Bella's boot camp

This is the long leash - harness for Bella to run on in our yard

Friday - day 5 of Bella's boot camp.  I am putting Bella on her harness and playing fetch with the tennis ball in the morning before breakfast  which has always been her routine.  2 milestones this morning - She barked at the neighbor walking down the alley but came when I called her and focused on chasing the ball as the woman passed.  Usually I would have to pull her in like a huge fish on a line, but not this am.

The really big improvement was when Bella saw the black and white cat.  There is a neighborhood black and white cat that Bella usually goes ballistic barking and wanting to chase after when she sees it.  It all started when she was a puppy and we wanted to chase the cat out of the yard because my friends 2 toddler children would not stop trying to pet it.  So that night long ago, we put Bella and Butterscotch out on their long leashes and they barked at the cat so it ran out of the yard.  Since then, Bella sees the cat and wants to go chase it.  Talk about quick learning!

Butter gets his rewards for being calm too

So this morning as Bella runs to get her ball, there is the black and white cat sitting about 50 yards away right in the middle of the street.  Bella looked at the cat, but did not bark or run out towards it.  I called her and she came to me with her ball and we continued to play!  For her to not react to the cat, chase, bark and be able to be called away is huge! 

There was still a little barking at dinner time, but not as much as the day before.  Improvement is coming every day.

Bella's boot camp

So, day 4 with Bella in her learn to earn program.  She did well most of the day. Dinner was a little trying with her barking a lot at Glenda and the food kibble jar on the table.  Barking did not get any kibble to her, and after a few minutes she started to get it.  This is her old pattern - bark and to get her to quiet down she would get a food puzzle, play or let outside for tennis ball time.  Guess what? That was encouraging or reinforcing her barking!

So why was Bella now barking?  She was trying out the old technique to see if that would still work to get her play or food.  This is the extinction burst - as the old behavior is going extinct ( forgotten) there is a sudden rush of attempts to use the old behavior to get her way - hence the barking. Now this is the point of testing the patience of the person working on changing the behavior. Do you have the patience and understanding to stick with the program so you do not reinforce the extinction burst? In Bella's case that meant not telling her "quiet" because that was like barking back - or looking at her - or getting her a toy to settle her.  We had to totally ignore her.  It worked but it was a test of both our wills.
This is the point where training or using leadership programs breaks down. It is not easy to ignore the barking or nose nudging to get attention.  It can really drive you crazy!  Counting the number of barks or nudges  before they settle, helps to see that the program is working and keeps you going on the ignoring.  I won't say it is easy.  Overall she is much less reactive and settled at home, so a few breaks are not that bad. Keeping the big picture in mind is really important to saving your sanity.

 

Bella's boot camp

So day 3 is over and still more progress.  Bella did not steal any pens off the end table at all.  There is always one or 2 pens laying around especially since my daughter likes to do her homework sitting in the comfy chair in the living room.  So a common attention tactic is to take  a pen and parade around with it then start to chew on it.  Pens are safe today!

Bella politely drops the ball on her own to play more

There were short spurts of barking in the morning but Bella settled down and got her kibble as she sat and laid on the bed.  There was even a time when I dropped some kibble and she stayed quiet on the bed. That really shocked me.  We had a good time playing ball in the yard as well as getting walks. It is kind of funny.  You can almost see her thinking as she figures out that barking and grabbing things is not going to get my attention or anyone else's.  I am seeing how this leadership training by her focused on me or Glenda as leader teaches her how to control her impulses. We will see what tomorrow will bring.

Bella's boot camp

Bella's boot camp day 2 -

This is where the remote lay all day - nice!

So Bella finished off day 2 with a pretty good report.  The biggest wow was that she did not steal the remote this am!   It was on the end table in full view and reach and she left it alone!  Typically she will grab it and proudly prance through the kitchen towards the addition area.  I had always traded up which she would surrender the remote but unless we put the remote up high, you could guarantee that she would be running by with it in her mouth.  Just one less pain in the rear thing to deal with and that is nice!

So far so good!    

Bella's boot camp

I am going to blog daily ( or as close to daily as I can) this week.  After listening to Dr. Sophia Yin's talks at the Illinois State Veterinary Medical convention in Peoria this weekend, I decided to give her version of the learn to earn program a try to decrease Bella's innate impulse drive.  Our little black beast Bella - who is loved very dearly- has been increasingly naughty in the mornings pulling things off the counter, grabbing the tv remote if it is not up, etc.  Tethering as needed has helped,yet I felt that she did not see me or my family as her leader
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Bella Boot camp day 1.

Bella is looking at me for what she needs - the first steps to improving leadership

Now Bella brings the ball and waits for me - nice!

Say please by sitting is the core of this program.  Meals come as the rewards for polite behavior.  So starting yesterday morning at 6:30 am Bella went out on her harness to relieve herself and a little bit of ball play time.  When we came in, I put her measured meal in my pocket for individual rewards rather than the usual food puzzle.  Bella already knows her sit, come, down but is not always obedient.  I did not tether her to me, as I wanted to see how fast she would catch on to me ( plus I was a bit coffee deficient to have the energy to do all parts of the program).  She quickly caught on that when she sat nice a kibble came right to her.  She did very well for the majority of the am alternately sitting and laying on her bed figuring out what made the kibble come.  She was much less reactive the whole day to things outside, and even came to me on her own when she was barking noisily at another dog . I could clearly see progress in just 1 1/2 hours!   My staff commented how much more settled she was. She had walks and her active ball time during the day so there was not any denial of her favorite play or activity time.  Lets see what happens tomorrow.

 
 

Mind your manners tethering

Naughty Bella is counter cruising!

Mind your manners tethering

It is interesting how one training problem can actually be related to another.  For example, last week a n puppy parent commented that were having  a little difficulty with house training.  The pup could hold it  but occasionally would have accidents.  No one wants to battle house soiling, so I pressed for more details.  As we discussed the whole scenario of accidents, it turns out the puppy was highly active, getting into trouble and would then eliminate.  Wisely, the family did not want to use the crate for a punishment or isolation area and was not sure what to do.  All the highly active "naughty" play that is typical for a pup was difficult to find a solution for.   Getting the history of what a puppy is doing wrong is extremely important to help that family get on the right track, and that puppy to learn good manners in a positive way.   

Typically in a scenario like this I would suggest a baby gate to keep the puppy in the room you are in.  What is difficult is that many homes now have a large open floor plan so a baby gate won't work.  There are some pet gate models that expand up to 72" wide, but  that may not solve the problem in some homes.  So how does one keep a puppy out of trouble? 

The answer is a tether.  A tether is a leash or two joined to give a puppy about 10 feet  to play, chew on toys, and  a bed to rest on.  Tie  the tether to the leg of a strong chair, table or put a screw eye in the wall for attachment.  The tether is enforcing that this puppy has to stay in the area the owner is in, and prevents the pup from chewing on cords, furniture or going to an accident area. 

Yummy plastic peanut butter jar for tether time!

  Even if the puppy is not  happy on the tether, they will settle down and accept it after they see they are not going to be released.  Now when the puppy is settled,   praise the puppy and give an occasional treat.  This teaches the puppy to settle down on the bed when you are not able to play with them.  When you can play and give them attention, they are off the tether and played with continuously for at least 15 minutes to wear them out.  Off the tether means fun, games and activity ; on the tether means quiet time.  The crate can also be used for quiet time, but if your puppy is in the crate for more than 10 hours a day, they need to have more time in other areas of the home.

Bella is tethered for a moment so Butter can be leashed in peace 

Some people may think a tether looks mean or that the pup will think they are being punished.  When you give a reward like a food toy when they are tethered, the effect  is  the opposite.  The tether means good things are coming and the pup wants to stay put to get them.  Do not release your pup from the tether if they are barking or pulling unless you are suspicious that they need to go out.  If so, take them directly outside and praise them.  If they have not eliminated, do not take them off the tether.  Otherwise they will learn to bark to get off the tether!

I still need to use the tether on Bella our family dog who will be 3 soon.  She gets a wild hair to start pulling things off the shelf when she wants to have extra attention.  She will come to the tether ( yes a little reluctantly)when I call her and get content on her bed with a stuffed Kong.  For her it is almost as if she needs to be tethered to settle herself.  She is a very active dog and it is hard for her to self settle at times.  The tether is her friend, and she knows it.  She gets to lay close by as I am working on the computer, or enjoying TV time with my family.  She is still loved and now knows she cannot just demand attention all the time.

Looking pitiful at the kitchen table, but it beats counter cruising

So use a tether to teach good manners and calm settling.  It is a great alternative to constant crating, especially if you have a large open floor plan.  Make it happy with a nice bed to lay on and some rewarding toy or treat.   Use this technique as your pet grows up to remind them of good settling manners.

For more information on pet behavior and positive handling go to www.drsallyjfoote.com

How far is too far to walk?

walking in the parade

How far is too far to walk?

After the home coming parade last Friday, someone asked about how Butterscotch did after the walk.  Was he used to walking that far (he is. He walks that far twice daily).  The next question was how far was too far to walk an old dog.   No one wants to over work their pet, especially an older one.  How does one know what is a good amount of exercise but not too much to cause harm?

The answer will depend on your pet's fitness level now, if there is any arthritis already present and what kind of surface your pet will be walking or exercising on.  All pets, especially older ones get a lot of help by regular daily walking.  So, even a short walk will be good for your pet.  Walking helps the circulation to the heart, liver and kidneys helping those important organs to work better.  It is really stimulating to the brains of older pets to sniff out different things and see different sights on a walk.  Keeping muscles fit is one of the best ways to reduce pain and stiffness due to arthritis.

Butterscotch on his am route

So,  for a first walk, notice when your dog starts to tire out make note of how far or how long you have walked.  Take about 5 minutes to let the dog lay and rest before heading home ( be patient! ).  Now, for future walks go half the distance out that you went when they became tired so you can do the whole route in 1 walk.  Use this as a starting point.  Repeat this walk twice daily.  Even if it is just 5 minutes of walking, 2 walks that are 5 minutes and not over tiring a dog is better than 1 10 minute walk.  Every week you can increase the walk by 2 minutes or so.   The point is to keep up the daily walks  so your dog does not loose it's conditioning.  

Grass is a good surface to walk on.  The key is to praise your dog when walking with the head up and not buried in the grass.  Do not use a choke chain or prong collar.  These can be damaging to the neck.  The easy walk harness by Premier is a good choice to prevent pulling or guide the dog into you.  Older dogs do ok on pavement as long as it is not too hot, and they keep the pace at a walk.  Be mindful of areas where there may be broken glass, or other debris. 

As dogs get older they may not be able to hear as well.  So people may startle them, or shrill noises may upset them.  Pet them and use food rewards for walking well or encourage calm behavior when a train passes or emergency vehicle. 

Most dogs do best walking after they have been up for a little while to get their legs limber.  If your pet takes arthritis medication wait about 30 minutes or so before a long walk so the medication is already working.

Butterscotch is all ready for the parade with Ranger in the float

Walking your old dog is a great way to enjoy time together, keep them and yourself healthy, and show off your super senior dog! 

     Dr. Sally J Foote