All posts tagged puppies and stress

Preparing a Puppy for the World of Humans

Having a well adjusted dog starts with a puppy coming to enjoy a variety of new things. It’s official term is “socialization”. Laurie Luck over at Smart Dog University is a fabulous trainer, and I love to read her blog. This is a bit of a flashback in time, back when she was raising Talos the Dane puppy to become a grown up Great Dane Service dog. But these truths are timeless:

The key to introducing your dog to something novel is to do it incrementally, to do it systematically, and to always (and I mean always!) go at your dog’s pace. If you see signs of anxiety (tucked tail, ears back, lip licking, hiding behind your legs), STOP! Move further away, speak calmly and quietly to your dog, and try to feed some extra yummy treats. If your dog isn’t eating those delicious treats, you know he’s still too stressed. Move even farther away. Keep moving away until the dog’s body language is more relaxed and until he’s able to take treats. http://smartdog.typepad.com/smart_dog/2009/12/fear-not-video.html#

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Each dog or puppy will have their own set of triggers. For my late Kenai, it was the post office. He could hear those mechanical noises he feared so much, but couldn’t see what was causing them. For some dogs, it is people rushing up to them head-on.

There is no such thing as a “perfect” service dog, to be honest. They are living creatures, and have their own quirks like any other. But assistance dogs really have to be as close to perfect in their behavior as possible.

Why?

They live and work in an unnatural world. A human world is chock full of unnatural things, like mechanical sounds, chemical smells, and people acting in ways that don’t make sense to a dog. After all, dogs didn’t invent cars!

All dogs have to become fluent in the ways of the human world and human quirks to be a part of it, through exposure and socialization. Just going to the pet store is an excursion into an unnatural world. But service dogs have to become at home in it.

Otherwise, they will often find it a struggle to focus and complete the tasks that make them a service dog for a disabled handler. So how you expose a service dog candidate or service dog in training to some new experience really does matter in the long term.  Bad experiences last, so if you’re having a bad hair day yourself, let the outing wait.

It is really helpful to have made a written list of every type of surface, sound, smell, and sight that you can think of. Just take stairs: there are wide stairs, narrow stairs, spiral stairs, tall stairs, concrete stairs, metal stairs, wood stairs… A dog’s senses of their environment are much more acute than ours, so they will notice the feel underfoot and height, the trace smells of shoes and the like.

Those things are background to us, and service dogs have to be regularly exposed to almost everything for it to fade into the background the way it does for us. Essentially, they have to be desensitized. These experiences have to continue long after puppyhood for them to remain familiar and comfortable, too. But the first exposures are the most important.

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by greatdaneservicedog on December 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in clicker training, Great Danes
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on December 9, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/preparing-a-puppy-for-the-world-of-humans/

Choice and Recognition…by Lisa Harmon

my late Kenai, way back at 10 wks old

Many of us who’ve trained a dog have come to really understand the principle of cause and effect: the more we reward a pup for something, the more they do it. Many have also learned the more opportunities you find to reward a pup, the more enjoyable your time together is.

It’s why I like clicker training–the person gets trained to look for things to reward, rather than just things to correct. Sure, there’s always something that needs some corrective attention, like teaching a pup to “go” outside or not to chew the furniture.

But even those times present the chance to reward when they do “go” outside and ignore their chewing post you call a table leg. The more your pup is rewarded for choosing a behavior on their own that is “right”, the more they realize they have a choice and can choose well. Confidence soars!

Clicker training teaches dogs they aren’t entirely at the mercy of whatever impulse or event happens. It’s all about choice and positive recognition. Somehow, that understanding of cause and effect gets “lost in translation” when it comes to how we treat ourselves and other people.

The more you take note of and give weight to the positive in yourself and your life, the more confident you become. You can “positive train” yourself, too, if you are willing and consistent. This can really be hard to do when you’re used to being hard on yourself. It’s worth the effort.

One of the things I’ve had to learn to do, and re-learn to do many times over, is to alter my internal focus. What are you really giving weight to? How do you talk to yourself or your spouse? Do you take note of more things to correct then things to be proud of?

This isn’t trivial or pollyanna stuff: if I spend my time noticing the negative, and passing up chances to recognize the positive, I will become less confident and constructive. The more we “correct” a dog, the more uncertain of themselves they can become. Great Danes are typically sensitive dogs, and if they can’t seem to do anything that pleases you, anxiety rather than confidence increases. So do behaviors you’ll need to “correct”. It becomes a negative feedback loop.

That reality is equally true for people, and becomes very stark to me when I talk to my mother. She’s suffering from depression, and long term PTSD. When I ask her what she likes about herself, she literally cannot think of one thing. Mom does not give any notice or weight to her triumphs, so the negatives totally overwhelm her. She is anxious, and chronically negative. Cause and effect manifests.

I’ve suggested she keep a little notebook with her, and write down what’s positive in her actions and thoughts. That’s been remarkably hard for her–she finds it difficult to even think of what she does in positive terms, and when she does, it is very quickly forgotten. Now I can point things out for her, like she went to pilates when she didn’t feel like it. Big things, little things, matters not.

But until Mom chooses to begin noticing and giving weight to the positive herself, my pointing out the positive becomes yet another means of dependency and “I can’t for myself”. That endless dependency is exhausting for me, and a reinforcement of the negative for her. When somebody can rapidly turn a positive like encouragement into a negative like neediness, you have to be very cautious and deliberate about how, and how much, you “help”.

The correlation in dog training is when we try to reassure and soothe a fearful reaction by petting and affection. What we’ve inadvertantly done is reward timidity and neediness. A better response is to let them settle down some, then go investigate what rattled them: what made that sound, did you hear that (click/treat)? See that skateboard, sniff it (click/treat).

This teaches a pup that they can rather than they can’t. At first you may have to take the lead, but when they begin to do this on their own, you’ve laid the groundwork for a dog that can cope and overcome! The pup’s discovering they can figure out what that was. They can touch it, and move it, and even play with it themselves.

They can move away if they need to, but they can also move towards “it” with curiosity after the initial fright. They can lose their fear, be empowered, and be rewarded. They can turn a negative into a positive, and with consistency in rewarding, they begin to make that response a habit. It changes how they think and feel.

I came across this pic on facebook, and taking this advice to heart and putting it in practice is tremendously powerful. You have a choice for positive or negative, every moment of the day. That choice of positive or negative comes with every feeling that arises, every thought that you have, every interaction you’re a part of. Choose wisely…

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by greatdaneservicedog on October 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in anxiety, clicker training, Great Danes
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on October 24, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/choice-and-recognition-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

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by greatdaneservicedog on September 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Great Danes, new puppy, puppy training, service dog
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on September 17, 2012

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Puppy Social Skills in Aptitude Tests, Pt. 2

I’ve begun a series of posts to explain what’s known as puppy aptitude testing, to help you understand that a puppies personality is often largely “set” by the age of 8 weeks old, when they come home with you. An owner really should take the time and effort to find a breeder that not only does or has done the PAT, but will explain the results and implications of those tests to a buyer.

The first area of social skills in the PAT was discussed in the last post, and concerned the puppy’s social attraction to people. Did the puppy come to you readily despite distractions? Did the puppy follow you, or decide to go pounce on a littermate instead? The idea is to find out how much the little tots ranks people attention as their priority.

This is just a funny pic giving you a “visual aid” in determining social attraction–what’s the most commonly seen side of the puppy, front or back? With my late Kenai, it was the beautiful brown backside!

The next tests in the social skills section of most puppy aptitude tests are to determine “social dominance”. The word “dominance” has become a loaded term in training circles, so I’m going to use a different word: independence. Sometimes a thesaurus is the best way to avoid an argument that eclipses the whole post!

Typically refered to as restraint or handling tests, the idea is to place the puppy’s body in an awkward position and see how they react. Often, tests will gently and gradually roll the puppy to their back and not let them up. Some will lift their bodies slightly off the ground. I’ve even read that some will hold the puppy down on their side in a common restraint position at the vet. Many testers will use more than one restraint position, too.

1) Kenai was a ‘struggler’ who hated to be restrained. He didn’t bite or growl, but he made it clear that he did not like this. His usual vet techs learned not to hold him down, since he would not stop struggling in a reasonable amount of time. I went all out adjusting him to every sort of body part handling and he would dutifully hold still for whatever the vet needed to do, however “indelicate”.

2) my late Taj would resist just a little bit, then decide it was a good opportunity for a tummy rub and wag his tail, looking at you with soft, playful eyes. He hardly ever met a stranger, my Taj-ster. Some puppies will avoid looking at you but not be distressed by restraint. These are good results, when they quit the “lemme up” fuss quickly.

3) my late Shabah, the puppy mill rescued merle, would struggle only a very little, avoiding eye contact, tucking his tail, and sometimes whimper. If it was a man doing this, he would even piddle some. This is a highly submissive, insecure reaction and it was a big clue at how timid he would be as he grew up.

I also worked with him to allow the vet to do even unpleasant things, so long as he wasn’t restrained or cornered, he didn’t get so stressed as to need muzzling. A gentle touch, allowed to watch what they were doing, and lots of reassurance made him managable at the vet. He never gave me any trouble at home, which was good. He had his own “asssigned” vet tech, who had a way with calming him, and always had some gentle reward for him.

***

You want a puppy with the Taj-like response. Especially in a large or giant breed dog, who will attain a size that can seriously injure someone. They will more quickly accept handling and messing with, without being distressed by it. I mentioned the vet, but it’s not only the vet that handles a dog. Groomers, show handlers, trainers, kids, and people at the pet store will do things to the dog’s body.

This determination of independence or emotional insecurity is tremendously important for any puppy buyer to know, because kids will hug spontaneously. Kenai would have allowed for a time then gently pulled away. Taj would have gotten happy and wanted to play. Shabah would have growled or even bitten them out of fear. You need to know what it will take to prepare the puppy for the inevitable future rudeness of people.

For an assistance dog, the calm acceptance is required. Such dogs are out in public where no companion goes, and human behavior is unpredictable. Strangers ARE going to put their hands on your service dog. Toddlers will innocently assume your working dog is like their own pet and run right up for a hug and bug. If you begin with a puppy that shows a willingness to accept stranger handling, then you can practice the hugs and bugs until the puppy gently permits it without getting reactive.

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by greatdaneservicedog on August 31, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on August 31, 2012

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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.

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by greatdaneservicedog on August 5, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on August 5, 2012

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Choices from America…by Lisa Harmon

AMERICAN DANES

Overall, I’m not pleased with the state of Great Danes in America. They’ve become either tiny and delicate, or disproportionately tall and scrawny. When I was young it was typical for even a fawn male, which tends to be smaller than say a mantle, to weigh in about 170 pounds.

This is a nice quality Dane here, but still very small and to my eye, insubstantial for an intact male. Back in the day, ya didn’t see the average Dane with long chicken legs, snipey heads, and narrow chests outside of poor quality puppy mills. It’s hard to find even a good male like the one in this pic these days.

I believe the rewarding of AKC show judges for “elegant” and “refined” has weakened the Great Dane overall. My opinion, for what it’s worth. And the explosion of uninformed pet owners that breed without a clue to what makes a truly beautiful, sound Dane has made the selection of Great Danes a frustrating experience for anyone who remembers what Danes used to look like, move like, and their former longevity.

It’s been 40 yrs since I met my first Dane, and the widespread weenie-ness of Great Danes I see these days sent me looking for European bloodlines a few years ago. The European breeders have generally maintained the working dog body: shorter, heavy boned, muscluar and athletic Dane.

This intact brindle is more like what I remember, and what I admire as the traditional standard. This dog could work for years and never wear out. If he could pull a cart, he could pull me up a steep slope once in awhile without developing arthritis at 5 yrs old.

My philosophy is a dog was created to work for and with humans. Once upon a time, they weren’t accessories, not intended for nothing more than to be well, decorative. Since I need a Dane that can work, can bear weight, can carry a pack, I cannot have a delicate decoration.

That being said, there are some American Breeders with strong, well built, substantial dogs to choose from. And I’ve stuck to the desire for ENS and rules of seven socializing that the breeder must do before an 8 wk old comes home with me. I will certainly clicker train, and use the “Control Unleashed Puppy” once I get them, but the breeder has as much or more to do with a pups future success than most people realize.

My American Breeder Choices

Saravilla Danes has American Danes, with the harl lines, which produce harlequins, mantles, and occasional blacks. They also work with ChromaDane, who won’t have pups available even next year. They are excellent breeders using ENS and other socializing techniques in their pre-7wk old puppies.

http://saravillagreatdanes.com/

There is nothing insubstantial about their dogs, and I like that. Unfortunately I don’t prefer the harl/mantle color for Danes, just as a matter of personal tastes. But if their dogs have the goods for a working dog, I gotta put on my big girl panties and care less about superficial stuff like coat color.

Saravilla requires a good kibble, and approves of neutering after sexual maturity even for companions. She also is a welcoming and visitor-friendly lady. So a trip to Ohio is in my near future! My only concern is working dogs tend to have higher energy levels, and having Chronic Fatigue…

I may ask for a show quality male, and have a go at conformation shows. It’s expensive and alot of work, but it is the best way to learn what really makes a dog’s body structually sound, what it takes to have smooth ergonomics so the joints last, and a tolerant disposition. All of which is essential for a working dog.

Being an experienced Dane owner, I got the basics of conformation: a straight topline, good angles in the stack, a nicely shaped head. But there’s a big difference between an experienced owner’s eye, and a breeder/shower’s eye. There’s much to learn there.

Green Bean, the big beautiful black Dane!

It’s a strange name for such a majestic, laid back fellow. But he’s no scrawny string bean. His owner strictly follows the GDCA code of ethics in breeding. I’ve known them from Facebook for awhile now, and they seriously know their Dane genetics!

Green Bean is not only gorgeous and well built. He is a (get this) a Dock Diving Dane, who watches the fireworks in the park, and never gets in a flap.

I’m aware of the “black dog syndrome”, and would expect perhaps more access challenges if one of Beanie Boy’s pups becomes my service dog. But heck, any Dane attracts serious attention in a grocery store or restaurant.

I have come to love Bean’s owner, and trust their judgement. They were “there” for me during the heartbreaking ordeal with Levi, and gladly volunteered to help me find a puppy that I would have a much better chance of success with. Kindness makes a world of difference to me.

LIBERTY DANES https://www.facebook.com/#!/libertydanes.lrs?sk=info

I’ve not had much contact with this lady yet, but I do now have a phone number. She not only trains, shows, and uses her harl lines for assistance dogs, she has a Dane SD herself. I am hoping like crazy she will agree to mentor me, teach me, and make a durn good owner trainer out of me. Her expertise in puppy aptitude testing would make a huge difference for me, reducing the chances of another wash out.

Again, the harl lines I don’t prefer, but even if I purchase a black Bean boy, I hope very much she will become a world of help to me. She has experience in both the conformation ring and the service dog training arena. And the center she works and trains at is only 3 hours drive time from my home.

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by greatdaneservicedog on July 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in clicker training, Great Danes, new puppy, service dog
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on July 24, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/choices-from-america-by-lisa-harmon/

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
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on July 8, 2012

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

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.

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by greatdaneservicedog on July 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in clicker training, Levi, new puppy, puppy training
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on July 2, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/good-days-bad-days-by-lisa-harmon/

Training Me…by Lisa Harmon

If you only ever buy one book about dogs, it should be “Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program” by Leslie McDevitt. That is a serious blanket statement, huh?

Whether you think you have a problem or you don’t have a problem to work on with a puppy, you should get it and read it anyway.

The author clearly and easily shows how something that turns up in adolescence like fear of strangers was actually present in the puppy but went unnoticed. Since it went unnoticed and thus unaddressed, it escalated during the intense development stage of adolescence.

For me, the intense behaviors Levi displayed when he first came to my home (and still does) mostly fall into “constant arousal displacement”. His pacing, biting to the point of bloodletting, tearing up clothes, enjoying some people’s attention but avoiding others, whining and growling for no obvious reason, peeing excessively, extreme food drive, chewing on or eating anything he could get his teeth around…

On a scale of one to ten, I’d guess Levi was about an 8 in the anxiety that causes such displacement behavior. It wasn’t me or my emotional state, it was his; triggered by sounds, social interaction, and the dramatic change in his environment. He was going after me to bite and beg because I spent the most time with him (15-20 hours/day).

He isn’t as “good in public” as I had attributed to him, according to the book. The anxiety about social interaction is still present, so the little things I’d noticed aren’t excessive worry on my part, they are clues to when he feels pressure. Thankfully, the social anxiety isn’t as strong as the anxiety from the home change.

Now I can look back and recognize why Levi had better days than others in many cases, and it correlates amazingly well with what we did and where we went. He’s showing the most anxiety about children in public, and visitors/noises at our home. Sounds that bother him at home don’t bother him in public nearly as much.

Now before you think “there she goes again, blowing things out of proportion and being reactive herself…” This knowledge actually takes the pressure off ME. I know for a fact that Levi isn’t reacting to me, it’s not that I have to change myself  to help him, nor do I neccessarily have to work so darn hard!!

The solution: dealing with the underlying anxiety, not the behavior it causes by providing 3 major things to Levi. One is allowing him to “escape” from a situation that stresses him, and definitely rewarding him if he returns to it on his own.

This is one thing I haven’t really done well–I’ll let him run to the end of the leash but then I call him back and try to help him interact and stuff. Oops. Often I will click and treat when he’s calmer, or give the person a treat for him, but I haven’t helped him relax about the situation first.

Second is information that the “threat” isn’t really threatening, by allowing him to check out the person, place, or thing at his own pace. Watching me interact with whatever and enjoying it is also very helpful to him.

And thirdly, teaching him that he can use his own behavior to calm himself and make the stressor less stressful. Sniffing, chewing, and foraging he likes to do, so I need to find ways to incorporate them as part of the training and socializing, not just the in-between training.

I’ve done this some, and our trainer has this concept down much better than I do, at least in terms of allowing the sniffing/chewing/foraging more. I need to make the chewing a reward, as a positive association with a stressor in a more formal and consistent way.

Anyway, you can tell how much I have yet to learn and I’ll digest then apply the exercises in the book to help us both!! Thank God for smart people, huh?

4 Comments
by greatdaneservicedog on June 30, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in anxiety, clicker training, Levi, new puppy, puppy training
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 30, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/training-me-by-lisa-harmon/

Socializing and Bite Inhibition…by Lisa Harmon

Mom would kill me if she knew I’d posted this but it’s such a sweet pic! Morning love time! Don’t anybody tell her?

Bringing a puppy into your home is stressful, and a new home is arguably more stressful for a puppy.

Levi’s transition from litter to my home has not been an easy one for either of us. Almost nothing is the same for him, no other dogs, no kids to romp about with, a different language and climate.

Strange how stress feeds on stress. Levi’s frustrated behaviors frustrate me, and vice versa.  So I first wanted to be sure my generalized anxiety disorder wasn’t contributing to, if not causing, his stress.

I know I can get frustrated, simply reacting to his mood. That’s how it goes when a person has GAD/PTSD. We’re like canaries in a mine, many of us, the first to be affected by the emotions around us.

So to see how much, or if, I was worsening things for him, Tuesday was “therapy time” for us both…The indicator? If he can pick up frustration from me, he can pick up peaceful too.

I have a theta brain wave CD and a special set of glasses that use light to bring the brain into a theta state. This combined with biofeedback is a powerful tool for inducing a deeply relaxed yet aware state.

I brought him on the bed to doze while I used the music and light to relax. He had a nap while I was doing my biofeedback. When we got up, it was time to feed him et all and boom–pacing, fussing after he ate, chewing things he has gotten a bit scolded for…especially me. The works.

So it isn’t me neccessarily worsening things for him. The therapy time did help me not to become frustrated, but it didn’t prevent his outbursts. Whew…I’m not feeding him negative emotion passively. Just when I do get frustrated and act like it. That’s fixable.

After hearing back from a trainer friend (Smart Dog University) who explained what she does to train bite inhibition, and reading the theory behind it as explained by Ian Dunbar, I have a workable solution to the blood drawing!  (http://www.clickertraining.com/node/725)

My friend confirmed a guess that it was indeed frustration intolerance at the root, and I needed to get a tether to begin moving away out of reach when he’s too frustrated and acting out. When he calms down, I can move back to interact and play with him.

The training reduces the intesity of nipping first, then the frequency. She also recommended I start with the book “Control Unleashed” asap.

So I’ve ordered a tether priority mail http://www.baddogsinc.com/pettethers.html, and have to order another copy of “Control Unleashed” since I haven’t found mine post-move. No more boxes are left to unpack so the book didn’t come with me I guess.

***

On a more fun subject: Levi has had a few firsts. Here he is being introduced to ice cubes!

He loves to mess with them. They slide around, they’re cold on the toes, feel good on teething gums, and are slippery!

…all the better to chase you my dear ice cube!

Tuesday Levi also went to All Pets Supply with Mom and I. He enjoyed meeting people and wandering all around, doing quite well with the leash Mom had. I was hunting chew toys and bones. But Levi was checkin out everything. He loved the attention from strangers, even climbing into laps for his baby love.

One very enthusiastic person he wasn’t sure about (dogs often shy away from overly excited people and dogs). So a hand full of treats for him to munch on while she petted him and checked out his giant feet did the trick. He’s got the hang of this socializing stuff!

There was one hyper dog, but we kept him away from her–she was very over the top. I petted her, but Levi gladly went elsewheres with Mom. The store cat he was cool with, even laying down and putting out a foot to invite her to play. Kitty wasn’t interested, and he was okay with that.

I loved watching his instincts with that cat: she’s eyeing him, he makes himself approachable, she comes closer, he invites her to play, she walks away, he sniffs then goes on.

The whole business was a calm affair, and I was busting my buttons at the little dear’s lovely good critter to critter manners!

Thank heavens he’s so food motivated–even when stressed or unsure, he will take a treat. That allows me to lure him forward, and reward him for investigating. He’s pretty curious and friendly to begin with, too. That’s working in our favor!

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by greatdaneservicedog on June 21, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in anxiety, clicker training, Great Danes, Levi, new puppy
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Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 21, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/socializing-and-bite-inhibition-by-lisa-harmon/

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