Training: Guarding

Renee, our dog trainer visited again yesterday. This meeting was to work on Guinness' guarding issue (guarding of me and my husband when another dog is around) and his lack of manners when greeting another dog. We borrowed our friend Domino the boxer to come over to demonstrate to Renee how Guinness behaves.

We worked with Guinness alone and kept Basil in the kitchen. With harness and leash on, we walked Guinness outside and tried to keep him focused on ME by feeding him treats from my hand one after the other. Just TONS of treats. If he was facing the Domino, turn Guinness' body using the leash and walking in a circle while feeding him treats. Allow Domino to get closer and continue to do the same. Now, walk him in a circle and have Domino follow and tightening the circle a little at a time. Then we did parallel walking where I walked Guinness down the block with Domino walking about 5-6 behind. At the end of the block, we turned and now Guinness is behind Domino. We walked pretty close to Domino so Guinness could get a whiff of him. Then, we went into the backyard and let them run around while dragging their leashes. After a few laps, we introduced Basil into the mix. Guinness did do his chasing off the other dog and giving him a pull on the neck as a warning. Domino has a lot of energy and Basil and Guinness just don't appreciate that. They tried calming him and themselves by ignoring him and eating grass which is a good thing.

In conclusion, my husband and I "just" have to keep play dates short and sweet. Find dogs that are the right match. ie. A lower energy dog and/or a smaller dog. Alternate play time: Bring one dog out for the play date, then put him back inside and bring the other out for play time. Start by doing the greeting outside and do the parallel walking. Keep play dates outdoors. especially when a high energy dog is involved. Never indoors and not in small spaces either. One side of our yard gets very narrow along side of the house. Fence that off so they can't run down that way. This was something I wanted to do anyway so I'm glad someone agreed with me. Pay attention AT ALL TIMES. When you're not watching, fights happen.

The thing I have to get over is that things just aren't the way they "used to be". If it means they need to stay home or that company can't bring their dogs, then that's just how it has to be and I can't put pressure on them.

Other things mentioned that we need to work on:

1. Sit/Stay or Down/Stay - I need to firm up the stay part of it. I also have to practice doing it from the outside of the baby gate. The boys do it on carpet, but when it's different they don't respond as well or at all. Put a carpet tile inside the kitchen so it's not cold or slippery.
2. Desensitize them from the hat. Hubs put on a new hat yesterday and Basil just freaked out. I'm not sure who started it but they got into a fight over the excitement. Basil was on top of Guinness' back and was pulling on his ear until he yelped. Basil was punished for a minute by putting him the bathroom. Desensitize them individually: Put treats around it. Bend it, fold it, move it around and more TREATS. Put the hat on and remove it immediately: quick off on off on and more treats.
3. Again with the crazy barking when guests arrive - keep one dog behind the kitchen, keep the better listening dog outside. Keep feeding treat after treat when the company arrive. Tell him to sit/stay! He must have a job to do. Ask company to go along with the training by ignoring them as well. If he breaks the stay, make him come back and do it again.
4. Ideally of course I want to be able to answer the door and have the boyz sitting in their position and not moving an inch without my say so and NOT have to stand there feeding treats to them hoping he won't go crazy. One thing I was doing wrong was I was going from step 0 to step 5. I expected them to stay when I went outside and back in. Instead, I have start small with one step at a time. Work with one of them at a time since one seems to distract the other into breaking the stay.

It's a good thing I have a 4 day weekend to start working on all this.

"Boys Down"

In this book I'm reading, "Feeling Outnumbered? How to Manage and Enjoy your Multi-Dog Household" it talks about assigning your multiple dogs a group name. That way I can say "BOYS sit" or "BOYS wait" instead of "Basil wait Guinness wait". It's especially useful when you need both dogs to do something like "wait" before exiting a doorway.

First, each dog must know the command very well. In this case, it's "down". Now that they know the command. I just say "Boys down" and immediately they both went down, say "yes!" then give them a treat.



I did this several times and when I felt like they both understood they both had to go down in order to get the treat I rewarded them with a new toy to play with.



This is a double headed snake toy from Ellie Mae's mom. It's been a great toy because each dog can get one end of the toy. Basil who hogs toys can't hog both ends of this toy even though he'll try. Guinness gets an opportunity to play with one end while Basil hogs the other end and at least they are playing together and Basil can get used to the idea.

"DOWN"

“Down”

I do “down” with the boys when I get home from work, but before I feed them dinner. They seem to be more attentive when we train before dinner.

Because Guinness seems to already know “down” without a food lure or hand gesture, I’m concentrating on Basil first. We just taught Basil down last week using a food lure. When Renee was here, he didn’t know “down” without the food lure.

I put Guinness behind the baby gate and worked with Basil first.

Say “down”. Hesitate 2 seconds. Then hand gesture (food or no food lure) your fingers to the floor (don’t say “down). As soon as his belly touches the floor, say “yes!” and reward with food from the other hand.

Then throw a treat for him to get so he pops back up and walks back over. I did this with Basil maybe 12-15 times using no food lure (because we did that last week and he should know by now). I did it both sitting and standing but mostly standing since that would be ideal. Then finally, he did it without a hand gesture! When he did that, he got a jackpot of treats!

I repeated the same with Guinness except I would tell him “down” as he was walking back to me in order to get him to do down from a stand instead of a sit. Guinness is a little ahead of Basil, so he goes down immediately. He rolled over a couple of times thinking we were doing “bang”, but I just turned my back and ignored him. After 2-3 times of that, he caught himself and rolled back over and did a firm down stay. Then I took it a step further and we did down on the cold floor. Guinn would go down but pop right back up.

By day 2, Basil had it all down without hand gesture or food lure.

Next: "STAY"

Training: "Down" and lots of other things

Yay! We had another visit from our dog trainer Renee aka. the treat lady. She gave mom more things to do with us and we will get treats and praise for them! Yay!

Now, back to mom for the boring stuff. (((yaaawn))) Guinn and I are gonna go back to napping now after this long day.

A couple of things:

• Pick up the food bowls when the boys are done eating. We usually leave the empty bowls and although they are fed separately, they will go lick the others bowl.
  
• Order DAP online.
• Buy Rescue Remedy from a local vitamen store. Give the boys 4 drops/3x times daily.
• Tell Guinness "leave it" if he tries to eat tootsie rolls, but praise him for it. Don't treat him for it.
• When exiting/entering doorways/baby gate, put Guinness in a sit/stay or down/stay and let Basil go first. Then come back and release Guinness and let him out.
  
• Work with the boys separately until they are both good at the command.
  

Working on "Down". Ideally, we want to be able to get the boys to go "down" at a distance. If they are a few feet from us and for whatever reason we need them to get "down" quickly, we can ask them of that from a distance. That will be our goal. For now, we just need to teach them "down" reliably.

Say "down", hesitate 2 seconds and without using any words, hand gesture down to the floor. As soon as his chest/belly touches the floor, say "yes" (with enthusiasm) and treat right away. It's best to get them from a stand to down instead of sit to down. Also, get them off the food lure.

Next time: Our friend Domino is coming and Renee is going to see why Guinness is guarding mom against other dogs. It's probably because our mom is so cool!

The Dog Trainer

We have a new friend! Her name is Renee the dog trainer! Other pawrents and furfriends love her, so mom asked her to come to out to our house to teach mom a thing or two ;)

Some things mom has to do with us before Renee's next visit.

"SIT" for everything. Basil doesn't always sit as intuitively as Guinness does, so now mom has to work with Basil so he sits for everything.

"WAIT" before going in and out of entrances.

Mom's favorite is "LEAVE IT'. She has to work with us everyday, a few times a day for 3-5 minutes on "leave it".

Mom asked Renee to come because Guinness and I sometimes fight at the door and Guinness has been guarding mom from other dogs. I guess I have been guarding too ever since Guinness came to live at our house.

We look forward to seeing her again!

The True Test

After all this training, we went over for a visit with Basil & Guinness' auntie Sugar to see how they would do there at Grandma's house. A big concern for us is *Will we be able to bring the boys over during holiday functions where there is a lot of chaos and such? Will they be dependable or will a fight break out?*

In the past, we let them run loose and they run around the yard and wrastle with all the other dogs. Our trainer friend told us that when we take them over to another person's house for a visit or for a party, we should keep the leash on them and make them sit at our side. For how long? For the whole time until they understand that THIS is the behavior we EXPECT from them at another person's home. Doesn't sound fun does it? Wait.

As soon as we entered the house, kids and dogs and lots of squeels of joy and love were all over the boys. Pretty quickly, we could see something escalating and I moved Guinness away into an open space. The boys dragged their leashes around the entire time. For the first 20 minutes, the boys were not allowed to interact with Sugar, the kids or eachother. I just had them "Sit" at my side with me forward or side ways. Each time they were tempted to get up, I reminded them to Sit again. When all was calm, they were allowed to play and get love, but the leashes stayed on. The kids asked us why we had to do this and we explained that dogs aren't allowed to just crazy in someone else's house.

Basil seemed to be excited (anxious) with this practice, but Guinness did very well and sat by my side the whole time with no protest. I'll have to work with Basil some more. It was hard for him to ignore Sugar when she was egging him on to play.

Next: Working on "Heel" and leash walking.

Bullie Bootcamp: Week 2

We're really starting to see results.

Our daily routine still includes:

• Ignoring them the first few minutes when I get home from work.
• No bed. No sofa.
• No mugging the door.
• When exiting/entering, they have to walk behind me.
• No barking frenzy.
• No compulsive licking (us).
• No hogging toys. We've taken them away.
• No mugging the food bowl.
• No tug of war play.

No mugging the food bowl - When we adopted Basil, I didn't train him to "wait" and then eat when I tell him it's okay to approach the bowl. It was my fault that I didn't have the patience and Basil was so easy going that I just thought, "ehh, he can have that one." With Guinness and Basil, together I noticed that they began mugging the bowl more and more. They inched closer and closer to it for fear the other dog would eat his food. I could see myself on an episode of the Dog Whisperer where I was one of those silly owners who was "afraid" of her dogs and threw the bowl down and couldn't get my hand away fast enough. Something had to be done. Once the baby gates were up, I was able to keep one dog out of the kitchen while I fed the other and no dog had to be afraid that the other dog will eat his food. Since Basil was the being the bully about the food, I fed Guinness first for a week. Before I had the gates, I would tie Basil's leash to the door while I fed Guinness. I made Guinness "Wait". I asked him to "Watch me" by pointing to the outer corner of my eye. Paused for a few seconds and then pointed to the bowl and said "Yes!" It took about 3-4 tries with Guinness. I wouldn't put the bowl down until they kept their head up and waited for my say so. Basil required 5-6 tries and finally he got the hint. That's also why I used Guinness first as the demonstrator since he's better trained and could show Basil what needs to be done. Soon after that, it only takes Guiness 1 try and Basil 2 tries. Also, they aren't scarfing their food down like somedog is going to steal it. When it was all said and done (after 6 tries), it seemed effortless. It worked and all it took was a few minutes. Don't get frustrated while you are training. As Cesar says, you have to be in a calm assertive state of mind.

*It's important to note that by controlling their food, I have far more leverage in training them.

Water bowls - It was suggested that we should keep more water bowls scattered around the house so that Basil can't guard them from Guinness. At first, I didn't see a need. I thought they were fine and it was great that they ate in the same room. I was so blinded by the need to get them to "get along". Perhaps it was more mental in doggie language because I didn't see any outward signs of Basil guarding over Guinness' bowl even though Basil would ocassionally block Guinness from his bowl. I just thought they liked swaping bowls and "sharing". It was suggested that maybe for peace, just keep the food bowls separated and put more water bowls around. So I put a big bowl on the far side of the dining room on a little rug. Immediately, Guinness came over and began slurping it down. My poor wittle man. I could tell he was relaxed and loved that bowl far far far away from "Basil's area". He went to it several times within the hour that day.

No Bed No Sofa - The boys do not attempt to go on the furniture anymore. We rarely have to remind them now. It finally sunk in and they lay on the carpet in the evenings. Then a few days ago, they began voluntarily going into their crates to sleep. Guinness goes into it more often than Basil. Basil jumped onto one of the arm chairs and then I realized he just wanted to go to bed and wasn't necessarily being defiant. He actually has a bed time of about 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM. So I led him to his crate and he slept in there without protest for the rest of the night. I do that every night now. One late night while my husband and I were watching a movie, both boys went into their crates. When Guinn heard a noise on the tv, he came out and Basil came following like "who dat?! what's dat?!" Then they would go back into the crate. They did this repeatedly. It was so funny!

PLAY! We do get to play with them but we do the work first. When they are calm and we've done our training, we'll play with them and let them outside to romp.

After 2 rigorous weeks of training (and seeing results), we awarded the boys on Saturday morning to nap with us on our bed. We let them come upstairs and onto our bed. We cuddled and slept with them for another hour before rising. It was so sweet. Basil and Guinness were huddled between us laying on one another's behind.

Next up...going for a car ride, walk and to Grandma's house.

Bullie Bootcamp: Days 4-7

I feel like the boys see a change in the dynamic and know something is up with their mom. Basil moreso than Guinness. Guinness just seems like he still needs time to settle in. He still seems very much on edge especially now that we're exerting our authority.



Personal Space:

They are beginning to stay in the dining room while I'm in the kitchen and in the hallway when I'm in the bedroom. They still try to crowd my feet, but I just kick back so they learn. It's more Guinn than Basil. They also seem to be learning to occupy themselves. They "Watch Me" for a while and they seem bored and begin to play with one another.



Firming up basic obedience: "SIT". Reading Jan Fennell's book.

Guinness sits very nicely and IMMEDIATELY upon verbal or sign command. He sits intuitively. Basil however does not and is food driven mostly. I have to pretend I have food in order to get him to sit and it's not immediate. I began working with him on the "Sit" command using a high value treat - these liver biscotti treats by Woolf. They are pricey, but they work! After just 5-10 treats to teach him Sit, Come, and Heel he got the hint. Since then, just a gesture (sign command) and he sits. I will do it more until he gets it intuitively. He doesn't like sitting on cold floors.



Baby Gates:

We gated the kitchen from the dining room and living room. We just plan on using them to maintain some space from us and them. We put out additional water bowls in the dining room so that they can still have plenty of water and don't feel like the water is being rationed or guarded. Guinness seems to love the extra water bowl. Perhaps it's because it's not next to Basil's bowl and he doesn't feel a need to guard it or be guarded against it.



Toys:

Basil hogs the toys and bones. If Guinness gets the bone, Basil will hound him for it and steal it right under Guinn's nose. Today, I picked up all their toys around the house and yard as they watched and put them all away. This is how we control the play (Fennell). Sunday morning, they got into a squabble over one of the two bones in the living room, so they got put in time out for 30 seconds.

Bullie Bootiecamp: Day 1-3

After a lot of great advice from someone with experience with "behaviourially-challenging" dogs, I implemented some rules and things are already improving *for me*. Also, I'm reading Jan Fennell's book "The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with your Dog for Willing Cooperation". I should not forget that as Guinness settles in, things will only get "worse" as his personality unfolds. Jan Fennell's book is excellent. I think everyone who is planning on adopting a dog should read this book BEFOREHAND. She has a comprehensive 30 day guide regarding what you should do when a new dog joins your family.

Fennell says that when a new dog joins the pack (family), they automatically assume that a new leadership election will be made. So in other words, Basil and Guinness are vying for top dog and even competing with me and my husband for the spot.

So far this is what I have been doing with the boys:

• No Go Zone - The second floor of our house. There is no need for them to up there. (Fennell)
• No Privledges - They are no longer allowed on the bed or sofa. If they jump on it, tell them firmly "OFF".
• No laying on you or on your feet. The Alpha (you) should have your perimeter of personal space. Them laying on you can be interpreted as they are superior to you. (Fennell)
• No eye contact unless you plan on interacting with them. Basically, ignore them most of time unless you are training or playing with them. (Fennell)
• No crowding at your feet. This is one way they are controlling you. When you move, they should move out of the way and not vice versa. If they crowd your legs and feet, kick back. Not hard. Just a "watch out" sorta kick back so they learn not to crowd you.
• Put up baby gates and section off part of the house like the hallway or kitchens. They do not need to follow you everywhere. These gates by Summer Infant are recommended because they are very high, decorative and wide. They also have a gate that opens and closes on it's own, so you don't have to lift it like the plastic baby gates. I'm trying to figure out how to strategically divide up our first floor space.
• Humans first (Cesar Millan) - You should always enter or exit the door first. This has been challenging with Guinness but easy with Basil. Basil always waited for me. Guinness however is pushing both Basil and me out of the way and it hurts! I've got some collateral scratches.
• Ignore when you first come home (Millan & Fennell) - Fennell puts it far more eloquently but basically take your time, check the mail, set your purse down, etc. before acknoledging the dogs. Especially if they are hyper. Basil hasn't been a problem but Guinness jumps onto my thighs when he's excited. I have regular bruises from this even though I block and tell him "Off". Once they are relaxed and you've done your business, you can acknowledge them. I knew this before we got Basil, but I wanted so badly to play with him and I felt so guilty that I worked out of the home that I would rush to him. Now I take 15 mins to get changed and start dinner and it's made my daily routine a lot easier. I'm not frazzled anymore.
• "QUIET" - Guinness whines if we don't hurry to let him out of his crate. Basil barks at the neighbor next door. Just a firm, sharp "Quiet!" does the trick. I was amazed how well this worked. I didn't hear a peep out of them after that. The neighbor was the true test and as always Basil began barking at him when he took out the trash and made banging noises. I commanded a sharp "Quiet" and if he kept on barking, I went over to him, took him by the leash and brought him back inside.
• Leashed at all times - Oh yeah, they have to leashed from now on. It's just for control and for a physical touch. If there is a squabble, we can step on the leash quickly and stop a pursuit. When Basil was barking, I was able to just pick up the leash instead of a series of unsuccessful "stop it! come! Stop that Basil!" This is all done without tugging or yanking. It's literally just a lead to get them to do what you need them to do. They are also more aware of the leash and aren't flying off the handle.
• No Licking - Basil compulsively licks us at night. Guinness began doing it too. It's just annoying! When they attempt to lick us, just a firm "Quit it!" should do the trick. It's worked and I have a dry snort free arm now!
• No playing Tug of War or Fake Biting ( Fennell) - Can be interpretted as they are superior to you when they win.

Fennell also talks about how you know when you're dog knows YOU ARE leader and how dogs will still test and manipulate you. It's all very insightful.

In addition, Basil needs more work with "Sit" and "Come". Guinness was trained by a professional trainer in his former home so his basic obedience is excellent. Basil's is very wishy washy and although he can "Sit" and "Come", he doesn't do it when we really need him to do it. He doesn't like sitting on any cold surface (he's such a priss). I realize now that it's really important because it can save him from a sticky situation. As for Guinness, I would like to work with him more on heel and leashing walking. He seems to know it but still tries to drag me like a kid pulling a balloon.

Results - The results are very rewarding. They are smart and they know what they are doing. Doing these few things, I am less frazzled and I'm in a better state of mind (Millan kekeke) to work with them.

General feelings - Frustration. Sadness. Guinn and Basil jumped onto the couch and when I told them "Off" they rolled over and wanted me to play "pin me" with them and rub their bellies. I wanted so badly to but had to tell them "Off". When they got off, I played with them as their reward. Ignoring them is sad. I know this is what we're supposed to do to establish leadership but it's no fun. We can't do the fun stuff unless we've done the work to go with it. We bought some high value treats to use to work with them. In general, we've stopped giving them a treat for every little thing (ie. going potty). Instead we give them a pet and some affection.