D-Force

Long time no blog ...

2012-03-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

So, last weekend I found myself dressed as a dog. After a few drinks celebrating at Olympia I voluntered to be the OJAC mascot. What a great excuse to act like a kid high on sugar for a few days!!! The event highlighted that the sport can be both competitive and fun at the same time.

The last few days I have had Theo, one of Dobby's sons, to stay. This young puppy is a mini Dobby. So much character, attitude and natural drive. His temperment is stunning. In my opinion, he is what all breeders should be striving for. Below is a video of him doing some training in Pets at Home.

And a pic of him at his first puppy class being trained by Lucy Osborne.

Finally, I started to work through my list of things I wanted to train Cody before the season started. Tunnels under contacts - TICK! Waits - half a tick! Pull throughs and go-round's - TICK! I can't wait to start competing with code again , I have a few goals to aim for this year :)

Little Dit is steadily making progress. She is probably a little further behind in her training that I would have hoped at this stage. Mainly because I have had to put so much time in to teaching 'life skills' and I guess also due to the bad weather we had. I had entered Scunthorpe as her first show just for jumping classes to give us something to aim for. But I wont rush her and I think it is looking unlikely that will be her debut now. I really do have to thank Dave Munnings for all his help with Ditto, it has been invaluable. I was so happy with how Ditto behaved and worked at a Toni Dawkins group at Scrambles a few weeks ago. Focused, confident and drivey :)

This weekend we had Lucy Osborne at D-Force for a training day. The sessions included young dogs, weaves and super see-saw. Everyone was looking awesome, I am so proud with how the D-force dogs are looking. Everyone loved Lucy's positive training methods :)

I was how both my dogs worked in Lucy's training sessions :)

Off to cheer on my friends competing at Crufts this week, always a great motivator :)

Peace out xx

general update

2012-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

First things first, I have to say huge congratulations to my great friend Anna Giles on the birth of her new baby, Sebastian!

At the moment, I am really leading a 'dog filled life'. My days are completely rammed with all things dog ... and I am loving it! Inbetween the 'day job' of walking and training classes and 1-2-1's, I have had Anna's Muddle to stay whilst baby Sebby settles in, Dave's Fame to stay whilst he has been of holidaying some where (lol) and two other boarders!!! Crazyyy!

During Mud's stay we have been re-raining his weaves as he physically really struggled with the old distance. He seemed to find weaving difficult and it had made his association with the weaves a bit stressy. So, I have taken him right back to basics with the new distance weaves using Lucy Osbournes, entry and channel method. I have LOVED training Mud. He is nuts and has amazing toy drive, probably the best I have seen in a Border Collie! This intensity and desire has now been transferred into his weaves ... the dog loves them and is swimming through super fast! Anna, are you sure I can't keep him!?

Fame is just perfect, a real natural and matched with Dave's great training I am sure she will be awesome. Her toy drive is also fantastic. With a low head, she powers into toys wether dead or held. Like Mud, its makes her so easy to train.

Dare I say it, I am really happy with Ditto's attitude. There seems to be a culture in agility of being cautious of praising your own dog publicly, maybe in fear of being labeled arrogant or putting high expectations on dogs at their early shows. Speaking with Sian the other day, I said I always put myself down when it comes to training and I want to stop this. So there it goes, I have said I am happy with the direction Dit's is heading in! Her agility is looking nice but more importantly her life skills have improved so much :) she just makes me laugh all the time!

Cody came back from his break WILD! It was hilarious. After a few training sessions he is now still wild but with a bit of control. The best news, the wait training is going to plan. Must keep it up! Note to self: stop putting off obstacle discrimination training!!!!

And Hat, well of course she is still the best dog in the world!

At the end of all my 1-2-1's and classes I always ask people what they are happy with. So at the end of Jan what am i happy with? The highlight has to be Ditto working in a group in a new environment with focus and drive :D

Peace Out

xxx

"There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons."

2011-11-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

"There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons."

Sometimes in life, we have to learn things the hard way. Over six months ago now, I had an awful experience with my own dogs and I now feel ready to speak about this in an attempt to save other people and their dogs from finding themselves in the same situation.

I wanted to increase Cody's fitness level, so along with Dave, took Cody and Dobby to a 'dog swimming pool'. It's amazing how much trust we put in people we believe to be professionals in their chosen field. In defence of the pool both dogs had previously swam at this pool with no problems.

After a short swimming session the dogs left the pool and were immediately sick. Twenty minutes latter and arriving home Cody left the van and collapsed. Ditto who had only been running around the edge of the pool started to vomit. We rushed the dogs to the vets. Worried vets treated all three dogs as an emergency. 48 hours later and all three dogs were still on a drip.

Meanwhile, we found ourselves at a dead-end with a pool unwilling to communicate with either ourselves or our concerned vets.

So we found ourselves asking why has this happened? And along came K9 Hydro Services run by Barbara Houlding and Maria Johnston. They kindly invited me to their very professional centre. On entering the building immediate differences were noted between K9 Hydro and the dog pool I was used to: it was so quite and calm, the pool was small, there were no toys and highly qualified staff were more than happy to help and greet my dogs.

Below are some of my finding following my visit to K9 Hydro as to what may have caused the problems:

· At no point should a dog take a toy from or below the water level.

· Emphasis should be on controlled water based physio treatments instead of random swimming.

· Dogs should be calm and focused throughout the session rather than crazy or over excited.

· Dogs should safely be assisted in and out of the pool, no jumping in.

· Sessions with one dog to one therapist are essential for safe practice

· Multi dog swimming is not therapy.

· Qualified Therapists should have hands on contact with their canine patient at all times both in and out of the pool or treadmill and wet room.

· Centres should have good water management and ventilation.

I urge you to research this topic, think wisely before selected a hydrotherapy pool and visit K9 Hydro or go to their website for more information www.k9hydroservices.co.uk

Above is a picture of little Frisbee the foster I had over DINAS and KC Festival in her new home. She is so tiny!

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.

2011-09-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. Dale Carnegie

With Camp one being so great, there was lots of pressure to make camp two even better! Monday afternoon arrived and the camping field was filling up with posh caravans, motor homes and Delphines luxury, 5 star tent (which came with a free ‘Inu heater’).

With no time to hang around, the jam packed schedule kick started with a learning theory and agility handling presentation. The first evening at camp is all about getting to know everyone, so to the pub we headed (this pub just loves our large groups ... not!).

Our first trainer, on day one of training, was Sian Illingworth. Words our ‘campers’ used to describe Sian after training were: fun, motivational, great people skills, inspiring, confidence building and consistent ... these attributes combined make for a great trainer! Sians training focused on handling jumping sequences. The evening entertainment was an Indian takeaway, the entertainment being ordering it (have you ever tried ordering a takeaway for so many people, to be delivered to a place you don’t know and with a phone with little signal!)!

Day two of training and Lucy Osborne arrives as the trainer. Lucy’s morning sessions focused on contact training. Starting at step one with shaping the end position and then onto building whole contacts into short sequences. In the afternoon Lucy focused on handling including foot-work; a new focus for many participants. It was really great to have Lucy stay an extra few days at Camp and get into ‘camp spirit’, there are certainly no silent moments when Lucy is around! All the participants loved Lucy’s training and learnt so much! A fun and filling BBQ made for an enjoyable evening.

Day three, was Munnings day. Not only was he teaching but it was also his birthday (and Lucy’s). Dave’s sessions put together everything the participants had done throughout the week into courses. Wow, these dogs were looking great! Most of the campers regularly train with Dave so only quietly told me how much they loved his training, in fear he may up his prices!

The last night is always so fun at camp as it’s our farewell meal at the pub and ..... AWARDS! Ranging from most dramatic to sweetest person, the awards were taken in good humour as laughter took over the pub!

I have to say a big thanks to the trainers but an even bigger thanks to the participants for being so fun and easy going. Bring on next year J

Update

2011-06-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream - Author Unknown

My latest foster, Benny, went to his new home today. There are always mixed emotions when fosters fly the nest. On one hand I am so happy they have found the perfect home, where they will be loved and spoilt rotten. On the other hand, there is sadness as it is time to say good bye to a dog who you have seen change in front of you as a result of hard work and patience and has become such a close friend. Enjoy your new home Benny :)

Code's agility is going nicely. I love this picture Jodi Lunn took of him ... he just loves it!

Ditto is maturing nicely. I love her work attitude she is full on, intense and non-stop. Shaping is by far the best way of tiring her out. I will make sure I get some videos of her tricks for my next blog.

And here is Hattie, having a great time at the camp last month.

The feed-back from last weeks 110% was brilliant. This workshop is really good fun and both Dave and I love teaching it. You know people enjoy it when they book on to the same workshop for the fourth time :D The workshop aims at creating 'attitude'. It's amazing how some dog and handler partnerships can change within a few hours.

Anyway, best go and pack. Spain awaits me tomorrow. Job one for when I'm back ... finish the website!!!

D-Force Camp 1

2011-05-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.
Audrey Hepburn

So, the first D-Force Camp is over and what a success! The feed-back forms were full of praise in every aspect of the camp. The training and lectures were fantastic but what made this camp so great was the social element and the great people on the course. Every where you looked people were laughing.

The dogs on the course were fantastic. Dogs ranged from grades 1-7 but all were up to the challenge. Their motivation and toy drive were fantastic, all trainers commented on just how great every dog was. 'They really were a pleasure to train'.

The trainers:

For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward

2011-05-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward - Jim Rohn

Reward based training continues to make great steps in the modern world. Its evolution has been rapid; a testimony to its global success. Looking back just 10 years and dog training flyer's would advertise being 'top dog', instant results and 'trained by ex-police dog handler'! In my area there are still a few of these classes advertised and I often get the privilege to rehabilitate some of their 'failed' pupils.

So, I will introduce dog 'A'. Dog 'A' arrived on a thick choke chain, neck low, eyes staring to the ground, feet firmly planted in the ground, tail under and eyes bulged. Dog 'A' is just 4 months, from good breeding. Dog A's owner, in-between tears, explains just 2 weeks ago her puppy was confident, happy and 'all over the place'. I questioned what had happened to the dog during the last few weeks. To my shock it appeared the reasoning behind the sorry state in front of me was 'socialisation classes'. In the past I have seen clients with dogs displaying these traits as a result of training classes which are largely based on aversive, correctional techniques. But how could socialisation go so wrong ....?

Thanks to 'Dog A' who motivated me to write the blog below and Dog A's owner for allowing em to use their dog as an example :)

Modern, reward based training relies heavily on finding what a dog values and using it to achieve a set criteria. D-Force companion classes refer to socialisation as 'socialisation training', it reminds people to use this reward in their socialisation. Below is a video of a friends dog 'exploring the farm' - great job Danni. A treat is used in order to: create a positive experience, teach the dog what is wanted, reward confident approaches, control the situation, build value in exploring, aid bounce back. This puppy is a far cry from 'Dog A' but i have no doubt that with positive methods on board 'Dog A' will be up to this challenge in no time :)

Without rewards present, we can not refer to socialisation as socialisation training. Instead, we could call it flooding. 'Throw him in the deep end, he'll have to get used to it' type attitude. Flooding a puppy to encounter a new experience is dangerous. The chances are the puppy will experience fear, as a result survival instincts will kick in. Accept, Flight, freeze, flight (or fiddle about if your a Labrador :P) are the options we have given the puppy. Probability states the chances are the puppy will pick one of the undesirable traits (all but 'accep't). We have put our dogs in the situation where a new experience has become negative. This result is likely to be mirrored or exaggerated in your dogs next encounter with a new experience. We are creating a learnt behaviour in our dogs that is going to create a unhappy, un-confident, dog that is unable to deal with the encounters of daily life.

This is not to say I think dogs should never have to deal with a degree of stress. It is impossible to shield our dogs from stress in their lives and therefore it is important they learn to deal with it whilst young. However, i do not believe socialisation is the place for.

It's only three days till day 1 of D-Force Dog Training Agility Camp. I will try to keep you all updated with camp going-ons.

Update

2011-04-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a fun few weeks. Cody won into grade 3 at his first show of the season. He looks like a different dog to last season, I really feel like he is ready for it this year.

Cody has been so good at making me a better trainer. He finds fault in training like no other dog. If I do something wrong he makes it clear. He is also so good at telling me what is good training.

Ditto and I went on a training day with Lauren (Dit's breeder). It was Ditto's first session working around other dogs and she was great, complete focus and great toy drive. Lauren picked up on a few things I need to work on with Dit. I think on the whole she was was happy with Dits progress, as am I :-)

Ditto with Dad Reed and half sister Daisy.

I had loads of fun training the dogs with Natalie Mitchell this week, thanks Nat :)

Attitude

2011-04-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Thank you Natalie Mitchell @ The Twilight Touch for these photos :) x

Limitations

2011-03-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it has certainly been a tough week. On Tuesday I took the dogs to hydrotherapy and to cut a long story short Cody, Ditto and Dobby sustained chlorine poisoning. For a moment it seemed touch and go, my world collapsed around me. After many different treatments and a night on a drip they made a break through, and are now back home (Ditto back to causing havoc, Cody still not quite himself). We really were so lucky!

Prior to the incident, I had been working on Ditto's habitual learning. Habitual learning aims to create a working state of mind in a dog/puppy that can focus in any environment and situation. The dog/puppy should offer the same intensity to cued behaviours as they would in their most comfortable environment. Our agility dogs are asked to give us 100% of their attention, focus and drive whilst competing at shows and at training. These environments are hugely arousing! By acustomising puppies to different environments and asking them to 'work' (or play as they see it) can only aid them for their future agility career.

So I have found myself squatting down on the floor, tasty treats in one hand, clicker in the other, in many strange locations: high street, pet shop, pub, road side, fields, car show room ect ect. The results are amazing. I just love this super puppy!

I have often wondered how/why people say ' I cant wait till my pup is 12 months so we can start agility training'. Both Ditto and myself are having so much fun pushing the boundaries of puppy training into new areas for both of us. Dog training really is about pushing the limitations conventional dog training has set.

A big thank you must go to all who have supported us over the last few days. The good wishes and thoughts have meant a lot :)

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” Jamie Paolinetti

Melvin

2011-03-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

Little Melvin, my foster pup, has gone to his new home. He is now called Merlin and is very spoilt and loved. I look forward to seeing him in puppy classes. I looked after him yesterday for his new owners ... he is a very special puppy!

His wound is almost completely healed, he is such a happy boy :)

Anna and I have now taken on another foster dog each ... I will blog about them soon. There are so many dogs out there needing help in some way; from fundraising to volunteer dog walking. Its just interesting to see who is willing to do it!

My own dogs are great :) looking forward to the show season with little Code :D

natural? science? opinion?

2011-02-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

Dependant on who you are, dog training and ownership is either general knowledge, gut instinct and natural or a science. To me it is both; having a sound understanding of the science behind dog ethology, ecology and learning is vital but is nothing without a natural understanding, empathy and experience. And vice verca, a competent history in canine handling means little without the science.

Where possible, I try to keep an open mind into views surrounding canine welfare and training but when facts from leading veterinarians, trainers and behaviourists support my own understanding of dogs, this can prove difficult.

Choke chains to me should play no part in our modern day relationship with dogs for many reasons:

they have been directly linked to the following medical conditions: injured ocular blood vessels, Tracheal and oesopageal damage, severely sprained necks, cases of fainting, Trabsient foreleg paralysis, Laryngeal nerve paralysis, Hind leg ataxia
It is often argued that if used correctly they cause no harm. This is because the dogs fears the noise the collar makes. Should we not avoid any punitive training?
The use of them often cause behavioural problems (next blog)

Choke chains (I include half checks in this title) can be disguised in many different ways to look more subtle, but effectively do the same job (slip leads, made of tuggy material, pretty colours etc).

Owners often say they use them as they are 'easy', 'work' or 'stops the dog getting out'. To me, after seeing the facts and figures surrounding this apparatus i would ethically never be able to use one. On top of this, as a trainer, i would be gutted to know i needed a punitive piece of apparatus to train my dog to complete a behaviour.

However this is my opinion, it does not mean it is right or wrong. How we take peoples opinion is up to us. Some take it to heart and get defensive. Some listen, way up the surrounding thoughts and act in accordance.

“An open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought in it”

Foster Puppies and Many Tears

2011-02-10T02:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend end, and after a 6 hour journey to Wales, I arrived at Many Tears Rescue to lend a hand. Wow, what a fantastic, dedicated, caring and inspirations team! Saturday morning and Nat gave me a tour of the kennels. It was heart-breaking to see so many beautiful yet un-wanted dogs but at the same time reassuring to know there are centres like Many tears around to help. It was both an eye opener and a privilege to have spent time at Many Tears.

Nat apparently knew I wouldn't come home with the same number of dogs I arrived with ... and she was correct! Meet Melvin, Moomin and Meerkat; the puppies Anna and I are now foster parents to.

They are 10 week old working lab cross collies. But mentally and physically resemble the traits of a 6/7 week old pup! They are really starting to come out of them selves and starting to form real characters (noisy ones)! Both Anna and I hope that the time we put into these puppies will benefit both the puppies and their future owners in the future.

'For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward' - Jim Rohn

Dog Day 1

2011-02-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

There have been so many doggy activities going on in the past week that I will have to report on them over several blogs.

Saturday Morning, and running on 'D-Force Time', dedicated owners turned up to hear me present 'so, you think your pack leader?' a talk aimed at challenging old fashioned dominance and pack theories. The audience contained an array of owners from trainers and behaviourists to first time owners and vet nurses.

It can be a very difficult challenge to enter things with an open mind, but no one seemed to have a negative 'I don't need to learn' attitude. And I believe everyone left questioning what they may have previously believed.

At the end of the session, I asked for a group conclusion (see below):

1.) Dogs are not wolves
2.) Dogs do not form packs.
3.) Dogs are a mirror of our training, not a pre-programmed 'must rule the world' machine
4.) Dogs know we are not dogs and therefore it would be impossible for them to want to 'dominate' us and see us HUMANS as part of their pack.
5.) The evolution from wolf to dog was complex but quick and done with little help from humans (except a bit of garbage).
6.) Positive methods work. Dominance based training methods are cruel to the point of ridiculous.
7.) Pack rules are silly ... if you want your dog on the sofa, he won't think he is god!

Lets take one example of a pack rule to get you all thinking ... A dog that pulls on leash is dominant as he thinks he is leading the pack hunt.

1.) so your dog is dominant whilst he pulls on his way to the park, and suddenly decides he doesn't want to be when he stops pulling on the way home?
2.) Your dog really thinks your going on a hunt?
3.) This is a serious problem that must be sorted. A choke chain will be a great method to show your dogs who's boss?
4.) A halti will PREVENT the problem?
5.) Your dog really wants to go out and hunt even though their is easily accessible food at home for minimal effort?
6.) Your dog sees you as another dog who is to be 'led'?

Got you thinking? Take a look at Dominance: Fact or Fiction by Barry Eaton and make your own mind up (and make your dog 100 times happier)!!

"We don’t have to be Alpha, dominant or pack leader, and neither does our dog. All we need to be is an owner responsible for guiding our dog, shaping and influencing its behaviour through correct socialisation and training so they can live in harmony with us." - Barry Eaton

Cody as a very cute puppy!

Consistency

2011-01-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

Consistency

I have just been having a clean out at home and came across a card I was given years ago whilst sitting exams. The front of the card read ‘We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough – Helen Keller’ As with most things in life, this got me thinking dog!

There tends to be two types of attitude when people train dogs:

1. * I will stick to this technique/method/exercise/system, perseverance will pay off

2. * This technique/method/exercise/system isn’t working, I’ll try another.

Something I remember Dave Munnings making very clear during my first lesson with Cody is ‘consistency is the most important ingredient for successful dog training’. It was a wake up call. I had always told my clients to be 100% consistent, but had I ever sat back and analysed my own consistency.

The behavior of a human being is diverse, complex and confusing for another human to read. Imagine how hard it is for a dog to try and figure. Now imagine being a dog who is just getting to grips with what you may mean/want …. Then, everything changes again!

Last weekends recall workshop was a great fun and all owners were amazed at how much there dog had improved in a two hour session. At the end of the session I asked the owners to set four aims in which they wish to complete within a month. Every owner mentioned consistency – BRILLIANT!

A little twist on Langman’s Shaskespear quotes - Some are born consistent, some achieve consistency and some have consistency thrust upon them!

Brilliant D-Force Members

2011-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well tonight, I couldn't be more grateful for having some fantastic club members. Two members are organising a club trip to Crufts including minibus, tickets etc!

Hopefully lots of club members will take them up in this great offer for a fun, doggy filled day.

So a big thank you to Emma and Alison :) (below are Emma and Alison's dogs)

At home, we've been answering the door all night too Ditto fans after her guest appearance on Location, Location, Location tonight :P

Don't stop now

2011-01-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

Training Ditto is so much fun, she is so into her food and toy, she picks things up so quickly and always gives 100%. Being the behaviour geek I am, the socialisation training just gets my brain going into a frenzy.

Sunday night’s puppy class have just completed their 10 week socialisation plan and diary, and although not everyone chooses to give them to me to read through, those that have, have done a fantastic job. These first time puppy owners are setting exercises, breaking them down, attempting them, noting strengths and weaknesses, asking me how to improve areas of weakness, going home and kicking ass! I was so proud to hear one of last year’s puppy graduates has been accepted as a PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog showing just how great the results of socialisation work within the D-Force classes are.

So where do so many people go wrong:

stopping socialisation – allowing issues
going for gold (flooding) – forcing issues
not raising criteria – training issues

Issue one comes from the attitude ‘been there, done that, got the t-shirt’. For example ‘my puppy has met a child, had no reaction, job done’. Remember the developmental stages puppies go through, these will affect your puppies reaction to a stimulus, puppy needs to meet children at every stage of its development, regularly and confidently. I describe this attitude as ‘allowing issues’ i.e not enough socialisation training allows issues to arise nothing has been done to prevent these ‘negative behaviours’.

Issue two is something that many owners do subconsciously. The attitude ‘he will be fine, throw him in the deep end’ can perhaps cause the most detriment in socialisation training. Lets take a puppy party, 8 puppies are let off lead in an enclosed area. The puppy may learn to become a victim or a bully, this may then become a ‘learnt behaviour’ so by ‘forcing’ the dog into this environment rather than gradually building it up and by taking no control (regular recalls, quite time ect) the dog learns undesirable behaviours.

Here is an analogy for problem 3 - Imagine a 30 year old man greeting someone with ‘ga-ga’ and a smiley wave, instead of shaking someone’s hand politely like we have been brought up to do, this is the result of not raising criteria with age. In a canine, the equivalent behaviour when meeting a human would be lots of hyper, frequent licks and a body out of control rather than sitting and waiting to be invited to say hello. The dog has been taught that people are great, but not to show some self control before being invited.

Below are extracts from one of the diaries from a D-Force puppy owner. What is brilliant is how much care is taken to avoid the three above problems.

Puppy age: 8 weeks

Overall aim: Teach a polite meet and greet with humans

Aim for this session: increase confidence to approach people

What happened: met 10 people all gave puppy treat and gentle fuss. Puppy grew in confidence did not back away. Man in hat was scary!

(In-between 8 and 10 weeks lots of hat work)

Puppy age: 10 weeks

Overall aim: Teach a polite meet and greet with humans

Aim for this session: Sit before meeting person

What happened: Met 10 people. Asked puppy to sit before meeting each person, rewarded (high value) and then released to greet stranger who gave reward (high value)

Puppy age: 12 weeks

Overall aim: Teach a polite meet and greet with humans

Aim for this session: Puppy offers sit position when in front of stranger

What happened: Met 10 people. Had to prompt the first 3 sits and then puppy offered last 7. Slight caution of man in hat. Need to go back to high rewards from lots of people in hats.

Who is willing to be honest? Most dogs will react to a certain stimuli in a non-ideal manor. Identified it? Hattie’s (my 10 year old retriever) is loud Lorries (probably because you don’t see many in my village), Cody’s is cows (seen a lot but never did any ‘socialisation training’ specifically on cows). Form an initial plan including your overall goal. Have a go and see how you get on. And let’s prove that socialisation does work outside the critical period!

Step 1: From a large distance from stimuli push feed or play with dog. Don’t push your luck and move closer until your dog is ready. This step should last a week. No ‘commands’ are being asked for just to have a good time whilst the stimuli is present.

Club Dog - Mika

Happy Christmas

2010-12-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Looks like we will be having a white Christmas then! After tomorrow it has to go ... please .... bored of it now!

All D-Force classes are now over until the new year, we are looking forward to seeing dogs owners and instructors re-energised and ready to take 2011 by storm :-) Great to see pictures of so many club dogs having a great time in the snow on the front of Xmas cards and on facebook.

Ditto is so bright! Since the snow has arrived her 'hurry up' rewards have all come from weeing on the snow. Now a lot of the snow is melting in the garden she makes sure she finds a snowy area to use. In her head, using concrete and grass is not for ladies. She seems to be getting madder every day, loving her clicker training and playing like crazy bringing her toy back as quick as she can for a game of tug.

I like to use and support my local, small pet shops rather than the large chains as often as I can. However I think the large stores are great for puppy socialisation (Ditto wants a Degu!). A large display entitled recommended reading is covered from head to toe in books by one author. Our 'famous friend' from TV in which the general public are taught how to bite their dog using their hand. I asked the manager why only these books were in the recommended reading section ... 'it's what head office tell us to do'. For those positive reinforcement dog lovers out their, please message me for the email address for head office in an attempt to get some modern, science based dog training books on the shelves!

Anyway, best go and wrap the dogs presents. Have a great Christmas and eat lots! :)

Dave Munnings Winter Strips 1

2010-12-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

Friday proved just how committed/crazy us dog lovers are to agility! Anna organised a 9am-5pm training day with Dave which stripped training right back to basics looking at individual pieces of equipment, analysing performance, setting individual exercises for improvement and explaining and demonstrating how he trains it. Handlers were all given a work book to complete. Everyone loved the workbook idea as there was so much information to take in, having a book to complete meant handlers could go home and re-read.

The group contained 10 handlers, some D-Force members and some from other clubs (many travelling miles). The abilities ranged from those not yet competing to grade 6 dogs. This worked fantastically well as handlers could view dogs at every stage of training.

Lunch time arrived and we warmed up at our local, dog friendly pub. Great food, great company!

The feedback from the day was brilliant. Anna did a great job organising and Dave's training was as usual fab ... just proving why we keep inviting him back! Everyone is looking forward to Winter Strips 2 in Jan :D

Here is a link to Dave's DVD: http://www.tug-e-nuff.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=145

And the winner is ...

2010-12-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

Mika (GSP) - Most Promosing

Fergus (collie x springer) and Emma - Perfect Paire ;-)

Tiger - Most Memorable Moment

Above are some of the dogs that recieved awards at this years xmas meal.

Well done : ) x

Ditto Video :-)

2010-12-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Hope you enjoy the video below of little Ditto playing hard but learning LOADS at the same time. What a positive and confident response to such a new and different environment and animals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nrcJ3HFs60

People often say to me 'yes I socialised my puppy in environment X' or 'yes I socialised my puppy with new experience/object X'. This means very little. The information missing is how many times did the puppy meet 'X', at how many points throughout its development and how was the socialisation managed/controlled. As we say at D-Force ... don't go socialisation hunting, go socialisation training.

Canines go through a number of developmental stage. With each stage, a puppies outlook on a situation can change massively. Lets take Ditto and the Shetland pony for example.

At 7 weeks Ditto meets her first horse (OK, more of a goat is size). As the video shows, her reaction is confident and friendly and to top it all she comes back to her tuggy when called every time.
Within the next month or so, Ditto will being to understand flight and flight distance. "I'm scared I'm going to run this far" type attitude.
If in between now (first horse encounter) and four months Ditto meats no more horses, her outlook response to horses could be unrecognisable.
Ditto therefore needs to meet horses regularly
The way in which Ditto meets horses needs to adapt through her developmental stages i.e going back to on-lead training throughout flight distance stage.

Google 'canine developmental stages' - it may just change how you raise your pup!

"100 new people by 12 weeks" - Dr. Ian Dunbar, PhD

Apply this to everything not just people and whatever you do, don't stop at 12 weeks!

Loving D-Force

2010-12-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

D-Force club members just keep making us smile this week ...

After training on Monday I did a quick facebook check to find Alison's (club member) status to read 'Alison says if you have a dog and want a fun packed evening and a very tired dog- sign up to D Force!!!' It's so nice read such nice feedback. So many clubs advertise their classes as 'fun' but few really are. We're glad you think ours are :-)
Scrolling down further I saw another great status that really made me smile. Pelly (club member) wrote 'Pelly is so proud of disney,she got the trophy for instructors dog of the year tonight at agility.best jack russell eva!!!!' So great to see the bond between owner and dog strengthen through agility, it's what it's all about.
Club friend Dave Munnings then said 'one thing that really sticks with me that you have said is; why would I want to be my dogs pack leader. That would involve bulling my dog and weaken our bond. I want to be my dogs best friend' After thinking 'surley I've said more than one interesting statement', I was so happy that such a positive statement had been memorised and hopefully passed on to many more.
Unfortunately, a club dog has found out they need a highly expensive operation. The dog isn't insured. Did D-Force sit there and do nothing? NO! A fundraising event is in the planning stages. There really is such a great community spirit in the club.

Below is Ditto, taking a rare moment to chill. This puppy is full of energy and is great fun!

Lots of fun at Christmas party!

2010-11-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

A great turn out to the D-force Christmas party made for a fantastic night.

Laughter could be heard all night, the Royal Oak really made the night enjoyable and relaxing. The highlight was our infamous 'Pirate Game' ... watch out for a video to follow!!!

We launched our anual awards such as 'Most Promosing' and 'Instructors dog of the year'. In the next blog I will publish photos of the winners, their humans and trophy. We also thanked our assistant instructors with flowers and the new D-Force clothing which looks brilliant.

We are so lucky to have such fun customers and instructors. :-)

Ditto is settling in well, creating havoc as often as possible! Will upload some photos of pretty puppy tommorow :) x

Socialisation, what is it? And meet Ditto!

2010-11-22T04:10:00.000-08:00

Socialisation, what is it? And meet Ditto!

Meet Ditto (Devongem Does It Again) who arrives next Saturday.

Along with the excitement of getting a puppy, to me there is always one thousand and one thoughts buzzing around my head about the best way to create a well mannered, happy, sociable, fun and healthy dog. In the D-force puppy lessons we focus a lot on socialisation, perhaps one of these most misinterpreted areas owners initially have when buying their puppy.

Socialisation is defined as ‘The process by which the individual acquires the knowledge and dispositions that enable him to participate as an effective member of a social group and a given social order’

In my experience, socialisation goes wrong when owners go ‘dog hunting’ and ‘people spotting’ in which puppies are given free roam to ‘play’ endlessly with another dog or person. This has several common problems:

Huge value is created in playing with another dog. Often so high any reward we offer is no match.
This often leads to a dog with no re-call (the most important thing, as responsible dog owners, we can teach our dogs).
Further results may include an inability to relax in the presence of other dogs and new people.
Dogs learn to become either ‘victims’ or ‘bullies’ around other dogs.

To me, socialisation is teaching social norms to our dogs in situations they will encounter during daily life. So instead of ‘dog hunting’ Ditto and I, as well as all D-force puppy owners, will be doing lots of socialisation training. Where correct, well mannered interactions will be rewarded and less well mannered behaviour will be ignored, result in the end of the game, be interrupted or redirected (knowing the best option of what to do at this time can not be taught but comes from an understanding of the dog you are working with at the specific time).

The results of incorrect socialition can be clearly seen in my local woods, where dogs have free reign to ‘play’ often leading to scraps. It is therefore up to us to teach our dogs how to behave/deal in this situation.

With puppies, we have a very short critical socialisation period (modern theories suggest up to 16 weeks of age), in which the brain acts like a sponge absorbing new experiences and environments (habituation). After 16 weeks socialisation and habituation still take place but at a lesser rate.

The importance of early Socialistion is shown clearly by the Guide Dogs for the Blind, who, until 1956, used to rely on the donation of adult dogs which they took on approval to maintain their training stock. The success rate of these dogs fluctuated between 9 and 11 percent and it was recognised that this could be improved if the association could supervise the rearing of puppies. These were purchased and placed in private homes at between ten and twelve weeks old or even later. Things improved, but the results were not good enough. It was Derek Freeman, who pushed to have puppies placed in private homes at an earlier age to optimise socialisation and habituation during the critical development period. Derek had a strong belief in Scott and Fuller’s work and importance of early socialisation and habituation in the production of dogs that were best able to survive and perform in the world at large.

As with all things doggy, a balance needs to be found and advice found in books or from trainers is often taken to literally. A level of free play is essential in creating a puppy who is going to grow up to understand other dogs, play and be happy with dogs in their space. Let’s not forget puppyhood is all about fun!

So this leads me to a few questions and decisions I will have to make with Ditto: are puppy parties beneifical or counter productive in the rearing of a well mannored soicable puupy?

I am very greatful to Lauren Langman for being such a fantastic and dedicated breeder. Giving these puppies such brilliant early socialtion/habituation from people to car rides and dogs to noises.

Anna and Lottie - WINNERS!

2010-11-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Huge congratulations to our very own Anna Giles and her rescue Rottie, Lottie, for winning the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Pre Beginner Stakes at Discover Dogs. Monday nights agility classes celebrated with chocoloate, bucks fizz and good humour!

Welcome to the D-Force blog

2010-10-11T04:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the D-Force Dog Training blog. The blog will be updated with videos and photos from our puppy, companion and agility classes :)

D-Force

Long time no blog ...

general update

"There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons."

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.

Suggested reading

Update

D-Force Camp 1

For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward

Update

Attitude

Limitations

Melvin

natural? science? opinion?

“An open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought in it”

Foster Puppies and Many Tears

Dog Day 1

Consistency

Brilliant D-Force Members

Don't stop now

Happy Christmas

Dave Munnings Winter Strips 1

And the winner is ...

Ditto Video :-)

Loving D-Force

Lots of fun at Christmas party!

Socialisation, what is it? And meet Ditto!

Anna and Lottie - WINNERS!

Welcome to the D-Force blog