall is improving, and Tanya has been teaching her to ignore food distractions during recall exercises. Lacey loves physical touch as a reward, but she is motivated more strongly by food, so ignoring her favorite treats on the floor and coming when called is an extraordinary achievement. On the down-side, Lacey is taking food off the table, taking food from the hands of the kids, barking and grumbling in protest during focused training sessions, mouthing hands to the point of nipping, jumping on people and mouthing them when they come in the door, nipping at the kids, and trying to bolt outside the second the door is opened. Twice, now, she has bolted out and taken herself for a walk around the neighborhood, refusing to come when called. Matt has stated that he is “done with all of it”, and that, at the rate she’s going, she’s never going to get her certification.
When I arrived for our scheduled training session, last night, Lacey jumped all over me, she put her mouth on me and then barked at me in a demand for affection, and then jumped all over me again. When I corrected her, she barked and grumbled at me and then tried to jump and mouth me again. We went through this process at least three times before she finally accepted that I was not going to tolerate her unwanted behavior. When I sat down on the edge of the couch, she invited herself up, got behind me, stood on her hind feet, put her front feet on my shoulders, and then she tried to nip at me. When I stood up and reached for her collar to invite her off the couch, she tried to correct me by mouthing my hand. I corrected her, but she made at least three more attempts before she accepted that I would not tolerate that behavior, either. It was not good. Not good at all.
Lacey is not following. She does not have a follower mentality. Tanya is doing the best she can to correct this, but Matt needs a lot of help learning how to bring out his inner pack leader so he can help Tanya. Lacey is a dominant dog; she needs strong, stable pack leaders to help her achieve balance and calmness. With her humans divided as they are, Lacey can’t trust them. Where there is no trust, there is also no respect – as was proven last night.
If he is open to trying, I will design some exercises for Matt that – if practiced properly and consistently – will help create and build trust between him and Lacey. If he is not open to trying again… Well, I guess we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.
Remember: Dogs can’t lie. They mirror our true state of being through their behavior. So, be aware of the energy you’re projecting, and adjust as needed. Have a great day!
Change It Up
Good Thursday to everyone! Today’s post is about the importance of keeping your dog engaged and interested when you’re going through routine lessons like sit, down, stay, and so on. Just like we humans, dogs get bored when they’re doing the same lessons the same way all the time. Some dogs will become vocal, other dogs will fidget and get distracted. Some dogs will outright refuse to work their lessons by laying down and just staring at you like you’re off your rocker, or by sticking their nose up at you and walking away. It’s rude and disrespectful of them, and you get frustrated with them because of it. But it’s the only way they can show you that they’re bored.
When you’re working your dog on their basic lessons, watch for those signs of boredom. Then, think on your feet about what you can do to make the lessons more interesting and fun. For example, if you’re working your dog on recall, try building a little maze for him to work through to get to you. You’ll have to walk him through it a few times, at first, but it will be interesting, engaging, and fun for him while he’s making his way towards you. When he reaches you, reward the heck out of his achievement with verbal praise and pets. Get excited about it! Your dog is going to be much more likely to repeat the exercise if you make it interesting, fun, and rewarding for him.
Another way to keep your dog engaged is to work them in different locations, and change your speed and direction when they don’t expect it. When you change the routine, the dog is unable to anticipate your next move. If they can’t anticipate what you’re going to do, they have to focus their attention on you so they don’t get tripped up. By the time the training session is done and you’ve released your dog from the exercise, any pent-up mental energy they had before will have drained out, and the dog will be too tired to argue with you.
You must remember that a dog’s natural instinct is to investigate things that interest them – things like birds, squirrels, other dogs, people, and etc. Asking them to ignore that instinct and focus solely on you in the presence of those types of distractions is like asking you to ignore the presence of something you normally can’t resist. It’s challenging…. and it’s exhausting.
So, if you find your dog is getting bored with working the basics, try making them more interesting and more challenging. The exercise will be more fun for both of you, and your dog will happier.
Have a great day!
Happy Dawgs Obedience Training 