Choosing a Trainer

A client of mine, who has a lot of birds– a lot of birds– was concerned lately about some behavior that one of his dogs was exhibiting. Growling, protective, even some biting. He was desperate, he said, and was worried the dog would have to be killed or gotten rid of. The long and the short of it is, I recommended a very good trainer, Daphne Robert-Hamilton of K9 partnership. I told him not to make any rash decisions until he had at least spent some time with her. He seemed oddly reluctant, which surprised me because he loves the dog, but, after some persuasion on my part, he agreed.

A couple of days later, I heard from him and he sounded much happier! (I had already spoken, briefly, with Daphne who gave a positive report.) My client and his partner had already made some changes in how they behave around the dog to avoid the confusion which was, apparently, adding to the aggression issues. I asked him why he did not expect that. Why was it so difficult for him to see somebody?

The answer was not surprising. The most popular and talked about trainers, both on television and in pet stores seem to be the ones who use negative reinforcement. My client did not want to see shock collars, or other means of punishment used on his dog. He had used a reward system to train the dog in the first place (inadvertantly rewarding some poor behavior) and likes the process. But this is not what people see.

Karen Pryor and positive reinforcement in the form of clicker training was once, at least in my world, the foremost training system.  Now it is not just  the “Dog Whisperer” looming large on the National Geographic channel, and displayed prominantly in pet stores, or on the internet. Other trainers using similar negative methods are in the spotlight.  Clickers and positive training tools seem to have become a sort of “oh, and if you prefer…” method.

I do prefer! Positive training is the only way to go, and, yet, it is the negative training getting all the attention. Our society is a punitive one. If anyone behaves badly, even one’s dog, they must be punished rather than treated with kindness. The accountability for a dog’s behavior goes to the human (owner), NOT the dog. Mull on it. You can reach Daphne at k9partnership@yahoo.com. Please let her know you heard about her from here. Nancy

Barking Dogs: to zap or not to zap…

I had a client call me yesterday to say that, after moving (out of my territory), she was getting complaints from her new neighbors of her three dogs barking. She knew her dogs barked, but she had never before had neighbor issues over it; in the last house (they had down-sized) the neighbors were farther away.

Her question, however, that is, the reason she had called, was to know what I thought of shock collars. I was irritated, though not surprised, that she had gone right to the shock collar, or penal method, without asking herself (or me, I suppose) what caused the behavior, and how that behavior might be changed.

These people are GREAT owners! They take excellent care of their pets and take ownership very seriously. They have little, if any, tolerance for shoddy pet care, be it a vet, groomer, or pet sitter, and pay a high price to have the best of these. They support the local animal shelter and were a part of forming our local dog park.

Mrs. N. likes order, however. Things must be clean, dogs well behaved, and everyone where they should be. At the same time, she knows what pet ownership involves: there is alot of hair (maid), dogs must be trained (classes), and plants can be trampled (large kennel). They once replaced the carpeting in their old house with a wood floor! They spent thousands more for a tough wood and extra varnish to prevent scratches from paws.

The shock collar, for those of you who don’t know, emits an electric shock to the dog when it barks. Ow. This can’t be good. And it doesn’t teach them anything. And it’s not very nice.

I’ve seen the citron collars on dogs; these spray a harmless, but annoying scent into the dogs face and deters them from the behavior. Okay.

But what about the behavior? Why do dogs bark? There are any number of reasons, including, but not limited to, boredom, attention-getting, predator/prey response, and other dogs barking in the neighborhood.

I think at least one of Mrs. N’s dogs is bored (another is real old, and the third has sort of grown out of it, but will bark if he hears the first). The bored dog is young. Less than three years, and needs more entertainment.

First, I told her I could not recommend the shock collars, but I would be okay with a citron. In a follow-up e-mail, I suggested she set aside some time to make some treats for the dogs: frozen broth, kongs with frozen peanut butter or cheez whiz, a hollow bone with a treat stuffed into it, and a buster cube. One of these can be give in addition to a short walk in the morning. I suggested, too, that the young one visit a doggie-day care once a week and that she hire a dog walker for once or twice a week.

This will not solve all her problems; these dogs are noisy when their humans come home. I know, I used to pet sit for them and there was enough to wake the dead! But they can use operant conditioning (training) to aleviate that. Further, the neighbors may be more tolerant if the barking is limited to a few minutes in the evening.

She indicated in her response that she appreciated my ideas and would let me know what happens. She’s the kind of person that, I think will follow my advice and avoid the shock collar. Let’s hope so, anyway. Nancy

KOMO vs “The Dog Whisperer”

There’s this group I belong to that is made up of dog trainers in my area and they are trying to show support for a reporter in Seattle who did a negative report on “The Dog Whisperer”. The reporter, Joel Moreno of KOMO news in Seattle, had the temerity to see through some of what Cesar Millan does to “train” the dogs. The point of the story was to ask the question as to whether or not Cesar’s methods caused long term damage to the relationship between dog and human. Moreno interviewed a couple of local (Seattle) trainers who recommended, instead, more positive training.

The link is www.komonews.com

Search for “Dog Whisperer”, and the story is down below. It is a video.

I wrote the reporter, Joel Moreno, a note thanking him for his report. I guess he’s getting a lot of negative mail. I don’t understand how an owner, as the one in the video, can stand and watch this whisperer guy, Cesar Millan, abuse her dog? I mean, sure, she’s going to sign the “this ain’t pretty lady, but I know what I’m doing…” paper work, so she can’t interfere, but what kind of dog is she going to have in the end? One who knows fear and anxiety? Instead of love and kindness? Gentleness? If you have problems with your dog, ask your vet or pet care professional to recommend someone in your area who trains using positive methods, not negative. Shout to the Whisperer that you are not interested. Nancy

Anyway, I rant. But that’s what blogs are for. Lemme give you another link.

www.clickertraining.com

Link to pets for the elderly

go to petsfortheelderly.org

How Are Your Elderly Parents’ Pets Doing?

I was at my Uncle’s house in Palm Springs (Ca) last week and we had a nice visit. I had suggested that he make an appointment with his veterinarian to have his elderly dog examined while I was there. Uncle had expressed some concerns about the dog and was afraid she was nearing the end. The dog, a female mutt who may be as old as 17 years (!), was having trouble walking, in part, due to arthritis that was a result of being hit by a car before my Uncle adopted her, many years ago. That, combined with a recent onset of blindness and deafness, the dog’s prospects looked dim. On the other hand, she was eating well and was alert, and I told my Uncle that there are medications that can help a dog like this.

Sure enough, the doctor sent us home with a couple of drugs that were so effective, the dog was better by that evening! He even took into consideration my Uncle’s concerns about low-cost prescriptions, because of his limited income.

When you are visiting your elderly parents and other relatives, how are the pets doing? Often the elderly will be concerned about costs, or are not aware of the innovations that have been made in older pet care. Suggest, as I did, that you go to the vet together. Ask questions. Have your relative/friend make a list of concerns, about the pet, to present to the vet.

My Uncle knows that his pet won’t last much longer, but he knows what to do and when to do it. For now, he will enjoy her last months knowing she is comfortable, alert, and happy. Nancy

Check on your pet’s health before a trip!

Hello, there! I decided to start a blog because there is so much out there that can help answer simple questions about pet care. The idea is to keep pet owners educated; that there is always something to learn. I get lots of calls from clients, relatives, and friends asking me for advice and help. As I come across information in the form of links, magazines, books, or just from other people, I will share them, along with my experiences in assisting pet owners. (Hopefully, this last bit will be more interesting than it sounds…) Here we go!

A to Zoo had a busy Christmas this year, and I learned a few things. For example, I had a client whose lab I noticed had a nasty bladder infection. I spent an evening at the vet with the dog, who is better now. The poor client had to pay a large vet bill and additional charges for my services which, of course, she was happy to pay, as long as her dog was okay. But, when we discussed it later, there were a few things that had come up that might have prevented at least some expence and worry.

She had noticed some odd behavior in the dog before she left on her trip, but dismissed it as the dog reacting to her packing, etc. Nothing bizarre, just a little different. For example, she did say that the dog had wet the carpet in the bedroom where she was packing. She thought the dog was just mad because she was leaving. Yeah, one of my dogs does that, every time. Every time. Not just once. The point here, is that her lab wasn’t responding to the packing, there was something else wrong. Another thing, was that the dog was sensitive when the client picked her up. This was no surprise, as the dog has arthritis, but the combination should have raised a flag.

The trouble with running around packing, cleaning, and getting everything ready fo a trip, is sometimes we miss something we might otherwise notice. There is a lot of stress for the human to get ready for a trip, so you need to stop for a minute, and think. A day or two before leaving, look at your pets; ask your family if anything is off with the animals. I did this kind of survey of my pets just before the Christmas rush and found a cat with an ear infection! I had plenty of time to go to the vet before I got really busy (or they were closed!).

So, before a trip, even a short one, look around; is everyone’s stool okay? Behavior? Appetite? Is there anything odd? Older pets can always benefit from a six month check up to catch anything that might be off and could get worse while you are a way. That, combined with a great pet sitter, will allow you to have a worry-free trip!

Nancy

The horse says:

Yay, we started a blog to tell folks about ways to keep all those cats and dogs happy!