Maxx is a 2 year old German Shepherd joining OffLeash SoCal's Two-Week Board and Train Program to address his reactivity to other dogs as well as his general obedience. He has a history of training and is well behaved for some family members but not all of them. We will use a foundation of solid obedience to tackle his issues and help him be the best he can be. Stay tuned for Maxx's Two-Week transformation!
Today was about diagnosing Maxx's unique characteristics, so that we could make his specific training plan. Maxx is dog reactive and he needs a strong foundation of obedience in order to be guided through those moments where he is experiencing excitement. The plan going forward for him is to first show him what it is that we need him to do and then slowly expose him to tougher and tougher distractions while encouraging him to do the right thing. We then reward him for making those good choices and creating boundaries if he doesn't. Maxx is very smart and he will catch on fast.
Today was about using the leash and the prong collar in order to shape the behaviors that we will begin to name with our commands and later to apply e-collar stimulation to in order to give Maxx off-leash freedom. Maxx is very obedient and very smart. His reactivity to other dogs however, is a major distraction for him even from down the street or across the street, he will notice dogs at a great distance and want to react. It is very important that we engage Max and keep his mind focused on a task at hand so that he does not allow himself to make poor choices. The greater the reward that we can offer him the more likely he is to choose what we require of him rather than what he would prefer to do. So far, Max has shown me that he does enjoy affection and interaction with the handler and I was able to get him to perform a great deal of The Obedience rather quickly. Even in the presence of other dogs. I was able to walk Max on the same side of the street as other dogs and walk past them without a reaction. What is important is that I was engaging Maxx the whole time, I was communicating with him the whole time and I had expectations of him the whole time.He had something that was occupying his mind so it was far easier for him to avoid making poor choices. Remember going forward and as Max comes home that the primary goal is to keep him occupied.
Max also has a small sore on his left hind leg. I did not notice this immediately upon pick up but I did notice it when I was examining him this morning.
Not to worry! He isn't chewing on it and he does not seem bothered. But if you weren't aware, I have included a picture.
Today with Maxx, I was able to get a great deal of sensitivity and softness while I worked him on the leash with a prong collar. As he continues to develop that quick response time when I give him a command I feel more confident about using e-collar stimulation and his ability to give me the behaviors that I'm asking for in a timely manner without confusion. Tomorrow I will begin conditioning Maxx using stimulation from the e-collar. As of now he has worn it without it being turned on just to get comfortable with the sensation of the strap and the contact points Etc.
Max is doing tremendously well when it comes to his reactivity with other dogs the consistent element is he stares hard and he begins to vocalize--so long as we interrupt him when he is beginning to acquire his "target" so to speak, then we will have a better chance of redirecting him into a more productive behavior. And should he already show us that he is b eginning to react, it is important that we interrupt in a manner that he finds compelling. Remember, we only need one percent more effort than the dog is willing to resist us. And in this way, we can guarantee that we are being fair and we are never asking the dog to follow through with more pressure than necessary.
Today with Maxx, I was able to introduce the stimulation from the E collar in conjunction with the stimulation or pressure of the prong collar, so that he had a complete picture of the obedience that I was asking him for on our walk. I was able to put him in sit, down, to ask him to come to sit, to have him heel, all while dragging a short leash clipped to his collar. I didn’t directly intervene using the prong collar and was able to perform all of my obedience using my voice and the stimulation from the E collar alone. Obviously as time continues, and more distractions are shown to Maxx while he is working, there is a high likelihood that I will need to provide to him some extra assistance in the way of physical information from the leash. However in the meantime and until he has graduated to working without the leash on , I will be able to give him assistance when he needs it and when it is appropriate. Today was a great first day for working with the E collar stimulation, and depending on how he progresses over the next few days, we will graduate directly into working without a leash on whatsoever or we will work through various sizes and weights of leash until we have weaned off of it completely. In any case Maxx is doing tremendously, and I am quite happy with his progress.
Today Maxx and I met up with a fellow trainer and worked on his obedience around strange dogs, children playing, the noise from the freeway and many other distractions. Maxx is still learning the boundaries with e collar stimulation so today was about combining what he already understands with the prong collar and the new experience of the e collar. Maxx is very smart and loves to work for his handler but he is always hunting for small dogs to react to and it is important to keep him occupied and working so he doesn't get any bad ideas. Maxx needs consistency first and foremost and it is important that nobody allows him his bad habits. Maxx has a tendency to lean on the handler when he is stressed out-this and any other insecure behaviors are a crutch and no longer allowed. The dog needs to maintain his own physical space while we are working but of course can be loved on when invited-the key phrase being “when invited”.
Today Maxx and I went to the Home Depot so that we could work on our obedience around distractions and in a new environment. Maxx does very well with obedience at this point and he is beginning to fully understand what I am asking for when I am giving him stimulation from the E collar. We have graduated away from the prong collar at this point and I am expecting Maxx to be able to fulfill the obligations of my commands and to follow through with them with only the aid of an E collar rather than the additional pressure and guidance a prong collar provides. Maxx did very well at the Home Depot and was able to maintain his positions around new distractions. We didn’t see many other dogs today but as far as environmental distractions go--the forklift or other machinery, saws and loud noises-- Maxx was not bothered at all.
Today with Maxx I worked on making his heeling more automatic. It is important for Maxx to be able to find the correct position at our side as we walk and part of that means not constantly having to struggle with a leash. Whether he’s on a flat collar or a prong collar he needs to know where he needs to be without any tension in the leash. With Maxx it is important that he is policing his own behavior rather than having to wrestle with him to any extent, because tension in the line encourages the wrestling. As far as he is concerned, our best efforts to reduce his pulling are actually our best efforts to encourage it so we use our e collar and our voice rather than our muscles.
Today with Maxx, we worked on his heeling position, his place command and showcased how nicely he is listening in general. Tomorrow the goal will be to take him to a park where I know dog walkers frequently are present so we can work on his reactivity again. Today however I wanted to focus on the mechanics and making his behaviors well defined. Maxx is a very nicely focused dog with the right set of ingredients in his environment and my goal is to expand his horizons so we can get that same nicely behaved dog in every new place he goes.
Today with Maxx I wanted to exercise his problem solving skills. I asked him for his obedience behaviors but only intervened with additional guidance in the moments he truly didn’t understand. By putting a dog into a position of self discovery we give them the ability to learn in a more meaningful way than anything we can show them directly. Having laid the groundwork with guidance and help consistently, we are now at the stage of holding the dog accountable for his actions and providing him opportunities to learn and grow without holding his hand.
Today with Maxx I worked on his door manners. Keep in mind that a dog is capable of making the connection between his environment and what he normally does there. We want to make an association of work and relaxation in the home so the dog remains obedient but also comfortable. Consider training a part of the normal language and everyday routine of Maxx’s life and you will find it is easy to fit in and make the new normal. The number one factor in Maxx’s continued success is consistency in the rules. If we ask him to sit, he needs to sit. If we ask him to heel he needs to heel, he needs to heel—so on and so forth with training we are aiming to define our requests as rewarding but absolute and in this way we can eliminate some of the stress the dog can experience when given too many options. We eliminate all but the correct answers and reward his good choice!
Today Maxx and I worked on all of our obedience in preparation for filming our final video tomorrow. Maxx may be on leash to be safe but his level of understanding is to the same standard as an off leash dog. Maxx is enthusiastic about obedience and it is our job to harness his enthusiasm and pay him appropriately. Remember that boundaries are only a piece of the puzzle but we must always reward and encourage our dogs to get the best of them. We want every experience to be 90 percent rewards and 10 percent reinforcement. Consider any potential stress we have to expose Maxx to and create opportunities to reward him. For example if we need to reinforce our heel command, when the dog is looking enthusiastic and working hard we can immediately reward with “break”. Look for reasons to reward the dog rather than relying on the boundaries alone.
Today Maxx and I filmed his final video at Santa Anita Mall. Maxx did very well! Many dogs just like Maxx struggle with the slippery floors and can have unexpected reactions. When this happens just go back to warming up and work on some basics until Maxx is able to relax and focus on the task at hand. Remember that dogs are emotional creatures and their mood definitely affects training. Time is always our friend and rushing takes longer than taking your time.
Today, Maxx and I worked on relaxation in public around other dogs. He did very well considering he has been so reactive up until this point. I believe that Maxx will be capable of further growth and development as he goes home, but it is important to meet him at the level that he is best capable of working at a given moment. Consider how much Maxx has overcome up until this point, and that earlier in his training process while he was already quite obedient he had extreme reactivity to other dogs. He is now capable of being nearby them. Yes, we do have a leash on him, but that peace of mind makes me even more confident and comfortable putting him in any further situations where he can grow and learn to be neutral around other dogs.
Today with Max I worked on our basic obedience just kind of figuring out where he might need to polish or tighten up a bit. I call this process troubleshooting but really it’s the daily maintenance of living with a dog. This is the entire point of training as far as I’m concerned, you find a few minutes to be able to work out and ask the dog for a few behaviors and you give him some healthy rewards. You help him figure out a more appropriate boundary if he is having trouble with anything, and in the end, you come away with a better understanding of one another. All in all this process shouldn’t take a ton of time and as you can see, you can actually get a lot of information communicated in a really short amount of time so if you’re making sure to incorporate training as part of a daily routine, it doesn’t have to be even as much of a commitment as going to the gym or going to the grocery store. It could be as simple as checking for your mail.
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