http://www.northeastagility.com/events/2010April_PlayBow.html

Skyline Agility will host a 2-day NADAC trial on
May 17-18 , 2010
in
Yorktown Heights, NY
Please click here for more info and directions to FDR Park.

Classes:
Saturday – Chances, Jumpers, 2 Regulars, Tunnelers, Hoopers;
Sunday – Jumpers, 2 Regulars, Touch N Go, Tunnelers, Weavers

In terms of money saved from the dog working (and working and working…..) at these legal chew toys as opposed to your remote controls, your carpets, your shoes, your furniture, your walls (this is true – it was a Belgian Tervuren with a medical problem, but still!) and other things around your home, these toys are relatively inexpensive.  With moderate use, I have to replace the Busy Buddy about every 1.5 yrs, and a Kong lasts about 2 years in my house.  Buster Cubes never seem to “wear out”, but Flop’s Molecuball was stolen by a certain brown and white Rat terrier in Brooklyn who  shall remain nameless.
I always get a smile from people when I say that “Hours will go by!” as their dog peacefully works on his frozen Kong, stuffed with a mix of his own food plus treats and etc.  This is a blissful prospect for many people!
One sticking point that I run in to again and again is when I have people who complain about their nippy, bitey, mouthy young dog.  We discuss the merits of the Kong, and I propose to that family that their dog get fed only from interactive toys from now on….until the “must bite and chew everything!” phase is over.  This is often met with consternation on the part of the family.   A young dog, especially, has to have an outlet for all of that mouthy energy, and feeding from a Kong or similar is by far the easiest solution to the problem.  Keep a few in rotation, and bingo – your crate times / dog being alone times are handled smoothly.  The simple activity of extracting food from a toy has brought many dogs back from the brink of separation anxiety, and most likely from shelters.  Pain from teething is easily alleviated by a frozen Kong, and so on.  And yet, people balk – still wanting to set down a bowl of dog food in front of their dog.
I’m not making fun.  It *is* rewarding for humans to feed their dogs!  I personally find it very odd that a simple solution that will stop unwanted chewing, that is so easy for the human to implement, causes such consternation amongst humans.  Dog handlers that do get a few different chew toys have got a much happier relationship with their dogs.  Much less naggy “No – NO!!!!” noises coming from the human.  A much calmer dog who happily goes in to her crate as that has come to mean fun time with a Kong, and then a nap.  Thank goodness we all can exercise our dogs mentally with training, fun with our friends @ the park, and then relax a little bit with a happy, tired dog at home.
Some DIY-type doggy toys are very easy to put together.  The tried-and-true plastic water bottle with kibbles inside is a cheap solution for a dog that enjoys a challenge.  I also stumbled across another trainer’s cheap solution for this : a “doggie slot machine!” made from a muffin pan.  Distribute treats in the cups of the pan, then cover the cups with tennis balls.  Your dog has to remove the balls in order to get his food, and most dogs find this to be very amusing.  Any time that we can get to tap in to the dog’s age-old need to seek out and hunt for his food is something that I’m all for.

Here are the “rules” for It’s Yer Choice:

A pushy, nudgy dog who demands attention constantly is not going to be a welcome guest in every home.  Here’s a fun way to teach your dog that in order to get what she wants, she first needs to show some self-control.

1. Start with a cookie in your hand.  It’s not important what your dog is doing when you play this game (i.e. you do not need to ask the dog for a Sit or anything else) but it is important that you don’t take your eye off the dog, so that you can catch and reward all of the Good Stuff that the dog is going to try.  Keep your hand low enough so that the dog doesn’t have to jump, and open your hand to show her the cookie.  When the dog swoops in to help himself to that cookie, close your fist.  The dog may mouth, teeth, and bite your hand to try to get the cookie, or bark – remember, none of these behaviors would be acceptable or rewardable.  Hold out for a stop to these behaviors while your dog collects his thoughts and tries to figure out how to get the cookie – then, say “Yes!” and deliver the cookie to his face with your other hand.  It doesn’t matter why the dog stops pushing, nudging, or worrying the hand with the treat – the millisecond he stops, say “Yes!” and deliver that cookie.
Repeat.  Dogs learn by repetition, and also by playing this game with different people, at different times and in different locations.  Some dogs take seemingly forever to stop the nudginess – while other dogs give up on those behaviors fairly quickly.   Your instant feedback (“Yes!” and food delivery) will keep a more shy dog engaged, and a more ‘hyper’ dog from wandering off.
A dog that’s savvy to this game will learn to recognize that a treat in someone’s hand (closed or open!) means that it’s time to choose self control (as opposed to being nudgy, pushy, barky, or bitey!)
When your dog is actively showing an understanding of this game by backing off (a look away counts, as does physically backing up) then you can move on to the next step.

2. To move this game along, put the cookie on the floor.  Aha!  The dog will likely swoop down to get the cookie again.  Be ready – it’s important that your dog does *not* self-reward at this time.  Simply cover the treat with your hand (this will feel awfully familiar as the dog will most likely go right back to mouthing your hand!)  Just wait the dog out, and as soon as there’s a pause in that behavior, “Yes!” and cookie delivery.
Make this game more difficult for your dog in increments : chances are, you will need to quickly cover the cookie on the floor many times before your dog understands that he must wait for your “Yes!” and delivery.  Playing this game in different locations will assist the dog greatly in understanding : the rules apply everywhere.  Moving the location of the cookie (on your knee, etc) helps too.

3. It’s Yer Choice – The Movie.  To really help your dog to apply what she’s learned to Life In General, it’s key to add motion to this game.  Increase the difficulty of the game by moving the treat in some way – rolling it along the floor might be a good start, and then work your way up to dropping it.  When we first start training a behavior, we want to make it relatively easy for the dog to be successful, and then gradually work our way up to the more difficult stages of the game – by Stage 3, it’s MUCH harder for the dog to make the correct choice!  Adding a “surprise” element can’t hurt, either – after all, the surprise events in life are part of the reason why we play this game in the first place.

This great YouTube video shows how to play It’s Yer Choice – worth a look to make sure that you’ve got your timing down!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipT5k1gaXhc

Giving credit where credit is due : Susan Garrett of Say Yes in Canada, and Tracy Sklenar of Leader of the Pack .

1. Jean Donaldson, The Culture Clash. I’ve loved this book for many years, and recommend it highly – especially for people who really only want to get ONE book about dog training.  Why do the different techniques work the way they do, and how have we humans re-interpreted our relationships with dogs over the years?  A must-read.

2.Training Dogs with Ian Dunbar. (okay, this is actually a DVD) Dr. Dunbar has been a fantastic resource to many a family pet and many a trainer over the years. His website, DogStarDaily.com is not to be missed – he and his staff have hundreds of geat positive training tips available, for free, 24 hours a day at his site.  This DVD is a handy, one-stop reference that really shows you how to put it all together.

3. Pat Miller, Positive Perspectives 1 and 2 (these are 2 separate volumes) where book 1 is covering the basics and book 2 (Know your Dog, Train your Dog) is a bit more advanced. Pat has been an incredibly well-spoken advocate for positive training for a long time, and her advice is clear and practical. I used much of this book to organize my own thoughts in preparation for teaching.

4. Patricia McConnell, The Other End of the Leash. When we work together with another species, questions are bound to come up. McConnell’s book explores the communication that happens between dogs and humans in depth here – this is not so much a book about dog training per se, but it is going to add a lot to your understanding of Canis lupus familiaris.

5. Susan Garrett, Shaping Success. Yes, I have to include an Agility book here, too. However, the lessons we learn on the way to an agility career are lessons that any pet owner may benefit from. This is not all “dry learning theory” – not in the slightest. Shaping Success is also a fun read about a great dog and a great trainer!

We all would love to have dogs that we can relax with. Is this a far-fetched (sorry) goal for the new dog owner?  As a volunteer trainer for Waggytail Rescue in NYC, it has become quite clear to me that no dog is ever quite like another, and thank goodness for that!   My aim in starting this blog is to talk a little bit about training techniques, what will work well in many cases, and what won’t.  There’s a lot of conflicting information out there – I’m hoping that I’ll be Yet Another Voice for kind, clear, and gentle dog training.