Probably the best dancing routine I have ever seen, the quality isn’t great but still worth watching. Click the picture and prepare to smile.

There are so many sports available to dogs and their owners these days. You and your dog will probably do best at the sports that use your dogs’ natural bred talents, the best part of this is that your dog gets to do what he absolutely loves which will help make him much easier to train and live with. Often, dogs who have a job are much more content and easier to manage.  Check out the list below for more information on some of the more popular sports and find one for your dog.

This list is by no means the end, there are so many other sports you can participate in with your dog. Visit your local Kennel Club or Canine Association website to find out more about the above in your locality and to learn about other sports on offer.

Katarina

The best kind of shutdown

Dogs become distracted just like us when something particularly good or scary is around. They can get totally caught up in a moment where everything else simply disappears, us included, this is called shutdown. There are many different degrees of shutdown from mild distraction right to off the scale reactivity. Understanding how to recognise shutdown and work through mild distractions will help you manage your dog more effectively.

Shutdown is characterised by intense focus on the distraction, the dog will usually be exhibiting the following behaviours.

• Refusal to eat
• Intense barking
• Lunging on the lead
• Will not respond to verbal cues
• Will not respond to punishment
• Extreme stillness, almost in a trance like state

During this time a dog is not able to process any external information, nothing you do will make any difference to stopping the behaviour. Sadly though what occurs within a dog during shutdown is internal satisfaction. So, the more often a dog goes in to shutdown usually the more intrenched the behaviour becomes. Usually the only way to make any difference during shutdown is to allow the dog to interact with the distraction or to move away from it. Shutdown usually occurs in two scenarios, when a dog is very excited or very fearful.

Excitability shutdown is often related to poor impulse control. It mostly occurs around other dogs and visitors to the home where the dog has been inadequately prepared and trained in such scenarios. Often dogs, even when given the freedom to interact with the distraction, are described as ‘full on’ and ‘hyper’. Lots of structured time around the distraction can often help such dogs become calmer. For example, allowing your ‘hyper’ dog to interact with other confident well socialised dogs with the purpose of training will reduce the urgency and desperation your dog may feel when he sees another dog.

The best way to train such dogs is through a combination of supervised access to the distraction and shaping any calm behaviour and attention by way of very high value rewards. For dogs prone to shutdown around other dogs it is vital to pair the dog with another dog who will not be scared and to move around rather than standing stationary. Moving around cuts off the desperation with distractions along the way allowing for some open spaces in which to call and reward your dog.

Base level obedience when there are no distractions or at a distance from the distraction will go a long way to helping your dog learn how to behave around distractions. I would also recommend hand feeding your dogs’ meals in such instances to have as much leverage over your dog as possible.

Fearful shutdown often occurs because of inappropriate or inadequate socialisation and/or traumatic events. Dogs continued to be placed in situations where they shutdown due to fear can lead to aggression. Situations should be set up where the dog is exposed to the fear at a ‘safe distance’ where shutdown is not occurring, rewarding any relaxed behaviour by moving away from the distraction is an easy way to help such a dog. Approaches and retreats can be repeated in this manner but it is essential that the situation is set up and controlled for the fearful dog. While such training is happening it is best to completely avoid situations in which the dog is exposed to the fearful distraction in uncontrolled situations.

The examples above are by no means exhaustive, excitement and fear can both lead to aggression and professional guidance should be obtained if your dogs’ shutdown is beginning to effect their quality of life or is placing others at risk of harm.

Katarina

Dogs I photographed in Split, Croatia.

In part one of this series I focused on the fact that some dogs do not enjoy visits to the café and being tied in front of shops, in these cases such activities often only serve to perpetuate poor behaviours and fears. If you would really love to have your dog participate in such excursions with you they need to be adequately prepared.

Teaching your dog to tolerate these activities begins with a strong foundation of socialisation. If your dog is a rescued dog who has not received appropriate socialisation you should begin with basic puppy socialisation training. We should all take a leaf out of the socialisation program used to train seeing eye dogs, they intensively socialise their puppies from eight weeks of age with visits to cafés and shops. These dogs must be comfortable with people/dogs/bikes/prams/trolleys walking by to prepare them for tolerating such environments as they grow. These are dogs like any other dogs, they have simply been intensively socialised and bred for resilience.

None of the following steps can take place unless your dog is comfortable with people and other dogs. If this is not the case remedial confidence building is the very first step in teaching them to tolerate cafe sitting or tie ups.

Sitting idle at a café can be frustrating for many dogs who have never been taught how to ‘settle’. This is a starting point for all dogs and you can practice this on your walks at park benches or around your home with few distractions. Keep your dog on a short lead and lay a towel on the floor and reward your dog when he shows signs of settling down. Settling down behaviour is any behaviour that disengages from you or their environment. If you notice your dog lays down place a few treats in front of his nose with a quiet ‘good boy’. You can then progress to busier areas and remaining sitting for longer and longer periods of time. Continuing to take your dogs‘ mat or towel with you allows him to make the connection more quickly to settling in new areas.

Tie ups begin in much the same fashion, always start with short easy steps first. Tie your dog up when there are no distractions, walk a few steps away and walk straight back to reward. Especially walk back as soon as you see any signs of relaxation, this is the behaviour you definitely want to reward. As time goes on you can walk further and further away and remain away for longer and longer periods.Mix things up too, sometimes make it a shorter or easier departure so things are not always getting harder.

Once your dog is comfortable at this stage you can begin to hide behind a barrier (tree, post, bush, wall) for a few seconds and then progress to longer periods out of sight. For a well adjusted, well socialised dog you should have them comfortable being tied up with you out of sight in a matter of weeks. Then you can progress to more busy areas, although I recommend that you never leave any dog tied up in high traffic areas it is too risky to put your trust in passers by, especially if you have a puppy the risk of theft is a real one.

You can minimise the risk of any poor behaviours being learned by setting your dog up for success in these scenarios. If you are needing to tie your dog up find a space that is free from close pedestrian traffic and away from any loud scary objects such as trolley bays. Perhaps a visit to your local milkbar rather than the busy shopping strip would be better if you are planning to take your dog.

Likewise with café visits, find a café on a wide footpath so your dog has a sense of space around him. Take some treats for your dog with you so you can reward good behaviour. Remember your first few trips to the café will be training trips, mainly focussed on your dog’s behaviour.

Katarina

Dogs left unsupervised are at risk. I can see this dog is clearly not comfortable with me approaching, but the next person may not see what I can see.

Our dogs love us so it stands to reason that they would want to engage in as many activities with us as possible right? Wrong. Many dogs struggle with the expectations we place on them by taking them to certain places we find enjoyable and assume they would enjoy too.

Activities that include visiting the café and being tied up outside of the shops (or other places) can all be forced on a dog. Quite often dogs are taken to such places to ‘kill two birds with one stone’, a person can get some of their jobs done while at the same time taking the dog for a walk. Problems occur when a dog is not properly prepared for these scenarios and therefore finds them stressful so they serve no real purpose other than to reinforce unwanted behaviours and fears.

Many people want a dog they can take to the café, the ideal scenario is to sit and enjoy a meal and beverage with a dog quietly relaxing at your feet. The reality is more like the dog tangles the lead around the chair legs and tables, barks at every person/dog/car/bike that goes past and spends time begging for food. If your dog is unsettled, shifting around a lot and vocal while at the café the likelihood is that they are not enjoying themselves, likewise with dogs who are tied up outside of shops.

A dog tied up is a dog with no escape and is a dog at risk. Without supervision dogs cannot be managed so are left to their own devices to cry, bark and even practice aggressive behaviours. In this situation not only are the dogs not supervised the people they come in to contact with are also not supervised. It is dog park etiquette that you never let your dog out of sight, why should this be any different at the shops? Added to this is also the risk of a dog being stolen.

Visits to the cafe and being tied up requires periods of sitting idle in high traffic areas. Be mindful of your dogs temperament and think about how he would feel in these scenarios.  If your dog is generally fearful and anxious he would probably prefer being left at home and taken out later for a scratch and sniff walk that is suited specifically for him.

Human activities such as visits to the café and being tied up outside the shops are completely foreign to dogs so they need to be trained and socialised in preparation for them.  My next post will focus on how you can prepare your dog for such activities and reduce the risk of unwanted behaviours being practiced. At best they may learn to tolerate it but, depending on their temperament, some dogs may never be capable of sharing such activities with their human.

Katarina

Make sure you allow your dog to spend time with other dogs who play ‘by the rules’

When dogs play they are engaging in mock combat and there are certain behaviours that dogs use to tell each other that what they are doing should not be taken seriously. Dogs are usually aware of these signals but we are not and some people mistake dogs for fighting when in fact they are playing. Let’s look at how to tell the difference.

To give you a better idea take a look at a healthy play session in progress between Nemo and Dug. Notice how most of the behaviours in the video you will find in the ‘playing’ column of the table above.

With a labelled dog, your on lead risk assessment just got a whole lot easier
Photo: friendlydogcollars.com.au

A few months ago I wrote about off lead risk assessments and the role it plays in keeping your dog and others safe while off lead. Risk assessments should also be done for on lead greetings too. On lead greetings can be highly charged events because of the physical restriction placed on dogs. For dogs who want to approach, on lead greetings can be quite frustrating, and for dogs who want distance, on lead interactions can be frightening. Both can lead to displays of aggression particularly if a proper risk assessment is not done every time. 

You know your dog better than anyone else, you know how they greet other dogs on lead. If your dog has little impulse control the chances of having a calm on lead greeting is low, and the risk of someone being injured or a dog-to-dog fight breaking out is high. It is wise to avoid on lead greetings until your dog develops some self-control through structured on lead greeting practice sessions first. Sometimes dogs are better at greeting certain kinds of dogs, and this is where you can make an assessment to greet or to avoid, all based on knowing your dog better than anyone else.

Your skill level at being able to manage your dog and communicate with the other owner is also an important part of conducting an on lead risk assessment. All dog handlers should communicate with one another about their dog’s temperaments. All you need to say is ‘can our dogs say hello?’ The answer will give you further information about how risky the interaction will be. If in doubt do not allow the dogs to interact. An appropriately labelled collar and lead is another great way to let people know about your dogs’ temperament, without having to tell them verbally.

Labelled collars and leads will also take the guess-work out of trying to determine if other dogs are approachable or not. If you see a dog wearing a labelled dog collar and lead you will instantly have more information to make a stronger risk assessment. Becoming familiar with canine body language will also help you to notice stress in another dog and will help strengthen your risk assessment.

Our stress levels as humans also impacts on our dogs on lead greeting risk factors. I have found it to be true, we do transmit our own stress down to our dogs through the lead (I also believe they can smell it too). If you are feeling stressed about a greeting abort it. Likewise if you see the other handler becoming tense it would be a good idea to avoid the greeting. The risk of a poor on lead interaction is greater when we are stressed.

The labelling system for dogs is a wonderful initiative. If more people appropriately labelled their dogs it would minimise the need to make risk assessments based on educated (or sometimes uneducated) guesses. Label your dog to help people see your dog for who they are.

Katarina

I have an 8 mth old koolie pup. Close to perfect behaviour at home, but when we leave the house she has very selective hearing. I have tried rewarding the good behaviour but I worry that she will not listen to me unless I have food in my hand. Do you have any tips on how I would eventually fade the treats to just a pat or verbal reward?

Emily

Thanks for such a great question Emily. The role of food in dog training is to reward wanted behaviour until such time as the behaviour becomes ‘conditioned’, in other words like a habit. Food allows us to practice with our dogs with enough success until such time as the behaviour is conditioned, then we can move away from using food as a reward.

Dogs do not generalise their behaviours well, so what they learn in one situation they will not be able to apply very well in another. This is why training is a journey and your dog’s behaviour will be a work in progress for the next three years. Think about all of the scenarios your dog will be presented with in life, training should take place in all of these scenarios, especially where you really need your dog’s attention such as the dog off lead park. Phasing out of food rewards can be done as soon as your dog is responding well to requests in any given situation. That means you can probably start phasing out the food rewards at home but will still need them outside.

For this you will need to take high value food to the park with you to train the behaviours you want, just like you did at home. Again, you keep rewarding with food until you see proficiency in the skill, then you can move away from food. Be careful that you are not using food as a bribe, rather it should be a reward for any behaviour you ask for, or any desirable behaviour your dog offers you (the latter is best).

Once a skill is conditioned to proficiency in a distracting environment you can use alternative rewards to maintain the behaviours you like. If your dog loves other dogs ask her to focus on you in a sit before you release her to interact with other dogs. Recall her frequently from play with other dogs and release her again. The release becomes the reward. Another option is to reward any good behaviour with a toy such as a ball throw or a game of tug. Think about what your dog loves to do and use this as the replacement reward.

Emily, realistically you will probably be having to use food for at least the next year or so. Go back to basics, you are hitting a difficult time in your dogs development so if you manage your expectations in line with this you will start to feel much better about your training and good things will come from that. Dogs are just like us, if there is no benefit to them they will simply refuse a request. Make your dogs effort worth her while with food then move to toys or pats or games for the reward.

Good luck.

Katarina

Photo http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/225102-speckled-bugs-too-cute-for-words/page__st__15

Being able to enjoy the small successes means seeing a skill for what it really is, a bunch of behaviours put together. If you can break up the skills you want to teach your dog in to smaller behaviours it means you and your dog will have more rewards along the way. Take the recall skill,it is made up of ‘turn and look when I say your name’ and ‘come’ and sometimes ‘sit’ is put at the end too. That’s three behaviours you can reward and celebrate on their own rather than only acknowledging the one greater skill less regularly. Smaller behaviour goals are easier to learn and will result in more rewards along the way.

Creating smaller goals along the way will help to keep your expectations of your dog in balance. After all, if your dog is not responding to his name it is highly unlikely to expect him to run towards you when asked. Being able to understand when your dog is ready for something more complicated can only be done after you celebrate a victory over an easier behaviour. Use your celebration as an indicator that you and your dog are ready to move on to something more complicated, this will help manage your expectations.

If you can celebrate the small victories you and your dog will experience less frustration. Frustration usually occurs when we do not understand something or have continually tried something without the desired outcome. Frustration often leads to abandonment of a task, we want our dogs to keep trying and for their sake it is important that we also continue to try. Smaller goals will limit frustration.

Breaking skills in to smaller behaviours that you can reward allows you and your dog to have success much more regularly, this maintains motivation. Motivation is important because dog training can be such a long process and without motivation you would simply give up.

Create many opportunities by breaking larger skills into smaller behaviours for your dog to have many victories and celebrate them!

Katarina

Photo K9-Commando

Actors know the importance of rehearsals for a polished performance.

The more a skill is practiced the better we become at it, the same holds true for our dogs. Rehearsals not only help us develop our dog handling skills they also help our dogs become proficient at certain skills, you can then use these skills whenever necessary. Rehearsals should include working in different locations, with different distractions, at different distances and finally mock scenarios.

Location is usually a problem for many people trying to train their dogs. Dogs do not generalise their skills very well, when you teach your dog how to sit in the living room you will find that when you ask him to sit at the park he will look at you as if he has no idea what you are talking about. This means you will have to rehearse in the context you want your dog to ultimately perform the skill, usually the dog park and surrounding streets.

This also means rehearsing with distractions. Always begin with teaching your dog in an easy area, such as inside your home, then move on to adding distractions. The usual distraction progression for most dogs is, walking pedestrians, jogging pedestrians, bikes/scooters/skateboards and finally other dogs. Other dogs are usually the most difficult distraction for your dog to work through, make sure your dog is proficient with people passing by before you start to work with dogs.  This needs to be done for every skill you want your dog to become proficient in.

Your rehearsals should also take in to account distance from the distraction. You will find  your dog will be able to concentrate on the skill better the further away he is from the distraction. You may also find your dog works at different distances for different skills. For example, he may be able to sit with a distraction moving by at a few meters but heeling with a distraction present may require more distance.

Finally, rehearsals sometimes mean setting up mock scenarios for your dog. For example, if your dog jumps on visitors to the house you will need the help of friends and family to rehearse arrivals. To begin with you should make the arrivals as low-key as possible and slowly work your way up to arrivals as they really happen such as introducing the door bell and excited voices. You can have your dog on their mat or sitting in front of you on lead for these rehearsals, just keep things consistent from rehearsals to the real thing.

When you are introducing a new location, distraction or decreasing distance from a distraction remember to lower standards for a little while until your dog ‘finds their feet’ with the skill again.

Katarina

Photo Washington Post

Nemo is a little worried about what’s behind the gate.

Our dogs have to become comfortable with a lot of objects that often do not make sense to them. At some point you will come across something that ‘spooks’ your dog or puppy, the best way of helping your dog become used to the object is to allow him to spend time observing and interacting with the object.

Many dogs are fearful of objects to the point of shut down where they will not respond to you, food or anything else around them. This level of fear goes beyond nervousness and curiosity and requires special help. However, ‘spooking’ at something while still being interested and calm can be very rewarding because you know you have just introduced your dog to something new and are building his confidence.

In the video below Nemo is nervous when he passes a fence with a large exercise ball behind it. Watch the strategies Nemo uses to work out if this object is in fact something to be scared of, also take note of his body language and how it changes as he habituates towards the ball.