Throwback Thursday: Go Dawgs!

Mr. Tough cowers in submission when he meets the giant blue bulldog.

You can find these giant painted bulldog sculptures dotting the streets of Athens, GA, in honor of the UGA Bulldogs. Additionally, it seems like almost every house has a small bulldog sculpture out front. With all the local hype about bulldogs, we sadly never see any real bulldogs around. Luckily Spartacus has since learned that these stoic oversized bulldog sculptures are not giant rainbow mastiffs, and now he can pass them comfortably.

He's also quite fond of this other public sculpture.

Throwback Thursday: Catdog

Once upon a time, a small dog came bounding from it's yard and ran right up to Spartacus.

When she got up close, we realized she was not, in fact, a dog.

But she said hello like a dog.

Sparty thought she was a dog too.

Goals for Spartacus

Rehabilitating Spartacus has become something like a part-time job. A job we love! Something really clicked for us a few months ago, and we realized his behavior wasn't going to magically change overnight. Every day that we weren't working on training him with focus and commitment, Spartacus had the opportunity to continue practicing and perfecting his problem behaviors. His reactivity and insecurities were holding us all back from things we want to do together like going camping, having road trip adventures, and showing off our gorgeous dogs around town comfortably and safely. This afternoon we have our last Behavior Solutions training class for reactive dogs. Over the past eight weeks of consistent training, our optimism for Spartacus' future has sky-rocketed. As his owners, we have built up confidence realizing that our handling can make a big difference. We see that with our dedication, we can have a happier, more confident dog living a fulfilling life.

In order of importance, here are some behavior issues we still need to work on A LOT before we have a chilled out Spartacus. It's a lot of work, but we're committed to helping our dogs live the best lives they can. Delilah's goals are a separate post!

Leash Reactivity toward Dogs

• Continue to learn more methods, read more books, and implement clicker training while avoiding punishment. 
• At least 10 training walks a week in dog prone areas, working on attention, heeling, emergency exits, sit-stays and down-stays in public places.
• At least 2 training sessions a week in high dog traffic places like dog park entrance and doggy daycare parking lot. Practice auto-watch using clicker.
• Try to set Spartacus up for success 100% of the time, using distance as a tool to avoid going over threshold.
• If instructor agrees to it, enroll Spartacus in 4 week CGC Prep course in May for further socialization and practice.
• Goals: Pass other dogs on same sidewalk eventually. Pass CGC by end of 2014.
  

Recall and Off-Leash Attention

• Develop an emergency bombproof recall by throwing a party whenever my dog comes to me. Use a new word that has a cheery ring to it like "zazoom!".
• Start by practicing in house/private dog parks/yard. Increase distance slowly. Increase distractions over time. Seriously practice at least once a week.
• Use hide and seek to make it fun.
• Continue to build up our bond and trust with positive reinforcement training and games off leash.
• Goal: Have Spartacus come 100% of the time when called in high distraction situations.
  

General Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, and Insecurity

• Start working on Dr.Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol using a mat and down stay position to make the mat a safe, happy place to relax.
• Perfect "go to mat" command.
• Teach some new tricks for confidence building.
• If instructor allows it, try a dog sport eventually.
• Goals: Staying calm when one of his parents disappears from site, especially in a public place, such as the supervised separation exercise in the CGC. Not to mention, more tail wagging and a less anxious disposition in all situations.
  

Guarding the House, Porch, and Car

• Continue to do time-outs in the bathroom for barking in the house, every time. This seems to be working really well.
• Practice counter-conditioning to dogs while in parked car at least once a week using clicker and auto watch. This can be done outside dog park, doggy daycare, veterinary office, etc.
• As weather gets nicer, do leashed training sessions on the porch. Work on Relaxation Protocol, starting at odd hours and slowly working up to when people and dogs are passing. Also use clicker and work on counter conditioning to people and dogs passing. Practice at least twice a week.
• Goals: No more barking in the car, house, or on the porch.
  

Jumping when Excited

• Perfect the "go to mat" command when visitors are coming.
• Consistently work on down-stays when Spartacus meets someone new who gets him all excited and wanting to hug.
• Goal: No more jumping, ever!
  

Behavior Solutions Training Class Week 7

Yesterday, our special training class for reactive dogs took another field trip. Sadly, this was our second to last class. Say it ain't so! On the flip side, all graduates are welcome to return to the last three classes of all subsequent Behavior Solutions groups for free! Allowing the graduates to participate gives the currently enrolled dogs fresh stimulus and helps the graduates continue to hone in on everything they've learned.

Our group consists of three dog-reactive dogs and one people-reactive dog. The people-reactive Havanese is worst on his own territory, so this week we went to his house. Human students took turns ringing the doorbell and entering the house of the Havanese while the rest of us worked on pass-bys and other dog triggered stuff. Thus far most of the classes have focused on the needs of the dog-reactive dogs, so we were all more than willing to let our trainer spend the whole class with the Havanese and its owners. Until today, we had no idea what this guy's deal was. He was so quiet and perfect in class. Finally his true colors came out - you could hear him barking inside from down the street!

So as our trainer and the Havanese did their thing, we practiced pass bys with safe distances between us, and all went well. Then we tried talking to other owners with our dogs sitting just a few feet from each other. Spartacus had to face two dogs from a past class, dogs he did not know. They couldn't have been further than five feet away. One of the dogs was very friendly and wanted to meet Spartacus, so she was making some eye contact. On our first attempt to mingle with the other handler, Sparty barked and growled when he saw the friendly dog. We did a quick about face and I stood facing Spartacus, his gaze locked into mine. I turned to his side in a heel and let him face the other dogs. When he took his eyes off me, he barked and growled again. Another quick about face and back we were. This time, he was fine. He kept making eye contact with me and blocked out the other dogs sitting five feet in front of him. He accepted that I was going to talk to their owner and he was going to behave. Cheers, Spartacus! Those were his only two reactions all of class.

We were there for almost two hours total, and 99% of that time, Spartacus was completely fixated on us, the bearers of hot dog. We have been working for seven weeks on being more interesting than other dogs. Every millisecond of eye contact has been rewarded. In class that reward is tiny pieces of hotdog, and on our daily walks we use a combination of kibble, hotdog, and diced up Natural Balance rolls. Ladies and gentleman, we are thrilled to report that always stinking of meat has paid off. As we type, we are simply in disbelief. Spartacus successfully passed other dogs ON THE SAME SIDEWALK! He couldn't have cared less when we passed the Frenchie from our class. Six weeks ago he lunged and growled and barked and did his whole freak out dance at this very dog multiple times yards away. Today, as we passed said Frenchie, the sidewalk may as well have been empty for all he cared. Then came the Doberman, a perfectly behaved dog with her CGC who is not in our class. Like Delilah, she's a reactive dog's sibling, and was there for moral support. When we passed the Doberman, which we did three times, Spartacus barely noticed. Granted, we each walked our dogs to our left and there were two people between them as they passed, but that is not a barrier Spartacus recognized in the past. Being on the same sidewalk as a passing dog seemed truly impossible to us just weeks ago. We walked by the Dobie and Spartacus looked to me for hotdog. Then he realized another dog had just cruised by within feet of him. He started to look back. His ears darted. Right at that early sign of targeting, a small snap of his slip collar got him right back to focusing on his handler. No reaction whatsoever.

Eventually, the group sat on the ground in a kumbaya type circle with our dogs relaxing together just feet apart. We asked our trainer if there's any chance we can get to a point where our reactive dogs will actually greet other dogs, do the whole butt sniffing thing, and be normal (on leash). She made a wise point. Our goals are probably different than our dog's goals. We may want Spartacus to be social and normal, but that's our goal. Meeting other dogs on leash is not what Spartacus wants to do. It stresses him out for whatever reasons. Instead, he has been learning to do something else when dogs are near - ignore the dog, look at his owners, and get treats. We have provided a way for him to feel safe around leashed dogs by teaching him that he can ignore them, that he doesn't have to protect us from them. For now, we are going to respect our dog's boundaries and not force him to adapt to our vision of what a dog should be like. Reactive dogs have special needs and if you can manage their reactions and still go out in public with them, you've done them and yourself a great service. With lots of practice counter-conditioning, reactive dogs can function in society and lead fun awesome dog lives.

There are still many months and probably years of diligent  practice necessary for Spartacus to consistently maintain his cool around other leashed canines. If we ever feel that he has become so desensitized to leashed dogs that he can maybe try approaching them for a normal dog greeting, we will bring that up to an experienced trainer. But if that never happens, we'll still be super proud of our boy and love him all the same. Spartacus doesn't have to be a normal dog to be a good dog. Our greatest fear when we started this class was that his leash-reactivity would prevent him from accompanying us on all the walks we want to take with him and all the trips and adventures we see in our future. The transformation in just two months has been profound. Our confidence, along with Sparty's, has reached new heights. Working with a leash reactive dog is incredibly fulfilling. Every small victory brings a newfound sense of hope. So what if Sparty can't do proper meet and greets on leash? If we have to swerve a few feet out of the way when dogs approach, that's a pretty good bargain for having our best friend by our side.

Oh and the territorial Havanese made a ton of progress today, so we're proud of him too!

When Good Dogs Go Bad

If things were black and white, Spartacus would be labeled our bad dog and Delilah would earn the title for easy, good dog. Spartacus growls and lunges at passing dogs and scares the pants off their owners, while Delilah can be within inches of strange dogs on leash without paying them any mind. Spartacus is enrolled in Behavior Solutions ("bad dog" class), while Delilah is signed up for a Canine Good Citizen prep course. Indeed, Delilah is not leash reactive. She doesn't go berzerk on leash. We can take her places without worries. But let us be clear, grey areas abound.

Like the grey skies we faced this morning. We awoke to pouring rain and huge puddles barricading our driveway. Hooray! We thought. We might get a park all to ourselves!

Rain jacket on, I leashed up the dogs and drove off to one of our favorite places in Athens, Oconee Forest Park. Oconee Forest Park is a 60 acre natural area of winding trails and an off leash dog area, all within a well preserved 100 year old forest. The off leash area isn't really a dog park so much as a place to hike with your dog off leash. Spartacus has generally done pretty well here and keeps on moving after meeting other dogs, no wild play involved. When we pulled up to the parking lot, there was only one other car. As we headed out onto the trails, there were no signs of anyone else, human or canine. Having the park to ourselves was a welcome respite.

Delilah has only been with us since August of 2013 and she's estimated to be about 16 months old. She completed a Basic Obedience class but has yet to really master any commands. Of these basics, recall is the most difficult for her. She's an easily distracted dog whose greatest passion is galloping top speed deep into the forest, presumably chasing squirrels. While Spartacus never trots more than a few feet ahead of us on off leash hikes, Delilah takes off through the forest and disappears. She always comes back, but it's incredibly frustrating. Even when we get a perfect recall going in the house and in practice runs, it just doesn't work when we need it in real life situations.

Today, a solid recall would have done us good. The off leash area at the park is not fully fenced, and the existing fence and gate are insufficient for the likes of smaller dogs. So when a leashed dog was passing the fence, it was our "good" dog that slipped under the gate and charged it. The owners called out that their dog was socially iffy. Before I had time to think, I heard barking and growling from both Delilah and her new frenemy. I was still inside the fence, untangling leashes, worrying my "bad" dog would react.

"Delilah, come!"

A glimmer of hope - she started to trot back.

Then took off again. The leashed dog was with two owners, and one of them body blocked Delilah. She gave up and returned to the gate.

Spartacus, our bad boy, showed no signs of excitement. I put him in a sit stay unleashed, walked out the gate, and leashed up Delilah. Though no one was harmed, I felt terrible for causing any set backs for the other dog. As owners of a reactive dog, we advocate for dogs to be leashed if they don't have solid recall, and here our own Delilah broke the rules.

We've been so preoccupied with working on Spartacus' leash reactivity, we managed to look past some of the weaknesses in our communication with Delilah. Delilah isn't leash reactive, but she certainly requires more training before we can responsibly take her on off leash adventures.

Do you have a solid recall with your dog/s?
Does your easy dog occasionally give you grief?

Throwback Thursday: Puppy as Dog Walker

Ollie is Sparty's cousin. They first met when she was four months old.

She made sure to show him who's boss right away.

And they walked happily ever after.

Walk On

Walking Spartacus brings us joy like nothing else. Sure, Spartacus is super leash reactive to other dogs. It's true we have to work extra hard around passing dogs to disrupt and counter-condition his aggressive response. Despite constant training as we saunter about, our walks with Spartacus are incredibly pleasant for the most part.

Before we had dogs, we lived in New York City without cars and grew to love just walking for walking's sake. Hours and hours upon miles and miles of wandering on foot, exploring new areas, revisiting old ones - that's a day well spent. When we moved to a less urban area, we were so excited to adopt a dog to share our walks with.

With lots of training, Sparty now heels wonderfully most of the time. We move in sync and practice check-ins, and Spartacus sits when we come to a halt. We pay attention equally to each other and to our surroundings. 

Together, our leisurely strolls through Athens take us through historic neighborhoods with incredible houses, past green fire hydrants and quirky gardens.

We also pass lots of cute fenced dogs, like this sweet Shiba Inu.

Using plenty of treats to counter condition, we've gotten to a point where Spartacus can sit and lay patiently next to a fenced in barking dog. He's totally cool with us saying Hi to all the gorgeous fenced dogs in Athens, and he remains perfectly polite when we catch up with neighbors who see us petting their dogs. Not bad for a reactive pup!

Spartacus loves going on walks just as much as we do. Never mind breakfast, his day hasn't started until he's leashed up for his morning stroll. The idea of having any less than two walks a day seems crazy to us. We live to walk! 

Sparty is really beginning to grasp the behaviors we expect of him, and he tries so hard to be a good boy. Still, there's some things he just can't control. Like drooling all over himself anticipating a treat.

We're lucky we live in such a charming little city that's very safe and enjoyable for walking. Even on a gloomy, overcast day like today, the brightly colored bungalows with their year round Christmas lights and eclectic decorations keep our walks cheerful.  

Are you as addicted to walking? 
Does owning a reactive dog prevent you from taking long walks?

What's Up with Spartacus?

So what is up with Spartacus exactly? What do we mean by leash reactive?

For the past two years, we've had a very small yard and rely on multiple daily walks around Athens, GA to exercise our pup. A month ago, we dreaded encountering other dogs on these walks. Even dogs across the street. In fact, we hadn't stayed on a sidewalk with an approaching strange dog in over a year. We were constantly on the lookout. Avoiding other dogs was the only solution we knew. Spartacus had consistently blown up ferociously at almost any dog he saw - the best we could do was keep him on a tight head halter and pray it would be over soon. Barking, growling, writhing in the air and lunging in every direction to battle the pull of the leash - that's what we mean by leash reactive.

Today, we can proudly say we've made some improvement. Last night we attended Week 5 of Behavior Solutions class at Pawtropolis, led by the amazing Tamela Boyd. This class is limited to four dogs and is endearingly referred to as "The Bad Dog Class". We love it because it provides a nonjudgmental atmosphere for dogs and owners dealing with behavior that is stigmatized in public. How can you work on leash reactivity if you're relegated to walking your dog in situations where you can't address it's triggers? In Behavior Solutions, we practice passing other classmates at distances we just couldn't ask of a stranger, knowing our dogs might erupt. But through a combination of well-timed discipline and plenty of positive reinforcement, the outbursts are reducing in frequency and severity. We are conditioning our dogs to learn new responses to old stressors.

Practice

The method that we are most focused on is using check-ins to keep Spartacus' attention on us instead of his environment. The idea is simple: every time Spartacus chooses to look us in the eye, he gets a treat. We carry treats and kibble with us on all our walks, and in class he receives a near constant stream of hotdog bits for staying calm and keeping his attention on us. The end goal is to pass another dog and have Sparty just look to us and pay little mind to the other canine. A voluntary check-in from our dog demonstrates his impulse control, but for now it's still okay to use voice commands to redirect Sparty from his battle plans. Though he can't keep his eyes off us most of the walk, we say "Sparty, eyes!" to remind him of the check-in game when dogs are near. And we rejoice when his soulful gaze meets ours.

Careful timing is key. Just a quarter second delay in redirecting Sparty's attention can lead to hysterics. We've gotten better at abruptly forcing a seize fire when he does declare war, but the triumph is better felt when he decides to look to us instead of react at all. This merits plenty of praise and treats, and it feels like this positive reinforcement is creating a real shift in response. We made it through class yesterday with three minor outbursts in an hour and a half. Most of class, Sparty was within feet of other dogs in various staged interactions: two dogs passing each other, walking around a stationary dog, remaining stationary with other dogs practicing tricks around us, meeting a dog and owner behind a fence to name a few. Three outbursts and at least eighty victories.

Patience

Progress is slow, and we still don't feel comfortable passing a strange dog on our side of the street just yet, but we are building new behaviors and learning so much right now. We know many dogs are never truly "cured" of their reactivity, but they are managed so well that no one would know the difference. Yesterday at Behavior Solutions, recent graduates were invited back to refresh their manners and provide some new stimulus for our group. It was amazing to see how far they had come. One 100 pound black lab mix didn't make a peep and acted as the neutral dog for different exercises. Another graduate was so quick to respond to her owner's corrections, it was clear her reactions do not have an opportunity to escalate and she can be managed in public.

As for us, we've been able to transition from a Gentle Leader head collar to a parachute cord slip collar, and we can confidently pass dogs across the street graciously. We are so grateful and optimistic that in just a month we've laid the foundation for this new journey with Spartacus. We know it's a long road ahead, but we are excited for the future and all the hard work it will bring.