Thatcher's Is Responding

Thatcher is making excellent gains. With the usage of a Gentle Leader his family is having much more control of his behavior around other dogs.  With my instruction and guidance Thatcher has been having daily and repeated exposures to many different dogs while walking. He has been receiving his favorite treats in their presence and for accepting them nearby. Now he is begining to associate other dogs with positive reinforcement and only looks at them briefly before turning to his family for a reward and feedback. I have noticed that although his owners are still a little unsure and ask me many questions about how to handle specific situations, they now have control when put into difficult positions with other dogs. This has enabled them to travel for Easter with Thatcher, even though there are other dogs living in that home. Next week I plan to advance Thatcher and his family. We will begin training in a much more challenging environment for Thatcher. He is clearly ready for bigger challenges. My plan is to take him in a very high volume dog area where there are several dogs that are on lead but confrontational. I think if we exercise him and practice some basic obedience before hand he will go through this next level easily. 

Thatcher's Recovery

Thatcher is a handsome lab mix that Iv'e been working with the past few weeks. His owners are quite dedicated to him and at some point in his early adulthood they decided that when they needed to work long hours that Thatcher really needed something to do during the day. They found a reliable Dog Daycare and Thatcher enjoyed months of playtime with other dogs while they were at work. Unfortunately at some point he had a dispute with another dog. He then became highly defensive when having to deal with dogs that are more on the forward side or energetic. He seems to have a lot of conflict on how to behave around them. I talked to the owners before hand so his owners would have some idea on what to expect. We took a walk and encountered several dogs right away. Thatcher immediatly noticed the other dogs and the hair rose on his back. Each time he did this I quickly turned in the opposite direction so Thatcher would break out of his frame of mind. I walked in the opposite direction for about twenty yards before getting back on route. By the third dog we encountered Thatcher was only interested in watching me, just in case I decided to change my walking direction. Each time he ignored the other dogs he received his favorite treats. Once he realised I wouldn't let the other dogs harm him and that he would be rewarded for ignoring them he calmed right down.

In the next session we took him into a dog park. This was a bigger challenge. Several times he got defensive when other dogs approached just to say hello. When this happened I quickly started to walk around the play area and rewarded him with his special treats to keep his attention on me. He saw that each time he even attempted to focus on me I rewarded him, so that after awhile he was relaxed enough to start understanding that the other dogs meant him no harm. He cautiously even greeted a few of them. He is still struggling with a bold dog that runs right over to him to play, especially if they jump on him. That will certainly take more practice.  

I can't wait to see how he is doing when I arrive tomorrow, but his owners and myself are pleased with his improvement so far and willingness to relearn. Thatcher is a very smart dog!!!!!! To Be Continued....

Puppy Kindergaten Classes

My next 6 week Puppy class starts on April 1st at 6pm at Klems Tractor in Spencer Ma. The class  is nearly full. There are two Siberian Huskies, a Golden Retriever mix, a German Shepherd and a German Shorthaired Pointer. The last class was highly successful and each puppy earned their diplomas. It was rewarding to see a few of the more low in confidence puppies come out of their shells and become more balanced. I also enjoyed seeing a few of the more high energy puppies learn some impulse control. All the owners and myself were very proud of all the puppies. Thanks to Klems there are that many more stable well balanced puppies ot there!! 

Progress With Bones

Bones the 14 week old Great Pyrenees puppy is making excellent gains. He is now sleeping through the night and is nearly housebroken. His owners are doing an excellent job following the curriculum for his socialization and basic obedience commands.  He really enjoys learning and has mastered his first level of sit, come, and down. I added the stay command this week and Bones will begin learning to follow commands with increased distractions. He is becoming the well rounded dog they dreamed of. Bones still needs a little work on handling his feet, but with the help of a spoonful of peanut butter and lots of praise he is learning that people touching his feet is enjoyable. All family dogs should learn that being handled by humans is enjoyable. This safe guards against potential fear induced aggression in adulthood. After his Puppy Class last week Bones enjoyed some playtime with his sister( My own dog ) Maintaining and learning social skills with other dogs is very important to having a well balanced dog.

Jasper Having Some "Dog" Time

Jasper the French Briard that I've been working with long term visits my own home to play with Elsa my personal dog. They are well bonded and now play together fantastically. I am really happy Jasper has learned how to enjoy her company. Jasper has been progressing well with his loose leash walking and only occasionally tests his owner in his previous weak areas. He is a successful work in progress and improving with each session. His owner is so commited to him and gives me great feedback about how he is doing!

Freedom.....ACAP'S First Service Dog Puppy

Last night and this morning I have been evaluating ACAPS first puppy. He is a 13 week old male yellow lab Named Freedom. Myself, Pat Dykas of Leicester ma. and Holly Huard of Ware, MA have created this partnership to train dogs for veterans with disabilities and children with autism who could use assistance.

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Jasper's Challenges

So Ive been working on an interesting case with a Briard named Jasper. For three years he had been well cared for by a couple who recently divorced. As a result of their separation Jasper has had some dramatic life style changes. Jasper ended up living with the husband in a new home. His owner is a doctor and works very long hours and Jasper has for the first time in his life had to face being alone all day. Jasper's dominant nature has always made him a poor prospect for a dog walker or dog daycare. His owners had tolerated his behavior and accidently supported it, instead of becoming his leader. He could be very aggressive at times with visitors and had bitten his owner a few times due to misplaced aggression. Jasper's owner recognized his need for exercise and companionship but was fearful that he might be too dangerous for anyone else to handle. Jasper is now doing wonderfully!!! He is calmer, has much better impulse control and has become quite affectionate. He is responding to my program and his owner has really changed his way of thinking about his relationship with Jasper. I have several sessions to go but I'm certain of a happy ending.

Training Gem to Obey Her Owner Without a Leash

Gem is a one-year-old female german shepherd. She is sweet and social and has an exceptionally high energy level. Gem’s owner loves to spend time outside, and thought that learning to control her dog without a leash might make it possible for them to jog and hike together. That way, they could both get the exercise they need. 

Teaching a dog to obey commands without a leash is called off-lead training. The main challenge of off-lead work is to make sure the dog is consistently obedient so that her owner can trust her in a wide range of situations. In order to accomplish this, is very important to find each individual dog’s most potent form of reinforcement. Knowing your dog's likes and dislikes is very important for training and behavior modification.

Gem has loved retrieving tennis balls since puppyhood, when her owner would reward her by throwing one. During Gem’s training we used tennis balls to keep her motivated and excited to work through problems.  After six weeks, Gem can be taken to the park to play off lead. Now she is a calmer and more content companion. 

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Addressing Max's Separation Anxiety

Max is a three-year-old labradoodle who suddenly started having trouble with separation anxiety. When his owner would leave her apartment he would bark, whine, and pace throughout the day. Putting on coats or shoes, or hearing keys jingle, all triggered Max’s troubling behavior. His owner was very worried that the other tenants in the building would start to complain.

We began by addressing the behaviors that reinforced Max’s anxiety. Max would constantly follow his owner from one room to the next. When a dog suffers from separation anxiety, continuing to allow such behavior encourages and supports extreme dependency. We taught max to lie down and stay on his mat, even in the presence of distractions, using treats and praise.

We also worked on desensitizing Max to the cues that triggered his anxiety by practicing the actions that Max associated with his owner’s departure. This helped reduced his anxiety when his owner really needed to leave. It was critical that his owner remained as calm as possible when coming and going. Dogs often adopt the mental state of their owners, and understanding that his owner was calm under stimulating or stressful situations greatly reduced Max's anxiety.

After just four weeks of slowly reacclimating Max to being alone, using positive reinforcement, and being neutral with him before leaving and when first arriving home, Max made a complete recovery. Watching Max's behavior on camera, we can see that when his owner leaves, he now briefly goes to the door and then returns to his mat. He sometimes plays with one of his favorite chew toys, or naps until his owner returns home.

Lexi Is Becoming A Social Animal

Lexi is a four-month-old golden retriever. Her owners are being proactive with her so she will become a well adjusted companion, and she has started learning that following commands and looking to humans for direction is fun and rewarding.

It is important to frequently reward puppies like Lexi with food, praise, or toys for looking at their owners. This teaches them to "ask" instead of impulsively reacting to their environments. Her owners have also learned to reward her for remaining calm and friendly while excited or under stress. We have been gradually and repeatedly exposing Lexi to traffic, loud noises, and children so that she can learn to behave appropriately in these environments. 

Puppies are very impressionable. Owners that hire a trainer to teach them and train their puppy avoid so that many of the common problems people experience with their dogs.