My new Akita puppy Jack was on his bed chewing a fresh bone. I sat down beside him to work on desensitizing him to having things taken away. There is little of higher value to a dog than a fresh bone. I asked him in a singsong voice “What have you got there?” and put my hand on the bone. His response was to clench the bone and give a low growl. My husband was watching this exchange and was flabbergasted when I calmly got up without saying a word to go get my training bag with treats in it. “Why didn’t you correct him?” was his question to me. “And why are you about to give him some treats?”
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All dogs benefit from basic obedience training, including those that are labeled as special needs dogs. It doesn’t need to be the precise obedience as seen in the show ring to be considered an important skill. For all dogs, special needs or not, learning to live in our world and behave appropriately keeps them safe.

Training a deaf or blind dog is similar to training one that hears or sees, with a few adjustments. The special needs dog has no idea it is missing anything, and your job is to communicate what behaviors you want from the dog and which ones you don’t want, just as it would be with any dog. Giving them that valuable information is accomplished through basic training, and by giving them feedback for behaviors they offer.

There is a story in the news about a woman in Colorado who is getting fined for dying her poodle pink. Pink was chosen to raise awareness for breast cancer. This blog link sums it up quite nicely:

http://smartdogs.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/on-pink-poodles-and-pet-owners...

What astounds me is that this is considered cruel treatment of the dog.

First, poodles are NOT rabbits and chicks which is why the law there was created in the first place. Apparently people were dying bunnies and chicks them to sell around Easter time. Using gimmick to push product because that is the spirit of Easter after all. Let's forget that a few weeks later the kids get tired of the blue/green/yellow holiday pet and mom or dad dumps them off at their local rescue. But I digress.

Last night we watched Super Nanny on tv. It is one of my kids favorite shows. I am sure I am not the only trainer that has recognised that the principles Jo the nanny teaches the parents, are exactly the same we use in dog training. Positive reinforcement, communication, and setting boundries or rules. (and staying calm) Anyone who has read Karen Pryors book "Don't shoot the dog" can see the principles in action on the show as well.

When clients have children that are very unruly I used to worry that it was not going to go well for the dog. If they couldn't control the kids, who speak and understand english, how were they going to add a being of another species to the mix with good results? I have learned over time that my teaching them the principals of positive reinforcment helps everyone, not just the dog. The show Super Nanny is a great example I can bring up of positive reinforcement with real world applications as well.

I admit that I watch a fair amount of Animal Planet. I like certain shows and whenever I leave the house I turn it on for the dogs to watch and listen to. My husband is less convinced the dogs care which channel is on. (maybe they don't but it makes me feel better) While watching AP recently I saw an ad for a dog training franchise. It said they could change your dogs behavior in less then two hours, for ANY problem, with a lifetime written guarantee. Whoa! Really? A lifetime guarantee?

So I did a little online digging. The company started in another country in 1989. They have been here in the states since about 1998. The good news is that it looks like they do use primarily positive methods. (From what I could see online though I have questions about the thing they are throwing around that they use as a "correction".)

I am a die hard bibliophile. I love books and have for as long as I can remember. If one day all reading was done on computers, I would still have a collection of real books to hold, fondle, smell and re-read at will. It's not just the book itself that I love, but the contents awaiting me inside. I am not sure when the love affair started. Perhaps in my youth when reading was an escape.

These days my collection includes much dog training and behavior related fare. Being a trainer with a heavy interest in behavior gives me an excuse to add to my book shelf regularly. And I have with gusto.

I was fortunate enough to attend a great pit bull education seminar given by Drayton Michaels recently. He is working on a documentary called "Judging the Innocent" that will be a wonderful resource for educating the general public about the breed. We got to see clips of some of his work in progress and it is fabulous. It made me start thinking about other breed issues I have experienced both lately and in the past.

I was working with a client recently who had done some work under another trainer. He told me this trainer said that HIS was the best breed to own. While I am always happy to hear of any owner that loves his dogs, it was somewhat disturbing that a trainer would tell any client that their breed was better than the one they are trying to help. Even if they do believe that. The owner was quite offended. (And he let me know it!) Add to that the trainers breed in question is (normally) a high energy herding breed, not suited to just any home.

I seem to be getting more "seasoned" clients these days. There is no age limit on the love for dogs. My current veteran client is 92 years young. She has a lovely Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that she wants to be able to walk without him pulling. I admit that when I got her call I did an inner cringe at her age. However upon meeting her and the dog we had a wonderful session. She had everything in place to make life with her dog as easy and comfortable as possible for both of them. A large fenced in yard, family nearby to help when needed, crate training established, a lovely well tempered dog from a reputable breeder, and a willingness to try new things. She had owned many dogs through the years as well so it wasn't her first rodeo.

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to attend a seminar given by Jean Donaldson. It was titled "Stop Whispering and Speak Up for Your Dogs: Debunking the Dominance Myth in Dog Training."

Continuing education is very important to trainers because new things about dogs and behavior are being learned all the time. This helps us as trainers know what we can do to make and keep training humane and effective for our dogs. I think I have said this before but I personally believe behavior seminars should be mandatory for ALL trainers. To many get focused on specific sports or methods and ignore behavior info thinking they already know the material. I would counter their arguments by saying I have ALWAYS learned something useful at every seminar I have attended. Whatever the topic, behavior or otherwise. This one was no different.

The other day I was with a client with two 4 month old golden retriever puppies that needed some training attention. I was asking my routine questions of the owners when the puppies broke out in a play session. Suddenly one puppy was screaming while on top of the other. We rushed over and saw the top puppy had gotten his bottom jaw caught in the other dogs collar. Fortunatly we seperated them without incident and no one had any serious injuries. Had we not been there however it could have had a much different outcome.

We in the dog world have all heard the stories warning of this common danger yet few of us have actually witnessed it. I can assure you however, once you do it will change the way you look at those collars.