All posts in category puppy training

Christmas and Dogs

I love the Christmas season, like many people. There’s friends and parties, foods and warming scents, candles and trees, snow and hot chocolate for some. But the hustle and bustle can be hard on our dogs, especially the sensitive or shy ones.

Your time spent socializing the dog during the year gets put to the test, for sure. If you know your pup has some issues, then you can expect the stress to make this time of year extra tough for them.

There’s usually three things going on around Christmas in a dog’s perspective: a higher excitement levels, higher amounts of unusual human activities, and often, lower amounts of exercise as our time is crunched by a big to-do list.

We humans may know why we have that sense of anticipation, but our dogs don’t realize Christmas is in a few weeks. They just know we are excited, maybe we are anxious, and anticipating something. They get excited too, they just don’t know why. And their ability to contain emotional intensity is lower than ours. In short, they’re looking for what it is we seem to be anticipating for weeks on end.

Most of us don’t usually have family and friends showing up so very often as during the holidays. More people, more goings on, the routine is altered. There’s all these sparkly decorations around, and rich, enticing foods being cooked. Noises and scents, visual simulus spike during the holidays. Then there’s the social interactions with people, some of it wanted and perhaps some of it not.

Alot of us get really busy, really frazzled, really tired, too. The holiday stuff is added on top of already busy schedules. Add to that winter’s worsening weather, and it becomes harder to take the walk or go out to play with the dog when all you want is to curl up for a nap.

What you’ve got is a recipe for a seriously over-stimulated and underexercised pup! That means a normally calm dog might forget their manners and jump up to greet someone. Or a shy dog gets anxious and spooked by kids running about the house. Or an excitable dog becomes hard to control and destructive.

The single most important thing to tone down the stress on your dog is exercise: they’ve got to have somewhere to burn off the building excitement. Before you scold the dog for misbehaving, consider if he or she is just too wound up to control themselves anymore. Give them a chance to run and play, to have some fun with you, perhaps even more than usual so they can cope with all the goings on.

Exercise releases a whole bunch of beneficial chemicals in our brains and theirs too. It’s also good for you to put down the must-do list, and enjoy yourself for awhile.

3 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on November 23, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in anxiety, Great Danes, puppy training

Tagged anxiety, dog behavior, dogs and Christmas, great dane exercise, overstimulated, puppy exercise, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on November 23, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/christmas-and-dogs/

Still Grateful…by Lisa Harmon

Having taken up the November Challenge, ie picking one thing to be grateful for every day, I’ve been thinking about my past dogs and what they’ve made me thankful for.

6 November Thank-you

Each of my dogs have been individuals, to say the least. There is no one-size-fits-all, with my dogs anyway. Each dog, like each person, had their own ways of learning, their own feelings and motivations. They have given me the motivation to realize I must take each dog and each person as they are, learning how to interact with them, not just as 2 different species but 2 different beings.

There are underlying principles at work: reward based training and encouragement brings out the best in a dog, or witholding some desired treat or toy as a reinforcement that I really don’t want them to do that.

But for each of my dogs, what treat or toy motivated them was not the same for all, nor did I need to be as heavy on the positive and encouraging with some as I did others.

Shabah, he was my very sweet and sensitive teddy bear pup. He needed a great deal of encouragement and reward to get over his shyness as much as he did. And his best of all time rewards? Garlic bread and sweet-n-sour chinese.

Kid you not, he would pass up bacon for sweet-n-sour chicken! He never let you pass a favorite store he like to go in, either. He had mapped in his head, and would begin to show excitement when you turned on the road to petsmart.

7 November Thank you

Having hoped for the candidate that lost, and fearing the future if the other guy won, I was facing both fear and disappointment that day. A crippling migraine didn’t take long to form, either, and landed me in urgent care. Twice. After the second shot, I was finally able to lay down without worsening the pain and nausea. I found myself grateful for just being able to lay down and sleep.

There are many basics we take for granted. Though I wouldn’t prefer to have migraines, the upside is becoming very aware of and grateful for the basics. I had a bed to lay down in yesterday, and though the cost of getting medical treatment will strain this month’s budget, I was actually able to pay for it. There are many people who cannot, many who do not have a bed in a warm home.

Perhaps I won’t have the money for my own health treatments in the future, depending on what happens with policies affecting our economy, but I had it this day. If hard times get harder, being disabled has taught me how to “find a way”, to figure out what helps me, and find alternatives. I’ll get by.

8 November Thank you

With a day to become philosophical… I’m remember all the times I’ve faced fear and disappointment in the past. How many times did those hard times make me wiser and stronger? There are also many who cannot afford the costs of unexpected illness in their big Dane buds.

I remember acutely the costs of caring for my sickly Danes, and I’m glad that many vets are willing to work with you, realizing the sticker shock of treatments for big dogs. Depsite the sorrow I felt, I’m grateful that I had the means to help them when they needed it. It’s also a good thing that my sickly Danes taught me so much about canine health and genetics; how to both prevent various problems, as well as to recognize the onset early.

My sickly Danes taught me alot about how to keep my other Danes healthier, and longer. They gave me a discerning eye about a bag of food, a bottle of medicine, or games to play with a dog on bed rest that kept them mentally stimulated and happier. So yeah, I’m grateful for a whole lot of things, even when I’m not feeling good. It takes the edge off the not good!

13 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on November 8, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in anxiety, Great Danes, puppy training

Tagged anxiety, disability, dog behavior, gratefulness, Great Danes, optimism, veterinary care

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on November 8, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/still-grateful-by-lisa-harmon/

Puppy Aptitude Testing: Sensitivity

The first section of most puppy aptitude tests are concerned with how sociable and accepting their personality is. The second part of the testing is about discovering how sensitive a pup is: can the pup cope with the equipment and environs they will be in as a working dog. It’s usually called “obedience skills” but it would seem more explainatory to a layperson to call it “general sensitivity”.

A dogs ability to tune out background noise, or adjust to a different setting is very important for one reason–if they are disturbed by noises or rattled by an unexpected object, they will lose their focus on their tasks.

A pup with sound phobias cannot easily learn when those noises are present, or work well if they get distracted too easily. It’s not likely they’ll encounter a real “monster” like poor Scooby here, but a dog that spooks alot will be stressed out and struggle with public settings.

To test how bombproof a pup is, most PAT use things like a toe-pinch or some mild pinching in a sensitive spot. The test doesn’t hurt a puppy, it merely gets to gauge how long it takes to get the pup to respond.

Pinching between the toes, while gradually increasing pressure (no nails!) and counting to ten is the usual technique. Some will pinch the skin or ear. The idea is finding out is this puppy “body sensitive”. A body sensitive puppy is not what you want for a working dog. Given the inevitable being messed with by the public or wearing of equipment an assistance dog needs, anyway.

It is very rare for a puppy not to respond by pulling away the foot or moving to stop the pinching. A good response time is 5 or 6 seconds of tolerating, then the pup rather nonchalantly taking their foot back. It’s ideal if they then return to wanting to play with you or getting attention from you. A puppy that yelps or shies away from you for it is likely going to be a body sensitive guy or gal, as that is a rather strong reaction.

I’ve found that some pups that pull away at 3 or 4 seconds aren’t so sensitive that they won’t be able to adjust to such things, if the handler takes the time to get them conditioned to accept unwanted handling or harnesses/packs on their body. A pup may start out a little sensitive and become conditioned to it. But a strong reaction by a puppy is a red flag.

One of the main problems I have had with my past dogs is sound senstivity. A pup that has had the benefit of exposure to noise during that 3-6 week old window of fearless acceptance will be much more laid back.

This is little Pixie, a 6 wk old candidate of a friend of mine. Sweet Pixie has had her aptitude test and passed with flying colors! She’s being well raised, and I know my friend will be a great home for further socializing, and training for this darling little girl.

However, other puppies that has never left the home, or not had the benefit of good socializing, and sound sensitizing to non-domestic sounds introduced via CD will have to be introduced to startling and loud noises during the 8 wk old fear period, which is less than ideal.

Usually the tests will bang a metal pan, or drop a broom handle and the like. The point is to make a loud sound the puppy has not encountered, to see will the pup startle a little or a lot, then if they recover themselves and become curious about the sound.

A real freak out by a puppy indicates they are going to be either very timid if they are running away to hide, or a bold scrap of a lad if they then go to bark at what made the noise. A pup that notices then goes on like it never happened may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t really, as that is a red flag for lack of curiosity.

Sight sensitivity is also tested for, typcially with an umbrella or novel object like a motion sensing owl Joyce Guthrie uses. The tester wants to see how reactive the puppy is and how curious they become. Alarm barking is undesirable, as is cowering or just ignoring it. What you want to see is a pup that decides to investigate, even if somewhat cautiously at first.

Working dogs will encounter strange, noisy, moving things on a daily basis in public. So a youngster that wants to figure out what these things are will be willing to interact with their environment and not be afraid of it. They will adjust quickly, accept the bustle of the human world easily, and not be stressed.

Using my past dogs as examples, I can easily see why sound sensitization and extensive socializing at 3-6 wks is so important. http://www.puppyprodigies.org/Early%20Learning%20Program%20Highlights.htm

Kenai–as a pup he was totally bombproof. He would notice a bang or odd object, and maybe startle slightly. He would recover quickly, but often just go on with what he was doing. He later became very noise phobic as the tick diseases began to mess with his central nervous system. But when he was 9 wks old, his tester couldn’t get him in a flap about anything, including a live parrot squawking and flapping its wings.
Levi–was wonderfully tolerant, too. He would pull away his foot, and come right back for playing. But he had the additional tendency to want to know what that funny noisy thing was. His curiosity would fast get the better of him! This is what you want for an assistance dog candidate; a mild startle at most, then going to check it out. Levi would often want to play with the object, too, and carry it off like some trophy.
Merlin–would really startle, and often went into alarm mode. Sometimes he would run away like that umbrella was going to eat him. Sometimes he would charge up and bark at something. He was a handful, and this is a puppy best left to skilled, experienced owners willing to put in the time to re-condition a reactive pup. Merlin was not at all service dog material.

PpaWWs service dogs in training

Puppy Aptitude Testing…by Lisa Harmon

One of the “dangers” of going to look at a litter? THEY’RE ALL TOO CUTE! That being said, whether you are looking for a pet, a pup to run rally with you, or a companion, you should consider aptitude testing.

Why? Because nothing takes the joy out of a new puppy faster than realizing they aren’t well suited to your life or family. If you have a busy, kid-filled house and the puppy turns out to be a little timid and noise sensitive, not only does the puppy find your home stressful, you have a lot of changes and choices to make about what to do.

There’s a whole myriad of “uh-oh” that can happen when the owner and puppy aren’t well suited. It’s much better to have had the puppy’s temperment tested before paying for them and putting them through the unavoidable stress of coming to a strange home with strangers and no littermates.

Puppy Aptitude Testing (PAT) is nothing more than finding out the puppy’s natural personality. Most of them break down into simple tests to discover the pup’s level of social skills, learning abilities, and general sensitivity. These are typically done at 6-8 wks old, so the situations you can use to look for an unlearned response are both simple for the test and still novel to the pup.

There are a lot of temperment tests to choose from, as well, mostly variations on the Volhard temperment test: http://www.volhard.com/pages/pat.php I’ve recently purchased a book that is a slight ‘variant’ of the Volhard, designed and written by Joyce Guthrie. She is a breeder, trainer, and experienced Great Dane handler. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Vanna11

If possible, you would like a highly experienced person giving the test, and evaulating the results. You should also ask questions of them, like “when you say the puppy is (–), what impact does that have on our lifestyle or training needs?”. Have the evaluator give you details and recommendations not just for which puppy is best for you, but why and what you can expect the puppy to require of you and your family.

PAT is a complicated evaluation, requiring inferences and observational skills, which is why I recommend that it be given and interpreted by someone with experience. But to give you some understanding of the tests and what they are looking for, I’d like to at least hit the high points. I’ll look first at the social skills section of the tests in the next posts; social attraction, following, restraint responses, and level of independence.

A puppy’s natural inclination to come to you will have a big say on how easily they are trained in the future, and ultimately how well they will fit your life. I am no expert, mind you, but I can look back at puppies in my past and see how these tests absolutely predict the future. I’ve sorta “learned the hard way”, so please learn from my mistakes rather than have to make them yourself!

For social attraction and following, the tests are usually just clapping your hands or getting the puppy’s attention at a short distance to see how readily they come or follow you without being distracted, and what body language they show when doing so. I’ll use examples of my own past puppies for some comparison.

1) A puppy like my late Kenai would look at you but often hurry off with his littermates or follow the older dogs. When he did come, he didn’t stay long, looking around for something else to do.

He wasn’t anti-social, mind you. He just prefered canine company, and was pretty independent from the start. Crate training took about 3 days, because he was content enough to lay there by himself. He had a naturally easy temperment, in terms of not misbehaving or tearing things up. He was a calm guy when he was little.

However, I never did get a reliable off leash recall on him. He learned his basic obedience super fast, and was bombproof about noise and new environments when little. But once he made up his mind about a place or object, there was no changing it. Kenai was his own boy; he thought for himself, and problem solved on his own. This creates major challenges for advanced types of training.

2) Levi was in a hurry to come see you, and followed me all over the place. Normally his tail was up and wagging, his eyes happy for the attention. He was a very friendly little fellow, and his attentiveness to humans translated later on to being very easily taught to sit or come. Had there not been other problems I didn’t have the skill and energy to work out, he could have become an outstanding service dog.

3) Shabah couldn’t wait to come to a gentle person with a gentle voice and touch, but he approached with his head low and tail down doing a nervous wag. He was very shy of men and firm handlers in general. He later learned his obedience commands with terrifying speed, and had a nearly 200 word vocabulary, but he was so timid that just going to the pet store was stressful enough to cause him diarrhea. He took as much effort as Kenai on the opposite end of the spectrum, and I never really did trust him around children. He was my “heart dog”, a total soulmate of a pet, but alot of work.

***

Oddly enough, the only test that really talks about what Joyce Guthrie refers to as emotionally hard or soft dogs was her own book. All three of these puppies were emotially soft, even independent Kenai. He never required more than a mild scolding to stop unwanted behavior. If I was too harsh with any of them, they would be very upset and devastated. This is something you want to look for too–if your spouse has a tendency to get mad and yell, even an “independent” dog may not be able to cope with it.

If you are looking for a pup with a defined purpose, especially as an assitance dog, the Levi response is not negotiable. Assistance dogs must be human focused and set people as their highest priority. For a dog with that inclination, affection is one of the best rewards, and it makes them much easier to train at advanced levels. Mostly because you don’t have spend time trying merely to get them to pay attention to you.

Now if you have the skill and time to socialize a shy pup like Shabah, or keep a consistently firm but gentle hand with an independent dog like Kenai, then more power to you. However, most people will need to chose a pup like Levi. Shabah would not have done well in a loud, kid-filled home, or as a regular on the agility scene. Neither would Kenai, for very different reasons.

2 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on August 25, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Great Danes, new puppy, puppy training, service dog

Tagged great danes and children, puppy aptitude testing, puppy behavior, puppy socialization, puppy training, service dogs

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on August 25, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/puppy-aptitude-testing-by-lisa-harmon/

Aggressiveness in Dog Owners…by Lisa Harmon

It seems there’s a huge fight about crate training these days. Some seem to think it’s cruel and done just to temporarily “get rid of” a dog when the owner feels lazy. Huh? First it’s the “food fights” people get in an uproar about, then it’s the choice of leash or training equipment that sets off WW3. Now it’s crates?

It’s amazing to me how wild-eyed hateful dog people can get. Really. If it was our dogs fighting about food or territory, we’d be all over the problem; not to worsen it, but solve it and re-establish a respectful, harmonious relationship. Right? But for some reason we seem to think it’s okay for dog owners to be aggressive to each other, to snarl and bite at each other.

So here’s my thoughts: there is more than one “right” way to raise a child, cook a turkey, treat an injury, and feed a dog. So the heck what if someone chooses a food that has grains in it or decides to feed raw. What gives you or me any right to jump them for it? What difference does it make to me what you feed or what you do with your dog when you have to leave them alone?

One of the things I’ve discovered having service dogs, and I hear it all the time from other SD owners, is that humans seem to think dogs are public property. Some folks go so far as to get miffed and fussy if they aren’t allowed to pet your service dog. It seems they also get miffed if they aren’t allowed to tell you what to feed and how to train your dog. I will try to tell you why a food or training technique is potentially unsafe, but it’s not my right to demand you feed a specific diet or I’ll take a chunk outta ya.

As for crate training, the complaints against it run along the lines of “it’s not comforting, it’s prison”, or “they develop behavior problems from the un-enriched environment”, or the “owner is too selfish”. All of those have the underlying assumption that the dog is left in a crate for extended periods. And another assumption that I totally reject is that the owner who crates doesn’t ever provide an enriched environment, exercise, and interaction to counter the effects of extended crating.

Are there some people who don’t provide play, exercise, and interaction after uncrating the dog? Sure. There are still people who put their dogs permanently on a chain in the backyard too. There are puppy mills. There are animal abusers without question in the world. Does that mean everyone that doesn’t do what you do is abusing their dog? Of course not.

First, some people work. Not everyone can afford doggie day care or ask their mother in law to keep the dog during the day. Second, a dog that is trained to go in a crate to sleep, to have down time, and to have a little private space is not being punished or imprisoned. Third, some dogs will be destructive if left uncrated when alone, doing potentially life threatening things like eating garbage or medicine.

Someone else’s dog is not yours to dictate about, and we have desperately skewed what is abuse and what isn’t. We humans of late have also greatly exaggerated the importance and expertise of our own opinions in just about everything. So I am hoping that doggie people, all people really (ever talk politics?) just calm down and try to regain a reasonable perspective. And remember that dogs are not public property.

4 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on August 19, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in puppy training, service dog

Tagged animal abuse, crate training, dog food, dog training, human behavior, service dog

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on August 19, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/aggressiveness-in-dog-owners-by-lisa-harmon/

European Danes in America…by Lisa Harmon

remember this boy? Kenai, my late part European Dane.

If the number of breeders with big athletic American Danes that win in a show ring are small, the number of breeders whose European or part Euro Danes that win in an AKC show ring are even smaller. Most attend International shows here, and fare better.

Euro Danes have heavier bone, bigger heads, more jowels, and they do not generally get rewarded for it in the AKC. There’s a good deal of subjectiveness in conformation shows. It puts off alot of people who want to show and have dogs worthy of it.

The choices aren’t neccessarily limited for quality European bloodlines in America. Importing is common. But my choices for show quality Euro Danes who’s breeders use the ENS and rules of sevens for early, effective socializing are drastically more limited.

Lots of people are breeding “Euro’s” in America now and some have wonderful dogs, but be cautious: a large number of breeders will get an import then slap a $2000 price tag on a puppy. You can’t call a pup show quality because the pup came from champion lines. A champion line doesn’t guarantee a well made, good temperment Dane.

The European Danes tend to be heavier in body, and that can make for conformation issues too. As far as temperment, Euros often are more laid back and easy, but many are just plain hard-headed. The personalities of European and American Danes have some differences as distinct as their appearance.

There are some excellent Euro and part Euro Danes in the US, but searching for a Euro Dane is a buyer beware situation. I really detest how buying a quality Great Dane has become such a heartbreaking ordeal for puppy buyers. The nightmare stories are abundant. That is partly why I’m naming the breeders I’ve found who use ENS and rules of sevens to prepare their litters for life beyond the litter. I can’t list or even find all the outstanding breeders, btw, so don’t think this is comprehensive at all.

If you are looking for a Euro puppy, please, please, please know the Great Dane Club’s breeder ethics inside and out. DO NOT BUY from a breeder that doesn’t follow them. Ethics means no breeding merles, no crossing color lines like blues with fawns, no breeding a bitch every year…

The point of breeding isn’t because they love their dogs, want to create “rare” colors, or worse, are in it for money. Breeding is to create healthier, physically and mentally sound Great Danes. And the ENS, rules of sevens, and sound sensitization makes for better temperment on any puppy, companion or working dog.

RENAISSANCE GREAT DANES

http://www.renaissancegreatdanesandneos.com/Ourdanes.html

Renaissance Danes breed blues, blacks, harls, and they have a fawn they call a professional couch potato! This pic is of a stud named Pharaoh. They show some, though not heavily, but certainly can tell what is show quality and what isn’t.

I struck pay dirt here. This breeder uses ENS stimulation, she’s been a positive reinforcement trainer for years, she has degrees in Animal Science, behavioral psych, and worked as a vet tech. She exposes her pre 8 wk old puppies to everything imaginable, including agility equipment, and provides the very best socializing experiences possible.

I fully intend to drive up for some visits, and let her get to know me. What I need and what personality of puppy will work out for me has proven to be a bit of a tricky picking job. As we become better aquainted, I’ll explore her knowledge of aptitude testing, and am both glad and intimidated that she insists on following her puppies after they’ve been placed.

It’s wonderful that she cares, but if you’ve ever dealt with a busybody breeder it worries you! That may just be my anxiety. I don’t think she’s a busy body. I hope she will allow me to come after puppies are born too, to interact with each pup individually a few times before we select a puppy for me. Those are all topics that will come up over the course of time.

TRIBAL Great Danes

http://www.tribaldanes.com is another great breeder who uses ENS, and is highly involved in early socializing of her puppies. She remains involved with her puppies in their new homes as well. I struck pay dirt again!

Right now her litter is expected over the winter, which is too soon for me to give a puppy the best I can give. I need to rest, to become stronger and rebuild my energy reserves. But that’s okay–I’m in this for the long term, and there is always another litter in the future, right?

She has some success in the show ring, and her pups have done well in obedience, and competitive Rally. She attributes this to the ENS stimulation and early socializing, (yay!). This is a great breeder to find wonderfully built and trainable part European Danes! I was really excited to find her and her show handler. Her dogs are beautiful, sound, and well-tempered.

1 Comment

by greatdaneservicedog on August 5, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Great Danes, puppy training

Tagged chronic fatigue, European Great Danes, Great Danes, obedience training, puppies and stress, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on August 5, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/european-danes-in-america-by-lisa-harmon/

Dane Tough Flooring Choices…by Lisa Harmon

Little Levi’s stay with us proved that not even laminate floors can really stand up to Great Dane sized piddles…Dane nails, but not housbreaking. Picking a long term flooring that is relatively Dane proof has become important. I can’t be expending a lot of energy on just keeping the house clean.

The carpet I knew would need replacing when we moved in April 2011, but I had thought we’d stick with a cheap carpet which is easy and relatively inexpensive to replace from time to time. Uh. No.

Even the laminate has retained some urine odor, so it has to go too. Flooring for a home with dogs can be a pain to pick out. There is no ideal. Carpet is high care and low wear, vinyl tears and peels up, laminates are tough but have seams that liquid can get into, and tile is slick like laminate and expensive to install.

What I need and want most is waterproof–able to stand up to steam mops, cleaners to disinfect etc. That means tile for us. Tile is slick, especially when wet. Tile creates an echo effect, being a hard surface, which can mess with my balance. Tile can get stains in the grout.

To combat a few of the down sides of tile…the echo chamber effect I’m hoping will be countered by room rugs, and hallway runners. They need to be attached to the floor very securely for me, as I can easily trip and fall on rugs. Velcro I suppose is the best solution. Anything that can absorb the reverberating sounds helps, from curtains, to soft furnishings.

The slickness is also helped by rugs, but over the winter I’ll be using a clear sealer with a no slip additive from http://www.topsecretcoatings.com/index.htm I’ll probably have to sand the surface first, but I can do one room at a time to see how I like the results and if it stands up to cleaning (without shredding my mop!).

As for boring and hospital like, that’s why Jesus invented rugs. I can’t afford as fancy a tile as even the one pictured up top, let alone stone, or the woodgrain ceramic planks designed to mimic wood flooring.

I was kinda stunned by the cost of even ordinary tile, once the installation was added in. But we’ve got the cabinets done last summer, and new windows last fall. So this is the last of the large changes to the new house.

At least rugs can be changed, and I’ve still got the sweeper as well as the carpet cleaner. I’m figuring on having a fall/winter set of rugs, and a spring/summer set for us. A puppy can pee all they pee and the worst that can happen is the runner needs to be tossed once the housebreaking is done.

Another thing I’ve been doing is painting. Being the glob-dropping painter that I am, who cares if I get it all over the carpet now! The deadly dull beige is going away. My bedroom is a soft peach now, the master bedroom is soft sage, the master bath is a lighter yellow green sage. The kitchen had been painted last year, with a rich yellow and apricot.

I’ll leave the rag rolled living room and hall as it is, and this week I’ll paint the sewing room with the leftover sage, and a gentler yellow than the kitchen.

The drawback to all of this is the mess and piles. Things have to be moved even to paint, and I have that box-blah mood again that a person can get when their surroundings are boxed and scooted around.

You can see my room, though a happy color now, is in a bit of a shambles, and has to stay that way a bit longer! The tile goes in next week, so most of August will be spent making it feel like a home again.

Honestly I have little patience for fru-fru and fussing over decor. But I like a place that feels inviting and attractive. Who don’t? But soon the house will be prepped for a new puppy.

Learning the Dane Chill…by Lisa Harmon

My early morning jolly ball time with the blue shark…Levi is 13 wks old now, and growing like, well, a Dane puppy!

A consult with a second trainer experienced with agression and anxiety issues had some added suggestions for Levi’s “issues”.

Truthfully I’m discouraged enough not to get my hopes up. But she believes he can be turned around (with rather endless practice for awhile).

Once again, we’re back to a kibble as treats, since he’s so persistant about things he shouldn’t do (he’d eat too much if he had much of a meal too). I HATE switching foods around as often as I have, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Much of what we’ve been doing continues, but with a few tweeks. And much more self-control exercises for Levi.

The kibble we’ve gone to is Wellness Super 5 Mix Large Breed. It has low minerals so he can have 4 cups or so a day, but enough fat etc to keep him satiated. I hope not to run out of those 4 cups before the end of the day, so I need to be aware of how much I’m using while we are working on his various exercises.

I’m a little torn about keeping Levi: I know there’s a good pup in there underneath all that misbehavior. I mean, it’s never taken me more than a few days to housebreak a Dane pup, and we’re 3 1/2 weeks in and he’s still whizzing on the floor. Then there’s the bite and shred and snarl…

I’ve never given up on a dog before, certainly not a puppy. Yet I’m expending tremendous time, energy, and money to assist the puppy I’d intended to assist me.

It’s possible he would do better with another person, with a more active lifestyle, one who doesn’t have chronic fatigue so they can keep on top of this training without negative effects on their health.

Someone who’s out and about, perhaps has other pups or dogs to take up his time when not interacting with a person might keep him more active and thus more tired. And the younger he is when going to another home, the better it would be.

But I’ve spent all my savings and then some already to aquire Levi, on trainers and classes, on vets and food. Additionally I don’t know what the breeder would choose to do if I decide he’s more effort than I can physically manage. Since it was likely the shipping that traumatized him, to ship him back might greatly worsen his behavior.

Fortunately, Saturday was a fairly good day with Levi. It came at the cost of my legs, but he had 3, not 2, outside times and I kept him running until he laid down.

We did self-control exercises like stay and wait most all day long as prevention for the wildman stuff. I used “positive interrupters” to break off the frustrated bite at you’s.

(Positive interrupter: a distracting action he can be rewarded for that also makes his biting at me and things physically impossible)

An example of a PI is hand target with his nose when he goes for the clothes while we walk, or an auto-sit to recieve a treat. We play attention games, name games, self control games… but then it occured to me that he’s excited to begin with. He gets even more excited about the prospect of food, so the training gets linked to higher and higher levels of excitement.

Levi doesn’t know how to relax, how to just chill. Most puppies nap a lot, but not Levi. When he can’t take any more of his own excitement or frustration, that’s when he explodes. Mom or I could just be sitting in a chair and he spits out his bone, suddenly snarls and lunges at us for no appearant reason.

He needs to learn how to “turn off” as much as he needs to learn self-control. He needs help “slowing down” so he CAN turn off. So in addition to the stays/waits to gradually slow him down enough to settle himself…

I’m speaking to him now in soft tones, quiet voice, like you’d talk to a baby going to sleep. I’ve started rewarding him with food when he’s dozing, or say, when his head goes down to relax after something gets his attention…he’ll get probably 15 pieces of kibble in and 40 minute snooze while I watch TV.

Yep, it’s a continual effort, being aware of his stimulation level, how much it too much, how long he’s capable of holding a stay…Levi is a 24/7 dog.

The question is, will the chronic fatigue allow that? The fibro pain I can take OTC meds for, the Lyme inflammation I can take meds for. But there is no treatment other than rest and mild, measured exercise for CFS.

I dont’ get rest with Levi, and the physical exertion is way more than mild or measured. Can’t count on Mom, save perhaps to make things worse. Ugh, baby blue, will you promise to turn around and master the art of the Dane chill? Please, little love, I want so much to keep you and love you and have a happy life with you.

4 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on July 8, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in clicker training, Great Danes, Levi, puppy training

Tagged clicker training, dog food, fibromyalgia, great dane growth, great dane puppy, Great Danes, puppies and stress, puppy behavior, puppy training

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on July 8, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/learning-the-dane-chill-by-lisa-harmon/

First Pothole In The Road

Levi’s vet visit showed him to be 18″ tall, and weigh 31.4 pounds. He’s grown quite a lot, the little stinker!

He got his vaccination, so next month is the final shot in the puppy series. They were pushing me to give him several others too, like leptospirosis and rabies. Huh?

He’s too young to load up like that, and no he’s not getting the rabies which is a live though altered virus until he’s 6 mo old when law requires.

A conversation with the author of “Control Unleashed” finally filled out the what’s-going-on-with-Levi picture for me. Yes, he does a lot of displacement and the book provided the anxiety part of the puzzle, but the growly/biting thing is called conflict aggression. He seemed aggressive at times, but I didn’t want to believe it.

It’s essentially a dog’s intense, even hidden, anxiety building up until it explodes. Often the dog seems better in public, but at home often takes out the accumulated stress on the people and animals they live with.

They will often go up to strangers on their own and seem fine or suddenly get scared and run away. The majority of targets of the aggression oddly, are gentle and quiet people. The behavior is also usually worse in the evenings. Levi to a “t”.

For instance, my nephew came over and Levi did wonderfully, with a tad of submissive peeing, but no barks or spooks. They played a little and he got lots of affection. Not ten minutes after Evan left, the chewing, tearing up, growling and biting at me started.

It is upsetting to me, to have a bona fide case of aggression of any type be evident in a 10 week old puppy. He’ll be 13 weeks old Friday. The ray of sunshine is in fact, how young he is though. We still have 3 weeks in that socializing/learning window of the first 4 mo of life to help him adjust and learn coping skills for frustration.

I’m still trying to really grasp what that means for how I interact with him, and the war between the alpha dominance believers and the positive reinforcement believers becomes personal now. It isn’t theory vs theory on an intellectual level, and I don’t really have room for error with Levi.

My vet’s suggestions I won’t follow because I know from experience of Levi and other aggressive dogs that physical confrontation with a dog being aggressive is both counterproductive long term and potentially dangerous.

“Just be more intense than him” they said. Huh? I mean, being more aggressive to an aggressive dog will teach them not to be aggressive? No.

But at the same time, I’ve seen how clicking and treating Levi for letting go or leaving it turns into him going back to those items later when he wants food or attention. Clicker training can be used by a smart pup to further their own ends, to take advantage.

So harshness will backfire, and the gentler clicker methods can be manipulated by him if I’m not careful and worsen the situation. And all the while I risk worsening his anxiety/insecurity too. Like I said, no room for error on my part.

***

I’m coming up with alternatives to some of the training and redirecting I’ve been doing, as well as understanding what things have worked and why. First is no longer clicking and treating for most let go or leave it, particularly if the object is a repeat grab.

That situation is where being less gentle and coaxing, more firm will help me. No more asking vs telling, treating, or frequent attention about it.

That’s a wiser type of ignoring than just pretending it isn’t happening. If he begins to escalate or continue using it to get attention on demand, I have the expen. A negative consequence.

As for biting in frustration, the combo of the expen when he’s not managable such as after my nephew left, and a touching/petting exercise our trainer Lisa S taught us during our training time Monday I hope will start making progress.

It’s a touch or petting starting from back end towards front end when he’s quiet, then click and treat for not reacting. If he reacts a little, moving the touch back to where he didn’t react last time and click and treating can counter-condition.

I’ve got to add for bite inhibition that if he reacts more than a little, and keeps nipping, he gets a deep voice firm warning “no bite”, and if it continues, he goes in the expen.

Other things to continue is restraint practice when he’s calm. Much like a vet restrains to do something, I hold him in a position andwait until he stops fussing, then click and reward. Exercise too is a good tool: I have to watch how much running about he gets since he’s shown some growth discomfort already but he needs exercise for the endorphins and other feel good hormones.

Social outings also have to be kept up. He’s very good in public at the time, but I have to ensure that he doesn’t have bad experiences.

Outings that involve physical exercise, that don’t involve chewing, in addition to mental stimulation will be the best for him. Like our river park he enjoys so much!

Again, I have to be both calm, low pitch in voice, with head up and shoulders back. Confidence on my part can reduce any stress he feels about people, places, and things.

He loves the treats and interaction of our training times, so I need to find a way to even increase those in frequency without letting them get linked to his demands for attention or food. He’ll be getting alot of negative (“no bite”, “ah-uh” etc), so there has to be a balance and stark contrast with the positives.

What I did after my nephew left and Levi wound up in the pen for a few minutes until he was calm was first give him a stuffed Kong ball, then do a short little obedience practice. It was in between meals, and about 5 minutes after the Kong was empty, so I don’t think any of it was linked to my nephew.

The hardest thing for me is not to get frustrated, or angry, when I am especially tired or in pain. Might as well ask someone with GAD/PTSD to cure themselves before they get a dog. It is very frustrating to me: I had one path of training in mind when I got him and now that assistance dog training is on ice indefinitely.

Levi has to be a trustworthy and enjoyable pet before anything else. Given that he’s a Great Dane, he will be 70-80 pounds in just a three months, so aggression of any kind is absolutely intolerable in Danes. He can still be a puppy and do serious damage with a bite. When grown, it can be catastrophic.

The clock is ticking.

6 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on July 3, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in anxiety, clicker training, Great Danes, Levi, puppy training

Tagged anxiety, clicker training, conflict aggression, control unleashed, dog behavior, great dane puppy, Great Danes, obedience training, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on July 3, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/first-pothole-in-the-road/

Good Days, Bad Days…by Lisa Harmon

Saturday and Sunday I was really fighting the fatigue (CFS), even with the Mitosynergy, and Sytropin. My brain is all but blue screened and the muscles are both weak and heavy as lead.

But we still made our outings. Saturday morning we returned to Finley River Park, as they were setting up for a cancer charity event. Levi had a mixed bag of reactions: some people he went right up to, and others he was spooked by.

We played a game with things that made him nervous: run up, touch, click and treat, and run away. The motor that was inflating a kids game house startled him, so we’d run up, touch the inflating item, then run away. It was a partial success but not total.

He is really shy of kids, even older kids. Monday at the courthouse with our trainer he did much better and was petted by a young girl, though. Fingers crossed. He’s much better when we’re out and around. Lisa S thinks its because there’s so many other distractions around him in public.

Sunday night was a really bad one with the frustration/biting etc. Uhg. He’d had lots of outdoor time, plenty of food and treats, even an outing Sunday morning. But come evening, oh boy.

Here he is discovering the joys of a jolly ball. He’s finally big enough to actually play with it!

He has a vet appointment for his 12 week vaccination Monday afternoon, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a bit pooky for a day or two. But better that than coming down with parvo or distemper. His growth is pretty good, though he still is slightly turning out his front feet. Perhaps they will straighten up as the growth spurt slows down.

Starting today, Levi is going to have regular xpen time, so I can get a shower every day, or eat a meal in peace. Maybe even finished “Control Unleashed Puppy”? He’s going to have to learn to cope with his feelings on his own, since I cannot seem to alter them much. Almost 3 wks in, he isn’t responding to rewarding self-control exercises as well as I’d hoped.

I hope being confined doesn’t make him worse when he gets out, but jeez, I need a break sometimes. He’s going and grabbing the things I’ve practiced leave it with just to get attention and treats. He’s deliberately doing things to manipulate me now. This 24/7 demand for attention is too much to take. He’s gotta learn to lay down and chill out and leave me be sometimes.

Levi really does well with men, and I was extra proud that he left the man’s tie alone when the guy bent over to pet him!

It’d be just like Levi to see what do ties taste like…but he didn’t. Good boy.

He even walked within about 10 feet of the mower there at the courthouse, though he was in a bit of a hurry. No loitering to sniff around that noisy thing…

He was a good boy during his training time, and wore out afterwards! He never barked or anything when the Orkin man came to the house. (He’s still doing outside only, since the grey shark here will eat things on the ground and lick floors…).

We’ll see how the regular pen time affects him. Got my fingers crossed.

Great Dane Service Dog's Weblog

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Dane Tough Flooring Choices…by Lisa Harmon

Learning the Dane Chill…by Lisa Harmon

First Pothole In The Road

Good Days, Bad Days…by Lisa Harmon

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