Having a well-trained dog takes a lot of work but it certainly doesn't mean spending all day, every day in training sessions (you and your dog will hate this). It seems like what a lot of people aren't aware of is that while you're not having training sessions all day, you're still "training" your dog every time you interact.
That means, if you don't want your dog to jump up to say hi, you never acknowledge the jumping up. If you want your dog to sit politely before you set his food down, you wait for him to do it, every single time. If you don't want your dog getting on the couch, he doesn't, period. There's no "sometimes it's okay." All of that is still considered training.
As for specific training sessions, just a few minutes at a time is all you need...unless you're a training nut like me and you get so obsessed that all of a sudden your 10 minute session turns into 45 minutes. My dogs love it (as do I), so that's okay.
I would say, no matter your method or philosophy, being consistent is the key and the only way your training will be successful.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Yep, I'm a stalker
So this week we've been in Missoula for a work meeting. As we were leaving today, we decided to stop at this city park to let the dogs out for some pottying and water. Then I realized, the couple I adopted Milo to was in this neighborhood. I said, "Let's go find Milo!!!"
Surprisingly, I somehow managed to find the house. I went to their house once, a year ago and I have not come back to this neighborhood again. This was shocking. Seriously, I get lost trying to find my way out of parking lots sometimes. Anyway, we had driven into the alleyway behind their house and WE SAW MILO!!!
He was sitting in the yard, watching us as we drove up. I looked straight at him and he was watching me. B said he must recognize me. I thought he wanted to bark at me. But he didn't, and just sat there quietly watching us. I should have rolled down my window and called out his name (not sure if they kept his name or not). He's really a beautiful dog. Sometimes I'm sorry we didn't adopt him.
I couldn't really tell if he recognized my car and our smells at least. I guess he did spend quite a bit of time in my car. When I've pulled into daycare sometimes, I hear Clyde start barking as soon as I drive in. He knows the sound of my car and what that means. Pretty neat. So I kind of wonder whether Milo remembered. It was so long ago though. I wish I had taken a picture. But that would have been even more creepy x10.
I hope Milo is happy and enjoying his life. I have no idea if anyone was home. There was another dog in the yard with him. I certainly hope he doesn't just stay outside in the yard all the time...oh he probably doesn't. I feel lucky I was able to see him. I think it's a good sign at least. I know they didn't just dump him somewhere else and the fact that they are still living there is good too. I'm pretty sure he is with an awesome couple.
Thinking back on it, I really do feel my training helped a lot in finding this couple to adopt him. If he had been completely unruly when the guy first met him, maybe that would have turned him away. I can't know that, but I'm sure it didn't hurt that Milo was very mellow and well-behaved when he first met them. Shame on whomever dumped Milo and his sister at the truck stop in Idaho. They could not have known the potential they both have.
I would love to foster again but that might just be a little too much dog right now... :(
Surprisingly, I somehow managed to find the house. I went to their house once, a year ago and I have not come back to this neighborhood again. This was shocking. Seriously, I get lost trying to find my way out of parking lots sometimes. Anyway, we had driven into the alleyway behind their house and WE SAW MILO!!!
He was sitting in the yard, watching us as we drove up. I looked straight at him and he was watching me. B said he must recognize me. I thought he wanted to bark at me. But he didn't, and just sat there quietly watching us. I should have rolled down my window and called out his name (not sure if they kept his name or not). He's really a beautiful dog. Sometimes I'm sorry we didn't adopt him.
I couldn't really tell if he recognized my car and our smells at least. I guess he did spend quite a bit of time in my car. When I've pulled into daycare sometimes, I hear Clyde start barking as soon as I drive in. He knows the sound of my car and what that means. Pretty neat. So I kind of wonder whether Milo remembered. It was so long ago though. I wish I had taken a picture. But that would have been even more creepy x10.
I hope Milo is happy and enjoying his life. I have no idea if anyone was home. There was another dog in the yard with him. I certainly hope he doesn't just stay outside in the yard all the time...oh he probably doesn't. I feel lucky I was able to see him. I think it's a good sign at least. I know they didn't just dump him somewhere else and the fact that they are still living there is good too. I'm pretty sure he is with an awesome couple.
Thinking back on it, I really do feel my training helped a lot in finding this couple to adopt him. If he had been completely unruly when the guy first met him, maybe that would have turned him away. I can't know that, but I'm sure it didn't hurt that Milo was very mellow and well-behaved when he first met them. Shame on whomever dumped Milo and his sister at the truck stop in Idaho. They could not have known the potential they both have.
I would love to foster again but that might just be a little too much dog right now... :(
Monday, March 18, 2013
When a dog is too "smart"...
I'll admit, I can't say I've ever really understood what some people meant when they talk about how some dogs are too smart for their owners. I'm sure a lot of them are and can be, but what did that mean exactly?
I think I finally get it.
First of all, what I've noticed about Clyde is that sometimes he only needs to do something once or twice and he gets it. You give him one, he'll take two and if you don't realize it, he's going with it from then on.
So let's think back to his bad habit of scratching at the back door to be let in. I would like to say, he's stopped, for the most part. I did comment that I didn't know what would happen if we left him sitting there too long. I figured he would try to scratch again. Which, he did, does and will, if he feels he's been waiting too long.
Everything's been cool, not too bad, he hasn't really been scratching. Then one evening, I hear him scratch again, almost as soon as he got to the door. What? He hadn't been doing that. I ignored him and waited a bit for him to get up, come back and sit again. Then I got up and opened the door for him.
Over the next week or so, I began realizing that Clyde almost never scratched at the door during the day, when it was just me at home (I ignore any scratching). But in the evening, when B was home, he would come straight to the door and jump up and scratch! What was up with that??
One morning, I heard him scratch at the door and moments later, I heard B open the door to let him in. I realized what was probably happening. I'm assuming in one incident, Clyde was waiting particularly long and decided to scratch. B, probably almost immediately, walked straight to the door and stood there (we have a glass door Clyde can see through). Clyde, in response to B standing at the door, sat down and got let in.
To re-iterate, Clyde picks things up right away. I'm assuming this happened a second time, where B responded to his scratches by instantly appearing at the door, Clyde sits, and gets let in. I'm not sure how many times B did this before I realized what was happening and told him to stop, but we did go through another short period where Clyde would come to the door and scratch a bunch of times before giving up (again, this only happened when B was around).
I can see how this would be a perfect example of why so many dogs (like Clyde) get turned into the shelters because their owners don't understand why their dogs are doing the "bad" things they do. One might think that since Clyde sits as soon as B appears at the door, that he knows he should be sitting at the door and is just scratching to be a brat. But I think what Clyde was actually thinking was that he needed to scratch the door so that B would come to the door and see him sit.
I think he's really stuck on thinking that we need to see him sit for the door to be opened, as opposed to just sitting to make us appear and open the door. Sometimes, he'll just stand and stare at the door for awhile (without scratching). A lot of times, it's not until he sees that I'm watching before he'll respond by sitting.
That all being said, sometimes when he's being really hyper in the yard, I swear he gets great pleasure from running full speed to the back door, launching himself up and thumping his feet on it. The little twerp.
I think I finally get it.
First of all, what I've noticed about Clyde is that sometimes he only needs to do something once or twice and he gets it. You give him one, he'll take two and if you don't realize it, he's going with it from then on.
So let's think back to his bad habit of scratching at the back door to be let in. I would like to say, he's stopped, for the most part. I did comment that I didn't know what would happen if we left him sitting there too long. I figured he would try to scratch again. Which, he did, does and will, if he feels he's been waiting too long.
Everything's been cool, not too bad, he hasn't really been scratching. Then one evening, I hear him scratch again, almost as soon as he got to the door. What? He hadn't been doing that. I ignored him and waited a bit for him to get up, come back and sit again. Then I got up and opened the door for him.
Over the next week or so, I began realizing that Clyde almost never scratched at the door during the day, when it was just me at home (I ignore any scratching). But in the evening, when B was home, he would come straight to the door and jump up and scratch! What was up with that??
One morning, I heard him scratch at the door and moments later, I heard B open the door to let him in. I realized what was probably happening. I'm assuming in one incident, Clyde was waiting particularly long and decided to scratch. B, probably almost immediately, walked straight to the door and stood there (we have a glass door Clyde can see through). Clyde, in response to B standing at the door, sat down and got let in.
To re-iterate, Clyde picks things up right away. I'm assuming this happened a second time, where B responded to his scratches by instantly appearing at the door, Clyde sits, and gets let in. I'm not sure how many times B did this before I realized what was happening and told him to stop, but we did go through another short period where Clyde would come to the door and scratch a bunch of times before giving up (again, this only happened when B was around).
I can see how this would be a perfect example of why so many dogs (like Clyde) get turned into the shelters because their owners don't understand why their dogs are doing the "bad" things they do. One might think that since Clyde sits as soon as B appears at the door, that he knows he should be sitting at the door and is just scratching to be a brat. But I think what Clyde was actually thinking was that he needed to scratch the door so that B would come to the door and see him sit.
I think he's really stuck on thinking that we need to see him sit for the door to be opened, as opposed to just sitting to make us appear and open the door. Sometimes, he'll just stand and stare at the door for awhile (without scratching). A lot of times, it's not until he sees that I'm watching before he'll respond by sitting.
That all being said, sometimes when he's being really hyper in the yard, I swear he gets great pleasure from running full speed to the back door, launching himself up and thumping his feet on it. The little twerp.
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