I’ve got a bone to pick…

Part 5 of 5

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Let us pause for a moment. I imagine some of you, probably all the dog people and probably all the parents too, have a handle on the shape of this thing already. If you have not formed a picture in your mind of those brief moments yet, I invite you to do so now. Sure, I have not described the area, the lady, the dogs, the car, or me – but you have enough detail for this purpose:
One man, with two dogs, obviously in the middle of training them (whether or not this guy is a “dog trainer” or just a guy training dogs, there can be no question about the activity), in fact, actively engaged in an exercise at that moment and one that involves taking the dogs off leash in a parking lot and getting them into the car. Picture the moment. I hear her voice one beat after I get the boys off leash and at the moment I am turning to Mickey to invite him into the car. This is the moment she chooses to yell across the parking lot at a stranger.

If you just can’t relate to dogs, let me give you an analogy. Imagine you are teaching your child how to ride a bike the first time after taking off the training wheels. There you are in the driveway or the street in front of your house, your kid is on the bike, you have your hand on the seat to steady everything, the kid starts to peddle as you jog behind, hand on seat. The instant you let go, your arm still outstretched, your hand ready to react and provide support if needed. The minute your child is free and riding on their own – someone calls to you, “Excuse me, are you a biking instructor?” This is not a moment in time where you want to be distracted. And, you would not want to hire someone to teach kids about bike riding who would be so easily distracted at such an important moment in time.

Suffice it to say that without hearing anything else at all I can guarantee you at least three things: She has a dog. She believes there is a problem with her dog’s behavior. She is the real problem.
I admit to you. I was not in the best of spirits. I am covered I sweat. It has been a frustrating afternoon: 20 minutes of driving and looking for a place to go, facing the challenges of this new and less than ideal environment way ahead of my training schedule (this is really an advanced scenario that I would not have attempted “on purpose” for at least a month if not more), my failure to purchase a new straight 8’ or 12’ leash for Mickey. I have managed (with difficulty) to keep the frustration internal and not feed that to the dogs and we did have some very nice times. Their performance at the end of the walk with the sitting absolutely still while this woman accosted us really was raising my mood. That was just fantastic work on their part. They were watching me and smiling.

But I did not want to talk to this rude woman. One or two very minuscule amounts of courtesy or situational awareness would have changed this whole encounter for me, but if she possessed any of those traits, the conversation would probably have been unnecessary.
If this is how you behave towards a stranger from whom you are seeking (free) advice, I can only imagine what you are inadvertently teaching your dog(s). I cannot imagine what a “walk” or other exercise time might be like with you as the pack master. And while I am thinking these thoughts and feeling this frustration mixed with pride and admiration for the boys, there is also a layer of sadness.

I love dogs. I love talking about dogs. Without dogs, I would not only be naturally more lonely on the day to day, I would have very little motivation to ever meet a total stranger and become fantastic life long friends (and one day live together in their house). I love training dogs and talking about training dogs. I am not sayin’ I was in any kind of zone to sit down and chat for an hour, but with just a little care taken, I would have been super pleased to meet and talk with this lady, and to help her.

She started speaking rapidly but in a broken fashion something about ‘how do you control your dogs’ without really managing to provide any useful details.
Me: You know in most cases, whatever else is going on, getting enough exercise will fix it.
Lady: Really? Exercise? Well mine gets plenty of that, it is the barking. She barks at everything constantly.
Me: See the thing about the exercise is th-
Lady: (interrupting) The wind, things outside, noises inside, the phone, the radio, the tv, the dishwasher …
(and on and on – the only new info in this string of words – we could have guessed – it is a small dog. One of those really tiny ones. Not freak show tiny. Just one of those little puff ball kinds that I always want to punt!)
Me: (I don’t remember now exactly. I had been getting ready and moving towards the driver’s door preparing to flee.) Ya you are right, those guys do bark a lot, almost all of them. Sorry I can’t help with that. Have a good day.
End scene.

Even in my state of mind in the moment, I was still willing to stay for a few minutes, probably no more than 5 and hopefully much less, but I was willing. I was going to explain to her about regular exercise and the way you can use a walk to teach a dog things and they start to like it and then it is easier to teach them how to do things at home because now they care about you in a different way and you have become the pack master and they are willing to and excited to engage with you.
But most folks with tiny dogs never do anything like this and that is why their animals are little tyrannical terrors in their homes. Noisy, all over everything, and usually impossible to talk to. Owners think – “you know, I want a dog but I want something cute and tiny so it can’t pull me down and I don’t even have to walk it. It can get all its exercise at home! Guess what? That has consequences.

I would not have put it quite like that in talking with this woman, but I am fairly certain that her description of a day-in-the-life of her dog would be some recognizable form of the scenario I described above. It is sad. I generally do not like and actively avoid small dogs, but it is really not their fault. There are several exceptions – little dogs I know that have good people who interact with them and teach them stuff. All dogs are similar and want similar stuff. The only badly behaved dogs I have ever met (regardless of size) did not have good pack masters.

As I drive away, there are many thoughts flying through my mind quickly. Why even bother chasing me down across a parking lot to ask me about dog training if you are completely uninterested in letting me say any words? That one recurs. But more than anything else, what impulse was it that made her take an action? What motivated her?
Did she just want to complain to someone who has dogs that hers are a bit out of control? Did she just want to talk? Did she think I may have some secret knowledge? Did she really want to know, but has one of those kinds of brains where she may not even realize that I was trying to help her until next week, or never?

Now sure, there are many things I could have done differently and done much better, done with more compassion and empathy. I can see that. I could see it then too. I could have done more listening. I could have opened it up more sympathetic shrink/bartender style with a “why don’t you just start at the beginning and tell me all about it?” But recall, she was on my nerves a bit and my suspicion was that the scenario was going to play out in this pattern no matter what. I was not trying to lay the foundations of a lasting true friendship here. I wanted to get back home to Lucas who was all alone for over an hour now (something he is not generally asked to endure). I wanted to get away from the crazy lady who was running me down in the parking lot.

So that is my story. You have glanced through a window and seen some of my dog training methods and philosophy. You learn a little bit about two of my newest packmates. And you got to meet the crazy lady. A few final thoughts next time.

Part 4 of 5 (Baby Birthing Blogtastic Extra Release! Go Karen Go!)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Here we get to some of the nitty gritty. I shall attempt to answer your question, “So Mr Dog Man. What’s so bad about my beloved retracto leash thingy?” Yesterday (August 26th) I took the afternoon shift for all the dogs while my friends were out doing some things. I took Lucas to a “new” place (call it the Shark Walk) we found that he likes. He will walk about a mile at the Shark Walk instead of the 50-200 yards he clocks at Holmes Run. We had a good time and after I got Lucas settled back at the house, I loaded M+M into the car and took them to their spot. But there is some construction happening and we could not get there.

I went to a very nearby alternate and got turned around and could not find the entrance. (I had only been there once before.) I ended up going to Lucas’s new place with them. This was not ideal. We had now been in the car for about 20 minutes. Shark Walk has a parking lot by a large pool and rec complex with basketball courts and tennis courts. The path goes right by the pool house and pool on one side and the backyards of people’s homes on the other. So right out of the car there is no fun time or play time or run time (which is what they are used to). Dogs used to a 3 minute drive to freedom have now been in the car for 20, and they have to get on leash and stay in very good control through the parking lot (safety) and down about 200 yards of path under observation by homeowners and pool members and employees. AND – they have never been here before. It is a NEW PLACE!

Mickey was so excited, he fell getting out of the car. (He is fine.) I got them leashed and it was a bit of a struggle to keep them under control. They did not do too terrible all things considered, but it was harder than it needed to be and part of that is simple equipment. In keeping with our existing training efforts, I established an “inside” and kept them both together on that side. Mickey really wanted to go. He was not in the mood for heeling or group slow walk. I have always found it easier to teach dogs to heel off leash than on. It is not an easy on-leash skill. Off leash it is simple and fun. They do what they want and simply stay behind you. I think (after doing this with lots of dogs over the years) that to ask this of them when they are on leash seems both insulting and arbitrary. They are already on the leash. You have called them in close and they are staying close. I imagine the conversation goes something like this:
Mickey: Why are we arguing over 4 inches?
Me: Because you begin with your nose 4 inches in front of me, then it quickly becomes 14 and soon you are past me and I am forgotten.
Mickey: sheepishly looks away as if to track the progress of a butterfly.
Me: Also, we are walking with your brother. He is heeling. Then you quit heeling (or never quite start heeling). And he sees you are in front of me. That may not be permitted! So he pulls up ahead of me and tries to get his nose ahead of your nose. You guys play that game and you might as well be in your own world for all you focus on what I have to say at that time.
Mickey: Were you saying something?

To teach dogs to heel on leash with two at the same time is hard. It is harder when their collars are very loose. You need to hold the leash as close to the collar as you can with your arm mostly straight and slightly behind you. It is not the most comfortable position. But if you let your arm hang straight, that would put the dog’s neck/collar near your leg, leaving their whole head in front of you.

Especially in the beginning, you cannot allow this. (Recall from a previous entry – the key element of “heel” is the dogs actively giving the “point” position to me. In dog world if you don’t stay out front, you are not point. The key to me is not that I be first, but that they follow me without testing the line and trying to take back the point. (For most this is not actually “bad” behavior, but a fun game.))

Once they get it, you can relax a little about exactly where a good comfortable heel is for you and your pals, but you can’t get there until they learn the basics. Mickey has a long head and a long nose. To keep his nose behind me, I have to hold my arm back pretty far, which is awkward.

Now, I have that damn retracto leash thingy. This is an incredibly bulky block of plastic around the size of your basic mass market paperback book. And it is kinda long. Instead of the simplicity of holding the proper point on a straight leash, I have to figure out how to hold this blocky clunk of crap and maintain the proper distance for Mickey. These things seem to me to be designed to work on dogs (like Mickey) that like to stay out front. They do not seem to have been designed to remotely deal with the possibility that the dog may sometimes be behind you. This is always a weird and uncomfortable position for them. Now it is for me too.

*From my early days of dog training, i have generally trained two dogs at one time. I have experimented with many methods. While you do have to adapt to new dogs, i have a basic set of programs and practices that work well. Even with two dogs, i prefer to keep both leashes in one hand. This has a few advantages. It is naturally easier to keep both dogs on the same side (inside) if both leashes are in one hand on that side. You do lose some of the physical advantage of one leash one dog one hand, but time has shown me that these are not battles won with strength. And to that extent that strength is required, you probably don’t have enough to overpower your dog anyway (i never have).

Luckily I do have Max on Luc’s leash, but it is surprisingly hard to use both leashes at the same time. Normally, during an on leash heel exercise, I hold the leash near the collar and sort of ball the excess in my hand. The excess in my hand keeps slipping out against the plastic of the retracto thingy. I try just holding the retracto leash instead of its handle, but it is definitely not designed for that. It is nearly impossible to get a grip on those and I am in week two of healing a very deep cut on my right hand from the friction burn I got when one of these went through my hand.
I simply am unable to keep them in a proper heel. I end up in an even more awkward and uncomfortable position (for all of us) holding Max back with Luc’s leash and holding Mickey’s collar and sort of holding the blocky end of the retracto thingy under my arm.
We get past the main “action” zone of pool people and resume a more normal walk. I keep Mickey on leash, but give him the release command that he may go ahead now. I get Max off leash and release him as well. Because this is a new place and they just did a hard thing, I give them freedom to explore and switch sides and have fun. Soon we are past everyone and just in the woods. I let Mickey go free as well. They run and have a great time and once we turn around,  after a mile or so, they are easier to corral on the way back.

Then we get back to the leash area, and soon enough to the “Heel” zone and it is just as hard as it was on the way out. Max was doing fine, but I simply cold not find a way to keep Mickey behind me. I went back to holding him by the collar. We got to the car and both boys did a perfect sit and stay. I got the leashes off, the car unlocked, and the back door open when a lady calls out “Excuse me” – pretty loud and insistent. A quick scan of the area makes it clear that she is talking to me. I turn back to the dogs, still in a perfect sit and stay even with this lady approaching and the car door open. I get Mickey in and Max waits patiently. “Excuse me. Are you a dog trainer?” She yells and keeps coming. She is still across the lot maybe about 5 car lengths away. I raise my hand in a palm up “hold” symbol and look at her and hold her gaze with mine, and say to her “Wait.” She does. I get Max in the car and she begins to approach again. “Excuse me. Are you a dog trainer?”
I continue to ignore her as I open the passenger door and insert the keys to lower the windows for the guys. Once I have them set, I turn to deal with her.

Stay Tuned for the thrilling conclusion! Part 5

Part 3 of 5

Part 1

Part 2

Now that Lucas walks differently it is very difficult to walk all three dogs together as one solo biped. Mickey and Lucas are the tortoise and the hare. Right now I would have to leash Mickey on a retracto, leash Lucas on his straight leash (just to ensure that he actually comes along instead of laying down in the middle of the path) and let Max be free. And that is not good enough. If I took them to a new place, I could leave Lucas off leash, but Mickey and Max would both have to go on leash and they are extra difficult to control in new places. The excitement of new smells and their natural games and vying to be first can short circuit the work we do. I can usually calm Max down quickly and get him to heel. But if Mickey starts to pull ahead, then Max will want to at least catch up if not pass him and I am forgotten.

As an intermediary step I established a new training pattern for M+M on our evening walks. Because their normal walk, Holmes Run, is associated with fun and play, I try to limit the amount of training we do down there. I want that place to stay fun for them. The walks around the neighborhood are perfect for training though. They know that these are shorter walks. Until I began this program, they knew they would stay on the leashes the whole time and have limited freedom. They know the area so it is not filled with the excitement of NEW PLACE.

I start the session inside the house making them sit and stay to get leashed up and making them wait there together until the official release command “OK”. I keep them contained as we go out the door. I bring them in close as we get to the end of the driveway and then make them stay together and stand there a moment – doing nothin’ – just waiting. I keep them still as I move around them to keep me on the “outside” – closer to the cars on the road, and them on the “inside” – between me and the houses. I keep them close for a few feet then release them with an “OK”. If they behave well (as they are doing most nights), I call them back in before the second driveway, make them sit and stay, remove Max’s leash (I am using Luc’s straight leash on Max for this), make them stay another moment, then give the release command.

They get better every night. The past two nights I have been able to keep Max off leash for the whole walk and with very minimal instruction, he stays “inside”. Mickey is doing well, I think he would actually get all this quicker than Max, but he is harder to train because he takes constant vigilance and he prefers a greater distance between himself and the pack (and I am doing this after 8:30pm and it is dark (though of course I have my headlamp on! Best tool for so many things, but I believe indispensable for dog walking at night. I use this model and it has totally paid for itself. )). There are lots of things you can teach multiple dogs simultaneously, but the details of off leash work require an almost one-on-one level of attention in the beginning. Once Max has it, I will begin with Mickey.

One more random piece of the training program. We change sides of the street together. There is no willy nilly street crossing. The first night they were a bit shocked at this news, but they got used to it and it is fine now. If they just wander towards the other side, I call them back. If they leave it alone, then we move on. If they both try it or if one tries often (and nicely) I get everyone together, make them stay still as I move around them to reposition myself between the cars on the road and the dogs and we re-establish order. There is a new “inside” but the rules are the same.

This was a little complex for them at first, but they got it quickly through repetition and consistency. Last night (August 26th) no one even asked to switch sides. This probably sounds rather anal, and it probably is. (I do try and use my crazy for the forces of Good.) But, like all my dog training tactics, there is a reason and a point to it. Some of it comes back to numbers. The more dogs you have to walk at one time, the more control you need.

Some of it is safety. (Two six month old hound dog pups I raised have pulled me down and dragged me across parking lots (and I mean fully layed out on the ground busted chin being pulled on my stomach/side/back by the leashes I still hold), through gardens, almost out into the street.) Another practical application is simply about “will” and leadership. I (anyone in charge of a dog) need the animal to have faith in me and in my decisions and requests/commands. It really is about helping them get more freedom not about me gaining control. I need the confidence in them and our bond to be able to let them run free – which is what we all want in the end.

But they are getting it and they like it. The plan worked out. Max quickly figured out that learning a few rules and following them and staying off leash is much better than walking on leash and being pulled and fussed at the whole time. Now the walk is almost all pure fun. The better Max gets, the more attention I can pay to Mickey and he has a better time too. There is a nice grassy area and a sandy beach and a lake near the end of this circuit and on “good nights” everybody gets to party. Those two guys run and chase and smash each other. When Max gets tired, I chase Mickey. Even here in the play, I am teaching Mickey. I use my voice to help set-up the perimeter of our “play area” and he abides by this quickly.

Stay Tuned…Part 4