Hello ladies and gents. I know I've been away for awhile, but I've come out of hiding to put my 2 cents in on the Premier sell-out debate. I've been a long and loving customer of the Premier brand in all its forms and functions. I've counted the EasyWalk as one of the best products in my dog training arsenal and recommended it to everyone I know. That ends today!
As some of you are no doubt aware Premier, a company long known for its support of non-aversive and pet-friendly products has been sold to a company called RadioFence. RadioFence makes their bread-and-butter off of shock collars & underground electric fencing, but in recent years has made attempts to distract from these practices by diversifying. Apparently they now believe that we will overlook their encouraging the painful and cruel treatment of our pets, so long as they offer alternatives as well. Having bought the most recognizable positive reenforcement focused company in the general market, RadioFence seems to believe that we will all just roll-over and go along with supporting their company's cruel & abusive practices.
Recognizing the increasing backlash against the sale, RadioFence has determined that it will soon be dropping the Premier logo from their products and putting them under the heading of their PetSafe brand. Do not be fooled! All your money will be going to RadioFence to support the further manufacture of bark collars, shock collars, scat mats and electric fences.
I don't like to preach. I'm a firm believer in doing what works for you and what works for your dog, but I do not support the use of painful aversives in the training of animals and therefore can no longer support Premier as a brand. I will be removing all posts that paint Premier in a positive light and you will never again see their products on this blog in any form. I'll keep using the EasyWalks I do have until they are in tatters, but I'm removing all obvious branding from them and hope you will consider doing the same.
I'm compiling my own list of products that can be used as alternatives to the Premier brand favorites, but in the meantime please visit a wonderful post from Success Just Clicks!
Please join me in boycotting Premier, RadioFence & PetSafe. We must all make our voices heard with our most powerful tool: our money!
Showing posts with label Positive Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Positive Training. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
JW Pet Co's Cuz: A Life Saver For An Anxious Dog
Sorry in advance for the long review, but I write a great deal about Cassie and her exploits and thought for a change I would bring you up to speed on Tobey! This is the story of how a simple toy, the JW Pet Co Cuz
saved Tobey from himself.
Tobers is a four year old Min Pin/Rat Terrier mix (we think) who came to my parents at about four months old. Before he was picked up by the local animal squad it's believed that he spent much of his life, as my mother puts it with a pouty face, "on the mean streets." As a result of this harsh upbringing, he came with some very significant guarding and aggression issues (not great in a house that at that time had two other dogs) that we have worked very hard to get him through. In the beginning he was always tense, almost on a razors edge even when he was sleeping and would easily become fixated on guarding places, food, toys and people. With some positive reinforcement and handling training and some exercise he has come a long way. He still has a few grumpy moments, but his real 'problems' have pretty much disappeared, especially now that he's the only dog at my parents'.
When he moved in it was also difficult to teach Tobey to play. He was (and still is) very food motivated, so teaching tricks was easy, but really playing with him was hard to even get started. I found he liked to chase balls, but was not happy to bring them back. People often don't realize when they adopt a shelter dog that many have missed out on those important weeks of puppyhood where they learned things like socialization, sharing and yes, even play! This is no excuse not to adopt an older dog, but still an important factor to keep in mind. Many shelter dogs will need some help learning the basics of what we consider 'doggie-hood.'
My mother, for instance, was very sad that Tobey was not acting like a 'normal' dog and determined to find a toy he would like. After some tennis balls and soft toys (which he liked to sit on), she brought home a red Cuz that came to be known as Tobey's friend. This one toy would, in my opinion, go a long way to helping Tobey overcome not only his guarding issues, but his general day-to-day rubberband-like tension.
It started out simply enough. We gave him the toy and treated him for sniffing it and then picking it up. After a little while we took it out back and gave it a toss and off he went as if it were a tennis ball. We stood there watching him run like a shot in the direction the Cuz had disappeared and then started across the yard after him ready to lure it away with a treat when he ran off with it. To our surprise a great squeaking could be heard and from the other end of the yard Tobey came charging with the Cuz in his mouth giving a squeak with each stride. He loved it! When he reached us I quickly pulled out a treat and as he opened his mouth I said: "Drop it" and placed the treat in his mouth.
From that moment he wouldn't let the Cuz go...he raced around the house by himself squeaking the Cuz as he ran, he would chase the Cuz when we threw it for him and bring it back. Interestingly, he would even lie on his blanket and just squeak the Cuz with his eyes closed. I wish I had pictures of this, but sadly I don't. The Cuz did more than give Tobey an outlet for his nervous energy (though that did help I'm sure), it's hard rubber had just enough give to make squeezing it pleasurable. As when people who are stressed grind their teeth, nervous or anxious dogs often carry a lot of pent up energy in their jaws. T-touch massage
techniques teach you to massage the anxious dog's jaws by holding thier heads or using a circular motion, but for Tobey (who didn't like people touching his face), chewing on the ball seemed to relieve his anxiety. The Cuz acted as a self-soothing device and allowed Tobey to see that when he was more relaxed the world wasn't such a scary place!
He has gone through many Cuzes since that first one and now doesn't really need to use it that much, though he still loves it. Since then he has learned to love other types of play as well and I am thinking about starting him at home with some agility training very soon. He's very smart and still super fast!
Though this is a great story it's not much of a review, so here you go:
The Cuz, like most JW Pet Co toys is very durable. The hard pliable rubber is a joy for dogs to chew, but seems to outlast even the strongest chewers I've seen! Cassie has a few of these types of toys and they have lasted well over a year. With Tobers, his first Cuz lasted about a year before the squeaker fell out inside of the Cuz and a new one had to be purchased. We've since bought him two others and the squeaker always seems to be the fail point. They bounce very well and because of the odd shape and the feet at the bottom the bounce is unpredictable, making the dog have to think while they are chasing it. The squeaker is the best part; it gives a loud and satisfying sound that seems to drive the dogs crazy!
Cuzes come in a variety of sizes (S,M,L) and colors, including: red, green, purple and yellow/orange. They also come in both a Good Cuz (no-devil horns) and a Bad Cuz (with devil-horns)...Tobey started out with the Bad Cuz, reflecting my mother's feelings at that point in his life and now has two Good Cuzes. You can buy a Cuz at Petsmart, Petco, Amazon or many other places online from between $5-$10 depending on size and style. They're a great foundation to JW Pet Co's squeaky toy line from which many other shapes can be purchased, even a Cuz with a fluffy tail
! Overall, a stimulating alternative to a boring old tennis ball and one that will last for ages!
saved Tobey from himself.Tobers is a four year old Min Pin/Rat Terrier mix (we think) who came to my parents at about four months old. Before he was picked up by the local animal squad it's believed that he spent much of his life, as my mother puts it with a pouty face, "on the mean streets." As a result of this harsh upbringing, he came with some very significant guarding and aggression issues (not great in a house that at that time had two other dogs) that we have worked very hard to get him through. In the beginning he was always tense, almost on a razors edge even when he was sleeping and would easily become fixated on guarding places, food, toys and people. With some positive reinforcement and handling training and some exercise he has come a long way. He still has a few grumpy moments, but his real 'problems' have pretty much disappeared, especially now that he's the only dog at my parents'.
When he moved in it was also difficult to teach Tobey to play. He was (and still is) very food motivated, so teaching tricks was easy, but really playing with him was hard to even get started. I found he liked to chase balls, but was not happy to bring them back. People often don't realize when they adopt a shelter dog that many have missed out on those important weeks of puppyhood where they learned things like socialization, sharing and yes, even play! This is no excuse not to adopt an older dog, but still an important factor to keep in mind. Many shelter dogs will need some help learning the basics of what we consider 'doggie-hood.' My mother, for instance, was very sad that Tobey was not acting like a 'normal' dog and determined to find a toy he would like. After some tennis balls and soft toys (which he liked to sit on), she brought home a red Cuz
that came to be known as Tobey's friend. This one toy would, in my opinion, go a long way to helping Tobey overcome not only his guarding issues, but his general day-to-day rubberband-like tension.It started out simply enough. We gave him the toy and treated him for sniffing it and then picking it up. After a little while we took it out back and gave it a toss and off he went as if it were a tennis ball. We stood there watching him run like a shot in the direction the Cuz had disappeared and then started across the yard after him ready to lure it away with a treat when he ran off with it. To our surprise a great squeaking could be heard and from the other end of the yard Tobey came charging with the Cuz in his mouth giving a squeak with each stride. He loved it! When he reached us I quickly pulled out a treat and as he opened his mouth I said: "Drop it" and placed the treat in his mouth.
From that moment he wouldn't let the Cuz go...he raced around the house by himself squeaking the Cuz as he ran, he would chase the Cuz when we threw it for him and bring it back. Interestingly, he would even lie on his blanket and just squeak the Cuz with his eyes closed. I wish I had pictures of this, but sadly I don't. The Cuz did more than give Tobey an outlet for his nervous energy (though that did help I'm sure), it's hard rubber had just enough give to make squeezing it pleasurable. As when people who are stressed grind their teeth, nervous or anxious dogs often carry a lot of pent up energy in their jaws. T-touch massage
techniques teach you to massage the anxious dog's jaws by holding thier heads or using a circular motion, but for Tobey (who didn't like people touching his face), chewing on the ball seemed to relieve his anxiety. The Cuz acted as a self-soothing device and allowed Tobey to see that when he was more relaxed the world wasn't such a scary place! He has gone through many Cuzes since that first one and now doesn't really need to use it that much, though he still loves it. Since then he has learned to love other types of play as well and I am thinking about starting him at home with some agility training very soon. He's very smart and still super fast!
Though this is a great story it's not much of a review, so here you go:
The Cuz, like most JW Pet Co toys is very durable. The hard pliable rubber is a joy for dogs to chew, but seems to outlast even the strongest chewers I've seen! Cassie has a few of these types of toys and they have lasted well over a year. With Tobers, his first Cuz lasted about a year before the squeaker fell out inside of the Cuz and a new one had to be purchased. We've since bought him two others and the squeaker always seems to be the fail point. They bounce very well and because of the odd shape and the feet at the bottom the bounce is unpredictable, making the dog have to think while they are chasing it. The squeaker is the best part; it gives a loud and satisfying sound that seems to drive the dogs crazy!
Cuzes come in a variety of sizes (S,M,L) and colors, including: red, green, purple and yellow/orange. They also come in both a Good Cuz (no-devil horns) and a Bad Cuz (with devil-horns)...Tobey started out with the Bad Cuz, reflecting my mother's feelings at that point in his life and now has two Good Cuzes. You can buy a Cuz at Petsmart, Petco, Amazon or many other places online from between $5-$10 depending on size and style. They're a great foundation to JW Pet Co's squeaky toy line from which many other shapes can be purchased, even a Cuz with a fluffy tail
! Overall, a stimulating alternative to a boring old tennis ball and one that will last for ages!
Monday, February 14, 2011
I'm Sick: Here's Another Book Review
Hi everyone! I've come down with a little cold and so haven't been feeling myself the past day or so...therefore, instead of chasing Cass around with the camera today, I'm going to talk about another book I've found valuable to our training!
Pat Miller's Power of Positive Dog Training
:
Pat's lives in my local area, my hometown actually, and runs a really wonderful (from what I've heard, I've never actually been there) training center called Peaceable Paws. I was directed to her work by the owner of the training facility I frequent when we were having the "herding mommy" problem, which I'm happy to report seems to be reaching an end.
Pat has written several books, but this one's about building the foundation of a good relationship with your dog through positive training. It's great for the owner of a new puppy, a new rescue or someone who (like me) needs to go back to the beginning on some things. I read it in a day and by the end had decided I needed to start training walking on a leash from scratch...it's made all the difference in the world!
By and large, PPDT seems like your average positive training techniques book, but within the broader lessons Pat provides hints and brings out finer details that make positive reinforcement training not only reliable, but I would wager more productive than 'traditional' training methods.
The real revelation for me was Pat's leash training technique. I've taken instruction on leash training using positive techniques in puppy classes and several obedience classes and though I had heard "reward the good behavior, ignore the bad," over and over, for some reason I wasn't taking it far enough. One problem we had was that Cassie isn't a natural puller, at least not in a straight line. Our walks were always more of a meander than a training exercise and though the leash was quite often taut, it never really felt like pulling to me. I liked that to an extent, the fact that we could both just go out and as long as she wasn't pulling me headlong down the road, mindlessly explore and sort of run wild. However, with the "I'm out having my own walk and mom is just following along" scenario came the "when mom tells me it's time to move along or pay attention I don't really have any reason to listen" scenario.
This became a problem when I allowed her to sit and watch the world for too long, let her sniff all the plants in the field (as she darted from one side of the road to the other), or when we came across other dogs or people (particularly children). When I said it was time to get back on the road a temper tantrum would ensue (with rolling over, lying on her side, digging her feet in, lunging and dragging and helicopter jumping toward said dog/person, and finally biting me). I had tried the drag her off in the other direction technique, the stand behind her with a taut leash and wait for her to sit technique, the keep her moving and encourage her down the road technique and the have her sit and then when necessary stand in front of her to block her view technique, all were more or less failures.
The main issue was that once her focus was lost, I couldn't get it back. The other was that she didn't seem to feel any motivation to listen to me in the first place and was actually affronted that I thought I could push her around...Herding dogs, I don't know. Chapter 4 of PPDT entitled: 'A New Leash On Life', totally changed the way I think about positive training and explained why I had never been as successful as I should have been. The main lessons for me were:
1) Click-and-treat the dog when it's doing the right thing (including when it's on the brink of doing the wrong thing): This was a big deal for me. I would click-and-treat when Cassie was at heel during a walk, but not when she was still with in the confines of a loose leash. As soon as she would step out of heel I would stop the clicking and unconsciously wait for her to make a mistake (so that I could then correct it). What I was doing was teaching her to fail at heeling, while ignoring our real goal: loose leash walking. The Solution: Click-and-treat no matter where she was within the loose leash range...ie if she is just about to hit the taut leash click-and-treat! She'll hear the click and guess what happily turn and come back to you for the treat....which led to lesson 2...
2) Don't be stingy with treats. They are markers that tell your dog she's done something right!: Though I had always liked positive techniques, somewhere in the back of my mind I was still always thinking...I can't keep treating her like this forever, it's time to wean her off the treats. So what happened...each walk I would bring fewer and fewer treats and each day I would get less and less focus (and more tantrums)... Pat points out the treat is like the dog's paycheck...eventually you can make it an occasional reward, but when behaviors are not yet reliable you need to keep a high rate of reinforcement. I now take a big pocket full of treats (of various kinds) and the result is a much better behaved dog who still gets treated more than before...but really not that much more. To quote Pat: "There is not a shred of doubt in my mind--I would rather have cookies in my jacket pockets than a chain around my dog's neck."
After a few weeks of high reinforcement on our walks I have a dog that both walks and runs to heel without biting (well most of the time) and one that even focuses when moving past other dogs (even the scary lunching German Shepherd on an electric fence) and children without so much as blinking. PPDT covers the gamut of basic dog training from the beginning with explanations of types of behavior and response, to using the clicker, through to addressing behavior challenges such as separation anxiety and biting. Each chapter is a full lesson that is presented to your dog as tricks or games, so that it doesn't feel like training and there is no need for correction or punishment. It's a great book that opened my eyes to a new level of positive reinforcement training in ways that other books had not.
Pat Miller's Power of Positive Dog Training
:Pat's lives in my local area, my hometown actually, and runs a really wonderful (from what I've heard, I've never actually been there) training center called Peaceable Paws. I was directed to her work by the owner of the training facility I frequent when we were having the "herding mommy" problem, which I'm happy to report seems to be reaching an end.
Pat has written several books, but this one's about building the foundation of a good relationship with your dog through positive training. It's great for the owner of a new puppy, a new rescue or someone who (like me) needs to go back to the beginning on some things. I read it in a day and by the end had decided I needed to start training walking on a leash from scratch...it's made all the difference in the world!
By and large, PPDT seems like your average positive training techniques book, but within the broader lessons Pat provides hints and brings out finer details that make positive reinforcement training not only reliable, but I would wager more productive than 'traditional' training methods.
The real revelation for me was Pat's leash training technique. I've taken instruction on leash training using positive techniques in puppy classes and several obedience classes and though I had heard "reward the good behavior, ignore the bad," over and over, for some reason I wasn't taking it far enough. One problem we had was that Cassie isn't a natural puller, at least not in a straight line. Our walks were always more of a meander than a training exercise and though the leash was quite often taut, it never really felt like pulling to me. I liked that to an extent, the fact that we could both just go out and as long as she wasn't pulling me headlong down the road, mindlessly explore and sort of run wild. However, with the "I'm out having my own walk and mom is just following along" scenario came the "when mom tells me it's time to move along or pay attention I don't really have any reason to listen" scenario.
This became a problem when I allowed her to sit and watch the world for too long, let her sniff all the plants in the field (as she darted from one side of the road to the other), or when we came across other dogs or people (particularly children). When I said it was time to get back on the road a temper tantrum would ensue (with rolling over, lying on her side, digging her feet in, lunging and dragging and helicopter jumping toward said dog/person, and finally biting me). I had tried the drag her off in the other direction technique, the stand behind her with a taut leash and wait for her to sit technique, the keep her moving and encourage her down the road technique and the have her sit and then when necessary stand in front of her to block her view technique, all were more or less failures.
The main issue was that once her focus was lost, I couldn't get it back. The other was that she didn't seem to feel any motivation to listen to me in the first place and was actually affronted that I thought I could push her around...Herding dogs, I don't know. Chapter 4 of PPDT entitled: 'A New Leash On Life', totally changed the way I think about positive training and explained why I had never been as successful as I should have been. The main lessons for me were:
1) Click-and-treat the dog when it's doing the right thing (including when it's on the brink of doing the wrong thing): This was a big deal for me. I would click-and-treat when Cassie was at heel during a walk, but not when she was still with in the confines of a loose leash. As soon as she would step out of heel I would stop the clicking and unconsciously wait for her to make a mistake (so that I could then correct it). What I was doing was teaching her to fail at heeling, while ignoring our real goal: loose leash walking. The Solution: Click-and-treat no matter where she was within the loose leash range...ie if she is just about to hit the taut leash click-and-treat! She'll hear the click and guess what happily turn and come back to you for the treat....which led to lesson 2...
2) Don't be stingy with treats. They are markers that tell your dog she's done something right!: Though I had always liked positive techniques, somewhere in the back of my mind I was still always thinking...I can't keep treating her like this forever, it's time to wean her off the treats. So what happened...each walk I would bring fewer and fewer treats and each day I would get less and less focus (and more tantrums)... Pat points out the treat is like the dog's paycheck...eventually you can make it an occasional reward, but when behaviors are not yet reliable you need to keep a high rate of reinforcement. I now take a big pocket full of treats (of various kinds) and the result is a much better behaved dog who still gets treated more than before...but really not that much more. To quote Pat: "There is not a shred of doubt in my mind--I would rather have cookies in my jacket pockets than a chain around my dog's neck."
After a few weeks of high reinforcement on our walks I have a dog that both walks and runs to heel without biting (well most of the time) and one that even focuses when moving past other dogs (even the scary lunching German Shepherd on an electric fence) and children without so much as blinking. PPDT covers the gamut of basic dog training from the beginning with explanations of types of behavior and response, to using the clicker, through to addressing behavior challenges such as separation anxiety and biting. Each chapter is a full lesson that is presented to your dog as tricks or games, so that it doesn't feel like training and there is no need for correction or punishment. It's a great book that opened my eyes to a new level of positive reinforcement training in ways that other books had not.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Training Books I Love!
The market seems flooded lately with dog training books and rightfully so, as our pets are becoming more and more important in our lives. I have bought so many books, I now have a whole bookshelf dedicated to dog training, so I thought it was about time to list my favorites below.
I'm not a professional dog trainer, so I need all the help I can get to keep Cassie calm and interested. I also work exclusively with positive methods. I'm not going to say I never utter a correction, but I do try to be a solid and kind leader...which isn't always as easy as it seems.
My Favorite Training Books:
Kyra Sundance's Do More with Your Dog
series:
After a couple puppy-related books, this was the first set of books I picked up for Cassie. We started taking a Tricks class at our local training facility and these books were the basis of it. Tricks, as Kyra notes, are a great way to start a puppy on the path to loving learning and to thinking for itself. Cassie started out in the class at about 10 weeks old and has stayed with it throughout her first year! It has done wonders for her focus, especially around a class full of other dogs and has helped me ensure that she's curious about new things instead of frightened of them. Though she still doesn't like the sound the wagon makes when she pulls it behind her. We're currently training the 'get me a beer from the fridge' trick...which is on the expert level!
Let's face it, these books are great! Kyra is a fun and enthusiastic teacher, who guides you through increasingly more advanced training while teaching your dog to learn through play. Best of all: Your human/dog team can earn titles from Kyra's website! Cassie and I are almost ready to test for our Advanced Trick Dog title. With the completion of a level, you can receive a very pretty certificate, a Do More with Your Dog bracelet and with Kyra has sent us encouraging hand written notes! The DMWYD books are available in most big bookstores or from Amazon and now both a workbook and DVD's are also available (those are on my birthday list).
Kyra is just about to come out with a new Tricks book. I've seen some of the photos already and it looks like this will be another winner! So look for that when it arrives at your local bookstore or on Amazon!
MORE TO COME IN A LITTLE WHILE, including: Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed and Pat Miller's The Power of Positive Dog Training!
I'm not a professional dog trainer, so I need all the help I can get to keep Cassie calm and interested. I also work exclusively with positive methods. I'm not going to say I never utter a correction, but I do try to be a solid and kind leader...which isn't always as easy as it seems.
My Favorite Training Books:
Kyra Sundance's Do More with Your Dog
series:After a couple puppy-related books, this was the first set of books I picked up for Cassie. We started taking a Tricks class at our local training facility and these books were the basis of it. Tricks, as Kyra notes, are a great way to start a puppy on the path to loving learning and to thinking for itself. Cassie started out in the class at about 10 weeks old and has stayed with it throughout her first year! It has done wonders for her focus, especially around a class full of other dogs and has helped me ensure that she's curious about new things instead of frightened of them. Though she still doesn't like the sound the wagon makes when she pulls it behind her. We're currently training the 'get me a beer from the fridge' trick...which is on the expert level!
 |
| Sorry about the little brown nose in the corner! |
Kyra is just about to come out with a new Tricks book. I've seen some of the photos already and it looks like this will be another winner! So look for that when it arrives at your local bookstore or on Amazon!
MORE TO COME IN A LITTLE WHILE, including: Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed and Pat Miller's The Power of Positive Dog Training!
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