Millie Part 2

Millie is now 10 months old. A lot has changed since the last I wrote about her;

We purchased our first home at the end of December and Lucy moved in with my dad for a multitude of reasons (trouble with my hardwood floors, issues with the stairs at our new place, my dad feeling in need of a companion). It was supposed to be temporary but Lucy has made her choice very clear when we visit that she wants to stay with my dad! We are fine with that and Millie and Lex have become much closer without Lucy in the mix.

Millie hasn't had a single potty accident in our new house. We have no gates, no pens or need to close doors. She is entirley crate trained and can be sent to her crate on cue from any part of our 3 level home. This was a dog that hated crates! She sleeps all night and can be a perfectly chill dog if nothing is going on. No more high needs puppy! She knows how to play with her toys alone, play with Lex and enjoy the outdoors with no demand barking or clawing of the back door.

She did go through a fear period and we are still in it a bit, where people had her barking at them. We got through it in public by using our "look at that" game from Control Unleashed and treating her for looking at triggers. Once we were over the public side, she began having an issue with guests in our home. It was quite awful, with 20 minutes plus barking in fear no matter if she was confined or not or if there were treats being given or not or what the distance. With some solid mat work and practicing door greetings, it is very tolerable now and within normal range of intial barking, a few sniffs, a bark and then it is over. It is getting better each time, but I really don't have a ton of visitors that she isn't already familar with to practice with.

She is still good friends with the kids but had a bout of resource guarding. My husband or myself can issue a drop cue and she follows it well or a "can I have that?" with no issue. But most dogs don't comply to the kid's commands because kids don't have the same timing or hand gestures etc. So when she began growling at them while chewing a bone if they sat next to her on the bean bag or if they tried to take something from her, we immediatley took action. We didn't scold the dog, we told the kids their behavior was not acceptable! We reminded them to walk away when dogs chew or eat or sleep and to give Millie space just as they do Lex or Lucy. They had gotten a lot more comfortable with her than the border collies. Once they gave her space, it became a non-issue. Even if they forget and sit near her, she is no longer threatened because I was able to stop their threatening actions toward her and build up her confidence again.

Last month we started off leash hikes and she is doing fabulous with her recall. Her heel is still great most of the time and her wait and all her manners are excellent. We even taught her not to ever take food from the kid table even if we aren't in the room (that took a few weeks!).

She gets her dinner in a brain toy each night, goes to work with Lex and I and goes on countless car rides per week to the kid's school and other destinations. We are working on some new fun tricks and hope to get her Canine Good Citizen award when I can find an evaluator that isn't myself!

Chewing

I have to say, I am really lucky in the fact that Border Collies don't tend to be avid chewers. Obsessed about movement, yes. Crazy fanatical tug playing, fetch playing and cat stalking, check. Bite holes in your pants and shirt sleeves because you moved too fast, yep. But not destroy your couch, eat the drywall, flood the house with eating a pipe chewers like some other breeds I have seen! What breeds you ask? Usually the dogs bred to use their mouth like retrievers, or the powerful working breed dogs like pits, bully breeds, rotties, huskies, malamutes. With these breeds you MUST have a plan in place in puppy hood or you will lose your mind and perhaps quite a bit of your stuff too!

First thing first, crate train your puppy! All dogs benefit immensely from crate training. Take at look at my crate training blog to read why and HOW to do this. Now that your puppy is crate trained, use it! Use it when you are gone, use it when you sleep and use it when you are home even but can't do anything with the puppy because you just have to get dinner on the stove and the kids are climbing the walls or you have to take that important conference call and pace around the house while you listen in.

Next step, be sure you know what to do when your dog is out of the crate! This means having a rough routine like potty time, play time, training time, chew on your bone, race around the house a bit and then nap time back in the crate. As your puppy grows, those times out of the crate for training and playing will get longer and you will start to do free-play after the potty outside where he can be loosely supervised for 40 minutes or more and not get into trouble, provided he has plenty of dog stuff to play with.

Training time is more than just obedience cues. It can be teaching tug and drop, tricks, how to go to the crate on cue, fetching a toy on command or doing fun brain games like 101 things to do with a box or in my case, a laundry basket. YouTube has great videos for these things.

Play time can be fetch, chase games, hide and seek, tugging, laser light (with minimal use), playing with a water hose, catch, toy discrimination and DIY agility.

As for the "stuff"....most dog owners have a toy box. And in this toy box is lots of dog stuff. Toys, chews, nylabones, kongs. I encourage clients to have a toybox but also highly encourage them to rotate what is in this toy box to keep it exciting! Don't leave bones out after they have been abandoned. Also, I personally keep tugs for play time with the dog and not in the toy box. Banned from our toy boxes are bones, kongs, tugs and tennis balls. Those are all operated by me when I give it to the dog, which creates more value for the dog and they use the item much much longer and are happier with it.

Finally, if you catch your dog chewing on an item, you can spray it with a no-chew spray. Never ever punish the dog. This teaches them to run away from you and can turn into epic games of keep away. Your dog is just being developmentally normal. We all get frustrated as humans, so if yelling happens, it happens. Do your best to keep your cool and use the info that you forgot to crate the dog or you didn't pick up your shoes so you can do better next time!

Millie Part 1

Thu, 10/02/201

I have been meaning to write a blog post about Millie, but I am so busy each day, that there just hasn't been time! Millie is my poodle terrier cross that is currently 5 months old. I have had her about 7 weeks now and I will be honest, it is tough work raising a puppy correctly!

Millie came to me as a client's board and train dog. She hadn't been with the client long and was exhibiting massive separation anxiety in the crate, tormenting the client's small breed dog and wasn't fully potty trained. I had her 3 days and we got through most of her crate issues and separation issues and had started working on her rambunctiousness with dogs when my client and her spouse came to the conclusion that Millie just wasn't going to fit into their schedules. They made a very wise choice knowing that they couldn't give her what she needed and we had an unexpected opportunity to take her on ourselves!

I will be honest, Millie was a job, a client job I was performing. I wasn't attached to her, but my kids were and it was lovely seeing them have a positive relationship with a dog that reciprocated the feelings! My father kept saying how it would be HIS dog seeing as Harley was gone. My husband kept repeating that 3 dogs wasn't a good idea, but he never said no. So we decided to keep her and she got spayed (against my wishes so early, but had to do as rescue contract said) and chipped and tested for a UTI while we went shopping at the pet store....

Her spay went OK, though I did have to pay extras for "normal" comfort measures and dissolvable stitches that I still ended up needing getting taken out! She did fine with her cone, came to be her normal self in a few days time and took pills like a champ.

The dark cloud though was the potty training and my husband. In his defense, he didn't raise Lucy and I kind of did all the work when we got Lex. So he didn't really have the most realistic expectations of a puppy. He kept saying, "you are a trainer, train her." I was, but potty training doesn't happen overnight! Millie did quite well, too well that I would forget she was so young and I wouldn't put the gate up. Low and behold, she would urinate in a different room we weren't occupying. It wasn't until I consistently had the gate up in whatever room we were in, did the accidents stop. Then I started expanding her areas slowly. I took her out on a rotation of potty, physical play, training, mental games, training, chew time, potty, crate time and repeat. She could only be out of her crate 3 hours before needing to go out and needing a rest. Now she can be out longer, but she still gets crate time during the day as well as time in the yard with the other dogs or alone. After 2 weeks of being consistent with the barriers, she began to "tell" us she needed out by waiting at the door! We only use the gate now upstairs during kid bedtime when I am busy with them for a while and can't keep track of her. 

Once she was potty trained, I saw my husband like her more. He likes that she doesn't shed. He likes that her and the kids are close. He sees she makes me happy and sees the value in her being my demo dog as Lucy has retired. I do catch them playing occasionally, but he still makes jokes asking our friends if they want a puppy!

As for training, at the begriming, I worked with Millie on all the basics several times a day in 5 minute sets: sit, down, sit, stand, leave-it, stay, heel, off. I added tricks; high five, paw, spin, other way, bear, bow, crawl. I started doing indoor socialization to boxes, toys, pots and pans, treats on novel things, lots of brain games. It wasn't until she could  heel indoors and was good with the harness and leash (2 weeks after having her) that I even took her off our property. We went on a short walk up and down the street rewarding good heel with the clicker every 5 feet! I am really glad I invested so much time in her walking well. 

Then I began arranging doggie play times in my yard. At first, I was very selective in making sure it was the right size, the right temperament. Now she is good with all the dogs and we do our doggie play dates 2-4 times a month! I also took her to some other ones and into the small side of the dog park once with some clients. She loves when we have friendly day train dogs too.

We still kept up with crate games and go to mat work and then I began using her for private client sessions, then group class. 

She barked a lot during her first group class, crated. Thankfully, it was all very good clients of mine that understood the process and now she stays quiet and I have figured out how to secure her crate so she doesn't unzip it!

So all and all, she has been a good fit for our family. She is a high maintenance dog though and I am glad she has us because I don't know many others that could handle the stimulation and training she has needed! We have had yucky days of poop messes, muddy dog running in the house, fear of the nail trimmer, fear of the bath, suddenly getting reactive toward people. It is just part of the package. 

I plan to write more in Millie Part 2 about where we are in training now and how we are dealing with her human reactivity and fears.

Doggie Day Care

Recently I toured a local doggie day care as I was in the area with some downtime from a last minute client cancelation. I have at least 5 clients that use this facility frequently for their dog and more that use this place as a boarding facility or grooming facility. Knowing this, I have even recommended it sight unseen. I am glad I took the time to go, because I wasn't too thrilled with what I saw.

When I went in, a gentleman had just dropped off his dog and was watching a monitor of live footage. I asked him if he went often and he told me that this was his dog's first time and he was having some work done on his house that was freaking her out so he thought this place was the best last minute solution. I struck up a conversation and asked if he got a tour or knew about their maximum number of dogs or how they discipline or if they offered potty breaks or down time or separated by size or disposition. His brows furrowed and he slowly shook his head. He hadn't asked any questions and wasn't offered a tour! 

When the employee came out of the back room, I introduced myself as a local trainer and was very interested in learning more to perhaps start a partnership. He said I would have to come back later as the dogs don't like strangers walking in their space and handed me a brochure. I wasn't very easily disuaded however! I said, "Surely you have a lattice or one way glass area for viewing as most doggie day care's do?" The answer was YES but there were dogs in that room that I believe were employee dogs. He moved them and the gentleman that had dropped his dog off took advantage to follow me and the employee into his room. The dogs could see us a little and there was a tad bit of barking, but not much. What did I find out? I found out there was only one play space! They have other areas for isolation for trouble maker dogs but all the dogs (fearful, bossy, small, big, young, old) are altogether on a cement floor. What is in the space? A few kid's plastic play structures, spare toys (mostly chewed) and water. Dogs were urinating where they pleased and a wet mop wiped over the spot. I asked about discipline and was shown the water spray bottle and broom as well as told a foot for a good kick does the job if a fight occurs. My biggest issue was that these dogs were not happy. The 25 dogs there (35 is the max) were either totally bored or stressed beyond stressed (howling or barking, pacing, hiding, staring at corners, running away from other dogs). I am happy there weren't any fights or any all around bullying but I am pretty sure most owners aren't aware they are paying for their dogs to sit around in a warehouse type environment, pottying indoors and doing nothing or either stressing until their return. I didn't see any playing or any human interaction either. Just warehoused dogs! 

Now I can see that if I had work being done on my house and my dog was socialized, being "warehoused" would probably not be a bad solution. Or maybe if I was moving that day and didn't have a friend to watch my dog. I would never stick my dog there thinking they were having a blast! So what about when owners get their dog and he is exhausted? Isn't that a hallmark of a day spent rough housing with doggie friends? No, sadly. Usually that means that dog was pacing or stressing or running. 

When I do day train, and the dog had a good day with me (sometimes they don't if it was hard for them to be away from home and they were stressed), they literally say hello to their owners and then want to follow me back in the house! I send the owners pictures and videos proving what we are doing. I am honest with the owners if Fido was stressed and tell them they need to work more on XYZ. 

I also asked the employee if he thought most people where unaware of their dog's mental state or "happiness" and he said a resounding "YES!" that the owners either don't care, or don't want to know.

Not all DDC are like this and I am now dedicated to touring more. What has your experience been?
 

Saying Goodbye

Today I had to do a very hard thing. I had to put down our family dog. I am still in a bit of shock. The whole scenario is a bit odd for those on the outside looking in. I didn't see Harley as my dog, yet for all intents and purposes, he was for the last year and a half.

Harley, as all dogs, has a story. I feel I would honor him by telling it.

13 years ago, my dad decided that it was time for us to get a new dog. He had been divorced from my mother a few years and was finally back in a house and felt that my autustic brother would benefit from a dog because he always missed the dogs that were at my mom's when we came to visit my dad every other week. We had always gotten puppies from breeders, but for some reason, my dad decided we should check out the shelter. We drove to Antioch to look at the dogs in the pound and my dad gravitated toward the one dog that he was sure no one would want. A large black dog that was bouncing off the kennel door. He was a BBD, Big Black Dog, and I learned later, those are the dogs that don't have the best chance of fidning a home. It seems Harley was around a year of age and dumped by his owner when he kept getting larger and destroyed a lot of their home. His bio said he wasn't good with cats or other dogs. I tried to talk him out of the dog, but he was sold, especially since my brother adored him. He paid $50 for him and was given a leash, large bag of Nutro dog food and a bright neon pink gentle leader that we thought was a muzzle at the time.

We took Harley home and the very next week we embarked on a motor home vacation with our new dog. He ate all my books I brought with me, slept in the bed with my dad and had a few days of not going to the bathroom till we figured out he would only do his business off leash! He scared quite a few dogs at the camp grounds, swam in many lakes and rivers and swalled a fish hook with no repurcusions. Thus was Harley's life. He ate chocolate, porclein figurenes, decks, chairs, hoses and never was sick. This dog was a dog of steel! He never did have an issue with our cats or other dogs that came into our lives, but was always a huge reactive mess on leash and only my dad could walk him with the dreaded prong collar. Be that as it may, he went on many outings and vacations and really loved life. He was the only dog allowed his own leather couch and basically had no rules.

He was always in the background of my life. He wasn't my dog, Lucy was my dog, but Harley was always there and usually causing some trouble of some sort like eating the Thanksgiving turkey off the counter one year. He was never really in trouble though, my dad adored that dog.

When we all decided to move in together (keep in mind I went away to college and lived with my nuclear family for a few years), Harley was a bit of a strugle for me. This was a dog that had been induldged his whole life and I am a dog trainer! It didn't take him long to learn my rules and after a few months, things were harmonious. However, in the last 6 months, we had stopped joking that he would outlive us all. We knew he was declining. He was having accidents in the house several times a week. Sometimes on the couch he slept on, sometimes just all over the downstairs area. He couldn't make it outside in time. He couldn't take in enough food to sustain his body. I tried to feed him more and he would only eat so many cups of food a day (even meat and rice and homemade diets). Harley slowly needed more pills and meds each day. He spent most of his time laying on the couch or laying in the grass. He didn't bark when I played with Lucy anymore, didn't try to compete with her and would fall down frequently. I beleive my dad kept hoping nature would take it's course and I remember feeling upset that he couldn't do what needed to be done. That was until it became my responsibility. My choice.

I know now why my dad didn't want to make the choice. Why he didn't want to be in the room. Didn't want to load up his dog for his last ride. Having a 14 year old dog stare up at you while he slowly drifts away and you feed him treats is a heart wrenching experience. Even if he wasn't "my" dog, even if I resented him at time for making epic messes, it is incredibly emotional when one of god's creatures is alive one moment and not the next. Even if I made the right choice, it was a painful choice. Rest in peace Harley.