Blog 4: Training the Dog In Front of You

Training the Dog In Front of You

 I believe it may have been Denise Fenzi, a well-known trainer, businesswoman, and obedience guru, who talked about “training the dog in front of you”.  I loved that phrase since sometimes I get frustrated with one of my six dogs, just like everyone does from time to time, and find myself wishing that dog had a slightly different personality, or wasn’t scared of noises, or didn’t love all sorts of machinery, or would be kinder to my puppy, etc.  These feelings of “I wish you were different” are common and we shouldn’t feel “bad” about them.  Instead, we should notice them: “I am feeling like this….”  and then be understanding about why we feel that way.  We realize that some challenges dogs have are far more difficult to train “away” than others…and wouldn’t it be grand if our dogs were all mentally healthy, bright, and adoring and learned quickly with hardly any effort or practice time from us?  Indeed it would be grand!  But we have to learn to train the dog in front of us.

 What does that mean?  To me, it means dogs are not all created equal in the dimensions of sound sensitivity, brain chemistry, excitability, etc. etc. etc.  There are no cookie-cutter dogs like there are no cookie-cutter people.  Thus, we have to learn to pay attention, be aware of minor changes in our dog’s behaviors, looks, sounds, stress levels…and adjust our training to fit the dog we have.  One technique of teaching ‘sit’ will not work exactly as described for all dogs.  One technique for ‘loose leash walking’ will not work exactly as explained for all dogs.  Teachers need flexibility and students need flexibility because all dogs CAN LEARN…though the “how” may need to be adjusted. 

Does this create a bit more work for you?  Well, yes.  But it is creative work – detective work.  That’s a challenge most dog owners are ready to take on: how can I adapt to help the dog in front of me learn?  How can I set my own particular dog up for training success? 

The well-trained dog leads a far more free and interesting life than the untrained dog.  The trained dog gets to go on holidays, stay in hotels, sit under patio tables at restaurants, visit babies, ride in canoes, and hike the Rocky Mountains off-leash because they come when called.  That’s a life of fun, emotional warmth, and adventure.  This is the “Dog’s Life” we all want for our beloved companions. 

So, let’s all remember that dogs are not clones of one another…though they have many similar traits.  They are individuals like humans are individuals.  One dog may love having its head petted and one may genuinely hate it.  Can both dogs still learn?  Of course!  But do you want to reinforce the dog who hates having their head petted by petting their head and saying Good Dog?  No.  Approaching training with the full knowledge that dogs are individuals helps us treat them that way and not expect them to behave exactly like any other dog. 

What is the benefit to us of trying hard to “train the dog in front of us?”  We become far better trainers!  We have to learn to modify the techniques we have been using!  We have to think up new ways to teach old things.  Your brain grows more dendritic connections!  We become more flexible in our thinking!  Perhaps we learn a great deal about ourselves when we learn to train the dog in front of us.  We both benefit!

Blog 3: Setting Personal Goals for 2021

This is a bit personal but I decided to share it anyway. I thought some people, especially those around my age, might actually resonate with what I have spent much time thinking about: crafting a realistic future. I hope you enjoy this and get a tangible idea or two from it about the value of thinking hard about life and goals, and putting goals down on paper. The only part I am including here is what I call my “preamble” my own version of kicking myself in the rear…I didn’t include my actual goals. But I assure you, they are written out! It is amazing that I have accomplished many of those I first wrote down in 2016…though I didn’t consciously work toward them each and every day. Writing things down sets a general direction, and reading them frequently helps keep these ideas as a steering mechanism in the back of our minds. Pretty neat, actually. Hope you find this thought-provoking. Happy New Year to Everyone!!

Goals – Set originally in 2016 – At Age 66

Updated 2021 January 1 – At Age 70

I have updated this preface, but not the goals. I will read this piece daily in 2021, my 70th year on earth.

If I manage to live for the next 15 years, I will be 85.  That sounds old. If I live for 20 years, I’ll be 90.  Check the obituary columns.  People usually check out way before then. My parents lived into their 90s, so it isn’t beyond reason that I may live to 90 or beyond.  As I rewrite this, my mother is ready to turn 96 in 33 days.  She is doing quite well. If I live as long as she has, I would have 26 more years.  And I’d be really elderly. I don’t know if I want to live that long, but I certainly do not if I am not healthy.

 All those years between 70 and 90, say, will not be “productive” in the usual sense of this word. If I have goals that require energy and physicality, they need to be realized immediately. Some are already past realization.  I doubt I build my own house now, with my own hands – a goal I’ve had for decades.  I cannot expect to be hiking mountains in Zion at 90 or, even now, at 70.  My leg is simply too injured for uphill hikes. I don’t enjoy admitting that, but it is true.  I can accept some attenuation of dreams and reset my aim: I can walk the river flats at Zion, even at 90, if I challenge myself physically enough now.  “If…” that is the key, isn’t it? Energy runs down and then out as we age.  I know enough elderly people to accept this is true. Maintaining clear goals and working every single day toward them becomes harder both mentally and physically. But one can.  Some do. I want to be one of those who do.

 Some of aging is a crapshoot. Luck figures in. Genetics. The interplay of genetics and environment. Some aging is in our control at certain points, but not at all points along the way.  And accidents happen. It’s just so hard to think ahead to being feeble.  We see elders shuffling along and think never me.  The mind turns away from frailty, willing the body to go on forever.  We act as if there will always be another time when we can “get it together” or lose weight or stretch daily or learn to meditate or eat well or volunteer at the Food Shelf or join a health club and really go. Even in the face of lifestyle and age-related changes like already stiffening joints, knee replacements, limping, sleeplessness, obesity, flailing urinary systems – we seem to hold onto the idea that in the future we can still make changes to improve our health and mind and somehow get back to how we felt at 40. 

 We act as if that future is equally accessible for us across all our years.  It isn’t. We will all grow vulnerable if we live long enough.  We should practice accepting this. There will come a time when it is too late to make a significant difference in our body or mind. This is not negative thinking.  This is the reality of being in a human body. No one lives forever. 

In America, the ever-available-future mindset is called optimism.  People cheerily say: “I’m 70 years young” and “Age is just a number.” I saw the latter upbeat phrase printed on a senior living bus dropping elderly people off to shop for groceries – why? – because they can longer drive.  The irony.  No, age is not just a number.  The numbers count.   Believing they don’t count is a dangerous delusional myth: it subtracts a sense of urgency from the now.  In this myth’s shadow, actions needed for healthy lives can be put off and put off…because there is always tomorrow or next year as if all future years are equal over time.   They are not.

 It is good to make our own decisions while we can – and from the widest array of possible choices. But the reality of aging is this: the buffet of choices gets skimpier each year and eventually disappears altogether.  At 40 and 50, building my own house was on that buffet.  So was hiking the highest mountains, complete with backpack and hounds.  Today, those choices are gone.  Is that a tragedy?  No.  It’s a life.  A real human life.  Life (and what we desire) changes with time.  What do you really want to do – now and into the future?  Not the old dreams – but the new dreams based in part on what you realistically can still do.  What actions do you need to take right now to craft a better, more positive, healthier experience of both your current life and the ending of your life – today?

Blog 2 - Recordkeeping and New Training Projects

Does it really take a pandemic to get me to write Blogs?  It appears so – but I will try to amend my ways because I have some fun training projects going on, personally, and I’d like to share and encourage everyone to train their dogs! 

Recordkeeping 101

OK, I never have been very good about records.  I just trained.  But every single dog training conference I’ve ever attended emphasized the importance of keeping records of training.  Now that I have picked up two (ok, three) projects for the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, and I have 5 (yes, true) dogs’ progress to track – even I decided to buy some .25cent spiral notebooks, one for each dog, and I AM keeping records.  I’m actually seeing immediate results as I know exactly what to work on during each session – my notes from how it went in the last one are right before my eyes.  Every dog is making significant progress since training picks up right where I left off. I am also “counting” my training attempts as suggested by Jean Donaldson.  So, when teaching puppy Challah to go down, I lure her (without words) into the down position and if she goes easily that is 1/1.  The first number represents the tries she gets right.  The second number is the number of attempts so far.  We do it again, that is 2/2.  If she decides to forget what we are doing on the next rep, that is 2/3, and so it goes.  I try to work up to 5 reps, or 5right/5attempts.  When I get there, I then increase the criteria, perhaps stop using a lure for the down.  If she can’t seem to get it – then I go back and make it easier.  The notes in the spiral notebook aren’t very formal, but they are guiding progress.  Especially with my new projects which are at different stages of training with each dog, I need records!

 Project 1:  Do As I Do

Dogs are social learning giants.  How else would a wild pack predator survive?  They watch and learn, they do what their parents do and because they learn socially, they learn what prey to hunt, what to avoid, how to survive.  Our own dogs are also social learning giants.  Ask anyone who has a dog who opens doors.  How did they learn that?  They watched us and repeated our actions.  (It just occurred to me that we could probably use this theory for housetraining.  Hmmm.  Ok, just a fleeting thought.)  I am working on teaching all my dogs to mimic my actions.  The eldest border collie, Caj, is already able to mimic two behaviors successfully: “bottom” (two hind legs on the bottom of the agility equipment obstacles while front paws remain on floor) and “paws up” where the two front paws are placed up on various items.  The “Bottom” and “Paws Up” behaviors are ones he already knows really well.  I need at least six behaviors that he already knows reliably to be able to build up his understanding of the mimicking rule.  I also have to be able to demonstrate those behaviors myself, so no “tunnels” or 20” jump bars for me. 

 What does my progress look like so far?  I ask Caj to “sit” and “wait”.  Then I silently go over to a chair and place my two front “paws” on the chair, look at him, and then walk back.  I say “Your Turn”(my phrase for Do As I Do)  and Caj runs over to the chair and puts his paws up just like I did.  I cheer, praise, and treat.  I ask him to “sit” and “wait” again and go over to the A-Frame and put my back feet on the bottom edge of it, look at him, then walk back silently.  I tell him “Your Turn” and Caj runs over to the A-Frame and backs his hind legs on.  The cheering and treats start up again.  Believe me, we did a lot of work to get to this point but it is so exciting to see your dog mimic you!  This is a major feat of dog cognition, learning a RULE that applies across behaviors, but still a feat that almost all dogs are capable of handling. 

 After Caj truly seems to understand the mimicking RULE applied to the six behaviors he already knows (practiced in random order), I will introduce behaviors he hasn’t seen before like Mom tipping over a water bottle on purpose (lid on) or carrying a basket, etc.  This is a novel way of training in new behaviors and it is just a bundle of entertaining fun, too.  My brain is getting stretched!

 You can see YouTube videos on Do As I Do (the original research protocol).  It is impressive.  I have already found it important to have those 6 simple behaviors first – on a verbal cue, no miscellaneous eye movements or hand gestures.   It is also potentially easiest to start with objects – dogs seem to do better with an object in the picture as they are learning the rule.  This is more concrete for them.  Remember, you must be able to accurately demonstrate the behavior yourself so your dog can mimic you. 

 So, first steps if you are curious?  Train a good solid “wait” so your dog can sit and watch you demonstrate.   They all need this.  Then really think about 6 behaviors you can perform for them.  They need to be simple behaviors with just one skill, nothing too complex.  If it involves an object, so much the better.  Examples: sit in a chair, lie down on the couch, pick up a toy, put paws on that pedestal, touch something with their nose, jump on a low table, circle a cone, push a door closed.  Once you come up with your list, train your dog to do those simple behaviors on verbal cue.   Then you are ready to put the Do As I Do protocol into action.  It’s very interesting to see them use their mouth in place of our “paws” at times.  I wonder how they make that choice?  I’ll be writing more about this as I have 4 more dogs to train into understanding the mimic rule.  I hope you’ll join me on this journey.  If you don’t want to train alone, look for my Mimic Me class which will start up probably in April or May 2021. 

 Training helps US – it keeps us mentally flexible, thinking, pondering, and problem-solving when things don’t go right.  Training is positively reinforcing for both dogs and humans.  My own ultimate goal for my dogs is to be able to do a little circus act for entertainment at assisted living facilities. Perhaps a silver lining in the pandemic is I have more time to get my doggy act together. Get a cheap notebook for recording progress and join the fun!

Welcome!

March 27, 2020

Welcome, TCCA clients and fans.  I hope you are all well and perhaps even a bit bored because there is no drama in your life!  We are “back” at least in blog form. Hopefully, we will be back physically in class soon with you and your wonderful dogs, training, laughing, and enjoying being alive in the company of like-minded people.  

A Blog was planned when we first designed our website and now that classes were canceled for a whole session the time needed to actually get it going has appeared.  We may as well make a little bit of lemonade from this giant lemon.  

Our TCCA blog will cover a lot of topics and we will Post frequently.  Some Posts may teach a trick. Some may give a housebreaking tip. Some may introduce you to a beautiful poem or a beautiful horse.  We will cover a range of topics and because I will be integral to the blog you can get ready for some psychology, philosophy, and literature and lyrics along the way.  I hope our blog helps you learn something, smile a bit, think even more, relax, and stretch your ideas about dogs, training, life, what it means to be a community, and to love. 

When you are facing a pandemic and you are about to turn 70 years old after a small but adventurous life – a little nostalgia is acceptable.  So I will share two things important to me in this first Post. #1: This is one of my very favorite poems by the Kentucky farmer poet, Wendell Berry.   It was published in 1968 which was a truly difficult year for the United States. The assassination of King, Kennedy, and the Tet Offensive all happened that year. It was a time of turmoil on so many levels.  People struggled to stand for something important to their own soul, and wondered really, what was the soul of America all about? This poem is like a deep sigh in the midst of confusion.  

The Peace of Wild Things  
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

I hope you print that poem and put it up somewhere you can see it when the news rattles your mind and heart.  I have it up. You may not be able to go lie down “where the wood drake rests” but you have a dog. You can rest in the quiet breath of that dog, in the softness of their ears, the weight of their head on your lap – your dog chooses also to not “tax their life [lives] with forethought of grief”.  They simply ARE. We can take a valuable lesson from this.

#2:  Movement.  I am a child of the 60s and 70s.  I loved to dance. I still love to dance though I do it by myself these days when no one is looking.  So find that dancing queen in your heart. Check out Dancing in the Moonlight  (King Harvest) on Pandora all alone in your basement (though a willing dance partner, human or doggy, is even better).  It has the right beat for dancing with yourself and at least one very important thought: It is indeed hard to be uptight dancing….especially in the moonlight.   Move to music.  Move. Close your eyes and move as the still water moves…just slightly.  You may feel a bit silly. You may feel marvelous. Either way, you may also find yourself smiling.

Patricia
Owner, for the TCCA Team