i don't train dogs, i train people to behave so that dogs can understand them. that was yesterday's profound thought as i watched "them" feed...
it is down to a pretty good science and you can watch it on camera morning and night ?8:30 and 4 ish? the 2 person routine is easiest.."A" puts .2 bowls of food in the feeder... "B" lets out 2 dogs who run to the feeder where A puts their fingers in front of the bowls until there is less excitement ( 5 seconds is a long time to hold them back) but a then says "ok" they dive in and wolf down theeir food-- ( a healthy dog eats quickly) A picks up the bowls.. B calls each by name and they run back into theri kennel and turn around---B has a spoonfull of treat for them right in their face.... and then shuts the gate... the process can be done by one person -- it might take maybe 14 seconds longer per dog...
that is what a lot of this service dog training is all about. figure out what result you want and maybe more important WHY YOU WANT THAT REESULT... rarely... if ever do we play the role of "SEE WHAT I CAN MAKE MY DOG DO"-- which is.... in my opinion-- a lot of what obedience training is... don't get me wrong... there is definitely a place for instant obedience to a "command" but a well educated dog should not have to be told not to stuff their face in the nearest pile of food on a table... the example i usually use is ....... in a waiting room-- i sit down.. bentley looks at me and i quietly say "bentley lie down"-- if this was an obedience class , he should drop down... however... what i mean is we are going to be here a while and you may as well relax... you can lie down if you want but you are not going more than 24 inches from my knee" in an extreme situation if i really need him on the floor.....i might say "GDMIT lie down or you will ruin my reputation" at whinc point he drops slowly ....
we rarely make them do something over and over... you ask them to jump in the car- and they do... what you don't do--- is insult them by asking them to jump out and jump in again to be sure they do as they are told.
i leaarned this long ago--some of you know this one... i was on stage with thumper talking about using danes for service.. and someone said " but they don't retreive" and i said-- "they can" and proceeded to drop my wallet - i ased thumpe to pick it up- which he did... someone in th eback said "i didn't see it get him to do it again" so i dropped my wallet again..
thumper rolled his eyes and i could clearly hear "$%^&* i am not a trick dog." bailey on the other hand did 2 shockers... at an ADI convetntion someone wanted to show how ti get your dog to retrieve a wheelchair that had rolled away- and before she finished explaining how to do it, bailey did it without being asked to do ti.-- and then the mail call basket... she enjoyed the performance-- but there were a few times when she said "no"
as part of theri trianing... we are supposed to think ahead... and this one needs improvement with people who take our dogs on car rides-- you do not just open the door and let the dogs jump out--- because that is what you are tthen trianing them to do...which they then will do in the middle of the mall or highway... it takes no more than 3 seconds.... literally 2 or 3 seconds to have them wait and then ask them to jump out..-- then once they are out they must never runn off until told to do it... again because.. then they will...
take that split second.. "wait...ok jump out... wait here-- have a cookie.. now go." .. could be a life saver
multiply that by 4378 and you will have a trained service dog.
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so i try and think like a dog....i can not tell you how many times i have heard people say "i never thought of that" the classic... dogs bark and chase postmen because the postman always goes away- the dog decides he chased him away..and the poor post man is just trying to get on with his job... a self perpetuating situation... so some postmen carry treats to break teh cycle...
dog love to chase anything that runs-- which is why i do not allow kids running around here.. it is also the reason i can let MO out while sizzle is around,,, sizzle has the instinct to bounce in and see if she can make MO run.... MO keeps chewing so far so good...
what is really bad is when sizzle is on one side of MO and mindy on the other...i cn just see mommy nature toying with the instinct to circle the prey. that is another story i have told before.. my "origional" 8 danes were very well trained as a group..we were hired to provide atmosphere at ablack tie "great gadspy " dinner event-- all went well dogs wandered the dining room... behaving nicely...til people started to dance - and i just happened to notice in the nick of time most of the 8 had surrounded the dance floor--- figuring that these people were struggling to killl each other so they wanted to be in on it... luckily i stopped that thought... but it was there... no doubt.**********
now on to our breeding program... what a difference a day makes.... lynn brought watson to sdp... brother has he improved.. she posted his picture somewherer, and has had several inquiry about breeding to him... she said stud fees can be 2500 to 4000--- so my ears perked up...
to do that she would have to get out in the "show community" with him which means we should dig hout his papers and get him reg withthe akc...
that is totally possible with his denmark registration... just more paperwork... which if she will do it, i am all for it. she also said she would have to go to canada for shwoing because judges there will ignore the fact that he has "natural ears" ( not cropped) apparently in the states judges prefer cropped ears.. go figure...
i prefer cropped- they are cleaner, less inclined to get chewed up in play or a fight-- and i like the look... however i do not like the $832 vet fee we last paid - and the ire of all the people who don't think it should be done....done as major surgery by a veternarian-- and with that "crazy hat" i make out of coat hangers the cut edge is never taped over.. and they heal very quickly... i don't approve of teh massive taping
i hate to tell you what else we cut off the males.. which doesn't seem to bother 51% of the population...
as pretty as he is ( and what a personality !!) i would not consider breeding him to audry if i had any other choices... becaus e of teh harl harl statistics on that chart.... and we have anoter choice in wilbur-- who has a relative several generations back... but the choice to keep sizzle and mindy is looking far better than it did several days ago with only bentley as a chioce for them to get some relief of the " too many black puppy" problem... he should give us some color....
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we have a very interesting woman here-- from russia by way of dallas... she shou d be around today... she is not totally "up tp speed pof the details around here... and with the language barrier, i will spend some time today "breaking her in" -i think she has hired a rental car.. and oretty sure she has found a b&b in topsfield because she did n't realize as a cp volunteer, she coudl stay here..
i don't know where i got the idea fugan is about to arrive... if she is... it has to be a goldie thing.. because i thionk fugan is russian also...
whatever.. we are dealing with a language/ aging deaf problem.. so it woulf be a good time for fugen to arrive.
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one more week to sell out....keep up the good work... and keep puttin g the nales of your best dog in the place.... it is printing on emy daily report...thanks to all.
and
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hippo birdies 2 ewes for daughter gwen.
