Rhemy the Racing Dog

Right now, I'm training my first Greyhound. I have never trained a Greyhound before, much less even been around one! I've only seen them on racetracks (on TV) but that's about it.

This Greyhound's name is Rhemy. She is a super sweet, mellow dog. If you want a mellow, not super-active dog, Greyhounds are your thing. They are also good apartment dogs, even though they are so long and take up a lot of space, because they're so quiet! A big misconception, because everyone assumes since they were bred for racing, that they must have tons of energy.

But actually, they just need one sprint a day at a dog park or somewhere were they can run free and they're done for the day. "Done" as in sleeping. They don't instantly recharge like other dogs do. They also don't really bark very much, so that makes them ideal as well. They are just content to hang around with you.

Rhemy loves blankets and pillows.

Rhemy came from China, where she raced in dog races. I don't really know what happened there, she seems well socialized and it doesn't seem like she was abused, although I'm sure as a race dog, they expected a lot from here.

We found numbers inside her ear. Reading up more on it, I learned that this is how they make sure they have the correct dog for the race--they tattoo it inside their ear. Can't help but wonder why tags wouldn't be enough?

She is also very skinny--even for a Greyhound. This poor dogs' ribs are sticking out and she has patches of fur missing due to alopecia. She was in a kennel a lot in China and they said alopecia is so common that they call it "kennel alopecia."

Her breath--I hate to say it--but it's the worst I've ever smelled and that's saying a lot because Ace has horrendous breath. She has a few teeth that are rotting (they're going to be removed soon) so that is why her breath stinks so bad. But in spite of all this, she is still a super sweet dog and the kids love her.

Anyway, Rhemy is an interesting dog. I've never worked with a dog like her. I'm so used to hyper dogs and having to be very assertive. Not with this dog! Greyhounds have an extremely sensitive temperment. Article after article cautions to be very patient with training and to never resort to yelling or impatience. You can get away with that with most dogs, but with Greyhounds, you can cause fear-aggression.

And it's true--wtih Rhemy, I don't need to do more than a "Uh-uh!" and that's it. She immediately puts her ears back and stops.

You might be wondering why she's here for training since she seems like such a perfect dog already.
Well, she might have a great temperment, but she doesn't know a thing. Not one command. Not "sit" "down" or "come". Not even her own name.

She has no sense of awareness. Her socialization has been very minimal--to dogs and people only. New situations--very little. Stairs--very little. (She was like a colt trying to climb our stairs.) Body awareness--none! She will stand in your way and won't "get the hint" and back off even if you are walking right into her space whereas most dogs are very sensitive about their space.

And their training capability is vey low. This is due to them being so sensitive and independent. They get bored easily and so training is hard to keep going. If you are starting to get frustrated with them, they shut down. And their independence of just wanting to hang out with you but not necessarily "work for you" makes it frustrating.

This may be the first dog that I won't be able to train.

So I'm focusing instead on building a friendship with her. If I can get her to bond with me, hopefully she will want to listen to me, and then I can establish rules with her. (She also counter-surfs--she is so tall.) If I can do this, I can hopefully encourage her new owners to just build a good relationship with her and hopefully just go from there.

So that is what I've been doing lately. Here is  short 2 minute video if you want to see a Greyhound run!



In other news, (not quite as interesting), Max's "lows" have been getting better. His doctor has switched his dose so that he's not getting as much insulin. Since then, he hasn't been having as many lows and there are some meals that he doesn't even need to dose for--which he loves!

I found out that his school is not teaching him any math (Max says he and the teachers decided to "give it up") which I can't really talk about because it makes me too upset. He still doesn't know how to multiply or divide. They were supposed to work on counting carbs with him but apparently they don't have time.

So this is something I'm trying to work on with him. He uses his calculator which still isn't like doing the "real" math, but for now, I'm letting him use the calculator. We write out what he wants to eat and then write out the carbs and then he adds it together. But I have to admit it feels like we're taking a step backwards; it takes a lot of time. Sometimes it doesn't feel worth it and I feel frustrated with how long it takes.

But what am I going to do--count his carbs forever? This is his disease, his body, so he's got to learn how to manage it.

Wintertime Doggy Drop off

Something new that I've incorporated into my dog training is a Wintertime Drop off for dogs. Every Thursday (from now until April 15th), I've invited people to get a break from their dogs and get them out of the house one a week for just $10 a session. There are five weeks of this so they can either pay in full $50 or just pay session by session. I've limited it up to five dogs only so I don't go TOO crazy and people must reserve their spot. We had our first session just yesterday (see previous post, lol) and it went great! It was a bit exhausting, but mostly because one of the dogs that are boarding with us is a non-stop barker when he's in the kennel, which can be exhausting to listen to.

Anyway, so far it's going well and people seem to really like the idea, plus take their dogs home all worn out, which means less behaviors from their dogs. And I'm making a little money on the side, which makes Dennis happy too. It's a win-win for everyone.

A crazy week!

Wow, what a week! It's been crazy and it's all self-inflicted suffering. Although, not intentionally. Basically bad planning.

We have nine dogs here, counting our own, and no, I did not set out to board seven dogs all at once. One has been here for two weeks for training, this is her second week with us. The other two were here for Day Training. I figured I could handle three dogs, especially when the Day Training dogs go home in the afternoon. Then an old customer that I haven't heard from forever asked if she could board her dog here for the week, since she has relatives in town who are afraid of dogs. I didn't want to tell her no...I mean, she's one of my first customers and it's a compliment when they remember you. So I said yes.

Then my friend asked if I could watch her dog, Roger, a huge Pit Bull. Without even thinking, I told her yes, not realizing that she was asking for the same week as everyone else. And when she showed up, she came with another dog (who I thought was a neighbor dog that followed her in--I almost shooed her away) and she said, "No, this is my dog Lucy. Didn't I ask if she could stay with you too?"

No, she didn't, but I couldn't turn her away. So now we had six dogs. And then my neighbor asked very last minute if we could board their dog, Dugg, as they were going through a new transition in their home and Dugg was showing a lot of regression in his housetraining. Can't say that was a compelling reason for me to take him in, but, they're neighbors and also a customer, so I said we would fit him in.

It wasn't until I began to get confirmation emails from everyone "we will see you on Monday!" and, "What time would you like us to come on Monday?" when I realized....that everyone was coming on Monday.

Not all the dogs get along with each other. As I said, Rodger is a big Pitt Bull and even though he seemed friendly enough, tends to "get bit" a lot at dog parks--not a good sign. So we only kept him with his "sister", Lucy. Lucy is a sweetheart and no trouble, but is old (15 years old) and couldn't be kenneled at all because she panics. I don't want to put a dog that old under that much stress, so we've had her sleeping with in the room with Max.

The other dogs are kenneled at night and make quite the racket, although they've been getting used to it.

Dugg, our neighbor's dog, has lived up to his reputation of accidents and has woken up in a puddle of pee every single morning.

And Stella, the dog who is training with us, ran off one day, giving me a heart attack. We followed her all the way two houses down until we finally got her back home.

And then Charlie, one of the puppies who come for day training, suprised me by squeezing through a super tiny hole in the fence. Apparently, he is not as big as I thought and mainly just a lot of fur. Thankfully, he wanted to come in right away and met me at the door step.

But I think the kicker is that Stella is in heat, which is making all the male dogs here crazy. Dugg, our bed wetter, keeps humping her and I have to keep pulling him off of her. I warned her owners that she's in heat and joked that she might come home pregnant (at the same time, promising them that I would try my best to keep her seperated from the male dogs, which has been nearly impossible to do) and they joked back that they wouldn't mind if she was pregnant--as long as it was with another Goldendoodle.

Regardless, we have tried to keep her seperated from the dogs but I do let her out with them once in a while, because she really enjoys playing with them, and I feel bad that she's being cooped up so much.

I haven't taken a shower in two days because I'm always watching dogs. No matter what dog I have out of their kennel, I don't totally trust them while I'm in the shower.

The carpet has taken a major hit with three puppies (Dugg is technically a puppy, although he's 20 weeks now) having accidents.

Our own dogs, who barely get to get out of the house anymore, are even having some behavior issues. Joey marked his place on MY THROW PILLOWS--TWICE---because he is insecure with so many dogs here and has to make sure they know he's here. And on top of that, he started a fight with Ace the other day, which is really unlike him.

And--not that this has to do with anything with dogs--but I stepped on one of Max's needles that didn't make it in the Sharps container today. Again, has nothing to do with dogs. But it hurt. A lot. And it just made everything else seem that much worse, you know?

It made me say, "I am so done with dogs!!!"

I am ready for them to go home. I took on too much.

I have learned a lesson.

Always write things down.

Six dogs

Over the weekend, I had five dogs (including my own) to take care of. None of the dogs were trustworthy to be around other dogs.

There was Sebastian the Chihuahua mix, who was very protective of his space, which meant he didn't like to be around people or dogs...(although he did warm up to us but not to dogs.)

And Baby Ruth, the Pitt/Boxer mix who took forever to warm up to everyone. She stuck by me like glue (like what she is doing in the picture!) She was/is afraid of men, reactive to dogs and cautious around children.

Cujo, who has been with us before but this time was here for boarding. He is a good dog that is great with kids and other dogs, but tends to be hyper.

And Otis, the happy-go-lucky Labradoodle who is great with kids and dogs, but a counter-surfer and jumper. Otis didn't come until Monday.

And then of course, Joey and Ace make six.

Basically, I had to switch off dogs every hour (with the exception of Joey and Ace, who just hung out with the kids in their rooms.) So I would have Cujo upstairs with me for an hour (he had to be first because he was the highest energy and would rip things up if too long in the kennel) and then Baby Ruth, and then Sebastian and so on. Every hour, a dog.

Because they were kenneled so much, I had to take them for a walk. Each dog.

Friday rained half the day. I took nine walks that day. Nine! I have never walked so much! I had Max take Joey and Ace for their walks.

On Saturday, I had to do all the walks again but I wasn't sure I could do so many two days in a row. So with Sebastian (the Chihuahua) I began to exercise him in the backyard with the kids instead. All I had to do was hold onto the leash while he chased the kids back and forth. One walk eliminated!

Later, Dennis took Cujo for a bike ride, (one bike ride for Cujo is like two walks!)  but he didn't come home until later so I had to take Cujo for walks in the meantime.

By Saturday night, I felt (and looked) like the walking dead.

Sunday was Corpus Christi and we had to be at the church because Anna was part of the procession (she was a First Communicant.) This was an 8:00 mass and one we normally don't go to it because it's too hard to get everyone up and ready on time. But we had to go and so we went.

I was so tired that morning, I can't remember the last time I was so tired. And trying to get five dogs peed and fed in one hour, plus five kids ready for church--one of them needing to be back in her first Communion dress, it's no wonder that I forgot to get myself ready.

Yep, I forgot to get dressed.  I just threw on what I was wearing the day before and, being so worried about being late (which we nearly were), I didn't even realize that I was wearing my jeans Capri with my dirty tennis shoes and no socks!! To church! On a feast day!

I didn't even realize this until I watched a video that I took of the procession (I was so moved, I decided to take a short video) that when I directed the camera downward to show the rose petals on the ground, I saw my dirty white tennis shoes! Pretty embarrassing! Everyone in their nice clothes and me, in my dog training clothes!

Did I mention that I hadn't showered for three days???

Later that day, my body demanded a break whether I wanted to take a break or not. I felt dizzy and everything would get hazy every once in a while. I kenneled up all the dogs and slept. Then I felt better.

Monday was when Otis came and so that meant six dogs all at once. Lucky for me, Otis and Cujo hit it off and that saved me from taking Cujo for multiple walks for his high energy needs.

Finally, I get to use that kennel!

And then, at 4:00, Cujo's owners came to pick him up. And then at 7:30, Sebastian's owners came. And life got a little easier.

Otis too, is here only for Day Training, so he was picked up at 3:30. That left us with just Baby Ruth. And of course, our dogs. But it was much more doable.

So now, I have Otis for Day Training and later this week, Baby Ruth will be going home. I'm not sure I will take that many dogs at once again, but at the same time, if I ever find myself in that position again, it's nice to know that I'm able to do it.

The fence is done, whoo-hoo!!

I can't help it, I am so happy (and proud), this is my first real investment toward my dog business to make it more efficient and professional! I had some doubts that I would make enough money to make it happen but it did!

The last few pieces to finish the fence. Overall, it only cost a little over $400 to make the whole thing!

Progress on the licking sores!

Not that anyone would or should care about this....but Joey's licking sore is nearly healed! I'm excited about this because it proves that dogs *can* get over these habits. I want to write an article about it on my dog website.

A recap: his licking wound started from a mosquito bite from last year. He chewed and licked it because it itched, but then it turned into a licking habit. And so, a licking habit wound was formed.

The one on top is the original licking sore, the one on bottom is a new one. What took a year of licking on the first sore, he managed to make just as bad, if not worse, on the second sore, in just a few days. This is because he didn't lick, he began to literally dig in with his teeth and pull out skin. Gross and yuck. And ouch.

It was getting to be a concern to me because he was making these sores everywhere! It wasn't good for him health-wise and I will be honest, it was disgusting to watch. I mean, can you imagine watching a dog literally eat himself to death??

I tried covering it with bandages which of course, either fell off or he chewed off. I tried Bitterspray, which he licked off (a little at a time.) I tried horse radish. Sort of worked but it made a mess both on him and wherever he laid down.

I even tried a pony tail made out of cloth, not elastic, and it was actually working! It didn't fall off and he didn't chew it off. I had it on for a full day and we were making progress. But then he must have been pulling at it because suddenly his paw had swollen up three times it's original size and I rushed him into the vet clinic, convinced I had just cost him his paw.

I was thankful to hear that his paw would be just fine (they didn't even charge me for the visit, for which I was grateful) and that this sort of thing happens all the time to dog owners and even in the vet, because dogs chew and pull their bandages so much that it makes a tourniquet. Made me feel less of a jerk.

But when we talked about what to do about Joey's licking sore, they told me there was really nothing that could be done. They suggested everything I had already tried--they even suggested anti-anxiety meds. But they never suggested a cone. In fact, I brought up the cone idea and they vetoed it. They said it would be "too uncomfortable."

Ok, so this is my biggest pet peeve in dog training. I have only been doing this for a year, but I see too many bad decisions made based on emotion and not common sense. Uncomfortable?? Which is more uncomfortable--a cone on the head or bleeding sores all over the body?? I just get very impatient with this sort of thing, as you can see.

I decided to put the cone on Joey anyway. We kept it on for two weeks straight (with small breaks here and there.) He slept with it on as well, since his biggest licking time was when he was in the kennel by himself (dogs normally don't sleep the whole night through because they nap so much during the day.) He did fine with it on. Yes, he had some problems getting through doorways sometimes, and we had to help him in his kennel since he would get stuck in there (sort of funny, actually.) But he was able to eat, drink and sleep with it just fine.

And guess what? It totally broke him of his licking habit! His wound that he's had for a year now is completely healed (just a little calloused) and even has fur growing over it.

One month later

His second licking wound is much better as well, but because it was larger and deeper, it still needs more healing. However, Joey hasn't needed his cone since. He's learned that he's not to lick these two wounds or the cone goes back on.

In the beginning when Joey would lick at his wounds (when we gave him short breaks from the cone) I would jump at him (literally) with a loud "No!"  This was not really any sort of training technique, but more like frustration. Watching all that work of healing come undone while your dog literally gorges himself can turn you into an over-reactive crazy person. Like bringing in your kid for stitches and watching him take them all out as soon as he gets home.

But my extreme reaction along with the cone immediately going back on actually helped Joey make the connection: I lick my sores, I get yelled at and the cone goes back on. No more licking sores.

That doesn't mean that Joey no longer licks. He is licking his groin area now, and yes, it is red. But it's not so bad, because the cone goes on when he does it too much.

He does suffer from allergies as well but his obsessing licking actually stems from anxiety. You know what helps anxiety? Exercise! A well exercised dog will be too tired to lick.

Anyway, not that anyone should really care--this sort of post would do better on my dog website and I probably will write one up. But still, it makes me happy to have finally solved this problem! And a little bit proud too.

Fence project

The fence project is finally underway! While I can't say that it's moving very fast (lack of materials, time for cement drying and weather delays) it is finally getting started. I'm hoping this will help with a place to put the dogs when we need a break from them as well as a place to exercise them without them being tied to a cable or leash, which isn't safe or practical.

Cujo, the dog that is staying with us.

Stretching out the fence

There is an actual tool for this called the "fence stretcher". It makes it nice and tight. We don't have that tool, so we had to use our hands to stretch it out. Not easy!

This is as far as we've gotten, but we don't have much farther to go. We just need to set up two more sides and we'll be done!

I've gotten the door and need one more roll of fencing...we have more dogs lined up in the next few weeks so I can't wait to use it!

Another project: the fence/kennel or run-through

A couple months ago, I mentioned that we're going to install a fence/run-through/kennel in the backyard for my dog training. After a few hiccups and set-backs, I'm back to gathering materials. I still have a materials to get but I hope to have this fence up by the end of May.

The first hiccup was trying to figure out where we were going to put the kennel and how big it would be. I didn't really have an exact measurement in mind, but just long enough to be able to toss a ball for a dog to chase. (Dennis didn't really appreciate this vague description.)

And then there was where we would put it. At first, it was going to go alongside the house, right by the basement so we could literally just walk out the basement and into the dog kennel. Ideal for winter and also letting dogs out to pee, without having to go out with them.

This is an area of the house we haven't done much with--as you can see!

But then talk about putting in a fourth bedroom came about and Dennis starting the project by installing a door in the basement (for the bedroom) made it more of a reality. I didn't want to have to go through someone's bedroom every time I let out the dogs, so I scratched out that location (much to my disappointment!)

Then Minnesota decided to give us a second winter, so that was the next hiccup. I put the fence project on hold, since I wasn't sure when we were going to ever put a fence in (or IF.)

Finally things thawed out and I began to gather materials for the fence again. Things have been a little slower with dog training lately, so I haven't been too eager to spend my money--or what's left of it.

But then a few customers have gotten their dogs lined up with me for board and trained (for summer vacations) and I began to gather materials again. It's been hard using my money for this! Part of me wonders if I should have held off another year, but I've already started and I'm sure it will come in handy for the summer.

So we went shopping to get a few things that will only fit in the truck:

Seventeen foot top rail

We picked a new location which we decided would be by the shed. Dennis thought that connecting the fence to the shed could save me a little money. It was also in an area in the yard that doesn't flood. (The other side does pretty regularly.)

But then I began to think about dogs using the roof of the shed to escape. It could happen. I have seen dogs escape from fences higher than that back when I was volunteering at Countryside Vet.

Not only that, but I didn't like the idea of uprooting the swing set. I wanted the kids to still be able to use it.

So I changed my mind back to the old location again.

Back and forth I go. 

Yes, I will have to cross through someone's bedroom to get to the outside but oh well. And it looks like that project has come to a standstill, since Dennis said he wants to finish the basement first.

There's just too many good things about this location to pass up for one negative thing. And I also like that it will blend in a little more with the yard, rather than being stuck out in the middle.

The biggest thing is that since it will be alongside of the house, that will save me some $$$ since the house will be acting as a wall! I even might get to return some stuff.

We will only need two line posts instead of four, and hopefully only two roles of chain link fence instead of three. Those rolls are $30 each!!

In case you're wondering how I even know what materials to get for all of this, Home Depot has these handy little check lists of what you will need and how much.

It even has diagrams of what everything looks like so you can tell the difference between a line post and a end post, corner post and gate post.

And no, I am not endorsing Home Depot or anything, I just really like that they have these things! Otherwise, I would need to rely on Dennis to do all the planning for me. 

Anyway, that is our next project going on! Not necessarily home improvement (some buyers might hate the location of the fence, we might have to rip it out one day) but it is a good step towards dog training and boarding efficiency! 

I can't wait until it's done!!

Josie and Max

Josie, trying to get as far away from me as she can get.

I've been working with my neighbor's newly adopted dog, Josie. She's a fearful dog that has never been socialized, or at least, very little.

She is afraid of people, objects and other dogs. The first day I spent time with her, she kept her distance from me (in picture above), growling at me. This is normally how she handles stressful situations, as she has found that growling is pretty effective about keeping people away--until my recent visits, when I refused to leave the room. I sat on the couch some distance away but within her sight, and pretty soon, she stopped growling. I spent a lot of time throwing hot dogs at her, shortening the distance so that she would eventually come up to me. Pretty soon, she would come up to me asking for a hot dog, and then run back to her "safe spot." But it was progress!

It's very difficult getting her to go anywhere, as she thrashes against the end of the leash, trying to get away. But once she gets on pavement, she's fine, at least until we walk past a strange object, like a garbage can or a parked car. And then she thrashes all over again. It's pretty scary when she does that because I worry that the collar will slip off her head and I won't be able to get her to come back.

I've been coming over to come get Josie nearly every day and I bring her to my house for exposure to a different environment. The first day, she spent the time frozen in one spot, panting and shaking. I felt sorry for her but really don't know what else to do to help her. So I brought her back again the next time I was supposed to work with her, and this time, brought her bed along, and she laid down and took a little nap. Progress! :-)

That day, I took her for a car ride and brought her bed along. She promptly laid down in it. She seems to be ok with car rides, as long as she has her bed along. Otherwise, she just sits there and shakes. 

The last thing I did was I brought her to a park. While I can't say that she was super excited about going (she seemed confused, not sure if she's ever been to a park before), she did seem intrigued. I was super excited that there was no thrashing or trying to get away. In fact, she even led the way and left her mark there. :-) 

Oh so slowly, she is starting to wake up to the world. People would be very surprised to hear that Josie is only 9 months old--she acts like she's ten years old. Very low energy, likes to be left alone and take naps. 

She reminds me of Max, my own son, who has autism. Maybe that is why I feel so determined to get her socialized, or at least as socialized as I can get. I've been "exposing Max to the world" since Max was diagnosed at the age of three, and like Josie, he "thrashes against the leash" resisting and fighting anything that is new. It is discouraging, it is sad, and it breaks your heart. I always have my own fight going on inside when I see him pass up someone who offers friendship or kindness. It's really difficult to accept that this is just the way autism is. (Not to say that he can't make friends, but it's an extremely slow process and most people give up on him.)

And so Josie and Max are very much the same in this way. I use Josie as a "teaching tool" to Max what it looks like to always be afraid and not be willing to try new things. He does seem to understand how it's not good for Josie, but he has a hard time relating it to himself. Maybe one day he will see it too.

So, that is how I spend my time these days, and yes, I still love it. Every small step in progress that Josie takes towards feeling a little more comfortable with people invading her space, gives me a little more hope that one day, it will be the same for Max.

Bruno

When bad things happen in my kids lives, I encourage my kids to "get up" as soon as they can. The longer we stay down, the more prone we are to let self-pity take over. It's not just weakness, it's human weakness and we all struggle with it.

I had Bruno over for about...oh, an hour. Things were going well and then suddenly went horrible. Bruno bit Max on the face. I keep seeing it replay over and over in my head, I can't shake the image. I feel responsible both as a trainer and as a mom. What have I done wrong, where did it go bad?

And well meaning people keep reminding me to get insured. I know it's done out of love so I do not take personal offense, but it's like salt in the wound right now--reminding me how incompetent I feel. (Yes, I am getting insurance as soon as I get the money!)

I still stand by it. Bruno was not a bad dog. And the bite that happened was not because he was a Pit bull. It was because he was an under-socialized dog, kept hidden from the world. He was never allowed to experience life at all, for whatever reason that was. I try not to be judgmental of the family, simply because Joey was not socialized well either, and that was just simply from ignorance.

I do concede that the Pit Bull fighting gene probably played a part in this as well, but actually we can't say for sure. This sort of thing happens to all dogs, all sizes, all breeds. It's important to not develop a prejudice against a certain breed because all dogs deserve a chance. I also know people who have Pit Bulls--and they are good dogs. Do they go crazy eventually, like people say?? Well, it's now said that that is a myth. I still don't know what to think, personally.

After Max got bit, it was like the world just froze for a second.  I didn't even realize that he was bit at first, I thought it was just an air bite. I made Max leave the room because he became very angry with the dog, and I didn't want the dog to get scared and attack him. At least I did that much right.

Once Max left, I disciplined Bruno the best I could--he was obviously scared by our reaction and I was still reeling by what just happened. So did Bruno learn anything? Nope. He learned that bites make people back off and leave him alone. So all I could do was put him in the kennel and went to check on Max.

He was in his room, still very upset and rocking. Autism makes things a little harder--when the unexpected happens, all hell breaks loose in your home for a little while. There is nothing you can really do to calm kids with autism down, you just have to ride it out.

But when I saw blood flowing down Max's face, I nearly lost it. "He bit you??" was all I could say. An air bite was bad enough, but he bit Max??

 I promised Max that Bruno would be gone within the hour. I hugged him and told him I was sorry. I brought him upstairs away from the dog because Max was still talking about wanting to hurt the dog "to get him back." Once he had an ice pack on his nose and I put a call out to his owners to come get the dog, he calmed down a little.  I promised my family that if Bruno showed a hint of aggression (I was thinking more like a growl, not a bite) that I would have his family pick him up. I can't even begin to describe how I was feeling in that moment. Worst mother in the world. Incompetent trainer. Humiliation to it's highest. And the lowest I have felt in a really long time.

His owners felt terrible, of course. They had told me in the beginning that if training didn't work, they were going to give him away but they had a hard time figuring out how to do that with Bruno's fearful aggression. I recommended them another trainer who is extremely good at what he does, or else that they surrender the dog to a pit bull rescue, where they have experience with the breed. Honestly, I am not sure they take pits that have shown aggression. Most likely, Bruno will need to be put down. It is hard not to take all of this personally, to feel so responsible. I had a hard time saying, "Oh well, these things will happen!"

Last night I had nightmares, it's hard to explain what they were about because they were so jumbled up. But they were all about me being a criminal and everyone was out looking for me. Not self pity. Just honestly a horribly traumatizing moment of seeing your kid get bit over and over (in my head) and feeling like a failure who put him in that position.

That was yesterday. But today is a new day. Today I can forgive myself and accept that I'm not the best mother in the world, not the best trainer either. I am still new and learning. Perhaps a more experienced trainer would have been able to catch it before Max got bit. Or maybe he wouldn't. Because dogs are animals and they bite. I am thankful that if the bite had to happen at all, that it happened as soon as it did. Had I gotten comfortable with Bruno and let the kids see him later on, my guard would have been let down and things would have been much, much, worse.

God is merciful. He protected us and let Max only get a small gash on his nose (even though it's still hard for me to look at.) Bruno could have gotten Max more in the face if he wanted to. He's not a killer dog though--not yet, but he's well on his way.

Where did I go wrong? I didn't ask enough questions. I actually had an aggression packet in my hand to give to the owners to fill out before Bruno got here but I put it off, thinking I would have offended them because I wasn't sure that Bruno was aggressive since they never described him that way.

Other places I went wrong: I should have read between the lines on the intake form. I even told the owners that there were many "red flags". I saw it, but wanted to give him a chance. Lesson learned.

What I tell my kids in these low moments is that we just have get back up again and try to remember what we learned. It's ok to be humbled. It's fine to even feel low. I crawl to God in my knees in these moments and He lifts me back up again. It's good to let Him be God.

Will I ever take a Pitbull again? I don't know. I still believe there are good ones out there that need rehabilitation. But I do not yet have enough experience. I never really wanted to work with aggressive dogs in the first place, but sometimes aggression comes along with a host of other problems and people don't even notice it until the first bite.

What I can say is that I'm still going to keep trying. I'm still going to be a trainer, even if it means failing sometimes. You can't always learn just by success alone, sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes.

I emailed my trainer-friend about what happened, hoping he would have the words to somehow make me want to try again, because at that moment, I wanted to just quit. And he didn't disappoint:

Anytime ignorance or inexperience put others at risk or cause serious harm, it is healthy to feel really hard feelings. These feelings are your north star guiding you to see anything and everything that can help you continue to be strong and brave and have an impact without being arrogant or Reckless or dangerous. The sense of responsibility and the heavy burden you feel are why the world needs people like you to keep moving forward on that Journey.

And so, I will move on. I know I won't be able to fix every dog, there will be some that will be beyond my experience. I will try to remember to be humble and refer them to another more experienced trainer.
And I will always remember to, that fearful dogs can bite. Remember to socialize your dog. It is the utmost most important thing to do in order to keep things safe.

Buddy and the hardships that come with training

I'm still very new to this dog training business, so maybe it's too early for me to say this, but I'm finding out that there is a very lonely streak in dog training.

One of the dog trainers I'd come to know (by Internet) and admire killed herself back in 2014 due to depression. When I Googled a little more information about her, I was led to an article that said that the that the mortality rate is high among dog trainers.

If you're surprised, so was I. But now I'm not. That's not to say that I condone suicide or anything like that. I know there are tough jobs out there. Caretaker jobs, probably the hardest of all, I would say.

But because dog training is "the lowest of the totem pole", and your just working with dogs, people have this expectation that you should just "fix" their family friend like he is a robot dog or something, and there's very little respect for the trainer. We are just used like a wrench to simply tweak something in their dog, and set aside.

The advice that we put out there is listened to but hardly ever followed, which means there is very little progress in the dogs training. Instead of taking the responsibility, the owners blame the dog trainer. After all, we were supposed to fix their dog.

One of the big ones for me--communication starts off nicely in the beginning of training, but then somewhere in the middle, it stops. I think this is my biggest pet peeve. Emails go unanswered and you wonder if they are even listening to you anymore. I always feel like I am talking to walls. There is so much work put into a dog--both mental and physical. Working with dogs is like trying to communicate with deaf but without knowing any Sign Language--you have to kind of figure out how to communicate on your own.

And then you also have to communicate with the owner, who has to communicate with their dog, in order to understand the dogs behaviors. Except that they still don't understand that all their dogs bad behavior is coming from them--the people--usually from too much affection. But it couldn't possibly be from too much love, right? How can you love something too much?? It's so hard for people to understand how easily dogs get screwed up from too much reward for doing absolutely nothing, other than looking cute.

The dog that I'm working with--Buddy--is a whole different sort of dog. I'm used to working with out of control, high energy dogs. Not this one. This one is used to sitting on his butt and being waited on all day. He has some anxiety in the car that I'm working on and he tends to be timid. But I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with this dog, if anything.

Then I found out. When his owner came to pick Buddy up yesterday, Buddy was so excited to see her and as usual, jumped all over her in excitement. Joey also came up to say hello. He and Buddy actually get along just fine. But when Joey wagged his tail and received a pat on the head, Buddy showed a side that I had not seen from him before and he went CRAZY.

He viciously barked and growled at Joey and Joey, being taken by surprise, began to bark angrily back. I've never seen Joey behave like that before--I've never seen him get angry, ever. But, in this case he did, and he was in his right. This dog was acting like a lunatic.

His owner told me that Buddy acted like this around their puppy and some other dogs. "I worry about the older dogs," she told me. "I worry they will get mad at him and hurt him."

Oh, you mean correct him?? 'Cause this dog needs it!

It's like saying that you don't want to say "no" to your child. Or you don't want to make rules for him. If you're going to treat your dog as a child, then you should also set up rules for him as well.

Buddy is a sweet dog but dominant over his owner. His owner has given him so much love and affection for simply being cute that he gets jealous if she gives other dogs any sort of attention.

My frustration is that I'm not sure I can get his owner to see where she takes a part in this. I also can't fix this unless she is willing to be the one to correct her dog. This is where I find it so hard. I'm not supposed to get personally invested in this stuff, but I do. I think you sort of have to, if you're truly going to get the job done. But at the same time, a line has to be drawn on how much you're going to do, how much you're going to communicate. I know this. But it is hard to step back and let go.

I went from one dog owner who stopped communicating with me (but still was nice to me in person so I don't think she was upset with me) to another. And I think the reason is that I hit them over the head with the truth and it's a lot to take in.

I don't think dog trainers should become so discouraged and depressed that they want to kill themselves. But I do understand how they feel cut out and trodden down from people the want to help. I do see how dog training can become a very isolating and lonely thing. You are "the dog person" or the "dog lover" and assumed to be happy as long as your with dogs.

But I'm not. I'm in this for the people, who love their dogs. I love dogs just fine but I do not go gaga over them. They are just dogs, like the birds are just birds. One of God's creatures. I'm happy to help because animals are easy to train--but people are not.

So maybe pray for me. I continue to ask God what His will is. If this is truly what He wants. I am happy training but not happy with people. They are difficult.

And it's lonely too. That, I will admit. Who knew? Dog lovers always look so happy.

Cooper

I've finally got a dog to train! Life has stopped for a while as I work on behaviors with Cooper and the housework has gone to pot. Sometimes I even forget to feed the kids.

He looks like a smaller version of Ace.

His behaviors are not too bad. Like Molly, he tends to be on the hyper side, jumps a lot and has become dominant in his teasing. But he's been very good about responding to his training and his "pet parents" have been very receptive to new information!

 Oh, and the number one complaint is that apparently he does not respond well in dog parks. Meaning, he runs off and doesn't come back. I must admit I've been scared to bring him there.

But I've been training him to respond to the dog whistle that I bought. I use high value treats (meat) every time I blow the whistle and he knows that it means "treat time!" I brought him to the dog park the other day and tested it out with him. I blew the whistle a few times and he did well in responding (although I kept him on a leash, I don't trust him quite yet), and all of a sudden, I heard a woman yelling, "Whoa!! Get back here!" I had seen her walking her dogs to the car when they suddenly took off and dragged her practically on her face across the parking lot. It took me a second to realize the dogs had heard the dog whistle and went crazy. You can bet I hid that thing under my coat after that!

Other than that, there is not much more to tell. He is a pretty mild case, lucky for me. I am nervous for that first case when I feel like I'm over my head. Not looking forward to it.

I am thankful for the dog training opportunity but please pray that things pick up a bit!

Henry (the dog)

We had our first "real" customer stay with us for two weeks--a cute little Jack Russel mix (and brother to Ruby), Henry the dog. We call him "Henry the dog" for obvious reasons, with having our own little Henry here.

His issues were not as challenging as Molly's, but he had some housebreaking issues which I admit, were pretty challenging in itself. After witnessing a few accidents, it was apparent that Henry had excitement urination--which makes normal housebreaking that much harder.

The only way to help a dog get over excitement urination is to keep a calm environment. Not easy to do with five kids and two other dogs in the house! But by the time Henry left our house, I felt like his excitement urination was pretty much under control.

Other problems Henry suffered from was lack of leadership. Yep, I use the word "suffered" because the dogs truly do suffer with no leader to guide them.  They literally go a little crazy with no boundaries and too much excitement; always in trouble for something! In his excitement, he would constantly go after thing--much like the feather duster which he pulled out of the closet and proceeded to rip apart. We practiced boundary control using the feather duster---"boundary control" meaning that I am literally practicing guarding my possessions (yes, even something like a feather duster.) True, I could simply put the feather duster out of reach, but then the dog learns nothing about boundaries, and then he will just go after the next thing that he finds. Soon, Henry "submitted to the feather duster" and did not go after it. He became so relaxed that he even fell asleep with it under his chin! (I put the feather duster right next to him to help him practice his impulse control.)

He isn't guarding it, he submitted to it.

His last problem was his over-excitement with people and dogs. With dogs, Henry loves to play rough. There is nothing wrong with that as long as he has another dog that likes to play rough. Good thing he had little sister, Ruby, who knew how to put him in his place!

His bad manners got him a few corrections from Ace and Joey (and Ruby) and he eventually became a more polite dog. He even got so calm that Joey could tolerate him, which is huge, seeing that Joey is such a shy dog!

I will miss the fun play dates. I learned a lot watching dogs play and all the forms of communication that they do. Thankfully, I took a lot of videos so I can always look back!

And now, life is back to normal. As always after a long dog-stay, I don't mind a little bit of normalcy...until I'm ready for my next neurotic dog challenge. :-)

Tips on making a Dog a Calm Dog

I will eventually be putting these posts on my dog training website, which is still in the works of being put up. In the meantime, I have to put my thoughts on paper--or on the screen, or I will go crazy. People can be so nuts over their dogs. (I don't intend to include that in my dog training website.)

I found on a dog training forum someone who was asking for help for her very hyper 17 week old German Shepherd puppy. After reading through most of the comments (which I thought was good advice), I wanted to add my own right here on my blog, where I can speak more freely.

So the question is: how do you either calm down your dog/or keep your dog from becoming a "hyper dog"?

The answers are pretty simple and straight forward. Just good common sense!

• Never greet a hyper dog. Ignore his behavior, even if it lasts for minutes to an hour!
• When the dog finally does calm down, don't ruin it by enthusiastically greeting the dog. Depending on the dogs arousal rate, this will only give him the wrong message that he must be hyper to receive your attention.
• Speak calmly around your dog.
• Limit the amount of attention that you give your dog. He does not always need to be petted every time you pass by! Too much affection will decrease any sort of self-discipline that the dog should be practicing.
• This goes with speaking calmly to your dog, but if you have a reactive dog or a high-arousal dog, try to see if you are being hyper around your dog. Is he feeding off your anxiety or stress? Dogs watch us and react off of the vibes we give.
• Never open a door to a hyper dog. If you can, try to get him to sit and just calm down first. If he is too hyper to sit, that's ok, just wait it out. This may make your dog a little crazy at first (and you too), so practice this only when you have time to wait for your dog to take the time to calm down. Opening the door when he's calm teaches him that calm behavior gets him outside and hyper behavior does not. (It will take weeks of this training to see the difference but it's worth it.)

On the flip side...

• Greet your dog when he is being calm. It's ok to greet him long after you came home if it took him forever to calm down. He will still say hello to you.
• Pet your dog (every so often) when he is laying down and already relaxed. Remember to keep things calm. (I like to give my special face massages when they are calm. It really makes them remember that calm behavior = face massage.)

That's pretty much it! Calmness is the key. I see owners always so hyper around their dogs. They are always reacting. I admit that it's easy to do, but dogs are always reading us--always! They communicate by body language, that is how they read one another, and so that is also how they read
us.

When I was volunteering one day, I once had to deal with a very hyper/nervous dog. All the dogs there are sort of hyper from being kenneled so much, but this one was off the charts. He couldn't stop whining, panting and jumping. I couldn't move around him, much less play with him. He was so distracted by his anxiety that he couldn't focus on anything at all.

At first I tried to calm him down by soothing talk and petting, but this just made him more frantic. This dog was truly stuck in panic mode. So I began to walk around the play area with him, not speaking to him and giving him no eye contact. It took about 10 minutes of his constant whining that never stopped, and jumping at the leash, but eventually, he calmed down and he began to walk quietly beside me. His nervous energy went down from 100% to about 25%. Just from me being calm and quiet.

Have you ever seen your dog watching you? Just staring? He is reading you! Even if you aren't aware of any signals that you are sending, your dog could probably write a book on you.

So if you want your hyper dog to calm down, you have to do it first. If you want to keep your dog calm all the time, try to be calm too. Try to not over-react to things that he does. Scold by the tone of your voice, not by the volume. Silence does wonders in speaking to your dog.

And now, with all this calm talk. I'm going to go to sleep.

Dog Sitting #2: the case of the rowdy adolecent

I'm currently sitting my second dog (the first was for the Great Dane puppy that went horribly wrong), and this one is just as tough--if not tougher--as the first. At first, I thought it was mainly due to my lack of experience, but I've discovered, no, this dog has some issues.

The ironic thing is that this dog that I'm currently watching is exactly like the hypothetical dog that I'm supposed to study for my Phase 8 evaluation. He is the same age too, although a different breed.

For this eval, I will be graded on the advice that I give to my mentor for common problems that many dogs have. (Luckily, I'm told in advance what the problem behavior is so that I can prepare for it.) This case is titled "Rowdy Adolescent" which is exactly what I'm calling the dog I'm sitting for, with the same problem behaviors.

It's like they met our dog and made a case study after him.

What makes it even harder, is that unlike my hypothetical dog in my eval, my current dog is not neutered. I've discovered the hard way that this makes a huge difference in behavior! I didn't realize that he wasn't neutered and the owner never brought it up. And well, I'm not very good about noticing those things despite the fact that everyone keeps saying that I would know because it's "very obvious." (It's only obvious if you're looking!)

Not only that, but Ace doesn't like rowdy dogs, as we've already discovered with the Great Dane puppy we sat for (who also was not neutered.) We've prepared by training Ace to wear a muzzle if he's around the dog, but since I've discovered that the dog isn't neutered, we've kept them separate.It is possible for dogs to bite through a muzzle, and I don't want that to happen with this dog.

Sorry, Ace.

Even the kids are worn out by this poor dog, who acts like an engine is always going inside him and never gets a moments rest. His Gentle Leader, which the owner left with us, keeps falling off, and so this poor dog is always straining against his leash, choking and gagging. On walks, he's everywhere, hopping in this direction or that, lunging with no warning, or trying to catch his leash and pull it from your hands. Needless to say, I can't let the kids walk him.

And yes, even though he's eight month old and should have outgrown a lot of the play biting,  he still nips and does a lot of mouthing. This morning, he drew blood on Lucy's arm--he just walked up to her and grabbed her hand with his mouth. This poor dog is just crazy with energy, and doesn't know what to do with it all. The kids spend a lot of time throwing the ball for him (indoors, since we have no fence) and that does seem to help. But even when the dog is tired, he lays down for only a few seconds and then hops up again. He just can't seem to settle down, so we give him two breaks a day in his kennel so he can rest. And us too.

I have to keep Joey and Ace separated from him, now that I know he's not neutered. This is what they do at Countryside Vet, mainly because un-neautered dogs are so unpredictable in their behavior. And obviously, to discourage the humping (which can cause fights.) Keeping them separated for four days isn't easy. Where Ace and Joey are, this dog can't be in the same room. So if Ace and Joey are upstairs, the dog has to be downstairs (with someone watching him, since he seems to like to eat and chew on everything he sees.) Or if Ace and Joey are outside, the dog has to be inside. It's a constant juggle.

So yep, it's been a little difficult. I don't know how I keep getting these young un-neutered dogs. I'd like some older neutered dogs, please!

But I will say that it's been great for teaching me some dog training skills. I've also discovered that he only knows one command which is "sit" and maybe "come". (He seems to know what it means, and will come some of the time.) But he doesn't know "down" and I'm also teaching him "Watch", which is great when you want to get your dogs attention focused on you. He's definitely trainable and when he's tired, he's fun to be around. He has a great personality. If he could just get some consistent training and get neutered, he would be a perfect dog with both kids and dogs.

Not the best picture, but Anna was trying to hold him still long enough to get a picture.

I'm happy for this opportunity though. It really has forced me to put all of what I've learned into action. And that's what I need! I hope that this will lead to many more dog sitting jobs for the future.

Confidence

I got a client from Rover.com whose dog I'll be watching next week. We went for the "meet and greet" this morning and again, it didn't go well. I'm so disappointed about this! Every time I feel like I fail at something, my confidence--or the little bit I have of it--dwindles a little bit more.

The kids were very good--really, they were a charming distraction that paid lavish compliments to the owner about his dog. And Joey was good too, after he calmed down and his hackles went down. But not Ace! He just doesn't like puppies, I guess. They are a little too excited for him, and he doesn't like that. Twice, he lunged at this puppy. Thankfully, the puppy hid behind his owners legs after the second time. I say "thankfully" because, even though I felt sorry for the puppy, I hoped he learned whatever lesson Ace was trying to teach him and would stay away from him.

We went for a walk to try to diffuse the situation, and the owner was very kind and laid back about it all. I think if it was my dog, I wouldn't be quite so laid back but this guy must be desperate to find a sitter. Anyway, we got the job, so overall, it's good news.

Still, I went home feeling quite humbled. I don't feel like a trainer in these situations. I feel like I should have seen it coming with how Ace reacted. I'm trained to look for body behavior and somehow--again--I've missed the signs. Twice now--with two different dogs--Ace has lunged at puppies (one year and under.) I should have been more prepared for him to react that way, and I wasn't.  It feels horrible feeling like this.

It doesn't help that every time I talk about my dog experiences on Facebook--whether they are good experiences or bad--my dog trainer friend never comments on them. It's like she's chosen to stay out of the whole thing. Many times, she told me flat out that she thought it was a stupid idea to bring a dog into a big family and that I wasn't being fair to the dog because he would eventually bite one of the kids and wind up back in the shelter again.

Well, I'm happy to say we've proved her wrong on that, but I'll admit that I wish I could have more support from her. It's times like these that I just need a "thumbs up" or some encouraging comment because I feel scared to go on. Support from a trainer, someone that understands what it feels like when just starting out, means more than support from others. They know what it's like to be a rookie.

This morning, as I was preparing for the meet and greet, I thought about canceling. I was worried this would be a bad idea, a disaster, like last time. But then a strange thought popped into my head:

 

Why don't you give yourself a chance?

 

 

I don't know where this thought came from, but at any rate, it was a good question. Why don't I give myself a chance?? Why do I give up before I even try? How will I ever know if I'm good at something (or not), if I don't find out? Why don't I think I deserve a chance to learn as much as anyone else? Why do I limit myself so much? And on and on the questions went.

 

So I kept the appointment. And you know the rest.

 

I know it won't be the first time I doubt myself, or the last time I will feel humbled at my lack of knowledge and lack of experience. But I don't want to teach my kids to be afraid to try something just for the fear of failure, so this is what makes me keep trying more than anything. I know they are always watching me, recording every little thing I say (so they can remind me about it later!)

 

Confidence. I just need confidence in myself. A chance--and many of them--to learn and fail and learn again. I deserve this chance as much as anybody. I've worked hard to get this far and it would be stupid to give up now.

 

So I will bolster up my courage and try again with dog sitting. And whatever happens, I can at least chalk it up as some experience under my belt for my next time.



Last week of school, bathroom project and dog talk

We are down to the last week of school, and I don't think anyone could be more excited than I am. Heck, I think I'm even more excited than the kids on this one.

It has been a tough year and I'm thankful it's over. (And praying that next year is easier!)

Now we are looking forward to summertime things, like jumping on the trampoline before our insurance takes it away (long story.) And having the kids play outside in the evening rather than watch TV. Planning house projects and working on landscaping.  And our last day of school tradition of going out to Dairy Queen to celebrate. These are fun and relaxing things to me.

We're continuing to plug away at the downstairs bathroom so that we can focus on the summer time projects that are limited in time. So far, we have the floor laid out, and Dennis found a beautiful vanity on Shop 'n Swap for just a little over $100. I want to replace the faucet for something that goes a little more with our shabby chic theme, but I have to admit that the vanity is just about perfect the way it is.

Dennis is working on smaller things like trim and baseboard and then we will look into vanity lights. These are things that I'm more interested in. I can't wait until we get to shop for them.

My Phase 8 test went well and I passed with a 94%! As far as my Phase 6 exam goes, I am still waiting on the results, believe it or not! My mentor forgot to hand them in and she is unreachable. Anyway, my mentor at CATCH is taking care of it and told me to keep going with my studies.

So now I'm on Phase 9 and almost finished with the course. We're learning about shelters and I have to say, there is a lot to learn! I didn't really think I would get much out of it but I was wrong! I'm also beginning to understand why people end up with "problem dogs" because they are taught to go into shelters "love-blind"; only seeing the plight of a dog whose fate is in your hands. At least, this is the message that is often relayed to adopters (usually with a sad story of a dog, or how someone abused him or abandoned him. ) The adopters save these dogs and within a few weeks, the dogs show their true colors, sometimes showing aggression.

Ok, I have to bring up another thing (I just find this stuff so interesting.) Temperament testing! So many shelters don't do this for new dogs they take in. This is really important to weed out the aggressive-dominant dogs from those who aren't. And many shelters that have done temperament testing sometimes still allow aggressive-dominant dogs to be adopted but just deem them as "best not around children." They are so desperate to get these dogs adopted that many of them are not looking for the true good of the adopters, which ultimately is not giving what is truly good for the dog. Not all shelters are like this, but I was surprised to hear that many are.

So here is some temperament testing you can do on your own if you are thinking of adopting a dog from a shelter! (Amuse me, I love this stuff!)

Going from kennel to kennel, do the following before each dog (or at least in front of the dog that you are thinking of adopting:

1. Watch the dogs tail. Not to see if it's wagging (this means only excitement and will be done during happiness or aggression regardless), but to see how high it's raised. If it is up higher than his back--keep walking! This means the dog is on the alert and not in a good way.

If it is down midline or low, this is pretty good. If the dog passes this test, move on to the next step!

2. If the dog passes the first step, call the dog to the front of the cage closer to you. Watch to see if the dogs tail raises or lowers. Again, if he raises it, move onto the next dog. Even if you think his tail is high because you are a stranger, this indicates that he will treat every stranger in this way, in high alert (which can trigger aggression.) Move on!

3. Now let's pretend the dog has passed these two tests. If he passed, and he comes to when you call him, a good response is good sociable behaviors (seeming interested in meeting you, muzzles or licks your hand, comes forward willing.)

If barks at you and ignores your hand, tail is raised high, growls, or sniffs your hand but totally ignores you (with no good sociable behaviors) then he failed. Move on!

4. Next step (again, assuming that the dog has passed the other tests so far), move your hand in all different directions. This is to see if the dog is truly interested in interacting with you (indicating good socialization to people.) Move your hand about four inches in each direction, pause, and keep moving.

If he passes, a sociable dog will follow your hand wherever it goes. He may (or may not) smooch his body the front of the cage to get you to touch him.

A questionable dog (some socialization but not much) may follow your hand at first, then lose interest.

A dog that fails may jump up at the front of the kennel and ignore your hand. Or they may jump up to get away from your hand.

All of these steps are suggested to be done BEFORE the dog is let out of the cage. Believe me, I follow these steps when I volunteer. Dogs that bark aggressively, lunge, or seem overly fearful of me (growling, staying away from me, or being too close to the front of the cage) stay in their kennel. I have learned not to take these dogs out. Having Max with me and watching out for his safety has taught me to stay vigilant and observant. (I do let a staff member know if I don't get the dog out, so that someone with more experience who can handle the dog can let him out eventually.)

So if you are thinking of adopting a dog, try these steps first and you just may get a dog with a good temperament with no ugly surprises!

Families are my speciality

I am almost done with Phase Eight in my training and my wheels of "what will I do when I'm done?" is constantly turning in my head. Too many times in my life, I have started something without finishing it, or completed something but then did nothing with it. I don't want to do the same thing with dog training so I'm constantly forcing myself to make plans, just so I have one--even if they change or don't work out. 

My latest plan is to specialize in working with children and families. This is what started this whole dog training thing to begin with; when we first got Joey. I thought it would be easy to train the children--it's not. It's like training five puppies plus the actual puppy.

I have a special empathy for those who have children and a new dog and want to make it work, because I've been there. I was the one with the "good intentions" and then regretted my decision of getting a dog. I was the one who wanted to make it work but I didn't know how. I did not feel like a dog trainer. I didn't even feel like a dog lover. Joey took all the love and patience out of me, with his persistent diarrhea literally every 15 minutes on our brand new carpet. "Marking" (or so I thought at the time) and being "territorial" in every room. Biting my kids non-stop. (Play biting.) My girls having to give up wearing nightgowns because Joey would go after the flowing lace (ripped it to shreds.) Was an obsessive chewer. I didn't realize that most of these problems were a combination of typical puppyhood, stress and poor management.

And then you have the kids. As I said, five "puppies." They were constantly on Joey and I never could take my eyes off of them. It seemed that every 10 minutes someone would come crying to me about a scratch or a bite. And Joey was never left alone. There was always someone holding him, petting him, cuddling him, kissing him. I was always saying "Leave the dog alone!" That dog never got a break.

That was when we called in a dog trainer for help. He was a nice guy and I liked his training style. But it was obvious he didn't like kids. Though he spoke to them nicely, it was obvious he had never worked with them before. He expected the kids to sit quietly on the couch while he taught his half hour lessons. The kids eyes glazed over and they didn't remember a thing he said. He became frazzled and impatient easily.

So the trainer was a disappointment, and I knew I was on my own. But it forced me to dig deeper into dog training and management techniques. This is what initially led me to dog training, and I discovered a genuine love for it--and dogs!

It's always stayed in the back of my head that "there should be more help for families." I couldn't get that trainer out of my head. I had felt so hopeless at the time and didn't feel much support from him. I wondered if there were any trainers out there at all that specialize in families.

Surprisingly, there aren't. (There are a few, but not many.) As I've gone along in my studies, I've been surprised to learn that most trainers don't know how to work with children and they don't want to work with children. There are some that even purposely choose not to have children, because their dogs are their "children."

I find this amazingly contradictory! If children are the leading victims in dog bites (rather provoked or not), and dogs are being euthanized because of it, you would think this would make more trainers want to help families. But instead, they believe that the parents should train the children.

Parents have enough to do! I can still say (with much exasperation) that the "advice" I got from the trainer that I should "train my kids and train the dog" felt like he had just given me a mountain of laundry to do. Or given me a sinkful of dishes to wash. I was overwhelmed with the thought of teaching what I didn't know and most parents will feel that way too--and therefore, will just "deal with it" the best they know how.

A book I'm reading for school, Kids and Dogs, a Professional Guide to Helping Families, is one of the few trainers that specializes in working with families. Instead of working around the kids, she works with them. She teaches them dog body language (and I should add the parents are there learning too.) She teaches stress signals to prevent bites. She also teaches obedience, management techniques and plays games.

Kids who are hyper? She uses them as distractions. "Let's see how many cartwheels you can do by Brody and we'll see if he still stays in his sit-stay position." 

Or the Red Light, Green Light Game. "Red Light" means the dog has had enough and needs a break. "Green Light" means the dog is good to go! (I use this technique with the younger kids, especially!)

And so, I've found my specialty, I think. I want to be a trainer that will help families, and hopefully a trainer that shows her love for children as well as dogs.

I will end with some good advice from this book that I've come to love:

"Dog-training books say, "Control your kids,' and they expect parents to control them to a level that seems pretty unrealistic to anyone who has ever been around a two year old for more than 20 minutes. Parents are exhorted to make sure their kids don't run, don't scream, don't make loud noises, avoid abrupt movements, and never look a dog in the face. Who could ensure that none of those things happen all day, everyday, for the next twelve or more years? That's not very realistic advice when you're actually in the same household with children and dogs."


"The advice we give parents must be realisitic, and it has to be as easy to understand follow as you can possibly make it. Sometimes, trainers create extraordinary behavior modification plans and proudly present them to the client, only to hear the client say, 'I can't do this. It's too hard.' The kid-and-dog issue is similar. Parents have a lot on their plates. They need to feel that we are making their lives easier, not harder. The easier our ideas are to implement, the more likely parents are to follow through. This factor alone makes a huge difference.

Seventy-seven percent of dog bites to children are on the face. That's a big deal. Almost all those bites could be prevented if parents know how to interpret what they are seeing. Dog aficionados (dog lovers, trainers, teachers) have an obligation to prevent as many injuries as we can."