Tight Leashed

It seems as though spring is (finally) here and easing right into summer and that means long walks with your dog. Or, if you're anything like the folks I saw today walking their two dogs down the street, it means a daily walking game of tug-o-war. As much fun as it may seem, this type of game is no good for your shoulder or your dog's neck.
I'm going to do something special here. I'm going to share my secrets for successful leash walking. But only because it's so pretty outside today. And because you're reading my blog. All both of you. I really appreciate it.

There are 10 simple steps for successful leash walking:
1. Buy your dog a harness, preferably a front attaching harness like the Easy Walk, Sense-ation or other similar harness. There are probably others out there that I don't know about but these are the ones I've worked with personally (honestly, and harness with a D or O shaped metal ring at the chest should work). They each have pros and cons, and they each work better for different dogs. The Easy Walk fits most dogs and is comfortable loose around the front of their chest, but dogs who jump a lot or for short-legged breeds, I've seen a lot of stepping out of it. This can usually be remedied by putting it on upside down so the strap across the chest is a bit higher up. The Sense-ation works well for many dogs, but I do see more dogs who shy away from it since it's a little more snug fitting. The advantages of it are that dogs can't really step out of it and it seems to fit more breeds well- so it's safer for more dogs and easier for more humans. The reason these front attaching harnesses are good tools for improving walking skills is that they redirect your dog back to you whenever he pulls. Most harnesses attach at the back, which is really great for developing chest muscle, not necessarily for stopping pulling. I will admit that there is some controversy out there regarding these front attaching harnesses and how they affect a dog's gait and it seems to be focused on the lower-sitting Easy Walk type. Here's an article from the Whole Dog Journal outlining some of the concerns. I will say that I prefer front attaching harnesses for daily walking as opposed to running or hiking, but maybe that's because I don't mind my dog helping to pull me along during a run or hike if I'm slacking. We have a traditional back-attaching harness for Roxie for running and hiking and an Easy Walk (worn upside down) for walks since she didn't like the Sense-ation harness (she thought she couldn't walk anymore). I would like to reiterate that this is a tool, and just part of a program to help your dog understand the concept of leash walking as understood by people, and if you work on the other parts of leash walking you won't need it ALL the time. Roxie only needs the front attaching harness when she's in a new place or when there may be other dogs around and she will (likely) get over-excited. She walks just fine, doesn't have any injuries and has worn it for years now (that first year was pretty much daily, too).
2. The leash should be relatively loose. I like to see a "U" shape in the leash between where the owner is holding the leash and where it attaches to their dog's harness/collar. The reason is that I want your dog to have the opportunity to make mistakes. If you are walking around with the leash wrapped all the way around your hand, you will: a. get a broken finger one of these days and/or b. your dog will continue to try pulling all the time because he doesn't know any better. You know why most dogs pull on leash? They don't know any better! It's up to you, the silly human, to teach him a few manners and let him understand the difference between pulling and not pulling. By allowing them to make the mistake of pulling, and showing them that there is a consequence (not a painful one, of course) he can begin to put the pieces together and make the decision on his own that he shouldn't pull.
3. This one is really, really, REALLY important- so pay attention. Whenever you take your dog out for a walk, or just outside on leash and he pulls, I want you to stop walking, turn around (away from your dog but still holding the leash) and call his name, encouraging him to come with you. This is where that front attaching harness comes in handy- he'll turn around automatically when he pulls. Once he catches back up to you, tell him what a good boy he is and continue walking in your original direction.
4. Repeat.
5. Repeat.
6. Repeat
7. I mean it. Every time your dog pulls, you redirect him and go in the opposite direction.
8. Every single time.
9. Look for something really cool (to your dog) like a fire hydrant or a tree or phone pole or a rock and once you can finally walk there together, point it out and have lots of fun sniffing it together. It's ok, nobody's looking at you. 

I don't want any arguing about this. I actually know what I'm doing, even if it sounds like madness. See, your dog wants to go places and see and smell things. By redirecting and turning him around, you are letting him know that he's not going to get there by dragging you along. You will both get there eventually and pulling will only make it take longer to get there. The first few (or fifteen) times you do this, you may not make it out of your driveway or down your block. That's the point. Your dog wants to see things, and he can if he does so politely. If you point out fun things on your walk, your dog will pay attention to YOU on walks, not just the squirrels!

10. Please don't expect your dog to heel all the way through a walk. That's no fun for anybody. It's like taking a kid to Disney and walking through the park but not going on any rides or eating any sugary treats. Neither of you will have fun and you will probably like each other less at the end of the day. Heel done properly is like a coreographed dance move and it's exhausting to do for an entire walk. It's handy for over stimulating environments or dangerous parts of the environment and it's great mental exercise, just don't over-do it, ok?

So get out there and walk your dog! If you end up walking in circles in your driveway for half an hour, that's fine- it's still a 30 minute walk! 

(P.S. I would like to apologize for the over-use of parentheses in this post. I don't know what's gotten into me. I won't even get started on the commas. I think I need more coffee)

He Will Have Everything and Love It!

I was grabbing a coffee the other day from my favorite place-incoming shameless plug for the best coffee on the shore- Rise Up on Riverside Drive in Salisbury. I had a few minutes of extra time between lessons, so I skipped the drive through and went inside. Noticing my shirt embroidered with my logo, one of the cool dudes (I really feel like a douche typing barista, so I'm sticking with cool dude; they have cool dudes and cool gals there who make the coffee) asked me if I am a dog trainer. I said, "yes, I am!" He replied, "I have this Boston Terrier, he's really sweet. I've used the Montessori method with him so he gets to do everything he wants.." I said, matter-of-factly, "hahaha, that's great, if that works for you, it works!" A few of his co-workers chimed in about the dog jumping and barking happily most of the day and we all had a good laugh.

This got me thinking. First of all, I Googled Montessori and learned what I could about it within a 30 minute window while my husband was bathing our son that night. I'll give you the advice to look around yourself, and check out this link to the American Montessori Society website- it seems pretty reputable, and isn't Wikipedia. In short, this method of educating children allows (reasonable and safe) freedom to develop and learn from their environment with children younger and older than them. They are supervised, but not directed towards specific activities (again, unless safety becomes an issue). I'm sure there are elements I'm missing, but I hope I've got the gist- feel free to leave comments below if there is something really important I missed. Anyway, this guy has adapted a similar method with his dog- free reign within reason to explore the environment and learn with little interruption or direction. Some may argue that it's not truly Montessori, or that it is and it's terribly irresponsible. I really don't care. He loves his dog, his dog is happy, he is able to have friends and family over for a visit without anyone getting mauled. If we were talking about a mastiff, it might be a different story, but we're not, are we?

I'm trying not be be too long winded with this because it's almost bedtime, but I really want to try and make a point.

My point is that I don't just feel this way about Boston Terrier who lives with a cool dude who makes coffee at a swell coffee place. I feel this way about dogs who live with my friends, family and clients. I always ask my clients what their expectations are for their dog and from me. I always ask what they want from training and I do everything I can to ensure that they get just that. Personally, I prefer a dog who knows a few basic commands at a minimum, who listens well in all situations and comes when called. Luckily for me, that's what a lot of dog owners want. This takes work and time and patience. And proofing. And generalizing. I'll go into those later on someday. Some people just want to hang out with their dog and not worry about all this training nonsense.
I'm ok with that as long as they are, even if that never changes.

I'll only say this once (today): Dog training is like quitting cigarettes- until you are committed to it, it's not going to go well for you and you won't be happy with it.

That's all- train your dog or don't train your dog, but be happy and treat them well either way, alright?

Bribery Won't Work

First, I DO have a point to the rambling that is about to occur, and I have a little secret too. 
I get this all the time from new clients, "Aren't those treats just a bribe? That will never work."
In truth they are right about one thing- bribery is not a dependable way to train, as it will only work as long as the dog knows you have the reward. I had a client once who wanted to work on training a reliable recall with their dog. I asked how they currently responded to their dog's refusal to come inside when called and they explained that they would call him, he would run away and eventually they would go inside to grab a bag of treats. They would run back outside with the bag of treats and shake it up and down to get his attention. It worked like a charm...every time they had a bag of treats. In reality, I know about three people who are capable of remembering to have treats on them at ALL TIMES to ensure their dog is paying attention. Two of them are really more 'cat people' than 'dog people' anyway.
My point is this: if you want to use bribery to train your dog, you'll have to put in a lot of work. A lot. Every day, every time you go anywhere or do anything with your dog and you want her to listen, you'll need plenty of treats at the ready. Don't drop any, or run out, because that's when your pup will get into real trouble.
I'm not saying that reward based training is not work, or that I don't think you are capable of doing work, I just know that you would probably prefer to do less work to obtain a better outcome. That's what you get with reward based training done correctly- a well trained dog who likes you and you don't need to constantly have treats.
The difference between bribery and reward based training (done right) is that with bribery, the dog only works for the treat (or any reward), and has no motivation to do so without the reward. With reward based training (done right), the dog does work for food- I won't lie and say that food is not a motivator because it is. It's a really fantastic motivator too. The food isn't the only thing that a dog works for in this type of training, however. They also work for attention from their human, playtime, toys, interaction with other dogs, and anything else they consider rewarding. I start with these "real life rewards" right away with my clients and make sure we determine what things are rewarding for each individual dog. Some dogs will do anything for a frisbee or tennis ball and turn their nose up to the most savory treat. I knew one dog who would not take any treats or toys but absolutely loved other dogs. Guess what his reward was? Brief playtime with other dogs in class!
In addition to the real life rewards, I teach all my clients how to successfully wean off the food treats. Weaning is important for both the dog and her human- I don't want either one to become dependent on the treats! If the human is dependent on having treats, they won't believe their dog will perform without them and will (unaware of it, because this is largely subconscious) not behave the same way they do when they have treats. The dog, being an expert in human body language, will notice something is different and will not react as she normally would to the cues given. If a dog is used to only performing when she sees treats, she will see no point in performing without them- would you go to work if you knew your boss couldn't pay you? The two things that we do to help start weaning are random reinforcement and rewarding best behaviors. Random Reinforcement is just that- you reward your dog randomly, with absolutely no pattern when they comply with the cues you ask for. With this, your dog learns that there is sometimes a reward and sometimes a non-edible reward...and always praise and attention! I know what you're thinking, if they only get a reward sometimes, why will they even bother? Because of the other half of weaning- Rewarding Best Behaviors. When your dog does great, I mean great- sat down before you even finished saying it while there was a squirrel running by- give a GREAT treat. If they take their time sitting down or ignore you, they get no treat, but still always get verbal praise. With this, your dog learns that they always get a great treat for responding fast and will strive for that. Coupled with random reinforcement and adding in real life rewards, your dog will not only pay attention to you, but she will want to do what you ask of her because she will always have fun and will always get at least attention from you. Attention is a wonderful motivator and reward for (most) dogs, as they are social creatures just like we humans.
Now, I will briefly touch on the lure used in training- and this is probably one of the big ways training with rewards is not bribery. The lure is initially comprised of a treat hidden in your fist, then you place your hand in front of your dog's nose for them to follow. Now that you essentially have control of her head, you can get her into just about any position with no force at all- YAY!! As your dog gets better at getting into position, you use a hand with no treat and they will still follow this lure. When combined with a verbal cue, the hand signal is how you communicate with your dog and both are equally important. I like to say that the hand signal is so your dog knows what you want her to do and the verbal cue is to remind you what you are asking of your dog. Again, the difference between a lure and a bribe is that a bribe is that treat or treat bag that you bring out to get compliance and a lure is to direct your dog into position and sometimes also contains a reward.

Oh, you wanted to know that secret I told you about in the first sentence? Ok, here it is- I do sometimes use bribes in training. I know- I'm a big, fat, unreliable hypocrite. The thing is, sometimes we really, really need a dog to do or not do something. Like when your puppy decides to play in traffic or run into the woods in search of a fox, or decides it's a great idea to take on that big scary dog down the street who barks every time a leaf blows by their house...you really just need to get your dog back to safety at this point so we do what we know will work. If it's a matter of using a bribe or someone getting hurt, I'm going to use a bribe to keep everyone safe. The important thing is that I make sure this doesn't become a chronic occurrence. If it does, things need to change in the environment and the management in this dog's life needs to be stepped up. Management and environment are issues for another post and another day, so I'll stop here. 

Have you used bribery with your dog? How long did it last?
and
What is your dog's favorite reward?

References:
Suzanne Clothier website:
http://suzanneclothier.com/the-articles/rewards-lures-bribes

APDT Article:
https://www.apdt.com/petowners/choose/usingfood.aspx

Dog Star Daily Article:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/lures-rewards-and-bribes

Boundary Training (or why I don't like buried electronic fences)

It's starting to thaw out here, though now that I've said it I'm sure snow and ice will fall from the sky any minute now. Anyway, thawing means warm weather and more time outside with your dog. Time outside means that your dog needs a safe place to play and run with you. My ideal environment for this is a fenced in yard- since Roxie isn't terribly dog friendly we don't let her off leash unless she's in the house or behind a fence (even then, we rarely leave her unsupervised just in case). There's a couple downsides to fences, I know, I know. They are expensive, they take away from your view, they require maintenance, and some dogs can still get over an 8 foot fence. By the way, if your dog can jump an 8 foot fence here must be something pretty awesome on the other side and your yard needs to be more fun and second, enroll in agility classes right now! I mean it, make that behavior productive and fun for both of you!!

Fine. You don't like a physical fence. You want an underground electronic fence don't you? I knew it. 

Eek. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a huge fan of those. I know they can work perfectly well for some dogs, and some families have one for years and multiple dogs with no issues. I'm glad that it works for them, but that doesn't mean it will work for you and your dog. For one, they aren't necessarily cheaper than a fence you can see. Then there are the behavioral issues that can arise. Behavioral problems?! Seriously? Yup. I've seen it firsthand. But first, let's review how they work. Most of these underground fence systems involve a shock collar, which provides a bit (or a lot) of...discomfort...when the dog crosses the boundary. This is a positive punishment. Positive punishment is one of the elements of operative conditioning, and involves presenting something unpleasant when the dog offers an incorrect response to a certain stimulus. In this example the stimulus is the boundary and the punishment is the discomfort provided by the collar. Why the heck is it called positive? Because the punishment is added to the situation based on the dogs response. Positive doesn't indicate that it's something nice or good, just that it's added to the equation. And why do I keep calling it "discomfort" instead of pain? Because the level of discomfort is dependent on the one receiving it and everyone, even dogs, have different levels of pain tolerance. I'm not saying it's not painful-I'm actually sure it's painful, but not all dogs will necessarily see it as being at the same level of painful. I consider this type of training as a last resort only, and it is never something I would consider for a puppy or a dog who already exhibits aggression or fear in any way. I still know how it works though, because I want to understand everything I can about training and behavior (I figure that goal will keep me reading and attending seminars for years!)

For this to work properly, the punishment needs to work within as few times as possible (less than 3). See, the more times you have to use this punishment, the less meaningful it is. (At your own risk of injury) slap your thigh as hard as you can. Do it again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. You could keep going until your leg goes numb, but I wouldn't recommend it. Did that last one hurt as much as the first one? Probably not. Your body adapts to the pain and eventually the nerves stop sending the message that it hurts because it learns that the pain isn't going to stop. The same thing happens when you get a tattoo (at least a large tattoo). After a while, the area goes numb because the nerves stop responding. Since nerves are the same among different mammals, the same thing happens to dogs too. If you constantly offer discomfort or pain, it will eventually be less meaningful and will no longer be an effective consequence. An ineffective consequence is pointless and possibly abusive. So, the thing with positive punishment when it involves discomfort or pain is that it needs to work in very few instances, without causing undue harm or damage (I'm not going to go into the hypocrisy in that statement). Too low a discomfort and it becomes meaningless because it's not enough to stop your dog from chasing the squirrel, too high and your dog is terrified the collar and of going outside at all. 

The question is then, how do you determine the exact discomfort level that will stop the behavior quickly without causing harm? Great question. To do it perfectly, you would have to (somehow) determine that level for each individual. That would be difficult because of the aforementioned phenomenon of the pain lessening over time...and it would be kinda mean. 

Fine. You get lucky and get it right the first time and find out the correct level to stop the behavior within 3 or fewer attempts. This works until your dog sees something he really really wants and he runs out if the yard but now can't get back in (the shock works on re-entry too, ya know). Or a strange/scary/mean/rabid animal gets into your yard and now your dog is stuck with it. 

Again, I know it works for some people, but I feel that a real, visible fence or a leash with a puppy parent attached to the other end is your best bet. 

Even if you get the shock right, there can be strange behavioral consequences. I've seen otherwise quiet dogs who suddenly become reactive outside, and dogs who don't even want to go outside. Parents of dogs who are already reactive or aggressive can see the behavior increase and intensify.
I'm not trying to get into a discussion on types of training- I'll save that for another day-just trying to explain why those buried fences are not the best for everyone.
My original point was to talk about clicker boundary training. I had found a short tutorial on the Karen Pryor website a couple years or so ago and have used her method with success with multiple clients. I must preface this with the following: No fence or boundary training can completely take the place of you- the puppy parent. This type of Any boundary training is good for dogs who don't have really high prey drives (or at least have worked extensively to proof this training in all environments), a solid recall and for puppy parents who are going to be outside with their dogs. Honestly, if your dog is outside off leash and not in a fence, you are breaking a leash law. An underground fence won't stop your dog like a physical one will.
Here's the link to the tutorial: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/2409

The great thing about this boundary training method is that is uses no force or pain, and rewards a dog for returning to you from the boundary-which is what most of us want!! It's super easy and helpful for all types of dogs and people. 

Ok, that's all for now. I'll try to not make a habit of this whole two weeks between posts thing...

Resources:

http://www2.psychology.uiowa.edu/faculty/wasserman/glossary/punishment.html
Karen Pryor website
Excel-Erated Learning by Pamela J. Reid, PhD (if you want to understand behavior and training, this book is a fantastic resource. 

The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual by Grisha Stewart, pages 22-23

Sit Happens

You know what's awesome? A dog who can sit on command. You know what's even better? A dog who sits on command the FIRST time no matter what's going around- it's magical to see this happen. 
Want to know a secret? 
  
   It's not magic. 

It's the product of good training technique, practice, patience and PROOFING the behavior. Proofing is the process of practicing cues/behaviors a number of times (thousands) with different levels of distractions, distance and time (it's also called generalizing in some circles). Some service organizations will require a dog to practice a cue up to 8,000 times before they are considered proficient. 
The other criteria, aside from sheer number of times of practicing the cue includes: 

-Distance (distance from you when performing the cue/behavior, like a long distance recall or down-stay)
-Duration (duration of time that the behavior is held, like a stay)
-Distractions (pretty much anything that can distract your dog)
-Speed (how long it takes the dog to perform the behavior, like how long it takes him to come to you for the recall once he starts moving to you)
-Latency (how quickly your dog responds to the cue once you give it)
-Precision (this is a bit more advanced and generally only for performance/competition- it's how accurately your dog performs the behavior, like putting a specific toy in a specific place on command)

How can you do this with your dog? Start with baby steps. Below are my instructions for the sit command, straight from my curriculum. 

SIT

Why:

The sit position is a natural behavior for the dog.. which makes teaching it easier (yay!) A sitting dog is not jumping or demanding anything from you, just waiting for whatever will come next! It is also a precursor for many more behaviors your dog will learn in time.

What:

-pocket/pouch full of treats

-hungry dog

-leash, attached to a collar or harness

-quiet, comfortable area

-patience!

How:

1. Bait your hand and place it in front of the dogs nose.
2. Gradually move your hand back over the dog's head towards his/her tail.
3. Most dogs will default to the sit at this point since it is more comfortable to follow the food lure from a sit than look around while standing ... some take a little more coaxing
4. The instant your dog's bottom touches the ground say “sit” then click and treat.
5. Release your dog from the sit position ('ok')

Tips:

-Move your hand up and over your dogs head so they have to look up and back to follow your baited hand and help them do default to the sit

-If your dog backs up with the lure, try next to a wall so that your dog cannot go anywhere

-Be sure to move your hand at a pace that keeps your dog's interest- too slow and they stop paying attention, too fast and they get lost

-Once your dog gets it.. make them sit for everything- breakfast, dinner, going outside, getting leash on.. this helps them to look to you for direction and to practice a little self control when there are exciting things going on!

-You can add a physical cue to this behavior once they begin to understand the verbal cue, I usually hold out my hand palm down and turn my palm up as I say “sit”

-Any time your dog is sitting at home.. give a click and treat or at least some love and attention!! The more a behavior is rewarded, the more it will be offered by your dog!

More:

As your dog gets better with the sit cue, you can add the focus behavior to the sit so that you have a sitting dog who is looking at you (everyone will be really impressed by this one!)

The faster your dog sits, the better the reward.. this creates a quick compliant dog!


What's next? Once your dog is about 90% consistently responsive to the food lure, drop the food lure and use the hand signal. Once your dog is 90% consistent, fade the use of food treats and switch to real life rewards, random reinforcement, and only rewarding the best behaviors. 
Next, go outside and practice- be prepared to lower your expectations a little. You may need to step up the treats, you may need to start all over again with the food lure. That's ok. Your dog is in a different environment and needs a little patience from you. It will not take as long for him to generalize the behavior to this new(ish) place as it did for him to learn it in the first place. 

Every time you change something about the environment (where you are, what the distractions are in the environment, if someone else is giving the command, this list could go on for paragraphs). You can also add in those other things we talked about earlier (distance, duration, distractions, speed, latency, precision) as well- just make sure you only change one thing at a time so your pooch doesn't get too confused. 

Resources:
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/2077

Chasing Tail: Canine Body Language Part 1

My post last week about dog parks inspired me to discuss something too many puppy parents know all too little about- tail wagging. We've all heard someone say it, there have been times we've even said it about a dog: "if his tail is wagging, he's happy". The truth is that it's not always true. A dog's tail is just one part of his body used for communication, and just one thing we as puppy parents need to be able to decipher so we can understand our dogs.
Dogs communicate with their whole body, we simply aren't always good at putting all of the pieces together- I want all puppy parents to be better at that, if nothing else. With an understanding of what your dog's body language you can be armed to help your dog feel comfortable and keep everyone safe. So, this is part one in my series on canine body language. There will be a bunch of parts to this series... It may go on for months to be perfectly honest with you. It's that important. I'll try to include pictures as often as I can because I'm a visual learner and I like pictures of doggies (you know you can't argue with that logic).
Where was I? Tails- that's right. A dog's tail is one of the most easily noticed part of his body (unless your dog is a breed that is docked or has a naturally short tail) which is used constantly in communication with you and the world around him. For now we'll focus on just the tail- not everything else that's going on, because it's easier to start you in the shallow end than toss you in the deep end of the pool.
-You have probably heard that a dog whose tail is wagging means he is happy. This is true if his tail is wagging LOOSELY and EVEN with his backline. Picture a golden retriever wagging his tail. It's pretty level with his body, and is waving gently back and forth. This type of tail wag is a happy tail wag. If the rest of his body is pretty relaxed you're probably safe to pet this one. Here is a video of a past client, her name is Sydney and she is a sweet, loving girl who pretty much loves everyone and everything. This is a clip from one of our training sessions where we were working on less rambunctious greetings. As you can see, she is wagging relatively even with her body, loosely and she is otherwise pretty happy. If you were to pet Sydney, she would lick you all day long as a thank you. 

-A dog whose tail is wagging, but with the tail positioned up as opposed to level with his body can indicate a dog who is excited or on alert for some reason. Some breeds tend to always wag this way (pugs, huskies and other curled up tail dogs), but if your dog can relax his tail, look out for this. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just means your dog is a bit more excited than normal. If you know your dog gets over excited or reacts to other dogs, cats, people, or anything and you see the tail go up and wag stiffly, it's time to redirect and prevent a sticky situation. In this picture Roxie's tail is almost straight up and stiff. If it were to wag, it would look like a little flag being waved back and forth. Hee ears are also up and back, indicating her interest in something. What you can't see here is the cat that just caught her eye- she thinks cats are great things to chase.

-A dog whose tail is down is unsure, and possibly nervous. The further tucked his tail is between his legs, the more pressure he feels from the situation. If your dog's tail does this, he needs a break from the situation or stimulus that is pressuring him. Please allow him a safe 'out' here, with you to support him. Dogs who are unsure, nervous and feel cornered are so scared that they can and will lash out at just about anything, especially anything new or scary. In the two pictures below, Blair is meeting a very calm, dog savvy girl during class. If you look at Blair's tail it is low, not quite tucked, but not up much from her legs. In the second picture, you can see that she is wagging her tail in this same position. Blair has had a few overwhelming greetings from strangers and is cautious with new people. No worries though, be the last week of class, she was pulling over to play with the girl and her sister, who gladly rewarded her bravery with gentle pets and kisses (probably some treats too!)

-Wagging stiffly vs wagging loosely- generally speaking, when a dog's tail wags loosely it means he is somewhat ok with the situation. When a tail wags stiffly, they are a bit more undecided and waiting for more information from the situation.

 In addition to my experience living and working with dogs, I have read a bunch of books-and have about 20 15 more (I read some of them!) on my Nook waiting for me to read- and compared notes with my other trainer friends to get this information. One of my favorite resources is the book listed below. If you have a reactive dog, a fearful dog, and aggressive dog, heck- a LIVING, BREATHING DOG, do them a favor and pick up a copy of the books below. They are both great resources for dog owners, especially if you have a new, fearful or reactive dog. Another great thing is to take pictures of your own dog- in everyday situations and in stressful ones (as long as you have someone else to help so nobody gets into trouble). Going back and looking at pictures of moments in time can really tell you a lot about your dog!

Resources:
Canine Body Language, A Photographic Guide: Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog; By Brenda Aloff
On Talking Terms With Dogs, Calming Signals; by Turid Rugaas

Dog Parks- The Good, The Bad, The Scary

I'm not gonna lie.
I'm kind of opinionated.
I tend to keep my opinions to myself most of the time unless someone asks me for my thoughts; at which time they immediately regret asking.

I spent the last two posts telling you about one of the things I feel strongly about- puppy classes. If you missed it, then luckily you can go here and here to catch up.
Dog parks are another of those things that I feel strongly about. I feel very strongly that dog parks can be a GREAT opportunity for you and your dog to socialize and exercise, or a terrifying and dangerous place for you both. Why the extremes? Because dog parks can be very unpredictable, that's why.
Lets put this in human terms with a few different scenarios.

The first scenario is a birthday party for a close friend which naturally, you will gladly attend. You will know most of the guests in attendance and can easily converse and interact with them. You know who you like best and who you only talk to for a few minutes at a time. A good time is had by all, even the one guest who drinks a little too much and gets a bit loud towards the end of the evening. You all understand that he/she doesn't know they become such a close talker after a couple drinks, and otherwise they are a respectful, easy going person. This scenario is easy enough, you just take turns getting that person home safely and they apologize profusely the next day, but overall there is no harm done to anyone.

The second scenario is a work holiday party which you are ok attending, but you know it's more of a required duty for you all than an opportunity to get together and have a good time outside of the office. You make the obligatory rounds to the boss(es) and cordially greet everyone else along the way, being careful to remain professional. At the end of the night you realize you did have some fun, got a little fun gossip, and free refreshments for the minor hassle. There were a few people who got especially obnoxious by the end of the night, so cabs were called and the night ended with minimal offense and structural damage to the building. You leave the party tired and glad that it only happens once a year.

The third scenario is a party that your sister/brother drags you to because they want to go but don't want to show up all by their lonesome. You are really only there because you are being nice to the one person you know and you don't know anyone else there. You're not even sure you want to know anyone else there. Your sibling abandons you to go flirt with the real reason they are at the party and you are left alone counting the minutes until you can leave. You may find a few individuals who seem as out of place as you, but in the end it's an akward and lonely evening for you and you can't wait to get back home. You make your sibling promise to never torture you in such a manner ever again.

The fourth (and final) scenario is the mall on Black Friday. You were again dragged here by a friend or loved one, but you spend the whole time questioning this relationship. There are people everywhere, running, yelling and pushing. They run into you and you're pretty sure you were just pick-pocketed. You try desperately to cling to the one person you know in this madness; after all they have the car keys. She/he keeps telling you to go find something in a store that looks like an epicenter for the craziness so they can go to another store to find something even more important. You start pushing back and yelling because you can't take it anymore and it's getting hard to think, let alone hear which blender your friend needs. You end up grabbing an old lady's walker and throwing is across the store and just running out. She had it coming and you're 95% convinced that she just had it for sympathy anyway. As you walk out and breathe fresh air you are grateful that you don't have to navigate this parking lot, but can't understand how anyone can look forward to this every year. Regret for tossing the old lady's walker and screaming obscenities at strangers sets in and you want to curl up and sleep the rest of the week. You have vowed to lock yourself in your house next year to avoid all human contact on this day...maybe every day.

In my experience, dog park trips tend to fall into one of the above 4 scenarios. Some dogs will thrive in all of these scenarios, just as some people can go into a party where they know not a soul (or only one) and have the best night of their life. Unfortunately, this is not most dogs.

-Sometimes your dog is that person who gets to excited and annoys everyone.
-Sometimes your dog is the one who is squirming to get away and is counting down the minutes until it is time to leave.
-Sometimes your dog is so uneasy that she feels the need to defend herself with all these creatures she doesn't understand.
-Sometimes a dog park is full of friends and good times. These are the times when the park is a wonderful opportunity for the dog and dog parent- exercise, play and overall good times will ensue.
-Sometimes a dog park has some friends, but there is an underlying tension that keeps everyone from relaxing completely (maybe one individual in attendance is pressuring everyone in some way).
-Sometimes there are friends/family, but that one individual everyone tries to avoid because they are a little difficult to deal with due to social ineptness or annoying habits.
-Sometimes there are no friends, but your pup is able to make due avoiding just about everyone in attendance.
-Sometimes a dog park is a busy, confusing place where everyone else seems to have their own agenda and honestly, it is scary.

That is the answer I give when people ask me about dog parks. It can be a great place, it can be a scary place. It can be a few things in between as well. If you can take your dog to the park at the same time with the same dogs, and they all like one another (or at least know how to properly navigate each other) it's a good time had by all. If you show up with your dog on a Saturday morning with 20 other dogs that neither of you knows, it may be a bit stressful.

In addition to my long-winded answer, I tell people that there are great alternatives to dog parks if they are not something ideal for them and their pup. A group obedience class is a wonderful opportunity for socialization and exercise with people and other dogs (even though it's all on leash, there can still be opportunities for safe on leash interaction). A well run, organized, supervised doggie daycare that does assessments and places dogs in supervised play groups can also be a wonderful, safe play opportunity for your dog. Getting together with your sister/brother/aunt/uncle/parent/friend/coworker who has a dog your dog gets along with and letting them play off leash or go for a hike is another great play opportunity. What's the best way to determine whether your dog is happy or not? Watch your dog play. Is she happy when she gets there, but still able to listen long enough to get her leash off? Is she playing with her friends but taking occasional breaks to sniff around on her own or slurp up some water? She's probably ok. If your dog wanders off and never plays with other dogs or always clings to you or *eek* blunders up to every dog in sight like a charging bull (not a polite greeting in the canine world), you may need to rethink what's going on and if the dog park is your best option.
I'll go into detail later on about canine body language, but in the meantime I'll refer you to one of my favorite books- Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide, by Brenda Aloff. This is absolutely one of my favorite books and I end up referring it to my clients whose dogs are sensitive, aggressive and fearful, but it can be helpful for any dog owner.

A personal note: My dog would do one of two things in a dog park: play well with most of the dogs, but kind of harass everyone as she gets would up OR run up and grab onto someone's neck and hold on, having some trouble letting go. Oh Crap. Terrifying. For Everyone. The day she did that was one of the most terrifying and embarrassing days in my life. I had no idea she was even capable of doing such a thing, she had always played well as far as I knew and is the most gentle dog with people, especially kids. We hadn't had Roxie very long when this happened and honestly I did not know much about canine body language. Looking back, there were clues along the way that she was uncomfortable and the dog park was way too exciting for her. She's not safe to take to a dog park, so we don't. She is only off leash in the house, and if you passed us on a walk, you would only see a dog wagging her tail and looking at her human momma as you pass us. I think she prefers human company to dogs anyway, and she's great with our son, so she's doing ok without the dog park.

What has been your best/worst experience in a dog park?
Is your dog the annoying close talker that all the other dogs just put up with?