Grey's Days

Back out ruuuuuuuuning!

2009-11-12T20:05:00.003Z

My wheel has been part mended so was able to get out back to our big running fields today. Was great for both of us. It didn't take much for both of us to blow away our cobwebs so to speak. I realised that when I've not been out on one of our big walks where he can run off some energy that I find I get quite down. Routine is great for both of us. Grey was ruuuuuuuuuuuning! Not surprisingly after 3 days of not.

Other than that, I've popped Grey on the flexi a few times to practise bits of recall and pootling about when he goes for a wee on the square.

In depth critique of Cesar Millan techniques

2009-11-11T14:18:00.004Z

From the earlier blog post from Boulder Dog, but in case you missed it, Dr Yin's indepth coverage including videos is really good at covering just how wrong much and behind the times as far as canine behaviour CM is.

We'd be appalled if we saw zoo animals treated like this.

Grey's fears

2009-11-11T11:36:00.002Z

Sometimes we have a bumpy few days to get through and my confidence can take a knock. Especially since being a first time dog owner, I don't know if I'm getting into something a bit bigger than I am. But then a word from wiser friends and usually the problem doesn't seem so unsurmountable after all.

Yesterday Grey had picked up a live seagull that was in the shallows of the sea and had carried it off down the beach away from me. I was running along shouting at him to drop it to no avail and was mortified at the sight of my dog carrying a dangling bird along the main sands. He didn't shake it or play with it, just carried it. He eventually dropped it and it went to peck him and he was startled and jumped back. I managed to get hold of him, and by this time I was in a state from running and shouting after him what seemed like the whole length of the bloody beach. The bird recovered itself and wandered off. At this point I was wondering what was the best thing to do. The bird had gone off out of reach and Grey was now on his headcollar. My wellies had a hole in them and I realised I was soaked up to my knees from running after him in the water. I was probably stressed by the fact that I realised I couldn't get the bird off of him until he dropped it and how would I manage to train him not to pick up a live bird that didn't fly?

Today I have to hit myself on the nose with a rolled up newspaper for taking Grey out for a wee on his lead without my clicker and treats. We went out into the green and a man appeared in a big black coat. Grey spotted him and fixed on him as he came closer. I tried to casually go the other way, but the man caught up with us and Grey reared on the lead and barked at him. I came home a bit bruised thinking the worst. That I have now got he makings of a people aggressive dog. But again, words from the wise remind me that I could have probably worked through this with my treats and clicker etc. And they're right. I know that if I had clicked and treated him like mad at that moment that he would have been fine. So this is now a training opportunity. We went back out an hour later and actively trained around the postie and his bike. (He thinks Grey is mental anyway. In a nice way, of course!) the sweeper and his bin, the drinker on the square with his cider. We even managed to calm down after the two canons went off for two minutes silence. We did some long line recalls which were amazing. My car is out of action at the moment and it's hard for me to get to an area where I can safely let Grey off for a big run. For the moment, I think Grey is going to get most of his food from hand in the form of training. This way we can do lots and lots of little trips out and work on positive rewards for managing himself outside.

We do have lots to work through. But we can do this.

What's wrong with Cesar Millan coming to the UK?

2009-11-11T00:15:00.001Z

I can't really put it better than Boulder Dog's blog really. Lots of links and info for deeper research into the whole area of out moded, and down right dangerous dominance theory. There is a campaign growing to stop the little man with the teeth preaching more dangerous techniques. But he is coming to the UK and no doubt we'll see more people in parks hissing and shushing at their dogs, poking them sharply, hanging them up by the neck and wrestling them to the ground in so called alpha rolls. Sigh.

The new life as the hotel dog

2009-11-10T23:59:00.002Z

We've been settling into a new routine since starting the B&B. It's winter, so no going out early before breakfast in the dark. I reckon in the summer it'll be up and out before anything when it will also be cooler. But coming into winter we've got a really short day to deal with. We pop out for lead walks first thing then back in for breakfast. Grey has to go in the lounge while we're cooking. Even if he was allowed in the kitchen he'd have to be in the lounge being such an ardent thief there's no way anyone would get any breakfast!

He did escape and pop into a journalist's room last week who thankfully loves dogs. He even got a sneaky sausage given him. Hope she counted her fingers after!

But so far it's gone ok. Ollie and Jay the coonies have more or less moved in next door on comfy sofas until we make the big move to their new home up north next week. We're really sad they will leave us, but they really need more freedom to roam than they can have here.

It was sunny enough for skinny dipping

2009-10-20T19:37:00.004+01:00

Last weekend all three of us went out for run around the field at the top of Botany Bay. Grey was enjoying the trip out with his favourite man about the house. But as we neared the opening at the top of the cliffs that you can climb down, he'd zoomed down and was sat in his usual style in the sea up to his neck. We whistled the naughty little bugger and hid in the grass at the top. He zoomed straight back up and had to start the search. So after a scan of the beach below, which looked very quiet, I decided to take Grey and his dad down to the sea because it was such a lovely day. We're not supposed to be taking Grey on the beach because of how mentalist it can make him sometimes. But with his dad being with us, it was easier to keep him interested.

I decided to throw stones out of his reach in the waster making sure he couldn't catch them and break his teeth. We had a superb time and the sun was so bright and lovely. Makes me realise what a lovely place this is to live.

Zak George

2009-10-10T23:35:00.002+01:00

Thanks to Clicker Solutions I checked out videos by Zak George a young dog trainging guy with a programme in the US. He's fuuuuuuuuun and great! Check it out.

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/zak-george-project/
http://blogs.discovery.com/zak_george/

A fantastic Day at Dog Communication Because Mutts Need Manners

2009-10-10T23:22:00.005+01:00

Grey and I went to Surrey today to attend a group run by the lovely Laura and Penel Dog Communication. Quite honestly, the bestest activity event that we've ever done. It was brilliant. Grey was a right monkey as usual, but he seemed (well to my untrained eye!) to learn to handle himself better by his second outing in the field with the teaching dogs. Basically, if he went OTT, the teaching dogs stepped in and told him off. The other dogs were amazing and it was a lovely atmosphere. I feel really lucky to have somewhere like that within easy reach of where we live. We're definitely going again. I'm really looking forward to seeing him learn how to handle himself more. Perhaps it will have a knock on effect for other areas. And I think it will help me too. It's a safe controlled environment. No worrying while out on walks.

They think he's been slow to mature. Sounds about right. That's what Helen Phillips said too and another behaviourist we saw. 30KG of puppy.

It was all going great and then not!

2009-10-08T19:08:00.002+01:00

Finally reporting back after missing the internet for a month. Grey and the coonie cats were making very good progress at living together. We managed to get Grey not to chase the cats, one cat to not run and at one point, we were all sat on the bed together more or less quiet. Not bad for the first two weeks. The coonies still growl at him and I think cuddles are a long way off yet. But still way way better than I'd feared we going through since moving house.

Grey and I have been practising more road walking on the flat collar. He's done really well. Lunging at vans etc has decreased 90%. Still has the odd one if he's really hyped about being out and for some reason switched on. But the fact that's he's manageable on a flat collar and I can walk him around is really great.

So tempering the good news are two incidents. One is that my other half now has a black eye after Grey bopped upwards while L was leaning over him on the square when we were locked out last week. It was a real smack and ouch. Poor L. Bad dog mum moment number one. Don't let people lean over the dog if you can't trust him to stay with all four paws on the ground.

Incident two is today we went out for a beach walk with two friends and their dogs who we've not seen for months. Grey was a awful. Really rude, rough and OTT with the lovely whippet dog the same age but a little younger than Grey. He had hold of him at one point and that is just not on. Pinning and having a jaws round another dog's neck is really really bad. He did improve by the end of the walk but lordie, it wasn't a good. So lots of work to do there with Mr Grey.

He definitely has a habit of behaving badly when other dogs are on the lead and also now I see if the dog is a bit smaller than him and especially it seems if we all out for a walk together rather than a quick meet and greet and move on. I'd been working of ways getting him not to run in to the other dogs. Having a retrieve trained in would be really handy at this point perhaps, because if I give him a toy at this point he would just parade around with it and then his recall goes to pot. I probably manage him when I'm on my own by playing the 'find it' game of blind retrieves, where he will bring it back to me and also come away from other dogs to do that. But if an object is thrown, he sees it differently and he runs off and parades and can become more of a tease. I hadn't realised that he would be so awful because I've not been doing linear walks with other people alongside. I'm still unsure how to manage those as he pulls so hard and I don't know how to stop and start and recue him back to me if I'm trying to keep up with people. Perhaps this is why I've avoided it as I find it hard to manage a 30kg pulling dog if I don't stop or change direction. I ended up popping him on the dogmatic today which I haven't had out for ages.

Oh Mr Grey. Never simple is it. He's now asleep under the table farting. Lovely.

We're back! Normal radio contact resumes

2009-09-23T13:48:00.003+01:00

Well, we're 80% finished with the house move and have opened a new business. Moved the cats into the bedroom, Grey into the open plan diner (help!) and the lounge and guests into our new b&b on the top floors. Picked Grey up from kennels yesterday. It's always so funny to see him after a break as I see him in a new shape everytime I see him like this. His eyes seem greyer, his beard funnier. I dunno.

He's been really good since he came back to the new house. I don't know if it's because I decided in my mind that he would have to be good! It's a lot more open plan than how we've been living in the previous house and sharing with friends and a baby. I managed to introduce him to the cats who he's been separated from and previously had been barking at when he heard them run in another room above. He was brilliant with the cats. Much more interested in their food of the food I had for him or their cat litter (yuck!). But it's all looking hopeful as I'd been quite stressed thinking how it was going to work out now I have a business to run so more doors shut so cats can't run into guest rooms. They're not too in love with Grey yet, but perhaps given time they'll settle. So far no chasing which is great.

Other news is that I tried him on his slip lead today as it was the only one I had to hand after the move. And he was fab on it. Managed to walk him round the old town across the main road and onto the Harbour Arm. Big yay on that one. Perhaps he's been at training school all week and not kennels after all!

Half a heart

2009-09-08T00:04:00.001+01:00

Grey is in kennels tonight and tomorrow while we continue to pack our house up and finish preparations to start the b&b next week. He was so pleased to go there today. Never seen him wag so much. Feels lonely without him though.

Recording training sessions for the ipod

2009-09-07T08:36:00.003+01:00

I really like this idea that came up via the Clicker Solutions list. Basically, recording training sessions into audio files that can be played on the ipod or similar mp3 player or phone. Great for training where behaviours are broken down into tiny tiny increments or also programmes of densensitization of reactive dogs where you literally move forwards a millimetre at a time. The protocol from Dr. Karen Overall in the link is something I will have a look at for Grey. Mmmm more reading.

Breaking down general handling and grooming

2009-09-07T08:16:00.004+01:00

Given the amount of stuff I've had to get off Grey's fur this last few weeks an article by Kathy Sdao jumped out at me while I was looking through her site last week. It's nothing that I shouldn't really ought to have been doing or that other people haven't said to me. But sometimes it takes a prod to remind you to do the more boring things. But actually these things aren't boring, they can literally save you a load of stress for you and your dog. You need to be able to do things when you need to do them.

Kathy's approach comes from training zoo animals to assist in their general everyday care. Given Grey's problems with his teeth and his hairy muzzle that acts like a magnet to spikey sticky buds, it's a good idea to work on these things every day. She recommends leaving out nail clippers etc so that you are reminded to integrate them into your daily training sessions every single day. Jean Donaldson refers to a similar protocol in her excellent book called 'Mine!' on guarding (body, location, food etc).

Grey had become increasingly nervous the last few weeks around his muzzle because of the seed issue. I had a few incidents where I'd tried to take him somewhere where there aren't the bloody things and still he found them. I worked a few days of getting him to look at the nail scissors and work up to him targetting them with his nose. Got him used to the sound of them opening and closing. Eventually he was better around them. In the meantime I stopped pushing on the issue and left him covered in the stuff while they dried up a bit and I could gently comb through.

Fluffy head + sticky seeds =

2009-09-04T09:14:00.002+01:00

Dispelling pack theory

2009-08-31T08:26:00.003+01:00

Kathy Sdao lists reasons to dispell pack relationship between humans and domestic dogs. It's amazing how you see behaviour with different eyes if you let go of this belief. I've had people chastise their dogs for telling off Grey who perhaps has been too boistrous and rude in his body language, when in fact their dog was doing the right thing and reminding the youngster to calm down.

Similarly, that there is no point in carrying out rituals of humans eating first or going first through holes in square pieces of would i.e. doors. Sure it can be convienient to have the dog wait but not that it's going to take over the house if it goes through a space ahead of you. Are guide dogs for the blind over dominant? How many times a day do you put something in your mouth to eat when the dog doesn't? Or how about if you give the dog a bone or chew to eat and you don't? Personally I don't think Grey remembers he's just eaten. I could give him another meal and he'd just go. Oh wow! food! There are countless times he eats in the day and I don't and vice versa. I can teach him not to snatch, steal (working on this one), but in essence I think a more accurate description of him of a giant scavenger than would be despotic king of the castle.

Why put more important on ignoring your dog when you get up in the morning or come home? Aren't there loads of times during the day when you ignore your dog? Like now, I'm on the laptop. I'm on the laptop a lot throughout the day. Grey has learnt this a cue for not much happening in the foreseeable future. Might as well lie down and snooze while mum is staring at the square thing on the table as she tends to stay there for at least 20 mins. On the otherhand, if she snaps the lid shut and stands up, then this could be interesting. So why factor in set periods when you have to ignore the dog on top of a daily routine? What does he or you learn from this? When I went to a puppy class last year with puppies as little as 12 weeks. We were instructed to ignore the pups every day in the morning for 2 weeks. This was from a so called positive training class. I thought this bad during the bonding period with young pups.

Here's Kathy Sdao's article on the topic: http://www.kathysdao.com/articles/Forget_About_Being_Alpha_in_Your_Pack.html

It's very hard to find trainers who don't still have these outmoded beliefs at their core. For this reason, I've ended up training alone and with friends for the last year. I'm simply not going to have someone wrestle my dog to the ground when I can teach him a sit. Or to have me actively ignore him when I need to give him feedback.

Some recent pictures

2009-08-27T22:42:00.002+01:00

Blackberries and learning

2009-08-27T02:08:00.002+01:00

I've been going blackberry picking with Grey this week and it was really interesting to see his behaviour. Two things came up. One that he learned how to pick blackberries. Previously I used to give him a blackberry and he never picked one for himself despite sniffing them. But when I was just picking for myself and ignoring him, he started picking off the lower branches and ate quite a lot. So I wondered do dogs learn at all from copying humans even though we have different tools? We have hands they pick from their mouths. Or is it just opportunistic?

Second he behaved differently while I was picking than he normally would in the same field that we would go to on a walk. Effectively I was ignoring him and stationary. He stayed very close and often was laying near me or just pottering close by. He didn't do a quarter of the free running he would have done normally. So different energy from me really affects him. Interesting. I'd already seen the week previously that one way to get him to bring an object back when playing fetch is if I sat down on the ground. He was much more likely to come to me than if I was standing.

We have a breakthrough!!!!!!

2009-08-27T01:56:00.004+01:00

While it's incredibly late, I thought I might as well write up some news that I've been meaning to post but haven't had the time since we're in the final stages of setting up the b&b. The big breakthrough is that I started doing scentwork on my own with the rabbit tug toy I bought him a while ago. The one he won't tug with outside. And now I know why. He totally loves scentwork and will give up most things to do it. This includes other dogs. This means he'll come away from most major distractions to search for his toy. And the second big change is that instead of parading around with the toy once he's found it like he used to, he brings it back and drops it at my feet or as good as near and he gets a click and a treat.

I can't tell you how happy this makes me. It completely changes the dynamic of our walk because he's much more connected to what I'm doing, has great recall and it's a total joy to see him working. Grey has never got the hang of retrieves as he was always so possessive. I know it's not perfect in many ways and some might say it's untidy to teach him early on to drop the object near me and not to deliver to hand. But to be honest after riding the rollercoaster that is managing young master Grey when out then this is too good a change to miss. So if we're going to do anything training or activity wise it looks like searching and scentwork is a goer.

He will even manage a downstay or sitstay while I walk away from him 20 paces to hide the object in long grass! Yaaaaay! I'm doing a mixture of air scenting and ground scenting. He can track back a long way now. He's also so much better on the lead on the way back to the car. We managed 24 paces doing the 300 peck heeling method.

He did get an eye injury from last week's scentwork training session with his brother. So that was a trip to the vets where they think he was poked inside the eye by something sharp. He's ok now though. Just wasn't too happy to have to have eye cream.

Comparing the brothers

2009-08-16T13:55:00.003+01:00

We had a really fun morning out in the rain last week. Yes! In the rain! We went along on a session to learn some basic tracking and searching near Whitstable with grey's brother and littermate Gunner. My goodness, how different they are in size. Gunner is a much much bigger dog in stature and height. He always has been and probably because he is still entire that this has possibly enhanced the difference. Grey was neutered at 12 months (remember his unexpected birthday present that he wasn't too keen on!)

The scentwork training was really up Grey's street. He was very enthusiastic about his own tasks and everyone elses too! My eardrums by the end were ringing as he generally barked the whole time. I guess you could call it drive! If we continue with it, he will hopefully learn to wait his turn and that there are things that aren't for him to do.

In other news we're still working on lead walking, lead walking, lead walking. He's currently rolling around lounging on the sofa after a busy morning out in the Old Town. I have to have one gripe. Why do people think it's ok to ride bikes down the pavement and especially if there are people with prams and right next to a big dog. It's really unfair. Grey has been spooked a number of times now and it's so annoying as it can really set a dog back. Get on the bloody road you people!

Sticky buds - aaargh!

2009-08-13T00:18:00.001+01:00

Monkeyface was covered all over his head and chest this morning with horrible sticky buds, or whatever they're called. Damn things.

Big improvements

2009-07-29T09:52:00.005+01:00

Realised today at breakfast how much the monkey has improved. Previously having food on the table would have had us in full on defence mode and he circled, sniffed and planned his attack. Today I realised how relaxed it was. He managed a lovely 'leave it' when I'd placed a dish of his food on the table in preparation to do a bit of training with him and I'd walked away. So, Mr Monkey, well done you!

We're working the L3 Go to Mat. Need to look at duration now as it's 1 minute. He can now go to mat and lie down in different locations.

This morning I practised his nail filing. Funny how it takes him a while to get started. Without doing a couple of hand touches he often just stares. After the touches he just seems to get it. The touch thing is what I'll often do if he gets stuck in training. Not sure if that is a bad thing or not. It seems to signify to him that he's in the game and off we go.

We also worked on 'stand' and 'sit up', where he comes back into a sit from a 'down'. The sit until released is coming along really nice too. I can now drop a handful of food in the kitchen floor and yesterday a piece of sausage in the park at 10ft from him without him moving until I give him the 'free' release cue.

Still struggling with LLW. He can loose lead walk up to a pile of food on the pavement. But without this obvious training cue, he's still boinging around on the lead like a young puppy. So still not able to go on linear walks into town. For the moment I'm doing little training walks and then the offlead training runs when we've gone out to a field in the car.

Video: Level 3 Go to Mat training - Session 4

2009-07-28T11:06:00.002+01:00

Working the down on the mat. Adding in playing tug as a reward.

Video: Level 3 Go to mat training - session 3

2009-07-28T10:53:00.003+01:00

Adding in the down on the mat.

Tuggy tuggy

2009-07-23T19:42:00.005+01:00

I got a new tuggy today. Was a bit smaller in size than I expected it, but after initial caution, he liked it. We played a bit in the kitchen with it and he got into it. But he's always quite into tug at home. It's outside he acts differently. At first when I whipped it out on our evening walk he almost forgot where we were and he started tugging on it. But then he quickly started refusing to touch it, clearly wanting me to throw it so he could have it. But nooooooo. Not that game! Then he got a little rougher trying to get it off me. But nooooo. Not that game, either! So then he got back into just refusing to look or touch it because he just wanted it and didn't want to play. So we'll carry on playing at home and in different places and see how we go.

At home I integrated it with the Go to Mat training as a reward and it did seem to pep him up to come back into the game to do more training.

It's a neat little tug and fits nicely in my pocket.

Video: L2 Go to mat training

2009-07-23T19:32:00.002+01:00

Level 2 - Go to Mat:

Dog goes to, gets on a mat, dog bed, hammock, or pause table from 5’ away, 2 cues only - two voice cues, or a voice cue and body language, etc.

Next sessions I'll work on moving the mat around different places. Thanks to Sue for giving the thumbs up and tips to move on.