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Tether Training

Tethers can be a useful training item, just like crates (when appropriately used). They are handy because they can moved from room to room more easily than a large crate can be and they take up hardly any storage space. How can they be used and when? If you’re unsure on how to properly train your dog, seeking help from a professional Spectrum Canine dog Trainer is best.

When to use a Tether

Tethers are great for teaching dogs to settle and for keeping them out of trouble. Young dogs or newly acquired can often get themselves into trouble by venturing into areas where they are prohibited, chewing on items they aren’t allowed to have or relieving themselves indoors. By keeping your pooch on a tether when you aren’t available to supervise, you can keep your dog safe and your belongings in-tact. Tethers also come in useful for when guests arrive. Your dog is kept from greeting inappropriately and your guests are allowed the chance to make it through the door safely. Then training can begin; guests can be instructed to ignore the jumping, overly excited dog and only give attention to the dog when he contains himself.
Professional dog training can greatly enhance tether training by teaching dogs to calmly and comfortably remain restrained while promoting positive associations and reinforcing desired behaviors. Quickly the dog will learn that the only way to get guests to approach and give attention is to remain with all four feet on the floor!

How to Make a Tether

Tethers can be purchased, but are also easy to make yourself for a low cost. I create tethers out of 1/4″ coated cable, a few fasteners and some snaps (see pictures below). Tethers ranging in length from four to six feet seem to be the most convenient and useful. I typically attach the tether to a sturdy piece of furniture or I will screw an eye-hole screw into a stud in wall and attach it to there. I then supply my dog with a comfortable spot to lay down and some chew toys and/or enrichment toys. I typically do not leave my dog on tethers for extended periods of time, nor do I leave the house with them attached it. In the beginning, I will mark the behavior (e.g. Click or YES) and treat the dog whenever they are calmly laying on their bed or engaged in chewing/interacting with something appropriate. Gradually, as the dog learns how to settle in the house and how to entertain themselves with appropriate items, the tether will no longer be needed.

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Well Bred

California…

I’ve been out of touch for the last month, probably because it’s been pretty busy. In my last post, I talked about Miss Sweet Honey-Dew, my foster dog. I’m happy to report that she found a lovely new home. During the beginning of August I had the great privilege to travel to CA and train with one of my alumni dogs, Luna, for a friend who adopted her from me. Luna and her dog sister, Lenore, were becoming challenging for their “mom” after she had her first-born son. I helped by first working with the dogs and teaching them to walk nicely side-by-side, then added the stroller and finally the baby in the stroller. Last update is that mom, dogs and baby are now able to all take strolls together! Dog owners who are extremely busy or those work full time and need to leave their pets at home may bring them to a pet boarding services facility instead.

While I was in California, I also traveled to visit my friends who recently moved to Ojai, where they work at a turtle conservancy.  I was able to volunteer some time at the turtle center, which 500 turtles and tortoises call home. It was an amazing trip overall. When I returned home, I had one week of catch-up before starting college again. Yep, I’m back at school, and it’s been interesting:).

Breeding: good, bad and ugly

In the Summer issue of BARk, Dr. Patricia McConnell wrote an article titled Well Bred. She discussed a three-pronged approach for keeping dogs out of shelters: being/having good breeders, shelter adoptions and spay/neuter campaigns. Her article was great, but I’m sure it may have caused mixed feelings for others. Many people may think of me and other rescue/animal welfare workers as anti-breeder, but for me that’s not the case. I’m not anti-breeder, I’m anti-bad breeder!

So what makes a good breeder? Well, here’s what I recommend clients look for when searching for a puppy from a mini F1B Goldendoodle breeder or a Schnoodle Breeder.

  • A good breeder is one who looks to improve their dog’s breed in terms of physical health and temperament. It does not matter if there are champions in the dog’s lineage if that dog bites!
  • Good breeders will study their dog’s lineage, being careful not to closely line breed (in-breed) or over breed.
  • They will give the dam proper vet care and nutrition from start to finish and make sure the puppies are well socialized and vetted.
  • The puppies will come with a health guarantee and the breeder will take back the puppies/dogs for the life of the dog (maybe not refunding, but at least taking the dog back).
  • There will be a contract requiring that the dogs be spayed or neutered within a certain time period, unless breeding arrangements are made.
  • The sire and dam of the litter will be available to meet and will have solid, well-adjusted temperaments.
  • The grounds or home where the dogs are being kept will be clean.
  • A good breeder will only focus on one or two breeds and will only have one or two litters at any given time. Too many breeds or puppies means the people don’t have the proper time to devote to socialization, the quality of care is probably lacking and the research into the lineage is probably non-existent.

In the end, a good breeder is not breeding for profit and are probably not making any money if they are doing things properly. Too many backyard breeders breed for profit and that is where the dog breeds & individual dogs suffer. We see ill-tempered dogs and unhealthy dogs as a result. That is also why we end up seeing more dogs in shelters too. I applaud Patricia for writing this article and agree with her wholeheartedly.

I have had personal experience with a breeder who is breeding dogs that, in my mind, should not be bred. This breeder has dogs that are dog-aggressive, and dog-aggressiveness can be genetic. To create dogs with solid temperaments around all creatures, people need to stop breeding dogs that exhibit any type of aggression. Yet, this breeder bred the first dog and the first-generation litter had puppies that exhibited dog-aggression in it, just like their dam. Then a bitch from the first-generation was bred and the second-generation litter again had puppies exhibiting dog-aggression issues. Some people may say, well it’s just the breed. But studies have shown that dog-aggressiveness can be bred out of lines of dogs, such as pit bulls, within only two to three generations, by selecting only dogs with dog-social tendencies to be bred.

And now… Pit Bulls!

This brings me to my next topic, Pitties! I heard from someone recently, “well, it’s a pit bull, so I expect him to be aggressive”. AHHH, No! This is not right. A pit bull is a dog, first and foremost, and in terms of learning or behavior does not function any differently than any other dog. If a person’s view is that a dog will be a certain way just because it’s a certain breed, they’ll be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Pitties are individuals and learn and function just like a mixed breed, Labrador or Chihuahua does. That’s not to say there are not aggressive Pitties, but we can’t throw labels on dogs just for being a certain breed; that’s a form of prejudice.

Okay, so this post was random, but that’s what was on my mind! Lastly, we have a new foster dog! His name is Harvey, and he’s a five-year old, neutered, chocolate and white male. I rescued him out of a neglectful situation. He is very sweet-tempered, gets along well with other dogs and does well with dog-savvy cats. Harvey was a bit aloof the first night he came home with me, probably because he hasn’t known humans to be reliable, but after two short days, he is starting to look to us for guidance. Such a handsome guy, we hope he finds a loving family soon!

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Free-shaping

During Bella’s visit, I decided to do some free shaping with her. This is the first time Bella has done this sort of exercise. Free-shaping is done by marking the behaviors you want when the dog offers something. Through approximations, you’re able to shape the dog’s behavior into an end behavior, what ever you choose that to be. For this game, I want Bella to interact with the box I put down (derived from the 101 Things You Can Do With a Box game). At first if she shows any interest in the box, such as, looking at it, I will “click” her for it and follow the click up with a food reward. Keeping up a high rate of reinforcement is key otherwise the dog may loose interest or get frustrated because they don’t clearly understand what is going on. Any interaction with the box gets a click, once Bella starts interacting with the box more consistently, then I can start gradually  increasing the criteria, by withholding the Click until she gives me something more. My goal for the first session is to get her thinking and interacting with the box. During the second session, my goal is to get her to put both front paws into the box.

At first, Bella is fairly focused on me, so I drop a few food lures in and around the box and click her when she is going towards or into box. I only use lures for a the first few attempts, so that I don’t create a dog that is only interacting with the box because they know treats are in there. Bella quickly learns that interacting with the box is what gets her the Click and Reward.

The first video is from day 1 and we only work for a short amount of time. I don’t want to exhaust her and I want to keep it fun. You’ll notice in the first video I click her if her paw touches the box too, even if she’s looking at me. Any interaction with the box, even if by accident, is marked and rewarded. The second day we’re able to go for a few more minutes. She retains what she learned from the day before (latent learning), so she catches on more quickly and I’m able to raise the criteria at a faster rate. We meet our goal in the end!!! Smart puppy!

Free-shaping is a fun way to get your dog to start thinking and working for you in a fun manner! It is great mental stimulation for them and can be a wonderful way to exercise your dog on rainy days! Doing these games together also builds a stronger, healthier bond between human and dog.

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