Why you should teach your dog their name?

Dogs know their names right? Well that depends on who you ask and when. The average pet owner would say their dog knows their name in their house but does that same dog know their name when they're in the park? Most likely the answer to that one would be no. Names are a crucial component of a strong obedience foundation. 

A name should mean something to a dog just like when say "Sit" and you expect your dog to have their bum on the ground. A dog's name should tell the dog to pay attention and actually look at the person speaking. This is a skill set that has to be taught. 

I like to play "The Name Game" with my dogs. This can be taught to any dog of any age. This includes if you are changing a dog's name because you've recently adopted. 

All you do to play is call your dog's name once "Rover". Then move around or make other noises until your dog looks at you. Once your dog is looking at you say "Yes" and reward with a treat. Then start the process all over again. The most important part is not repeat the dog's name when you're playing. Calling only one time will in the long run eliminate your need to repeatedly call your dog to get attention.

You can play The Name Game with a toy as well. Instead of rewarding with a treat pull out your dog's favourite toy and play tug or throw it for fetch. 

Your dog is learning that their name means to pay attention to you and that there's a fun pay off for listening. 

Try it out today! 

If you'd like help with your overall obedience contact Where's Your Sit to participate in one of our group training classes or private lessons. 

Little side story here at the end... Photo is of Remi our senior French Bulldog. She was adopted only a few years ago and came with a name the Rescue gave her. She's had at least 3 names. We chose to re-name her so she could have a fresh start. Playing the name game helped Remi learn that her name meant to look at us and that good things would happen as a result. She is able to run around off leash and easily come when called all because she's knows that she is in fact Remi. 

When the worst happens...

This past weekend a good friend and fellow positive dog trainer Charlotte of Diamond Dogs was out walking her rescued Doberman pinscher with her family in Kananaskis. Her dog isn’t an ordinary dog either; his name is Aspen and he had a really hard start in life. Aspen came from a breeder who crops ears. He was placed in a home where he suffered severe neglect including malnutrition and the tissue around his ears died. Aspen came into rescue underweight and missing both his outer ear tissue. He also missed out on crucial socialization and training due to this neglect. His story is unfortunately a common one however he had the good fortune of finding a one in a million home where he was nurtured back to health, trained and socialized.

(Aspen when he first came into rescue as a puppy with no ears and very thin)

 

For Charlotte he is not only her pet and companion but also a key member of her dog training team. Aspen helps fearful and reactive dogs find confidence and relax. His temperament is wonderful and she had worked hard to develop these skills in him.

She takes him everywhere so an on leash hike in the back country is a regular event. You can hike with your dogs in Kananaskis but they have to be on leash by law. Hikers are also advised to carry bear spray, make lots of noise and watch out for wildlife. Charlotte was fully prepared and took all the necessary supplies to keep herself, family and dog safe on what should have been an enjoyable trip out in nature.

 

(Aspen after training and at a much better weight)

 

As they were hiking they spotted two extremely large off leash dogs. The dogs were running towards them so Charlotte called out to the woman walking them to put them on leash. Unfortunately she could not call her dogs back and had no control over them. The dogs attacked Aspen. Charlotte tried using hiking poles to hit the dogs and make them let go. Another family member used the bear spray on the dogs. The attack was so vicious that one of the dogs was sprayed three times before he let go. Aspen had done nothing to provoke this attack and even offered calming signals to these dogs to avoid a conflict. Aspen is not a fighter.  

The owner of the off leash dogs only had 1 leash with her and was unable to contain the dogs even after the attack had stopped. She did leave her information however that’s little consolation to a family that has been traumatized by seeing their dog attacked. Poor Aspen has a long road ahead of him that included surgery to have a drain put in and stitches. He will also need at minimum months of rehab for physiological damage. He’s a young dog and is quite sensitive; only time will tell if he will be able to work again.

 

(Aspen's injuries)

 

This attack devastated this family and their dog as well as the countless dogs that Aspen could have helped. And the worst part is that this isn’t an isolated case that rarely happens. Dog attacks occur regularly. I’m not trying to scare anyone as I love dogs and want them to be immersed in our society but this comes with work. Good dog owners will keep their pets on leash in on leash areas and will maintain control in off leash areas. They should have adequate equipment to control their dogs at all times. Aggressive dogs should never be off leash even in the back country where you think you might be alone. Large breed dogs come with the added responsibility of knowing what you can handle. Owners should never take out two large dogs that weigh more than them and have aggressive tendencies and even really nice, easy going dogs should be able to be contained at all times. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure safety. All dogs should have training that allows the owner to recall them back and remove them from an unsafe scene.

Rules to live by:

1.      Train your dog well (not just a 6 week course and he sort of listens sometimes)

2.      Keep everyone safe by having appropriate equipment for your dog

3.      Do not take aggressive animals off leash even if they are muzzled

4.      Only take a dog that you can handle and remember that walking more than one dog at a time is a challenge

5.      Always carry safety equipment whether it is bear spray or an air horn with you

Confidence Boosting for Fearful Dogs

Dogs might have fear related anxiety for numberous reasons and regardless of why they are suffering (trauma, lack of socialization, etc) there's a lot you can do to improve your pet's quality of life.

Start by making a list of things your dog is nervous or anxious about. These things can include anything from strangers to other dogs to stuff animals to vacuum cleaners. Anything your pet shows discomfort around can be on the list.

Teach your pet some fun tricks that keep him/her moving so they have a distraction when the scary thing/event is happening. I love hand targets, spin, loose leash walking, chase (dogs chases you), jumping, etc. This gives your dog something else to concentrate on.

In Where's Your Sit's Confidence Booster class we teach the dogs the tricks and then introduce low level scary stimuli like a dog across the room or a weird noise. As long as the your dog is able to keep eating and "playing" then they are learning to tolerate the scary event. Make sure to start really slowly (this is where working with a dog trainer would be helpful). 

Allow your dog to look at the scary thing and then reward with a tasty treat when he/she looks back at you. Try to keep sessions very short (less than 5 minutes) and keep your attitude upbeat (but not over the top). The more your dog is exposed to scary, new stimuli that doesn't hurt them and that is paired with something fun like games and food the quicker their confidence will increase.

Photo: Marco learning that sheep are fun!

New Kid on the Block

I live with 2 dogs full time and then share both Tank and Russ so I wasn't planning on adding any new arrivals but along came this Frenchie... basically "Billie" was living with a foster family with Alberta Bulldog Rescue (which I sit on the Board for) and the family couldn't keep her. She had been attending my Confidence Booster Program and had really started to do well. I didn't want to lose her progress so she came to my house. Well it took all of a few hours for everyone to fall in love. So I'd like to welcome "Remi Perogie" our newest addition with her new name. 

Remi is going to be living with my boyfriend but that essentially means she's going to be around all the time. This little tyke is an older girl with some allergy issues. She's also very unsure in new situations so we'll be charting her progress on the WYS Blog so everyone can cheer her on.  

What Remi is happy about:

> couches, beds & dog beds

> loves her kennel

> enjoys other dogs as long as they aren't in her face. She's quite polite. 

> meeting people in a really quiet, non-threatening way

> going for walks but not long ones

> most small rubber dog toys and chews

> dinner time

What Remi is worried about:

> any new place

> lots of loud, excited dogs

> people who move quickly and across really strong (me too but they are in the world so we need to deal with them)

> changes to her routine/situation

Remi will finish up this round of Confidence Booster and will then possibly do another round. She'll also give the sport of Rally-O a try just because I think it'll be good for her. She's not staying on as a sporting dog but I'm a strong believer that dog sports are good for all dogs (just not necessarily being competitive about it).