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Likes: Scratches, sitting on my mom's lap, clicker training sessions, pushing Princess out of Daddy's lap to take her place, food stolen off of anyones plate
Pet-Peeves: Being picked up, having someone's face too close to his, an empty treat bag during training sessions
Favorite Toy: I really don't play with any toys
Favorite Food: Any people food. Stolen food is best.
Best Tricks: Ash is a Rally dog and is working on precision heelwork. His "trick" are numerous
Arrival Story: Ash is no longer up for adoption. I have so much blood, sweat and tears into him that I can no longer part with him.
Bio: In September of 2006, I pulled a ~7 year old little pom mix from the local Shelter. He had been picked up as a stray. He had a chip and the shelter called his owners. They said he was a runner and the shelter should keep him because if they took him back he would probably get hit on the street. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He had nipped at someone while in the shelter, so they could not adopt him out to the general public. So the rescue I work with was contacted and I pulled him. I named him Asher.
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He was fine for about 2 weeks, and then he bit me. He bit me in the face. That became a pattern for Asher. About every 2 weeks, there was another bite, usually to my hand.
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People think that nasty small dogs are funny. So not true. Asher's bites were hard. Deep puncture wounds that dripped blood and continued to ooze for days, my hand slowly turning from deep black and blue to a sickening green and yellow, swelling up so badly I could not close it. The scariest was that there was no overt warning. No growling, no snarling, no show of teeth, just Bam!
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The rescue director decided we could not adopt him to anyone. He was a huge liability. She gently urged me to let him go and offered to do it herself.
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But I am incredibly stubborn and taking away his life seemed like a personal defeat.
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So, I sought a behaviorist and started working with him. I got really lucky and found a wonderful trainer/behaviorist who has tons of experience with dogs like Asher. She literally wrote the book on reactivity, in fact, she wrote two (Scaredy Dog and Focus, Not Fear). She helped me learn to read Asher and, using non aversive techniques, transform him from an unpredictable biter to a wonderful companion. She recognized his potential and his intelligence and guided me through the process. She is Asher's Angel.
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Ash so loves to work, so beyond behavior modification, we started some serious training. He is so smart and he took to clicker training like a duck to water. The highlight of his day is when I get out my clicker and bait bag. He acts like a puppy. He learns quickly, sometimes picking up new behaviors in a matter of minutes. He keeps me on my toes because sometimes I feel he just reads my mind and knows what I am looking for.
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Ash has attended several trial in the past year and earned many, many pretty ribbons, often taking first place and pulling in perfect scores. Even better, I regularly leave the ring to comments about how wonderful our relationship is and how well we work together. On June the 5th, Ash earned his ARCh at Bella Vista Training Center.
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Ash has transformed my life. He has gone from being just another foster, and one I was slightly scared of to boot, to my student and my teacher, my follower and my leader, my partner and my heart dog. The wounds on my hands have healed and faded to scars, but the impact this little dog has made on my heart will last forever.
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He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion - Unknown
Forums Motto: Learning is changing what we do Dogster Local Spots I've Marked: Loveland, Jean DVM - Blisshaven Animal Clinic The Groups I'm In: Advocates for Positive Training, Behavior Problems, Brags and Wags, DAA: Dogsters with Aggression, Febreze® Pet Odor Eliminator™, How do I train my dog to do that?, OUT! Pet Products Group, Trupanion Pet Insurance Clubhouse, ~~Rally~~
The Last Forum I Posted In: My trainer brought a good observation today
This is not by any means the only method I have for llw. In fact, it has very little to do with the lead at all. It is all about teaching a dog that the most reinforcing place to be is at your left side. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to rewrite it here and update it for clarity.
Again, this is not a heel, just loose lead. But once learned, it can easily be kicked up into a heel. It is also not something you just start outside on your walk. While you may very well be able to use it that way, I think it is more effective if you start small and build.
If this doesn't work, I have other methods up my sleeve.
Ok, here is what you do. I am assuming that at this time, your dog knows what the clicker means, so we're ready to move on.
If the dog gets overly excited when trying to attach the collar or lead, it would be best to spend several session on just that first. She him the collar, wait for calm, the click and reinforce. Put it on his neck, click when he is calm and treat. Gradually work up to putting it on and having him stay calm. This may take several sessions.
Next, work with the leash. Show it to him and wait for him to be calm, then click and treat. When he stays calm, start clipping it on him. Clip it on the wait for him to be calm and look at you, then click and treat. Again, this may take several sessions.
I don't start training on walks, I start in my kitchen or basement. Initially, you are not moving very mush, so you don't need a lot of room. And let's face facts, if you can't do this in the kitchen, where the dog knows food reinofrcers are all around, you will not be able to achieve loose leash outside where there are so many things to compete for your dogs attention.
Each step of this exercise should be practiced to 80-90% compliance, then proofed on different locations, gradually raising distractions. It's all about baby steps.
Now you are ready to move. Hold the leash in your right hand looped over you last three finger, the clicker in you right hand between your thumb and first finger and the treats in your left hand because you will be delivering them off your left leg. The reason for delivering them off the left leg is because this is where you want the dog to be. Dogs, like people, will return to the place of the greatest reinforcement.
Think of it this way, if I gave you a ten dollar bill everytime you stood on my left, 6-12 inches off my bodt, parrallel to me, where would you be spending a lot of time? Dogs are no different.
Now, move only one step only in either a sideways, back or diagonal direction. If your dog follows, just one step, or follows you with his eyes while remaining in place, click and treat of your left leg.
Over the next few sessions, move any direction but forward, one step and click and treat if he moves with you or looks at you.
Now you are ready for a few steps, so take two steps, again, avoiding forward and click and treat as soon as he takes two steps with you. He should be moving with you at this point. I find the hardest part is bending over quickly enough to be sure my dogs keep four on the floor. Do not click if he is on his hind legs, but if you do click ALWAYS treat. This is where you add a cue. This is not heel, so I use "Let's go".
Once you are ready to actually begin walking, I find it best to start out backwards. When you are walking forward, dogs have a tendancy to focus on what is ahead of them. When you walk backwards, they are walking towards you and you are their focus.
Now you can begin moving forward. This may take several days or weeks to get to this point. Take three steps, click treat, then go to 4 steps, click treat, then maybe 6 then 10, then...well...you get it.
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