Tales to Wag About has moved

The blog has moved!
It made more sense to have the blog integrated with Wags' website, rather than blog and website in different locations - so please find the new blog here. 
Hope to see you there! I've just updated the blog with images from this photo shoot...

Wags' Puppy Drop-in for the summer of 2013

A lot of people have a hard time making a several-week long commitment for training during the summer months. People travel and go away on vacation, host guests etc etc. 
It's understandable that a long training class would be put to the side in favor of Summer, we all want to enjoy time for camping, travel and other things. 

The Great News is that for the Summer months, we're switching our schedule to meet the many needs of Summer: Wags' Puppy Foundation Skills class will operate as a Drop-in program. We'll work on basic skills, manners, answer questions, do confidence building exercises, puppy play-time, do leash work and Recall. We will incorporate themes for the summer: how do you teach your puppy to settle at your feet by the campfire? How to keep your puppy from destroying your camper van? Is it a good idea to tether your puppy outside at your campground?

Puppy Summer Program will be fun and very useful stuff to both you and your puppy!
Your puppy must be less than 20 weeks old.

You need to do nothing else than get in touch prior to the first time you would like to come - there are a few health requirements that all puppies need to meet, I want to send you info about where to come and what to bring: and I would like to know that you are coming. 

No 6-week commitment needed! 
A full list of Tuesday drop-in dates will be published to the website shortly. 

Now that's good news for all the busy-bees who love their summer freedom?! Bring your friends and come and do some drop-in training!

Tommy

Meet Tommy - the Awesome and Very Handsome 9+ week old English Bulldog puppy. He`s recently enrolled in Wags`Puppy Foundation skills class. I talked about him in a blog post just a few days back.
Yesterday I had the great honour to do a photo shoot with him. What a cute Dude! 
Here are just a couple of shots of Tommy. Enjoy.

You are his life, his love, his leader...

 "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

    - Unknown

It's a beautiful quote, the one above. It came to me as I was deciding to post these images and looking for words to go along with them. What do you say beside images that already tell such a story of connection?

I adore seeing connection between people and their dogs. It's a a true gift - that goes both ways.
And isn't that ultimately what dog training is all about? Developing and strengthening the relationship, finding ways to connect, deepening the bond, making ourselves "worthy" of our dogs and multiplying the reasons to connect and Be Together. That's always been the idea behind the training we do at Wags.

It doesn't have to be elaborate or complex - sometimes the reasons for training and developing skills can be pretty simple and every-day. At the end of the day - It's the Journey that matters - perhaps not so much the destination... It's a good thing to ponder and be thinking about: "What's in Your Journey?"

Working with Reactive Dogs

I was intrigued already the first time I heard about BAT - Behaviour Adjustment Training for reactive/ and leash aggressive dogs. It was about 3 and some years ago. BAT is a relatively new method that has taken off in just the last few years. It was developed by US-trainer Grisha Stewart  (formerly located in Seattle - recently relocated to Alaska...) and the hype about BAT went fast around the globe after 2009 when she first started spreading word about it in the dog training world...for more; check out the official Functional Rewards site.

While many of the concepts within BAT are not new at all - I personally felt that BAT added a very nice and fresh, new spin on working with these - often "difficult" dogs. What I have felt from the very first get-go and my own trials and experiments with putting BAT into practice, has been that it is based on a lovely premise of "can do" - as opposed to the many techniques out there, that may look great in books and on paper but are not very doable and practical in real life. And my experience as a trainer is very much that if *I* find something complex and not very doable - certainly my clients will not be very successful implementing that program into their lives! But, as mentioned - BAT is different, and stands on a strong idea of DOABLE - and I love BAT for that!

My own journey into learning more about BAT and starting to really use it began through watching video seminars and reading the BAT book and articles - and then experimenting with my own dog Pinot, who definitely is extremely space sensitive and has the potential to be quite reactive in certain situations. She was my initial guinea pig. I sure liked what I saw and experienced first-hand! That lead to setting up BAT trials in private sessions and pairing people in semi-privates to work on BAT concepts in pairs. I kept feeling impressed that these ideas are ones that everyone "gets" - not just the handlers  but also the dogs, who were happy to work under threshold, without explosions - as long as we just set things up for success! How lovely! 

Last winter and spring I started a Pilot Project and had an "Official Guinea Pig Group" and through several months gained some really valuable insight into logistics of a BAT group and how I might best implement a BAT class. And voila! This is where we are today. 

No one loves it when the their dog explodes and goes into big displays of often embarrassing behaviours (embarrassing to the owners). After a BAT session - the most common scenario is that everyone feels empowered after a full session of working with several different dogs - yet no (or extremely few) explosions or overt displays of leash aggression. 

Here are a few photos from yesterday. Yey for the troopers who came out in the snow! It was a very snowy (and gorgeous) afternoon. Fantastic training with all the dogs! I`ve had a lot of new people ask about BAT and how it works - so this is an attempt to explain a bit more  through pictures...

These first two images give a little snap-shot of what BAT is all about. In the above photo Chief T is assessing another dog/ looking ahead. In contrast to many other training methods that encourage the handler to always cue the dog to look AWAY from whatever is "scary" or "threatening", BAT allows and even encourages the dog to make this assessment and look at the other dogs. 

Because we make our very, very best effort to always work the dogs under threshold (perhaps playing with distance a lot initially and starting the work as far away from other dogs as need be) - we can very quickly get to a point where you will allow the dog to make this assessment of the other dog and then WAIT for a choice from your dog to offer some other - more socially appropriate behaviour, something other than reacting. That's what's going on in the photo below; he`s done assessing and has made a choice other than reacting. Look at Chief T - isn't that just gorgeous and elegant?! A choice he made on his own - without prompt or cue. It's truly elegant to watch this process in real time!

We also incorporate some other skills into the BAT sessions once the dogs are ready for that - below playing a variation of "Monkey in the middle" where one dog is holding a sit next to their handler while the other dogs provide distractions in their movement and passing / coming and going. Great skills to develop and build regardless of whether dogs are reactive or not :-) 

 Working on politely passing one another / no lunging here! Great training :-)

Below, Casey (to the right) has just made a lovely choice to offer a polite signal and she is being rewarded with increased distance and a happy dance in reverse giving her SPACE from the other dog (and praise) and the main reward for making that lovely choice.

At its best, watching a BAT session is about as "exciting"as this -it`s pretty calm and the dogs look relaxed enough that you would have the right to say "Well, THOSE dogs are not reactive".  And that`s part of the point. Practicing what we want to see more of! 

Sometimes people have this idea that in order to be able to help with reactivity or leash aggression, we must see those behaviours in the training sessions. Not so! In fact - on the contrary! A reacting dog is not a thinking and learning dog - but these dogs are. Well below threshold and able to think and learn - we`re definitely starting to see and hear great reports from the BATters who have been coming out to a few sessions now!

If you`re interested in learning more or a local wanting to join in Canmore and Banff area - you can get more info about Wags` BAT sessions here. Or fill in the contact form and ask about our outdoor BAT sessions! Would love to hear from you!


On that note - and until next time; Chief T wants to have the last word and say GIMME FIVE! 

Suzanne Clothier is coming back to Calgary in April 2013

Registrations are open and Early Bird Fees are in effect until February 1st 2013. Wags unlimited is Proud to be hosting Suzanne Clothier again as she is coming back to do another seminar for us April 13-14, 2013. (Held at Sit Happens! in Calgary, Alberta)
This will be a fantastic weekend for anyone interested in taking their dog-reading ability to the next level. Full registration info can be found here.

Saturday April 13th 9am-5pm: Observation Skills
A day of Exercises that build observation skills for appreciating & entering the "umwelt" (an animal's perception of its world), reading body language on a detailed and whole body basis. These skills will focus on the dog's sensory input, external body language, understanding breathing, use of space, orientation, geometry, tension & more.  With this information, you will improve your observation skills; learn how to really see instead of just looking, and how to watch fine and subtle details from the dogs. 

Sunday April 14th 9am - 5pm: Arousal, Brakes and Steering.
Do you struggle with a dog who seems to be part rocket and part rock-head? Is your dog is ready to conquer his next title? Or does he worry about the dog next door?  Do you wish you knew how to keep your dog in the Think & Learn zone?  Wonder how your dog can tell you when things are “just right” or beginning to be “not so good”? Wonder how to keep the drive and enthusiasm but also have some brakes and steering? (*pls see demo dog info blow)

Many dog owners and all trainers struggle with the wide range of training and behavior issues that have their origin in arousal, sensory stimulation and reactivity. Whether you’re an owner of one of these dogs, an old pro or a new trainer, you and your dog will benefit from Suzanne Clothier’s  approach to understanding arousal, reactivity, behavior and performance, how dogs think & learn (or don’t!) when aroused, perfect performance vs. perfect train wreck, and how to help your dog be the best they can be. Her Relationship Centered Approach is sensible, humane and effective. Topics covered are, for example:  The physiology of arousal (understanding ANS (sympathetic, parasympathetic & enteric), chronic stress & the damage it can do, productive & non-productive arousal, fear & anxiety & their effects on learning.

The Elemental Questions (tm) The dog and his world, Sensory input & sensory sorting

The Think & Learn zone (tm) (why your dog needs to be in this zone, how to see when he’s leaving the zone & how to get him back, understanding the Stimulus Gradient)

What the dog can tell you (how observable behaviors reflect physiological changes, the power of volitional posture shifts)

Putting it all together (Promoting, provoking or preventing – handler contributions, Being the best handler & team-mate for your dog)

 “Say Hi 1-2-3 Greetings” / dog-dog greetings will also be covered during this day. (*)

Saturday Evening Lecture 7-9.30pm: 
From Maddening to Maturity: Understanding & Helping the Adolescent Dog

Do you wonder where your once wonderful puppy went? And why has he turned into a sometimes maddening, unpredictable, maybe even out of control adolescent? Relax – you’re not alone. “Teenage” dogs are everywhere, and sometimes, driving their owners crazy. For many dog owners, the 2-3 year long period of adolescence is problematic. Sadly, a majority of dogs are no longer with their original owners by time they are 1 year old.

This evening lecture will help you better understand what adolescence means for your dog, for you, and for your relationship. Even with a great start in puppyhood – classes, socialization, play dates, training – many dogs hit adolescence and become frustrating, unruly.

While puzzling to many owners, this is a natural progression.

• Did you know that adolescence begins around 20 weeks of age?

• That a year old dog is roughly the equivalent of a 14 year human?

• That adulthood in the dog begins at 2-4 years of age?

• That the most annoying teenage dogs are usually geniuses?

The lecture will help you

• understand why angels pups become annoying adolescents

• recognize the warning signs that you need to make changes

• how to use effective, humane RCT techniques to rebalance the relationship

• avoid raising a “trust fund baby”

• guide your dog safely through teenage years into marvelous maturity!

When you understand your adolescent dog better, you can settle into the work and joys of helping them grow into a wonderful adult dog. The kind of adult dog that makes people say, “Oh, I wish I had a dog like that!” while you smile and wonder if they knew him as a teenager.

Don`t Miss the Early Bird! GO TO THE REGISTRATION INFO NOW

Where is YOUR next puppy coming from?

So – where do dogs come from? And what difference does it make where YOUR next dog comes from?

Let me start this tale by saying that this IS a huge topic and I am in no way speaking against adoptions or trying to belittle the work shelters and rescue groups do with dogs and puppies. What I am hoping to do with this blog post is to offer a different point of view and discuss the BIGGER picture, and hopefully offer some food for thought on a topic I believe should be discussed more. 

Why does it matter WHERE your next puppy comes from?

Over the last two summers my own view on puppy raising and rearing has changed pretty much completely. The bar of what’s possible, what actually can be accomplished and what difference it makes for that individual dog AND subsequently for his people!! has been lifted to a new height, which honestly, I didn’t really know was possible!

Over two summers I have had the amazing privilege of watching Catherine Thomas: a great dog trainer and dear friend raise three litters of puppies.  I say “watch” albeit sadly from afar and mostly though use of emails, internet, photos, video and phone calls.  Through her Email updates, photos and video it is obvious that these puppies have gotten to grow up in an unusually rich and stimulating environment, daily small challenges in their environment have been presented right from the time they started moving about, and the confidence and athleticism of these young dogs has been evident, really since the day they started to really explore and motor around. It was mind-boggling to see a video taken at age 4 weeks; the puppies were demonstrating REMARKABLE athleticism and proprioception!

The early socialization and exposure she provided has been second to none and beyond the daily walks on her own property, they ALL receive individual training and solo time with her learning about the Human Language (this was started as small groups away from Momma, then in pairs and finally the pups are getting solo attention with a human!!!) Beyond all of this, of course there were visitors of all ages and sizes – as well as puppies meeting friendly adult dogs. Further, their routines  included daily field trips to new, safe locations –yes, I said daily (!) – which took place from about week six.

This is a typical set-up in a Wags Puppy Foundation Skills class.
We play around a lot with "stuff" but ideally a puppy should be
exposed to navigating things like this, long before they are old
enough to be in a Puppy Program!

What an unbelievable start!

She told me many times, that when in conversation with “breeders” about just how much time she is devoting to these youngsters -- I say “breeder” in quotations, as contrast to her, who is not actually a breeder (maybe yet??) but more so a Phenomenal Trainer who has taken on raising a few litters; the “breeders” have replied by saying “Oh it`s great what you are doing, but I don’t have time for that. I just can`t do that!”

Yet, shouldn`t doing exactly that be part of the deal, when breeding dogs? To do the very, very best by any standard, and to keep raising the bar to see what`s possible? To share with future puppy owners just WHAT a big difference it makes when the young ones have had a start like this?! Because the difference will be evident to anyone who has been around puppies a few times…these guys are athletic, bold, brave, confident, resilient and pretty well unflappable! The individual attention and training will mean that she also knows these puppies inside out as individual beings and can do a most phenomenal job of matching the right prospective owner with the best fit from the litter of puppies.  The future owners (all in place already by the time the puppies are motoring around!) have had a chance to watch them grow up, read the daily accounts of what they`ve been up to and can see and share in the joy of personalities develop over video clips. What a true blessing and what peace of mind for everyone!

But back to Reality and the Sad fact, that the large majority of puppies have a start that is nothing like that.

I still hear a LOT of accounts of people making a quick Sunday visit to pick up a puppy from a breeder who they are actually not very familiar with at all. In some situations people may not even really know what to ask breeders and don’t know how to identify the Great ones and what sets them apart from the "so-so" ones or even how to spot potential red flags. In a few cases the prospective puppy buyers might suspect the quality of breeding program is not the best, but go and see the litter anyway and when a puppy is offered on the spot – they are unable to walk away. Many puppies that come to my puppy classes are also purchased over the internet, where a seller does little more than post a few adorable puppy photos to an unsuspecting buyer. The buyer does little to verify the circumstances or check background - just pays a fee and might meet the breeder to pick up the new puppy at a "neutral location". Yikes!

A few months back, a puppy in my puppy class stayed after class each week for extra problem solving help as it was obvious this puppy was just a bit “more puppy” than the owner was prepared for.  It quickly became evident that the puppy came from a-more-than-questionable background and the “breeders” had actually raised puppies in a very small, non-stimulating and tight environment that promoted competition and fighting, and while they admitted they had seen it as a bit of a problem in this particular litter, they did nothing about trying to resolve it – but rather stated “this is how we have always raised puppies and we’ve actually never heard complaints before” (Gee, isn’t THAT scary – “the breeder” doesn`t even stay in touch long enough after the puppy is sold to see how things are going??)

In this particular case, I actually advised the owner to call the “breeder” back and ask them what their take-back ”Warranty” was. I honestly felt that the breeder was completely irresponsible and needed to be held accountable for this puppy`s very difficult behaviors.  But of course, as suspected, there was no gesture toward being of assistance and granted: no offer to take the difficult puppy back! And how horrible, their justification was that that they thought it should be OK because they weren’t  “real breeders” and had stated “we only have a couple of litters per year”!

Does that somehow justify poor breeding and really bad puppy raising practises?

So, with this particular puppy – obviously the owner did call the breeder back on my encouragement, but found out that the breeder would never take a puppy back after its sold  - the new owner resigned as if inflated and just said OK, well, maybe better with me than with someone else?

Of course, one way of looking at this is saying that this is a noble and a very heartwarming way of thinking. BUT on the other hand – if we, as puppy buyers (read “consumers”..because in effect that is what we are when we buy a puppy) if we never start to demand a change and insist that breeders either do a better job raising their puppies – OR insist that they take a problematic puppy or dog back – or start to ONLY SEEK THE EXCELLENT ONES OUT -- we will also never change the whole pet overpopulation and sheltering dilemma.  Right? It`s all part of a VERY BIG puzzle and I really believe breeding practises should be considered in the whole big “adopt from shelters” debate, too! Maybe there is a way to educate people and affect chance BEFORE we have the shelter problem?

Let`s say, we could get word out there to EVERYONE who is in the market for a puppy, and plead and ask that they go in with strict criteria looking for the best of breeders, settling for nothing less: maybe then and only then can we affect change and start to slow down the production of the sadly and badly bred and raised dogs who end up becoming shelter-dogs later in their lives (many due to behavior problems that started already in the litter!).  

If you strip the emotion out of it, it becomes a business of market and demand. There should be no more demand for pet store puppies, for internet sales or puppy mill puppies or poorly raised puppies only bred for an easy dollar - because we should want QUALITY: a sound puppy raised in the best of circumstances: a puppy raised in a RICH, healthy and physically safe but challenging environment with lots of early experiences and exposure. What you buy,  DOES make a difference!  When  buying from someone, you support the way they handle their dogs and how they go about their breeding program!

Another Puppy Foundation skills lesson with
odd surfaces to become familiar with.

"Novel" experiences should already have been introduced on so many
different levels in the litter, that by the time a puppy reaches class-age,
a well-raised and exposed puppy is pretty well familiar with it all!
and have a "Been there, done that!" kind of attitude :-)

I do believe that in the Big Picture, we have to really start looking at the breeding of dogs/ where they come from in the first place. IT`s NOT that breeding dogs is bad or that breeders are bad – it is that there are MASSIVE differences and we need to get better at highlighting and supporting the Best ones who care for the overall welfare of dogs/ and we need to educate people to stop supporting questionable breeding practises and instead Walk Away. If we could eliminate support for poor breeding practises and only go to the best of the best for breeders, we would be one step ahead!

PLEASE help affect change!!! I do believe we can all make a difference in just openly talking about this!!!

The easiest way to “know” who a breeder might be, is of course to do your homework well ahead of time. Establish a relationship and get to know who your breeder is! Meet them, talk dogs, meet their other dogs! Or at very least: email - chat on the phone/ communicate and get references (=meet other dogs they have bred!) do what you can to find out who they are and tell them who You are, too! 

It's not a good idea to go looking at a litter or a puppy (from someone who sells a puppy like a loaf of bread on the whim), hoping to be able to walk away and say “No, Thank you” if you see behaviors or things that raise concern. A lot of people are not cut out for that. That's why it's important to be prepared ahead of time and KNOW who the breeder is and exactly what they do with their puppies! Know the parents of the litter, too! Ideally you would have time to meet several breeders and litters of dogs so that you can start to identify things you like/dislike and things you want to prioritize!

Realize that it will TAKE TIME to find a breeder you are going to be happy with! Good  breeders also mostly work from waiting lists, don`t sell puppies on the spot but have established relationships with people and will breed when they know they have buyers.

Don`t forget  the option of turning to a dog trainer BEFORE you have your puppy or dog!  You can get great help with “matching” and trying to find the very best match for YOUR life and desires….whether you are looking for a puppy or an older dog. I think a great service can be done by dog trainers as the connecting hand between “I  want a dog, now what?” to actually finding a good match, whether in defining breed, breed type or helping to select the actual dog!

And just a small final note: RED FLAG NUMBER ONE…if you interview a breeder who says that they do not take a puppy back after he or she is sold: RUN AWAY!! A great breeder will ALWAYS take a puppy of their breeding back. No matter at what age. ALWAYS! The answer to THAT question alone will tell you a massive amount about the breeder! Are they truly interested in the welfare of their animals, or are they just interested in a few easy dollars?? IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK!!!
You only need to briefly consider the implications this answer has on SHELTERS, too to see just HOW important this question is to ask! Don't compromise on this one!




Must add as a final footnote that John Rogerson, one of the leading behaviorists of the world speaks a great deal to this subject matter. The thinking that I have done is really a product of hearing him on this big topic. He has come up with some really unique ideas and concepts as to how shelters, trainers, rescues, and dog people of the world could "unite" in an effort to expose the bad and uplift the good of breeders to put pressure, globally, on better, higher quality, more ethical breeding and higher standards of raising of puppies. Two of the important points being, it starts with the realization that:
a) not all puppies are created equal - they are NOT blank slates
and
b) when we, as puppy buyers support one breeder over another (whether by going directly to a breeder, Internet Purchase or buying through a Pet Store; consider what breeding and raising practices you are thus supporting and ensuring will be repeated.