Resulst from Getting rid of Anxiety/ Reactive dog behavior

This is a story of how Greian the Irish Wolfhound, who was 5 years old, learned how to not be afraid of new people and learned to not pull her owners over trying to meet new dogs.  (This is how I did it)

So I stopped by the local hardware store to get my dog teeter totter made for my agility class.  I happened to run into a nice lady who helped me figure out what I needed and how to do it.  In the meantime we were talking dogs, of course.  Turns out she had an Irish Wolfhound who was having some social anxiety issues that seemed to be getting worse since their other "Wolfy" had died.  After explaining that the clicker training works really well at reducing anxiety I handed her my card and set up a time to get started.

 These are pictures I took during the first class, notice the grimace on her face in the picture on the left.  She was very nervous, and not sure how to handle where she was.  I had let my girls out to see her (they had never seen such a big dog before) and Greian didn't want to have anything to do with them.

Fast forward 6 weeks and you would think we had a completely different dog!  After a couple of weeks of having her clicked while I had Roxy run around, and simply walking on the leash around the yard, I brought the girls back out to provide more distractions.  The last day of class we had Roxy chasing a Frisbee, the girls were racing each other, playing tag, screaming, and throwing balls and she still walked up to them on her own to check them out and see if they had any goodies for her.

They have now taken her to the store they work at and one of the local pet stores and she has done very well!  I can hardly believe it my self that this is the same dog that 6 weeks ago looked like she wanted to find a hole in the wall and melt away!  She is now much more confident and I told her owners that they can even start phasing the clicker out for her on walks and other places where she feels right at home! 

What a good dog! Notice the relaxed smile on her face now!

Here's a little post script note on how she is doing months later....

"Just dropping you a line to let you know how well Grian is doing.  We took her to the Willamette Valley Irish Wolfhound Club's gathering on 9-28-13 and what a difference.  Though still a little timid, Grian did not rush any dog or cause a disturbance at all.  Two warning growls to a large black IWH male and the owner gave Grian a  "good girl", because her dog has no manners.  Many members could not believe this was the same dog they remembered.  Tail was down the whole time and she even went up to strangers on her own.  We also took Grian the next weekend to her breeder, Judy Brawn, who was holding a lure coursing event, and though we showed up as they were packing up, Grian got along famously with the other dogs even off lead. Judy is much impressed with Grian's progress and we bragged about you. We just want to you up to date and to thank you again.  Greetings to your two little trainer helpers, Dan."       

The Salty, Hot, Sea Dog and Recall

Have I ever mentioned the fact that I love Oregon's dog and beach rules! The fact that you can take your best friend to the beach is AWESOME!!!!

 At first Roxy was her little prissy self and didn't want to get into the water, until the ball was thrown enough times into it that she didn't care after a bit.

 I love this little smile on her face, she was having such a good time!

 She met a friend who really wanted to play with her, but all she wanted to do was play with her ball

Wheeee!!!!

The reasons that recall is the most important thing you teach your dog and makes it work the months of work to make it a constant reliable command!!!!

Want to know what your dog is saying? (a sneak peek)

How many of you have tried taking pictures of your dog(s) only to find them sticking their tongue out at you?  Maybe you can just never catch them looking at you, as soon as the camera comes out they do anything but look at it.  Ever wonder why?

(my dog growing up, Barney )

Do you know that there is a conversation of sorts going on right here in this picture?  After Monday you too will be able to tell what it is they are saying to each other.

Topic for the night include:

Face expressions,

Calming signals,

Warning signals,

Push and Come signals,

Play invitations, and last but not least,

 How to recognize stress in your dogs and what to do about it.

Tell your friends and neighbors, this is information that is useful even if you don't have a dog.  Would you like to know if the dog that is approaching you is safe to pet or how to help keep your child from getting bit from the dog that is sitting outside the shop?

Monday May 6th, 7 pm

15.00 per family

1009 Hulet Ave.

See you there!

Where does Roxy('s mom) like to eat?

Ummmm, Yummy! Where is Roxy now!

This wonderful little place just down and around the corner from us is called Ricky's Tacos! Really folks, it's the best taco place I have eaten at in Newberg! You have got to try it! It's right next to the doggy wash on Elliot!

What is my dog saying?

Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking or if they "talk" to each other?  Some of you may be saying, "of course they talk to each other" while others of  you aren't quite as sure.  Let me assure you your pets do "talk" to each other and even to you and your other pets, it's just that it's not a language they teach in high school.

For those in the Chehalem Valley area I am holding a seminar on Monday, May 6th at 7pm to teach you how to "speak" dog. I will be showing you how to use your own body to also communicate with the dogs around you to help them feel more at ease or to help them calm down if they are stressed, and how to tell when they are stressed.

The cost is 15.00 for the evening (that will be per family if a spouse or interested child would also like to attend) and will be held the same place as classes: 1009 Hulet Ave. Newberg

So put it on your calender! I look forward to seeing you there!

Teaching your dog Herding skills

Ok so you may or may not have a dog like Roxy who loves to work and has a natural skill at herding.  Well there is a new game in town called Trieball, it uses the same skills that the dog would use against sheep, but they use big yoga balls instead of livestock.  So thus began my wanting to teach Roxy how to push a ball with her nose, and the need for her to learn the commands "come by" and "away." So here I am teaching Roxy both! (and you get to see some "raw training").  I use treats to lure her around first, and then I give her a big "yay" with her ball.  Then I start using the ball after I click her so it got her more excited, which is good and bad.  I had to work at keeping her more focused when I brought the ball out.

I am hoping to get some other dogs involved here and have some competitions later on maybe near the end of summer.  Let me know if you are interested in teaching your dog how to play!

Here are other dogs learning to play the game...

To tug or not to tug...

I have had many people ask me if it's ok to play tug with their dogs, or will that make them feel aggressive or cause them to become more aggressive?  To answer that simply, no.  Dogs love to play tug with each other as well as with their human friends, in my experience I have found it to actually decrease a dog's aggressiveness in most cases.

 Take Conner here, he's a big puppy, but he is still intact and very interested in Roxy.  However when we get them playing tug, it seems that most of his hormone issues regarding her seem to diminish and he is more interested in playing than in other activities.  The same has held true with many other dogs who have had the same issues when we are in class.

 Dogs know that tug is a game, in fact that is why I try and make sure everyone who has a class with me knows that you never chase your dog or try to pull things out of their mouths, because they think it's a game.

 Unless your dog has other issues that are at work, like becoming overly aroused very easily, or tends to resource guard and considers his toy something to guard, or has had past negative experiences with tugging (as in abuse issues), then you should have no reason not to play tug with your dog.  Remember there are always exceptions to every rule, but as a rule of thumb, tug is a great way to play with your dog and bond better.  Let your dog win sometimes, and you can win sometimes, (don't worry about keeping count).  I always think it's best to watch your dog, if he is giving up to often, let him have it more often and chase him around while he is running with it, the dogs loves this! (Just make sure it's a toy you are playing chase with and not your best dress)