The Basset Star

Some dogs just grab you and Esther is one of those dogs. She is a two-year-old Basset Hound with eyes that could melt even the coldest of hearts. I met Esther when she was a young pup after receiving a call from her people. I could hear the frustration in their voices and when I met them saw it is their eyes. But, I also saw an incredible love and commitment for this breed and for Esther.

Esther’s human have spent the past two years consistently working with her and encountered many challenges along the way. I will never, ever forget the moment when she did her first ‘down’. We cheered and rewarded her so much that she developed this absolutely adorable “zooming down”- she literally threw herself flat!

Not long after the success with her ‘down’ Esther started to practice for her AKC Canine Good Citizen Test and on test day she dazzled us all with her polite behavior and skillful display of whatever was asked of her. So, here is a tip ’o’ the pen to Esther and her people and the wonderful life they share together!

A Coffee Walk

Simon and I walk every single morning- rain, snow, sleet, hail- we are like the ever reliable postman. The cool thing is that I enjoy each and every one of our outings. Places that we visit often in good weather can look and feel completely different on a rainy or snowy day. We vary our routes so that both Simon and I get some mental stimulation, watching the changes in our favorite places and checking out new places. We also have different kinds of outings- nice strolls, brisk cardio-enhancing walks, running, hiking and today the coffee walk.

The coffee walk is not one I do often, but it is one of my favorite types of walk. It begins with filling up a travel mug full of rich, dark, black coffee and then choosing a place where Simon can be free of his leash- as my hands will be occupied with the travel mug! A coffee walk has no particular purpose and its pace is mellow. Simon is free to explore- taking in all the delicious smells the morning has to offer, running through the woods and following up on interesting sights and sounds. I, in turn, can let my mind wander, gaze out upon mountains or the sea or whatever else we happen to pass by. As we walk I enjoy the crispness of the day while sipping on hot coffee and the perfection that life holds in those moments. It is truly a wonderful way to start the day and I highly recommend it if you have yet to try a coffee walk. Oh, and tea is an acceptable substitute!

The Down Side of 'Whispering'

There has been a lot of attention given to a certain TV personality and his self described “dog training methods”- commonly referred to as ‘dog whispering’. Many professional organizations concerned with the welfare of our canine companions have publically decried these types of methods. Included among these are The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and numerous prominent biologists, animal behaviorists and researchers.

Unfortunately, this type of ‘dog whispering’ is based upon erroneous myths about dominance and aggression. More unfortunate is the current propagation of these myths by said TV personality and the captive audience he inspires. Our dogs needn’t be and should not be controlled by intimidation and fear. I personally want my canine companions to be just that- companions. So, I choose to train rather than control. I choose to use methods that strengthen the relationship I have with my dogs. I choose methods that are humane and safe for both dogs and people.

Don Hanson and Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, Maine have recently released a Position Statement On the Use of Dominance and Punishment for the Training and Behavior Modification of Dogs. Don is a gifted dog trainer and behaviorist. He has been an active member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and has served on its Board for a number of years. Don is also a very fine writer, providing clarity where there was once fog. For anyone who is still convinced ‘dog whispering’ has merit The Green Acres Position Statement is required reading. For myself, Don’s Position Statement puts into words all that Peaceful Pack Dog Training and I believe in. I would like to thank Don and all of the folks at Green Acres for the groundbreaking work they have done and shall continue to do.

The Position Statement may be found here:
http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pages/Articles/ART_Position_Dominance_Punishment.html

Also of interest is Don’s article addressing the Myth of Dominance, which may be found here:
http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pages/Articles/ART_Dominance.html

Dog Days of August

Simon and I had such a peaceful walk this morning. We went to one of our favorite off leash areas and he got to romp through the woods and along the paths. I have noticed that during these off leash walks it seems like he is checking in with me more often than he used to. I like that a lot!

One of my favorite things to do when walking with Simon is to just watch him and see how his development is progressing. He has been a polite greeter on the trail for years now, so I need not worry about that. When Simon and I are out hiking one of our ‘rules’ is that whenever we meet up with other people on the trail we pull off to the side and he patiently waits for them to pass- he makes no attempt to greet them. Of course if people ask to say “hi” to him, I always say Yes! as Simon adores the attention. I am beginning to wonder if Simon is starting to do this on his own now. See what you think:

We only met up with two other parties out walking this morning. Our first encounter was a young woman out for a morning jog. At the time she came upon us Simon was ahead of me and she approached from behind us. As she passed Simon, with me watching intently to see what degree of politeness he was to offer, he merely stood to the side of the path and watched as she jogged on past him. Then he looked at me, trotted up to me and I told him he did a very fine job of being a polite dog.

The second party we met included a man, a woman and their Border Collie. We were moving towards them when Simon caught sight of everyone. He did his typical move when a new dog approaches- lying flat and waiting. The man passed by him, then the woman and he remained lying down. The Border Collie came up to him and had a sniff and he remained lying down. Then he got up did a happy dance, added in a few spins and then full of doggie happiness he ran as fast as he could to catch up with me. Of course I told him he was the absolute best dog in the entire world and celebrated his choice to be with me. Now, it used to be that Simon would leap up much sooner in his greetings, but this time he really waited until everyone had passed and it was only he and the other dog left to greet. Interesting….

Believing in our Dogs

Whew! Had a wonderful week of vacation! Spent time with family who were in the States visiting from Norway- lovely, lovely people. I am feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work and back to my neglected blog.

The Manners 101 students and their dogs simply rocked last evening. We practiced lots of loose leash walking and were rewarding lavishly for focused attention. All the dogs and handler teams did very well with this. Then we played lots of recall games with added distractions such as people passing by and even other dogs moving past. Every once in a while a dog would take a brief notice of the distraction- but 100% of the time they quickly chose to get back to their person!

Here is the interesting thing: at the start of class, some dogs were not succeeding as often when their people were thinking that their dog would not do well. When I encouraged everyone to believe that their dog could succeed at a certain task, voila!, the dogs did great. I am not even going to attempt to explain the power of this type of thinking. But, I do know that when we believe in our dog’s capabilities and are asking them to do a behavior appropriate for their level of training, the dogs, more often than not, are successful at their task. What I take from this is that, once again, the relationship we have with our dogs is a foundational key to their ability to succeed at any given task we set before them. My dog and I are a team and when I embrace the team attitude and spirit and bring this to our work together, we can accomplish most anything we strive for. Author and trainer extraordinaire, Pam Dennison, also speaks of the importance of this type of positive thinking and even encourages people to visualize their dog doing the behavior being asked of them.

So, try some positive thinking next time you are training with your dog and see what happens. Do you notice a shift in yourself? Do you notice a shift in your dog- maybe better attention? Did your training session go more smoothly? Were you able to accomplish more than you thought possible? I would love to hear what your experiences are!