Puppy Socialization Classes

New puppy owner's may be unaware of the importance of Puppy Socialization Class.  Puppies have a "Critical Period" in which they should be exposed to a variety of environments, noises, smells, strangers and, of course, friendly dogs.  Without this process the puppy will grow up to be limited to where he can go and who he can be around.

Inadequate socialization with new stimuli does not only make the dogs life much less enjoyable, as confinement to the home or yard is boring and incredibly frustrating. Dogs who are poorly socialized also make life much more difficult for their owner.

Maizy, a foster scottie, was highly territorial and fearful of dogs.  She learned to meet and greet appropriately and made several friends while she was with me.  The approach used was called BAT, or Behavior Adjustment Training, which is a slow process of helping a dog obtain much needed information from a new dog in a way the dog can process it comfortably.

With BAT, older dogs can be socialized. But, keep in mind, it is a much slower process and becomes frustrating for many owners as you need to go at the dogs pace.

So, please set yourself and your new puppy up for success and join a Socialization Class by a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT). I recommend one where you stay in class with your puppy, and learn what play is appropriate and what is considered too much for your pup.  The AKC S.T.A.R. puppy class is a great way to get your pup started on being a canine good citizen and avoid aggression and other unwanted behaviors. I think we can all agree, that a trained, social dog makes a wonderful family pet, and unsocialized dogs that exhibit fear and aggression are often given up or euthanized -- a result that really could be prevented with proper socialization as a puppy.

Positively Rewarding

While working with a private client and her pup this week, she repeated herself many times by saying, "she is so smart", "I had no idea my dog was so smart!"  The funny thing is, I hear this from many clients when teaching their dog a new behavior.

When pet owners learn to teach their dog new behaviors using positive reinforcement, their reaction is always, always, the same: "I had no idea how smart my dog was!"  The only thing they did

differently was quickly rewarded the dog when it made the right choice, then repeated the reward when the dog did the correct behavior again.  We were able to teach her puppy to touch her hand with its nose and to lie down, in a matter of minutes using the pups mid-day meal.

Seeing how happy this owner was, and how quickly she became more connected to her pup, reminded me once again how effective positive reinforcement training is -- both for the dog and owner!

Staying Positive

I recently attended a Behavior Clinic where we taught our dogs new behaviors using a technique called shaping which is where we rewarded our dogs for making the slightest attempt at the behavior we wanted.

What I LOVED about this training seminar was that everyone was happy, smiling and really positive as they changed their dogs behavior.  Yes, that is right, we were getting new behaviors and everyone was happy!

Maisey's mom is always smiling and rewarding her!

So why is it when you teach your dog a trick like paw, high five, or roll over you get super excited when they make the right choice, "YES",  click, click "YES" as if one marker is not enough? Many of us repeat the marker due to our excitement!  The dogs clearly get that they did something right because our feedback to them is exactly that: "positive and rewarding."  Many of you can't stop there, you need to go show someone how smart your dog is, so you repeat the cue, your dog does the behavior and you again, shrill with "Yes" "Good Dog" and shower him with positive and rewarding feedback. 

You must be smiling by now because you know this to be true!  So, I want you to use the same positive feedback to reward your dog the next time you

Maisey's dad has a soft tone, loose leash and
 is smart to tell her what she is doing right!

are working with him.  The way I see it, behavior is behavior, and, although you may feel the need to be serious when asking for a specific behavior, your dog just knows you are tense and not as much fun.  So, I ask you to be more fun, smile and make a big deal when your dog does any small behavior you like.  I do think you will see a softer, happier dog that will be able to focus on you longer because you are relaxed, fun and rewarding to be with!

Can you still change your pitch while training?  Yes, but make the "positive" much more exciting and rewarding!

My Dog is Fearful

Many dogs are afraid of other dogs, men, strangers, children, loud trucks, bikes, scooters, skate boards, odd scents, noises, and many more stimuli.   I have spent the last 10 years helping my own dogs and many others live happier, less stressful lives.  The first thing you need to realize is that you are not alone! Many many dog owners are feeling just as you are.  While we are all at different stages of conditioning our dogs to feel better about certain stimuli, we all have similar fears and stressors.  Staying positive is essential! Right now, think about all the behaviors your dog has learned recently.  You know your attitude effects your dog, so stay positive! And remember: you are not alone!

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Seek out a Certified Trainer who has experience with insecure, anxious and fearful dogs, as they will have a better understanding of what you and your dog are feeling.  Find someone who has current testimonials or good references so you know they are using Positive methods.
2. Avoid expecting a specific goal, or anxiety will creep in when you fear you may not reach this goal.
3. Instead, set simple goals that you and your dog can meet together every moment, every day, week by week and be happy with these small steps.
4. Be honest with yourself right now that your dog will never be the "perfect" dog. It is okay, you will still love and protect him or her because he needs you to.
5. Think of the advantages of owning a shy or fearful dog:  

• He gives you unconditional love because he is worried about others.
• He only needs to be by your side to be content with life.
• His love is without strings attached.
• There are no pressures to earn titles, win ribbons or be the best.
• You will never lose him, as he is too worried about going too far away. 
• You will learn more about dog behavior than your neighbor.
• He will not pull you to greet everyone.

These are just a few but there are many advantages to owning a shy or fearful dog.  Sure, it can be scary at times! Just remember your dog is not acting this way to make your life miserable. Rather, he is coping the best way he knows how and is begging for some help!

As an example of a positive training attitude,  the photo below shows a handsome dog to the far left that is fearful of people, yet he is able to give nice eye contact to his owner.  When we began with this boy, we were happy when he could simply offer a quick glance at his owner when strangers were near by. After months of positive conditioning, he is much more comfortable as you can see in this photo.

I can assure you that his owner was thrilled with each small progression he made at gaining confidence, and was happy to reward him for looking at her even for 1 second when 50 feet away!  We slowly progressed, and while he will never be a therapy dog, does that really matter?  What sets this owner apart?  Her expectations are reasonable, and, when not met, she is still okay with the outcome!  Why?  Because she knows when her dog does fall back into an old, unwanted behavior it is because we pushed him too far too fast.

So please, set your criteria such that you and your dog can succeed together! Otherwise you will be disappointed and your frustration will simply make your anxious dog even more stressed. Keep your training sessions relaxed, and positive. Don't push your dog beyond what he or she can handle comfortably, or else the negative experience will just set you both back. Stay patient, stay positive and celebrate all the small successes along the way. You and your dog will be much happier as a result!

Have a Plan When Changing Behavior

When a dog is repeatedly frightened by the same stimuli, and is not ever given a chance to think and feel differently about this stimuli, you will likely see the same reaction long term to this stimuli whenever it presents itself.

Pablo looks at me with dogs
in the distance

Systematic Desensitization and Counter Conditioning is the process of learning to think and feel differently about a particular stimuli.  Remember it is the feeling or emotion that is going to drive the behavior you see in your dog.  Stopping the behavior by a shock, will obviously make the dog stop the behavior to avoid the shock, but does nothing to help the dog feel any better about the scary stimuli and often times will make the dog react stronger the next time.

Have a plan!  Spring is a time when people and children will be out and about not only a lot more, but at predictable times.  Skate boards, bikes, scooters and motorcycles will all be zipping by very soon.  If these are things your dogs gets aroused and barks or lunges at, then let's make a plan!

Think about rewarding your dog for staying calm when he hears the trigger, be sure your dog is definitely going to practice a new behavior.  How?   Be far enough away from the stimuli and have high enough motivation that your dog can not fail!  Once you start getting a new behavior, you realize your dog can change his habits, he just needs you to set him up for success and be sure he can stay under threshold so his old habit does not appear.

When your dog is under threshold or far enough away from the scary stimuli that he is able to think about the stimuli and how he feels, you know you are making progress!

So, if given the chance, would your dog would run across the street and bark at the neighbor child on his scooter? If the answer is, "Yes", then start with your dog down the street each day at the optimal time, and reward your dog for looking or just alerting to the neighbor as he comes out.  Each day use high value rewards and get just five feet or so closer to the neighbor.  Over time, your dog will realize that the presence of the neighbor predicts him getting his treat; hence his emotion to the neighbor appearing will be very different in just a few training sessions.

Please do not try to get closer every day, but stay the same distance so your dog can feel safe.  Going too fast is a common problem and will most likely force your dog to use an old unwanted habit.

Finally, I recommend you always end on a good moment when things are calm and going smoothly so when you begin the next time, you and your dog will have a good feeling about training in this location.