Sensory Deprivation and Puppy Mill Rescue Dogs

From time to time someone asks me what type of dog takes the longest to train. They expect the answer to be a specific breed. But the truth is that the most difficult dog to train is not a breed, but a group.

That group is breeding dogs that have been rescued from puppy mills.
Puppy mills are the equivalent of the sweat shops of the early industrial age.

Their goal is to turn out lots of puppies at the lowest possible cost. The way they do it is appalling.

Breeding dogs are selected and kept until they are about five years old. Then they are discarded and either destroyed or rescued by one of the rescue organizations.

A lot of people think that all these dogs need is love and occasionally it is just that simple. But most of the time it is not.

These dogs are normally kept in very small cages. They have had no meaningful contact with humans and minimal contact with other dogs. As a result they simply have no idea how to live or even survive outside of the crate or cage.

All dogs come in for an assessment before I train them. The primary reason is so that my client understands what I do and how I do it. But by looking at the dog before the owners decide to train with me, can figure out what the greatest needs are. We start by having you drop the dog’s leash as soon as you walk in the door.

What I want to see is a dog with enough confidence to leave your side, enough curiosity to explore the center, and a little bit of caution since the dog does not know who or what may be in here. With the puppy mill rescue what I usually see is a dog that just stands there with its head and back lowered.

The dog not only cannot make a decision, it literally does not know how to gather information to make decisions. It has had so little sensory input, that even an empty center with only its owners and I in the room, it does not know how to find out what it needs to know to do anything.

And so begins a very long period of working the dog to just get ready to train. I know that with time we can have a confident dog, but the problem is going to be the owner’s expectations. If they are going to train with me they will need to invest a lot of time and effort before they see much improvement.

The first thing we must do is give the dog time to learn to watch and figure out how this new world works. At the same time we cannot put any pressure on the dog. So I put the dog on a line attached to the wall. The line is a form of security and often dogs will lean against the wall to reassure themselves. Then I put a calming collar on the dog knowing that the collar puts pressure on the pressure points in its neck, calming and reassuring the dog. Finally since the dog has spent its whole life watching through a cage, I put an exercise pen in a large semi circle around the dog.

Then we just let the dog be there while I work with other dogs. Other than an occasional “you’re fine” told to the dog by its owners and myself, there is no inter action with the dog.

I ask the owner to come in with the dog whenever we have our Neighborhood Pack Sessions or on weekends when I have lots of trainings. I can never predict how long it will take to stimulate interest.

The first sign of interest in what is going on is when the puppy mill dog starts watching the other dogs and people. At first it is only an occasional glance, but gradually it begins to take an interest in what is going on. Maybe for the first time in its life, the dog is gathering information.

I know we are getting close when the dog sits and watches the entire time it is here. The dog is learning how to learn.

We wait for the magic moment when the dog barks. It is the first step into the world. Now the training can begin.

The dog is worked in short periods. All we are looking for is just a little progress. There are still weeks if not months to go, but the dog is now on its way to being normal.

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Pat Muller and Manners in Minutes

I check the stats on this blog on a regular basis along with the stats on my website, www.ppmim.net. Among other things I can see what web pages or articles get looked at and how many people looked at them. I also get the search phrases that found each site.

One of the more common search phrases is Manners in Minutes or Pat Muller Manners in Minutes. I think some people are looking for her rather than me.

So if you came to this site looking for either Pat or her wonderful training system, let me tell you about her.

I met Pat about seven years ago when she gave a seminar in Denver. We had taken Chicklet, our female Lakeland Terrier, to that seminar when a fairly good and very likeable trainer in town here had worked with Chicklet. And unfortunately his training had not helped, it had just made things worse. When I asked my breeder what to do, she sent me to Pat.

I attended a lot of seminars when I was in law enforcement. Most were pretty good, some were excruciatingly bad (usually the subject was okay but the instructor was lousy) and a very few that had an immediate and important impact. When Pat stood up and explained how her system and tools worked, a light bulb went on over my head. This was a system that both the dog and the owner could understand. And this was a system that mimicked how dogs learn when raised in a working pack. And Pat is one of those speakers who leave an indelible impression on you.

A few months later we attended a Lakeland event at Pat’s Quansa Kennels in South Beloit IL. There is a reason I call this blog the Accidental Dog Trainer. Somehow from those two events, without intending for it to happen, I ended up opening a Manners in Minutes training center here in Colorado Springs when I retired.

It did not take me very long, due to the Manners in Minutes system, to start to build a solid reputation as a dog trainer here. And it would be easy for me to get a swollen head. Cops aren’t known for having modest egos. But for the first couple of years I got to go out and train with Pat for a few days each year. And that has kept me humble. It still does.

When each dog finishes in here, it goes out a well trained and well mannered dog. A big part is my experience in using the system, an even bigger part is the system itself. But the biggest reason for that dog and owner’s success is the talent and brilliance of Pat Muller.

So if you got here today because you are looking at training in the Manners in Minutes system, then yes, you should use it to train your dog.

There are a couple of ways to train in this system. Pat does mail order both a book and a DVD on how to train the dog yourself, along with the necessary training equipment. And she has a Yahoo group that supports her system. A few of you may know someone who has trained in the system who can help you. I think it really helps to have someone with experience in the system to work with you, but I know that is not always possible.

Through Pat I know a number of people who are not doing this professionally, but help out with rescue and other organizations.

If however you want to travel where you can work in a training center in this method, at the moment you only have two choices, Pikes Peak Manners In Minutes here in Colorado Springs with me and Quansa Kennels in South Beloit IL with Pat.

As much as I would like you to come here for training, and I will add that I think it’s prettier with a nicer climate, if you cant come here, go to Quansa.

Listen to Pat, do what she teaches you. You will end up with a wonderful, well mannered and obedient dog.

I did.

Doug

PS The picture is Pat Muller training me at Quansa a couple of years ago. The dogs were fine, I needed some extra work.

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Meet Our New Students Featuring Pit Bull Rescue San Diego

David: available at pbrsd.org

Blossom: available at pbrsd.org

Good Day Leapers,

Leap Dog Training began their quarterly basic obedience group class for the adorable, adoptable dogs from Pit Bull Rescue San Diego [PBRSD]. This marks the first time that the dogs from PBRSD will experience the Associations of Pet Dog Trainers "My Dog has C.L.A.S.S." curriculum.

The curriculum will be tailored to help these dogs personalities and needs in order to achieve the ultimate success: adoption!

Bonita: available at pbrsd.org

Leaps goal is to create more than just an obedience class. The dogs will learn to properly socialize with other dogs, people, and good table manners. All key components to have a well-adjusted, adoptable dog that is ready to be accepted by society as more than just a pit bull. They will be well-trained, lovable doggies who have worked very hard to get educated. Wouldnt you love to adopt one of our students?

Please visit Leap Dog Training on Facebook and Instagram for more awesomely cute pictures of these adoptable, adorable doggies like David.

Are you and your dog doing anything fun and special to help other dogs in need? We would love to hear from you!

Give me a kiss! David: pbrsd.org 

Love,

LEAP!

Photo Gallery: CLICK HERE. 

Whos your favorite dog? 

If you would like for your dog to get the PBRSD basic obedience treatment at your home do not hesitate contact us. 

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Rescue and Re homed Dogs

The number of rescue organizations has mushroomed in the last couple of years. In addition to the breed rescue organizations and the local shelters, a number of other volunteer groups exist in almost every community. You see them outside the big chain pet stores on most weekends.

Rescuing a dog is a wonderful and generous act. But it is often very traumatic on the dog.

Dogs are pack animals. And for thousands of years dogs were born, raised, and worked, spending their entire lives within the same pack. They were working dogs and the farmer, rancher, or herder needed a pack to ensure that they had a reliable source of working dogs.

Today most dogs are pets, not working animals. So instead of staying in the same pack their whole lives, they end up moving at least once. Now to a young puppy (8 to 14 weeks) that move is usually not too traumatic. The excitement and attention of new people, combined with the fact that all the normal attachments have not been completely formed, make the transition to a new home comparatively easy.

But for the older dog, the effect is much harder. And if this dog has been given up from a home where it has lived a while, that dog it has now lost at least its second pack. It begins to believe it cannot trust that it will be a lifelong member of a stable pack. In nature losing your pack means either death or the difficult task of finding a new pack and fitting in.

Move a dog too many times and it may lose the ability to trust.

When you get a new rescue dog, then the dog needs time to adjust to its new pack. Where we are all excited that the dog now has a secure and loving home, the dog is wondering if this time the pack will accept and keep it.

The dog will often come into your home as the Omega dog. The Omega dog is the lowest ranking member of the pack. It is often the stress relief to the rest of the pack. It will be nipped and harassed, but not harmed. It is the last to eat. Its only job is to play with the pack’s puppies. But in a well established pack even that dog has a sense of security and belonging. But a rescue dog may see this as only a temporary position.

We refer to this as the honeymoon period. Usually this is about a month, but it can be shorter or longer. The dog seems very subdued, submissive and passive. The dog is calculating how high it can move up in the new pack. If it decides it can be the Alpha dog at the end of the period it will “take over.” And if it considers you a weak or ineffective pack leader you suddenly have an out of control dog.

But if it has lost all hope it may actually give up on even being the Omega dog. And without the security of knowing it is a valued member of the pack neither your life or the dog’s life will be very pleasant.

Before you get a rescue, have a plan to establish trust. Also make sure you know how make the first few weeks as stress free and successful as possible. Talk to a trainer so that you know the things to do to make that transition work so that you end up with the kind of dog you want. And make sure the trainer knows the difference between working with a rescue dog in the honeymoon period as compared to a rescue dog that has been in the home for quite a while.

Doug

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Training Your Beauceron to Listen to You

Training Your Beauceron to Listen to You

Why Wont My Beauceron Listen To Me?

This is a common question that most first-time Beauceron owners ask me. Before I answer your question, let me ask you a few instead:

• Do you use cookies, collars, head halters or clickers to make your Beauceron listen to your commands?

• Do you have to raise your voice every time you want your Beauceron to listen to you?

• Does your Beauceron always come or sit on command - anytime and anywhere you want him to?

If your answers are mostly in the negative, its time you seriously reconsider your role as a sincere Beauceron trainer and an ideal pet parent.

Learn how to bond with your Beauceron with this free mini course.

Get Your Beauceron To Listen To You

Before you begin any training, you must first establish yourself as the "ALPHA dog" of your family. Your Beauceron must know that you’re the leader of the pack and it is YOU who is in charge.

Here is a list of simple DOs and DONTs that you must follow if you want to be the Alpha:

• Always go out or come in through the door first - remember you are the leader;

• Always eat first - give your Beauceron something to eat only after youve finished your meal;

• Don’t circle around your Beauceron when he is lying on the floor - make your Beauceron move out of your way instead;

• Dont let your Beauceron set the rules - pay attention to him when you think fit and not whenever he demands;

• Don’t permit your Beauceron to sleep with you in your bed - demarcate his sleeping area clearly.

Once you successfully established yourself as the Alpha, training your Beauceron and making him listen will be a lot easier than you can imagine. Remember, if your Beauceron does not learn to "listen", all your training efforts will be in vain!

Does your Beauceron know his name? Does your Beauceron look at you whenever you call him by his name? This is the first and the most critical step involved in Beauceron Training. If your Beauceron doesnt respond to his name, you cannot have his attention for teaching him any other commands.

To make sure that your Beauceron recognizes his name, take a treat in your hand and hold it away from your body. Call your Beaucerons name. He is most likely to look at the treat in your hand. Continue calling his name untill he turns and looks at your eyes. Give him the treat immediately. Repeat this exercise by holding the treat in the other hand. Once youre sure that your Beauceron has learnt to recognize his name, just call his name and reward him for looking at you by petting or with a hug.

You must understand that Beaucerons respond far better to positive reinforcement than they do to coercion or force.

Learn how to train your Beauceron better with this free mini course.

Copyright (c) 2009 TrainPetDog.com

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Vino the Rottweiler

This is Vino. In a training center where all the dogs are special, to both their owners and myself, he is just a little extra special.

I had trained a traumatized dog for an owner that was close to being put down for behavior. The dog responded well.

A couple of months later the same owner came to me and asked if I trained service dogs. The answer is sort of.

The law that allows service dogs is not very precise on what exactly a service dog is. And there are lots of places that train service dogs. But many of them do not let you pick the breed or provide your own dog. And the dogs are very expensive.

I do not certify service dogs. If I certify them then I have to buy very expensive insurance. That in turn means I would have to charge thousands of dollars to train the dog and would have to train X number of dogs each year to make sure the insurance costs are covered.

So I decided not to certify service dogs. However there are ways you can certify and insure the dog yourself so I will train a dog to be a service dog.

The owner wanted me to train a Rottweiler as a service dog. And since her mother breeds them she wanted to pick her own puppy to train. She had approached several of the big providers all of whom either said they would not train a Rottweiler for that job, or would only sell her one of their dogs.

I agreed to do it.

She has twins. The little boy is autistic, and his sister has grand mal seizures.

We started preparing months before she got the dog. First I had her wipe down the children whenever there was a seizure or an episode. The gauze pads were to be sealed.

In November then nine week old Vino came in for puppy class. He was taken through the basics and imprinted by Tag.

The next couple of weeks were critical. Vino could not be allowed to become a silly indulged puppy. He needed to understand from the start that he was the lowest member of the pack and that he was there to work.

We used a Manners in Minutes technique of the steady point to teach this to him. Three days later he came into Neighborhood Pack. And at his first pack experience he was a loud, demanding, and obnoxious little puppy. And he quickly found out that this did not impress the human or dog members of the pack.

The puppy that came back a week later was quiet and observant. He no longer demanded attention. But he did sit and watch the adults and by seeing how they acted, began to figure out how he should act.

At twelve weeks he could go to a cub scout meeting or the kid’s school where he would always sit respectfully and just watch.

At fourteen weeks he could go into the big pet chain stores and every time he did, he was so well behaved that someone who saw him would call about me training their dog within a day or two.

The plan was to start his adult training at 4 months and his service training at 6 months.

Vino did not want to wait. From 12 weeks on Vino has consistently been ahead of the lesson plan.

Before he was 16 weeks old he had alerted for three seizures. He had also intervened in one autistic episode where he pushed the child away from the wall where he was banging his head and sat with him until he calmed himself. We never had to use the pads. He decided on his own when he needed to alert.

Because he had never been allowed to be a silly puppy, and because all dogs want jobs, he watched the family. He figured out on his own what they needed him to do, and then started doing it.

We did his adult training and he flew through it.

At 5 months he took his Canine Good Puppy test. He passed it on the first try with excellent on every section.

His owner called me recently and told me he has received regional recognition from the AKC due to his performance in CGP.

Vino is also a big asset in Neighborhood Pack. He gets along with everybody, human and canine. If a fearful dog confronts him, instead of backing down or letting the dog know he will fight, Vino just gives them a doggy grin, play bows, and barks to invite them to play. The result, instant de-escalation and another dog has learned that he does not have to fear big dogs. Then when the other dogs see how well he does with his owner, they are motivated to do as well with theirs.

This is not a brag. I take little credit for Vino. What makes him so special is an owner who cares enough to train in a way that the dog understands, and a training method (Manners in Minutes) that works.

I’m just the traffic cop, directing the two of them to the road to success.

Doug

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