Mile Marker

Meggie took her No Puppy Pledge this week. Though she has a heavy load of heartworms, her veterinary surgeon explained that otherwise healthy bitches are better able to handle the stress of surgery before heartworm treatment than after. The dead heartworms in the system are a bigger threat than just going ahead and getting the spay surgery out of the way earlier before heartworm treatment begins.

So Meggie underwent an ovariohysterectomy. She will definitively never again have puppies, which is the entire point. Gratefully she is approximately a two-year-old adult dog, so hopefully she will retain much of the long-term physical benefits of leaving a female dog with her ovaries through adulthood. 

If Meggie were going to be living with me for her entire life, I would have opted to either keep her intact and never allow her the opportunity to become pregnant, or I would have chosen an ovary-sparing hysterectomy. Retaining the ovaries significantly reduces the risk of developing certain diseases, potentially leading to a longer life for the dog. Rescues, including BCSave, have to ere on the side of caution to prevent human carelessness and make the best use of limited resources, so in Meggie's case a traditional ovariohysterectomy makes the best of her situation.

Meggie came into rescue with a singleton puppy in tow, so her mammaries and the blood vessels inside and around them are enlarged. This caused a fair amount of bleeding under the skin around the spay surgery incision site so Meggie has significant bruising. For the first 48 hours Meggie wore a pressure bandage around her belly to prevent additional bleeding.

Meggie has graduated into wearing a soft comfort cone and a belly-guard body suit to prevent her from licking the incision site. As of day three the suit and cone have done an adequate job of preventing her from messing with the wound site. I have had to rotate to using a longer hard plastic cone at night while I can't be as vigilant. 

After testing three different cones and two bodysuits, the best post-surgery suit is this Belly Guard brand recovery onesie, and the most comfortable cone is this All Four Paws brand comfy cone. The Belly Guard onesie is lightweight and breathable, and the best feature is convenient potty breaks with snaps in the front to secure the flap while Meggie does her business. I don't have to remove the suit over her head and it stays clean and dry while she's walking around outside. The comfy cone prevents her from licking but is soft, smaller, and fastens with velcro, keeping her more comfortable. 

The veterinary surgeon placed absorbable sutures under the skin and glued the skin closed. It's done this way so clients don't have to return for another vet visit for suture removal. She has to wear the lampshade for 7 to 10 days, and there is significant bruising because of the bleeding, but overall she is doing well.

I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Jenny Elkins at Texas Foundation for Animal Care (TFAC), a donation-based satellite clinic that provides low-cost heartworm treatment and neuter surgery. Hundreds of dogs in Texas are euthanized daily due to heartworm disease, which spreads through mosquitoes and is contracted year-round due to our warm climate. While it's affordable to prevent infection with monthly oral or six-month injections, the costly treatment of infected dogs often prevents their adoption or leads to surrender for euthanasia. 

Big cone, little head

Meggie's pressure bandage above, belly guard bodysuit and soft comfort cone below

Radar dog

Pearls:

• Meggie took the No Puppy Pledge, opting for an ovariohysterectomy to prevent future pregnancies despite her heartworm condition.

• Spaying before heartworm treatment was chosen, as the dead and dying heartworms after treatment pose a bigger threat.

• The ideal post-surgery suit for Meggie is the Belly Guard recovery onesie, which is lightweight, breathable, and allows easy potty breaks with front snaps. The Comfy Cone is good too, as it's soft, secures with velcro, and ensures comfort while preventing licking.

• Although a traditional spay was performed due to rescue resource constraints, ideally an ovary-sparing hysterectomy or keeping her intact (preventing pregnancy with management) would have been considered. 

• Despite bruising and post-surgery precautions, Meggie is recovering well, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Jenny Elkins and her staff at TFAC, a clinic addressing the heartworm crisis in Texas.

This sweet dog is available for adoption through Border Collie Save and Rescue.

We're All Learning

Our new foster dog, Meggie, is a two-way teacher. 

She wrecked her new orthopedic bed, teaching us to hold off on quality items until trust is established. Now, an old towel suffices when we're not around and Meggie is inside her crate, and when we're in the room with her, she's on Gunner's spare donut cuddler bed overnight.

Lesson learned: Quality items come after trust is built.

Gunner and Meggie

To address Meggie's barrier reactivity, we've started behavior modification games. This video clip documents her initial barrier reactivity when she first came into our foster care. When Meggie is quiet while the other dog is present, I toss treats so calm behavior is reinforced. 

Lesson learned: Reinforce sustained calm behavior, so eventually the trigger produces a positive conditioned emotional response.

Managing reactivity is essential during ongoing behavior modification. Placing a blanket over Meggie's short-term confinement area reduces her barrier reactivity temporarily while I'm feeding the other dogs in the same room with her. The blanket comes off once everyone is finished eating and I am available to manage the dogs' interactions.

A blanket over her ex-pen quashes reactivity while I'm feeding the other dogs

Lesson learned: Blocking a reactive dog's view manages reactivity.

With Meggie undergoing heartworm treatment she'll be restricted from vigorous activity, so using her food as enrichment and providing engaging chew toys is vital. Stuffing hollow toys creatively with her daily food and treats replaces a mundane food bowl. 

Lesson learned: Creatively stuff chew toys for mealtime engagement.

We've turned the neighbor's barking dogs into a training opportunity, reinforcing calmness when Meggie sees other dogs by playing the "Look at that!" game.

Meggie is a sweet pup, cherishing cuddle time and bonding with Jackie. 

Lesson learned: Use external stimuli for training purposes. Also, Meggie is a sweet girl, well worth all the effort. This charming dog is available for adoption through BCSave.

Pearls:

• There are many behavior modification games to change unwanted behavior into desirable habits. One such game for reducing barrier reactivity is to have the reactive dog behind a barrier in a controlled environment. Let another calm, non-reactive dog enter the room. Every time the reactive dog displays calm, settled behavior, toss a treat into her enclosure. Repeat these short, less-than-a-minute teaching sessions until the reactive dog learns when she stays calm while the other dog is present, wonderful things happen.

• An even better game to play for reactive dogs is the "Look at that!" game to counter-condition a learned response. Keep your dog below threshold, or still showing quiet and calm behavior, while you teach your dog to look at the exciting stimulus, then repeatedly reward them for staying calm while just looking at it.

• To play the Look At That game: have a very high-value reward, like pea-sized bits of hot dog or chicken. Be sure you're at a distance and time where you control how close or far you are from the trigger. Always keep your dog under threshold so that they notice the trigger without going over threshold. Sometimes this means starting at any distance without going over threshold, practicing first at home with a neutral target (anything that they do not react to).

• As soon as your dog glances at the trigger (another dog, a car, or whatever your dog finds stimulating or scary), click or say "Yes!" to mark that behavior and give them a delicious treat. After your dog progresses to the point they are offering a glance toward the trigger, add the verbal cue "Look!" Your dog quickly starts to look at the scary or stimulating trigger when you give the "Look!" cue and then eagerly turns to you for a tasty tidbit.

• Continue rewarding their bravery, and keep sessions short by using only five to 10 tiny treats at a time. Give your dog frequent re-set breaks and make each session brief and positive. Keep practicing this game until your dog is calmly looking at the trigger in anticipation of the click. The end goal is a conditioned emotional response so your dog remains calm when they see the trigger, and eventually you completely fade the food treat.

Follow Animal Accolades as we continue creating positive conditioned emotional responses to triggers and other behavior modification.

A Challenging Endeavor

Meggie

Meet Meggie, our newest foster. "Surrendered to rescue by an elderly breeder in Louisiana" was said when Sharlann, a rescue volunteer, delivered Meggie from inside a wire crate, double-locked and secured with bull-nosed clips and bread ties. Meggie's crate was in the comfortably air-conditioned backseat of Sharlann's Ford F-150 when we met at the pre-arranged meeting spot between Austin and Fort Worth.

While handing off our previous foster Pix, a heartworm-negative border collie, into Sharlann's care, Sharlann graciously agreed to bring Meggie, a heartworm-positive dog in need of long-term medical fostering, into my care after Jessica, Meggie's previous foster, delivered Meggie to Sharlann's home.

Pix has found her perfect forever home and is a very different dog than Meggie

Meggie came into Border Collie Save and Rescue (BC Save) with a singleton puppy in tow, not yet weaned, that Meggie separated from the same day I got her. Meggie carries a heavy load of heartworms, having missed heartworm prevention for some time. 

In the first 48 hours, challenges have surfaced. Meggie demonstrates "I need more space" behaviors and reacts to my resident dogs when on leash or in her crate. House and crate training have had a rough start due to escapes and broken crate locks. Meggie lunges at my boy dogs in an attempt to gain more space between herself and what Meggie initially experienced as scary or threatening.

All my dogs, before I met them, had long-term medical fosters that guided them through challenging times. Rosco was rescued from a dire situation, hairless and covered in painful sores due to mange, and absolutely destined for the big needle. The Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas tagged him for rescue, boosted him from the city pound, and rehabilitated him until he was ready to attend their adoption event where I met him. That was 15 years ago and Rosco is still going strong and loving life.

Gunner faced heartworms and adoption challenges after being picked up as a stray and taken in the dog catcher's scary truck to the Galveston city shelter. Following a rescue and rehabilitation journey, he ultimately boomeranged back into All Border Collie Rescue's (ABC Rescue) care after a failed adoption. I adopted Gunner at an ABC Rescue event eight years ago. Gunner, my right hand, now has an alphabet's worth of AKC performance and sport titles after his name. He's one of the very best things that has ever happened in my life.

Jackie, too, had a difficult start, but she now has multiple trick dog and agility titles and a bright future as an urban herder. It's thanks to BC Save's cadre of rescue volunteers that Jackie is now thriving.

All of my dogs were fostered by kind-hearted volunteers who generously offered their time, energy, resources, and love to dogs in need of a second chance. I've been the beneficiary of these rescue heroes time and again.

Medically, Meggie is still intact and has started heartworm treatment with antibiotics, steroid therapy, and heartworm prevention. Spaying is scheduled, and a microchip will be implanted since she doesn't have one yet. Meggie will complete a series of fast-kill injections after recovering from her spay surgery. 

Behaviorally, housetraining is a priority. I'm keeping her tethered to me or confined to a small area or crate while indoors, with regular visits outside, then making a huge fuss and giving high-value treats every time she produces in the approved potty area. I'm managing the other dogs' and her space with clever ex-pen, baby-gate, and crate use, so only appropriate interactions are reinforced. We're working on calm barrier and leash training with reactivity-reducing games.

Meggie in her short-term confinement area, complete with bed, water, and enticing long-lasting chew toys

I'm immensely grateful to BC Save and the Texas Foundation for Animal Care (TFAC) for their life-saving services and affordable medical care. Dr. Jenny Wight of TFAC is overseeing Meggie's heartworm treatment and spay, the same vet who cared for Jackie.

Now it's my turn to pay it forward. The road with Meggie may be challenging, but her incredible sweetness and love for people provide motivation and joy. Meggie is available for adoption through BC Save.

Pearls:

• Establish perfect potty habits: control your pup's access to your home by keeping them tethered to you on a leash, inside their short-term confinement area, or crated at all times. Every two hours, as well as after they finish eating, wake from sleep, and after every playtime, take them to their designated potty area. Make a huge fuss when your dog produces and immediately reward them with the highest value treat they love. Do this each and every time your puppy eliminates in their designated potty area. 

• Crate train: teach your new buddy that being inside a crate is a wonderful experience. Let your pup watch you toss a few of their favorite treats into the crate with the door closed while your dog is outside the crate, so they want to get inside. Then open the crate, let your pup gobble the treats and exit. Play this quick game several times throughout the day. Next close the crate door for a few moments while raining treats down from outside the crate while the pup is inside. Gradually build to leaving the door closed with your dog inside for a few moments, then several seconds, then a few minutes per training session. Build up slowly until your pup is happy being alone in the crate. Always provide interesting long-lasting chew toys when you leave your pup in the crate for any amount of time.

• Teach your dog to settle quietly: leave a hollow toy, such as a Kong, thoughtfully stuffed with your pup's food and the occasional treat, every time you leave your dog on their own. Meggie loves this stuffing recipe: start by shoving a freeze-dried raw liver treat into the small top hole of the Kong. Smear honey (Meggie likes organic Agave nectar) on the interior walls of the Kong, then fill it with food and the odd treat and loosely plug the large bottom hole with crossed high-value treats (Meggie loves crunchy-soft lamb lung squares). Every time your dog investigates and chews the Kong, it reinforces calm behavior by dropping out food treats. Feeding your new dog's daily meals this way from the outset establishes a lifetime of calm settling behavior. 

Follow Meggie's rehabilitation journey on Animal Accolades to learn how to teach perfect potty habits, loose-leash walking, fix reactivity, and more.

Discriminations and Running Weaves

 Pearls:

• Run! Don't wait on Jackie, rather keep running and directing her line of travel. Jackie loves to chase!
• Jackie does exactly what you tell her to do. Trust her!

Jackie playing weaves and discriminations:

Blind Crosses and Directional Cues

 Pearls:

• A front cross is when you cross in front of your dog and switch your current cueing side/arm to the other.  (A front cross is when the handler switches sides in front of their dog while facing their dog.)
• A blind cross is when you cross in front of your dog and switch your current cueing side/arm to the other, but the dog is changing the side behind the handler's back. (A blind cross is when the handler changes the handling side in front of the dog and the dog changes the side behind the handler's back.) 
• Keep running! When I stay in motion, so does Jackie. Avoid stopping to wait for her; instead smoothly keep directing her line of travel and KEEP RUNNING!
• Cue directional turns earlier, including when cueing with your body. Turn your body earlier to let Jackie know she is approaching a turn. 
• When cueing weave entries, make sure you're pointing at the entry pole.
• When Jackie comes out of a tunnel, you need to already be running ahead of her. RUN RUN RUN!
• You know Jackie will be running when she comes out of the tunnel, so RUN ahead of her!
• As soon as you start running, Jackie increases her speed.

Jackie playing blind crosses and directional cues, and Carrie learning to RUN ALREADY:

Positive Reinforcement, An Overview

Your Guide to Dog Training: How To Tackle the Basics of Behavioral and Obedience Training 

Pearls

• Your dog is an individual with a unique personality and independent desires and needs.

• Once you commit to dog ownership, your dog is completely dependent on you to supply all their needs, which includes education.

• Using positive reinforcement is a humane and effective training method for modifying a dog's behavior.

• This guide outlines the basics of behavioral and obedience training so your dog becomes a well-educated family member.

Humans have lived with dogs and loved them for thousands of years. The scientific community now understands that dogs and humans have an innate, DNA-level ability to love each other. Living with a dog in your home requires you to educate your canine friend, who has a distinct personality and independent needs, to coexist harmoniously in one of the most rewarding relationships -- the human-dog bond.

Educating Your Dog

Your dog innately wants to learn from you and indeed learns from you. It is your responsibility as your dog’s guardian to be the best human for them, and this means giving them the best education. Once you commit to dog ownership, your dog is completely dependent on you to supply all their needs. 

An Educated Dog Is a Life Saved

Researchers Bailey Eagan et al. published in the journal Frontiers of Veterinary Science that “Behavioral problems have been reported to be the cause for the relinquishment of dogs to shelters, and relinquishment may, in some cases, be due to only one behavioral issue.”

Too many dogs perish in animal shelters for dog-related or guardian-related reasons. Providing ongoing education for your dog so they are comfortable and sociable members of society is life-saving. 

This guide outlines the basics of teaching your dog to be a well-educated family member. 

Foundational Training

Think of training your dog as reinforcing all of the good behaviors your dog already knows how to do, such as sit, lie down, quietly remain in one place, or go potty. Consider all the things that the quintessential perfect dog, in your estimation, does, and begin systematically rewarding those behaviors. 

Look at your dog: Are they doing something you want them to do? If so, reward them for it with something they esteem valuable. They are likely to repeat that desirable behavior. Are they doing a behavior you don’t want? Change the subject by distracting them, and as soon as they do any acceptable behavior, even if it’s just looking away or staying quiet for a moment, immediately reward it. 

Teaching Methods

The foundation of positive reinforcement training is rewarding your dog for a behavior so they are likely to repeat the behavior. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool for shaping and even changing your dog’s behavior, and it’s the fastest, most humane way of educating your dog with their best interest in mind. 

Clicker training is another form of positive reinforcement, where the dog expects a reward when they hear a stimulus, such as a click or the word “Yes!” Conditioned reinforcers are faster and more precise than primary reinforcers, such as food, so the dog accurately identifies the specific behavior you want them to repeat. 

Sometimes, dogs exhibit natural and healthy behaviors in ways or locations that are inconvenient or undesirable for humans. People tend to think of “problem” behavior, but it’s up to you to educate your dog when and where they express ordinary behaviors. An example is potty training: Eliminating is healthy and necessary, and your pup must know when and where, as well as have ample opportunities, to use the appropriate area you decide as their potty. 

Occasionally, you want your dog to change their behavior for a variety of reasons. The good news is that do-over-dogs, those pups who need to re-learn the basics or even completely update their education, are also teachable. Using positive reinforcement to change behavior is a great way for your dog to re-learn desired behaviors.   

Critical Puppy Socialization

Puppies have a critical developmental period between two and 16 weeks of age. Primary socialization between three to five weeks is the most influential stage of a puppy’s life. This is the stage where puppies learn to approach and interact with humans and other animals, social cues, bite inhibition, social hierarchies, and other important behaviors. If puppies don’t receive the right socialization or leave their litters before eight weeks, they are likely to show deficits in these vital areas. Continued adult dog socialization is equally important to develop appropriate outgoing, friendly, and confident behavior. 

The foremost puppy socialization authority, veterinarian Dr. Ian Dunbar states it clearly: “Prior to eight weeks of age, puppies need to be safely and gently exposed to as many different environments as possible and to interact with and be hugged, handled, handfed and trained by at least 100 people, especially children, strangers, and men, and then by at least another 100 people during the first month in their new homes.”

It’s hard to overstate how critical early and ongoing socialization is for your puppy. Dogs are able to learn manners and basic obedience at any time during their lives. Though behavior problems are resolvable at any time in a dog’s life, it’s best to teach good habits from the very beginning.

It is important to address temperament issues in puppies early on to avoid the difficult and time-consuming process of rehabilitating adult dogs. Prior to three months of age, before your puppy is fully vaccinated, safely socialize puppies by bringing people to them and avoiding high dog traffic areas such as public spaces or veterinary clinic parking lots. Doing so prevents the risk of contracting puppy diseases such as parvovirus.

Perfect Potty Habits

After socialization, error-free potty habits are a critical early skill to teach. Control your puppy’s access to your home by keeping them tethered to you on a leash while they’re awake. Every two hours, as well as after they finish eating, wake from sleep, and after every playtime, take your puppy to their designated potty area.

Make a huge fuss when your puppy produces and immediately reward them with the highest value treat your puppy loves. Do this each and every time your puppy eliminates in their designated potty area. 

Crate Training

When you aren't able to keep your pup tethered to you, teach your puppy that being inside a crate is a wonderful experience. To crate train your puppy, toss a few of their favorite treats into the crate with the door closed while your puppy is outside the crate, so they want to get inside. Then, open the crate, let your pup gobble the treats, and exit. Play this quick game several times throughout the day. 

Next, close the crate door for a few moments while tossing treats down from outside the crate while the puppy is inside. Gradually build to leaving the door closed with your pup inside for slightly longer periods until, eventually, you leave the room for a few moments, then several seconds, then a few minutes. Build up slowly until your puppy is happy being alone in the crate. 

Reinforce your crate training by always leaving a stuffable toy, such as a Kong, filled with your puppy’s food or treats. Toss a food-stuffed toy in the crate to occupy your puppy whenever you leave them in the crate for any amount of time. Feeding your puppy’s daily meals this way is excellent while crate training. 

A puppy only controls their bladder for one hour every month of age, so give regular access to their appropriate potty area. Always leave enjoyable and safe chew toys with your pup while they’re in their crate. Crate training must go hand in hand with plenty of exercise, play, and giving your pup ample freedom to use their bodies, minds, and noses.

Loose Leash Walking

Teaching your dog early in your relationship to walk calmly on a leash is worth it for a lifetime of payoff. Begin in a quiet, distraction-free area inside your home or yard. Clip the leash onto your pup’s properly fitted collar or harness, saying “Let’s go for a walk!” If your pup puts pressure on the leash or pulls, simply stop, hold the leash statically, and wait. 

It may seem like a long time, but be patient; your pup eventually sits. As soon as your dog sits, immediately encourage them to walk forward again with “Let’s go!” If your pup hits the end of the leash or pulls again, consistently wait for your pup to sit and then continue along your walk together. Avoid giving the sit cue, but rather wait for your pup to sit on their own.

Resources and Professionals

Enrolling in a basic obedience class is a wonderful opportunity to continue learning positive reinforcement techniques with your dog. A group setting is a useful forum for you to learn to teach your dog under the watchful eye of an experienced trainer. The results of a group class are a better-behaved, confident dog and better teamwork between the two of you.

It’s surprising how much ground the professional covers in a basic six-week training class, from learning sit, down, and stay when cued, how to walk on a loose leash, to resting comfortably on a mat when asked. These affordable classes usually address basic impulse control, allow you and your dog to work together during distractions, and teach primary training theory and how to use a clicker so that you are able to teach your own preferred behaviors in the future. 

Personalized Training

For specific needs like help with your new puppy, learning a particular skill, needing individual instruction in a specific dog sport, or needing help but you are only available at certain times, private lessons with a professional dog trainer are invaluable. 

The help and experience of a professional dog behaviorist working with you and your dog are necessary when facing remedial behaviors that need improvement. It’s always best to teach your dog what to do and reward the behavior you want rather than correcting them for making mistakes. Sometimes, problem behaviors still happen, and managing these behaviors in do-over dogs takes a strategic and positive approach. 

For do-over dogs, seek a certified canine behaviorist affiliated with the following organizations: American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), or the Animal Behavior Society (ABS). Refine your search specifically for a behaviorist rather than just a trainer. 

Choosing a Dog Trainer

Find a reliable and qualified dog trainer for expert advice tailored to your dog’s individual needs. Verify the trainer’s certifications and experience to be sure they have the expertise for the specific behaviors you are seeking help. Seek out an experienced trainer who has demonstrated proficiency in teaching dogs the specific needs you’re interested in and who also currently has students excelling in learning how to teach their own dogs. 

Importantly, if a trainer ever suggests using an electric collar, choke chain, prong collar, or any other aversive technique, politely but firmly decline. Keep searching until you find a qualified professional who uses up-to-date science-based positive reinforcement training. 

Canine Good Citizen

Graduation from many basic obedience classes often involves completing the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program. The CGC is a recognizable benchmark that your dog is well-behaved in public, has the confidence and calmness to meet strangers, and conducts themself in busy crowds. 

The CGC boasts the principle that, given the right circumstances, all dogs are good dogs. With the right guidance, all dog owners have the ability to become great owners. 

Common Behavior Challenges and Solutions

Rather than trying to prevent behaviors you don’t want, think of changing the subject to a behavior you want your dog to offer and rewarding that action. When your dog is not rewarded for displaying a behavior, as in ignoring an unwanted behavior so that it is not reinforced, that behavior gradually diminishes. Ignoring behaviors you don’t want while rewarding behaviors you do is a fast track to success. 

Sometimes, the unwanted behavior itself rewards the dog. An example is barking at the mail delivery person. Every day the mail person arrives, the dog barks to defend their territory, and eventually, the mail person moves off, thereby reinforcing the dog by giving what they want, which is for the mail person to go away. This barking behavior is continually reinforced and strengthened day by day.

There are myriad ways to address barking in dogs, and one of those is the useful “Look at that!” game to counter-condition a learned response. Keep your dog below threshold, while you teach your dog to look at the exciting stimulus, then repeatedly reward them for staying calm while just looking at it.  

Play the Look At That Game

Have a very highly valuable reward that your dog loves, like pea-sized bits of hot dog or chicken in a handy pouch. Be sure you are at a distance and time where you control how close or far you are from the trigger. Always keep your dog under threshold (showing quiet and calm behavior) so that they notice the trigger without going over threshold. Sometimes, this means starting at a very far distance from the trigger. If your dog isn't able to see the trigger at any distance without going over threshold, practice first at home with a neutral target (anything that they do not react to). 

As soon as your dog glances at the trigger (the mail person, another dog, a car, or whatever your dog finds stimulating or scary), click or say “Yes!” to mark that behavior and give them a delicious treat. After your dog progresses to the point they are offering a glance toward the trigger, add the verbal cue “Look!” Your dog quickly starts to look at the scary or stimulating trigger when you give the “Look!” cue and then eagerly turns to you for a tasty tidbit. 

Continue rewarding their bravery, and keep sessions short by using only five to 10 tiny treats at a time. Give your dog frequent re-set breaks and make each session brief and positive. Keep practicing this game until your dog is calmly looking at the trigger in anticipation of the click. The end goal is a conditioned emotional response so that your dog remains calm when they see the trigger, and eventually, you completely fade the food treat.

Seek Professional Help When Necessary

If you find that even with positively reinforcing desired behaviors and teaching basic obedience, your dog is acting aggressively toward other dogs or people, please seek the help of a professional animal behaviorist. Ask your veterinarian for a reference for a certified animal behaviorist in your area, or seek intervention from a behavior specialist certified through the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), or the Animal Behavior Society (ABS). In the meantime, take extreme care to avoid putting your dog into situations that lead to aggression. 

Goals and Expectations

Setting realistic training goals is specific to each individual dog and even varies within individuals based on the dog’s age and their unique learning needs. Patience is everything. Even if there are setbacks, celebrate every small achievement as you progress along the training journey. 

Boldly use management strategies in your favor. If you need to crate your dog while you’re away, make arrangements for them to have plenty of exercise and play opportunities while out of their crate, but be free to know that when you arrive home, your pup is happy to see you and you’re happy to see them. If you need to avoid public spaces for an interim while you are working on changing target behaviors, it’s perfectly okay. Feeding your dog their daily meals inside a stuffable toy is an excellent way to establish calm, self-rewarding behavior.

Remember that many “problems” aren’t problems at all. It all depends on the context. It’s a matter of setting up your dog to succeed, finding the desired behavior when and where you want it, and consistently positively reinforcing those behaviors. 

Unlock the Genius of Your Dog

Science agrees with you; your dog is a great genius. It’s up to you to bring out their individual brilliance by providing the best possible education. The flow of happiness from your dog to you and the other way around is positively enforcing in and of itself. Your commitment to your dog includes effectively teaching them how to be a comfortable and confident member of society. 

Positive reinforcement training is quicker, longer lasting, and more effective in changing behavior and teaching dogs new behaviors. In June 2023, the Journal of Veterinary Behavior published research showing that “Positive reinforcement training is an effective and humane training technique for modifying animals’ behavior.” Positive reinforcement is your ally to preserve a great relationship with your dog, keep them mentally healthy, confident, and happy, and learn the behaviors that are important to you so your dog wins in life.

The benefit of structured help from a professional allows a deeper dive into using your voice and play as positive reinforcement and teaching reliable off-leash verbal control at a distance and with distractions. Pursue positive reinforcement to learn a dog sport like agility, disc dog, flyball, or dock diving. Wherever your journey with your canine friend takes you, enjoy the lifelong bond and positive behavior achieved through effective training.

Subscribe to Animal Accolades for more research-based information and education for dog owners.

What in the World is the Difference Between "Round Round!" and "Loop Loop?"

 Pearls:

• "Round round!" indicates to the dog to collect her stride and turn tightly around the obstacle toward the handler.
• "Loop loop!" indicates to the dog to collect her stride and turn tightly around the obstacle away from the handler.
• For weaves, proof to the point where you can point directly at the first weave entry from anywhere and the dog independently adjusts to correctly enter the weave poles.
• Gradually increase my speed ahead of Jackie so she weaves faster.
• A foundation exercise for weave entries: Begin with just two poles and click and throw the lotus ball reward to reinforce each correct entry.
• For proofing weave entries, use four poles and start with the first two entry poles at an easier angle.

Jackie playing "Round round!" and "Loop loop!" around barrels, and clicker training foundation weave skills up to 12 weave poles within a series:

Barrel Wraps and Tunnels

 Pearls:

• Mind where your body and feet are pointing. Point your body in the direction your dog should go.
• If you run in a certain direction, your dog will likely run in that same direction. This works for you but can also work against you.
• "Round, round, round!" cues the dog to collect their stride for a tight turn toward me around a barrel.
• "Loop, loop, loop!' cues the dog to collect their stride for a tight turn away from me around a barrel.
• Give Jackie lots of positive feedback. Tell her she's a good girl! Tell her "Yes!" when she gets it!

Jackie playing hoops, barrel wraps, and tunnels:

Treiball

Jackie and I began treibball this week. Also known as urban herding, the goal of treibbal is for the handler and dog to work as a team. The dog plays at a distance around a set of balls to push them into a gaol one by one. In competition, the dog is timed. Distance, time, and the number of balls are some of the variables in the game.

Jackie's learning how to nose touch a ball very low on the ball and with the nose only. Foundational skills include nose touching my hand, transferred to nose touching a sticky note in my hand, transferred to nose touching a sticky note on an object.  

We're playing foundation "Go to your place!" that will also be used for treibball. Tossing a food lure underneath the ball reinforces Jackie for keeping her nose low and using only her head to push the ball -- as opposed to using her paws, mouth, or other body parts.

Pearls:

• Treibball is a fun sport not just for herding breeds
• "Go to your place!" and "Push!" are foundation behaviors that will be used in playing treibball.
• The National Association of Treibball Enthusiasts, or NATE, promotes treibball as a fun, safe, and challenging sport for all dogs that endorses dog-friendly training that supports the best qualities of the human-dog relationship.

Jackie playing foundation ball nose touch:

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Discriminations

 Today Jackie and I played tunnel versus contact discriminations.

Pearls:

• When teaching "Out, Tunnel!" for tunnel discrimination, point out toward the line of the dog's travel and maintain your arm up indicating where to go until the dog's entire body including their tail are inside the tunnel. Only after your dog has committed their whole body into the tunnel should you turn your body to keep running.
• When cueing "In, Feet!" for contact discrimination, turn your body early to remind the dog to turn in to take the contact.
• As always, keep moving smoothly and indicating your dog's line of travel as if using a laser pointer along their path. 

Jackie playing tunnel versus contact discriminations: