All posts tagged puppy development

Learning More All the Time

The tile is taking longer than expected, maybe going on until the end of the week. But last Saturday night was the last one I have to spend sleeping in the kitchen, so the end is in sight. I’d love to put some photos up soon, though I have to wait for the photoshop software to come. I tried downloading it, but no dice, there wasn’t enough RAM in the new computer for a download that size.

Still, I can find pretty colorful pics to share here from the internet! This is a rug set I’ve bought for the various rooms. There’s the bedrooms and entryways and stuff that will need rugs. There’s a lovely echo effect with bare tile!

I wanted a 10×13 or bigger for the living room, but that’s hard to find with a latex backing. (I tend to trip on turned up and skidding carpets). I also want to get some fitted furniture covers, and insulated curtains next month. It may be August but fall and winter isn’t too far away.

I know…this is a blog for dogs, not home decorating! But that’s what I’m stuck doing, for the next couple weeks anyway.

Despite the current state of exhaustion, I figure it’s best to get done what I need to get done now, so I have the winter to rest. As said in an earlier post, I chose tile for it’s being waterproof and easy to clean–less work keeping the house clean for a new puppy.

The rugs I’m looking at, the furniture covers, even the paint type I chose (enamel) has the same purpose: easy to wipe off, or throw in the washer sort of products. The less time I spend scrubbing, the more time and energy I have for a new puppy next year. I found this great article about puppies in general, though it is geared towards assistance dogs. Being the science geek I am, this was my “cup of tea”. http://www.puppyprodigies.org/Early%20Learning%20Focus.htm

“The most influential time of a puppy’s life is between three and six weeks. Fear is not present in newborn puppies. It begins to develop slowly around five weeks of age, and increases gradually until it escalates in the fear imprint period during the eighth week.

Therefore, there is a window of opportunity between three and six weeks of age when anxiety levels in the puppy are the lowest they’ll ever be in their entire life. Anything the puppy is exposed to between this timeframe will therefore be associated with low anxiety.”

Once again, this proves how terribly important it is to choose your breeder with the utmost care: that 3-6 week old socializing window is entirely up to the breeder to make the most of. The early exposures a puppy can have is limited only by creativity really, within the parameters of safety of course. For instance going to different dog parks for an unvaccinated puppy is terribly unsafe. But being wrapped in a blanket and carried into different stores or human environments during the course of those weeks (away from the litter) is an excellent idea.

If you are a breeder, please, please consider improving your early development skills for your litters. If you are looking for a puppy, consider choosing a breeder who uses these techniques. Puppies intended for pets or working dogs alike need the ability to cope with stress, to be unafraid of human generated noise, and accept frequent handling. http://www.puppyprodigies.org/Early%20Learning%20Program%20Highlights.htm

I’ve also been studying charts and graphs about Dane structure in much more detail than ever before. The Great Dane Club of America has an illustrated guide to the standard here: http://www.gdca.org/illustrated-standard.html

I still haven’t gotten the “show lingo” to penetrate my skull too well, though I’ve joined some Facebook owner handler groups to try and learn. They’re also a good resource for which judges like what if I choose to show the next puppy.

Since agility and dog sports aren’t an option for me to practice working with the puppy in loud and distracting environs, as well as accepting handling etc for the Canine Good Citizen test, that leaves showing as a possiblity. Or at least conformation classes.

Knowing the standard isn’t just about beauty though: this pic shows the structure a Dane should have. Variations like too long of a body, or a shoulder with the wrong angles has a direct effect on longevity, in terms of arthritis and joint issues. Even if you are only wanting a companion dog, rather than a working dog, the more you know about health and conformation, the more of the predictable orthopedic troubles you can avoid.

Danes don’t live long, and their prime working age period is short. Sadly, seven years is the average life span these days, so if a dog has good structure, and is well cared for, 10 years of healthy life isn’t too much to expect. That is, barring things like bloat or cancer, or those infernal ticks…

I’ve also updated the feeding and growth page to the right. The links were old and difficult to load now that the articles are archived. So I’ve put new ones up. And I’m still researching particular food brands, in the hopes of creating a list of foods that are good for giant breeds. Most recently, I’ve found the Innova large breed puppy is one of the very few “puppy” kibbles that has safe mineral and protien levels. The adult large breed is also spot on. http://www.innovapet.com/products/941

All the things I’ve written about lately have been ways to give a Dane puppy a leg up for becoming a working dog: early neural stimulation and socializing before 8 wks old for their temperment, being picky about their structure and conformation, putting the greatest time and effort into their training from 8-16 weeks old, too (as opposed to cleaning the house).

It may seem like I’m idle, with no dog to work with right now, but truth is, I’m gearing up. Educating myself, reading and studying, preparing the house to be as little effort as possible all have my end of the deal in mind: the right puppy choice, and the very best love, care, and training I am physically able to provide.

3 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on August 23, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Great Danes, new puppy, service dog

Tagged Canine Good Citizen, chronic fatigue, dog food, great dane, great dane growth, Great Danes, puppy development, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on August 23, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/learning-more-all-the-time/

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

Tagged anxiety, clicker training, control unleashed, dog behavior, puppies and stress, puppy development, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 30, 2012

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

Doing Better All the Time…by Lisa Harmon

I remember someone else who used to stand there and say “nope, not playin in the sprinkler”…Levi 12 wks old

Today Levi is 12 weeks old! My little amigo has just 1 month left in that relatively easy socializing and super fast learning window (the first 16 weeks of life). EEK! Four more weeks of trying to ensure he has a good experience with a wide variety of places, people, and other dogs.

Of course, socializing goes on (or should) for a dog’s whole life, but the first 3 months of life is when a puppy most easily accepts new experiences that will shape their behaviors most of their lives.

Levi’s basic obedience class was Thursday night, and after the class there is a social time for the dogs. Last night’s best bud for Levi was a Jack Russell mix named Finley. Finley is a high energy guy, but fairly well mannered about his play so he and Levi had themselves a really good game of nip and swat.

The same didn’t translate to a retriever named Jack, who was very physical whether a dog liked it or not. Levi didn’t like it. They started off good, and Levi being Levi approached nice and gave a very gentle paw on the nose, a few gentle play bows. But Jack was both hyper and all over him, which spooked him.

I called Levi away, and he avoided Jack the rest of the play time. He was spooked enough that he didn’t want people to pet him either, though he’d met all the two legged folks already. Thankfully he happily returned to Finley, so we let him play a few moments then decided it was time to go.

As Levi gets bigger, I think he won’t be so intimidated by more physical playing strangers. Between his burgeoning size and the testosterone-fueled confidence of the 4 month old stage he will soon enter, Levi will probably be as full of rumpus as Jack is!

As for his class, the program was about learning a polite greeting and learning to settle. Levi already has these habits naturally. The poor teacher could get him to jump or spaz! Not good for demo but sure made me proud!

Since there was no jumping to practice teaching him not to jump, I used the time to do a few other things for him. One was get used to the barking, with a click and treat when the barks happened. No problem for toots. He settles right down next to me and stays calm.

Another was brace front: I just use a lure to get him in front of me when I’m ready to stand or sit.

Young as he is, this is only for positioning and preparing him. Soon enough this will be a mainstay of his working life, so I want to make it a default behavior.

Default behaviors are simply things a pup will do automatically, either by reinforcing something they do on their own, or by repetition.

Essentially, a default behavior is a habit.

There are two parts to a brace front. This coming into position, and also accepting pressure on their shoulders. Both parts need a click and a treat to reward. Levi loves his food, so he’s up for anything that involves having a yummy. I say the word with a treat lure to follow until he’s in the right position, then click and treat.

Next was pressure on his shoulders while I stood, also followed by a click and treat. You can see from his body language he’s pretty unconcerned about the whole thing.

He’s not the least bit body sensitive, thankfully, so he doesn’t care about the brace. (Oops, also forgot his harness again, so it has to go in my purse from now on!)

Some dogs dislike the bracing, and will need considerably more reward for accepting it. Kenai needed lots of reassurance at first, then decided that was just how we roll.

Levi takes it all in stride, and his young age may be part of why he so easily accepts the pressure on his body.

I was so proud of him! I have to watch myself, in fact, not to get that showing him off tendency. Yes he’s doing great with his beginning task training, but he is young and has several more developmental stages to grow through. He can be killer good now and come apart later, so I gotta watch the excess prideful or feel like a ding dong later!

Right now though, Levi is wonderful in his obedience training. His home behavior is improving too. On advice I decided to try feeding him raw to see how that affected the crazy food drive. Day one was a remarkable change: instead of eating every 3 hours and being most nippy after meals, he easily goes 4-5 hours between raw meals with very little nip and chew.

That’s only day one though. Friday is day 2, and I’m watching for bone and joint pain since the only raw I have leftover from Kenai and BB is red meats. The beef and buffalo like all red meats are naturally higher in phosphorous, which is the primary culprit in growth problems like PANO, HOD, knuckling over, and splaying feet.

So Friday morning we are heading to All Pets to see if we can find some chicken or turkey to take home with us. I’ll order a case of Bravo venison for a different red meat, as well as chicken, turkey, salmon, and duck for him. That will stock the freezer well for such a small fella.

He needs at least some red meat, since red meats contain amino acids and nutrients that white meats don’t. Variety of protiens is important when feeding raw. I didn’t want to feed raw this time because of the expense, but if I can use it to reduce the frequency of feeding until the 2 cups a day of grain free Blue Buffalo is sufficient, then I’ll do it.

6 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on June 29, 2012 • Permalink

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

Tagged clicker training, control unleashed, dog food, great dane puppy, obedience training, puppy behavior, puppy development, puppy socialization, service dog training

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 29, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/doing-better-all-the-time-by-lisa-harmon/

That Park Was FUN…by Lisa Harmon

Levi had a big time at Finley River Park here in our hometown. We started the morning with a run to the Shell station, but the highlight of his day was the park.

It was our 1 hour session with our trainer. There are two areas he can walk right down into the water, and he was splashing around in it with gusto.

He didn’t get to meet too many people, but he did get to watch geese, discover a water spigot, walk through a tunnel (an echo!), play a get ya so it don’t spook ya game when he wasn’t expecting it, and generally horse about. He didn’t know he was training, but we did.

Mom as expected has a myriad of excuses why she can’t work with him at any given time, and Tuesday was no exeption. So much for wanting to be involved–that idea lasted about a week after paws on the ground. I’d taken all the big talk with no small disbelief, but it irritates me some.

Levi also got to see some people get in a canoe! He wanted in until she reached to pet him, then he cried and ran back to me, stinker. Then he did it again. No conflict there, my silly boy. He’s become a tad shy despite his curiosity, not uncommon for his age (fear imprinting development stage), though he’ll probably get over that.

We slept for 3 hours when we got home, and he was a perfect angel. Then he woke up!

I hope he also gets over the food crazy, since he spent most of my cooking and eating supper time getting put in the xpen. It’s a worry for the future if he doesn’t, because going anywhere there’s food would be impossible. I hope he finishes getting housebroken, or going anywhere as a SDit will be impossible. If he continues to bite and be destructive when denied anything he wants, that makes even living with him impossible.

He’s still young, though. I’ll give another 3 weeks of bite inhibition, 3 hour feeding schedules, and vigilant potty training, then decide at 4 months old if the rectifying the behaviors are just too labor intensive to continue with him. That will have been 6 weeks of 12-15 hour days of working with him.

I know, it sounds awful, the idea of not keeping the little amigo. The assistance dog training is very difficult, very expensive, and takes roughly two years. But he has to make for a good companion before he can become anything else no matter how much potential he has. I have to be realistic about what I can manage since becoming disabled.

I knew at the outset I didn’t have the energy to put a lot of effort into basic behavioral rehab in addition to SD training, which is why I don’t rescue anymore.

I’ve honestly never had so much trouble with a puppy, and I hope that changes in the next month. If it doesn’t it won’t be for want of effort.

He is a cute little bugger, isn’t he?

Learning about the water spigot, he would get a few licks of water then look down and soak his own head. Lisa and I got a howl from that!

Levi’s sit is still excellent, and he’s very good about coming when his name is called. His down is still needing a lure to get compliance alot, the stay and wait is still in baby stage. But he’s also learning up (down to sit), stand, and the beginnings of brace front.

His hand targeting isn’t yet transfering to objects, so I’ll continue working on it too. I’m only giving him 1/2 cup of food in the bowl every 3-4 hours, because I’m using the kibble for treats after a click and we are training ALOT. He’s getting at least 4-5 cups of food a day total.

I’m going to try and convince Mom to at least take some pics and even see if I can get some videos up of our training. That’d be kinda fun! Cross my fingers though, since it requires her to be bothered with something. Still, he learns pretty darn well.

Later this week we’ll be in triple digits already, so our outdoor excursions will have to be early morning and late evening. That means a lot of running about in the house between 9am and 7pm, when the temps will be over 85F.

3 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on June 27, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in clicker training, Levi, new puppy, puppy training, service dog

Tagged clicker training, disability, great dane puppy, puppy behavior, puppy development, puppy play, puppy socialization, puppy training

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 27, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/that-park-was-fun-by-lisa-harmon/

Toddles is Learning…by Lisa Harmon

Sleepy peeps…

Levi’s trainer and I are going to buckle down on socializing and exposing him to public places. He’s 11 wks, now and we’re nearing the end of that super fast learning period (the first 16 wks).

He also does better behaviorally at home if he’s getting out and about.

Here’s the beginning list of socializing opportunities I’ve compiled for Levi: Levi Socializing and Class list. It’s by no means complete, and his sound sensitization CD’s are paid for and in shipping.

Friday afternoon, as Levi’s frustration started building into bite at me and tear my clothes, we hit the road: Nixa Hardware has a thousand smells and sounds, fountains, bedding plants, and PEOPLE. Some people want to meet a puppy, but he learned that some don’t. He also learned about automatic doors!

A quickie stop at the beauty shop for some meet n greet filled out the hour I don’t worry about an accidental whiz, and he was ready to come home too. Some people are calm and some people are excitable. Levi is learning to accept, love, and lean on all kinds.

He hit the Walgreens Saturday morning, too. In addition to making friends of the employees despite the automatic door, he began the pace with me games! Finally. Once he’d had a few minutes to adjust to the cars and people that were there, I slipped the leash around my body and moved until it was just a little taut.

It didn’t take Levi long to learn how much leash he had, and since we just began I would wait for him to move towards me to click and treat rather than call him. If food’s involved, he learns at warp speed!

2 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on June 23, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in clicker training, Levi, new puppy, puppy training, service dog

Tagged clicker training, puppy behavior, puppy development, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 23, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/toddles-is-learning-by-lisa-harmon/

First-Timer Tots….Lisa Harmon

”What is this place we’ve come to, Gram?”

Little Levi had his first obedience class Thursday night! His first step to becoming a service dog has been taken…

I had to lure him from the front lobby to the class area, and his little nose was glued to the ground. He wasn’t sure this class thing was for him at first.

It was noisy, and look at all the strange doggies, would ya? Ooo that one’s really hyper, and that one’s scared…

But the clicker came out, and he recognized our trainer. This class stuff was looking a bit more appealing. Do I get my supper here?

Levi’s frequent meals have morphed into obedience practices, one or two peices of kibble at a time. All the focus is on self-control commands, like sit or down with a bit of a pause before he gets his click n kibble. Leave it, of course, is a mainstay for him though it isn’t on the class docket.

Still, the sit/down/come commands in a group setting were exciting and distracting. He took a few minutes to focus himself, then hit his stride. Once or twice when the barking got pretty loud, Levi lost his confidence, so I sat on the floor and fed him treats for no reason, and shortly the barking didn’t bug him so bad. He even got to demonstrate the come command!

Levi was the littlest amigo there, though that won’t be true long. He is 11 weeks old now, and a smidge over 14″ tall. If he’d hold still long enough I’d know how long he was but oh well.

The tracking harness I fit him as best as he’d let me fit him with is a 20″-30″ girth. The 24″ was not going to give him much growing room, ie a bit pointless for a Dane puppy!

After class was a socializing time, and young Master Bite You kept his teeth to himself for the most part. He learned that caboose sniffing is a good thing, a growl means scoot back n sit, and not to chase a dog that has their tail tucked.

He was drawn to the calmest girl in the room, and started to like the Doxie that wanted to play pretty quick. He and the scaredy pup got to be pals, too. The two higher energy dogs though he steered clear of, the barking poodle in particular.

Anytime I saw this, he got a click and a treat! An assistance dog has to be chillin’, regardless of commotion or environs. THIS gets the big rewards.

I was really impressed with how calm he was about the whole business. Especially considering his “youth and inexperience”. Guess he only spazzes at home?

Hummm…I wonder if I could stand to live in a tent in a parking lot for awhile? Nah, not likely. ((smirk))

I was mildly concerned that the full hour and a half would overstimulate him, but it had the opposite effect. He came home and crashed like a zombie. In fact, he would have slept the whole night through had I not been unable to sleep.

To manage the frustrated shark frenzy he can get into I’ve become a first class opportunist. For instance, he’s getting better at staying quietly in a seat with just me in the car with him. So just before the teeth start really clamping down on me, we go to the c-store or someplace for a walk about or sit and listen to it all. Mentally tiring.

Another management tool: the heat. Outside, even just laying in the shade, it’s hot enough to have a physically tiring effect. So out he goes until he’s panting, then in to lay down and cool off before getting a nice big drink.

He needs to get out more–it tires him and that 12-16 week old socializing window is closing on us soon. I’m gonna have to start 2-a-days like a football practice.

(Lord where shall I find the energy?!)

Since Levi does so much better in public than at home I can take advantage of that good boy public behavior to help him at home. If I’m smart I can send him out with Mom and get at least some of the carpet shampooed again!! Does that sound like a conspiracy or what?

2 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on June 22, 2012 • Permalink

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

Tagged clicker training, great dane puppy, obedience training, puppy behavior, puppy development, puppy socialization, service dog training

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 22, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/first-timer-tots-lisa-harmon/

3, 2, 1…Almost Time by Lisa Harmon

Only a short time now, until Levi arrives from Hungary. Hopefully I’ll find out Monday morning the time and place to pick him up.

The carpets are cleaned with Nature’s Miracle, I’ve ordered filters for the air cleaners, got his vaccines in the fridge, sprayed Cedarcide around the house…Hurry up little pup!

I’ve got a few things left to do that could fill my time, like the laundry, and getting the whole yard sprayed with Cedarcide as the rain moves in. I could tidy up the house, too. Place his bed. Stuff. Filler. Time killers. Uhg.

Not much else to do or decide until paws are on the ground. Other than scrub the house to death, that is. But that’s how it goes when you wait for a puppy. Once he’s in my lap, I can measure him for a little vest, get him a little baby pack for carrying my cash and coins. The potty training begins, and teaching him his name.

Until then it’s wait and daydream, anticipate the funny quirks and standard growing up baby laughs. I can wonder “will he scare himself the first time he really barks, rather than puppy yips?”, and chuckle ahead of time for his reaction when he tries to walk in a body that grew while he napped.

Then there will be the face I get when I tell him “no” for the umpteenth time. Cannot wait for his first experience with the back yard, watching his rolly polly butt toddle about. Your estate awaits, my little Hungarian man!

3 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on June 10, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Great Danes, Levi, new puppy

Tagged great dane puppy, puppy development, puppy exercise

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on June 10, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/3-2-1-almost-time-by-lisa-harmon/

Name and Come

This is Ira the Therapy Dog and his Dane buddy, Cooper. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1361170793

Of all the obedience “commands”, I want 2 in particular to be so solid as to be second nature: their name means look at me, and come. The down, stay, wait and such are very important too, but name and come are lifesavers for us both.

When they were little, 8-16 weeks old, anytime they looked at me, followed me, or came to me was rewarded heavily. And then we began little “come” games from Sue Ailsby’s clicker training levels http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page26/styled/

Now at 4-6 mo old, their name and come games are getting harder, and more rewarding. There are distractions to ignore, like kids running nearby, and shopping carts, and car horns, and people walking between us. Sue’s level 1 needs a 20 foot distance accomplished to move on to level 2, but I am less concerned about distance than distraction.

Come is made up of many parts, and if you have broken it down into those parts, you’ll know where the come went wrong if they don’t finish the behavoir chain. There is 1) recognizing a cue, such as a name or whistle, 2) disengaging their interest from what they were doing, 3) moving their bodies towards you, 4) ignoring distractions 5) proximity to you.

Some people may want a come front, where the pup sits directly in front of them, some may want the pup to take up a heel position…but the basic come has 5 seperate behaviors in the chain. There are dogs that won’t disengage, dogs that will start your way but get distracted by their best doggie bud over there, and dogs that will get near but not stop where you want them.

If you practice and reward each and every step of the come, the odds are the pup will put all those related parts together in order. My pup will have learned their name means look at me, so they have to disengage once they recognize that cue to get their reward.

A pup that is coming to me can see my excitement and the wonderful reward I have for them, which helps them ignore other things. We’ve also practiced ignoring movements and sounds and smells, so they are primed to ignore. And reaching me has killer good rewards every time, and not the same ones, either! Mix it up for fun!

The life of an SDit (service dog in training) is crammed full of noise, movement, and scent distractions. Just go to a Target and close your eyes for awhile if you don’t believe me. They have to become king of ignore! So I will spend as long as I must in level 1 come at 20 feet to get it smack down perfect regardless of what’s around.

Every time I call their name and they look, they get a click and treat, and usually a lovely big hug. The problem with my past Danes was they get bored with repetition: the same old thing with the same old treat just gets deadly dull. So I had to find better treats as the ignore it became harder, and more than just treats for a reward.

Many police and other working dogs use tug toys or ball chases for rewards and to sustain excitement. It works!

Affection, laughter, an infectiously happy and proud emotional response from you makes the “obedience” a fun and bonding experience.

At 4-6 mo old, a Dane pup may be pushing 100 pounds, but their brains and behavoirs are far from mature–they’re still “little”!

So play, and fun, and love are the best rewards of all. We have to deal with the “stubborns” at this age, and the “do it how I want” ways of a developing puppy. But that’s okay, because I want a grown up dog that can think for themselves: I want a problem solver!

So the name means look becomes “if I look, she might have my jolly ball, that’s better than sniffing the grass”. The trick is not to set the pup up to fail: don’t call them if there’s a chance they won’t come. Never let your little Einstein figure out they can ignore you!

If you think your pup is such a nose hound they won’t disengage their attention from that spot in the grass, go back to the beginning. Be right next to them, and wordlessly lure their nose up with a favorite treat or toy. Even lifting their nose by one inch is worthy of a click and reward! They disengaged the nose–take it and reward it and build on it.

If your pup is likely to lose interest in you on the way and go play with their pal, then practice ignoring their pal as a seperate step. Make getting to play with their pal a reward for the come chain. They only get taken off leash to play with their pal if they look at you and take a step or two to you.

If you have to, have a friend hold their leash and reward each and every step in the come chain as they go. And don’t be surprised if what a puppy was good at a couple weeks ago goes to pot on you this week. You’re working with a creature that is changing physically and emotionally every day. They aren’t grown up yet!

—

PS. I have paid a deposit on a new puppy. It will be a blue male Great Dane, from Lean on Me Great Danes, a kennel in Hungary. He is only a few days old right now, but in 2 months, the “rubber meets the road”, and I move from laying out a plan of training to living out a plan.

So I got 2 months to finish my planning! Not to mention getting new carpet, a digital recorder to record grocery, park and other sounds…a new puppy bed, line up a doggie day care for socializing, decide on a food, stock up on treats, get new collars/leashes…Here comes the fun folks, for real, and lots of PICTURES!

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The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test

The AKC has a puppy version of the Canine Good Citizen test–the CGC isn’t allowed to be taken by a puppy under 6 mo old.

But the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test lays the foundations for a youngster, and that’s always a good thing!

Here’s the link to the official site:

http://www.akc.org/starpuppy/test_items_pledge.cfm

The test is evaluating mostly for a good owner, a happy and well adjusted pup, and some simple obedience in a pre-6mo old puppy. I have placed the related page in the “socializing an SDit” category because they aren’t really testing for super duper fancy obedience class commands. They just want to see if the puppy is well behaved and friendly.

(the italics are copy and pasted from the link above, and regular type is my thoughts!)

20 STEPS To Success: The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy^sm Test

S ocialization T raining A ctivity R esponsibility

OWNER BEHAVIORS:

1. Maintains puppy’s health (vaccines, exams, appears healthy) 2. Owner receives Responsible Dog Owner’s Pledge 3. Owner describes adequate daily play and exercise plan 4. Owner and puppy attend at least 6 classes by an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator 5. Owner brings bags to classes for cleaning up after puppy 6. Owner has obtained some form of ID for puppy-collar tag, etc.

I’m glad the AKC promotes responsible ownership! Even though I’m training my puppy for a “job”, I can’t ever let the job eclipse the fact that this puppy has needs too, and that he or she is a living creature. Their exercise and care come before the training!

PUPPY BEHAVIORS:

7. Free of aggression toward people during at least 6 weeks of class 8. Free of aggression toward other puppies in class 9. Tolerates collar or body harness of owner’s choice 10. Owner can hug or hold puppy (depending on size) 11. Puppy allows owner to take away a treat or toy

Having gone to much trouble to find a pup with excellent temperment, I don’t foresee any difficulty with fear, aggressiveness, or fussiness. But these can’t be overlooked, and can develop unexpectedly, so much of our socializing and class time is directed towards having a calm and friendly pup.

PRE-CANINE GOOD CITIZEN^® TEST BEHAVIORS:

12. Allows (in any position) petting by a person other than the owner

13. Grooming-Allows owner handling and brief exam (ears, feet)

14. Walks on a Leash-Follows owner on lead in a straight line (15 steps)

15. Walks by other people-Walks on leash past other people 5-ft away

16. Sits on command-Owner may use a food lure

17. Down on command-Owner may use a food lure

18. Comes to owner from 5-ft when name is called

19. Reaction to Distractions-distractions are presented 15-ft away

20. Stay on leash with another person (owner walks 10 steps and returns)

Hopefully my newest SDit will have no difficulty with the STAR test right at 4 months old. They have worked on these test items from 8 weeks! These are all foundation obedience and good temperment items.

We’ve played the name games, the come games, the down, the sit, the stay, the wait, the ignore games, the pace with me games…but any puppy can get a fright when they go out, and develop things to work on. They’re puppies! A dropped box might overly startle them, or they decide people in ballcaps are scary.

I can’t take for granted that my pup will breeze through at 4 mo old, or after passing not continue to pay attention to their friendliness, their comfort in public, or their simple obedience. Puppies change as they grow, and will need their training and socializing continued their whole lives.

2 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on April 15, 2012 • Permalink

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

Tagged Canine Good Citizen, great dane puppy, obedience training, puppy development, puppy socialization, puppy training, service dog training

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on April 15, 2012

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/the-akc-s-t-a-r-puppy-test/

Pace with Me Games for SDit

An SDit (service dog in training) has one absolute requirement: attentiveness. I need him aware and ready to respond to my body’s movement, my body’s changes, my emotional state. So I continue the ”pacing games” where they had to stop, start, turn, change speed and such without losing that at my hip position when they were younger.

Being, well, me, I’m a little fussy about where the pup needs to have their body in relation to mine. Dottie the Dane there is a good girl and learning to brace but for my personal needs, she’s way too far away.

That’s why I love the pacing games: glued to my hip is a constantly reinforced position, directly and passively rewarded. The brace or counterbalance or anything else is learned while already in the right place.

By now I hope the pup has gotten good at the basics, and has started to really enjoy our little dance moves! To me, walking with an SD is indeed more of a dance than anything else. We’re having fun being 2 bodies but one team.

Only now I’m adding in some new “tricks” as they learn them: a step up or down alert (in case I missed it), or sustaining a slight pull in harness up a long incline. They’ll learn a counterbalance with their harness in the midst of those direction and pace changes, and to smoothly guide around a box in our way.

Many of these new tricks of the game are actually serious, but I won’t tell them that! If I turn left hard, it’s highly probable I’ll wind up really needing a counterbalance. If I stop suddenly, I’m likely to need a bit of a brace. My balance has it’s problems…

These “tricks” break down into braces, counterbalances, pull/slow harness work, guiding alerts, and hearing alerts. Those categories will have their own pages, but as they learn them, they get thrown into the pacing games as real life-like situations they will face frequently, though at a slower pace later on.

The idea is to make knowing those tasks so second nature they are called ”defaults”; they don’t have to be a command. I often don’t even bother to teach the pup the name of the action, because my body movement itself is the cue.

This big girl here is one the dogs from http://www.servicedogproject.org/

Of course I don’t use weight in a brace, or let them pull very hard since I’m talking about immature dogs–18 mo is when their bones’ growth plates close and it is safe to bear weight.

Right now though, the puppy is getting used to the idea of “mom pitches forward, I move, pressure on my shoulders”. I want the positions and the acceptance of pressure and pulling in a youngster.

I start young with the guiding and harness work, because young puppies accept new and unnatural things easier than older dogs. It also gives us a year to have the actions down before it’s the real thing. Giving myself that time to work the kinks out and make the “work” fun increases my chance for success: the odds are stacked against owner-trainers who want as much from an SD as I do.

So we play our games and my pup plays the games with my family, my neighbors, our trainer…it’s all fun and games, but I know it’s for real life with me later on, and I’m not telling my puppy love that! I’m always amazed at what a pup can learn to do if they enjoy my attention and doing things with me. Dogs are the greatest!

Great Dane Service Dog's Weblog

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Training Me…by Lisa Harmon

Doing Better All the Time…by Lisa Harmon

That Park Was FUN…by Lisa Harmon

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Name and Come

The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test

Pace with Me Games for SDit

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