A Happy, Well-Balanced Dog: Part III

So far, we've covered two of the three things that a dog requires (other than good medical care) to live a happy and well balanced life...

1. Physical Stimulation- Exercise
2. Mental Stimulation- Interactions that make them think

The third is communication. 

Me and the late Cobra

So how do you effectively communicate with a dog?  There are three components that are necessary...

• Timing
• Motivation
• Consistency

These are the "Big Three" of dog training.  Usually when something is not going right or is not going as well as it once did- the communication is off, and looking to these three will more than likely give you the direction you need.

When it comes to timing, it is important to note that the window of consequence for a dog (the time it takes to relate action to consequence) is only 1.5 seconds.  Yes, Seconds.  Proof that dogs do, in fact, live in the moment.  This means that you need to tell them "yes" or "no" within that 1.5 second window for your timing to be truly effective.  

Example: your dog steals a steak off of the counter and you come into the room 2 minutes later while your dog is under the table feasting on their found treasure.  If you try to give consequence at this point here are some of the things you are communicating...

1.  You coming into the room is a bad thing 
2.  Your dog being under that table is a bad thing 
3.  Your dog eating the steak is a bad thing

You are not, however, communicating that the act of stealing the steak off of the counter was actually the bad thing in this scenario. At this point, there’s only one thing to do…Tally the score: Fido-1, You-0.

Motivation is crucial to communicating with a dog.  Treats are the obvious tool here—motivation based on food drive and the dog’s natural self preservation instinct.  Food is something that all dogs need to survive, so for training it is a universal motivator.  

When using treats for motivation, it is best to use the tastiest treats you can find for your dog… however- keep in mind this:  My favorite food is lasagna.  If I eat lasagna every night of the week….it’s just going to become boring after a while.  When using treats for training- think in terms of motivation and mix a variety of treats in your treat pouch.  They never know what they’re going to get and it keeps their focus longer- increasing their motivation. 

Not only is it important to understand a dog’s motivation not only to do something, but it is important to understand their motivation not to do something.  A behavior has to have enough undesirable consequence behind it in order for the behavior to not occur.   

Example: A dog decides to stay in its dog house during the heavy rain storm to stay dry.  The motivator here is not getting wet and instead staying comfortable.  Every dog is different and will have different motivators… it is your job to find out what motivates your dog both positively and negatively.
 

Finally, there is consistency.  Say what you mean, and mean what you say.  Dogs do not do well with grey areas.  Grey areas only confuse.  You want to keep the rules and your communication with your dog as black and white as you possibly can.  

If you asked your dog to do something that they’ve already been trained to do, and they don’t do it… do you repeatedly ask like a broken record?  Don’t.  “Sit” should mean sit…. “Sit, Siiit?.. SIT!”, Shouldn’t .  If you don’t want your dog on the furniture, then the dog should never be allowed on the furniture.  Keeping the rules black and white increases the effectiveness of communication.  If you always follow through with what you say to your dog, then you are perceived as being consistent.  

Dogs have their own free will… they have to have a good reason to give you that will.  If they feel they are able to maintain that free will without interference from you, they are going to.  Who is going to give up their own free will to someone who communicates that they’re not completely sure of what they want?

A Happy, Well-Balanced Dog: Part II

Mental stimulation is extremely important, and often overlooked.  We are intelligent beings, and dogs are as well- believe it or not.  They think, and when there is a lack of mental stimulation they become bored.  Boredom in dogs is trouble.  When they’re bored they will find ways to entertain themselves….and we tend to not be in favor of their creative endeavors.  (Think holes chewed in drywall, expensive shoes becoming expensive chew toys, digging to china etc.)  It is important to feed the need for mental stimulation with more constructive outlets.

  

Providing interactive toys is one of the easiest ways to provide these constructive outlets.  Interactive toys are not bones… they’re not squeaky toys or stuffed animals.  They’re puzzles.  Fido thinks to himself:  “How do I get that food out of there????”

Sassy the Pomeranian playing with an interactive toy-( StarMark Day-Glo Everlasting Fun Ball, Medium, Green)- satisfying her need for mental stimulation

 

Mental stimulation is super important when teaching a dog to love their crate and when they’re being left alone to avoid anxiety. Think about 2 people being left alone in 2 identical closets for 4 hours.  Person #1 is given a computer that is hooked up to the internet.  Person #2 is left with a teddy bear.  Unless person #2 is entertained extremely easily (and already a little whack-a-doo), person #1 will receive much more stimulation and will be able to tolerate the 4 hour closet time day after day with much more ease.   

Above: The "Bob-a-lot" (perfect for feeding time)

My favorite interactive toys are included under “Trainer’s Pick” on the upper right hand side of the page.  Instead of feeding your dog out of a bowl, get them an interactive toy and feed them out of that when possible. Instead of 2 minutes (with some 20 seconds) and it’s gone, they will spend 20 minutes to an hour getting all of their food out.  Not only are they getting mental stimulation the whole time, but they’re getting physical exercise and satisfying their natural hunt drive.  

Young puppies are always on the go- you always have to keep an eye on them- and trust me, sometimes it's nice to be able to plop down a toy that holds their attention while you sit back and enjoy the cuteness.  Much more “stimulating” than a metal bowl…although, my dog Bucky LOVES to play with those too….

A Happy, Well-Balanced Dog: Part I

There are three things, other than medical care, that a dog requires to live a happy and well-balanced life.  I want to start by talking about physical stimulation. (Don't get too excited there fellas!)

Physical stimulation means getting out there and being more active so we're healthier and not so "blah" feeling. Exercise can make you feel a lot better than when you go without it, and not to mention all of the health benefits.  (Perhaps I should practice what I preach...)

For dogs, a back yard doesn't count.  When a dog is in a back yard and it is their only means of physical exercise, it is pretty much the equivalent of us going to the gym... getting on the elliptical for 30 seconds and then getting off of it....proceeding to get back on for one minute, to just get off again.  Granted this IS something- however when it is the only means of physical exercise, after a while it will do little to nothing for you.

Now, on the flip side of this... let’s say we have a very enthusiastic pup- with a high drive and what seems to be an endless supply of energy: A “hyperactive” dog as some might say.  Their owner realizes this and takes the dog running with them a LOT.  At first it seemed to really curb that enthusiasm, but now... it hardly fazes them.  They need to run further, faster, and more often to even get close to the effect that running once had on the dog.  Now what we have is an athlete of a dog- a conditioned, toned running machine....with a hyperactive mind.  What gives?!

Physical stimulation is just one piece of the puzzle... a good amount of exercise is still needed, but without the rest of the pieces we still have an unbalanced dog.  Just think about what they recommend for humans—at least 30 minutes of exercise/activity is often all that is required to be beneficial.  Take your dog on regular walks.  Play fetch with your dog.  Just take the time to give them a daily outlet for pent up energy.  We don’t need to run marathons to see the benefits of physical exercise,  and most of our dogs are not training to be canine athletes.

Indy playing fetch in the Snow

Next piece of the puzzle:  Mental Stimulation- stay tuned!

Introduction

Indy and Titan

I’m a dog person…. Heck- I’m a dog trainer, a professional one at that. Dogs are my meal ticket, my fascination, my life.

 I do have a cat, but I wouldn’t consider myself a cat person. Even my cat, Titan- who I raised from a kitten, acts more like a dog than he does a cat. (Nature vs. Nurture?)

My personality in no way resembles that of a cat. I’m way too easily entertained. I’m nowhere near as tidy as a cat, and I’m definitely not as graceful.

I feel like cats plan…. Like they plot and map out their approach to a situation. Planning gives me anxiety. Dogs however? They often get themselves way in over their head. They often become blinded by their enthusiasm. When the moment arrives where they realize perhaps they’re not in the best position, they react. They learn from trial and error just like we do, yet if dogs were writers I do not believe their work would be overly intellectual or philosophical.

But cats? Just look at them…. They always appear to be in deep thought. Their movement is smooth and fluid- deliberate. Their balance is innate, and they can pretty much see in the dark for Christ’s sake.

This is an introduction for my blog.  Based on my thought process above, I have no idea why I think I can write. I’m living in the moment- much like a dog does...I’m just living and loving a life gone to the dogs.

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