It seems like forever since I last wrote a post for this blog, you start out with such good intentions and then you get distracted by other things. Life is of course ever changing but I think that I can now hold up my hands and say that I was badly prepared to become a home schooler, move house and change career all in a period of 4 months. With all of that going on it was quite a whirlwind end to 2009 for our entire household including Fig.

I have so much material to share with everyone about the continuing work that we are doing with Fig, he has become an intrinsic part of the family however we are still working on some of the traits that he gained as a stray. He is a great source of fun and love around the house but can often be overly anxious and neurotic if some external stimuli sets him off.

His socialization with other animals is an ongoing struggle, we are well on the way to winning the war but there have been plenty of set backs on the way.

On a sad note the poor hamster died in December of natural causes. My youngest daughter now has her eyes on some goldfish lets hope that they don’t have the same effect on Fig that the Hamster did!

It’s going to take a few days to get the material into some kind of order but I hope that by mid February I will be well on the way to posting regular updates.

I have found that the training of a rescue dog can be very challenging. I have met some great people along the way that have shared their stories with me and ensured that this has not been a long and lonely road. I have also happened across many techniques/tools/books some good and some really not so good that I will also be sharing with you.

Oh and at last we think we know what breed he is….he seems to be at least part Patterdale Terrier…this is still of course open to vigorous debate everyone has a different opinion but part Patterdale seems to be the most likely yet.

So you might ask yourself why on earth am I talking about it, well it’s to head off questions about it really. I am often asked about it so I thought I would share my opinion, feel free to post some comments and agree or disagree.

In summary I would have to say that it’s a good secondary book to have as a dog training manual especially if you have kids or grandkids who want to get involved with the training as the instructions are fairly easy to read and follow.

Dog Training For Dummies (For Dummies (Pets))

Ian Dunbar Dog Training Products

Effective Dog Training – Ian Dunbar – The funniest bloopers are right here

Ian Dunbar Dog Training Products

Part of the training process as a dog training manual will tell you is to introduce your pet to new experiences in a controlled manner. Of course life does not always go as you plan!

My daughter has a small furry creature otherwise know as a Syrian Hamster. All went well for the first few days at home the dog completely ignored the hamster even though it was in plain sight and made quite a noise. We were fully prepared to make an introduction once the dog seemed settled enough in his new environment.

The plan was to have the dog on his lead in the sitting room with the hamster already in there. Once he noticed and started to make a fuss we were going to ignore him but as soon as he stopped making a fuss we would praise him and/or give him a treat. the reason for doing it this way was so that everyone was calm and prepared for what was going to happen.

Unfortunately my youngest daughter brought a friend home from school to meet our new dog. He was quite excited at meeting a new person when she decided it would be fun to pick up the dog (he is a small/medium sized terrier) and show him the hamster. Well, all hell broke loose, the dog started barking and twisting in her arms as he desperately tried to get to the hamster. Of course the girls reaction to this was not calm there was a lot of screeching and uproar which just fueled his behavior even further.

This impacted really negatively on the dogs training because he was very unsettled. It took a lot of effort to repair the situation and get back on track. There was constant whining and attempts by the dog to try and find the hamster. He would build himself up into a frenzy which would make him anxious and at times distressed.

I took it upon myself to try and start the introduction process all over again, day by day I would sit with the dog on his lead with the hamster in the room ignoring his bad behavior and rewarding his good behavior. This process was extremely long and drawn out, as you should only make the introductions short and end them as soon as the dog has been rewarded for his good behavior, we are at the stage where he can be in the room with the hamster without making a fuss, sometimes he slips up but is easily distracted by a diversion into forgetting the hamsters presence. He can be left alone for short periods of time in the same room as the hamster without chaos ensuing but we don’t make a habit of leaving them alone together.

Things are slowly getting better, we are taking baby steps with this one as he seems to have a terriers natural aversion to small furry creatures.

photo credit: tibbygirl

Training a nervous anxious dog can be fairly challenging. When you undertake training it has to be using a positive reinforcement method. If the dog is very nervous and anxious then you are going to have to spend a lot of quality time with the dog, praising him for his achievements and showing him a vast amount of patience.

Do not get frustrated or angry with your dog if he does not do what you want him to do. This is counterproductive. The likelihood is that he is not being naughty but just does not understand what you are asking of him.

There is a good dog training manual that has had success with over 67,000 dogs that is available over the internet called Secrets to Dog Training it used to be called SitFetchStay. There is a short ebook available about the top 5 dog training myths, they also do a short course as well as a longer more in depth course. You can check out the details here

Now that is a wild dog!

Here are some cool links to some current posts about dogs on the internet, take a little time out from learning about training your dog to read some interesting posts that I have found about dogs in general, you never know you might find something that makes you smile. I have never done clicker training but it seems to me that if used properly it is akin to Positive Reinforcement training which is the method that any good dog training manual teaches:

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photo credit: ChicagoGeek

It’s very easy as a family to be over excited by the fact that you have got a new addition to the family. There are somethings that you must do as soon as you get home to start you dog training off from the very start. The most important thing to do is to show him where he has to go to the toilet.

As soon as you get into the house take the dog to where you will want them to go to the toilet not only will this give him the opportunity to relieve himself but it will also allow him to check out his new environment by sniffing around. Once he has finished going to the toilet you should make a fuss of him by giving him lots of praise, this will positively reinforce to him that this is the place to go to the toilet. If he didn’t go to the toilet then keep taking him out to the same place at regular intervals until he does go to the toilet only praise him there once he has actually been to the toilet.

Potty training or house training your dog is very important. It is the thing that causes most friction and stress when you get a new dog. You want to avoid as much stress as you can so it is important that you take the lead nd guide your dog in this way right fro the off.

photo credit: BL1961

The journey home from the dog shelter was a very anxious one, I don’t drive out of personal preference so this meant taking Fig home on public transport.

Looking back on it the journey was fairly uneventful although it would be fair to say that Fig was frightened. His tail is curly and sits above his body but on this journey it remained under his body. He also cowered quite a bit by slinking low to the ground.

He had been in the dog shelter for a few months so I guess it is not surprising that all that strange noise and commotion made him very anxious. I thought that it was extremely important to start the relationship off right so on the way home we allowed Fig explore, experience all the new sensations and provide him with positive reinforcement/encouragement as we went along to help guide him with what was acceptable behavior and what was not.

We were fortunate in that there were no incidents of Fig making a mess on on any of the vehicles which knowing what I know about him now was a blessing and a miracle. Although were all nervous on the journey come it seemed that our relationships were getting off to a good start.

The advice in our trusty dog training manual seemed to be bearing fruits from the off but would it continue?

photo credit: ben pollard

Continued…

5. Spending quality time supervising your dog is a must. Your dog will be bored and unhappy if you if kept penned up in a crate, run, or the yard. You need to interact with your dog. They cannot learn from you if you are not present or if they are not released to spend time outside of their dog-proofed zone. By interacting with your dog you are giving them the opportunity to explore the boundaries, this is how they will learn what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. When you catch your dog participating in destructive chewing, make sure you interrupt with a loud noise. You could clap your hands, make an “Ah-ah-aaaah!” noise or my personal favorite shout oi! As soon as you have made the noise pass your dog a dog-appropriate alternative, it is best to make it a tasty alternative like a  rawhide bone or other chew toy. Once the dog has taken the item from you and starts to chew it give them lots of praise and attention.  There is no better way to train your dog than through positive dog training. the dog will come to understand that chewing a toy equals praise from you, but everything else means a telling off.

I hope that this little series has been informative and helps you break the destructive chewing cycle.

photo credit: salsaboy

Not all dogs chew but when they do it can cause a lot of stress in the household. You can stop dogs chewing but first we have to understand the act of chewing. Destructive chewing seems to be a weakness among some dogs; there seem to be a couple of reasons for this:

•    They find it a pleasurable activity

•    They turn to it out of desperation when they are very bored

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound a little odd because, of course by its very nature, all chewing is destructive. Dogs have strong jaws full of razor-sharp teeth: just about anything they start to chew on is in all probability going to show the effects of it inside of it almost immediately. When using the term “destructive chewing” we are referring to chewing of an inappropriate nature. This usually means: the kind of chewing that is focused on your possessions rather than your dogs designated toys and chews.

Any way this is Fig who is the inspiration for this journey to the ultimately trained family pet!

Getting a new dog and settling it into family life can be a little challenging so it is important to get the right support from the start to resolve any complications.

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