Common Definitions - Blog Thirty Six

Today's blog is all the common words we or other trainers might use, and the context in which we personally use them! Enjoy!

Training – A term used for teaching basic skills to a dog, such as sit, down, stand, drop, out, heel, ect. It is expressly used to refer to polite command responses.

Behavioural Modifications – A term used for changing unwanted behaviours, or teaching a new behaviour instead of another, such as social rules, or changing a growling behaviour into a respectful silence. It can also refer to halting behaviour completely in cases of need, such as stopping a dog from chewing on shoes and offering something appropriate to chew on instead. No behaviour should ever be fully stopped, as this is stressful and abusive to the animal.

Balanced – A term used for energy, behaviour, or body language that is centered, in the middle, and not overly emotional. Balance is calm, and not angry, hyper, frustrated, excited, sad, or scared. Happiness is also balanced; excitement is not. Balance must be exhibited from the human first, and then the dog.

Accurate Leadership – A term used for not missing training or behavioural queues, and knowing when it is appropriate to ignore, correct, directly address, or cease a behaviour. A missed step will cause issues with a Shepherd.

Consistent Leadership – A term used for being the same, no matter what, and expecting the same, no matter what. No matter who is around, what is happening, what excuses a human can come up with, both human and dog are expected to be the same in all situations – even if the pope came over for tea, you're at a new park, or around an unstable energy.

Pet Dog – A term used for an animal that may or may not understand basic commands, and has no real job or duty – animals that are not expected to do complicated tasks daily.

Drive/In Drive – A state of mind where the dog is solely focused on either the human in control, or the task at hand. A dog in drive would not even react if a bunny coated in steak hopped past. A dog in drive also will ignore everything else until broken out of drive – including weather, other people/animals, or situations. It is important that a dog exercise being in and out of drive in all new situations and areas to prevent unwanted behaviours.

Primal – To be primal is to be basic, back to one's roots, and to be wild. In the case of humans, primal would be hunting, sex, mother/father instincts, ect. For dogs, it is anything that brings them back to their ancestral wolf roots – all dogs have this need. It is however a double edged sword; an inexperienced owner should never put a dog into Primal Drive, as they can very quickly mess up a dog's behaviour. Shepherds have a biological need for regular primal activities, and primal drive.

Mud-Blood – The practice of breeding a dog with unsatisfactory genetics in order to produce puppies quickly – it is most common in the fast-growing popular species, such as Malamutes, German Shepherds, Retrievers, Huskies, and other sporting dogs. In the case of Northern Breeds like Malamutes and Huskies, they are most often bred with unhealthy parents, and usually allowed to breed with Wolves. It is now next to impossible to find the above breeds without some percentage of Wolf.

Canine Psychology – The study and understanding of how dogs communicate with other dogs, animals, and humans, how they think, feel, and process, and understanding that what is good for a human is not always what is good for a dog. It is understanding the fundamentals of the needs and behaviours of a dog and why they are what they are.

Circadian Rhythm – The deeply ingrained need to be awake with the sun and asleep with the moon – it is a very basic and primal need of all dayurnal animals, of which dogs are, as well as humans. The circadian rhythm is so critical that when it is ignored, it is highly damaging to the brain and body, often resulting in sickness, cancer, and even death.

Structured Walks – The act of walking with a human, side by side, fast paced, and travelling forward, ignoring passersby, not peeing on every bush, not sniffing every spot, not pooping on every patch, and performing respectful behaviours such as sitting to allow other people to pass by, sitting at crosswalks before moving on, and politely ignoring other dogs. The structured walk is on leash at all times, not allowed to roam where the dog pleases, and not permitted to leave the side of the human. Relieving oneself is a reward for good behaviour, not a right of the walk itself.

Gas Tank – Slang term for a dog's ability to convert food into energy and the inability to sleep it off. Unlike humans, dogs don't have the ability to burn off energy.

Reset Overnight – When a human sleeps, our bodies naturally balance out – we can wake up with energy if we were tired, and we can wake up rested and relaxed if we went to bed with a little too much energy. Dogs lack this ability, and sleep only because of genetic need, and to repair injury or sickness. If dogs are fed and not exhausted before bed, they wake up in that exact state, and because they were inactive all night, they become restless and their energy restocks as they relax – so they wake up absolutely crazy excited.

High Energy – A term used for a dog that recovers energy very fast when resting, has the most energy stores compared to other breeds, and has more energy overall to burn. If it's not burned off, it carries over to the next day, and adds on to the rest of the energy they rebuild overnight.

High Intensity Physical Exercise – A type of exercise that is fast, hard, high paced, and requires great amounts of energy – like running, fetch, swimming, bite training, protection training, security training, ect.

Human-Paced Walking – The average walking pace of a human. This speed will not drain the energy out of most dogs, as they are much faster walkers than humans, and must slow down to lumber along side us. Dogs need faster speeds to burn energy. These types of walks should be reserved as just for fun and should not be considered beneficial to Mars whatsoever.

Mental Stimulation – Dogs need to exercise their brains as well as their muscles, and this is accomplished by making them think – training, structured walking, learning something new, and many other activities accomplish this. Basic exercise will not.

Primal Activities – Things that encourage Wolf-like behaviours. Raw meats, bones, food time, exercise, being in drive, and practicing the hunt-and-kill (fetch, tug, ball play, toys, ect) all encourage primal drive.

Exercise Resistance – A term used when a dog is exercised too much at once, and becomes suspicous or wary of going outside or engaging in exercise because of an injury, soreness, or going too far past their exhaustion point.

Out and other commands – All commands should be different – if out is used to get a toy out of the mouth, you cannot use out to go outside, out of a room, or out of the crate.

Nothing For Free – The dog must earn everything, right down to his basic needs. He must accurately perform tasks such as sit/stay before getting what they need. This keeps respect a consistent daily element so that Mars doesn't act as if things automatically belong to him.

Level of Respect – Respect should be expected every day, and to such a level that you know nothing is going to change this dog. Things like walking looseleash beside his human, eating when it is food time and not when he decides to, not playing aggressively with his toys, not jumping on people – these things should be expected every day.

Disrespectful Walking – The act of allowing a dog to greet everyone on a walk, pee on everything, poop wherever he pleases, scratch the ground in dominance, wander around and sniffing everything, walking off leash or ahead of the human, running off leash away from the human, ect.

Positions of Power – The little things that communicate to a dog that THEY are in control, such as eating when they please, sitting on human furniture, sleeping with a human in their bed, eating too much food, getting things when they want it – and more.

Solitary Animals – Some select breeds do fine alone, most of them are pack animals and do not do well alone and must be trained to do so.

Left Alone – Leaving a dog to his own devices loose in the house is a massive no-no. This can result in panic and the dog destroying the house (human error, not the dog's fault), and thinking you've vanished. The dog will never understand that you are coming back and must be trained to be alone, and never for more than a couple hours. Dogs left alone think they have no more rules because the human is gone.

Different Types of Exercise – Dogs need multiple kinds of exercise, not just running. They have a need to travel – the need to move along and find new places to explore. They have a need to hunt or gather – the need to bring something home to eat – this can be accomplished with fetch and a weighted backpack. They have a need to burn energy – to run, swim, jump around, play, and all around just burn off energy. They have a need to learn, and understand new things – this can be accomplished by always teaching something new. They have a need to think, and exercise their brains – this can be accomplished also by teaching new things, and making them think. They have a need to burn primal energy, which must be done with a human that understands how far is too far. Finally, they have a need to releave frustration, usually done on toys.

Job – Some breeds need a job, or a duty to complete every day – if their breed has this need, is is absolutely critical that they have a job – and I don't mean fetch, barking at stray wild animals, or other such activities. Working class dogs like the German Shepherd need to be given a job like humans need love. Appropriate jobs for Mars would be bite training, protection work, security work (protecting the home when its empty), bringing heavy items back from a walk, and many other skills that are not ordinary work.

Picking The Right Dog For Your Home - Blog Thirty Five

Before you add a dog to the family, the single most important decision you can make as a dog owner is what breed you're selecting. If people honestly looked at breeds that matched their lifestyle and personality, most dog trainers would be out of work. A large majority (at least two thirds) of issues that dog owners are facing today are due to mismatched personalities, energy levels, or skill levels. There is nothing wrong with admitting a dog is "too much dog" for you - or even that its "not enough dog". I cannot tell you the number of times a client or family has had the completely wrong dog for their lifestyle; usually, it's because of pity, or humanitarian gains such as "They were going to put him down" or "She was just too cute to leave!". These kinds of desires are normal and okay, as long as the dog matches up with you. We had one elderly client who had rescued a high-energy, poorly trained, mildly defensive breed that needed a stern, active, guiding human, and they continually have a hard time managing this dog. This is a prime example of what I'm talking about. Another example is a family who has adopted a shih tsu - a breed designed to attach to and protect ONE human and not tolerate the rest. We've even seen cases of young, hard-working and never home humans that picked very active, out-all-day breeds. Today's blog is all about how to select the right dog for your home - and what to avoid in certain circumstances.


Consider Space Restrictions

While this might sound like a "don't buy big dogs for small apartments", its actually not! Even in 600 square feet, a large dog can fit. Lazier breeds are great for this scenario, because they are not incredibly active and tend to only take as much space as they need. Great Danes for instance are excellent at curling up into surprisingly small spaces, and bullmastiffs tend to prefer laying where humans don't walk anyway. What I mean is, in 600 square feet, a dog like a blue heeler or a jack russel is absolutely out of the question, unless you're incredibly active. Active dogs need space to run, play, and feel happy. When they are stuck in a small area all day, they get stir crazy, just like humans do if they're cooped up inside for too long. Rather than avoid large breeds for small spaces. Avoid higher energy dogs in small spaces, unless you're prepared to be really active.


Consider Dog Energy Level vs Your Own

If you work a nine to five, then have study group or women's group or time with friends, then you're not going to want a a dog that needs 4-6 hours of exercise and training every day, and most certainly not a dog that needs that amount of mental stimulation on top of that. Dogs like border collies, sheperds, or poodles are not reasonable for your lifestyle. You're going to want a lazy, reclusive dog breed that is fine by itself for a while, such as a dane or mastiff. However, if you're the kind to work a bit and then spend most of your free time outdoors doing things, a medium energy dog like a lab or retriever is perfect. Most people think "I get out a few hours every day; I can handle a higher energy dog! They won't need more exercise." when that's usually vastly underestimated. Even a lab needs 4 hours of exercise plus mental stimulation on top of that. Astounding, isn't it? However, if you work outside and can bring your dog, and need a dog that can adapt to high energy demands, absolutely get that high energy dog! This is one of the most important considerations for getting a dog. I often cringe when I see new moms or young families adopting medium energy dogs like labs, or shepherds. They just simply cannot properly exercise the dogs, and often wind up with very frustrating symptoms of underexercising, like destruction, aggression, or dominance. If you're a naturally inactive person, that lab is going to drive you insane.


Consider Breed Personality

After you have a list of appropriately sized and energy-matched dogs, you need have to to consider personality, or breed-need. You might have a great, active family, and can handle the energy needs of a heeler - but the catch is, can you handle a breed that constantly needs to control, organize, chase, and is smarter on average than your five year old? Doesn't sound so nice anymore, huh? What if we consider the fact that heelers can get obsessive and destructive if they're bored? Herding your cats or kids until they attack or cry? Or, you're a little on the inactive side, and picked a bulldog because you have a really small home. Are you prepared for more stubbornness than a hormonal teenage boy? A dog that will look at you with an expression that says "No way, lady! YOU DO IT."? A dog that will hoover your food if you blink too long, no matter how good you teach impulse control? A dog that will literally stop walking if they've had enough, whether you're in the middle of a crosswalk or not? Doesn't sound so easy anymore does it? Or, you're a well adjusted, active family, with diverse personalities, and you've selected a beautiful, medium energy, gentle staffordshire terrier. It's great with your kids as a puppy, listens with little sternness, and is food, toy, and praise motivated. Super easy to train and maintain. Perfect, right? When that staffy gets older though, you notice she's taking more and more exception to people buy the fence. People and friends come over, and she barks at them. Then, once these people are inside and part of your home, this excited, psycho-jumpy dog emerges, and knocks over your friend's toddler. She bounces all over the furniture, and you just went for a walk. She'll obey a sit, but break it right away and knock over a purse, vase, and coffee mug. Children come over? Oh god, she'll never stop. This dog doesn't sound so great anymore, does she? Take her for a walk, and the first dog she sees, she really doesn't like. The human has a hat, and it's game over. She doesn't attack, but she growls and looks big. She get frustrated and scared, and she doesn't listen any more. The second dog, they are best friends! Bouncing, yipping, nipping! You can't call her off. You stopped existing. Narry a ball or a treat works any more. You need to get going, but your dog isn't done playing. Sound frustrating? These are all examples (while a little dramatic) are prime examples of when everything but personality is matching up.  Without considering how your dog needs to live, you're in for a hard time.


Consider Training Needs

Finally, after all the above, you need to consider how easy, or hard, a dog is to train. Everything else might line up perfectly, but if you need a dog that listens and doesn't challenge you every day, then one breed might need to come off your list. Often, the smarter the dog, the easier they are to teach new skills, but the HARDER it is to maintain that training - the reason being is smarter dogs need to do more with their minds to be happy, and they stop listening to you if they're not being fulfilled. Smarter dogs also know exactly what they can and cannot get away with - and will run with it. Dimmer dogs take a lot longer to learn a new skill, but its a lot easier to maintain those behaviours, because they don't need to be as fulfilled mentally. They do however have a hard time learning and remembering new behaviours, and are difficult to inspire. All dogs also have a level of "pack drive", or the desire to listen and make you happy. Dogs like German Shepherds have a very high pack drive and are really easy to inspire; however, dogs like poodles or bulldogs could really care less what you want or how to make you happy. These considerations are important in selecting a dog as well. If you don't like to be challenged by a dog, don't select a dimmer breed with low pack drive (like a bulldog). If you don't like a dog deciding a behaviour is boring and not wanting to do it anymore, don't select an intelligent breed (like an Australian shepherd). If you get frustrated with a dog that sees right through you and seems to laugh when you're not invested in a training session, don't select an intelligent dog with a low pack drive (like a poodle). If you can't handle a dog that does clearly know behaviours and does thirty other things instead, don't select a breed with high pack drive but low intelligence (like a rottweiler or pit bull).


Hopefully this has given you some insights on selecting your Ideal Companion!

When To Recognise You're Not The Right Human For Your Pet - Blog Thirty Four

*Ideal Companions does not condone any form of judgment or bias on any individual based on their living circumstances or choices therein.

How do you recognize when it's time to consider rehoming your pet?

In recent months, a rather large hot button topic around the internet has been the people that give away a dog - usually on usedeverywhere, or craigslist. Sometimes the reasons are a little weak, some times they're valid. The thing there is, many people have unforseen life events, sudden financial problems, or other issues, and no one should have to field judgment because of those problems. Today, we're talking about when it's best to admit you and your dog are not the right pair - and when it's time to send your dog onto another home.


1) You Cannot Fulfill Their Basic Needs

Sometimes, life gets so busy that our duties elsewhere fall by the wayside. Be it medical, or otherwise, sometimes owners become unable to satisfy a dog's walking needs, a dog's play needs, or a dog's training needs. If you're always finding yourself without time or ability to provide your dog with ample exercise and training every day (especially outside your home area), then it's time to rehome your pet. We all love animals, and we all want to believe we can do what's best for your dog - but if you dog needs four to six hours of exercise a day and training on top of that, and you can only provide thirty to fourty minutes of both, you're not being fair for your dog, and you're depriving him of a critical, basic need. It is important to be fair to your pet, and give them the life they need - not the one that holds them back. If you're more often finding your dog becoming bored, frustrated, hyper, or unmanageably crazy and you cannot fit in anything more for whatever reason, it's time to be fair - its time to let your pet go to someone who can.


2) When You're Unable To Properly Manage Dangerous Behaviour

Sometimes, when a dog becomes very aggressive, dominant, or excessively hyper or destructive, and an owner doesn't have the time, energy, or skill to manage these issues, it's time to admit you're not the right human for your dog. There is nothing wrong with passing your pet on to someone with more experience with your dog's issues and selecting a breed that more matches your lifestyle, energy, and skill level. Many people see this as giving up, giving in, or letting go - that's not accurate. You're allowing your dog to flourish where you are currently unable to get them to.


3) Your Family Is Unbalanced

If your household had many different personalities, that can be worked with. However, when people in your family are undermining your rules, or are not doing everything they need to do, or possibly are even intentionally hurting your dog, it's time to rehome. It is never fair to an animal when a home is unbalanced - and it's abusive to allow a dog to remain in a place where someone is intentionally undermining you, or worse, trying to hurt you or your dog.


4) You're In The Wrong Place In Life

It's fine to pursue your own needs - in fact, its important. But, when those things are getting in the way of being a good dog owner, and it's causing change in your dog, sometimes we have to pick - and if life is too important to make those dog-safe changes, we need to rehome our dogs. Sometimes, having a child or an elderly family member move in can cause priorities to change - and that's better than okay, its good! But the dog is often left by the wayside - and your kids have to come first. There is no shame in admitting your kids, or mom, are the priority. We never think things like kids or parents could get in the way or being a great dog owner - until you find yourself overwhelmed. It's best for your dog to go to a home where they can better attend to your pet.


5) Sudden Medical Issues

No one ever wants to stop being able to care for a pet - but it's even more heavy on the heart when it's because of a medical problem in yourself or someone you love. Sometimes we have to focus on ourselves, our physical or mental health - and that's unfortunate. It's best if you have to dedicate that kind of time to yourself or someone else, that you give them your all, and let someone else take time with your pet.

Seven Training Myths - Blog Thirty-Three

Today we are tackling some of the more common training myths - and why they're not true!


Myth 1
"Feeding a dog at the dinner table causes the dog to be spoiled."

This isn't true, whether you're feeding a dog human food, or their own food beside the table. While it can cause expectations and excitement, if you're using it to your advantage for training purposes, it doesn't matter whatsoever if it's at the family dinner, or outside in the middle of the night. Using human food, provided it's safe for dogs (look up a list of foods to never feed dogs, such as onions, yeast, or sugar), can actually help bond you and your dog and reinforce you as a provider, and thus, the leader. However, you will need to be careful not to encourage excitement and dominance.


Myth 2
"You can correct a puppy or tell it no just fine."

Actually, puppies are too young to be corrected, or to be told no, until they're around 10 months. This is because they can't handle knowing they've done something wrong. Of course, if it's being used to safe a life, then of course, it's better to startle or correct your dog - but keep away from the harsh no until they're bigger!


Myth 3
"Corrections are hurtful to the dog."
Corrections are gentle. Sometimes they can startle a dog, which can cause them to jump or yelp, but the idea is to break their concentration so you can redirect them. This comes in handy when your dog is so focused on something (or willfully dominant) that it ignores you. This perception generally comes from all-positive trainers, and people who cannot master corrections properly and either over correct, or mistime the correction, leading to a strong reaction from the dog in question. The main issue with corrections is they have to be exactly timed, and with a certain amount of pressure, or they do nothing. When a pair of dogs, left to their own devices, correct one another, they pin, use teeth to nip or bite, and can sometimes even grab another dog by the throat and push them down - these are all ways for one dog to communicate to another that the behaviour in question is unacceptable. Most dogs walk away just fine after this kind of altercation, sometimes being a little wary of the dog or behaviour - so how can a leash or contact correction be worse? Its not.


Myth 4
"My dog is too old to learn now, we're stuck with this behaviour."

While some behaviours can be habituated and really difficult to change, that's not really an age-related thing. Excepting of course neurological/brain wiring issues, all behaviours can be repaired, at any age. Senior dogs that may only have a few years left however may not have the time left to relearn, but its not a brain issue. All dogs can learn.


Myth 5
"My dog eliminated inside once; now I will never get them to stop."

While its true that once a dog eliminates inside the home it's pretty hard to correct the behaviour, it's always possible to fix this issue (barring any medical problems). Most dogs eliminate inside for a couple of main reasons: they're desperate and couldn't wait any longer, they're scared/startled/excited, they're generalizing the behaviour (meaning they've gone from associating outside for eliminating to outside my bed/crate), or they don't associate your home as their den yet. All of these behaviours can be retrained.


Myth 6
"My dog is doing this behaviour to get back at me."


Dogs are not capable of spite, or revenge. They live in the moment, and react accordingly. Chances are, there is something important training-wise that you're missing - unless your dog is really a cat!


Myth 7
"My dog is just over protective, he knows I am boss."

If your dog is acting defensively towards you, unless you're pregnant, that's not just being over protective; your dog believes you are his or her property, and that they must defend that item. This is a classic case of role reversal, and you need a trainer.

Training Pandemics - Blog Thirty-Two

Today, we will be talking about some of the most common dog training misinformation there is out there today. This is the kind of information that is causing thousands of poorly adjusted dogs. While all training is meant in good spirit and intended to help, a lot of advice can end up backfiring, inadvertently cause other issues, or even simply band-aid a training problem. Today, we are addressing what are, in our opinion, the worst types of training mistakes there are.


#1 - Cesar Millan

Don't get us wrong - we're not picking on Cesar's training. While yes, it is old fashioned, for a lot of the dogs he trains are at the last stop - they MUST be trained, or that's the end of it. For these last-chance dogs, they do need rapid, fast, effective changes - and Cesar offers just that, typically at the expense of the happiness or personality of the dog - called "breaking" the dog, much like older horse trainers used to do. This isn't our gripe at all - its not necessarily "bad", just outdated. That being said, this technique is ONLY useful on dogs that have to be adjusted fast or be put down, and that's the place of his style. It works, and it works fast - but for every other dog, there are better ways. Our main gripe with Cesar Millan is his style's prevalence with owners and people who watch the show or even train with him, without truly grasping his style, or what they're actually doing to their dogs. The heavy handed dominance theory, rife with alpha rolls and overstimulating corrections for minor offenses, should be in every trainers LAST LINE of defense - NOT the first, and it should never, ever be used by someone who is  not a trained behaviourist. We hear it all the time - "We tried Cesar's stuff but it's not working." or "We tried pinning him, but he bit us and now the behaviour is worse". This is because it is being utilized by people in a manner it was never intended. At the end of the day, your dog has feelings, thoughts, and a brain - doesn't it make sense to use these resources first, instead of breaking your dog's personality, and trust?


#2 - All-positive Training

At the other end of the spectrum, there are people and trainers who believe there should be no "no", no corrections - and definitely no raised voices. This is great for young puppies - science has proven that a dog younger than 10 months cannot handle being told no, corrections, or stern voices. It makes them feel like they can do nothing right. However, once they're a little more mature, these dogs crave to know where the boundaries are, and what is unacceptable. We're not saying to use "no" at every turn, or correct dogs unwarranted - but it is vital to the behaviour of dogs to understand not just what is "good", but what is not so good, a mistake, or what is plain unacceptable. When a dog isn't taught these lines, and only what is good, they actually become far more likely to become unstable at a quick rate, because they have not been taught that certain behaviours are not okay - and so, while they get far better reward from other, positive actions, these unwanted behaviours are actually still filed away in their brain as "usable". When trained properly with the words "uh-uh" and "no"  to mark "incorrect, try again" and "do not do that", a dog can learn to refile these behaviours as "mistake" and "unacceptable". Again, we're not saying every little thing needs a verbal correction - doing so can and does make your dog believe they're never getting anything right. We are however saying that teaching these words becomes a tool to communicate to your dog that these words aren't negative at all - they are a way to say "this is not what I want from you". The main drive for all-positive training are usually from people who have seen dogs incorrectly trained with negative feedback - such as those who have seen the aftermath of poorly utilized Cesar techniques - and are led to believe that corrections are bad, when they just have been misused. What's worse, is when a dog that's been raised with all-positive ends up in a home that attempts to utilize the word no - and find the dog shuts down, panics, or reacts aggressively, because they haven't been taught to respond properly to it.


#3 - Using Tools to Cover Training Problems

When owners are unsure how to correct an issue, the most common thing to do is to go out and buy something that solves the problem. Pulling? No-pull harness, or halti. Barking? No-bark scented collars. Snaps at other dogs? Muzzle. Fear? Anxiety shirt. Peeing in the house? Puppy pads. Fast eating? Stick a ball in it. Reactivity around toys? E-collar. Likes to wander but won't recall? Flex-lead! These types of products offer a fast, easy solution to common problems. The main issue here is it simply covers up the root cause, and doesn't address WHY these things are happening, and can end up making the problem worse when they're not being used, or cause the dog to have other, more serious issues. These items are useless. They are not teaching your dog anything new, they're not addressing the real issue, and they're mainly used to make an owner's life easy - instead of actually training a dog's issues away. All of the above issues are fixable, and most of them are pretty easy. If anyone tells you that you need to buy more than a lead or rewards to fix a problem, they are offering you a band aid. Its about as sensible as offering your over-tired child coffee. Sure, you're not going to see the problem for a while, but the real issue is still there. The only exception to this is using a tool properly to help an owner train their dog faster - such as using a vibration collar instead of a leash correction for someone who is not strong enough to offer a proper correction, or a muzzle to ensure someone's safety. This also excludes trained canine or protection dogs that require e or prong collars.


#4 - Using Forceful Means To Control A Dog

We've heard it all. Hydraulic jerks, horse whips, alpha rolls - none of which have any valid or warranted use on dogs for any reason (with exception to specially trained dogs such as schutzhund or canine units as means of desensitization) There is no legitimate and valid reason on planet earth that you'd need something like this to control an animal. Sure, if you're being attacked, by all means use them - do what you have to in order to spare yourself or family injury, but do not use them for standard training. The only real tool any trainer needs is a leash. Doing so is abusive, and destructive - they have no place in training. In fact, we have had more than a third of our cases tell us that they have been taught the hydraulic jerk.


#5 - Using Affection As A Correction

We see this everywhere - owners reassuring their dogs in an aggressive or fearful state with petting. While this logic works on children or cats, it doesn't actually work on dogs. The dog will not see it as a reassurance; they will, in all cases, breeds, and scenarios, see it as "Good; this is how I want you to act". Instead, give affection when they are precisely acting how you DO want. Its also not petting that counts as affection; eye contact, smiling, happy voice, using the name, stroking the fur, massaging, and even sometimes not doing anything at all can mean affection to a dog.

Why Almost Isn't Good Enough - Blog Thirty

Wow, its the thirtieth blog today, and it's been a while since the last blog!

Today's topic is something I've noticed in almost every dog-human relationship - rewarding for an "almost". When teaching a dog something new, its is indeed valuable to mark that they're going in the right direction, and communicate that yes, that's what you're trying to get them to do. We're not talking about this. You do need to mark and support your dog in new behaviours, but they don't and shouldn't need a treat or the "this is perfect" marking word. This leads to confusion. If you're using "Yes-treat" as your marker for a job well done, you shouldn't be using this to mark a correct direction. That note being aside, this isn't the instance we're talking about. A new behaviour is complicated and difficult for your dog to learn. There absolutely needs to be great communication, but no reward until they get it exactly right. Most people who do treat for almosts typically have a longer time training a behaviour, and it's often sloppy. While I totally understand the need to communicate that your dog is going the right direction, I personally disagree with this practice. The reason being, unless you're not doing a good job communicating to your dog, or teaching an incredibly complex behaviour, there is no need to reward the "almosts".

When a dog already knows a good sit, and can do it just fine, when you reward an almost, your dog learns that they don't have to do it exactly every time - and while that might not seem like a bad thing, dogs learn that they're allowed to be sloppy. This causes loads of behavioural issues, because if they can be sloppy on the little things and not take them seriously, this expands into other areas and causes a lot of handler frustration - especially when they're distracted, and go "oh yeah whatever, you don't mean come/sit/stay/stop. You didn't mean it before, so you don't mean it now." And because of that, many humans get mad at their dogs, when it's caused by their own lack of attention to detail. It might seem like a silly nit pick to have to ensure a sit is a flawless sit every time, but it really is necessary. When a dog is first learning a sit behaviour, and he is rewarded for an "I almost bummed the floor", they believe that first instance is a sit, and that's what it is - its harder to undo that behaviour than to reward a perfect sit.

When dogs learn that they can skimp on certain behaviours, such as waiting by a certain point when there is someone at the door and they're permitted to "break" that line without permission, they often believe they can do so with -all- behaviours, and consequently become the target of frustration. While this is caused by the handler, its ends up being perceived as defiance, or dominance, when it's something a simple as rewarding an "almost".

Most owners fall in to the "almost is fine" when they mistakenly believe that it's the same behaviour. For example, lets say its a rule that a dog is not allowed into a bedroom, and must wait at the door. You've trained your dog to sit at the door frame, and over time, your dog has started letting a paw just past the door, and of course since the dog is still behind the door, you ignore it and carry on. Except, you've just rewarded an almost. Remember, by ignoring a behaviour, you're communicating to your dog that what they're doing is acceptable, and that communicates just as much as a "yes" or a treat in a learned behaviour. So, your dog has learned "almost" is good enough at the door, and is likely to try "almost" with other things, such as sit for a treat, wait for the door, or even leash manners. With some canine personalities, this is a dangerous thing to teach, especially if your dog is a naturally assertive, intelligent type. Because most dogs learn fast, this is as much a good thing as it is a bad, but it means we must be careful what we let slide - and what else is going to slide.

Keep on training, everyone!

Blog Twenty Nine - Prey Drive

Prey Drive - most people think of it as an annoying habit, one that is frustratingly pervasive throughout the life of the dog. It causes the average-behaved canine into a running, oblivious, hard-to-control mess of a dog that just has to find that critter, or attack that scent source. Is there more to this behaviour? Can it be "fixed"?  We will explore this topic on today's blog!


Primal Behaviour

Before we get in to Prey Drive, I need to explain a term we will be using - Primal. We at Ideal Companions use this term to describe behaviours that are deeply ingrained into a dog's genetic make-up - like howling, breeding, the need to hunt, travel - these things are so deep into a dog's behaviour that they cannot and should not be trained out. It would be as unfair as trying to stop a baby from learning to speak, or crawl. In human terms, these behaviours are automatic, like breathing. Primal Behaviour is as critical to the dog as food, water, and sleep - and there is no way to "fix" them.


Prey Drive
This term is used to describe a loose set of similar behaviours - usually ones that involve a dog bolting away, suddenly pulling, incessant barking. ignoring commands, and sometimes getting lost or worse. It can be seemingly unpredictable, and a nuisance. What exactly is prey drive? In mostly all dogs, this behaviour will exist to some degree - some more than others. It is the desire to hunt, catch, kill, eat, retrieve, search for, or otherwise track down prey. This behaviour, being primal, tends to override typical learned behaviours, in the same way an in tact male dog will ignore everything to get to a female in heat, or how a dog will just suddenly stop and poop on a sidewalk. Prey drive has the exact same natural override - often to the dismay of owners, who suddenly end up looking bad and out of control. The good news is, it may not be "fixable", but you can most definitely work with it.


Working With Drive

While it might seem impossible to turn off this instinct, the good news is, there is a ray of hope! While dogs with this instinct cannot and should not be stopped of this natural behaviour, there is a loop hole! You can actually use prey drive to your advantage. By working with games like tug, fetch, scent games, and jogging, you can use your dog's natural instincts as a reward for training. Instead of correcting out the behaviour, use it to produce what you want. The most basic and simplest use of this drive is treat training - which has it's own ups and downs. You can also use prey drive to override other instincts and use toys to teach flawless recall skills, among other amazing-looking obedience. As well, you can use prey drive to teach your dog a job - and this is just what police canines, farm dogs, and protection dogs use! Instead of being flustered and frustrated by your dog's instincts, use it ti your advantage!


Types of Prey Drive

Hunting - The desire to pursue prey. Symptoms include running suddenly off into the bush, barking at critters in trees, barking or lunging at surprises or fast moving humans (such as those on bikes, skateboards, or joggers). This drive is usually either high energy, or dead quiet and sudden.) Tug and Fetch are great ways to burn this kind of desire.

Scenting - The desire to locate prey or the cause of a scent - most common in hound breeds. Symptoms include slowing down to sniff very close to the ground, trailing off of paths, and seemingly ignoring every sound there is. This drive is almost always low energy, with some sudden bursts of running. Scent work games are a great way to burn this kind of desire.

Killing - The desire to extinguish life. Symptoms include violent head shaking, biting of the underside of the throat (NOT the back of the neck!), a quick jerk upwards or to the side, of either real or fake animals, toys, sticks, or otherwise anything that might represent a living thing, whether real or not. It is normally associated with frustration, or too much energy. While you shouldn't permit this behaviour, its far easier to redirect and drain excess energy with hing intensity exercise, every day!

Hope this blog has helped you!