Multiple dog management

Ebony, Grace, Gracie and Garrett hanging out on their Bases

     Someone asked me what I do at my home when I have multiple dogs.  I always have multiple dogs: I own two dogs, and when I board dogs they come to me for a variety of reasons.  A few dogs stay with me on a regular basis to keep their training fresh and occasionally add more skills.  Others are dogs with very low thresholds that the owners know would be extremely stressed in any other environment.  There are dogs who come for basic skills, such as crate conditioning, simple commands, or leash work.  But as a Behavioral Consultant I also have dogs that are from questionable backgrounds that need to be temperament tested around other dogs and people in a home environment (versus the high activity level of a shelter or other holding facility) or that are here to work on larger issues such as fear, aggression, separation anxiety.

     There are several key factors that make my business successful for all of these instances.  First and foremost, I work from my home by appointment only.  There is not a public storefront or attraction.  No pretty display areas.  Just a regular house that I live in with my husband and our two fur kids.  This means when I schedule time to work with another dog/dogs they are the only ones I am focused on.  There is minimal chance for distractions.  I do a lot of classical conditioning, which is less popular mainly because of the necessary repetition.  In addition, when I am shaping a behavior with a dog, it can cut training time in half or better when I work directly with the dog- as I only have one student to show and reward for new skills, instead of having to explain each new adaptation to the owner. 

     I am very careful to balance my appointments so I will always be mentally and physically ready and able to devote all of my attention to the goals of the canine directly in front of me.  Each lesson is a personal bonding experience of the dog to whichever humans are guiding it.  Creating my business from my house was a deliberate choice designed to limit clientele numbers to yield higher quality results in the cases I choose to take on.  Paws Then Play LLC will never have multiple employees, have a huge facility or turn into a franchise.  I do what I love to help where I can.  I have a small enough roster that I can be available to any of my students who call me at any time of day and I know who they are, who their dog is and how I can help troubleshoot without having to shuffle through papers or pull up a database.

Riley, Brutus and Grace practicing down/stay.

     The most crucial element I have here is structure.  I don't mean the frame of the house, I mean the consistency in the day to day workings with my dogs, whether there are others present or not.  Every day my dogs know and expect to have to work for their meals.  There is no "Free Lunch" served and thus it cements the state of mind in my dogs of my role as the provider (this is part of my preferred non-confrontational methods which I will write more on in another entry).  Every day has multiple training opportunities since dogs are continually learning and I am strict with my "house rules."  The dogs are never allowed to run amok in the fenced-in enclosure (about 1/2 an acre) like a doggy daycare.  They are here to learn to control themselves, and see the inherent reward in self control as opposed to the constant barrage of forced interaction that is the root cause of many of my clients' issues.

     Both of my dogs went through months (in Brutus' case years) of on-leash training and observation before earning the freedom of being leash- and collar-free by becoming reliable to voice commands at a distance and with distraction.  Any new dog will always be wearing a lead when it is out of the crate in my home until it has proven its reliability off-leash.  Not only does this allow for the greatest amount of guidance (and thus, learning potential) but dramatically reduces the chances for any undesirable behaviors to be learned or any misunderstandings that can result in a bite.

     I presently have two four-legged house guests.  Holly and Stormie are keeping their training skills current while they await their fur-ever homes.  *(For more information about these wonderful girls, click on their names above for pictures and information, or click HERE for a link to the Greater Charlotte SPCA site.)  This morning they waited patiently in their crates for their turn to go outside for potty.  Holly was outside on leash while Brutus finished his time outside.  Grace had wiggle time solo off lead.  Stormie also had one on one potty time but on a long line.   Breakfast is served one at a time, so each dog has time to really shine working on their specific training goals.  Water bowls are freshened next as everyone settles in for quiet time (I feel rest is very important after meals or training).  Potty breaks are spaced sporadically throughout the day, whenever I am switching from one dog to another (or others) and water is always freshened after a dog has been out.

Theo and Tia after a nice long walk in the woods.

     Throughout the day I rotate through the dogs finding ways to relax or challenge them in turn.  Sometimes I have only one dog out training, other times I will have all four.  Everything is gauged by how much the individual dog can handle (what can it perform with minimal stress and retain) and its particular goals.  Grace and Brutus are "control dogs" or examples mostly.  For groups of dogs out together I assign particular areas for each dog, called "bases" to prevent the possibility of aggression. My two dogs are very used to this structure and so will almost immediately relax and take a nap. Monkey see= monkeys do for the most part! Other dogs are much more inclined to relax when they see my two doing so.  When I am working on the group stays on "base" my two simply relax and snooze, showing the newbies what is expected and possible.  Once a new dog has mastered "base" sometimes I will practice basic heeling exercises with one of my dogs where they can see which makes it easier for the dog learning the new skills.

     In a nutshell, what I do with multiple dogs is handle multiple work loads.  Each dog deserves not only to be exposed positively to other humans and dogs (socialization), but also one on one training time, and time to themselves for rest.  It is a matter of being able to accurately determine each dog's threshold, and balance the possible stress of learning new skills against the progress and coveted results, while managing the environment constantly to ensure each dog's success in any given exercise.  I live for the difference I see in the dogs I work with.  Knowing that the self relaxation skills I taught a dog helped to de-escalate a potentially aggressive situation, or seeing that a handler understands their dog more fully and has taken steps to make that dog's life better gives me fulfillment and justifies any physical or mental strain I may have exerted to get them there.


For more information go to www.pawsthenplay.com or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pawsthenplay

Proactive versus Reactive Dog Training

     Have you ever wondered how to correct or punish an undesirable behavior in your dog?  I see dozens of people posting on websites daily to vent their frustrations.  Almost every dog owner has had to deal with issues before, so here is one option that may help.

Photo courtesy of the Greater Charlotte SPCA

     Change how you are thinking about the problem.  A question I see posed very often is "How do I correct my dog for  ________?"  That means you have already acknowledged that the undesired event will occur again.  The Oxford Dictionary defines "Reactive" as "acting in response to a situation instead of creating or controlling it."    If you do not have control over the situation or environment that created the undesirable behavior, then you need to consider removing the dog (and possibly yourself) from it altogether.

     If instead we focus on what can be done to prevent a repetition of the behavior, not only does this course of action yield more consistent results, but the bond between human and canine remains unclouded by misused or misunderstood gestures of "punishment" or "correction".

     If your 4 month old puppy suddenly begins chewing on your couch cushions instead of his/her own toys, a "correction" should not be what you first seek.  At that age, the dog does not yet know what is or is not allowed.  It has not been alive long enough to establish consistent patterns, and is (hopefully) learning new behaviors every day for which it is getting praised.  Punishment should not be the first choice of responses.

     Consider instead what else can be done to prevent the situation, or to change it if it is occurring.  A new rule of "No puppies on the couch" may be all that is needed to remedy the rouge chewing.  The couch as a resting place can always be introduced later as a reward.  I find leaving a leash on if the pup is loose in the house is an easy way to help restrict them from choice areas.  Spend more time praising your dog for behaviors that you like seeing.

Maple and Morgan hanging out in the sun

     Knowing that chewing is another way for dogs to release energy, increasing exercise should be another option.  Add an extra training session during the day.  Play fetch.  Record a movie of your dog performing all the tricks it knows and send it to your friends.  Go for a walk.  Visit a pet store.  Learn a new skill.  The options are endless.  A tired dog will chew significantly less.

     If cuddling on the couch always leads to a cushion in the mouth, and you just don't want to sacrifice the warm fuzzy feeling of your pup on the couch, consider keeping a stash of toys within reach.  As soon as Fido's nose goes toward the cushion, put a toy under that nose!  If you were not paying attention, missed your timing, and are still unwilling to put the pup on the ground, you need to be willing to have some drool and missing pieces of couch cushion.

     For help with proactive thinking and training, please feel free to contact me directly at pawsthenplay@gmail.com

     Happy Training!

   

I can't HEAR you!

Photos posted courtesy of Merci's furever family

     Merci's Furever Mommy did not plan on adopting her.  Fara was already very busy with her own dogs, and other foster dogs as well.  Maxx, a large German Shepherd, Milly, the Queen-Bee-Boxer of the house, and Finnegan, a 50/50 Miniature Schnauzer Jack Russell Terrier mix were already quite comfortable in the Robinson home.

     Merci is an adorable mix that appears to be part Dalmatian and part American Pit Bull Terrier.  She was surrendered because her former owners thought she was "stupid" and "wouldn't listen".  It didn't take any time at all for Fara, an experienced foster Mom, to realize that Merci was quite clever, and quite deaf.

     This lack of hearing may seem like a handicap to some; indeed it seemed an insurmountable problem for her original owners.  The other foster puppies were getting adopted left and right from Fara's home.  Merci just kept on getting passed over.  Fara stated "Puppies are normally adopted out very quickly – especially ones as beautiful and unique looking as our girl, but we had Merci for 7 months before I realized that I just couldn’t stand to part with her and Doug and I adopted her for ourselves.   No one wanted a 'damaged' puppy."

Merci and her buddy Finnegan

     From the beginning, Merci got along fine with the other dogs in the household.  This is quite fortunate since there were up to 10 other fosters in the home at a time, in addition to the three "House Dogs" Maxx, Milly (who has unfortunately recently passed away) and Finnegan.  When it was time to come in from play time, the other dogs would come barreling in, and it was Finnegan, the scrappy mix who would turn and bound back to Merci to show her the way.  Merci also fawns over Maxx, the GSD, wiggling his way with submissive mouth licking frequently.  The other dogs definitely don't look at Merci any differently for all her lack of hearing.

     In basic training, Fara found that Merci was wonderfully responsive- just not to words.  With hand signals (mostly American Sign Language) Merci can be told "Sit", "Down", "Place", "Leave it", "Off",  "Give", "Let’s go", "Ride", "Speak", "No","Come" and go to her crate.  She also demonstrates understanding of "Good girl" and "Toy", and is learning a "Touch" command (where she uses her nose to tag Fara's hand).

     Fara claims that Merci has made her a better handler and trainer.  Even though it is easier because there are less distractions (Merci cannot be distracted by the sounds of other dogs) it still requires patience, like any other training!  Merci has accommodated Fara's effort by becoming remarkably adept at interpreting nuances of facial expression, gestures and body postures.

     Fara said "She [Merci] seems to be able to read my mind sometimes.  Of course when she decides she’s cold in the middle of the night, she taps me twice on the shoulder and I dutifully lift the blankets so she can crawl under the covers.  I’m not quite sure who is training whom…"

Merci is not afraid of heights!

     One of the most amazing discoveries they have recently found with Merci, is that she responds to a high pitched squeal that Finnegan sometimes calls out.  When Finnegan yells, Merci comes running to him!  Fara affectionately calls this Finnegan's Singing, although she cringes when she talks about the noise.  Fara says it is quite a shrill sound, and wonders if it is at a certain range that Merci is just barely able to detect.  Fara and her husband are now working on training Finnegan to "sing" on command to call Merci.

     I asked Fara how Merci does when she is taken out to events in public.  "Usually when I take Merci out, she wears either a collar sleeve or a vest announcing that she’s deaf.  I want people to ask questions and meet her and see that she is a perfectly normal dog who just happens to not hear.  There are plenty of things that make her extraordinary – her sweet, happy temperament, her love of high places and sense of adventure, her serene nature – but they have nothing to do with the fact that she’s deaf."

     Thank goodness Merci and Fara found each other.





     *Fara is active with local rescue, and even after adopting Merci has not slowed down a bit.  Her rescue information is provided below.

The Greater Charlotte SPCA
Greater Charlotte SPCA Facebook Page