The One With My Final Seminar

Whew, this has been a long week, but I have learned so much. My final seminar was excellent, as were the first two. This presentor really thinks outside the box, which I love because I really need some of those strange ideas for my training toolbox. And I realized how much of my boss' ideas come from this guy. He's British, so his culture is very different, but he has some very interesting ideas about treating dogs.

For example, he has a profile of the type of person to create each type of aggression in dogs. A person with a dog-dog aggressive dog, which I could never be, is the type of owner who gets a second dog as a pet for their first dog because they don't have enough time for their first dog. Then, the two dogs bond to each other and don't really listen to the humans in their house because the second dog especially doesn't have a relationship with the owner. There's much more to it than that, but he can predict the family conditions once he hears what type of aggression the owner is calling about.

I, apparently, fit the profile of someone who would have a human-aggressive dog. See if you all thinks this fits. A person with a human aggressive dog is over-bonded with her dog. She doesn't want the dog to form bonds with other people so she is the primary caregiver and doesn't let her dog spend lots of time with other people. I mean, does that sound like me? I don't think so. :) OK, maybe a little.

But don't go thinking that I'm the only thing that caused Muggsy's aggression. One of the things we discussed at length in this seminar was that the dog's temperment is determined by the time they are six weeks old. If your dog is going to be a resource guarder or timid or aggressive later in life, those pathways are set by the time they are six weeks old. That's the end of the imprint phase. So a dog who isn't handled by a human by the time it's three weeks old will always be suspicious of humans. Even if you get a puppy from a shelter, you are at risk for the type of dog you are going to get. You have to really know the breeder and know that they are properly interacting with the dog. I could explain a lot of things to you in depth about what to ask your breeder, but I won't go into all that here. However, I find it fascinating. And if any of you are planning to get a puppy soon, drop me an e-mail so I can give you some advice.

While this was only a four day seminar, we also discussed how to fix some problems in dogs. I got a couple of great new techniques for pulling on the leash that I'm going to try with my dogs. There's one that I think will work really well with Muggsy (because it's for a dog that the owner has a very good relationship with and I think we've already established that I'm over-bonded with my dog) and one that I think will work better with Chubbs, who my relationship is not as strong with. However, I think all the individual work I've done with him since I've been a dog trainer has prevented him from becoming dog aggressive. But he definitely fits the profile as a dog who, left to his own devices, could become dog aggressive.

I learned some excellent information about preventing resource guarding that I'm going to share with all puppy owners I have in class from here on out, too. You can detect it and fix it in a very simple way before it actually becomes a problem, and I think this is information that all puppy owners need. I have a pitt puppy in one of my classes this time around and I gave him a lot of information on preventing future problems and reading dog body language. Because of all the dog killings in Northern California right now, you have no room for error with a pitt. And this guy is so dedicated to his dog that I really want him to get off to the right start. I let his dog play with Chubbs for awhile and just explained to him how to read his dog's language to determine what was play and what were potential warning signals. If they take the time to learn, that information can be so important to puppy owners. He also has a great idea for a puppy class that I'm going to talk to my boss about letting me do when I'm a full-time dog trainer. I think right now I have my hands full with my two jobs and extensive treatment plan for Muggsy, which I'm going to start as soon as I get my muzzle back from the shop.

I also got a few ideas for Muggsy. With fear aggression, he said, you want to fix the aggression before the fear. So many times, people try to fix the fear that's causing the aggression and then what you have is a confident, aggressive dog. So you want to teach your dog that it's fear is OK. I wish I would have known that when Muggsy was a puppy because I'm sure I encouraged him to do things that made him nervous while attempting to make him more social. What you need to teach is that it's OK to remove yourself from an uncomfortable situation. I've done that to some degree by teaching him and Chubbs both to go to their crates when they are feeling uncomfortable. Another thing you can do is put everything that is important to Muggsy's survival -- his water bowl, food, favorite toys, treats -- on a shelf away from the door. So every day, several times a day, everyone in the family has to walk by the door to the shelf to get him things. Soon, that will be his favorite area. Then, when someone comes over, he can go to that spot, where he's comfortable. Strangers are never allowed in that area.

Also, a great idea, that I'm going to start using to some degree is that everything essential to the dog's survival comes from people outside the home. So people from outside the home feed him, bring him his bed at night, bring him toys and treats, etc. He doesn't get anything from those who live in the house. When guests come over, they bring their own treats and toys for the dog. That way, they are bringing resources to the area, not depleting it of its resources. What good does it do to give the dog something that anyone in the home could give him if you weren't there. Strangers have to enrich the environment instead of just deplete resources. No animal wants outsiders coming into their pack and depleting the resources by eating the food, drinking the water, using the furniture etc. Next time I have company, I'm definitely having them bring something for the dogs. It's such a good idea.

There was so much to learn at this seminar that I can't even begin to talk about it all. I wish I could attend his four-day aggression seminar, but it's in North Carolina, and I can't travel that far. But I learned so much. I think after this week, I'm a much better dog trainer.

The other great thing that came out of this seminar was that I met an agility instructor that does classes right by my house. I've really been wanting to learn to teach agility and he invited me to come to some of his classes on Sunday afternoons. I'm even going to take Chubbs through the basic level classes. I know he'll never really be able to compete, but it will be fun for us to have a special activity. And at the last seminar I was at, the presentor suggested that I do agility lessons with Muggsy in a private setting where he could just run and not have to deal with other people and dogs. I think instead, I'm going to buy some cheap agility equipment and set up a small course in my yard. Then I can practice with all three dogs based on what I learn with Chubbs. Chubbs will still have his special time with me in class, but I can also get the other two dogs another outlet for their energy. I'm really excited about this -- especially since it's close to my house!!

So tomorrow, I'm back to work. But I have an all-day seminar!! Isn't that funny? I can't escape it. But I have to go now because I have a ton of cleaning to do before Pheobe gets here Wednesday.