The things I get asked to do as a dog trainer never cease to amaze me, and that’s what makes doing this so wonderful. Every time the phone rings or the email client pings I know it’s going to be something interesting.
A few weeks ago a former client of mine that runs and executive training business called to ask if I would do a short session with a group he was bringing into town. I’ll admit I was interested but had no idea what he might have in mind. Did he want to put the CEO of a Fortune 500 company on a leash and let me "train him/her"? At least I knew enough to sit tight and wait to hear what he had in mind….and it was interesting.
He wanted me to bring a dog that had very little training to the session and he wanted the group of executives to draw a command from a bag and have each of them try to get the dog to do the command within 60 seconds and using no force. Interesting concept to say the least. We brainstormed a bit about this and decided that most of these folks wouldn’t even be able to get the dogs attention much less get them to do the command. What he wanted to show them was how you have to use different techniques to get the dogs attention and then find what it will work for to do the command.
Well, suffice it to say the show went very well. I was surprised that some of these folks could get the pup to do some work for them but others had to wait until the great motivator showed up (the treat bag) before they could manage a down or a come to them.
All in all it was great fun and I hope that all of these Senior VP’s of this company came away with a little kernel of knowledge that will make their subordinates lives a bit more pleasant and productive.
Now for the kicker, the dog I used was that same Brittany Spaniel that stayed with me a couple of weeks ago. The dog did great, but more on that in the next post.
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
www.fideliodogs.com
512.231.8095
Over the past two weeks I’ve gotten several new clients that have adopted dogs from New Orleans. These people have opened their homes to these pups and have basically saved them from a life of kennels and pounds that they would normally be doomed to.
The number that I personally have seen has made me realize just how many there are left and how any help that can be offered would be appreciated.
The ASPCA has set up a donation fund to help these animals and I urge anyone with the ability to give a bit of cash to help out. The money goes to all sorts of efforts to help these animals and can only be described as a natural good in the world.
Please take a minute to Donate whatever you can to them and the pups and kitties of New Orleans.
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
www.fideliodogs.com
512.231.8095
My last post went into a bit of detail about a puppy that’s been staying with me for a week to "brush up" on his basic obedience and to try to get him into some sort of shape so that when he goes home his people won’t be pulling their hair out about what to do with him. Needless to say, this puppy has been a handful. He’s very strong willed, confident, and energetic which has made for a very interesting dog training week.
Now, SpotRover isn’t a bad dog at all. He’s just a high energy hunting dog that’s very focused on anything that moves or flies. Basically, he’s just like what a serious hunting person would want. The problem is that it makes it extremely difficult for him to focus out in the world and around the neighborhood, he’s just not a suburbs sort of dog.
I have to say that my main goal this week was to get this puppy to do something, anything, for me without me having to resort to Making the pup work. Well, Friday evening we finally got it. After training with him all afternoon something clicked in his little doggie brain and he started to realize that if he paid attention to me and offered some positive behaviors he would get rewards. Soon after that the puppy was out with me heeling off leash, sitting at each stop I made, and coming on recall the first time. Even a professional dog trainer can be astonished when things start to click and the dog "gets it".
Truth be told, if SpotRover continues along this path I think he’s got a very bright future and has the possibility to become a wonderful pet. Now, if I could just get his family to undertand that they’re going to have to take up marathon running to give this dog enough daily exercise, I’ll have won the day.
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
www.fideliodogs.com
512.231.8095
The good thing about puppies is they are a blank slate. The bad thing about puppies is that they are a blank slate. And when you’ve got a family that decides to get a puppy that ends up having a lot of energy and very little ability to pay attention dog training starts to take on a sort of desperate edge.
I’ve got the pleasure this week of hosting a young 18 week old Brittany Spaniel puppy at my house. My client decided they had to get away for a week and they asked me if I would keep it and do some pretty extensive training for them. For the past few weeks this puppy has been driving them nuts. Not only is it a hunting breed dog, but it comes from a breeder that breeds for hunting. That means that this puppy is bread to be "birdy" and has more energy than the average puppy. Now, if you live on a ranch and intend to hunt with this dog those are great traits, but if you live on a 1/8th acre lot in a subdivision, well, things can get dicey.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad puppy by any means, it just means that he’s a challenge especially for his non dog trainer family. The first thing we started doing with him when he arrived was to give him a job. His initial job was to look directly in my face for any of his food he got. This is one of the basic ways we start to teach puppies how to pay the all important attention the need to provide before we can really start training. His second job was to learn the "bed" command which means he goes to a dog bed and stays there until I release him. Now that one was HARD for this puppy. He probably hasn’t ever sat still for more than ten seconds when he’s awake and here I am asking him to stay on a 2×4 foot bed for 20 minutes. Bed command is great in dog training because it teaches the pups some impulse control and location control which they rarely have had to exert before. All in all, these two commands are a very positive way to start learning to pay attention before we venture out into the outdoors where the distraction level goes through the roof.
The pup (whom I’ll call SpotRover from now on) and I will start training on the long line today to get the basics of "come" going and progress to more leash work throughout the week.
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
512.231.8095
Dog training is all about attention….and a little bit of timing.
This morning I was working with one of my clients under the MoPac bridge at Lake Austin. We were teaching her nine month old Golden how to behave with all the people, bikes, dogs and other doggie chaos that’s down there. The pup we were working with was going a great job. He was sitting politely when people walked up to him, wasn’t straining on the leash to get to the other dogs that walked by a couple of feet away, and was generally paying good attention to his owner. We’d worked on that for WEEKS beforehand.
Everything came clear to the owner when another dog walked by who was dragging it’s owner behind. The lady stopped to say what a good dog we had with us and then proceeded to show us the blisters on her hand from the leash the dog had been dragging her by. I felt really sorry for this lady because it just doesn’t have to be that way. If she had spent some time on the basics of getting the dog to pay attention to her she wouldn’t have been pulled all over the place on her first visit to the hike and bike trail. I mean, after all, my client didn’t have any trouble today and it was that pup’s first visit as well.
There are lots of ways to teach attention to a dog. Most of them involve a good amount of patience which is in short supply these days for most people. Taking the time on this though will pay HUGE dividends with every other training activity you and your pup embark on. Basically, taking the time to teach the pup how to pay attention will teach them how to LEARN. I know that’s a lot of capitalization in a blog but it’s that important. Do not skimp on this activity.
Dog training is all about attention. If you have your dogs attention you can do almost anything.
I’ll be writing more about training and attention this week because I’ll be working with a young Brittany pup that will need a LOT of help.
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
www.fideliodogs.com
ph. 512.231.8095
Dog trainers are good corporate citizens too!. As of this past weekend Fidelio Dog Works has become a member of The Austin Independent Business Alliance. I really can’t think of anything more local than a dog training service so I thought it only right to sign up and support our local businesses. The thing is, Petsmart, and PetCo are trying to "productize" the dog training world, and while I don’t have a problem with the training these places provide, I just don’t like the fact that the monies generated by the classes go back to their corporate headquarters. That’s why I try to shope for all of my dog supplies locally at either Bark and Purr, Fetch, or any number of other small shops here in town that cater to the pet world.
So, being a proud owner of an entirely local business I urge you to support your smaller stores here in town for your pet needs. And if you need dog training here in Austin, I’ll be glad to help.
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
www.fideliodogs.com