Rikke's Dog Blog

2013-09-28T17:46:00.000-04:00

Have you ever considered teaching your dog Brain Games? Shaping is a fun training technique that requires your dog to really think and try to figure out what it is you're trying to make her do. So much fun, and great mental stimulation. It's an awesome way of teaching tricks and useful behaviors. In Shaping, we reward each tiny micro-step towards a final behavior until we have the full behavior we are looking for. In teaching Helix to press the Easy button we began with just rewarding her for being in the general vicinity of the button, then for looking at the button, then for nosing it or touching it with her paw, and then finally for touching it hard enough to make a sound. She loved the game.

2013-06-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

On being a matchmaker.

This morning I got a completely random text from a number I didn’t recognize. Viewing the text history in my smartphone I realized it came from a gentleman who had attended a seminar I gave about six years ago on Dog Bite Prevention. He was a scientist who studied human behavior and who was fascinated by both the similarities and the differences in human versus dog behavior. Over the years he’d texted me a few times with random behavior questions, presumably related to his work. This morning the text merely said “Hey, what do you think of Weimaraners?”. No hello, no how are you, no can I as you a question. I responded that I feel about Weimaraners the way I feel about New Yorkers or Doctors. Some I like, and some I don’t like so much. I added that if he was asking me if I think he should get one I would have no way of answering his question, as I know nothing about this man, his life style, his habits or work hours, about his likes or dislikes. He might as well have asked me if I thought he should get married or if he should buy a Honda or a Rav4. I did add that IF he was considering getting a Weimaraner he should probably be ready to spend a lot of times outdoors exercising and spending time with his dog, and that this kind of dog is likely to be fairly high strung and high energy. I also cautioned that anything I said would be a gross generalization as there are many variations and different personalities within the breed, and that without having meet a specific dog I wouldn’t advice one way or the other. Generally I wouldn’t advice a first time dog owner to get such a dog, but then again, how would I know if this guy had known ten Weimaraners already and knew that this breed was just what he wanted.

The scientist texted back, asking if I had any more specific advice. It must have been frustrating for a person dealing with specifics and facts all day that I wouldn’t be more concrete in my response. I texted back that I would advice him to seek out a number of people who has had this breed of dog and ask them what their experiences were (and in true solid science style it should be a large enough group to get a true reading). Furthermore I urged him to please consider adoption over a breeder and suggested he contact a breed specific Rescue and become an approved adopter (if the Rescue considered him an appropriated adopter), and then ask the Rescue to help him find just the right dog for him. I asked him to please not get one from a pet shop, and then I wished him the best of luck.

I’m guessing I didn’t help this guy much, but then again if he really wanted help selecting the right dog he might have chosen to hire a trainer to select the dog with just the right temperament, and perhaps even been open to getting the right dog as opposed to the right looking dog.

People often ask me which breed of dog they should get. I hate answering that question. And I wont. My absolute least favorite question about breeds is “which breed of dog is great with kids”. Just like humans they are all different and even though there are many similarities between humans and between dogs there are also so many differences. Of course I know what people mean when they ask me which breed to get or which breed I like, and I do have a dog “type” when it comes to the dogs I choose for my own household as everyone who knows me knows (my number one criteria is “slowly moving furniture”) but it’s so much more about a dynamic, about falling in love with a specific dog, about the dog that fits into your household, and let’s not forget that by speaking just about a breed we are discounting all the marvelous mutts out there who are “Heinz 57s”, or “All American”, or “Brooklyn Shepherds”.

It is not that I don’t want to give you advice on picking a dog. It’s that I want you to really, really think about what you want in a dog and whether or not you are the right person for the dog you like. If a friend of mine asked me if they should date a banker, or a Chinese person, or a Swede I really couldn’t tell them. Is he/she nice? Do you like them? Are they for sure not serial killers? Beyond that it’s whatever floats your boat. But don’t date a drummer and be surprised when he makes noise when he practices, don’t date a bartender and be upset that he works nights, the same way you shouldn’t get a Beagle and be surprised if he has his nose to the ground, or get a French bulldog and be surprised when he snores. And definitely don’t be surprised if I won’t give you any specific advice on what or who you need if I don’t know anything about you. It’s a relationship with a living, breathing being you are thinking about venturing into.

2013-06-04T17:57:00.000-04:00

Fun at Camp Rikke!

Check out how much fun Rex the Frenchie and Barkley the pit and having tugging on a poor little stuffy doll. They are very appropriate in their play and are both adjusting their play styles and intensity to match each other. Well done, Pumpkins.

Cutie Puppy Gracie

2012-12-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

Gracie, a young pointer mix puppy, has gotten so excited about clicker training and Shaping Games that she keeps offering fun behaviors that can easily be turned into great tricks and useful behaviors. Today, she offered a few steps of walking backwards and we quickly turned it into Moonwalking the entire length of the room. Luckily her family is awesome and completely onboard with teaching Gracie fun stuff in between her basic manners so we are all having a lot of fun working with Gracie. Here, she is learning that what she is doing is called Moonwalking and that taking more steps in a row could get her more treats. I adore this puppy!!

Lucy leans Go Lie Down

2012-12-16T22:57:00.000-05:00

Lucy, my adorable client with the most amazing eye lashes has learned to go to a specific place on the couch when she hears the cue Go Lie Down. Her owners are now able to sit quietly and eat, uninterrupted, or they can pay for a food delivery or sign for a package without it being a combat sport to try to keep Lucy away from the door. Lucy is a quick study. She loves the training we've done with her and she happily complies now that she understands what's expected of her. Everyone is happy.

Fergie learns to respond calmly and politely to the door bell

2012-11-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

Fergie is a very sweet and exuberant Wheaten Terrier. His family is patient and dedicated to having a polite and compliant dog and they are great a doing their homework between sessions. With two young boys in the house there's a decent amount of traffic coming through their home and Fergie has been getting very exited and "grabby" when the door bell rings, so here we are teaching him a different, more composed response that won't scare visitors away, and that will also work for Fergie.

Featured in Animal Fair this month

2012-10-21T22:50:00.002-04:00

Dog Trainer Rikke Brogaard Creates The “Kid-Dog” Family

Rikke Brogaard with her Great Dane kid, Olive.

If you’re looking for a dog trainer in the New York City area who specializes in positive methods, a great relationship with your dog, and has tons of fun doing it, then Rikke Brogaard is the trainer for you! She’s aCertified Pet Dog Trainer and a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), and keeps herself updated with the latest dog training trends and animal-related vet and scientific updates at yearly conferences and regularly attends educational seminars. Brogaard has studied with some of the leading trainers and behaviorists in the country and is the NY State volunteer Trainer and behavior consultant for MAGDRL, the Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League.

A dog training theme that is close to Brogaard’d heart is the dog-child relationship and helping families make the transition from being a “dog” family to being a “kid-dog” family (or the other way around) without adding extra stress to an already stressful time. She made the training transition herself when she brought her seven pound baby home to a household with two 150lbs Great Danes, that were used to being the only babies (of the furry kind)!

Animal Fair Media learned a few tricks of the dog training trade when we sat down with Rikke Brogaard to get the details about her special training techniques.

AF: What inspired you to become a dog trainer?

RB: I was completely intrigued with behavior as a child. I found a book called Manwatching by zoologist and ethologist Desmond Morris on my parent’s book shelf and I was blown away by finding out how much you could tell about people and animals simply by reading their body language. I also watched every animal program I could find on TV. It wasn’t a lot since I grew up with three available TV channels in Denmark (that’s how it was back then; it has since changed a lot, obviously). People like Jacques Cousteau and Jane Goodall became my heroes, but back then I didn’t really have focus enough to narrow down what I wanted to do. When people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, the answer was just “something to do with animals”. I had a horse, and a great poodle-collie mix named Bessie, from the time I was two years old and there are so many pictures of me with that dog glued to me.

I took a bit of a detour working first as a flight attendant and later in the Music Business for years until I decided to commit to doing what I always wanted to do: something to do with animals. By that time I had narrowed my focus to dogs and I began looking into what exactly it would take to become a great dog trainer and I also soon realized there were two very different schools of thought on dog training. Punishment based versus reward based. I knew immediately that I would be a Positive Trainer and started reading everything I could be Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnell, Pat Miller, and the like. I sought out Pat MIller who became a mentor to me and I took every training academy she offered and got my handling chops by volunteering at places like the ASPCA and for Rescue Organizations before I finally felt comfortable enough taking my first client. More than ten years later I still think it was the best decision I’ve ever made, career wise.

AF: What is your training technique?

RB: I’m a positive trainer, all the way. I think many people think that positive means permissive but it doesn’t. It also doesn’t have to mean treats, treats, treats, all the time. Rewards are anything your dog likes. Food is obviously a huge currency for dogs (and for humans, as is money… because it buys us food). I just don’t think there’s any reason to use force to train a dog, a child, or a human. I find it much more awesome and impressive when I see humans and animals interact and comply with each other just by responding to a kind request. That means there’s a real relationship there, and isn’t that the whole reason we have dogs, kids, and partners?

I generally use either a clicker or a verbal marker, or in case of a deaf dog either a thumbs-up or a smile, or whatever else the owner and I can come up with that is practical. I recently worked with an awesome woman who was a quadriplegic, so we used a Manners Minder as a treat dispenser and used the sound of the treat being dispensed as a reward marker. The client only had to press the remote control with her thumb to mark the desired behaviors and we used shaping to teach all the behaviors we wanted. It was awesome!

AF: What are your Top 5 Training Tips for someone at home?

RB: If I had to pick five training tips for someone at home … in no particular order:

1. Capture great behaviors when they happen spontaneously. We know that behaviors that are rewarded are repeated, so take advantage of that by marking the good stuff when it happens. I tell people it will literally triple their training effort if they just remember that. Dogs pretty much do all the stuff we want: sit, lie down, stay, come, all the time. All we have to do is put it on cue. So simple, and so overlooked.

2. Management, management, management. Don’t wait for your dog to mess up and then react to it. Manage her environment from the beginning so she has much less opportunity to do something wrong. Show her what it is you’d like her to do instead of waiting for her to do the wrong thing and then punish her for it. It only makes everyone resentful and grumpy.

3. Play with your dog!! It builds relationship, it helps your bond, it’s fun, it wears the dog put, it reduces stress. Training also falls under play for me. I want all my dogs to think we were just having a great time and playing when they learned to come to me when I call. Learn about “Shaping” and about nose games. We spend all this time trying to get a Beagle to stop sniffing everything on a walk, but their noses are awesome so why not use let them use them in a way that works better for all of us? I’ve never seen a dog owner who wasn’t totally blown away, excited, and proud when their dog just managed to find an object we’d spent ten minutes hiding from the dog, or when their dog finally “got” the behavior we were trying to shape them to do. Shaping (reinforcement of successive approximations) is a little like playing that “Hot and Cold” game with kids where they have to try to figure out what you want them to do.

4. Have realistic expectations. I think people would spend less time being upset and annoyed with their dogs if they understood how dogs learn and how their brains work. It would make them understand what their limitations are and capabilities are. Dogs are not telepathic geniuses. You need to give them gentle directions and if they understand what it is you’re trying to say they are very likely to do it if they’re physically able. Just standing there, waving your arms and legs and repeating some weird word the dogs doesn’t understand – is not going to do it. I find that people are totally relieved and amused when we have this conversation. It makes so much sense to them once it’s explained. And speaking of realistic expectations: If it has already taken you twelve years to try to get your husband to put the toilet seat down and you still haven’t succeeded, then it should be massively reinforcing to train a dog. Much quicker. Apologies to the gentlemen on this generalization. To make it fair: the male to female equivalent could be when men are trying to get their wives to just say straight out what they want or need instead of letting them guess and then being disappointed when you don’t do it right.

5. Call a good, certified, Positive Trainer. When you get a dog, any dog, why not just put a few hundred dollars in the budget for someone qualified who can walk you through how to best set everyone up for success. It doesn’t have to be super expensive but someone could potentially teach you so much about your dog in just a few hours and it could make it so much more pleasant and easy for you going forward. If you can’t afford to have someone come on a regular basic, at least just have a great trainer come in and help you read your particular dog, explain to you about canine body language, so you will always be able to read how your dog is feeling and doing. Also have them talk to you about stressors and about how stressors can push your dog beyond their bite threshold, etc. Oh, while most advice is well intended, not everyone who offers their opinion at the dog park is a dog expert. Just sayin’.

AF: What animals do you have at home? Name (why you named), Breed and where you got them from!

RB: I have a six or seven year old Merle Great Dane named Olive. I got her (and most of my dogs over the past fifteen years) from The Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL). Olive is the most mellow dog I’ve ever had. I refer to her as “Slowly Moving Furniture” and jokingly say she was bred to be on the couch with a remote control and a beer. She is my Soul Dog and I use her all the time as a Buddy Dog for shy or fearful dog. Super solid dog. I had a list of all kinds of cool names when I got her but after having her here for a week my daughter Dea (who is almost 11) and I realized that none of the names on the list fit her personality. She needed a sweet, mellow name. We’ve had so many Danes because we also foster for the Rescue sometimes. Dea says she wants a “small dog that does something” next.

AF: What is the funniest trick you ever taught a dog? Why?

RB: I tend to like really goofy tricks for my own dogs. I’ve taught loads of fun tricks for client’s dogs but they are mostly the standard tricks, Roll Over, Prairie Dog, Play Possum, etc. Olive moon walks, which is cute because she’s so big. She will also tell you that she represents the Wu Tang Clan (Rap Group) if you ask her. I can ask her which group she represents and run down a list of Rap Outfits and hip hop names and when I get to the Wu Tang Clan she goes; “WU WU!!”. I know, silly. I also taught Pat Miller’s dog Dubhy a cool behavior chain. At the verbal Cue “Are you sleepy?” – he would sit up on his haunches and rub his eyes with his paws, walk over to a small stool and say his prayer, and finally walk over to a blanket on the floor, grab the corner with his teeth and wrap himself in it, putting himself to bed. He actually knew parts of those behaviors already, I just tweaked them and put them together in a chain.

AF: What animal charities do you support? Why?

RB: I volunteer for MAGDRL, a Great Dane Rescue, as much as I can. I’m a single Mom so between work and my kid I don’t have a lot of extra time but I am a volunteer trainer for the Rescue and I do evaluations and transport when they need me. I sometimes foster dogs for them if I can. The last foster dog was Rufus. At 182 pounds, Dane lived with us for a year before he was placed in his perfect, forever home. He damn near ate us out of house and home but he stole our hearts. Best cuddler, ever.

I also volunteer when I can for Unleashed NYC, an experiential leadership program for girls, empowering them to be social change agents, using animal welfare as their leadership laboratory. Girls learn they must address the immediate problem of saving pups from being euthanized, but also work towards long term sustainable change. It’s the brain child of Dr. Stacey Radin; she’s unstoppable.

AF: Do you train cats?

RB: I only train dogs. Of course I’ve dabbled in the occasional cat, hamster, pig, and a few other little critters, but I’d love to get into clicker training cats more and other species. I really want to go to a multi-species workshop or to Bob Bailey’s Chicken camp. Alas, work wise, it’s all dogs for me. Oh, and the kid. I came home recently and she had surprised me by cleaning the whole loft while I was gone. I immediately praised her and grabbed the car keys and took her to Beacon’s Closet (her favorite place on earth) for some shopping. I know good behavior when I see it and I am definitely trying to see that particular behavior repeated. On the way to the store she busted me “I know what you’re doing”. But it worked. There was lunch waiting for me yesterday when I got home and she casually mentioned that she’d seen there was a sale at the LF store. That’s when I explained to her about intermittent reinforcement.

Rikke Brogaard will have your dog rolling over, sitting, and behaving like a champ in to time!

For more information visit: www.rikkebdogtraining.com

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Advanced Behavior Study Academy, AKA Geek Week!

2011-09-25T12:11:00.003-04:00

I just returned from an amazing week working with my Mentor, the amazing Pat Miller, in Hagerstown, Maryland. I, and a handful of other seasoned Positive Dog Trainers got to "geek out" for a week and have in-depth discussions about different Behavior Studies and published Papers on behavior. In-between the science stuff we each worked with a dog on teaching behavior chains and on shaping behaviors for our final practical exam. This is a work-in-progress video of me working with the Scottie Dubhy, one of Pat's owns dogs (no pressure...arghhh) on our behavior chain. . On the verbal cue "Are Ya Sleepy?" Dubh has to sit upright and rub his eyes with his paws, then walk over to a little stool and "say his Prayers", and then finally walk over to a blanket on the floor, grab the corner, roll over and wrap himself in the blanket. In this video I still mark each part of the behavior and reward and use a lot of body prompts (positioning, pointing) but on the final day the goal was to have him do the entire chain only on the verbal cue. I wish every dog owner would play more with their dogs and do fun stuff to challenge them and let them use their problem solving skills. You'd be surprised how much fun it can be.

2011-07-10T21:50:00.003-04:00

Found this picture recently of my daughter Dea when she was just a few years old, taking pictures with her play camera of her dogs Cleavon and Bella. Both dogs have since passed away and Dea is now nine years old and about to begin 5th grade. Made me smile when I found this picture; it was always one of my favorites of them all together....

2011-07-10T21:42:00.001-04:00

Please read this great blog entry from Jean Donaldson, Behavior Expert extraordinaire and one of the main gurus to Positive Dog Training devotes like myself.

http://academyfordogtrainers.com/blog/2011/the-weasel-files-part-two/

Introduction to Scent Work

2010-05-06T18:19:00.004-04:00

Kaleigh, a one year old Lab who is staying with me at my loft this week, is almost impossible to tire out. Believe me I've tried. And I've succeeded but it wasn't easy. Long runs (ok, maybe it was just 3 1/2 miles but that's long for me, ok!!), 2 hour long walks with lots of manners work, and play dates with all kinds of dogs. We needed more of a challenge so my good friend and excellent colleague Jenny Chun came over to help me introduce Kaleigh to NoseWork since it's easier when you're two people and we both have an interest in Nose Work. In essence we'd be teaching Kaleigh to use her excellent nose to find a "hide"- a desirable object - in a box. We used seven or eight different looking boxes and as you can see on the videos one of us would hold Kaleigh back while the other would place the object in one of the boxes and then switch the boxes around making it difficult for Kaleigh to predict where the object was. In these tree short videos you can see the difference in how Kaleigh goes about finding the treat pouch in the box. She becomes increasingly good at using her nose and following the scent as we keep practicing. A dog like Kaleigh could probably go on for hours but with a less intense and enthusiastic dog you would want to keep the practice sessions short and sweet.

This is how all nose dogs begin their training. Building up the desire to search for the object and making sure the dog succeeds at each step, then rewarding generously when the dog finds the "Hide". It's important to throw out all notions of manners or obedience when you do this kind of stuff. You just want the dog to LOVE searching for stuff. After all one day it might be a person buried under rubble or snow or a lost child.

See if you can see kaleigh's progress.....

Enjoy.

Hosting webisode on DogStarDaily

2010-04-10T11:52:00.003-04:00

A while back I got an e mail from Dr. Ian Dunbar, who's pretty much the Godfather of modern dog training. (to me it was a little bit like getting a call from Bruce Lee if you're an martial artist or Scorcese if you're a movie director.) Anyway, he asked me to shoot an episode on dog training for his Web TV channel/site DogStarDaily and have it featured under a series of shows called America's Dog Trainers. The idea was to feature different trainers of the "new" generation and have them show what they do and who they are and how they work. My show just went live and is featured this week (but will stay up forever) and the topic is Kids and Dogs. Please go take a look and forward the links to anyone you think might benefit from the information in it. It'll also give you a pretty good idea f how I work and who I am if you're considering working with me.

Let me know what you think. There are two different videos so click on both to see all.

(Part 1) Rikke Brogaard - Kids and Dogs | Dog Star Daily

(Part 2) Rikke Brogaard - Kids and Dogs | Dog Star Daily

I don't really advertise this a lot but......

2009-11-01T20:18:00.002-05:00

I will, on occasion, board dogs at my house. It tends to be client's dogs but I will take dogs that are good with children and no dog aggressive dogs (to be fair to my Olive). I find that a lot of people are uncomfortable with leaving their dog at a kennel or boarding facility where they'll spend the majority of the time confused and stressed in a crate, and where they don't know who will be handling their dog. Plus, some day care facilities and boarding places are little germ farms so there's always a chance that a dog will come back with something. It doesn't always happen, but it can. When a dog stays with me they'll live with us as a member of the family. That means park walks (or jogs) and cuddling in the evenings and lots of interaction and no stress. It's also handy if the client has an issue they'd like to work with their dog on and we can schedule training sessions while the dog is with me. Olive, my Great Dane, is what I call a Slowly Moving Couch. She is super mellow and gets along with everyone. Nothing can rattle her. Pesky puppies chewing on her ears; No Problem. Crazy adolescent Lab bouncing on top of her; Whatever, Dude. It makes it very easy to have an extra dog staying here and she makes an excellent buddy for fearful dogs. I love having dogs here so it works out for everyone. Give me a shout or send me a mail if you're interested in having your dog stay at my house; info@rikkebdogtraining.com or call 917-821-6752 for availability and details.

Little Eddie

2009-10-27T20:43:00.002-04:00

How cute is this little bulldog? We've been working on basic manners and he's just so much fun and picks everything up so quickly so we threw a couple of tricks in there. This is Eddie doing "BANG"!! At the sight of the hand signal (hand with fingers pointed like a gun) and the verbal cue BANG, he has to "drop dead". He's done it perfectly for me a few times and this is the owner's first time trying. Almost perfect; now she just needs to practice and perfect it a little more.

A word on Owner Compliance...

2009-09-13T19:35:00.004-04:00

Yes I am a dog trainer, and I both teach dogs new behaviors and sometimes I teach them to feel differently about something or someone. BUT, while I can probably get dogs to jump through hoops in a relatively short amount of time I cannot promise your dog will do it forever or continue to do so without YOU, the owner. The success of the work we do together is very much up to you as well, and about how consistent you are when the training sessions are done. Unless you put an effort into the work, and unless you're willing to practice and work with your dog even when I'm not there it's not going to be as effective as if you do. My goal in working with you and your dog is to teach YOU to interact and succeed in communicating with your dog. I often get calls from dog owners who ask me to take their dog for a week or two or however long it will take me to train their dog, but unless the owner is willing to also work with the dog it doesn't make a lot of sense. If they need to get training jump started and the owner needs to feel encouraged and see progress I'm happy to do it but I ask for a commitment from the owner as well so we can do a few sessions together and so I can teach the owner what's going on with their dog.

Having said that, I understand that it can seem overwhelming when your dog is not complying or doesn't seem to listen to you so I'm always careful to tailor the training and home work to the client's schedule so it's realistic for everyone. This is supposed to be FUN!!!

Check out this book review.

2009-09-13T18:31:00.002-04:00

For those who are truly interested in understanding how dog's view the world, and how they collect information, this book may be for you.

Check out the review in The NY Times today.

Book Review - 'Inside of a Dog - What Dogs See, Smell, and Know,' by Alexandra Horowitz - Review - NYTimes.com

One of my favorite, interactive, dog toys

2009-08-22T10:03:00.004-04:00

Anyone who's ever worked with me knows I'm big on getting people to engage their dog and to teach them how to play with interactive dog toys so the dog has something to do and has a way of engaging him or her self when you're not ready to throw a tennis ball for two hours. Here's Hudson, a less than one year old Golden Retriever (a sexy, sexy, dog) figuring out that if he knocks the Twist n' Treat around kibble will fall out.

I love my dog...

2009-08-01T16:04:00.002-04:00

OMG I"m so in love with my dog. I want to marry her.......and it's not like I have any better offers, so.......

Olive is the easiest and the most mellow dog I've ever had. She is a big on cuddling and lounging. We should all have an Olive in our lives; there's be no more wars or stress....

Mingus is serious about his bagel w cream cheese

2009-06-20T13:03:00.004-04:00

Poor Mingus, he looks like he has been whipped. I swear he hasn't, he's just really serious about bagel with cream cheese.......lol

More Jake training - after less than a week of training

2009-05-17T18:45:00.005-04:00

Here's some more footage of my training with Jake, the supposedly "untrainable" (the exhausted owner's description) Potcake. This is day four of working with Jake and this video shows how well Jake learned Sit, Down (he had a very hard time with Down as the video shows,) Stay, Leave It (Chicken thrown right in front of him), and Drop It. The first few days I had him, he would grab onto any toy or item presented to him and then run off with it and hide. He wasn't guarding the objects -in other words - he wasn't aggressive when I tried to get it from him - he just had no motivation to give it up and wouldn't share. I worked for a few days on teaching him polite exchanges and Jake eventually understood that giving up an object was no big deal; in fact he might even get both a treat and then get to play with his toy again. You can see in this footage how well and how willingly he gave up the very same toy I couldn't get from him on day one. I'm really proud of Jake and of how much he learned in just one week. I think most dog owners would be surprised to see just how quickly their dog's behavior could change.

Training Jake...........

2009-05-17T18:29:00.002-04:00

So...I had this adorable one year old Potcake staying with me for training for a week. He had absolutely no impulse control or manners and he was pretty much airborne or munching on some piece of furniture or forbidden object if left unsupervised. His owner, a very sweet but overwhelmed guy named Peter, informed me that Jake had eaten his way through thousands of $ worth of furniture and clothing and he was at his wits end when he called me and asked me to please take Jake for training at my house. I warned him that me taking him would not make him a different dog or change his personality but I could kick-start his manners training and get him enough exercise and supervision so he would learn new rules and structure. I stressed that once Jake returned home he would return to his bad, old ways unless he was properly exercised, trained and was given appropriate chew items to work on. Jake was a love. I loved having him with us and he learned SO much and never got in trouble while he was here. He's Jake learning to be polite and wait at doorways until he's being released with the cue: OK".

I want a Leonberger.....or maybe two!!

2009-05-17T18:20:00.003-04:00

How cute are these puppies? This picture was taken a while back when I wrote some training advice articles for Fetchdog.com, an online dog/pet website owned by the actress Glenn Close and her husband. Julia Szabo, the pet reporter fro the NY Post brought me in and she produced little training video clips where we used these adorable 12 week old puppies as demo dogs.

Training How-to for my PUPS people

2009-05-11T15:52:00.002-04:00

I just wrote my advice column for the Fort Greene PUPS newsletter but in the interest of not making the answers mile long, we've agreed to post some more detailed, how-to directions on this blog. Hopefully this will be helpful for anyone who tunes into this blog.

Directions for how to teach QUIET:

Start by Calling your dogs name (not when he’s barking at the top of his lungs but when he’s only mildly distracted) and when he turns to you at the sound of his name, say YES and give him a great treat. Practice this several times a day until he understands that giving you his full attention at the sound of his name will earn him a yummy treat. Now you can begin using it when he barks. Set up a situation you know will trigger his barking (door bell is an obvious one) but don’t wait to try it when you’re waiting for ten dinner guests and the food is on the stove and there’s lots of stress. Much better to set up a training situation so you’re fully focused at the task at hand and so both you and Fido have a much better chance at being successful. Have a friend ring the doorbell and when Fido starts barking, call his name. As soon as he stops barking and turns to look at you, tell him YES, give a treat, then “Quiet, Good Boy” and give him another great treat for the quiet.

Have your friend ring the bell again (or repeat whatever the trigger situation you have chosen to work with) and go through the routine again. The more you repeat, the more he’ll understand that being quiet will be rewarded and you’ll see him being less and less excited by the sound of the bell and more focused on paying attention to you.

Of course, next time someone comes to the door, your dog will bark his little head off again. It will take many times and numerous repetitions of this exercise to put an end to his much practiced and very ingrained behavior. Remember, you’re not yet using the word Quiet as a cue to make him stop barking; he first has to fully understand that the behavior of NOT barking is called quiet. After a while when your dog has learned to associate the word with being quiet, you’ll be able to use the word as a cue to make him stop barking. If you use the word in the beginning, however, while he is in the middle of barking, you’ll be teaching him that the word Quiet actually means “bark”.

Directions for teaching COME:

Start with your puppy on the leash no more than a few feet away from you. Say the puppy's name and the word COME in a bright, happy voice, then quickly move a few steps back and invite the puppy to follow you. You can encourage him by slapping your knees or making kissy sounds. When he reaches you (make sure he comes all the way up to you), mark it with a YES and give the puppy a yummy treat.
See if you can lure the puppy into sitting in front of you when he reaches you. You can easily do that by pulling your hand a little upwards once he reaches you. After a few repetitions, your puppy might offer the sit by himself. Remember, you'll want your dog to come close enough for you to grab his collar.

Tips: Begin working on this - and on every other cue -in a non-distracting environment. Once your -pup understands the fun Come Game, you can increase the distance and the level of distractions. You can also do a Round Robin version of this game by adding family members and having the puppy run from person to person. Begin with everyone in the same room but as puppy gets good at this, you can hide in different rooms and have your puppy find you. Remember to reward the puppy generously when he reaches each person.
If you make this a fun game for your puppy and practice this often, you will have a much better shot at having your puppy turn around at the sound at the cue Come even if he's in the middle of playing with another dog.

Veterinarians concerned about Cesar Milan advice

2009-03-28T07:45:00.003-04:00

My mentor Pat Miller sent this. THANKYOU!!! Please take a minute to read this; I think I"m going to print it out and hand it to all my clients who have watched Cesar MIlan........on top of blocking it out with the Parental Control option on their TV!!

Veterinarians Concerned About Outdated and Confrontational Advice Given by
Cesar Millan The Dog Whisperer

In an article written by Timothy Kim for the VIN News Services (5FEB09), an
on-line resource for veterinarians, representatives of the American
Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) have expressed concern about
dog training advice given by Cesar Millan, on his reality TV show, The Dog
Whisperer. The AVSAB is so concerned that they have issued an official
statement (Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior
Modification of Animals - _http://tiny.cc/BoliX_ (http://tiny.cc/BoliX) ) to
counter the unfortunate
pervasive influence of Millan's show.

In their position statement the AVSAB demonstrates that the dominance theory
which is the core of Millan's approach, has been rejected by animal behavior
experts and can actually cause serious fear aggression in dogs. In the
article, Dr. Laurie Bergman, of Norristown, Pa., a member of AVSAB's
executive board was quoted as saying "We had been moving away from dominance
theory and punitive training techniques for a while, but, unfortunately,
Cesar Millan has brought it back."

Dominance theory has typically been presented as the reason for a dog's
misbehavior. Its basic premise is that the dog is a pack animal like a wolf
and all packs are ruled by the dominant alpha male. Millan essentially
believes that in order to counter a dog's misbehavior, or as he sees it a
"grab for power," a person must be the dominant alpha male and must use
force and coercion to get the dog to behave and submit.

The article describes Millan as using a number of assertive techniques
".negative-reinforcement, or correction. alpha rolls (the dog is rolled onto
its back, a submissive position) and flooding (the dog is exposed to
something that causes it anxiety and is not allowed to escape, to
desensitize it). He also has been shown choking a dog on the end of a leash
until it fell onto its side, gasping for air." These techniques are of great
concern to the AVSAB which has also adopted a position statement on the use
of punishment for training animals (_http://tiny.cc/p5jYg_
(http://tiny.cc/p5jYg) ).

The theory of dominance hierarchy was set into motion in 1922 by Thorleif
Schjelderup-Ebbe and his research on chickens. It was popularized by the
Monks of New Skete with their publication of How to Be Your Dog's Best
Friend. This now very dated book, takes the premise that if we want the best
relationship with our dog then we should treat them like an adult wolf would
treat a wolf puppy, at least according to the Monk's understanding of that
scenario. Many of their key recommendations focus on fear and physical
punishment.

Thanks to the work of Dr. L. David Mech, a senior scientist with the U.S.
Geological Survey, we now know that dominance theory does not apply to
wolves in a natural, wild (non-captive) environment (Alpha Status,
Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs) (_http://tiny.cc/ycQeU_
(http://tiny.cc/ycQeU) ).
Research by Dr. Ray and Lorna Coppinger (DOGS: A New Understanding of Canine
Origin, Behavior, and Evolution (Scribner, NY, 2001; Univ. Chicago Press,
2002) has helped us understand that while closely related to the wolf a dog
is not a hunter or a pack animal. Dogs are primarily scavengers and when
living feral often live alone or in very loose groups.

So what does all of this mean? It means that the dominance theory spouted
for years by many in the dog community is a poor model for describing wolf
behavior and is an even worse model for training your dog. Unfortunately,
just like there is still a Flat Earth Society there are still those like
Cesar Millan, who hang on to a dog training model that is erroneous and
based on creating confrontation and fear.

The AVSAB is not the first to question Millan's techniques. On February 23,
2006 the New York Times quoted Dr. Nicholas Dodman [veterinary behaviorist
and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University] as saying
''My college thinks it [The Dog Whisperer - Cesar Millan] is a travesty.
We've written to National Geographic Channel and told them they have put dog
training back 20 years.'' Later that same year the American Humane
Association stated "The training tactics featured on Cesar Millan's "The Dog
Whisperer" program are inhumane, outdated and improper"

Kim's article concludes with a statement by Dr. Sophia Yin, a member of the
AVSAB executive board, warning dog guardians to avoid dog trainers and
others who: continually tell owners that they have to be the "alpha," warn
owners not to use rewards too much, and uses pinch collars or shock collars
on dogs in a training class. "The AVSAB recommends that veterinarians not
refer clients to trainers or behavior consultants who coach and advocate
dominance hierarchy theory and the subsequent confrontational training that
follows from it."

Pat Miller, BS, CPDT, CDBC
Peaceable Paws, LLC
PO Box 3146
Hagerstown, Maryland 21741
301-582-9420
www.peaceablepaws.com

So happy to be more available.....

2009-03-24T13:35:00.001-04:00

I'm really excited to be working more in Brooklyn and in my own community, although I'm still taking appointments in Manhattan as well. I'm so Mom-and-Pop oriented and I really enjoy having a little more time to work with each client and to connect with both people and dogs as opposed to be on the clock the way I was when I worked in a more corporate environment.

So a few days ago I did a Meet and Greet in a local pet store an it was great that so many people came down with their dogs and asked great questions. My favorite might have been a guy who asked me to recommend a dog toy that most resembled a pair of eye glasses!! Huh?? He figured that since his dog had eaten two pairs of his glasses that were left out on a table, he should just get dog toys that looked like glasses. No no no, the point of dog toys is to avoid having your beloved possessions eaten by your dog. You don't nee to wait to see what kind of furnishings or objects your dog seems to destroy the most and then buy items that look like the forbidden objects! The idea is to provide your dog enough stimulations and interactive toys that are much more interesting to your dog than a pair of old glasses.......or your couch so it doesn't happen in the first place! I suggested a few appropriate toys and gave the poor guy some ideas and I hope he doesn't have to have any other prized possessions eaten.
That was a good one..........