Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks

I love to teach my dogs new tricks. My older dog knows all the basics, shake, high five, roll over, speak, balance the biscuit on the nose etc… and as silly as these are, people love to see them and most importantly, he loves to do them. I can hold a treat in my hand, go to the usual place we practice and he will start going through his whole repertoire of tricks hoping to find the one that will get him the treat. The puppy is still learning, “shake” seems to be the first thing he tries. Tricks are a wonderful way to keep dogs mentally stimulated at any age. Dogs always enjoy learning and to be given a job. I have some trouble convincing some of my students on the benefits of teaching their dogs tricks however.
I believe it is the word “trick” that is immediately associated with little dogs dancing in circles wearing tutu’s and playing dead when the owner shows them a finger gun. I do think these are cute. Silly and cute. And therein lies the problem. Some people do not want their dogs to be silly and cute. So I am coming up with a new version of tricks and giving them some clever name that has more to do with behaviors than tricks (still working on that though). For example, Luey has learned the verbal words for a ball and his favorite stuffed toy we call “green dog”. I can ask him to go get a ball and he is reliably bringing back a tennis ball. I can ask him to go find green dog and he will find the prized stuffed toy. A dogs ability to learn multiple items has been well established. I would like to take a behavior like this and translate it into a behavior that any student can find interesting. It may be teaching the dog to distinguish between a beer can and a beer bottle, or it may be a sneaker vs. a high heel shoe. Who wouldn’t be impressed when your dog skipped over the stinky Nike to retrieve a sexy red Jimmy Choo? Better yet, teach her to retrieve someone else’s Jimmy Choo’s (in your size of course).
Tricks do not have to involve any rolling over or costumes. They can be any behavior you wish your dog to perform on command. As with most things, some dogs will learn faster than others and certain behaviors come more naturally to certain dogs or breeds. I believe that a dog will learn just about anything that you keep motivating and rewarding. You are really only limited by your imagination and maybe your patience level. To get started, learn a little about the differences between luring and shaping. You will probably need a little bit of both. Remember that learning needs to remain fun and seem like play. Soon your dog will be bringing you your slippers and paying your taxes. Okay, that last one is going to require a lot of treats…

Dog Talk

I am not in any way an expert on dog communication. I may be pretty good at interpreting my dogs whines and nudges at me, but language between dogs is something I am just getting started in. It is certainly a growing area of interest among trainers and behaviorists. However, ask 5 “dog behaviorists” what the best book on the subject is and you will likely get just as many different answers. What I do know, is that dogs communicate very differently than humans and that is something we must all understand. Aggressive is a word that jumps to mind too quickly for most people when a dog communicates in a way that humans do not approve of. There is a lot of dog language that is not pretty, but it is also not aggressive. Recently, a student was upset when her adult dog reacted "negatively" to the persistent nagging of a very young pup. She grabbed her dog, looked shocked and said that he had never acted aggressively before. Fortunately, I saw the reaction and the owner of the puppy was also a trainer. We were able to explain to her how her dog had simply told the puppy to “back off” in very normal dog language. The adult dog was more vocal than anything, there was no lunging at the puppy, showing teeth or snapping. The owner of the puppy also showed her how the puppy was still trying to play with the adult dog, but had backed up a few inches, giving the adult dog some space. The owner was relieved and completely relaxed when just a few minutes later, her dog was inching forward, getting into play mode with the puppy.

Sometimes dogs just need a little time to assess a situation. This is important to understand as an owner. No one wants their dog mislabeled as aggressive, nor should an owner be overly fearful that their dog is aggressive when it is not. If an owner is uneasy, the dog will feel it and can react to it (misunderstanding the owners apprehension), thereby creating a problem that does not really exist.

I think it is a good idea for all dog owners to get a very basic understanding of dog communication. At least enough to know when to seek more information or professional help and when to relax . Check out your local library or dogwise.com for books on the subject and advice on how to find a good trainer/behaviorist.

The Competitive Spirit?

I am not a competitive person by nature. I would rather enjoy the game than win it. I like to make the rules up as I go along or do what needs to be done to keep it fun (i.e. repositioning the golf ball to make the putt). Of course I do like it when I win and I do usually try my best to be successful, but I think it is more important to keep in mind that a game is a game and not a life altering event.

The same can be said for most of us in the world of dog sports. How many of us are really "making a living" doing agility, freestyle or obedience with our dogs? Not many. There is some degree of credibility for trainers and some others to have accomplished dogs and there are a few professional dog sport players. But for the majority, dog sports are a hobby. So it concerns me that I am hearing too often from newbies just entering dog sports that the majority of people they meet at events are not friendly, welcoming or willing to help them. Is this a side effect of being too competitive or are "dog people" becoming more and more the snobby group they have been stereotyped as in the past? I do not want to offend anyone here, so I will not name any particular groups, but certain groups tend to be less open than others.

In dog sports, the sport is open to all dogs of any shape and size. AKC has now opened many of their events to non purebred dogs. We should be thrilled at the opportunity to get active, dog loving people together in one place for one common goal: having fun with your dog. We all know it takes hard work and dedication to get ready for competition. There are also a lot of rules that can be overwhelming and intimidating to the new competitor. It is so easy to get discouraged by all of this. Those of us with wisdom and experience can help to keep them encouraged, so they continue playing and overcome the early hurdles. A certain amount of competition is motivating, let's try to keep it that way for the good of the sport, our new friends and especially the dogs.

Learn more about getting your mixed breed into dog sports at http://www.akc.org/mixedbreeds/