We choose to bring a dog into our home. Therefore, we are obligated to teach in a manner which does no harm and is fair to the learner.

Organic~

Of change or development, gradual and natural rather than sudden or forced

The ability to adapt, learn, and evolve

Emergent behavior or emergent properties

Made up of many different parts which contribute to the way in which 

the whole structure works

Instrumental; acting as instruments of nature or of art to a certain destined

function or end.

Organic Dog Training~

"We choose to develop a lifelong relationship with our dogs by nourishing their ability to learn, adapt, and evolve. We encourage desired behavior through steady growth, as opposed to instant change, by relying upon feedback from the dog, which we recognize as a sentient being " ~ Chris Waggoner

Still Life With Pig

Meet Tofu, a four month old Vietnamese Potbellied Pig and the newest addition to our home!

Tofu arrived yesterday after a harrowing three hour-plus drive through a heavy Oregon snowstorm. His foster family, who bravely drove him here to Bend, had been caring for the little black pig for the last three weeks.  The kind foster family arranged for his medical care, including a much needed neutering. Even now, two weeks after his surgery Tofu is quite amorous, grunting at me in what we have come to call his "Barry White voice".

Many people adopt Potbellied Pigs after hearing that "Pigs make great pets!" and "Pigs can be easily taught to use a litter box!"

Just be aware- pigs can be taught to use a litter box, but many  will never defecate in them, preferring the great outdoors (or your floors) for this activity.

Pigs can also make great pets-if your expectations are reasonable. Do not be swayed by fond memories of the genius-like Arnold the Pig or clever Babe or even sweet naive Wilbur from "Charlotte's Web". Your pig will never gain the power of human speech, nor will he influence spiders to spin webs in which colorful words hang like raindrops-believe me.

Nonetheless, a pig, like any other species, deserves to be taught using the fairest method available.

I believe that when you bring another species into your home, you are as obligated to teach them and to care for them as you would a child. Fortunately this does not include sending them to college, paying for orthodontics, or allowing them the use of the family car.

Knox gets a look at the new guy. "What kind of cat IS that???"

It does, however,  require you, the human with the (presumably) larger brain, to also use the kindest method possible in teaching your new addition the rules of the house.


Today's Lesson

A pig, in nature, would never wear a harness.

This piece of equipment has no meaning in a pig's natural world.

When living with humans, however, a harness is a useful piece of equipment that allows us to safely travel small distances.

But how do we communicate to the pig that despite what he thinks, we are not trying to harm him or trap him (surely a harness must feel this way to a prey animal?)

Simple! We make the entire thing his idea.


What do you mean, Chris?

I'll show you! This video was taken on Tofu's second day in residence at my home. Total time spent training was about nineteen minutes or so, broken into three small training sessions. It may seem like a long time. Some may insist, "Chris! Just slap the darned thing on and be done with it!" But really,  a twenty minute investment in such a useful behavior is well worth the time, yes?  Even more importantly for me, it establishes the relationship between us as one of trust.

You give me what I want and I will reward you for it

Being a young pig, Tofu has had very little experience with a harness. As you will see, in the first frame, he cautiously backs away from the harness. BUT-by the end, he is standing in place for the harness to be fastened! Smart pig!  Watch video by clicking here  -use your back button to return to this article.

How was this training accomplished?

The clicker

A clicker takes a snapshot of the behavior you want. When the click is followed by a reward the clicker becomes a very powerful training tool- the training itself  becomes rewarding!

This results in training that is:

FAST (amazingly fast, especially as the learner 'learns to learn')
Effective
Fun for both the learner and the subject
Successfully retained (sometimes years later, even if not performed during all that time)
Simple-anyone can learn how to do this!

I hope you will check back often to learn how Tofu is progressing. We would love to see you here again! And as always, comments, questions, and sharing of ideas are welcome :)

Happy Training!
Chris

For more information about Pot Bellied Pigs go to:  
Northwest Miniature Pig Association www.nwpetpigs.org
If you would like to learn more about clicker training, go to:
www.clickertraining.com
http://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer

One Pebble At A Time

Clicker training is unlike most traditional methods of teaching dogs in many ways. 

For example, clicker training teaches the behavior first, then adds the cue (not a "command"*) Once the cue is added, un-cued responses are no longer rewarded. The result? A dog that learns to pay attention and wait for you to issue the cue in order to be successful. 

Behaviors are broken down into tiny components

Just as we do not expect that our five year old will bring home the novel, War and Peace and a reading assignment after his first day of Kindergarten, we do not expect our beginner dogs to learn advanced behaviors in one training session. Taught separately, behaviors are then chained together, resulting in some astoundingly complex sequences. So it is with a child learning to read-learning what each letter represents is the beginning step to writing a novel someday.

Very few words are spoken during training

But won't my dog learn faster if I tell him what he is doing wrong? The beauty of clicker training is that you already are, in effect, telling your dog what you want. A click means "yes". No click means "try again, dog!"  Human language is very confusing to dogs (just think of how many words sound alike to us!). If you chatter constantly, your dog will (out of necessity) tune it out. Make your words count-use them sparingly when training.

Self Control

Another side effect of clicker training is a built in lesson in self control. If you are the learner and you are not paying attention and actively participating, you don't get the reward.  If you are the teacher, you soon learn that if you end your training sessions on a pleasant note (as in quitting while you are ahead-not easy!) you greatly increase the odds of having a willing participant the next time around, and then the next time after that.

The bottom line is, little by little, every day, we teach and we learn. Each little pebble of this process is like the first steps of a journey-in the beginning it feels like we are getting nowhere, but just keep walking- suddenly you will be exactly where you want to be.

The Crow and the Pitcher 

A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had
once been full of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the
mouth of the Pitcher he found that only very little water was left
in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it.
He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair.
Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it
into the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped it into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near
him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench
his thirst and save his life.

Little by little does the trick.

 

Happy Training!

Chris

*Another difference is the use of "cues" rather than "commands". Why? A cue gives the learner an opportunity to perform a requested behavior and then be rewarded. A command is used to communicate to the learner that "this must be done or else".  "Or else" is usually something unpleasant.

What Is Your Dog Learning?

What are you teaching your dog?  

Whether you wish to do so or not, you are teaching your dog  every minute of every day. Below are two examples of how easily this can occur without our even being aware of it, followed by an example of how to reinforce a desired behavior.


Breakfast Time!

Pup is in his crate. He hears you stir and begins to whine and paw at his crate door. You walk straight over to the crate and open the door. The pup comes blasting out, dancing and leaping in the air. You let him outside while you prepare his breakfast. He does his business, and then he hears the sound of kibble falling into his bowl. He runs to the back door and begins to bark excitedly and scratch at the door to be let in.

You have not had your coffee and really want some QUIET so you open the door to stop the scratching and barking. The pup blasts in and begins to leap about with excitement. Jump, jump, jump! You tell him “Down, down, down”.

He pauses for a nanosecond, then resumes jumping, this time managing to rake your bare leg in the process. OUCH! Here, eat! You begin to lower the bowl. Simultaneously, the pup jumps up,  catching the rim of the bowl with his paws, flipping the bowl and its contents to the floor. He then races around the kitchen snarfing and chasing the food. Fun, fun, fun.

Okay-let's review. What did I teach my dog?

(Yes, this was me, I am sad to confess)

Dog hears me stir---he whines/paws at crate door---whining =  CRATE DOOR OPENS!!! Happy Happy!!! Run! Running feels GOOD!!

Dog hears sound of food being poured into bowl--- begins to scratch/bark/paw at door---scratching/barking/pawing = DOOR OPENS!!! Happy!!!Food!! Jumping is FUN!!

Dog sees/smells food---Jump/jump/jump/paw at legs of human---Jumping/pawing legs = FOOD EVERYWHERE!!!!! Oh, man, this is the best EVER!!! I love to eat!!!

How many behaviors did I reinforce without meaning to? I am not the only one to become blinded by the moment. Here is a scenario that is likely happening right now, in homes all across the country.

The Family Pet

You have just brought your sweet, chunky, squishy lab puppy home. Look at him-he is so cute! Look at him run! Oh…he wants to be picked up! Come here you sweet boy! Kiss kiss kiss. Who’s my little boy!? Kids, don't fight over who gets to hold the puppy! Take turns!

Six months later:

Get DOWN! I don’t know why he jumps on people-I have tried everything (which really means strongly protesting each time he jumps up, sometimes in combination with pushing him off).  I have got to get this dog into a training class. I just don't have the time or money right now. Maybe he will calm down as he gets older...



The dog's perspective:
For the past four months whenever he ran on his cute, clumsy, chubby little legs to a human, that person immediately bent down and picked this sweet, kissy puppy up, laughing as he licked and squirmed, all while speaking baby talk to him.

Now the rules have changed. But having no other tools in his greeting toolbox, he will likely try even harder to get the only results he knows and has been so richly rewarded with.

Pushing him and shouting "down" have no meaning in his world-"My human is making weird noises again! Oh, she wants to play! Fun times! But it makes me a little anxious, too, this new game. I may just mouth a little bit, while I am jumping. Let's REALLY play".

The children soon tire of being nipped and mouthed and jumped upon. Mom is busy and so outside the pup goes, to the "perfect for a dog!" back yard that has not been puppy-proofed in the slightest.

Now he is all alone in the back yard, a very unnatural state for a pup. In fact, a potentially dangerous state for a young dog to be in, if he were in the wild. Evolution has very nicely provided a solution for a dog who finds himself alone; he begins to bark and howl for his siblings and parents to come and find him. Eventually he tires of barking and finds something to chew on...ahhhh...that feels better. Maybe a nice dig in the dirt while I am at it, too.

At some point in the day, mom thinks to check on the pup-but what's this? He has chewed my flowers! Oh NO! He has dug up every one of my spring bulbs. That DOG. Why is he so BAD?

She lets him back inside-he is so ramped up and excited to be back with his family that he rockets around the room, crashing into tables and knocking the lamps over with his wildly swinging tail. The children had been quietly playing, wrapping doll's limbs in toilet-paper bandages and placing them carefully in the 'hospital' located under an end table. The dog, in his excitement, grabs a doll which was recuperating with two broken legs. The children howl in protest and begin to chase the young dog (FUN!!! A game of CHASE!!!) Mommmm!!! He has my DOLL! Her legs are broken!! Does he have to be in here?!  

Are you starting to see how behavior problems are born, and then maintained? Much easier to see when you are not a participant, aren't they? We must teach ourselves to be aware of what we are reinforcing, every minute of every day. It's not easy!

But it does get easier.


What TO do, then?

Let me say first that it is much, much easier to prevent unwanted behavior by setting clear rules and being consistent. Does this mean that you can't go back and fix a behavior problem? Not at all! But first we must talk about extinction bursts.

Extinction bursts

The usual example of an extinction burst is the soda machine analogy. You walk over to the machine, feed your dollar bills into the slot, then push the button for your selection...and...nothing. You check the button for an "empty" light, but all looks good. So you push the button again. And again. O-kaaayyyy...you then hit "refund" and...nothing! Frustrating!!! You push "refund" a bit harder. Then you use the side of your fist.


That is an example of an extinction burst-that little anxious cloud of..."hey...what's going ON here...HEY...?!".  Keep this in mind as you are changing behavior. For a time, you may see an increase in the behavior you are hoping to change-that's an extinction burst and it's really important to understand that it will pass.


If you have a new pup and the luxury of starting with a clean slate, then simply decide what behavior you like and reinforce it. Notice I said simple-not easy! It takes practice. But don't worry-one slip will not spoil your efforts.


Reward what you like
For a feeding, I like my pups to sit and wait before I place the bowl on the ground. This means that the first few times I feed (believe me, dogs catch on quickly when food is involved), I stand and WAIT. When the dog gets tired of jumping around, eventually, he sits. THAT is when I begin to place the bowl on the ground. If he gets up from his "sit" the bowl goes back up, too.  Soon you have a dog sitting nicely before the bowl is on the floor.
I cannot possibly cover all aspects of changing a behavior in this one article. Fortunately, there are many wonderful resources already written. One of the best is "Don't Shoot The Dog" by Karen Pryor.


Like it or not, we are always teaching. When faced with a behavior you strongly dislike, before getting angry and frustrated, try taking a step back and asking yourself,  is this is something I actually taught my dog to do?*

(*hmmmm...or...is it something my dog has taught me to do?!)

Happy Training!
Chris

A New Year

I resolve to keep my resolutions simple this year!

 More naps

I will accept the aging process and maybe even learn to love it (maybe?)

 

More play, less worry

 

I will remember that each of us is fighting our own private battle. I will be kinder. 

More listening

 Less Talking

I will learn to shake it off and move on

  

 More dancing

"I think dogs are the most amazing
creatures; they give unconditional love.
For me they are the role
model for being alive"~Gilda Radner 

"Why, who makes much of a miracle? As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles" ~Walt Whitman

Just look around you-joy is everywhere. Dogs are the very embodiment of joy! Take time to breathe, laugh, and run.

Happy NewYear, and as always...Happy Training!

Chris Waggoner

Doctor, Doctor Give Me The News...

When I was a little girl I went into a small panic upon hearing the word "doctor". I could be playing happily with my dolls on the other side of the house far from the sounds of conversation when my ears would catch upon the feared word and my heart would begin to pound. As the daughter of a US Air Force captain, we travelled internationally. A doctor's visit was likely to mean a painful vaccination into an arm or leg muscle. The soreness and resulting fever the next day made the experience even more long lasting and miserable. These vaccinations were meant to save my life and were obviously necessary. Sadly, as a toddler, I could not understand this concept and so my fear was big and hairy with yellow jagged teeth.

Eli in the exam room, calm behavior reinforced with cooked chicken

Imagine, then, what it must be like for our dogs to pay a routine visit to the veterinarian. Dogs have no understanding of what the place is.  Their amazing noses certainly pick up the lingering scent of fear which saturates even the kindest of veterinary practices. But we march them into the waiting room, oblivious in our confidence and awareness of what is to come during the visit-an awareness our dog is not privy to.  Unless...he is one of the lucky ones. More on that, later.

A Typical Routine Visit

"Let's get a weight on him, shall we?" the vet tech says, holding her clipboard and walking us briskly to the floor scale.

Most pet dogs have had little experience standing on wobbly surfaces-instinct triggers the urge to GET AWAY from this unsafe thing. We understand that this is only a harmless scale, and because we know there are potentially more serious things in store, we tend to be a bit impatient with our dog's seemingly dramatic overreaction. We pull and push and tell our dog "sit...sit...sit...stay..sit" as the silent audience filling the plastic chairs of the lobby watches our complete ineptitude.  Pressure, anyone?  Finally the dog sits still long enough (although leaning as far from the scale as he can) for the #$%!* numbers to stop blinking. We have a weight! Perspiring slightly from the exertion, we follow the tech to the exam room.

The exam room

Another strange person enters (a different vet tech) and without so much as a howdy-do proceeds to insert a foreign object into our dog's rectum (can science not come up with a less intrusive way to take a dog's temperature?) She asks a few questions, jots down the answers, then she is gone and we wait... some...more...waiting. Our dog is likely leashed all this time as he vainly tries to get a smell on the room. We hold him back, not knowing when the door will be flung open, as he winds the leash
around the chair legs and our legs. Our dog by now is likely in a state of arousal, probably panting, perhaps pacing, and maybe even drooling.

The vet enters and we sit up, alert.

Our dog notices this change in our behavior-oh, yes, you can be sure of that. The stranger carries the scent of anesthetic, bleach, medicines, and all of the scents of all of the animals (sick ones, scared ones, ones who may be dying) she has come in contact with up to this moment. She not only comes close to our dog (into his personal space) but then she begins to poke strange objects into our dog's ears, hold his mouth open, and place strange metal objects to his chest-none of which our dog understands.


The grand finale

Likely, a vaccination (or two), or perhaps even fluid squirted up his nose (and this is just a routine visit-think of the dog who must have his ears flushed, or a wound stapled!) end the visit.  Then it's back to the waiting room as we wait to pay...and finally, sweet freedom! Our dog may roll in the grass outside given the opportunity, as if he is attempting to wash the experience away.


There is another way

For a service dog (and any dog) making the visit to the vet as pleasant as possible should be taught as commonly as we teach basic "obedience" behaviors like "sit" and "stay".  If your dog is one of the lucky ones I mentioned at the beginning of this article, you have asked your vet for permission to bring your dog and a bag of treats in for a visit (every veterinarian I have ever asked in this non-scientific survey said "Yes! I would love it if you did this!") and have actually practiced good manners while driving to the vet, getting out of the car, entering the lobby, and sitting in the lobby.



Do not be fooled by my forthrightness or confuse it with smugness, by the way. I have been humbled many times by a dog whirling at my feet as I tried to navigate from the car to the clinic doors to the scale to the exam room, then out again. Learn from my mistakes, people! Otherwise I have suffered for naught!

Eli's First Vet Visit

First step-keeping Eli relaxed while waiting. We have been practicing "sit" on so many surfaces in so many locations under so many circumstances that having him sit on the scale was a piece of cake (he was 25 lbs in case you were wondering). He climbed up on the scale and sat quietly as I fed him roasted chicken. Scale + chicken= Sweeeeeeeeet!

Next, the exam room. I allowed Eli to walk the entire room, sniffing. When he came back to me he received a click/treat. He began to relax.

Click/Treat for returning to me

When the vet entered (she, rather than a vet tech takes the rectal temperature of her patients), I grabbed the can of canned cheese she considerately placed within easy reach and began to slowly squirt cheese in Eli's mouth as she inserted the thermometer (which he gave no indication of noticing!) Click/treats were given for standing still as he was examined-all at his pace and with his comfort foremost (thank you, by the way to Dr. Ladyga of Deschutes Veterinary Clinic in Bend for being so considerate and forward-thinking!)

Dr. Lorrie Boldrick (lead veterinarian for Freedom Dogs and author of Essential  First Aid For Dog Owners ) later joked that I probably took Dr. Ladyca's lunch and squirted it in my dog's mouth.  But I knew the cheese was for her patients-I am very, very lucky to have such a good veterinarian (she must own stock in canned cheese - or should!)

Eli sits nicely as his heartbeat is listened to

During the entire visit, Eli was kept well under threshold by giving him things to do while we were waiting. I also took advantage of the opportunity to teach him that 'sit' and other behaviors we are learning is the same behavior, even when we are not at home. Of course, I did not expect perfection and if he was unable to perform a requested behavior, I knew it was because he did not understand or was too distracted.

One of the benefits to training a dog that you know is not really yours is that you become very clear-headed about his behavior. When the dog is our own, it adds a layer of fuzz to our perspective, perhaps because in our mind, our dog's behavior is a reflection of us, so we take it very personally when our dog, say, "misbehaves" at the dog park. I know I am as guilty of this as the next person. But really, if we stop and consider objectively why our dog is so "out of control" at the vet clinic or in other stressful places, we are one step closer to preventing it's recurrence by actually changing our dog's behavior, not merely trying to suppress it or ignore it. Try it sometime- look at your dog's behavior as behavior-nothing more. Hard to do but well worth the try. After all, you cannot change what you do not acknowledge (I think I just channeled Dr. Phil! Wow..)

Happy Training!
Chris

Week 1- Eli the Service Dog

(Note-for those new to my blog- Eli is a black English lab puppy I am training for Freedom Dogs  . Eli is 11 weeks old and has been in my home for 10 days as of this post. I will be writing of his progress, along with my usual ramblings ;)

I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about introducing Eli to Dexter. Don't get me wrong; Dexter is very sweet natured, as hounds usually are.

But...Dexter is so BIG. Lean and pure muscle, Dexter can leap straight up off all four legs to a height of six feet. How do I know this? I have seen him do it. With my own eyes. I am convinced the dog was part of a genetic experiment in which grasshopper genes were involved. Or perhaps, like Spiderman, he was exposed to a radioactive insect at some point in his development.


In any case, Eli and Dexter have turned out to be very compatible playmates. Dexter is gentle and Eli respectful-a perfect combination. Take a look at this lovely play session. Notice the following:


Dexter self handicaps by:

• coming down to Eli's level (at the 29 second mark)
  
• adjusting his strength (many times in the video)
  
• stops immediately when Eli signals distress (1.34 minute mark)
  

Eli communicates his intentions by:

• pawing
• rolling onto his back

Notice also that this play is mutual. They  take turns being the "victim" and the "aggressor". When one breaks away the other pauses before resuming their play. This is a very nice example of good play.


Other news:

Eli, this week, developed some selective hearing. Apparently, the great outdoors is way more fun than going back inside the boring old house.

So, I chopped some turkey breast into chunks and we began to practice recalls. I filled my pockets with the high value treats and randomly would say (in a conversational tone) "Eli, come". As he turned and /or took a step toward me (because that is the behavior I WANT) I then *click* and treat in front of me (the position I wish him to be in).

I then turn around and continue what I was doing, as Eli is free to do as well. In other words, "La-la-la-no-pressure-here-come to me if you wish and good things happen and your fun will not stop because you did" is our mantra, and it works.



We have been doing this for 48 hours now and I am very pleased with his response. He comes to me, indoors or out-at least until adolescence hits!



Proofing "sits" is the other behavior we are working on. I will ask for a sit under all sorts of circumstances:


Indoors
Outdoors
Facing me
Behind me
Away from me
Close to me
When we are alone
When we are with others


We are also working on beginner zen, downs, touch (nose target), and foot targeting. 


Happy Training!
Chris

Meet The Honkers

Bianca, 15, and daughter Fiona, 12

In late September of 1997, Bianca was a two year old pregnant wild donkey rounded up by the US Department of the Interior as part of their "Adopt A Living Legend" program.  A home was quickly found for the young burros and for the next decade mother and daughter lived happily in their small donkey world. 


Sadly, two years ago the poor economy forced a major change upon their lives. I met the girls at Bend Equine Outreach and on September 15 of this year life changed for the pink honker's yet again. They now live on a fenced acre with my three Nubian goats, Donatello, Lucciano, and Peppino.


It became abundantly clear after a veterinarian visit to my home that both donkey's must accept a halter (and handling).  While Bianca moves well on lead and is very calm and gentle, daughter  Fiona on the other hand is...well... a bit skittish. She has never worn halter that I know of and rarely leaves her mother's side. Perhaps it was more convenient to simply halter Bianca and have Fiona follow, all their lives.

This week, Bianca had a nice tooth treatment while Fiona lurked just out of reach. Not wanting to sour Fiona to future veterinarian care, we chose to wait until she was more easily handled before attempting an examination.

I quickly ordered "The Click That Teaches" by Alexandra Kurland to help this equine newbie out and kicked our training into high gear! I had taught both burro's to target my hand and had just begun to shape Fiona to touch the halter. Today: success as Fiona stepped into the halter and stood still as I lifted it over her nose and behind her ears.

Training Goal: Fiona to accept a halter

Fiona's third training session with halter:

Step 1: Touch halter

Step 2: Place nose in halter

Step 3: Stand still as halter goes over nose

Step 4: Yay! Allow halter to slip over ears

The power of a tiny carrot and a well timed click!

The ladies watch the proceedings closely

We have a long way to go, but I am so looking forward to the journey!

Happy Training!
Chris

I'm Taking The Plunge

Yup-I'm going to do it.

For the past year I have been feeding my dogs a very high quality kibble mixed with other foods. This includes meat, vegetables, and broths. I have found that despite being quite lazy, I rather enjoy making food for my dogs...so... (deep breath) I am taking it to the next level and transitioning to feeding an exclusively homemade diet.

The dog refrigerator stocked with ground meat

I should say right off the bat that I believe dogs in this country are very, very lucky. Even the poorest dog in the United States being fed the poorest kibble is at least being fed, while village dogs in other countries must survive on garbage and the occasional unlucky mouse or frog.

But...I have been reading about kibble and manufactured dog food in general and I have become more and more uneasy. My trepidation increased considerably after seeing this short video of an AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) official admitting that pet food can contain rendered remains of deceased cats or dogs. Worse yet, there is no way to tell from the label if your pet's food contains these. Now, granted the video was posted to YouTube in 2006 and I have no idea how old it was at that time, but seeing it was enough to turn interest in preparing my own food for my dogs into action.

Today I completed the following steps:

Step One

I bought a spare refrigerator. Pet food takes up a lot of room when you have five dogs. I paid $100 for a used refrigerator in excellent condition. Another $10 delivered it, including dollying the bulky appliance into my dog room.

Step Two

I purchased a guide to homemade diets. For this, I turned to The Whole Dog Journal. The Whole Dog Journal and their unbiased reviews of pet food have been my guide to feeding for years. Dogs do have specific nutritional needs and I want to make sure I will meet these. I have a lot to learn but this short series of guides will give me a good start. I still have two large bags of kibble to go through-this will buy me some time to learn how to prepare my dog's meals while allowing them to transition to a home prepared diet.

Dexter has volunteered his services as a taste tester.

Step Three

I stocked up on containers. I have decided to portion out meals into two servings per day so I bought several reusable containers in various sizes.


Step Four

I paid a visit to my local pet supply store ( I like Bend Pet Express) where I found a variety of frozen organ meats, nicely packaged. This will be my starting point until I feel confident enough to buy my own meat and process it into meals.


Happy Training!

Dexter's Progress

The reason I adopted Dexter (aside from the fact that he hypnotized me with his deep brown eyes into doing it) was to have a dog to train to a service dog level. More specifically, a dog from a shelter.

But, above all else, I wanted a dog that would teach ME to be a good trainer.

True, I already had huskies that would have gladly volunteered to work for food. But...I wanted a dog that could be let off leash with a reasonable expectation that he would not be in the next county when I turned my back.

Enter Dexter; Hound Extraordinaire.

So I thought I would list what behaviors Dexter is fluent in so far and what needs...err...fine tuning, shall we say.

What he CAN do:

Sit
Stay
Down
Come
Back Up
Touch (nose)
Touch (paw)
Go Around (we love this one!)
Tuck In (needs fine tuning but we have the beginnings of a nice "tuck")
Heel
Loose Leash Walk (we are pretty good except when there are BIRDS present)
Wait
Release
Pull A Cord To Open Fridge
Unzip Zipper (on clothing-with cord so far)
Place Something IN (basket only at this point)
Take Something OUT (ditto)
Get That (any item pointed at with finger)
Get That At A Distance (we are up to 100 feet)
Find My Keys (necessity truly is the mother of invention) 

Needs Fine Tuning:

Recall With Distractions (did I mention birds???)
Hold An Item (Okay, I tried a natural retrieve and yes, Sue Ailsby, you were right-BAD IDEA)
Loose Leash Walking (errr...birds rule supreme once again)

So, we have a long way to go yet. BUT look how far we have come! This is a dog who was surrendered because he was "too much dog"

Dexter-you make me a better trainer every day and for that I am ever grateful.

Goats!

Because we have six and a half acres of  uncultivated land, this means we have 6.5 acres of weeds. Goats love weeds.

Humfleet Goats Bend, Oregon

After fencing an acre of land, off we went to find a goat. We had driven past Humfleets Goats in Bend many times on our way to the Big R Ranch Store. Fat happy goats grazing on the lush greenery had caught our eye, so we made it our first stop.


On the way up the walk were signs that read "A house without a goat is not a home" and "Goat Crossing Ahead". Who knew there were crazy goat people?

We knocked on the door of the small, compact home and were welcomed by Noah, the owner of the home and of Humfleet Goats (who did not seem crazy at all, despite his obvious affection for goats). As we walked to the goat yard,  he gave us a crash course in his breed of choice. "Nubians are considered one of the friendliest of goat breeds" he explained, "And the most vocal".

This was evidenced in the greeting we received by the does that surrounded us as we entered the gated yard. They were so polite! No jumping or butting. As soon as we stopped walking, they would stop, too, and lean against us, happily accepting rubs.

"Do they ever bite? I asked (secretly I was afraid of getting a nip-these goats were not small!")

Noah seemed to suppress a grin as he pulled back the lips of the goat who had been nuzzling him and showed us a lack of upper incisors. "It would be kind of hard for them to bite without upper teeth", he said, kindly.

That was enough for me. Besides, the goats all seemed well cared for, happy, and healthy and Noah had shown great patience for all of my city-girl questions.

Since we were novice goat people, and also cheap, we chose two wethers . They were still nursing, so arrangements were made to pick them up three weeks later. This should give us plenty of time to prepare.

Oh, a word on "bucks". We met the resident bucks (males who had not been castrated). I am not sure why...but somehow I was instantly repulsed, bemused, and irritated, and...well...if they were transformed into a human right before my eyes, I have no doubt they would look something like this: 

Yeah, baby, YEAH!

Goat shelter

Back at home, we began to build the shelter for the goats. Three sides with a feeder seemed just about right. Now all we had to do was wait.

Goat Day!

Finally, July seventh arrived and off we went to collect our boys. We chose names for them prior to their arrival; Donatello for the black one and Valentino for the tan.

Noah had lured them into the barn ahead of time and we loaded them into dog crates in the back of my truck. On the drive home we were struck by the uncanny resemblance of their cries to Kenny of South Park calling out 'Mom!' ("Meeeeeeem!!!")

We had been emphatically warned not to turn the boys out into the field until they adjusted to their new home. The first night they slept inside our sunroom, curled together in a large dog crate. The dogs were very excited about the new additions, too. They welcomed the goats with cries of their own from the dog yard, which I am sure added to the goats sense of bewilderment ("Where are we?!")

Valentino (left) and Donatello

Day 2

The boys are still wary but now allow our approach and touch. My daughter and I moved them into a large kennel outdoors just off the kitchen. Yesterday we both took a blanket and books and various lettuce greens into the pen where we settled in for three hours, alternately reading our books and hand feeding the boys.

Our plan is to clicker train these guys as soon as they are settled in, so be sure to come back for updates!

Happy Training,
Chris


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I Command You!

Tomato/tomahto? Modern dog trainers use the word “cue” rather than “command” when teaching behaviors.

A command carries with it an implied threat-do this or else

A cue, on the other hand is an opportunity to perform

But, Chris, my dog should do what I tell him to do, when I tell him to do it, because I told him to do it!

Why?

Seriously, have you ever asked yourself why this is so?
Television, books, movies have all contributed to the myth of the dog who lives to please (in many cases sacrificing his own happiness for yours!)

The fact is; dogs (like humans) repeat what is reinforced!
 
The myth of the dog that lives to please is just that-a myth. Dogs do work for us and have for thousands of years, but why? What makes him work so willingly? The common denominator...enjoyment.

The Border collie herds because he enjoys chasing stock, the Siberian husky pulls the sled because he enjoys running and the retriever retrieves because…well you get the picture.

Method 1~Traditional training

Repeat the "command" over and over until your dog catches on, whether he likes it or not. You are the one doing the majority of the work (physically manipulating the dog into position and “correcting” the dog when he gets it wrong). You tell him “no this is not what I want you to do" when he does not perform the behavior. His motivation~ you stop correcting him and give verbal praise when he gets it right.

State of mind for the dog: confusion, stress, fear, and frustration, relief when he is not being “corrected”
State of mind for the trainer: stress, anger, frustration, relief when dog finally “gets” it

Method 2~Clicker training

Your dog is working to figure out what you want. For his efforts, he is rewarded with information in the form of a marker (click) that tells him “yes-you are on the right track” along with a payment to reinforce the behavior (a tiny bit of food or a short game of tug/fetch/play-whatever your dog likes).

When he gets off track you back up and begin from the point where you were last successful. There are never any reprimands. Once your dog is performing exactly what you had in mind, then and only then do you name the behavior (the "cue"). His motivation-an investment in the outcome in the form of a reward for each successful step.


State of mind for the dog: motivated, excited, and joyful
State of mind for trainer: motivated, excited, and joyful

Method 1-when I get it right bad things stop
Method 2-when I get it right good things continue

But how will my dog know he is not getting it right if I don’t correct him? Won’t he become frustrated?

Karen Pryor says this, in Reaching The Animal Mind:

“It’s not the information that’s the problem; it’s the reprimand. The message ‘That’s not it’ is embedded in the use of clickers, conveyed not by the addition of something but by the absence of the click”.

Personally, I want my dog to be an active participant in training session. This will not only increase the likelihood of successful training, but makes the training process enjoyable for us both.


The Thinking Dog: Crossover To Clicker Training by Gail Fisher explains why a thinking dog is her preference:

“A trained dog will ‘obey,’ but a thinking dog goes far beyond obeying commands. It goes beyond training your dog to sit, lie down, and come when called. While teaching responsiveness to commands is a component of any training, achieving voluntary good behavior—what most of us want from our dogs—is about so much more.”

For me, if training is enjoyable I will want to do it.

Guess what? So will my dog!

My dogs in a training session (Dante top, Stoli below) Note complete focus on me, yet relaxed, happy expression