Actually I WISH I had my dog's life. He plays, eats and sleeps. No bills, no job, no shaving, no washing dishes...
Ahem... Anyway, the recent discussion of canines in the sharing thread indicates we should have a thread for dog talk. It becomes a pain to pick out the dog posts in a thread as random as the sharing thread.
I will repost gypsygirl's recent comments here, as what she said is as good a way to kick the thread off as any.
Ahem... Anyway, the recent discussion of canines in the sharing thread indicates we should have a thread for dog talk. It becomes a pain to pick out the dog posts in a thread as random as the sharing thread.
I will repost gypsygirl's recent comments here, as what she said is as good a way to kick the thread off as any.
how fun! i love dog topics. iand i'll throw in my two cents about my experience with training since this is the top
@ chickswithsticks: actually, one of the hardest things for people to take on board (in my opinion) with getting dogs under control is that we routinely apply our own system of management, logic and priorities to our dogs and think they are the same. while it's important for your dog to know any commands, such as "no" or "stay", in my experience, it's not a lack of understanding that prevents behavior. it's the fact that a lot of dogs, especially dogs with strong, more dominant personalities don't see you as their "leader". dogs that routinely ignore generally see you as their inferior in their own "internal org chart".
why is this? well, dogs have very clear ideas of what establishes them as a leader, and they usually aren't things we consider as their usurping leadership, but just good management. i could list a lot of these, but this would really add to the length of the post.
i've trained a LOT of animals, mostly dogs and horses, and what is almost universally the most effective way of re-establishing your role is through the use of food. for dogs, it's absolutely the biggest opportunity. in fact, one thing i am almost religious about is how i feed my dogs. most people throw the food down and the dog eats at will. this sort of puts you in lower, service role. here's my suggestion:
1. don't feed your dog before or during your meal time. never ever ever feed your dog from your plate. if you ever give them human food, make sure it's in the dog's bowl and not during your meal time.
2. when feeding, tell your dog to sit and stay. pour the food in the bowl (first) then begin to put it on the floor or whatever you use. invariably, the dog. will start to get up and stick its head in. take the bowl away as soon as they start to get up. the goal is for the dog to sit and stay even while you're placing the food. once they are able to do that, then you give them your release command. mine is, "ok, mangia!" but you ONLY say that after they've been sitting and staying, rather than in perpetual motion.
the first time you do this, it will take a few minutes, but it won't take all that long. why? because you have FOOD in your hands. i have taught dogs to sit and stay for dinner in under 5 minutes MANY, MANY times. just keep at it.
why is this such an effective thing? in the pack world, it's the leaders who provide access to the food. but only when they are finished and full. it's always on the terms on the pack leaders. i have watched this subtle change actually create massive shift in a dog.
i don't care how many times you yell "no" or poke your dog, if they don't recognize you as the "boss of them" it will be as unimportant to them as it would be the president of any company taking orders from the night janitor. until your dog sees you as the leader, you ARE the night janitor. : )
now, some dogs are more submissive in personality and this org chart settles pretty easily--this is absolutely true of my current doggie, chloe. but some dogs, and some breeds are more important that you follow and utilize the necessary steps to establish your home's org chart. for example, my last dog mya was an akita, and one of those dogs that was a massive behavioral problem in previous home, and in pretty short order was an ideal dog, because i didn't abuse any of those rules that give dogs mixed messages. at her old house, she was the president and everyone worked for her. it's all very sensible.
oh one more thing: the maintenance is always necessary, because the org chart is a very fluid item in the dog world. which is good news for those who are being "led" by their dog, and bad news, in that there is always some maintenance. that is why the "food routine" is the best way i know to help maintain that balance.
finally, even good dogs will be bad if they don't get enough exercise. dogs need to be out and walking. not just running around in your backyard. they need to explore, smell, and walk, especially those active ones.
p.s. since this was kind of unsolicited, if you're interested in more info, please let me know. : ) i'll be happy to share more.
and now, my beloved mya
@ chickswithsticks: actually, one of the hardest things for people to take on board (in my opinion) with getting dogs under control is that we routinely apply our own system of management, logic and priorities to our dogs and think they are the same. while it's important for your dog to know any commands, such as "no" or "stay", in my experience, it's not a lack of understanding that prevents behavior. it's the fact that a lot of dogs, especially dogs with strong, more dominant personalities don't see you as their "leader". dogs that routinely ignore generally see you as their inferior in their own "internal org chart".
why is this? well, dogs have very clear ideas of what establishes them as a leader, and they usually aren't things we consider as their usurping leadership, but just good management. i could list a lot of these, but this would really add to the length of the post.
i've trained a LOT of animals, mostly dogs and horses, and what is almost universally the most effective way of re-establishing your role is through the use of food. for dogs, it's absolutely the biggest opportunity. in fact, one thing i am almost religious about is how i feed my dogs. most people throw the food down and the dog eats at will. this sort of puts you in lower, service role. here's my suggestion:
1. don't feed your dog before or during your meal time. never ever ever feed your dog from your plate. if you ever give them human food, make sure it's in the dog's bowl and not during your meal time.
2. when feeding, tell your dog to sit and stay. pour the food in the bowl (first) then begin to put it on the floor or whatever you use. invariably, the dog. will start to get up and stick its head in. take the bowl away as soon as they start to get up. the goal is for the dog to sit and stay even while you're placing the food. once they are able to do that, then you give them your release command. mine is, "ok, mangia!" but you ONLY say that after they've been sitting and staying, rather than in perpetual motion.
the first time you do this, it will take a few minutes, but it won't take all that long. why? because you have FOOD in your hands. i have taught dogs to sit and stay for dinner in under 5 minutes MANY, MANY times. just keep at it.
why is this such an effective thing? in the pack world, it's the leaders who provide access to the food. but only when they are finished and full. it's always on the terms on the pack leaders. i have watched this subtle change actually create massive shift in a dog.
i don't care how many times you yell "no" or poke your dog, if they don't recognize you as the "boss of them" it will be as unimportant to them as it would be the president of any company taking orders from the night janitor. until your dog sees you as the leader, you ARE the night janitor. : )
now, some dogs are more submissive in personality and this org chart settles pretty easily--this is absolutely true of my current doggie, chloe. but some dogs, and some breeds are more important that you follow and utilize the necessary steps to establish your home's org chart. for example, my last dog mya was an akita, and one of those dogs that was a massive behavioral problem in previous home, and in pretty short order was an ideal dog, because i didn't abuse any of those rules that give dogs mixed messages. at her old house, she was the president and everyone worked for her. it's all very sensible.
oh one more thing: the maintenance is always necessary, because the org chart is a very fluid item in the dog world. which is good news for those who are being "led" by their dog, and bad news, in that there is always some maintenance. that is why the "food routine" is the best way i know to help maintain that balance.
finally, even good dogs will be bad if they don't get enough exercise. dogs need to be out and walking. not just running around in your backyard. they need to explore, smell, and walk, especially those active ones.
p.s. since this was kind of unsolicited, if you're interested in more info, please let me know. : ) i'll be happy to share more.
and now, my beloved mya
