Mike’s Doghouse

Wow, it’s been six months since I posted anything here.

Mike is now 1 yr 5 mos old. He hasn’t grown much and is still a maniac. But I like that attribute!

My broken leg took forever to heal and now winter has decided to enter with a bang (see links below). We constructed a new dog ramp out back (see links below for that, too).

I’ve continued to do small things with Mike such as “what have you got”, “let me have it”, as well as all the basics we learned in dog class. He’s really good with “wait” although the more excited he is, the harder for me and him. Mike’s also had to learn to live with a kitten which has been a test for all of us.

I plan on getting back to serious work with Mike this week. It is going to be warmer (above freezing for the first time in weeks!) which will mean less pain and more patience for me. My plan is to start with the basics (sit, down, stay, wait, etc) and re-establish communication between us.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be updating here again with his progress. He goes to the vet for his yearly checkup soon so I’ll have his weight to tell you!

Linkages: (links listed in chronological order)

Snow posts over on my blog:
(basically, it snowed 14-20″ and we were out of power for nearly 5 days)

First Snow
First Snow cont.
First Snow Part 3

Dog ramp building is not for wimps!!
(you can also view all of these in one lump but they are in reverse order: tag – construction)

House Projects: Wash and Ramp
House Projects: Square
House Projects: Angles
House Projects: Planking!
House Projects: Finishing
House Projects: Enjoying

It is a harsh reality but it is something that is necessary, and, for some dogs, it is vital.

The Nothing in Life Is Free (NILIF) principal is simple: the dog gets nothing without first doing something to earn it. Some dog trainers say that toys should never be left laying around. That they should be taken up whenever a dog is not playing with it. When the dog is doing something you want to encourage, it gets the paycheck of getting a toy. If a dog has all the food it wants (free-feeding) all the toys it wants, why should it listen to you? All you do is place demands. Take up the toys, switch to two meals a day, and start placing tasks before a toy or meal is given, and the dog figures out what is going on.

Some say this is the positive reinforcements way of dealing with the “Alpha Dog” theory. I believe this is true. We can’t speak dog so doing posturing and positioning like a dog would do isn’t really the same. But, by teaching the dog that everything good comes from you, that makes you the leader.

Mike has been taught to sit before he gets his meal. He also has a set place he is to sit and remain, even when the other dogs are moving about, he is to remain there. Even when the food is put down, he cannot have it until he is released. We don’t have many toys down for him because Sam tends to de-stuff everything. We take up the high-value things like the chew toys. Mike gets these when he goes into his crate. He enjoys them more because, to him, they are something new and special. I have a toy we use as the jackpot toy during and after training sessions. He only gets to play with the toy then. I tried using toys he considered cool at home and he could care less when at dog class. So I got something new that had all his fave things on it: a ball that squeaked, a rope to tug/gnaw, and flappy things to grab. I know that if I were to let him have this toy at home, he’d not care for it anymore during training.

I had learned of this method during the classes Mike and I took for Puppy Class and Basic Manners I. I also read about it at the Rottweiler.net forum. I like how it works, how it puts the human in charge without any wrestling or other weird human-trying-to-be-dog stuff.

Imagine that you are in France. You cannot speak French and everyone around you cannot speak English. So they teach you some phrases so they can interact with you on a very basic level. Now, let’s say there’s a French word for something important that sounds an awful lot like something else important in French. Each time either of those two words are used, you have to pause and try to figure out which of the two applies.

I’m betting that is how our dogs feel. It is why I work hard to not have two dogs at the same time with similar names. We once had a cat named Max and a dog named Maggie. Call either one of them and they both would look at me trying to figure out which one of them was being called. We also once had a dog named Zeus and for several months, we babysat a dog named Drew. Oh, now that was fun!

I also try to not have command/cue words that sound the same. I also tend to use more than one word once the dog understand what the word means. OFF morphs into “get your fuzzy butt off the bed”.

Sometimes words are used that sound too much like words that aren’t commands. The best example is one given at the first dog class. Many people use FREE as the release command. The instructor had been either on a Search and Rescue exercise or a big hike, I can’t remember which. Anyway, they line all these well-behaved dogs up together for a group photo. They are all doing a wonderful SIT and are focused. The instructor, who was taking the photo, said “Okay, one….two…three!”

Can you guess what happened when she said “three”? If you guessed the dogs all broke their sit and went charging about in play, you were right! It was total chaos as humans were laughing, dogs were playing, and the instructor/photographer was going “What happened?”

Normally, I hear about this kind of stuff the day after it is over. But this one I actually find out beforehand!

April is the ASPCA’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month. Anything that helps the animals also helps us. I’d much rather support the ASPCA than PETA. Those guys scare me because while their hearts may be in the right place, their methods and reasoning are so far off the mark.

Anyway, check out your local ASPCA or similar agency and get involved!

As I have mentioned before, I used the services of an animal communicator to talk with Joella before I started to seriously look at which pup to get. I adore Patty Summers and have used her several times over the past 12 yrs or so. This past weekend (March 21-22) I had the chance to attend a workshop at her place.

I wrote extensively about it over on my blog – “Communication Workshop“. I hope you wander over there and read the article. If you are not completely into the woo-woo stuff, here is the bit that involves Mike and Joella:

In the afternoon, we’d used a piece of paper to write down a question for our animal. So I asked Joella what did she think of Mike. One of the women who picked up Jo’s photograph said “She wants him to go back where he came from.” I was very surprised and shocked and sincerely hoped this was not what Joella really wanted. The other person said “She tolerates him.” Patty, who knows Joella well had also asked her this and she clarified for us what Joella meant. It seems that Joella saw him as an annoying pet that she does indeed tolerate. But she also loves him dearly. Patty also said that the message of sending him back was most likely linked to what was going on at that time. Later I discussed this with Lorna and Sunday had seemed to be Mike’s “pick on Joella” day. At one point, Jo had enough and held him down with one paw while growling and cleaning his entire face. He left her alone after that.

I also put Mike’s picture on the table with the question of “Do you have anything to ask (or say to) me?” Again, the response was surprising. Dave, the only man there (who is also very good at communicating with animals) said Mike wants to know if he is there to stay or is he going to be sent away. That was a big surprise. I think it is connected to the near-constant frustration over his house training. Could also be connected to Jo saying she wanted him go back where he came from. The other person that connected with Mike said he loves the car rides but wants to put his head out the window. He wants to feel the wind on his face and have his ears blown. That was a funny one to all of us. Mike is scrawny enough that we don’t let the window down much, afraid the twerp would jump out. He now has seat belt so I can let the window down lower without him bailing. Patty also connected with Mike. His message through her is quite profound, seeing as how it comes from such a brat. “I really love you. I’m here because you want a reminder or reason to laugh. You get the importance of not taking life too seriously.”

My blog, Thought Patterns, is an eclectic place with rants about stuff ranging from Real Life to LGBT Rights to Writing to anything in between.

There are so many different acronyms out there for all sorts of things disability related: PWD, ADA, SD, SDIT, the list goes on and on.

Today I found a list of a lot of them. Fred Cisin is a funny man which is why I like him so much. The list on his site is huge-ish and includes some esoteric (read: weird) terms. Here’s a sample:

PWD = Person with a disability
PWD = Portuguese Water Dog
PWDWD = Person With a Disability With a Dog
PWDWSD = Person With a Disability With a Service Dog
PWDWPWD = Person With a Disability With a Portuguese Water Dog
PWDWABA = Person With a Disabilty With an Attitude

The full abbreviation/acronym list

Fred also has a DIY (do it yourself) certification plan.

You can check out all of Fred’s SD info on the DogEars section of the site.

From time to time, I will discuss various products that I have either tried or know enough about to give an opinion. We’ve had so many dogs go through this house and have tried so many different products. Some were complete busts. Some were great. All cost money which is why before I purchase something, I research it. Reviews are also a bonus but I have to remember that often reviews are given by those who disliked the product the most.

Usually, in doing an online search, if you enter in a product name followed by REVIEW, you will find some good links. For example, today I entered in “dog seatbelt reviews” (without the quotes). I found what I needed quickly. I prefer Google’s search engine.

Joella once had a website where I had a lot of reviews up. Due to some software crashes, most of that is gone but I am looking for a backup I may have saved.

If I do a review and someone has an opposing opinion, feel free to say so! Opinions are as widely varied as the people who have them. Just remember, say what you want about my opinion, just leave my genealogy, brain cell capacity, and common sense level out of it please.

There are several websites that offer a huge array of information regarding dogs. They include not only information about the species, but resources such as articles about selecting a dog, where to go for more specific information, etc etc.

Dr. P’s Dog Library is perhaps the first place to start. The best thing about the site is that it is huge. It is also the worst thing about the site. The Library is a huge collection of links. Lots and lots of links. And with the flexible, ever-changing Internet, addresses change or disappear. Keeping up with such a huge collection is daunting. In other words, be prepared for dead links. You can easily get lost in the collection, going from one place to another, realizing there is more to this or that and oh, wait, there’s also this part and…. You get the idea.

The Dog Owner’s Guide is the next place to check out. The main difference here is that the vast majority of the articles are hosted there so there is little to no dead links. The problem, though, is that the articles can be short (not quite enough info) or huge (far too much info). A lot of articles are written by the same people so the same biases (for good or evil) continually appear. But by golly if you are looking for info on almost anything dog related, you’ll find it there. Click on the Topics link at the top of the page and get a good “sitemap” of sorts to help guide you to the articles. The actual sitemap is the Index link. Oh, and since they host the articles, they also own them. If you want to use the articles (print them out, post on a site, etc) you MUST read the Copyright and Reprint Policy first. Standard procedure for any online articles anywhere on the Internet.

Working Dogs Cyberzine is another good resource. It is quite commercial but still offers a huge selection of articles. Click the Articles link in the sidebar or on the top menu bar to get to the articles (duh). The sidebar will change to list the topics. As evident from their name, this site is geared toward working dogs (service dogs, search and rescue dogs, police dogs, etc) but the articles and gear work for almost any companion/pet dog.

Dog Breed Info Center is a good place to look for breed specific information as well as a plethora of dog related stuff. Probably their best section is the “Find the Perfect Dog” and its search categories. Live in an apartment? Clicking the Apartment Life link takes you to information about dogs in apartments and a list of apartment loving dogs. Want a canine version of a couch potato? Scroll down and select the Low Exercise Demand link.

Also, keep an eye on the growing list of links in the sidebar to the right. Once it gets big enough, I’ll move them to their own page.

If anyone has others to share, let me know!

I’ve decided to back up a bit and explain how I decided that Mike would make a good working dog.

There’s a lot of advice out there on how to evaluate a puppy. Like any advice, take and use what feels comfortable to you. Some folk are believers of the Alpha Leader and Pack theories. Others lean more toward the Operant Conditioning theories. Some advice is given by folks who know what they are talking about. Others are compilations.

As I’ve mentioned before, I went to King, NC to meet with the folks of Foxdale Independent Rescue. They had a 4-5mos old pup named Happy that I was interested in meeting. Before I went, I did a lot of research. I Googled: temperament test, puppy temperament, and puppy assessment. I settled on a modified version of the Volhard Puppy Aptitude test (links below). Keep in mind as you search that there actually is a Temperament Test (a big step above the Canine Good Citizen test). You may want to read some about that, but for puppy evaluation, you want to look for puppy specific temperament stuff.

There was too much for me to write down, so I took screen shots. This also allowed me to view the information off-line in the car on the way there. There were a few basic things I would check for first then move on or stop based on the results.

Social Attraction: call the puppy to you by clapping, making happy noises, etc. It should come to you with joy and glee. But watch for biting and/or chewing on your hands. Watch for tail being down (it should be up).
Elevation Dominance: bend over the puppy, put your hands under its belly and lift it so the back feet are off the floor. This test is to see how the puppy reacts to something where it has no control on the situation. You want the pup to wiggle a little (perfectly normal to want control!) but then settle down and wait for you to do something else.
Social Dominance: sit or crouch next to the puppy. Stroke from head to almost the butt slowly several times. What you are doing, in essence, is telling the pup (in dog language) that you are socially dominant than it is. You want that pup to react calmly, either by playing with you or by leaning into the petting. Licking is fine. Growling or biting is not.
Roll Over/Restraint: get the pup to lay down and put your hand on it so it cannot get up. This is akin to the Elevation Dominance test but is more in the dog language. Wiggling is fine, but you want the dog to settle down and accept the situation. While you are keeping it there, you can talk to it, pet him, etc. Note: this is NOT the “dominance roll”. This is just keeping the dog in one place, laying down, for 30 seconds.

Happy, the pup we went to see, did not pass the Elevation test and probably did not pass the Social Dominance Test. I couldn’t get him into the Restraint position. He was middling to the Social Attraction test. But Mike and Pokey (Mike’s sibling) did great. Pokey was slower, seemed less concerned about everything. Later he was more active. I think he was either just waking up or needed a nap. From what I understood of what I was looking for, Happy would not have made a good working dog. As a pet, he would be good for someone who understood the potential problems and was strong enough to take him on. It is quite possible that outside that environment (he’d been with them a while), he may settle down and be less domineering. In our house, with the critters we have, a domineering pup would not have worked.

After realizing this, I decided to continue the testing on Mike and Pokey.

Retrieving: take a crumpled up bit of paper and toss it several feet away from the pup. A “natural retriever” will chase after it and pick it up. For a pet dog, this isn’t as important unless you want a dog to play fetch with you. If tossing a slobbery tennis ball is not something you are interested in, then this test isn’t as important for a pet dog although some folks believe it is an indicator of training interest.
Touch Sensitivity: pinch the skin/webbing between two of the pup’s toes. Start out light and slowly increase the pressure until you get a reaction. This tests how the pup responds to uncomfortable touching. Licking your hand is fine as is whining. But you do not want a pup who bites, yelps, or doesn’t react at all.
Sound Sensitivity: while the pup is looking in the opposite direction, make a loud noise such as clapping, dropping something, etc. This is also a basic test for deafness. The pup should react to the noise, certainly, but how it reacts is important. Bark aggressively? Bark in response? Jumps 15 feet in the opposite direction?

Mike and Pokey both chased and picked up anything I threw. Both mouthed and carried metal objects. Both were appropriate with the Touch and Sound sensitivity tests.

Now came the harder part. Observing the pups while they interacted with each other and the various stuff going on around them. How were they with the bigger dogs? The smaller ones? Do they share toys or hoard them? Do they play with each other or by themselves? When something new happens, how do they react? This is where Mike began to stand out from the others. When a noise from the other room startled everyone and started them barking, all but Mike charged the door. He sat back and watched first, then joined in. Happy chewed through the doorbell cord and the husband of the woman came in to cut it and put it away. All the others ran to him and got in his way while Mike sat back for a while, watching, then went to steal a bit of the wire. For me, it was this watchfulness, this observing his surroundings, that made me decide to adopt him. Others might have seen his behavior as being afraid or overly cautious, perhaps even too independent. That’s not how I saw it, though, because it’s a trait Mike and I share. Someone who was more active and go-get-em might have liked Happy or Pokey (once he woke up) better.

And this is why the Thirty Day Trial Period is important. That watchful pup might get home and turn into a charging demon. Or that go-get-em pup might slow down and decide chewing on the bedpost is more fun than chasing a ball. A good example of this is my Mom’s dog, Andee (who recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge). When they went to the pet store, the other pups were up at the wire, barking, jumping, hyper. Mom held several different pups and they were all wiggly, licking monsters. But over in the corner of the pen was Andee, sleeping with his back to the ruckus. Mom asked to hold him and he lay in her arms, ever so quiet and calm. She was able to put him on his back and he just laid there. Now fast forward. Andee grew up to be a practically non-stop maniac. Hyper, jumping, scratching legs – a complete opposite of what he was that day. (note: I’d not ever get a dog that was that quiet anyway since such behavior also indicates possible illness) By implementing the Thirty Day Trial Period, you acknowledge that things are going to change. Behaviors that were cute at the shelter or on adoption day may grow to be obnoxious habits. The pup becomes comfortable with itself and its new family. It also wants to push the boundaries (what child/teen doesn’t?).

Mike’s 30 days ended on Dec. 30th. I thought long and hard about how he had changed, how he had progressed, and how he stood on the potential to be a working dog. I looked at my notes from the day I first met him and remembered how he was that day. I compared that pup to the pup he is now. Mike will be a great Service Dog. He likes picking things up, carrying them around. He is responding well to clicker training. He is fitting in well with our pack.

No matter what method you use, research like mad before you even go see the first pup.

Research the breed(s) you are interested in. Know what you are getting yourself into. Is the breed suited for your lifestyle? Even if a mixed breed, some of the genetic ancestry will show through so research each breed that went into your potential new friend.

Then there’s the cost. Go to a pet supply store, take a pad of paper and a pen. Go around the store and write down the price of everything you and your pup would need. Crate, pad for the crate, leash, collar and/or harness, food bowl, water bowl, food (read the side of the bags to determine how much food your pup will eat), treats, toys, dog gate, brush, nail clippers, etc. Call the vet you will be using and ask for their prices on Wellness checks, spay/neuter, microchipping (usually around $50), puppy vaccines, etc. What about grooming? When I looked into getting a Standard Poodle, I found out that the regular grooming they require can cost as much as $60 every other month. Now take a look at that price list. Can you afford this pup? Can you afford to feed it as it grows?

Where will you get it? Breeder? Be prepared for high prices and, in some cases, snobbery. Rescue group? Be prepared for the Inquisition. In both cases, you will have to sign a contract. Know what the breeder or rescue group has in their contract before you even go look.

Looking for a Service Dog? Figure out what you want the dog to do. Do you need a large dog for brace work? Or will a smaller dog do? Is retrieving high on your list or do you need one to alert you to sounds? Can you clean up after a pup or do you need to get an adult?

Looking for a pet? Why do you want a dog? Why do you want a puppy? Is your lifestyle adaptable to the needs of a poop and pee machine? Is your house puppy proof? (sometimes I think no house can ever be 100% puppy proof)

Think about it. You’re considering bringing home something that could potentially live 16 or more years (our Casey is 15 and still going strong). Something that will need care, love, attention every day, several times a day. Pets are not disposable like electronics and treadmills. You can’t put it out on the curb for trash pick-up. You can’t (or shouldn’t) sell it in a yard sale.

**
Below are the main sources I used:
Assessing Shelter Dogs and Temperament Testing
Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test
Temperament Testing Puppies
American Temperament Test Society
International Association of Assistance Dog Partners – “Finding Mr. Right” articles
Dr. P’s Library – Puppies