Advice on Choosing a Dog (for my "non-dog-crazy" friends)

Often I feel like I'm in the strange position of living in/between 2 worlds.  Let's call those worlds they "crazy dog" world and the "normal" world.  This post is not for my "crazy dog" friends - you'll know all this stuff.  This post is for my "normal" friends who decide they want a dog.  In case I don't talk to you before you take the plunge, please keep these things in mind before you get a dog:


DO NOT GET A DOG FROM A PET STORE.  
These dogs invariably come from a puppy mill somewhere (no reputable breeder would sell their dogs to a pet store) - meaning that dogs from a pet store are sending money to people who treat dogs like a cash crop, not like thinking, feeling beings.

FIGURE OUT WHAT TRAITS you want a dog to have.

Things like size, energy level, amount of training needed, how much grooming required, friendliness (to dogs and humans), protectiveness, and energy level (did I mention that already?) all really matter.  Think about what you want in a dog before you choose a dog.

BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR ANSWERS to the traits above.  

If you're not honest with yourself, you're asking for trouble.  E.g., a high energy dog means you'll have to exercise them a lot if both of you are to remain sane.  A dog may be really cute, but if it's not a good fit, both you and the dog will be miserable.

DO BREED RESEARCH. 

Find breeds that fit with the traits you're looking for.

There are a number of "dog breed selector" tools online that can help you narrow things down.  I also found a dog breed comparison chart online that I think is good.  Both of these can help you narrow down and/or compare breeds.

When you've narrowed it down to a handful of breeds do even more research to find out what the breeds are like to live with.  I'd start at the American Kennel Club breed index  and the breed club websites (just search for the breed name and "club" to get started).  What do they say about what it's like to live with this breed?  Go to some breeder websites.  What do they say?  Make sure your life fits with what the dog requires.

And YES, this matters even if you're getting a dog from a shelter.  Learning about breed traits means  you'll have an idea of what breeds/mixes you can live with - and those that you can't - when you're looking at a dog in the shelter.

FIND THE RIGHT BREEDER. 

If you're not getting a dog from a shelter or breed rescue, you want to find a great breeder.  This breeder will ask you as many (or more) questions than you ask them.  They will make you sign a contract, and provide references.  They'll check your references.  They will health test their breeding animals to try and minimize health problems prevalent in the breed. Their puppies will be part of their family.

BE WILLING TO WAIT.  

The right puppy from the right breeder may not be available right away.  This goes for shelter or rescue dogs, too.  Wait for the right dog to come along, one that really fits your lifestyle.

TRUST THE BREEDER TO CHOOSE FOR YOU.  

Breeders get to know the puppies they have, and put a lot of thought into which homes they place which puppies.  You may think one dog is the cutest, but that one may not be the best fit for you.  Trust that they want to match the right dogs with the right homes.  After all, they want both you and their canine babies to be happy together for as long as possible.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

It may take a long time to find the right dog, but be patient and enjoy the journey.  Your new dog will be part of your family (if you're lucky) for a long time, but a time that's always too short.  So enjoy it all!

Patricia McConnell seminar: Shy / Bold

The Patricia McConnell seminar on Canine Behavior today was great.  I learned a ton, and I barely learned anything.  There's so much to learn, and an increasing amount of research being done in the area of canine behavior & cognition. 

I highly recommend attending one of Patricia's seminars, and won't go into a summary of 8+ hours of material (you're welcome).  As a Cardigan owner, and a performance person, one thing that really engaged my interest was the section of the seminar about shyness and boldness. 

Research has show that the shyness or boldness is easy to pass on (a preponent trait), and it's hard to breed out of a genetic pool.  Patricia explained that dogs basically inherit some space on the shy <-> bold continuum.  They inherit a small piece of in that range, if you will.

Socialization and environment can help determine where w/in the interhited range the dog ultimately lands, but these things can't change the dog's space on the continuum.  A shy dog can be made less shy, but will never be bold.  And, shyness or boldness a dog has is very stable over time.  So what the dog's like as a puppy is likely to hold true throughout its life.

I also found it interesting that shyness can be about social situations and/or the external world.  I had never thought of it this way.  I just figured that a shy dog is a shy dog; a bold dog is a bold dog - no matter what.  Thinking about it differently makes a lot of sense to me, though. 

Maggie is a great example that made this information "real" for me.  Maggie is shy around strangers.  I worked my a$s off to socailize Maggie around humans.  For a long time, every human who met or petted Maggie gave her a treat.  In fact, that's still true most of the time.  This helped her progress, but never far enough that she really likes strangers. 

At one point, when Maggie was about 3 years old, I expressed frustration to my obedience instructor.  How come I work so hard at socialization with humans, and still Maggie doesn't like to be petted by others.  My instructor said, "Well, she's not a Golden Retriever, she's doing her best."  Good reality check for a newbie.  Maggie made it to the point that she doesn't hide around new people - but there's really only about 10 people she really likes. She also made it far enough to never lose a point on the stand for exam in Novice obedience, and tolerate the more "hands-on" exam in Utility obedience practice.

Though she's shy around people, Maggie is quite bold in the environment.  She's not phased by new places, loud noises, etc.  Which is probably why she made it so far in Rally, Obedience & Agility.

Another bit of research shared relates to how shy/bold impacts a dog's success in performance success.  A study in 2002 showed that the best predictor of success in high-level performance events is boldness.  It makes a lot of sense, and is a good thing to know when looking for a perfomance dog.  Now I know something to pay particular attention to in puppy testing. 

Oh, and I'm just happy that Rip is a bold boy.  But yikes, now I've got no excuse...

Madison and Maggie

This picture has nothing to do with this post.

But I wanted to add a picture and this one of Ziggy makes me smile.

And shouldn't the weekend start with a smile?!

Madison

I'm here this weekend for the Patricia McConnell and Ken Ramirez Seminar.  I am very much looking forward to learning more about dog behavior and how to be a better dog trainer.  Hopefully the Trio will appreciate what I learn.

I'll post a few insights tomorrow night.


Maggie

I decided to add pages to my blog.  One for each dog, and one for Wagmore.  I've got Maggie's page up and running if you're interested in learning more about the wise old brindle girl.


P.S.  Maggie and I actually lived in Madison for a short time. We both liked it here (great dog parks!).

Rip and the Seminar

As I mentioned in my previous posts on the Laura Romanik Seminar, I took Rip along with me, and had a working spot.  I'm not sure the working spot was great with a green dog, but taking Rip to the seminar was well worth it, as we both learned some important lessons:

Black Dogs are SCARY!!

The first day, we met a couple of new breeds of dog.  Rip was scared of one of these breeds....  The dreaded Newfoundland!

Rip says not to let this innocent face fool you.

The Newfie is a big mountain of a dog 

and it must be thoroughly and vigorously barked at.

There were two Newfies at the Seminar.  The first day Rip did a LOT of alert barking at them.  Even after going up to meet one of the dogs, he still continued to bark.  Not fun.

One of the women I was chatting with mentioned that some dogs don't like black dogs because their expressions are harder to read.  Maybe that's true -- it helps explain Rip's dislike of Gordon Setters, too.

On the second day Rip only did a bit of barking.  On the third day there was no barking at all.  We also got to meet a black Flatcoated Retreiver, and a black Field Spaniel.  On one of the breaks, 2 Newfies, the flatcoat, the field spaniel, and a dobie were all doing stays in the ring.  I made sure Rip got a good and keep-it-positive-aren't-black-dogs-nice look at that scene.  So from a black-dog socialization standpoint, the weekend was great.

No More Playing

While Rip learned that black dogs aren't so scary, I learned that I have been too indulgent with Rip.  I let Rip meet-and-greet-and-play with a few dogs on the first day.  He's a happy, friendly boy, so what's the harm?

I soon realized the harm, as Rip became FIXATED on the dogs he played with.  For the rest of the weekend he would stare at these dogs.  If they got close, he was desperate in his attempts to get to them. Not mean aggression.  Just play drive gone wrong.

This was an "ah-ha" moment for me.  Rip no longer gets free play time with other dogs when we're in a show or practice situation.  I was allowing this to keep him socialized.  I think I overcompensated a bit after Maggie (who in her younger years was not a fan of other dogs) and Denzil (who has some stranger-dog issues when on leash).  In an attempt to make sure Rip didn't have trouble, I'm afraid I've overcompensated a bit.  Time to change the rules and insist on good manners first.

Learning to be Quiet in a Crate

Taking Rip to the seminar, and having him in the hotel with me -- just the two of us -- was also good practice for the life of a performance/show dog.  He got to spend quiet time in his crate during the day (he still needs a sheet over the crate so that he stays quiet).  I got to reinforce coming nicely out of the crate.  We got to practice resting in a crate, coming out, warming up briefly, and getting right to work.

Rip also got to learn more about hotels.  Since it was his first solo-dog hotel trip, I didn't leave him alone in the room for more than 1/2 hour total.  But it was good for him to get used to the sights, sounds, and smells of a hotel.  I also learned that Rip barks a few times when I leave, but then quiets down (whew).  I had a room on the ground floor so I left the room, went outside, and stood by the window for a while to wait for the barking to stop.

Hotel Perks

This is the life!

Why do the CATS get the bed at home?!?

Rip also learned that being a bed dog is fun.  He tried unsuccessfully to jump up a couple of times (it was a tall bed), so I thought, "what the heck?" and I put the ottoman near the bed so Rip had stairs.  Needless to say the naughty boy loved sleeping with me on the bed.  Next time I'm brining an extra sheet to put over the duvet.  I used some extra towels I had with me to create a sleeping spot on the bed, but - as the picture shows - Rip ignored those completely.

All told -- scary black dogs and restless bed-sharing- dog considered -- Rip and I had a nice weekend.

Laura Romanik Obedience Seminar: Days Two and Three

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent last weekend learning more about competitive obedience from Laura Romanik, one of the most successful competitors in the country.

Days 2 & 3 of the seminar were about how Laura trains her dogs for the exercises needed in competitive obedience.  I appreciated Laura's approach to the exercises, and how she talked about them.  The approach was very methodical and logical.

Of all the seminars I've been to (and if you read this blog, you know I've been to more than a few), this one would be GREAT for someone who's just getting started in competitive obedience.  Her approach to training is easy to understand, and should be (I hope) easy to implement and remember.

That doesn't mean the seminar isn't good for more seasoned trainers and competitors.  A few of my friends (who've shown a lot more than me) went to the seminar as well, and came away with many new insights.

I won't summarize the whole two days, but below are some of the things that provided "ah-ha!" moments for me:

There are 11 basic skills that need to be really solid to succeed in AKC obedience.  If these skills are week, or the foundation isn't strong, somewhere along the way trouble is likely to surface.  The skills are:  down, sit, stand, heel, stay, come, front, jump, fetch, go out, and scent.

• I appreciated this way of thinking about the skills.  Lately I've been in a "so much to train, so little time" state - so my training approach has been a little scattered.  Thinking of it this way should help me focus a bit.

A better way to think about Stay

• Laura talked about the "3 D's" of the stay:  Duration, Distance, Distractions.  When she trains, she adds in the Distance last.  
• I appreciate this insight, as I am having trouble with "Stay" for Rip.  The wild man (surprise! surprise!) just doesn't see the point.   
• Focusing on duration and distraction before moving away will give me a good place to start, as I need to go back to the beginning here.
• Laura also trains the sit stay first - as this is a good default behavior to have for obedience.

When to cue

• Timing of cues is important for a dog's learning.
• When adding a cue to a behavior, add the "unknown cue" just before giving the "known cue."   For example, if a dog has been lured into a down with a treat, and you want to put it on a verbal cue - say "down" then lure into the down.
• This thinking makes a lot of sense to me, and I've got to say I've never really thought about it before.

The Seminar Overall

• One of the things I like the most of Laura's training techniques is that they are very thoughtful and intentional.  Like the timing of the cue mentioned above, she's really thought through how she trains dogs.  It's logical and it makes a lot of sense.  I'm working to bring this thoughtfulness into my training.
• Laura is also a very observant dog trainer, and was able to provide good feedback to the handlers, alerting them of things they were doing to cause the problems they were having.  She would be a great person to take individual lessons from.  Too bad she lives so far from Iowa...
• I had a working spot, and Laura does a nice job of managing the number of people on the floor, etc.  I don't know if it was quite worth the extra $$ for a working spot with a very green dog.  The folks who had challenges that they were working through seemed to get much more out of it.
• I recommend Laura Romanik's seminar if you're ever able to attend one. 

Laura Romanik Obedience Seminar: Day One

This past weekend I spent 3 days learning more about competitive obedience at a Laura Romanik seminar. Laura is one of the top obedience competitors in the country, and campaigned her dog Flare to Obedience Dog of the Year in 2009.

Training Philosophy

The first day of the seminar was lecture only - no dogs working.  Laura explained her training philosophy including how she builds the confidence, fluency, and motivation needed to succeed in the obedience ring.  She talked about the background behind how she teaches, conditions, and proofs.  Unlike many other seminars, she also talked about the how and why of corrections to help dogs improve their performance.

I've got to say that I was a bit worried about sitting through 8 hours of lecture on obedience theory, but Laura did a great job keeping things interesting and engaging.  Even though I was jet-lagged (I arrived home from Germany the afternoon before), I had no trouble staying awake!

Some key take-aways for me:

• In the teaching phase, when the dog is learning a skill, you want the dog to be successful most of the time.  Keep things positive so the dog likes each exercise, and thinks they're fun.  This fun foundation is needed for long-term success.

• Dogs need mental stamina for obedience.  Some of this stamina can be built through work.  Some of it just comes with age.  This was a big one for me.  With a bright dog, it's hard not to push and expect too much too soon.  With Rip I need to be very mindful of this.  I don't want to ruin the game for him.

• Remain upbeat even if you have to correct your dog.  A dog making a mistake means that they're learning.  Anger or frustration only makes things unpleasant for the dog (and who likes to work if it's unpleasant?).  

• Something I've been doing right is taking Rip to fun matches (obedience practice shows) since he was a pup.  Even though he does very few (if any) "formal" exercises, we go in the ring, do some heeling and play, play, play.  I want Rip to think being alone in a ring with a judge is FUN.  I should have done more of this with Ziggy....

The thing I appreciated most about the "philosophy" day is that it provided an opportunity to learn about many of the things that make for successful obedience training and performance.  This type of insight is based on Laura's years of experience and success, and is hard to learn/find out.  It's the stuff that folks just forget they know and had to learn when they were new to the sport.

I'll talk about the 2 training days in another post.

AKC Canine Health Foundation Breeder's Symposium

Last weekend I traveled to Ames, Iowa (Iowa State University) for the AKC Canine Health Foundation Breeder's Symposium.

You may wondering what I was doing there...  Don't I know that all of my Cardis are spayed or neutered?

This is true - I'm not a breeder, nor do I intend to become one (hopefully those aren't famous last words).  So why did I go?

I went because they had a great line-up of speakers and topics, most of them useful even for "civilians" like me.

I attended on Saturday only (I needed at least one weekend day at home), but would have liked to attend both days.

Saturday topics were:

  -  How Structure Affects Performance (by Pat Hastings)

  -  Breeding Options & Techniques (ISU Vet School Faculty)

  -  Hips, Elbows & Orthopedic Certifications (ISU Vet School Faculty)

  -  Canine Ophthalmology & CERF (ISU Vet School Faculty)

  -  Managing Genetic Disease (ISU Vet School Faculty)

  -  Dog Food Basics (Ohio Vet School Faculty)

  -  Vaccine and Vaccination Protocols (ISU Vet School Faculty)

What really attracted me was the keynote address by Pat Hastings - I am keen to learn more about the topic she addressed.  Her 1.5 hour talk gave me just a taste of topic, and the desire to learn more.  BTW - she has a book on the topic coming out later this summer.  

The other topics were great, too.  I find it very interesting to listen to folks who dedicate their lives to the research & practice around a topic speak on their area of expertise.  Excepting one of the ISU vets who had to leave early, all of them stayed for the weekend, and were more than willing to chat with the symposium attendees outside of the presentation.  Also, the most of the vets were breeders or dedicated dog people themselves which made the discussion particularly relevant.

Top 3 things I learned:

  -  Many things "depend on the dog" - type of food to feed, vaccination protocols, etc.  should be tailored to the dog and its environment.  

  -  The area of canine genetics is very exciting right now - with advances in the past couple of years (e.g., mapping the canine genome) have made finding answers easier (but still not easy)

  -  Genetic conditions can be "complex" - it may be a combination of genes at play or genes  plus environment - that lead to some conditions - which makes the puzzle harder to put together

After one day of the seminar and conversations with my fellow attendees (it's always fun when one can start an hour long conversation with the phrase, "so what breed do you have?"), I have an expanded respect for those of you who choose to breed dogs.  So many variables, so much to learn, so much potential heartbreak.  Wow - I don't know how you do it!!  But thanks for doing it!

For those of you who might be interested, the Canine Health Foundation is offering two more of these events this year - one in Olympia, WA, (Aug 28) and one in Athens, GA (Sept 11).  The fees to attend are reasonable, and - if it's anything like the one in Iowa - you'll walk away with lots of great information, and lots of handouts/goodies, too!

Private Lesson & Ziggy diagnosis

I rode and trained horses for 18 years.  One of my favorite riding instructors used to talk about "stuck spots."  Stuck spots are times when what you're doing just isn't working.  Stuck spots are times to try something new - something that will get you to where you want to go.  (Otherwise you're stuck in the "doing the same thing, but expecting a different result" cycle).

I was/am in a stuck spot with Ziggy, and had been for a while now.  He was a great, attentive, quick-to learn puppy, but when I started to put some "pressure" on him to perform,  the problems began.  I recognize that I am in a stuck spot, but unfortunately I didn't have the training tools in my toolbox to get me out.  That's what I was hoping my private with Celeste Meade would help with, and it did.

The lesson started with me doing a bit of work with Ziggy.  "Pretend that you've just rented the ring to work your dog.  And try to pretend that I'm not here" were the instructions I was given.  Of course I was nervous, and not so good at the "pretend I'm not here" part.  After a few minutes of me working with Ziggy, Celeste stopped me to discuss what she just saw. 

The highlights of what she saw:  

* Ziggy has no attention at all, and only pays attention when I'm moving.

* After I am done giving Ziggy his treat,  and when I'm praising him, he puts his head down, and looks away as if I'm not there.

* Ziggy ignores me when I call his name.

* These things are my fault as a dog trainer.

Basically, Ziggy and I have a good social relationship, but no working relationship.  

That was really hard for me to hear, and not because it's not true.  All of this is true, and I absolutely take ownership of getting us here (I am the trainer in this situation, and I can't blame the dog for being who he is).  It made me feel emotional because I've been frustrated for months and just didn't know what to do.  I have a strong working relationship with Maggie & Denzil, so I know what "good" is - and I knew Z & I weren't in synch.

The great thing is that the lesson provided me with some things I can do, and games I can play,  to help Ziggy become more attentive and care more about my touch and praise in a "work" setting.  No more flipping me the paw and ignoring the person who loves him, houses him, feeds him, and takes care of his other needs.

I've rambled on for a while already, so I'll post some of the things I'm working on tomorrow.

Celeste Meade: Day 2

So much to learn! My brain is full. I was frantically trying to take notes between exercises, but I'm sure I missed 1/2 of it. Sigh.

Today we worked on more games to build attention, attitude & confidence. We were working on some more advanced things today, which pushed Ziggy a little. He stuck with me, though, and learned some new things - including a more solid stand stay and the beginning of the moving stand.

In the afternoon, I worked with Maggie. I took Ziggy out for the first afternoon exercise, and he laid down, frogged out, and fell asleep. I'm a girl who can take a hint (especially one THAT obvious) so I pulled Maggie out for the next exercise. She was a very good girl, despite her uncoordinated handler, and she did a nice job on an exercise meant to build attention when the handler is walking away.

After the seminar today, the 3 of us went for a hike at a nearby state park. After 2 days in crates, and 2 nights in a hotel room, I figured it was time to get back to nature. Good for the dogs, and good for me, too. The problem is the corgis took "back to nature" a bit too literally.

As I've mentioned before, Maggie loves to roll. Ziggy, as her "mini-me," has learned from the Mistress of Stink. Both of them did quite lot of rolling on walk, and ended up smelling like raccoon poop. Locked in a hotel room with these 2.... Well, life with dogs IS special. I walked to a SuperTarget and bought some pet cleaning wipes. Now they smell likely flowery, slightly less pungent raccoon poop. Jealous?

Tomorrow I have a private lesson. I'm hoping it will help me pull some of the ideas I learned over the weekend into an actionable plan that will help me, Maggie & Ziggy.

Celeste Meade: Day 1

Oh, perhaps I should mention - for those of you who don't know - Celeste Meade is one of the top obedience competitors and trainers in the US. She believes in positive, hands-on training, and focuses on control and drive. Her training motto is "Attitude is Everything."

I've got to say - I really like what I've heard so far. As you know, I'm trying hard to find a way to have a relationship with Ziggy like the one I have with Maggie. I think that Celeste's training philosophies will help. I also believe that what I learn here will help further build my relationship with Maggie.

Today we worked on some things to keep our dogs "up" between exercises, with the focus on us and fun. To get the dog thinking "Why would I WANT to be anywhere but with my mom?"

Ziggy did pretty well. He was a bit overwhelmed when we did things with all the dogs playing/active at the same time. He did very nicely, though, on the exercises that he did alone, and the ones that weren't quite so "crazy" with all dogs doing stuff at the same time.

Maggie was a wonderful girl - she waited very patiently while her brother worked, and was an absolute star when I worked with her at lunch time. I love that girl.

As an aside - those of you who saw my brace performance in obedience will appreciate this - who did I sit next to at the seminar? One of the obedience trial judges from Topeka! She is a very nice woman, and a very accomplished trainer, who happens to belong to the club hosting the seminar. I mentioned to her that I showed under her at the Cardigan Nationals. Then I told her who I was by admitting to my brace run (she was the one who judged Ziggy & Denzil - gasp!). She laughed and mentioned how much she likes to judge Specialties and how few Cardigans she normally sees at Obedience trials.

Anyway - I'm looking forward to tomorrow and Monday. Time to take the dogs out one last time and go to bed!
a

Packing light is overrated

I am not a fan of packing (or unpacking) and I think packing light is only to be done if absolutely necessary. This weekend I have the minivan to myself and only 2 dogs, so there's no packing light. Woo hoo!

A picture of what we took with us (except the 3 hard sided crates) is below. Ziggy decided to inspect everything before I put it in the van. Either that or he was trying to find the bag with the food in it. I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt, and believe that he was checking our bags for any dangerous substances before we travelled. His next job just might be with the TSA.





Pete (aka The Husband) asked me exactly how many crates I was taking. The answer: 6.

That may seem a bit overboard, but I really think will result in a lot of saved time. Here's how it works:

* In the van: 2 wire crates for travel (too heavy to lug around)

* At the clinic site: 2 soft sided crates that will stay there all weekend (no need to pack them up & take them with me every night because I have 4 more!)

* And, finally, in our hotel room: 2 crates. The soft sided crate is for Maggie (she's a GOOD girl in her crate. All the time.) The hard sided crate is for Ziggy. He's not such a good boy in his crate in a hotel. At the National Specialty I came back from dinner one night to find him roaming around the room. He dug & chewed his way through a high-quality soft crate. It's now out for repairs, and has been replaced by the crate seen on the right in the picture below:




Maggie, Ziggy & I just spent a few hours in the car, but now we're safely in our hotel room, ready to get a good rest so we're in our best form for the clinic tomorrow.

A fun weekend - Ziggy beware!

Since I'm not showing any of the dogs this summer, I'm using my dog show "allowance" to go to clinics, take private lessons, etc.

This weekend should be a new adventure.  I managed to secure a working spot at Celeste Meade's seminar this weekend, so Ziggy, Maggie & I are off to have some fun and learn, learn, learn!  My plan is to work with Ziggy, but I'm bringing Maggie along just in case.  In case of what, I'm not sure, but she's a more reliable worker than Ziggy, and you just never know....  

Do any of you have any "I wish I'd known this before I had a working spot at a clinic" tips for me?