Trainers and other dog behavior experts urge people to enroll their dogs in group training classes, and with good reason. Group classes are a fine way to teach most dogs basic manners they need to thrive in human society and homes. Puppy classes that include plenty of off-leash playtime are essential for teaching pups bite inhibition, polite play skills, dog-dog communication skills as well as manners. Specialty classes like doggy dancing/canine freestyle, agility, and nose work ramp up the fun factor, and provide additional energy outlets for dogs. And all group classes are excellent opportunities to give dogs much-needed mental workouts, as well as practice in responding to their humans amidst abundant distractions.

How do you and your dog get the most out of dog training classes? Read on for some tips.

• Arrive on time. Better yet, try to get there a few minutes early to give your dog a chance to sniff around and settle into the class environment.
• Bring necessary paperwork on the first day. Classes usually have policies regarding required vaccinations a dog needs to participate. This is for all the student dogs’ safety. If you haven’t submitted vaccination records ahead of time, bring copies to the first class so your dog can join right in the fun.
• Be prepared. Potty your dog before class. Exercise him ahead of time if he tends to bounce off the wall with energy. Bring him to class hungry. If you usually feed him a meal around class time, skip it. Hungry dogs are more motivated to pay attention and train, and class will be full of distractions – other dogs and people with treats (aka human pez dispensers to dogs!). You’ll be glad for the extra bit of motivation.



• Bring plenty of training treats. You’ll need ‘em! Small soft treats work best. Dogs can eat them more quickly than hard dog biscuits, which means you can get in more repetitions of an exercise during class practice time. Small pieces ensure your dog won’t fill up before class is over. Make sure they’re treats your dog really likes, not those you think he “should” like.
• When not to bring your dog. If your dog is in estrus, it’s probably best to leave her at home. Please don’t bring your dog to class when he’s sick. That won’t be any fun for him, and he might get the other dogs sick. Find out about attending a make up class together, or just come to class anyway without Fido. You’ll still get a lot out of class and be able to practice and keep up your dog up to speed.
• Supervise kids. I love it when kids in the family help to train the dog. I don’t love it though when people bring kids to class expecting the instructor to supervise them. If you bring kids to class, please keep an eye on them for their own safety, your own peace of mind, and to minimize disruptions.
• No retractable leashes. They’re bulky, cumbersome and difficult to manage while training your dog, especially for heeling and loose leash walking practice. Instead, use a  flat leash and collar.
• Speaking of collars, a regular flat collar is best for a positive training class. That means, no choke chains, prong, pinch or shock collars. Those devices rely on pain to control dogs, don’t teach dogs what you’d like them to do, and frequently lead to growling, lunging and barking when the poor dog’s on leash. I don’t know about you, but if someone put one of those things on me and started jerking and popping the leash while I was in it (a la Cesar Milan), I’d get growly in no time.
• Banish the cell phone. You’d be surprised how many times students have answered calls and then proceeded to have a full-on conversation in the middle of class. Please, silence cell phones before class. If you must take a call, step outside of class with your dog.
• Smart footwear. Here’s one I bet most folks don’t think about, but you should. Training classes include exercises that require movement and walking around, sometimes at a fast pace. Humans in training class find that their hands are very full during class time. They’re holding a leash, possibly a clicker, dispensing training treats, paying attention to what they’re doing and what their dogs are doing. Flip flops or high heels will make doing training exercises all the more challenging for humans. Your best bet for footwear is a pair that are comfy, with a flat stable no skid sole.
• Pay attention & listen. Need I say more?
• Be responsible for & monitor your dog at all times, especially if you’re in an off-leash class or puppy playgroup.
• Communicate. Does your dog have food allergies or dietary intolerances? Are you having trouble doing an exercise? Did you find the instructions confusing? Instructors try to have 360-degree vision in class, but we can’t notice everything all the time. So please, talk to your instructor. Ask questions.
• Practice, practice, practice. Dog training classes give you the tools to go home and practice you’re your dog. Dogs don’t generalize well, so if you want to really learn something, you’ll need to train him a lot outside of class. Typically, each class sessions builds on the things learned in the previous meeting. Practice between class sessions so you and your dog are ready to move on to whatever’s coming in the next meeting. Practice in as many settings as you can and at different times of day. Practice in short intervals; three to five minutes a few times a day is much more effective and fun for dogs (and humans) than long marathon sessions.

HAVE FUN!

“A rose is a rose is a rose,” wrote Gertrude Stein, but the same isn’t true for dog training classes.

There are classes just for pups, adolescents, or adults; in basic and advanced manners; to improve a particular skill like coming when called or loose leash walking; for shy or fearful dogs; for leash reactive dogs; specialty classes such as tricks, freestyle, agility, rally, nose work and treibball; and more!

With so many classes to choose from, how do you make sure a group training class is the right fit for your dog? Read on for some tips and important considerations.

• Is it a positive training class or an old-school punishment based class? Positive reinforcement training is the only humane effective way to train dogs. It includes reward-based training and clicker training. Punishment-based training relies on force, pain and intimidation to control behavior and may include leash pops, yelling, choke chains, prong and shock collars. Between the two there’s no contest. Positive training is the only way to go if you want your dog to learn most effectively, to enjoy training and to trust you. If you’re not sure what methods will be used, get in touch with the training school or instructor and ask. Better yet, ask to sit in on a class so you can see for yourself.


Off-Leash Puppy Class

• What’s the maximum class size? If you’re new to training, you may want to opt for a smaller class so you and your dog get more individualized attention. (One caveat: No one taking a group dog training class should expect exclusive attention from the instructor – heck, they’re called “group” classes for a reason.)
• What do you want Rover to get out of the class & what does the curriculum cover? This may seem obvious, but surprisingly often, people come to classes with inaccurate expectations about what their dogs will be learning. Class content varies a lot. Basic manners classes typically cover at least sit, down, stand, leash walking, recall (come when called) and stays. Advanced manners classes take these behaviors and more to the next level. Some puppy classes like those offered by Sirius, are held off-leash and include lots of puppy play, which is essential to teaching pups bite inhibition. Other puppy classes are held on-leash and may or may not include off-leash puppy play. Some classes build their curricula around what students most want to learn. Others have set curricula.
• What does Rover need to know before he can take the class? The answer is usually “nothing” for puppy classes, basic manners classes and nose work. Specialty classes like agility, freestyle (doggy dancing), and rally obedience typically require student-dogs to know some basics. Some advanced classes require that dogs have graduated from a particular class at a particular facility, e.g., Sirius Puppy 2 classes are typically open only to graduates of Sirius Puppy 1. If it’s been a long time since Rover practiced behaviors necessary to take the class, bone up with him well before the class starts so he can hit the ground running on Day 1 of class, rather than spend time reviewing and catching up.
• Is Rover fearful or shy? Some dogs are so anxious/fearful that group training classes aren’t for them. Depending on the severity of the dog’s fear, expecting her to train in a group setting is unrealistic and may be downright unfair and unkind. These poor critters are far too upset to eat or learn in a class setting. If your dog is very fearful, private positive training is your best option to help conquer her fears. Classes designed especially for fearful dogs are another option, provided the methods are positive reinforcement-based, and the dog’s fear is not too severe for the class.
• Is Rover leash reactive? Most group classes are conducted with dogs leashed most of the time. If your dog reacts poorly to the sight of other dogs or strangers when he’s on leash, a garden variety group training class isn’t right for him. Instead, enroll him in a special class designed to address this behavior. I’ve seen these classes listed as “Growly Dog”, “Reactive Rover,” and “Control Unleashed.”
• Does Rover display aggression? Dogs that behave aggressively towards strangers, other dogs, or who guard food, toys or owners from dogs or humans may not be suitable for a group class. A dog that barks and lunges at mail carriers but is otherwise comfortable with strangers may be fine in class. A dog that barks and lunges at all male strangers may not be OK in class. When in doubt, check with the instructor to see if the class can accommodate your dog’s behavioral issues.
• What are the general policies regarding student dogs? Most classes have specific policies about dogs that will be accepted. Policies typically address the dog’s age, required vaccinations, whether or not the dog has bitten and injured a human or another dog, and whether student dogs must be spayed or neutered. Informing yourself about these policies ahead of time is the best way to avoid surprises on the first day of class.

Next up, how to get the most out of your dog’s group training class.

On January 14, 2011, the GGNRA released its Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) and proposal to drastically limit dog-accessible areas throughout the Bay Area. Beloved leash-free areas like Fort Funston will limit unleashed dogs to small patches of land and beach, require dogs to be leashed on most trails, and ban dogs from the majority of the park. Other areas will ban dogs altogether.

Like many Bay Area dog guardians, I’m very upset about the proposed changes. Fort Funston is one of the few spots in the City where dogs can roam leash-free outside the confines and inherent challenges of an enclosed dog park. Funston is a unique option for dogs who don’t do well in cramped and often crowded dog parks. At Funston, dogs get terrific exercise and have plenty of room to negotiate the amount of space between themselves and other dogs.

Fort Funston, aka, Doggy Heaven

The loss of dog-access to GGNRA lands presents negative environmental impacts for Bay Area dogs and humans. Clearly, the restrictions will seriously hurt dogs’ quality of life. Our dogs live in a congested urban environment, frequently in small homes and apartments with no back yards or open space in which to exercise. Adequate off-leash exercise is crucial to dogs’ behavioral wellness and quality of life. A dog that isn’t getting enough exercise is a dog that will in all likelihood develop behavior problems ranging from destructive chewing and boredom barking to anxiety and aggression. Sure, the City has many off-leash dog parks, but they’re already often too crowded to be safe. The GGNRA’s planned restrictions will result in even worse overcrowding, less room for real exercise, and higher risk of dog fights.

The proposed restrictions won’t just harm dogs. The restrictions will result in negative environmental impacts on dog guardians and their neighbors. According to a 2007 estimate, there are 120,000 dogs in San Francisco – more dogs than kids, and approximately 1 dog for every 7 human City residents. A bored dog’s incessant barking disrupts his human family and anyone else within earshot.

Off-leash fun at Ocean Beach

What’s to be done? I have a few suggestions:

Woof up or forever hold your peace! The GGNRA will accept public comment on the Study through April 14, 2011. There are several scheduled meetings to which the public is invited to comment. Written comments can also be submitted to the GGNRA in writing. Go to the GGNRA’s site for information on meetings and to submit comments on the DEIS.

Make sure your comments are of the type that count. It’s not enough to simply protest or voice your displeasure. The comments should be related to the environmental impacts of the proposed dog restrictions, and the potential environmental effects that GGNRA is concerned about. SFDOG.org has put together a detailed and cogent list of suggested comments on the DEIS, and welcomes everyone to incorporate them into written comment letters to the GGNRA.

Contact your local political reps (congressional reps, senators, state senators and in San Francisco, the supervisor for your district), communicate your position on the issue and find out how they plan to address this. Let them know this is an issue that affects all of us, not just a handful of dogs or dog walkers.

Be a dog ambassador. Keep Fifi healthy, up to date on vaccines, and licensed. Pick up poop. Train her to be a model canine citizen on and off-leash. Keep her out of areas designated as dog-free zones, and don’t allow her to chase or disturb wildlife. Snappy recalls, leave its and off-leash stays are essential. So are polite human greetings. Off-leash heeling comes in handy for walking Fifi past distractions and keeping her close to you and out of wildlife protection zones.

Spread the word.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t know about this.

For more information on this important issue, visit www.SFDog.org, www.crissyfielddog.org, and the GGNRA website.

Max, Lola, Roxie, Charlie, Pancake, Izzy, Suki! . . . When it comes to dogs, what’s in a name?

As it turns out, with the right training, quite a bit.

Your dog’s name can be a lot more than just the word you use to refer to him. With the right training, your dog’s name can serve as a cue to look at you. Getting dogs to pay attention to their humans around lots of distractions is one of the most common dog guardians’ challenges. Name training is the first step to teaching your dog to attend to and focus on you no matter where you are. Name training is also a terrific building block for teaching your dog to come to you when you call him.

To train your dog to look at you when you say his name all you need are a clicker and some treats he really likes. Small soft smelly treats work best because your dog can eat them quickly, which helps you get the most mileage out of a training session. Most importantly, use treats that your dog likes. (Every dog is different and just because one dog likes a certain type of treat doesn’t mean another dog will. A student in one of my group training classes had a puppy who would happily train for tiny pieces of apple! I tried giving my dog a piece of apple and he just sniffed it and walked away from me.)

This exercise rewards your dog for looking at you when you say his name, and will teach a newly adopted dog or pup his name if he doesn’t already know it. Your dog learns that looking at you when you say his name is a splendid thing to do because doing so means yummies are coming his way.

1. Do this exercise at home in a room where there’s not a lot of activity.
2. Have your clicker ready and a handful (about 15-20) of treats in one hand held behind your back, or in a treat pouch or in a pocket.
3. Say your dog’s name one time only in a happy upbeat voice. The moment your dog looks at you, click, then give him a treat. Be sure to click first, and then give the treat.
4. If your dog doesn’t look at you, don’t repeat his name. Instead, watch for any response to hearing his name. It might be a slight head turn, a pricking up of his ears, or a tail wag. Click the moment he responds and then feed him a treat.
5. If your dog does absolutely nothing when you say his name, try making kissy noises, clapping your hands, or using jolly talk to get his attention. The moment he responds click, then treat.
6. Continue the exercise until you’ve used up your handful of treats.

Do the exercise a couple of times a day for 2-3 minutes at a time. Practice at different times of day and in different rooms of the house.

It won’t take long for you to notice progress. Small head turns will soon become quite deliberate looks at you. Looks at you will very likely turn into actual approaches. (See what I mean about name training serving as a great foundation for training your dog to come when you call?)

When your dog is reliably looking at you at least 8/10 times when you say his name, kick the exercise up a notch:

• Randomly say your dog’s name when he’s not expecting it. Remember to click when he looks at you, then give him a treat.
• Ask a helper to do the exercise with you so your dog learns to respond to his name when other people say it.
• Gradually increase the level of environmental distractions when you do name training. Enlist a friend or family member to be the distractor. Their simple presence might be enough to distract your dog, or your helper can bounce a ball, squeak a squeaky toy, or jump around and act silly.
• Practice on leash walks and outdoors in an enclosed yard.

When your dog is looking at you 90% of the times that you say his name, treat him less often and phase in real life rewards. Treat him occasionally and randomly for looking at you in response to his name. Reward him at other times with other things he enjoys such as belly scratches, playtime with you, a special toy, or a long-term chewie like a bully stick or tendon. If you stop rewarding him altogether for looking at you, he will eventually stop doing the behavior.

Happy Training!

In an old Destiny’s Child song a woman singer, suspicious that her boyfriend is cheating on her, asks him on the telephone to say her name. If he says it, it will mean one thing – no other woman’s with him to give him grief about talking to the singer/girlfriend. If he won’t say the singer’s name, it means something else. Without much thought we understand implicitly the context of the singer’s request and that the boyfriend’s utterance of her name (or not) is loaded with meaning. As members of a verbal species, such is the power of language among us.

All of this nuance, context and meaning is lost on dogs.

In training classes and the real world, I frequently hear folks saying their dogs’ names in a disapproving tone when the dogs are doing something the people don’t like. Someone says the dog’s name and only the name without saying a verbal cue, and becomes perplexed and aggravated when the dog doesn’t comply.

Here’s a typical scenario:

Sadie the yellow lab mix is jumping on a visitor. Mary, Sadie’s person says, Sayyyy–deeee, in a long drawn out way. Sadie continues to jump.

Mary (to the visitor): I’m sorry, she knows she knows she’s not supposed to do this.

Mary (again in a long drawn out way): Sayyy-deeee.

Sadie, unphased, keeps jumping.

Now Mary’s frustrated. Sadie, she says, raising her voice. No effect.

Mary’s very annoyed. In an angry sharp voice she shouts, SADIE!

We know what Mary’s tone of voice means. Stop jumping. I don’t like it when you do that. We’re human. Speech and tones of voice are two of our primary means of communication.

But Sadie’s a dog. All she hears is Mary repeating her name in different ways. Mary hasn’t given Sadie any guidance about what to do. Mary hasn’t asked her to sit, lie down, or do anything else.

Sadie, like most dogs, probably does pick up on tones of voice. While she may be aware at some point that Mary is upset, Sadie probably doesn’t know why. It’s a good bet that Sadie doesn’t know what Mary wants her to do or not do. These situations must be awfully confusing to dogs.

Unless you’ve trained your dog to do something in particular when you say her name, your dog’s name by itself isn’t a cue or request to do something. Saying your dog’s name doesn’t communicate anything to your dog. It doesn’t mean sit, or stay, or stop jumping.

Dogs aren’t mind readers. If you’d like your dog to do something particular, give her clear unambiguous cues for behvaiors you’ve trained her to do. Instead of just saying your dog’s name and expecting her to know what you want her to do, say her name and then say the word for a behavior you’ve trained her to do. In Sadie’s case, Mary might say, Sadie sit, or, Sadie go to your mat.

Communicating clearly with your dog will save you a lot of time, avoid frustration on your part and confusion on your dog’s part. You’ll both be a lot happier if you spell things out in a way that the dog can understand.

(Training your dog to look at you when when you say her name is a great foundational behavior. I’ll write soon on the hows and whys of doing that in another post called, “What’s in a Name?”)

One of the things trainers try to impress upon clients and group training class students is the importance of consistency when training dogs. Consistent training sets dogs up for success by helping them learn new behaviors faster and more easily. But what does “consistency” really mean? What does it look like in practical terms?

When training new behaviors, “consistency” means several different things at once:

• Have clear consistent expectations about what you want Daisy to do and what earns the reward. If you’re training Daisy to leave something alone when you ask her to, what exactly do you want her to do when you say, “Leave it?” Does Daisy have to merely stop trying to get the item? Does she have to back away from the item? Does she have to look at you? Does she have to leave the item and come to you? Deciding ahead of time exactly what you want from Daisy, and then training systematically and consistently to achieve that goal is important. Otherwise, Daisy is left with the difficult and confusing task of trying to figure out exactly what her human means when he says “Leave it.”
• Reward Daisy consistently for getting the behavior right. The most effective reward schedule when training a new behavior is to reward the dog every time she does it.
• When training hand signals, do the hand signal the same way every time. Dogs are keenly attuned to our body language. They can and do attend to and differentiate between subtle gestures. This makes sense given that dogs communicate with one another using subtle body language. Using consistent unambiguous hand signals when training Daisy creates a minimum of confusion for her and will help her learn the hand signal more quickly than if you’re using sloppy gestures.

 

• When training words, be consistent about the words you use, and when and how you use them. When Vinnie was a puppy some of the first words he learned were “Sit” and “Down.” One day my husband decided to try his hand training Vinnie in puppy intermediate class. My husband kept asking Vinnie to, “Sit down,” and became frustrated and puzzled when Vinnie did nothing in response. Although any human would have known that my husband wanted Vinnie to sit, Vinnie was clueless. “Sit” and “Down” meant two completely different things to him. Putting those words together meant nothing.
• When training words, be consistent about saying the word once only, then showing the dog the hand signal. If you say the word at the same time as the hand signal, most dogs will tune in to the gesture and not the word, and makes it much much much harder for the dog to learn the word.
• Get everyone who trains and interacts with Daisy on board with the same training program. If everyone trains behaviors the same way, with the same clear picture of the desired behavior and using the same hand signals and words, Daisy will have a jump start on learning behaviors quickly and fluently.

I’ll post another article soon about what consistency means when you’re trying to get rid of unwanted behavior. In the meantime, Happy Training!

Scruffy, sit, sit, sit, SIT! . . . Sound familiar?

Training words is often cause for much human frustration. Dogs attend to and learn our physical gestures and body language easily. Dogs notice facial expressions, small gestures and tones of voice that often we aren’t even aware of. Learning words is another matter. Unlike humans, dogs aren’t verbal. They communicate with one another and us using a wide range of physical gestures and vocalizations, not words.

If we want dogs to respond to words, it’s up to us to take the time to teach dogs what certain words mean. Keep in mind that it’s much easier for dogs to learn physical cues for a behavior — such as a hand signal that means “sit,” — than it is for dogs to learn what specific words mean.

Fortunately, with lots of consistent practice you can teach your dog words or “verbal cues” by following this simple three-step mantra:

SAY IT. SHOW IT. PAY IT.

Let’s break it down using “sit” as an example. You’ve taught Scruffy to sit using a food lure, and you’ve been training Scruffy to sit in response to a specific empty hand signal. By “empty,” I mean you are no longer holding food in your hand to lure Scruffy into position.

When Scruffy sits eight out of ten times in response to your empty hand signal, it’s time to start teaching her that the word “sit” means the same thing as the hand signal. Here’s how:

SAY IT: First say, “Scruffy sit.” Say the word one time only in an upbeat tone. Articulate clearly. Repeating the word doesn’t make Scruffy learn faster. In fact, repeating the word will most likely land it squarely in the meaningless blah-blah-blah category from Scruffy’s standpoint, or she might learn to sit only after you’ve said the word several times in a row.

SHOW IT: After you’ve asked Scruffy to sit once, show her the empty hand signal for sit. Don’t say the word and do the hand signal at the same time. If you do that, Scruffy will pay attention to the hand signal and ignore the word. If you tend to say the word and do the hand signal simultaneously, it helps to say the word, take a breath, then do the hand signal.

Saying the word once, then doing the hand signal teaches Scruffy that the word means the same thing as the gesture.

PAY IT: After Scruffy sits, click and reward her with a treat and tell her what an awesome dog she is.

Stick to the mantra, practice regularly, and one day Scruffy will surprise you. You’ll know she’s started to connect the dots when she sits after you’ve said the word, but before you’ve shown the hand signal.

To take word training to the next level, wait until Scruffy’s sitting in response to the verbal cue at least 8 out of 10 times. When she’s at that point, modify the reward scheme. Reward her with a yummy treat for sitting in response to the word. If she doesn’t sit in response to the verbal cue, show her the hand signal, and reward her with praise for sitting. This teaches her that sitting in response to the word alone earns a better reward than sitting in response to the word plus hand signal, and should motivate her to sit more reliably when you say the word.

Keep training sessions brief (3-5 minutes at a time) and expectations realistic. It takes most dogs many many repetitions of SAY IT, SHOW IT, PAY IT to learn words. Try to put yourself in their paws. They’re learning a completely foreign language, a task that must be as challenging for them as it would be for us to learn to “speak dog.”

Patient positive practice pays off. Happy training!

The other day as Vinnie and I waited to cross the street, an out-of-breath woman caught up to us. She had an exasperated look on her face and no wonder. She’d been hauled to the corner by Mindy, her medium-sized doe-eyed retriever mix.

“She’s so strong and I just haven’t had time to teach her to heel,” the woman said. She was thinking of outfitting Mindy in a prong collar, hoping that would curb the leash-pulling.

I’m not in the habit of offering unsolicited advice but I couldn’t bear the thought of metal prongs digging into Mindy’s soft neck. Actually, I don’t like the idea of prong, choke or pinch collars on any dog. Those devices use pain and force to control dogs, can cause serious injuries to doggy tracheas, can create on-leash behavior problems, and aren’t necessary, as I’ll explain shortly.

I understand what a pain it is when a dog drags you down the street. Many an untrained dog has done the same to me. And no doubt about it, teaching a dog to walk politely on leash can take lots of time, consistent practice and patience. This is especially so if the dog has a long history of maniacal pulling.

Fortunately, there’s a far better, safer and kinder way to walk your dog without him behaving like an Iditarod contestant. As I told Mindy’s person that day on the sidewalk, an anti-pull front-clip harness stops most dogs from pulling on leash.

Traditional harnesses are designed so that the leash attaches to a ring on the dog’s back. Anti-pull harnesses are different. They’re designed for the leash to clip to a ring positioned in the middle of the dog’s chest, hence the name, “front-clip” harness.

Like many other species dogs have a built-in opposition reflex. Very simply, this means that dogs naturally and automatically pull/push in the opposite direction of anything that’s pulling/pushing them. Pulling back on a dog’s leash or walking him on a traditional harness activates the opposition reflex and causes the dog to pull or forge ahead sled-dgo style. Front-clip harnesses use the opposition reflex to everyone’s advantage. Leash pressure if any, comes from the dog’s front and so rather than pulling ahead, the dog automatically pulls/leans slightly backwards.

Front-clip harnesses are my favorite piece of doggy gear. I always suggest using them to students in dog training classes and to private clients. Even when people do have the time and interest in training their dogs to walk on a loose-leash, walking the dogs on front-clip harnesses is the wisest choice in the interim to prevent sled-dog style walking. When fitted properly front-clip (and other) harnesses are safer walking gear than a leash and collar. There’s little to no chance the dog can wriggle out of the harness, and if you accidentally yank on a leash attached to a harness, you don’t have to worry about hurting the dog or injuring her trachea.

I can’t tell you how many people have told me that front-clip harnesses solved their dogs’ pulling problems almost immediately. Walking their dogs ceased to be a pavement-pounding wrestling match and became fun and easy again. In fact, lots of folks decide not to bother training their dogs to heel or walk on a loose leash, and opt to walk them always in front-clip harnesses instead.

Anti-pull front-clip harnesses that I’ve used and like are listed below. Many local pet stores carry these brands and both are widely available on-line.

Happy Walking!

• SENSE-ible Harness and SENSE-ation Harness, both made by Softtouch Concepts.
• Easy Walk Harness, made by Premier Pet Products.

In my last post I pondered the legend of the PerfectDog and suggested adopting a different perspective on dog behavior – a “bowl-half-full” approach. Part of that bowl-half-full approach is having realistic expectations for dog behavior. This means realizing that like humans and other species, no dog is perfect, and accepting that dogs are after all, dogs.

Dogs bark, chew, shred stuff, dig and chase things that move. These are innate behaviors that dogs come pre-programmed with the same way humans come hard-wired to look for patterns in our environments and to speak. Dogs are close relatives of wolves and share DNA so similar that the two can mate and produce viable fertile offspring. Though dogs aren’t wolves, dogs have inherited some wolf behavior. That’s why some dogs guard food and other things they value, dissect stuffed animals, chase moving objects, chew and bury things.

So often, humans expect dogs to behave more like stuffed animals and less like dogs. I’m puzzled over that. We don’t expect fish not to swim or monkeys not to swing from trees. Why a different standard for dogs? That’s another question I can’t answer. Dogs need to be real live dogs, free to indulge their true doggy essences some of the time. In addition to exercise, mental stimulation, attention, love and fun, dogs need legal outlets for dog behavior. Otherwise they’ll find other channels for their stores of doggy energy, often engaging in activities we find irritating to say the least. Boredom barking anyone? How about dissection practice with every paper item in the recycling bin? Or maybe a digging party in the indoor planters?

“Misbehavior” isn’t the dog’s fault. It’s ours. It’s up to us to train and communicate consistently with our dogs about what they can do and when they can do it. And like any good relationship, it’s important to do some give and take when crafting a living arrangement with our dogs. Sacrificing a few square feet of our small garden for a legal digging pit for Vinnie was a small price to pay for keeping his paws out of my husband’s beloved indoor planters and flowerbeds. Once we installed the digging pit, we were liberated – Vinnie could dig to his heart’s content and we were free to marvel at how he seemed to remember exactly where he’d cached something, days after having buried it. Similarly, investing in some bully sticks and food puzzle toys was well worth it to keep Vinnie’s teeth off of everything else in our home. We’ve compromised a little, so has Vin, and at the end of the day, everyone benefits, everyone’s happier.

Dogs will be dogs, not stuffed animals or figurines or rugs. Forget about that mythical PerfectDog. Train your dog to behave the way you like. Appreciate him for his unique personality and all his dog-ness. Wonder at the magnificent being that he is. And if you get frustrated, it helps to remember that like each of us your dog is a wonderful work in progress.

When people ask me what my dog Vinnie is, I say he’s a herding mutt, a term that up until this summer I’d been using loosely. When we adopted him from a shelter, all we knew of his past was he was found on a dairy farm and his mother was an Australian Kelpie. But as for the rest of his DNA, who knew?

As he grew, I became convinced that he was mixed with another herding breed because he acts like one. He’s got their intense energy, smarts, focus and drive; he LOVES to train; and well, he herds. He’s tried to herd our cat and sometimes rounds up other dogs. When he’s out for a hike with his humans and one strays, he runs back and loops around the person until he/she rejoins the group. If given the chance, he’ll also “herd” moving vacuums, mops, brooms or rakes. That’s funny stuff!

This summer I learned the reason for Vin’s compulsion to herd things other than livestock. He earned legitimate herding dog status when I took him to Willowside Ranch in Pescadero for a herding instinct test. To my delight, he passed.

Dog behaviorists and professional stock dog trainers say that herding isn’t something a dog can be taught to do. A dog is either born with a hard-wired instinct to herd livestock or she isn’t. A dog with the instinct automatically “knows” how to work stock without any prior experience or training, and without trying to kill the stock. And you don’t need treats to get a herding dog to herd; she works the stock for the sheer pleasure of doing so.

That’s not to say that working stock dogs don’t need or get training. A dog with the instinct can be trained to perform specific herding tasks under the direction of a human handler. Their natural herding skills are honed and refined through lots of training and practice.

On test day Vin was in the excellent experienced hands of longtime positive trainer Marian Pott, who trains, competes and judges in the herding world (www.miramardogtraining.vpweb.com). In the pen with Marian, me and three sheep, Vin, often a nervous guy, was unsure about the strange new situation. Though he showed interest in the sheep, he seemed far more worried about whether my husband, who was outside the pen, was going to leave.

After a break we tried again in a larger pen with different sheep and suddenly something kicked in. Vin’s ears went up and stayed that way and he began a high-pitched yipping I’d never heard from him before. He forgot about his humans and went to work on the sheep. Whenever one broke away from the flock, Vinnie raced after it, cut in front of it so it reversed direction, and drove it back to the others. He was energized in a way I’d never seen him before. I could practically see his neurons firing. My dog was herding!

When Marian had me walk away at one point he completely ignored me. Instead he stayed with the sheep, intent on their every move. I heard Marian say, “Those are his sheep now; he wants to stay with his sheep.” Later when we put him back on leash, he reared up and tried to go after the retreating sheep.

It was thrilling to see this completely different side of my dog and watch him do the work he was designed to do. He was still Vinnie but a revved up more vibrant version — Vinnie in all his dogness! When Marian told me he’d passed I couldn’t stop grinning. I know I had nothing to do with his passing the test but I felt like a proud mama anyway.

He can’t do competitive herding – that’s reserved for purebreds – but he can still take herding lessons. Those will provide another legal outlet for some of his energy and drive, and it might boost his confidence. I in turn, will learn what I’m supposed to do in the pen vis-a-vis the sheep and Vinnie. I suspect I will be the slower student. (Look for more on that later in Part 2 of this post.)

While we were at the ranch we watched some experienced herding dogs in action. Talk about awe-inspiring! A border collie moved a flock of sheep move from one pen to another through a narrow gate. Then he separated them into two groups and moved one group into yet another pen. It all took a matter of minutes and no sheep got away.

If you ever get the chance, watch herding dogs at work. That precise subtle choreography between handler, dog and sheep is nothing short of poetry in motion.

If your dog has had herding adventures, we’d love to hear about them so please share them in a comment below.