Nature versus Nurture

It's all in the way you raise them. No such thing as a bad dog. She/he must have been beat. He doesn't like men.

I have long relied on temperament. I do not personally believe you can take a truly submissive dog and make it bold, nor a truly aggressive dog calm. I think you can manage those things, I think you can subdue them somewhat, and make them comfortable in home environments. I do not think you can change the nature of the dog and once removed from the home environment, they revert back to who they fundamentally are.

I've had dogs that have never had a harsh word spoken to them yet they are trembling messes due to lack of structure and temperament. I have Toad who should hate all people from abuse and neglect and yet is loving and learning.

Toad is doing so well, that I am mistaking him for Buffer on occasion. He sets me straight. Buffer would wear anything I asked him to. Toad stopped chewing the fireman's hat long enough for a photo. Buffer was brought up being dressed and getting rewarded for it, Toad has never been exposed to it.

It's interesting to me how much the same yet different these two are. Remember they have the same sire/dam just 2 years apart, so true brothers. We understand no two children are the same, yet, don't allow the same logic to follow through to dogs. Where Buffer was bold, Toad is cautious. Buffer needed to be taught to let me have a bone/high value reward, I have taken favored treats from Toad without thinking about it.

They both do what gets rewarded. They snuggle the same. They like being under blankets. Toad uses his nose and feet to open cupboards and drawers, Buffer would have chewed through.

Buffer had a life of being rewarded with treats, and love and laughter. Toad is starting to trust that  those things are permanent.

By conventional wisdom Toad, stuffed in a shed and kicked should be a cowering, savage beast. Buffer should have been the most loving, gentle creature ever to walk the earth. He wasn't, he was highly managed and definitely human aggressive. Toad more reasonable.

Judging by temperament and not nature/nurture, you get exactly what is presented. Toad being sight/sound sensitive (Buffer not). Neither being overly social with people or dogs, both highly trainable, Toad a little touch sensitive, Buffer not, both tolerant of elevation. Both mid line on submissive/assertive.

And that... in my opinion, is what makes a dog. It's why some get past abusive history's and others find homes that make history's up. (we've all heard about a dog being abused by a man in a hat with a broom). A puppy that isn't interested in training, will take a lot to over ride. An adult that was submissive as a pup will typically always be fearful.

Trust the temperament. A dog will show you who they are, its our job to listen.

After the Glitter Fades

Toad is changing. He's trusting enough to show me his true self. The changes were subtle at first, like he's testing to see if it's really safe. He reverts back to old habits, tests newly acquired commands. He demands more and sleeps deeper.

Getting his nails to a point where he no longer corners like Cramer entering a room on an episode of Seinfeld has also allowed him to more confidently jump. Jump off the sofa or on, traction playing a big part.  He jumps on the patio door. There are failed attempts to jump onto the counter. Jumping on/at me. Jump.

He's more sure footed, so he's climbing. Onto anything he can. Like into the toy box (which rolled over onto him) or onto the stool next to the crate (which slid out from under him) and up on the stand next to the sofa (which granted him some coffee goodness).

 Most adult dogs that are re-homed go through a honeymoon phase. Ours appears to be ending.  Just like a a husband leaving his dirty socks on the floor, Toad is more willing to push his luck,To explore, to adventure and to figure things out. He's pushing that nose into the crock that holds the kibble. He's ignoring known commands. He tests to see if I'll follow through on every-single-request, of course I do, I know part of why he is feeling comfortable is because of the boundaries and expectations I've set. Dogs thrive knowing they can relax and be a dog, while someone else will look after the details. VERY few dogs are actually meant  to be an alpha in the true sense of the word. Most thrive being beta. Alpha has a lot of responsibilities that most crumble under, and eventually act out.

We have gone through 4 collars... the spike one he came with, a flashy red leather one, a great martingale and he's currently using a training collar (choke chain for the older readers).  He's acting out much in the same way a child does prior to new skills being acquired. He's frustrated, he's exhausted from so many new words/rules/training sessions. He is chewing through toys at a fast pace in an effort to work out his frustration. He wants to let go of "looking after himself" and enjoy being a dog, cocoon to butterfly stage, and it's hard. He's looking at leaving everything  that has gotten him through life so far.

 He's falling into deep sleeps, and that was my final piece of the puzzle. He's dreaming, and making the little dream movements and squeaks. He trusts enough to let his guard down. If woken abruptly now, he comes awake fast and disoriented. This is where some dogs will bite, they are so confused for a few moments. The feral fosters I worked with in Calgary would take 6 months to get to this point. Worried me the first time it happened! I work with big dogs that can do a lot of damage in a hurry. So for now, I calmly call his name and allow him to wake up. I can see he is still a little confused for a moment, but there is no scared factor.


He is also comfortable enough to relax, to sleep, to snuggle, to trust... and this minor blip will pass soon enough. For now, training is left to known commands and not stressing new ones. It's a good sign that he is so settled. It's telling that he's been here for almost 10 weeks now, and only truly starting to trust that this is forever. Most dogs fall into this to some extent within the first 2-3 weeks, the feral dogs 6 months... Toad, who wasn't truly a pet nor feral falls in the middle.

Sometimes I'm the Student

I think there comes a time in every teacher/student relationship when the roles reverse. Students that push the teacher to be better, think different, and take a step back and re-examine a situation are often the drivers for this. Toad is one of those students.

He and I are slowly finding a common ground. We are building communication often through miscommunication just like any great relationship does. We are mostly having fun and definitely both growing. There is a peace that is starting to settle in along with the trust.

Toad teaches me to trust the process. So often I know where I want to be and rush for the goal. Toad makes me break stuff down and celebrate the little victories that get me there. Life is a bunch of little things that add up to big things. I was happier with him trying to figure out what "down" meant then the actual behavior.

I am learning to slow down. I eat meals at the kitchen table now. I've lived alone for two years and developed poor eating habits. I try to stay in the moment and be present. Meals were something that got blurred with life. I'd have lunch while returning emails or eat breakfast standing at the sink. Not any more. Toad learns in a very specific way/place, so eating anywhere other then the table means starting at square one with training.

He makes me be clear on my intentions. No vague-well-you-get-my-meaning stuff works. Coffee is safe on the stand beside the sofa, (Brought to you by the Letter C)  not on the coffee table. The dremel is okay in the kitchen, not in the living room. So often we are unclear in our communications. He is making me take his point of view into consideration and to be clear about mine.  Just because its all mapped out in my head doesn't mean the world is in the same place. He makes me remember to meet people "where they are" not where I am.

Mostly, Toad is teaching me to believe. Believe that little steps lead to big progress. Believe that people and dogs come into our lives for a reason. Believe that I am exactly where I need to be.  Believe that blessings are often wrapped up in lessons. And just when I get too deep, he makes me believe I need a new chew toy.

The Good, The Bad and The Evil?

It's been quite a week! Words are starting to have meaning to Toad. We are finding peace and our rhythm. He is more able to settle down, the pacing is slowing. He continues to learn and make progress in his training. We've made progress with the dremel. He's behaving nicely with Delilah and Cocoa.

The Good; 
He's learned sit/down/shake hands and is working on roll over.

Making a bowl of oatmeal is no longer an Olympic event. A short week ago it was a pushing match and patience finisher. Open the cupboard to take out the oatmeal (and then put it away), the drawer with the measuring cups, the other cupboard with the pot (open/close), the fridge for the milk (and then to put away) ... then the actual eating. He is catching onto "back up" and  can "sit" while I open/close a door. He no longer accosts me at the table, and offers sits and downs. We've come a long way!

The Bad:
Mid week, mid breakdown, I didn't think I was ever going to get the "no marking in the house" point across. I even resorted to keeping score, as a way to monitor my patience, and progress. Suffice to say I had neither. We truly were making zero progress. I was getting frustrated, he was getting hurt feelings. I had exhausted all my normal methods. I was taking the clicker and treats outside. It wasn't changing anything. Marking and peeing are not the same thing, the drivers to the behavior are different. When you literally have 10 opportunities to correct/reward in an hour, you'd think the sheer repetition would start to sink in.

It wasn't.

The Evil?
Remembering that if the dog isn't learning, I need to adjust my teaching, I sat down (Toad crated) and worked out a plan. First, using the crate when I couldn't watch him. It not only gives me a break, but him too. Second, I decided to get out my shock collar. Gasp! I know. Let me go on record with a few things to consider. One, I do not condone the shock collar to be used in frustration or to teach a "lesson". Two; if you cannot consistently use it, do not use it at all. Three; invest in a great collar, mine has 127 adjustment levels to ensure the dog get's the lowest shock possible.

I start at level 2 and work my way up to the point that I get a minimal reaction from the dog. A simple "what was that" is all the reaction I am looking for. Bosun works extremely well on vibrate only. A husky pup with a bad habit of jumping needed 12. Toad takes a level 35. I have tried four times to dial it down and have zero reaction/no training benefit.

So, Toad, a shock collar, with a "Hey!" every time he lifts his leg and presto; his marking significantly reduced. Throwing the party/attention outside is increasing his desire to go out. You cannot take away a behavior without replacing it. So it's not enough to stop the behavior, you must teach what you want in place of it, in this case; I want it outside. Tomorrow I start adding the verbal cues "no peeing" (so we can ween off the collar)

There is a time and place for every training tool. While I never thought I'd be using it for male marking, here I am. It's clear, consistent and humane. I use the collar situation-ally. I don't start with it, but in the same breath, I don't hesitate to use it. Would I put it on myself and hit level 35 correction? Nope! Why? Because I'd work the collar the exact same way on myself, start at level 2 and work up... the moment I felt something, that would be my number.

These collars get a bad rap. Perhaps because they are used wrong, fitted wrong, or the people operating the button don't understand the theory. I had a person ask if they could borrow my collar, when I asked the purpose, I understood they wanted to "really create an aversion to the road". They wanted to turn it up, zap the crap out of their dog and thereby "train" it to not go on the road. It doesn't work that way. He was leaving the other half of the training out; what do you want them to do instead. Where's the training? The poor dog would have been left to read the owners mind. The line wouldn't have been clear, one time a zap for being 2' from the road another time the dog would be on the road and getting a "correction".

At the end of the day, Toad is more trusting and more relaxed. The boundaries are set and clear, and dogs do well in structure. He's got 2.5 years of marking and other habits that need adjusting.

He is willing to learn, it's my job to teach.

Clinical Signs Caused by E-Collars

The Down Low

This guy now knows; Sit, shake(hands), hug, off (still when he chooses) and this week is dedicated to the "down" ... and getting control of his marking, oh my goodness the marking!

This week a new boy dog came in and he's upset the balance a bit. Toad's marking has increased 10 fold. Sorry buddy, but your Momma runs a shelter, new dogs are what your life is now about!. He's doing pretty good at meeting (none are face to face until he has more training) Toad needs words like Off or No or Leave It, in order for me to be more comfortable... without the words he simply cannot understand my expectations and that will be frustrating for both of us. I do not want him to equate new dogs with frustration.

Back to "Down". Toad now understand the clicker and he is engaged in figuring out how to make it "click". Dogs when learning a new command/trick will offer behaviors. Slowly with the help of the click/marker they eliminate some steps. So when I was luring him into a down position, he would offer his "sit" which had worked in the past, then shake then head butt then hugs (which knocked me from my crouched position to flat on my butt more then once). He is definitely learning to learn. He now understands that I'm trying to communicate with him and that certain sounds indicate a request for him to do certain tasks.

The Mechanics of it; From  the dog in a sit position and you crouched in front, with food in your hand, slowly move the food from the dog's chin to chest to floor. Too close to you and the dog will stand up, too far back and the dog will back up... find the sweet spot and repeat!

I think I should mention that I don't work on one thing at a time, currently I'm teaching him the dremel, paw handling, catch, back up, leave it etc.... as he hangs with me, and phrases get repeated/rewarded, he continues to learn. Remember he is at the same stage as puppy. Words like sit or down are very specific and taught

There is a momentum that grows when you train a dog, Toad is gaining that now. Last week he got the clicker and sit came so fast that I added "shake" This week he's caught onto "down" already and I'm at the proofing stage where we are working it into his day (he's actually offering this behavior at the breakfast table as well, so he knows it's reward worthy ).  I ask both verbally and with hand signals, or either... mix it up. I ask him for a down when we are on the sofa, when I'm sitting, crouching, standing. He is doing it so consistently that we have added  "roll (over)" He is performing it successfully, but certainly doesn't have it mastered yet! We may have one that takes him a few days.

In the meantime, he's mouthing (from frustration), sitting, downing, shaking and hugging me trying to work out what this new sound means. Roll Over, I am confident is not a command anyone attempted to teach him, It's interesting to see him with a completely new situation.

We are having training moments for sure. He knows, specifically, not to touch the coffee if it's on the stand beside the sofa, but if I have it on the coffee table, it's a new day! Tea on the stand is fair game... he's detail oriented, and rarely wrong once he knows/understand the situation. Sometimes I'm catching up to him, sometimes he follows my lead.... okay rarely.

Off Leash and in the Woods!

Taking the leash off your dog for the first time tends to be a heart stopping, borderline panic moment for most people. I routinely explain which pups naturally will be great at off leash and which ones will need work on recall first. It's gets trickier when they are adults.

Assuming that Toad had neither been in the woods or off leash we set off. There has been leg work going on here at home leading up to this.

First we have been working on his recall (and his name). One of the way's he works for his food is to chase a single kibble down a 20 something foot hall way. When he's about to turn and run back I say "Toad Come!" and he gets another kibble on his return. Repeat about 40 times once a day.

The second game we've been playing, and yes.... training needs to be a "game" for a bull terrier, this is really not a breed to go head to head with. We play hide and seek! Any chance I get to hide from him I take. Behind counters, outside on the gate closed deck, the bath tub behind the shower curtain or behind furniture. When he "finds" me we have a little party.

So, starting to program him to "come" and to watch me (or I disappear, and bullies are attached to their people) works in my favor outside and off leash. I routinely play hide and seek in the woods with my other guy Bosun. I've even climbed trees. A little panic time on the dogs behalf when they think they've lost you goes a long way in them staying focused and not taking off.

Toad was pretty great in the woods on leash. He's used to city walking and telephone pole etiquette so the trees were "normal" for him. What wasn't normal were all the new smells and textures under his feet and things to maneuver over. This new mental stimulation had him panting in no time, which is the goal. Tired minds equal better behaved dogs!

I expect some ya-ya's to happen when I take the leash off any dog, the sudden freedom is exhilarating. I chose a spot that was offered a clear view and let him go. He went about 20' and spent the next 3 minutes smelling, then tucked his front leg, dropped and rolled. Of all the things he could have done, rolling in poop is what he chose. I called him back about 10 times, had a little party in the woods upon his arrival and released him.

He continued to recall  and watch me extremely well for as distracting as the area was. He started to take some cautious jumps, and even drank from a little brook. He stayed impressively close. He had the biggest smile and was just so happy about the whole situation.

We came across a little camp fire. He found that super interesting, the people smells and past food. He stayed with it, giving me an opportunity to "find" me. A game, it turns out, he is extremely good at and pretty proud of himself. It is interesting to note that this guy still mouths, a lot, yet even when he was excited for finding me, he never did so. Stimulated dogs are less frustrated.

When his circle started getting too far and he wasn't as quick to realize I had hid, he got put back on leash. That was after about 20 minutes. An excellent first day off leash!

I will add that I was quite confident in Toad's desire to stay around me before we left. This guy is near as often as possible. He pretty much "claimed" me on the first day he was here and I had friends come to meet him (with the option of adopting). He wanted little to do with them, growled at Greg and sat leaning into me. He follows me and hangs with me. Had he been distracted and not interested in me at all, today wouldn't have happened.

Car rides, of course are on the "list", today's was a short one. On the way he got his leash tangled and almost chewed it in half trying to escape. On the way back, a much more relaxed and happy boy.

Toad continues to be endearing. He's truly learning really quickly, considering the expectations. We have gone this week from me sitting and having breakfast being something out of WWF to me being able to quietly say "off" and him do so. He's got "sit" inside and shakes hands like a pro. He's catching onto back up and drop it. He can relax and hang with me on the sofa. Initially all we could do (my patience and his focus) was about 45 minutes at a time. He's worked up to hours, which gives him more opportunity to learn, and more opportunities for me to teach. The learning will come faster and easier, now that he knows I'm asking something of him. He responds to rewards really well and is eager to figure out what I want.

This face, this happy, sweet face makes it all worth while. All the battles, all the stand offs, all the teaching moments. Life is about the happy face.