Okay so I have called into question someones ability to train a dog, I figure I should back it up with some facts, so as not to appear pedantic.
First thing is first. Training requires time, patience, consistency and observation.
Any trainer will tell you about the first 3. It is unreasonable to think that a dog will immediately learn to speak your complicated foreign language, particularly if you keep changing the message. Most people fundamentally understand this, however implementing it is a little more difficult. They may watch shows like The Dog Whisperer, or It's Me or the Dog; and they get to see these misbehaving dogs make remarkable progress in just 30 short minutes. They may even think that they themselves can and should apply these lessons and training techniques in their own house. Although not necessarily a bad idea, or that I have any problems with Victoria's or Caesar's techniques, but there is always a key part of the show that people do not understand. Ceasar and Victoria are good observers of dog behavior. The training techniques they apply are for specific dogs with specific needs in a specific circumstance.
Secondly, forget the idea that there is one training technique that is suitable for all dogs. I have seen and experienced the degree of variability in training dogs from Cocker Spaniels, to German Shepherds, and Shiba Inu's. Now I am adding Newfoundlands to the list.
Every dog has different needs, desires, motivators and demotivators; accordingly training regimens will vary in effectiveness by dog based upon the dog and implementation.
So my general Owner Guidelines before, during, and after training a dog:
1). Find out what your dog likes and dislikes.
2). Study Pack Psychology - As one example. A dog who licks your chin is exhibiting submission, a dog who sniffs your ear is exhibiting dominance.
3). Make an attempt to understand dog language (body and barks)
These are essential to get the most out of your training.
Implementation of the guidelines.
1). The more information about what your dog likes or dislikes the more ways you will have to motivate your dog to be obedient. Food treats are a common place reward for good behavior when training a dog. But what do you do if your dog is not particularly treat motivated? Does your dog love to play? Then try using a toy and play as reward for obedience. What if your dog isn't particularly interested in play, food or even affection? Yes, these dogs do exist. My Shiba "Roxanne " was one of these dogs. Shiba Inu's are commonly described as independent and aloof. They are the very embodiment of a cat in a dogs body and they may very well be as hard to train as cats. But it is not impossible.
There is a huge debate between positive and negative reinforcement in the dog training community. I personally think that both sides have merits and application. But there are also limitations of both as well. I think that negative reinforcement is essential for communicating disobedient or aggressive / dominant behavior, however it must never be used in anger or in force which could damage the dogs body or mind. Negative reinforcement can range from a small bump to cause a dog to move away from an undesired area, or a bark, a spray of water, or stern look. But this requires a necessary knowledge of a dogs body and sensitive areas, to prevent any accidental damage. Bumping the rear quarters of a dog can hurt it's hips and a nerve point centered above the tail, however the rib cage is a large area which is tough and void of major nerve centers.
Positive reinforcement is a wonderful tool to encourage wanted behavior and absolutely should be implemented in any training regimen. However, if simply using treats, treating a dog out of affection as well may cause a dog to expect treats with or without any obedience.
This is why I think it is necessary to gain as much knowledge about a dogs motivators as possible.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Furry Alarm Clock
So I used to stay up until 10:30 to 11:30 most nights.
Recently that changed, I started going to bed around 9 - 9:30.
This change started before we got Hurley but it wound up working to my benefit.
Hurley usually wakes me up around 6:00 a.m.
The time varies slightly from day to day, but the routine is always the same.
He gets himself out of bed and shakes. This causes his big floppy lips to clap together on his mouth.
Then he then usually paces back and forth in the room.
If he is unsuccessful in getting my attention thus far, he will lay down and flop up against the bed to bump and jostle it.
At the first sign of my moving or waking up, he will come stand next to my side of the bed and sigh in my face. Once I flinch and confirm I am alive, he proceeds to lick my face vigorously until my only remaining options are getting out of bed or drowning in a pool of drool.
And so this is how I wake up to most of my days.
- Corey
Recently that changed, I started going to bed around 9 - 9:30.
This change started before we got Hurley but it wound up working to my benefit.
Hurley usually wakes me up around 6:00 a.m.
The time varies slightly from day to day, but the routine is always the same.
He gets himself out of bed and shakes. This causes his big floppy lips to clap together on his mouth.
Then he then usually paces back and forth in the room.
If he is unsuccessful in getting my attention thus far, he will lay down and flop up against the bed to bump and jostle it.
At the first sign of my moving or waking up, he will come stand next to my side of the bed and sigh in my face. Once I flinch and confirm I am alive, he proceeds to lick my face vigorously until my only remaining options are getting out of bed or drowning in a pool of drool.
And so this is how I wake up to most of my days.
- Corey
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Lay of the Land
I have been here about a month. There are some things I have learned.
I don't get to be in charge. It's kinda a bummer, but okay cause Dad makes sure I have food and play time and exercise and friends and rest and bathroom time. So it's Okay. Sometimes I pretend to be in charge by bouncing and barking, but then I get caught and I don't get to pretend anymore.
My family stays downstairs most the time, which I like cause I don't have to go up and down the stairs all the time.
OH UPSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS!
There is Mom and Dad's room where I sleep at night. I have a nice big fluffy bed, which I use a little but usually just move to different spots on the floor cause it's cooler.
And boys are across the hall, but the boys have the neatest toy room ever. There's a pile of stuffed toys to play with that is bigger than me! The fluffy sheep dog is my fav! And there's Blocks! Wood blocks, plastic blocks, and lots of other kinds of toys.
But Dad doesn't like me playing up there. He always calls me away, or tells me to Leave it, or to Drop it.
He's kinda a party pooper, but I guess it's okay cause those toys aren't very tough and I have my own downstairs.
OH DOWNSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS!
I get to chew on and pull on and chase the downstairs toys. This is where we go on all of our walks from. And it's where my food and water are, and it has Heaven. Or at least I think it's Heaven, It is a big box and cold air comes out of it and it feels good and there is FOOD!
But Mom doesn't let me spend time in the cold food box, I keep trying to tell her it's not nice to keep people out of heaven, but she still doesn't let me.
and there is the doors outside.
OH OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE!
I get to spend lots of time outside! The air is cool and the grass is cool, and there is lots of room to play and run.
It is almost like Heaven, only there isn't any food. But I get to lay around and pull on toys and chase toys and chew on toys. Mom and Dad and the boys throw toys to me but I don't think they are very good. I usually have to go run over to the toy and then bring it back. But there are friends! There is a white doggy who is about my size and he lives next door. His name is "Cosmo" we say "Hi" to each other all the time and then we pick up rocks and pieces of wood and show 'em to each other. There are more doggies past Cosmo's house, but I can't reach 'em so some times I whine, because I want to play and I think puppies should play. But there are fences.
So that is what I have learned about my home.
-Hurley
I don't get to be in charge. It's kinda a bummer, but okay cause Dad makes sure I have food and play time and exercise and friends and rest and bathroom time. So it's Okay. Sometimes I pretend to be in charge by bouncing and barking, but then I get caught and I don't get to pretend anymore.
My family stays downstairs most the time, which I like cause I don't have to go up and down the stairs all the time.
OH UPSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS!
There is Mom and Dad's room where I sleep at night. I have a nice big fluffy bed, which I use a little but usually just move to different spots on the floor cause it's cooler.
And boys are across the hall, but the boys have the neatest toy room ever. There's a pile of stuffed toys to play with that is bigger than me! The fluffy sheep dog is my fav! And there's Blocks! Wood blocks, plastic blocks, and lots of other kinds of toys.
But Dad doesn't like me playing up there. He always calls me away, or tells me to Leave it, or to Drop it.
He's kinda a party pooper, but I guess it's okay cause those toys aren't very tough and I have my own downstairs.
OH DOWNSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS!
I get to chew on and pull on and chase the downstairs toys. This is where we go on all of our walks from. And it's where my food and water are, and it has Heaven. Or at least I think it's Heaven, It is a big box and cold air comes out of it and it feels good and there is FOOD!
But Mom doesn't let me spend time in the cold food box, I keep trying to tell her it's not nice to keep people out of heaven, but she still doesn't let me.
and there is the doors outside.
OH OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE!
I get to spend lots of time outside! The air is cool and the grass is cool, and there is lots of room to play and run.
It is almost like Heaven, only there isn't any food. But I get to lay around and pull on toys and chase toys and chew on toys. Mom and Dad and the boys throw toys to me but I don't think they are very good. I usually have to go run over to the toy and then bring it back. But there are friends! There is a white doggy who is about my size and he lives next door. His name is "Cosmo" we say "Hi" to each other all the time and then we pick up rocks and pieces of wood and show 'em to each other. There are more doggies past Cosmo's house, but I can't reach 'em so some times I whine, because I want to play and I think puppies should play. But there are fences.
So that is what I have learned about my home.
-Hurley
Monday, September 27, 2010
Etiquette dictates you should... (On the topic of Introductions)
This is a bizarre page out of Hurley's past, which we know very little about.
We know that his original owner was renting and his landlord wouldn't allow him to keep this dog.
We know he was abandoned to the Humane Society in South Dakota.
He spent a little bit of time with a foster family in Omaha, Nebraska.
His foster family spent a good amount of time identifying his likes, dislikes, and amount of training.
His evaluation report stated that he had been taught "Sit", but needed work on all his basic commands.
Now having trained a few dogs in the past I can tell you a 6 month puppy that doesn't know "Down" or "Come" is well on his way to becoming a poorly trained dog. And a poorly trained 140 pound dog is a recipe for disaster. Now I realize that working with the attention span of a puppy and getting them to obey 100% of the time is not realistic, however, puppies at 2-4 months of age can be taught "Sit", "Down", and "Come". Fortunately, Newfoundlands are known to be very intelligent and eager to please, so I am certain that he will be able to pick up his basic commands quickly as long as I continue to invest time in training him.
Please note that I mentioned that training takes time. It is becoming an increasing trend among dog owners to not invest the necessary time required for training their dogs. Whether through frustration (with themselves or the dog), maybe from lack of patience or poor method implementation, there are more dogs who are becoming poorly trained. But I digress....
After we had Hurley for about a week, my wife turned to me and asked me "Did you know Hurley can shake?" My initial thought being "Well of course he can, it is a natural response dogs have to try and remove water from their coats. Okay, Wait, that doesn't make sense, she is referring to something else. Well I am having him get used to me take each of his paws so I make sure they are clean and healthy, I wonder if he is picking up on that." I was wrong again.
Hurley was sitting at the entrance to our bathroom. My wife leaned toward him and said "Shake" and sure enough he raised his paw to her. I was shocked and then immediately appalled. "Very Cool" I uttered. Because honestly who doesn't want a giant dog who can "Shake" on command. But I refer you to my previous digression. That means his previous owner took the time to teach his dog how to "Shake", but not "Come". This is totally asinine. He was teaching his dog tricks to show off, but no basic obedience commands. Hurley, I am so glad you are with us now, you have no idea how bad things were going to get for you. In time you will learn a bunch of different commands but first of all and most importantly, you will be an obedient and well-behaved dog.
My promise to you.
- Corey
We know that his original owner was renting and his landlord wouldn't allow him to keep this dog.
We know he was abandoned to the Humane Society in South Dakota.
He spent a little bit of time with a foster family in Omaha, Nebraska.
His foster family spent a good amount of time identifying his likes, dislikes, and amount of training.
His evaluation report stated that he had been taught "Sit", but needed work on all his basic commands.
Now having trained a few dogs in the past I can tell you a 6 month puppy that doesn't know "Down" or "Come" is well on his way to becoming a poorly trained dog. And a poorly trained 140 pound dog is a recipe for disaster. Now I realize that working with the attention span of a puppy and getting them to obey 100% of the time is not realistic, however, puppies at 2-4 months of age can be taught "Sit", "Down", and "Come". Fortunately, Newfoundlands are known to be very intelligent and eager to please, so I am certain that he will be able to pick up his basic commands quickly as long as I continue to invest time in training him.
Please note that I mentioned that training takes time. It is becoming an increasing trend among dog owners to not invest the necessary time required for training their dogs. Whether through frustration (with themselves or the dog), maybe from lack of patience or poor method implementation, there are more dogs who are becoming poorly trained. But I digress....
After we had Hurley for about a week, my wife turned to me and asked me "Did you know Hurley can shake?" My initial thought being "Well of course he can, it is a natural response dogs have to try and remove water from their coats. Okay, Wait, that doesn't make sense, she is referring to something else. Well I am having him get used to me take each of his paws so I make sure they are clean and healthy, I wonder if he is picking up on that." I was wrong again.
Hurley was sitting at the entrance to our bathroom. My wife leaned toward him and said "Shake" and sure enough he raised his paw to her. I was shocked and then immediately appalled. "Very Cool" I uttered. Because honestly who doesn't want a giant dog who can "Shake" on command. But I refer you to my previous digression. That means his previous owner took the time to teach his dog how to "Shake", but not "Come". This is totally asinine. He was teaching his dog tricks to show off, but no basic obedience commands. Hurley, I am so glad you are with us now, you have no idea how bad things were going to get for you. In time you will learn a bunch of different commands but first of all and most importantly, you will be an obedient and well-behaved dog.
My promise to you.
- Corey
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Introducing Yourself to a Giant
Well we had gone through the application process with Big Dogs Huge Paws.
We informed them of the dogs we were interested in, and we got to confirm that we would like to meet a 6 month old puppy named Achilles. I arranged to go get him and another pup that was going to his new home at 11:00 a.m.(CST) on Sunday August 29th 2010. The meeting place was in Kearney, Ne.
Well sure enough the 29th arrived, I got up at a time of day that I would contend is actually still night time. Slapped on some clothes, ate some breakfast, jumped into the car and was off.
The trip went well. My parents called me regularly to make sure I wasn't falling asleep. The type of care and concern that only a parent can have over their child's well being. Then I arrived at the gas station in Kearney where I had arranged to meet the dogs. I made the initial assumption that the lady walking the large black dog was in fact the person with whom I was supposed to meet. I reminded myself of my years of training dogs. "Don't go to the dog, let the dog come to you" / "Don't give into the initial demands for attention" - Show the dog that you are the Master and he should be submissive. So I introduced my self to Achilles handler first, which proved to be more of a feat than I initially expected. Upon approaching and reaching out my hand to say hello, the dog came toward me and buried it's head between my legs. As I corrected my balance and managed the person-to-person pleasantries, I realized "This is, and is going to be, a LAARRRGE DOG!" And although I am familiar with large breeds and dogs in general, it is a whole new experience to have something with a furry head that weighs as much as a cinder block, and is larger than a regulation size rugby ball squirm between your legs begging for attention. Needless to say I was unable to withhold my affection for the beast for very long.
Well the dog's and I loaded up and headed home.
We informed them of the dogs we were interested in, and we got to confirm that we would like to meet a 6 month old puppy named Achilles. I arranged to go get him and another pup that was going to his new home at 11:00 a.m.(CST) on Sunday August 29th 2010. The meeting place was in Kearney, Ne.
Well sure enough the 29th arrived, I got up at a time of day that I would contend is actually still night time. Slapped on some clothes, ate some breakfast, jumped into the car and was off.
The trip went well. My parents called me regularly to make sure I wasn't falling asleep. The type of care and concern that only a parent can have over their child's well being. Then I arrived at the gas station in Kearney where I had arranged to meet the dogs. I made the initial assumption that the lady walking the large black dog was in fact the person with whom I was supposed to meet. I reminded myself of my years of training dogs. "Don't go to the dog, let the dog come to you" / "Don't give into the initial demands for attention" - Show the dog that you are the Master and he should be submissive. So I introduced my self to Achilles handler first, which proved to be more of a feat than I initially expected. Upon approaching and reaching out my hand to say hello, the dog came toward me and buried it's head between my legs. As I corrected my balance and managed the person-to-person pleasantries, I realized "This is, and is going to be, a LAARRRGE DOG!" And although I am familiar with large breeds and dogs in general, it is a whole new experience to have something with a furry head that weighs as much as a cinder block, and is larger than a regulation size rugby ball squirm between your legs begging for attention. Needless to say I was unable to withhold my affection for the beast for very long.
Well the dog's and I loaded up and headed home.
Where the rest of my family got to experience the unbridled joy and enthusiasm that is a 6 month old puppy. Which I think was a new experience for all of them.
- Corey
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Um duh!
In case you couldn't tell by the blog description, This blog is dedicated to our new family member "Hurley". For the most part I will be authoring these posts, but every so often you can probably expect to hear Hurley's take on the world around him.
Hurley is now a 7 month old male Newfoundland puppy.
For those unfamiliar with the standard for this breed let me share some data from the AKC website.
The Newfoundland is a sweet-dispositioned dog that acts neither dull nor ill-tempered. He is a devoted companion. A multipurpose dog, at home on land and in water, the Newfoundland is capable of draft work and possesses natural lifesaving abilities.
The Newfoundland is a large, heavily coated, well balanced dog that is deep-bodied, heavily boned, muscular, and strong. A good specimen of the breed has dignity and proud head carriage.
The following description is that of the ideal Newfoundland. Any deviation from this ideal is to be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Structural and movement faults common to all working dogs are as undesirable in the Newfoundland as in any other breed, even though they are not specifically mentioned herein.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Average height for adult dogs is 28 inches, for adult bitches, 26 inches. Approximate weight of adult dogs ranges from 130 to 150 pounds, adult bitches from 100 to 120 pounds. The dog's appearance is more massive throughout than the bitch's. Large size is desirable, but never at the expense of balance, structure, and correct gait. The Newfoundland is slightly longer than tall when measured from the point of shoulder to point of buttocks and from withers to ground. He is a dog of considerable substance which is determined by spring of rib, strong muscle, and heavy bone.
For the full standard go to Newfoundland Breed Standard.
- Corey
Hurley is now a 7 month old male Newfoundland puppy.
For those unfamiliar with the standard for this breed let me share some data from the AKC website.
Newfoundland Breed Standard (extracted)
Working Group
General AppearanceThe Newfoundland is a sweet-dispositioned dog that acts neither dull nor ill-tempered. He is a devoted companion. A multipurpose dog, at home on land and in water, the Newfoundland is capable of draft work and possesses natural lifesaving abilities.
The Newfoundland is a large, heavily coated, well balanced dog that is deep-bodied, heavily boned, muscular, and strong. A good specimen of the breed has dignity and proud head carriage.
The following description is that of the ideal Newfoundland. Any deviation from this ideal is to be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Structural and movement faults common to all working dogs are as undesirable in the Newfoundland as in any other breed, even though they are not specifically mentioned herein.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Average height for adult dogs is 28 inches, for adult bitches, 26 inches. Approximate weight of adult dogs ranges from 130 to 150 pounds, adult bitches from 100 to 120 pounds. The dog's appearance is more massive throughout than the bitch's. Large size is desirable, but never at the expense of balance, structure, and correct gait. The Newfoundland is slightly longer than tall when measured from the point of shoulder to point of buttocks and from withers to ground. He is a dog of considerable substance which is determined by spring of rib, strong muscle, and heavy bone.
For the full standard go to Newfoundland Breed Standard.
- Corey
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