Training is a Wonderful Thing

Daisy tolerating my granddaughter, lol

If this is your first time to my visit my blog, I had promised a follow up on Daisy's training:  

My vet had recommended a local trainer when I talked to her about my concerns with Daisy's aggression. I immediately went to the trainer's website (ourdogtrainer.com) and the questions he posed on his homepage ~embarassed? worried about injury? frustrated? irritated? overwhelmed? upset? afraid?~ described my situation perfectly. 

To say I am pleased with Daisy's training results at this point is definitely an understatement. I can't believe the difference in her behavior. 

Bella & Daisy sharing the "Place"

Our lesson this week was at Home Depot. I was pretty apprehensive about taking Daisy to a place where she would be in close proximity to people and possibly other dogs. The trainer brought his dog too. As you can see from the trainer's link below, she was very relaxed in the down command at the entrance watching people come and go.

Daisy at Home Depot 

We purposely set her up in many different situations that normally would have brought an embarrassing meltdown, but instead she looked to me for calm and guidance. We walked by people pushing carts, kids, loud equipment and men in bright orange vests, lol. 

I worked really hard to stay calm and confident so as to convey to her I was in charge and could handle anything without her help. We had one incident where someone brought in their HUGE unruly dog that had every intention of eating Daisy. (I'm not sure why you would bring a large aggressive dog to Home Depot?) The trainer said Daisy definitely had every right to feel threatened. I was able to calm her with a correction so she could see I wasn't going to let anything happen. I can't believe how much my attitude and demeanor influences hers. 

I am now training Abby too with the methods I am learning.

Although learning obedience commands was an important part of her training (sit, down, place, come, stay, heel, nope), what I considered the most essential was the modification of Daisy's frame of mind. Teaching her self control through the obedience commands helped her in situations where she would come unhinged. 

Another important aspect of the training was teaching me how to communicate clearly, calmly and effectively with Daisy. We had a good relationship before the training, but the mutual respect we now have for each other has brought us to a whole new level. At bedtime, the first thing she does when she comes to bed is snuggle up to my neck and cuddle for a few minutes. She looks to me now anytime she is unsure of how to react. I love this!  When one of the other dogs go to bark at a squirrel out the front window, she looks at me like, "Mom, I'm pretty sure you don't want me to do that!"

One thing that I struggled with at first was not treating my dogs as my children (humanizing them). I love my dogs with a passion but what I didn't realize is they are uncomfortable and confused when we expect them to behave like a little four legged person. I respect their species and try to communicate more clearly in their language. By this I mean using fewer and consistent words and body language to convey my expectations. When I make a rule, such as no jumping, I have to expect the same behavior at all times, no exceptions.

Just hanging out with my sis

I have actually ordered her a pink (of course) vest that I plan to use when we are in public that says "Please Give Me Space". Being the cute, fluffy and little dog she is, everyone assumes she wants to be petted. This vest will at least stop those who quickly move in before I can say No! It is my job to be sure people/dogs do not invade her comfort zone.

I plan to work with each of my dogs to teach them everything Daisy has learned. I have already started working with Abby. It is so nice to put them in their "place" when people visit. It doesn't look like a stampede anymore. I look forward to the day when I can say "place" and all five scramble for their spot.

I am so so so happy that I had the opportunity to learn how to help Daisy become a less reactive, calmer and happier dog. Her training will be a life long pursuit, but she is so worth it. I know that she will never be the cute and friendly dog that loves everybody, but at least I am now confident of how she will react in most situations and know how to handle it correctly. 

If you have any specific questions about her training, please don't hesitate to ask!

My granddaughter loves her some Bella!

8 Signs You Have an Aggressive Puppy (2/6/17 Update on Daisy)

2/6/17 Update on Daisy's Training

Since my post on 1/15/17, Daisy has been evaluated by Scott Borden with Our Dog Trainer and had her first training.  

However, before her first training, the trainer gave me several documents to read and implement. His program foundation is based on "Nothing in Life is Free" and even before her first lesson, I began her "Relationship Reboot Program". 

Basically, you control everything: their food, toys, time, space, and affection. The result of this reboot is your dog will become more relaxed, more affectionate, more tolerant and much happier.

I saw results almost immediately with this reboot. She seemed to mellow a little bit and was much more respectful of me.

The other dogs don't care for the extra attention Daisy seems to be getting.

I like the way the program builds on itself. Her first few lessons will be based on learning basic obedience training to give her self confidence and make me a strong pack leader in her eyes. 

We have been working on three basic obedience skills: 

(1) "Place" which means basically she must stay put where ever I deem is her spot until I release her. I can see this being very handy in many situations.

(2) We also started the "Heel" exercise to teach her to stay aligned with my hip when walking, turning, zig-zagging, etc. 

(3) The last thing we worked on during her first lesson was "Recalls" to teach Daisy that she must always come when I call.

I have been practicing with her for about 30 minutes each day in increments of five to ten minutes. I am very proud of her quick progress. She is a smart girl.

Sharing "Place" with her brother.

Lesson number two is two days away and we are anxious to learn more new things. I know this is going to make my Daisy the sweet girl I know she is. :)

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1/15/17 - Wow, it feels like forever since I've posted. Christmas was fantastic as always - lots of family together time. However, Christmas felt a little different for me this year because I was retired. I was able to slow down and enjoy every moment. I kept thinking, "This is what Christmas is supposed to feel like!"

Now that all the Christmas decorations are lovingly packed and stored and I have spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the house, I was excited about getting back to my blog.

I am going to dedicate this post to Daisy. Daisy is my youngest mini at 1.5 years old. She is my beautiful baby with a Great Dane size attitude! She has displayed this attitude since she was a tiny pup. 

Daisy

Most pups wiggle when you hold them, but Daisy growled, nipped and protested loudly if she wasn't feeling it. Most new puppies are playful and respectful of their older housemates, but Daisy started scuffles with them from day one. 

My hopes were that she would calm down and relax in our multi-dog household and become the sweet mini schnauzer that I knew she could be. Well, that really didn't happen. Her bad behaviors have escalated over time.

I felt she was socialized sufficiently living with four other dogs and spent a lot of time around my five grandchildren and large family. In the summertime, she traveled every weekend with us to the lake and rode in our motorhome to our beach vacations. She was exposed to many different situations.

She barks incessantly and will not respond to the hush command like our other dogs. She tries to intimidate my grandchildren, even chasing and nipping if I don't catch her in time. She gets aggressive and intimidating when people enter our home. 

Taking her for a walk, omg, that is an experience you would have to see to believe. She lunges and barks viciously if we happen to pass a stranger or another dog. It becomes very embarrassing. 

She actually nipped a jogger's leg as we were walking on the beach during last summer's vacation. Thank goodness, he was understanding. It was at that point that I decided she needed some serious intervention and I needed to watch her like a hawk from then on.

I have tried one training facility with limited success. I really couldn't afford their full program, but I paid for a mini version and in retrospect, she obviously needed a lot more training. 

I am going to contact a local trainer next week. His name is Scott Borden from Sellersburg, IN. I have heard many good things about his program, Our Dog Trainer, and his website has a couple of dogs like Daisy who have been rehabilitated. I will update you on her progress over the next few blog updates.

I want to leave you with eight behaviors to watch out for in your puppy that may indicate you need to get professional training asap:

1. Abnormal intense "play" -  Your pup shows signs of excessive aggression, a little more intense than the normal puppy play such as snarling, growling, snapping, and nipping.

2. Fearful behavior - A pup is usually curious and ready to play with everyone. If your pup hides or backs away from new people, this is not typical puppy behavior.

3. Dead eye stare - I have noticed when Daisy locks her eyes on something that is irritating her (usually one of my other dogs), she becomes deaf to my commands. She is going to attack if I don't physically intervene.

4. Aggressive barking - The kind of barking that they refuse to stop with a command.

5. Dog reactivity - When you walk your pup and they act aggressively when approaching other dogs (lunging, growling and/or barking).

6. Possessiveness - Acting aggressively to people or other dogs over a toy, food or even their owner. Daisy thinks I belong exclusively to her and gets nippy with the other dogs when they come close. I do not allow this, but she still gives them a nasty look and would nip at them if I turned my back.

7. Biting - Not normal puppy mouthing, but intent and purposeful biting.

8. Dominance - Showing aggressive dominance over their dog housemates. Daisy likes to pick on our small, elderly dog. If he tries to get to the door first, she will aggressively attack him.

I hope I have helped anyone who has a puppy that doesn't display normal puppy behavior. I wish I had realized sooner this was something she wouldn't outgrow and gotten help sooner. I'm sure the longer you wait to get help, the longer it will take to turn the behavior around.

Stay posted for updates on Daisy's progress!

Here's a video I took of Abby trying to get Daisy to play with her. Abby can be relentless, lol.