In July 2007 my wonderful senior golden retriever, Red Sun Rising CD, died. My husband and I mourned as well as my pack of five dogs, especially his best golden retriever friend, Logan. We all missed Red and by the following April I started thinking about adding another golden retriever.

A golden retriever breeder I know called me to look at her puppies… although they were sweet puppies, they lacked that special spark that said pick me. So I didn’t take one home.

In Tao of Puppies I talk about choosing a puppy that’s right for you, so I won’t go into that right now… except to say that I want that special heart connection that happens when you and the puppy choose each other and “magic happens.”

In August 2008, Logan became very ill with an extremely elevated Liver alt (2100). X-rays and an ultra sound revealed that his liver and spleen were enlarged.

At 1:30 am in the emergency room, I promised him that I would find him a friend. (I am a firm believer in the fact that adding a young dog at the right time can give a senior dog extra years of happy life.)

…so my search to find a dog intensified.

I talked with two golden retriever breeders, but nothing developed.

Then, my luck changed!

I got a call from a golden retriever breeder who heard that I was looking for a dog. She’s lives in Phoenix, Arizona, not that far from me. She knew that I love to show and train dogs (especially in agility) and she said she had an 11-month-old golden retriever puppy (female) that she’d like me to see.

I went to her house on Labor Day and met the puppy.

And you can probably guess what happened. That funny, happy, sweet golden girl came to live at my house for a “test period” on Sunday, September 7.

Within three hours of being at our house, she fit in like she always lived there (In Tao of Puppies I also talk about how to introduce a new dog to the pack. And my pack was very lively! I had three border collies, one Doberman, and one golden retriever.)

So how do you get a dog that fits with you, your family, and pack?

Here are my suggestions:

• Pay attention to the personalities in your pack. If you have a lot of alpha wannabees, maybe you should think about bringing in a confident beta who won’t be afraid, but won’t be so assertive that you have dog fights.

• Think about the type of breed that you want to add. For example, I was looking for a golden retriever because I knew that dogs often relate better to their own breeds. (However, I must also admit it really depends on personalities – my Doberman is best friends with one of my border collies!)

• Know your pack. I knew that Logan related best to other golden retrievers. I knew that my pack was “full of life.” Which means that an 11-month-old was much better for my pack because the puppy was OLDER. And my active pack wouldn’t overpower her. (It would be much easier for them to overpower a puppy.)

• Figure out what you need to make you happy. For me, it was all about Logan. If he was happy, I’d be happy. So I wanted a golden retriever puppy for him.

I am sure you will be reading many more Angel Lily stories…

I love when people ask me why I use clicker training to teach dogs. It gives me a chance to explain some basic dog training principles, such as how using behavior-contingent rewards:
1. Makes the right things easy and the wrong things hard because I can “shape” a behavior,
2. Allows me to pair a “click” with a “treat” so that it teaches a dog the exact moment that a specific behavior earns a reward,
3. Demonstrates the idea that leader controls food, and
4. Compels the teacher to pay attention to details.

Using food as a reward is a real hot-button issue for some people… because they confuse the idea of a behavior-contingent food reward with a bribe. They think that food is used to bribe the dog to obey. However, a “click/treat” (C/T) is never a bribe… it’s a paycheck!

As I wrote in Tao of Puppies: How to raise a good dog without really trying, a C/T is an exact moment in now. It immediately tells the dog that a specific physical action is correct.

The problem with giving a dog a friendly pat or saying “good boy” is that by the time you get the words “good boy” out of your mouth… or reach your hand down for a friendly pat… the dog’s behavior that you want to reward has altered.

For example, when I teach a dog to find the weave entrance in agility, I C/T the exact moment that a dog enters on the correct side of the weave poles. The dog immediately recognizes the specific action she did that earned the C/T. Does this make training easier? You bet!

An extra benefit is that the dog doesn’t become dependent on my position to find the entrance to the weave poles. I can “click” from 10 feet away and the dog can still hear it!

The use of C/T allows you to dig deep and really get to know your dog. What you discover when you start paying attention to small things is that the “big” behaviors happen quickly and easily.

The first step to getting the exact behavior you want… is to decide what the ideal behavior looks like. Then, you can figure out the small steps that will shape it. (If you don’t know what you want, how can you determine (and reward!) the tiny steps that will lead you to the “finished” behavior?)

Let’s say you want to teach your dog to pay attention and focus on you… first you must decide what the “finished” behavior looks like.

In obedience… focus means the dog raises his head, arches his neck, and watches me out of his right eye while I walk with him at heel.

In agility… focus requires that a dog learns the difference between handler focus and obstacle focus.

With family dogs… focus asks the dog to look at you and keep looking at you until you release her.

That’s the advantage of clicker training… it recognizes that every dog is different, and every person’s needs are different.

And it encourages you to decide what “focus” means for you and your dog. Then you can dig deep, really watch your dog, pay attention to small things, and C/T the exact behavior you want.

In the beginning to teach your dog to focus… you might C/T a movement as small as a flick of an ear in your direction. With other dogs it might be a head turn… The point is you do what your dog needs to shape her ability to focus on you.

And the beauty of clicker training is… it encourages you to pay attention to the small things.

And to paraphrase a famous saying… “Dog” is in the details!

May you always have…

The Best Dog Ever!

Krista Cantrell

p.s. My thanks to Tom Carlough for asking me why I use food as a reward.

Thanks to Gustavo for suggesting the blog topic: “If My Owner Only Knew.” He wanted to know “why dogs act the way they do and why they act out.” It’s perfect timing for his question…

Because last Wednesday I received an emergency message from a client, Clare*, about a dogfight. Normally her two young dogs are best friends, but last week there was a big-time dogfight.

Concerned that this was not going to be an isolated incident, Clare called me for advice. She was totally mystified about what caused the dogfight.

In Clare’s mind the problem “came out of nowhere!”

But in reality there were definite reasons why her dogs lost control, and dog behavior signs that indicated the dogs were getting edgy with each other. (For example, one of her dogs started growling when the other dog came in the room.)

When we talked I reminded Clare that she was in the process of remodeling her house. Even when everything goes perfect, having strangers in your house ripping things apart creates chaos.

Unfortunately for Clare things were not going smoothly during the remodeling. Normally quiet and relaxed at home, instead Clare was tense and upset and had unhappy discussions with the subcontractor. And this situation had gone on for weeks!

Why Did Clare’s Dogs Act Out?

Clare said, “But my dogs like each other! They play together and sleep together.”

The plain truth is… dogs do not live in a vacuum. They pick up on what is happening in their environment and what their people are thinking, feeling, and experiencing. Clare’s dogs:

1.  Watched Clare (who is usually calm) verbally confront a subcontractor many times,

2.  Felt her unhappiness, anxiety, and anger,

3.  Lived in remodeling chaos,

4.  Missed dog classes, and

5.  Lacked regular exercise. (Because it’s been 108 degrees in the shade for the past month, Clare did not take them for walks but just let them run in the backyard.)

Any of those reasons alone probably would not have triggered a fight, but when stacked on top of each other, the increasing level of stress broke down the relationship between two formerly friendly dogs.

Is This A Permanent Rift In The Dogs’ Relationship?

No. The remodeling is now finished. Peace has been restored in the house. Dog lessons and dog walks have restarted. It will take a little time, but things between the two dogs will go smoothly again.

Ask Yourself What Emotional Messages Are You Sending To Your Dog?

If you want to see how your emotions affect your dogs try this exercise from my book, Catch Your Dog Doing Something Right.” (First published by Plume, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. Second printing by The Lyons Press.)

Ask the dog to join you in a room. Close the door. Sit on the floor. Do not talk, move, or gesture but think angry and unhappy thoughts for the first minute.

Then add words, sounds, and body language to your feelings.

However, do not direct them at the dog! During the next 30 seconds… feel the emotion pouring out.

·      Does the dog come up to you, avoid you, get nervous, or ignore you?

·      Does the dog’s reaction change? Does the dog react more when you add words, feelings, and body language?

Now change and think happy and excited thoughts for one minute. Then add words, sounds, and body language to your feelings. However, do not direct them at the dog! During the next 30 seconds use a happy voice… feel the emotion pouring out.

·      Does the dog come up to you, avoid you, get nervous, or ignore you?

·      Does the dog’s reaction change? Does the dog react more when you add words, feelings, and body language?

This is an easy exercise to show the effect your attitude and voice has on a dog. When you are stressed or upset due to a bad day at work, a fight with a neighbor or son, or an accident where you trip and hit your shin against the table, your dog feels it. Dogs absorb tension.

If you ever see dominant behaviors such as – one dog placing his chin on the other dog’s shoulders, growling or snarling if the other dog comes into the room, toy or food bowl guarding, super erect ears or tail – these are behavior signs that demand immediate action. Search out the reasons behind this assertion of dominance and bring the relationships back into balance with training, food changes, regular exercise, increasing your presence as leader of the pack, and calling a professional when you just can’t figure it out.

*The name has been changed.

How many of you have ever seen a crazy ball dog? The one who wants you to “throw the ball,” “throw the ball,” and NEVER wants you to stop.

I know a totally “ball crazy” Labrador retriever, Mimee, who “demands” that Nan (not their real names) play ball NOW!

The minute Nan comes home, Mimee (with ball in mouth) pushes against Nan’s leg until Nan walks outside and throws the ball. When Nan goes out in the backyard Mimee brings her balls, pestering her, until Nan finally relents and throws the ball.

…The problem is Mimee never wants to stop.

Tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, labored breathing, it doesn’t matter, Mimee wants to keep playing ball.

…And it isn’t a lot of fun for either of them…

Nan told me, “I throw the ball so Mimee gets exercise. I want her to relax, but when we come inside, Mimee is still all wired, panting, and hyper. Why doesn’t playing ball wear her out?”

What Is The Best Way To Play Ball With Your Dog?

It’s easy to change a dog from wired to relaxed… just turn playing ball into a “canine brain^tm” game.

Here’s 5 Easy Steps to Play Ball

1. Remember you are “leader of the pack.” You decide when the best time is to play ball because the leader starts and stops all games.

During the day, when the dog brings you the ball, ignore it! Even if you think it’s a good time to play ball – don’t use the ball that the dog brings to you. Instead find a different ball and use it.

2. If you don’t want to be viewed as a “ball throwing machine,” do not play ball the first thing you do with your dog when you wake up in the morning or when come home from work. Do something else instead – for example, take a walk, do some obedience, teach a trick, or do some bodywork.

3. When you play ball require that the dog sit-stay or down-stay while you toss the ball. Do not release the dog from the stay until AFTER the ball lands and stops.

4. Be sure to pick up the ball after the game is finished.

5. After you play ball, teach the dog that quiet time follows. Teach the dog to “settle” or “chill out.”

You can use balls to motivate, reward, train, and play with dogs. As soon as dogs learn that they can “earn the ball” by a specific behavior – the fun really begins.

You can use a ball-on-a-rope to reward tight, close, dog obedience work, or you can throw tennis balls to reward agility distance work. You can teach tricks, dance moves, and play games.

Playing ball is “dog dynamite.” …When done correctly, the dog is passionate about you, not the ball.

I’m in the process of making some major changes to this blog.

The biggest change is that it’s going to include stories, articles, comments about ALL the different things that I do and the people and animals that I meet as a cognitive animal behaviorist, animal whisperer, Cherokee-trained shaman and qigong practitioner.

There will be more photos and also more opportunities for feedback.

Puppy potty training is easy when your dog rings a bell to tell you when he needs to go outside.

logan-and-bell

I just finished writing an article on 10 Halloween Safety Tips for dogs. You can access it by clicking…

10 Halloween safety tips

Please share this with as many people and groups that you know, so no dog lives will be lost.

Part 1 of 3.

On Saturday afternoon one of my clients wanted me to evaluate a rescue dog that she was thinking of bringing home.

She and her husband had already met the new dog at his foster home and liked his playful nature. And now they wanted my professional opinion…

Adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue group is a wonderful way to save a life, and at the same time, add new life to your family and other dogs.

However, it is important to do your homework if you want to find the perfect dog for you and your family.

The following physical evaluation can help you adopt a pet that is the right match for you and your pack.

The first step: check out the dog physically.

· Is the coat shiny and thick? Or is the coat missing hair? Are there any hot spots?

· If the dog has long ears, pick them up to see if they are healthy and pink or red and inflamed on the inside.

· Are there any fleas or ticks?

· What does the dog’s breath smell like? (If it smells rancid or sour the dog may have some health issues or just need a good teeth cleaning!)

· Does the dog walk, run, and play without limping?

Some rescue groups x-ray a dog’s hips or elbows to make sure the dog does not have dysplasia.

· Are there any lumps, bruises, or sore spots on the dog’s body?

· Does the dog have runny eyes or a drippy nose?

· Are the eyes cloudy or clear?

· Are the dog’s paws red, sore, missing hair, or deformed?

· Can the dog physically hear you?

· Is the dog constantly itching?

Any physical issue can be worked with, adapted to, or changed.

However, if you go into a relationship knowing that the dog has allergies, or walks with a limp because he’s had surgery after being hit by a car… you will not be unpleasantly surprised if the dog needs extra veterinary attention for health issues.

In case you are curious, my client’s pet rescue passed my initial physical evaluation with flying colors.

· When the puppy ran, he leapt, bounced and soared on all four paws. He was definitely sound on all four legs with nicely shaped paws.

· His chest was narrow which angled his front feet. However when his chest drops it should straighten out his front end. But most importantly, the angle of his front legs didn’t interfere with his movement in any way.

· The rescue group had already x-rayed his hips to see if he had hip dysplasia (he didn’t).

· He had no lumps, bruises, or sore spots on his body.

· His coat was clean, with no fleas or ticks.

· His eyes were clear and his hearing excellent.

Part 2 will discuss the second step which is to observe a dog’s interactions with other dogs.