As I begin a new set of classes called "Reactive Rover" to help clients with hyper sensitive dogs (something I have been doing in private lessons for some time), I find myself explaining to owners that this is a personality type that requires not only training and desensitization, but maintenance as well. This is not a virus that can be cured with a round of antibiotics, but rather a personality type that needs regular "medication" to maintain balance and lessen anxiety. I am often greeted with disappointed frowns when I drop this bombshell. Don't we all wish we could change our dog's personality! But alas, they are who they are and while we can get them to grow and improve in the areas they are deficient, those old habits can come back easily (and rather quickly) because they fall more into line with their natural personality.

I come from two parents who would not consider themselves as extremely outgoing. While they do quite a bit of public speaking as they travel across the country instructing others on how to move livestock with their dogs, they would probably both agree that they are not the type of person to sign up for an Intro to Public Speaking Class in college "for fun". I undoubtedly inherited these traits, my mom likes to tell stories of my painful shyness as a child. So how did I become the type of person who would take Public Speaking as an elective (yes, I did that!)? Practice, desensitization, and practice! I started by giving a speech in high school at a Future Farmers of America speech contest after much prodding from my Agriculture teacher at the time. I then became an officer in just about every high school extra curricular I could (FFA, FCCLA, Yearbook, Student Council, FCA, etc.), and competed in just about every contest the FFA had to offer. While this ultimately led to a college degree in communications, I still struggle with my shyness when I haven't spoken in front of a group of people in awhile. Thankfully since I teach group classes, I constantly have the "maintenance" I need to keep my bashfulness at bay. So what does this have to do with your dog? If you have a dog who is reactive, they will always have those tendencies within them. In order to improve their behavior, it will take a certain period of time addressing the behaviors, then a lifetime of maintaining it. So what does "maintenance" look like?

  "Cena"- Cena is more than likely some sort of Labrador mix. It is anyone's guess considering I found her dumped on the side of a country road when she was bout 4 months old. Since the day I brought her home, she treated food as a luxury, inhaling whatever I put in front of her ( I would too if I was left out in the country to fend for myself when I was barely old enough to be weaned from my mother!). I quickly found that she had extreme dog aggression, especially when food was involved. She has never shown an inkling of aggression toward people but has been in some pretty serious dog fights.

We have spent many hours working on obedience, leadership, thinking instead of reacting, and self control. She is now 6 years old and is one of the best dogs I have ever had but she will always be in a state of "maintenance". When a dog makes her uncomfortable, she comes directly to me and asks me to intervene. However, she still does not get to meet any dogs that come to my facility for training or boarding (don’t worry, she prefers it that way!). She can now be around my other dogs when food is present, however I make sure I feed all my dogs separately. Finally, I do not fear running into other dogs when taking Cena for a walk, however, she will never be one of my Demo and Event Dogs (once again, she doesn't mind this decision!).  I also know that if I have not spent an adequate amount of quality time with her, her behavior will reflect that.

  "Tru"- This is my Cardigan Welsh Corgi and unlike my other two dogs, I actually got her as a puppy and know her complete history but don't think this makes her devoid of her own issues! You see, Corgis original purpose was to herd cattle.  As you can see Tru is what you might call vertically challenged, so how on earth can she get huge cattle to move? Well among other things, her voice! They bark to intimidate the livestock, which in turn creates a breed that as a whole tends to be quite, shall we say, VOCAL. From day one, Tru liked to talk about EVERYTHING. She barks, whines, growls, yodels, and a few things in between. While  her behavior has never been what I would call aggressive, she is a  higher anxiety, reactive dog. Tru feels especially vulnerable when greeting other dogs on leash. There was a time in her younger years that she would growl or even snap at other dogs when they made her uncomfortable.

Through lots of desensitization, self control exercises, and leadership activities Tru has learned one of my Golden Rules "If you cannot say anything nice, don't say anything at all". Tru now participates in most of my on leash greeting exercises in my puppy group classes. She does wonderfully at her "job" because she trusts me implicitly with her safety, knowing I will not put her in a situation that is not safe. She has also learned that when she does feel uncomfortable,  that is it okay to say politely that she does not want to greet a dog (by passing by them and ignoring them) and I respect that decision. She will always be a very excitable dog who needs continued work on self control. (Especially when she has been "off work" for awhile, like when she attends January classes after a long Christmas break!)  but she definitely gets compliments everywhere she goes, especially from people who know how stubborn Corgis can be!

  "Ziva"-As many of you know, I adopted Ziva almost a year ago (my, does time fly!) from Saving Death Row Dogs. She was found as a stray and no one came forward to claim her. When I took ownership of Ziva she had crate anxiety, separation anxiety, jumped fences, tried to bust out of crates, and growled at other dogs when they approached, just to name a few! We spent several weeks building her confidence and getting her comfortable with being alone and confined. We also practiced desensitization, self-control, patience, attention span, leadership exercises, and learning how to accept affection (it broke my heart that she didn't know how to process affection!). As she began to look to me for leadership and trusted me with her well-being, she began to gain confidence and developed quite an appetite for learning!
 
Nowadays my husband and I look at each other and shake our heads, wondering why anyone would not want the dog we have today but we definitely remember how much work it took (and still takes) to manage her personality.  She will always have tendencies toward higher anxiety. She will probably always need some supervision if she is in the yard during gunfire, fireworks, or thunder as she may have a relapse and jump the fence. She tends to get "wired" if I have had an extra dog boarding and she isn't getting the attention she is used to from me. She usually needs some extra training sessions if she has been getting a smaller piece of the pie of quality time. Despite her initial anxiety about greeting other dogs,  she is now one of the best dogs I have for dog to dog greetings on leash and off. She still has her moments of fragility but turns to me for encouragement and help in those situations instead of lashing out at the other dog.

  I hope in telling you about my own "maintenance dogs" it will help you understand what I mean when I say your dog cannot simply be "fixed" it needs to be maintained. I also hope it makes owners aware of the fact that our dogs will never be "perfect". As a matter of fact, when an owner says to me, "Well they aren't perfect yet, but…". I usually reply with, "Well good, because neither am I, and I wouldn't want them showing me up!".  We cannot change their personalities but we can help them face their fears and grow into better companions as well as lower their anxiety levels.  And finally, just as we have to continue to exercise to stay in shape, we need to continue training sessions, not just when we want to teach our dog something new, but also to keep the skills we have already taught them sharp.

  Okay, Okay, I know what an overused phrase right? But it's catchy and it really sums up the point I hope to make with today's blog entry. Very rarely do I find it necessary to step up on my soapbox in my blog. Usually you will find lost of helpful information on training and behavior but today I will be discussing an issue that is close to my heart. Therefore, I apologize in advance if I get too worked up writing this entry but I WILL NOT apologize for being passionate about this subject, the dogs deserve a voice. Thanks!

Fielding many calls about training and working with a local rescue group, I have experienced first hand how many "dog lovers" treat dogs like they are novelties that either fit into their household or face being returned to the shelter. Not only is this unfair to the dogs, it creates a very big problem for local shelters, especially no-kill facilities.

 Anytime one of my clients approach me about getting a new dog I do strongly suggest they consider adoption through the shelter or a local rescue however, the decision to get ANY dog by ANY means is a heavy one. It is likely that the first few years of your new friend's life is going to be more about what you do for it than what it does for you. You are committing to raising a hairy four legged child that will likely never develop past the equivalent of a 2 year old child (minus the speaking part!) for an average of 15 years. In order to create a companion you love spending time with, you will not be able to immediately enjoy wonderful behaviors, you will instead be putting in several months of hard work to mold and shape the companion you want your dog to be. I thoroughly enjoy planting a garden every year, however, I know it will take several months of hard work preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watering, weeding, etc. to be able to enjoy the bountiful harvest at the end of the summer. Do I wish I could plant a seed and come back the next day to fresh garden tomatoes? Sure! Unfortunately, that is not how gardening, or dog "raising" works…

  Stepping up on my soapbox, I hear many clients utter the phrase, "I am going to take you back!", some are only joking, some are quite serious! Unfortunately, surrendering dogs to the shelter, or a rescue, or returning a dog you adopted without giving them time to adjust and exploring ALL avenues of addressing the issues is rarely the best thing for the dog.

I once had a potential client tell me that their dog  got into the trash, stole things off the counters, and barked in it's crate and if they couldn't curb these behaviors, he would have to be returned to the shelter because he "just didn't fit into OUR household". (This particular dog was a stray for 7 months and had spent the next 5 months in the shelter and he was probably only about 14-16 months old! This means he developed these behaviors out of necessity to survive!) However, beyond his motives for the behavior is her reasoning. "He just doesn’t fit into OUR household". Excuse me, but a dog who dumpster dives and counter surfs will not fit into ANYONE'S household until someone takes the time to address the issues, unless of course you can find a dog owner who does not have a trash can…our counters…

  You see, it’s the idea that you can just take them to the shelter (or back to the shelter) and everything will be just fine that is the problem. Every time a dog is adopted out and returned, it gets more difficult to adopt, not only because it has never experienced true structure and routine, but also because not many potential adopters are willing to take on a dog who has already proven to be a "handful". To think that taking it to the shelter leads to it finding a wonderful home that it "fits in" is not very realistic.

According to the HSUS, between 6 and 8 million cats and dogs enter shelters each year and between 3 and 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized by shelters each year, this means only roughly HALF the dogs surrendered to shelters successfully find a new home.

 Most shelters do not have the room to take in all the dogs that are being surrendered across the country on a daily basis. When you adopt a dog from the shelter, thinking, " Oh I can just bring it back if it doesn't work out" you become part of the problem. Especially No-Kill organizations. When you adopt a dog, they happily fill that space or foster home with a new dog in need. When you come back a few days or weeks later saying that dog "doesn't fit", they are faced with a problem. Do they turn you away? Or do they take the dog in and make space by coming up with some other "reason" to empty a spot? What if your dog, who has failed at being adopted gets chosen as the one with "behavioral issues" and gets euthanized?

   If you are considering relinquishing your dog because he exhibits some behaviors you don't appreciate, would you be willing to take him to the shelter if they euthanized him in front of you when you got there? If not, then your dog's issues do not warrant surrender to the shelter. Yes, many dogs get adopted out to wonderful homes with owners who spend the time to address behaviors and teach the dog how to be the companion they want, but is it worth the risk you run when you surrender your dog?

If you have a dog that has you at your wit's end, please consider talking to a training professional first. Most will talk to you over the phone and give you some initial advice or may even offer free or low cost Assessment visits. If you cannot afford training, you can find lots of great information on the internet about dog training ( just be prepared to find a million different ideas to try!). We offer monthly training seminars that cover a wide variety of topics with a chance to talk to the trainer about your own dog! These seminars just require a $15 donation to Saving Death Row Dogs ( a local rescue). If you still don't think it is going to work for you to keep the dog, consider fostering the dog while looking for a new home. Saving Death Row Dogs is completely reliant on their foster network and cannot take a dog in unless it has a foster home for it. However, they can do Courtesy Listings for owners or you can apply to become a foster and foster your own dog while we try to place it in a new home.

Before adding a dog in your life, please commit to working through any problems it may have (after all they put up with yours!). If you cannot to commit to helping a dog become the companion you want, please reconsider getting a dog. If you know someone who is considering taking their dog to the shelter, feel free to pass along this article!

  Reactive Rover Classes- This is our current "baby" and boy am I excited about it! This new group class is designed for dogs who are overreactive around other dogs, but can be adapted for many triggers. Your dog may be reactive for several reasons, or a combination (Overexcited, Afraid, Overstimulated, Improperly Socialized, Bad Experiend, etc)

So what would a class full of reactive dogs look like? Well,the class is definitely set up very carefully, the dogs all have their own "pods" that are visual and physical barriers. The beginning of the class is about improving your relationship with your dog (building more trust and leadership from you), impulse control and focus. The dogs come out of their pod one at a time to "work" and will not begin working around another dog (a neutral dog) towards the end of the class.

I KNOW this is a class many dog owners in Topeka  desperately need and am thrilled to be offering it! If you think your dog might be in need of a Reactive Rover class, please contact me to set up an assessment!

  Intro to Dog Sports (Coming Summer 2013!)- Many of my clients are eager to take another class after they finish up their basic obedience classes but find it hard deciding which of my "extra curricular" classes they would enjoy most with their dog. So I am putting together a class that is going to introduce you to several different dog sports (showcasing one each week), to help you decide which sport you would like to spend an entire class focusing on! This class is definitely in the early planning stages but will *probably* include  Agility, Scent Work, Treiball, Flyball, and Rally. If this is a class that would interest you, please let me know, your input may be used as I plan the class!

  Level 2 Agility (Coming March 2013!)- For those of you who have taken my Intro to Agility class, you could call this your sequel! We will be spending a good amount of time mastering the entire process of the Teeter, getting professional at Weaving 6 poles, and solidifying your dog's contact obstacle behaviors. We will also begin sequencing obstacles and stretching that reward!

Puppy Agility- I am SO excited about this idea, what's more fun than cute little puppies doing Agility?! Although it is important to note that puppies are not going to be ready for ALL the demands agility brings to their still growing bodies, so we will be introducing them to some foundational ideas and NOT be getting them on very much agility equipment. These foundation skills will be taught in mini sessions after their puppy obedience classes. These skills will be much easier to instill at a young age and will help get them ready for an Intro to Agility class after their Intermediate lessons.
Even if you are not considering Agility training eventually, these mini sessions will help socialize your dog to noise and movement and build their confidence, what puppy wouldn't benefit from that?! This will be a session offered after my beginner/puppy classes. Owners can opt in for five 20 minute sessions after their puppy class each week for a one time cost of $21! Making the 7 week puppy class + 5 weeks of puppy agility $120. Please let me know when you sign up for your beginner class that you would like to be enrolled in Puppy Agility!

  Monthy Behavioral Seminars to benefit Saving Death Row Dogs- The second Saturday of every month I will be speaking on a training or behavior topic at a one hour seminar. The seminars are designed to help educate SDRD's current fosters and to help raise funds for this local rescue group. If you are a current SDRD foster, there is no cost for you to attend. Otherwise, the seminars are a $15 donation to SDRD. Here is a list of the topics I will be covering in the first half of the year:

Children's Education Seminars- We will be partnering with Saving Death Row Dogs to go into local schools and educate children on Dog Safety, the importance of Spaying/Neutering your pet, and Adoption.

  Also new in 2013, we now have a calendar up on our website of upcoming classes, seminars, and public events so check it out! We have also added an option to pay for your classes/lessons online via paypal.

Finally, we are now active on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest so keeping up with what we are offering has never been easier!

Let us know how we can help you and your best friend in 2013!