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Tag Archives: learned relaxation

Taking Turns

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by Katrin in Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Dogs

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

cues, dog bed, Dog Training, good dog, impulse control, learned relaxation, obedience, patience, teaching, Tom, training humans, Zora

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I adore using mats or dog beds or other place type spaces to teach and then remind dogs about taking turns.

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Tom & Zora both lying on a white and checked donut style dog bed

Tom and Zora have both been getting rather nudgy, pushy and whiny lately around the concepts of sharing my and other people’s attention so I realized I needed to be much clearer and consistent with our taking of turns during training as I’ve slacked a lot on the criteria for that.  I’ve been really lax on where the non-working dog is to be in space.

We’ve now done 2 sessions where I went back to clear and consistent criteria that the working dog was active with me and the non-working dog was quietly lying on the dog bed.  Then they swap on cue.  And already I’m seeing a positive difference.  Calmer, quieter, more focused work from both of the dogs.

The non-working on the bed dog is remembering to stay on the bed until I give their name and release cue.  Even when the working dog and I are doing some rather active, movement based and enticing things.  The working dog is getting my undivided attention and we’re making some great progress on things.

An interesting observation is each dog has asked to be the on the bed non-working dog at times when they want a break from the active more precision based training we’ve been doing.  I respect that and we do a dog swap when ever either asks for that.

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Tom & Zora both lying on the large tan rectangle dog bed

In the past when I’ve been consistent about non-working dog is on the mat during training sessions, I see really nice fall over to other areas of life, such as when people are at the door, leave it exercises and meet and greets in general.  As those too have deteriorated in ways I’m less than thrilled with lately, I’m including practice and clearer consistent criteria on our greeting manners using their ‘on the bed’ behavior too.

Morning Us Time

16 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by Katrin in Dogs, Who Knows What Else

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

fun, Happiness Project, happy, learned relaxation, philosophical, play, relationship, relaxing, thoughts, Tom, Zora

I often find myself struggling with philosophical questions, and delving into explorations about how others through the ages have attempted to find answers or puzzle over them.  A while back my reading travels took me to learn about Gretchen Rubin and read some of her books.  The concepts of her Happiness Project intrigued me, so I’ve been mulling over elements of a project of my own.

I’ve done elements of happiness projects in past, my computer monitor is covered with life reminder sticky notes.  Helping me remember various habits and thought processes I’d like to repeat to help me shift existing or old patterns.

Ms Rubin’s book got me thinking about it all much more formally though.  So I’ve been thinking more concretely about what actions, behaviors, patterns, habits go in to my feeling happy, content, satisfied.  There have been a number of things, and some of them are patterns, behaviors, habits I used to do yet have fallen out of practice.  Usually because I think ‘I should be being more productive right now’ and discounting that what I’m doing right then that I find fulfilling and satisfying isn’t somehow productive.

Therefore lately I’ve been recreating some of my old habits in addition to working to create some brand new ones.  One of which is the re-addition of Morning Time with the Dogs into my routine.  I’m a morning person, and over the years have come to be incredibly possessive about my mornings.  They are MINE!  I like the quiet early time where I can go at my own pace and be in my own world at no one’s beck or call.  As mornings are MINE adding in and re-creating practices I’ve found fulfilling for no other reason than they make me happy to my morning routine seems like the perfect space for them.

My morning routine always includes caring for the dogs, and includes our walk, but it also includes a lot of other things like emptying the dishwasher or making my daily to-do list or checking voice mails and emails.  I go through my little routines, all while the dogs sit or follow me around wishing I’d engage with them.  And I think, “I should stop this and go be with them…” then I go on with whatever I was doing like making the grocery list.

When Zora was little every morning I’d sit or lay on the floor with the dogs and we’d have unstructured morning us time.  Where we played or I petted them and they got to tell me what we did and how we did it.  Where we just were together for no reason other than we all wanted to be.  And I loved it.  They loved it.  It was a great way to start my day.

Then Zora got older.  And more able to self regulate.  And not get into mischief in the morning.  And I stopped doing it.  This seems to be a pattern I’ve done with just about all puppies past.  We have morning us time, we all love it, then as they no longer seem to ‘need’ it, I stop doing it.  Despite that we all love it and it helps the day start off right.

I’m re-instituting Morning Us Time.  I’ve decided we all still need it.  The dishes and grocery list can wait.  The dogs and I need unstructured us time.  I’m loving it.  The dogs are loving it.  It is still a glorious way to start my day.

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Morning Us Time when Zora was still a baby.  Me lying on a rug, baby Zora with a toy, Tom beside me getting petted. 

via Daily Prompt: Recreate

Click, click, click.

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Katrin in Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Dogs

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

classical conditioning, coping skills, Dog Behavior, Dog Training, grooming, learned relaxation, nail trimming, operant conditioning, sensory processing disorder, Tom, Zora

I am a stickler for short doggie nails.  Apparently I am such of one that an acquaintance once told me right before she left her house to come visit she realized her dog’s nails were very long and she decided she would rather be late to my house than show up with the dog’s nails as is.  So she rushed back into the house and trimmed nails before coming.

About half of why really has nothing to do with the dog’s well being but related to the fact that I am beyond incredibly noise sensitive.  And dogs click click clicking on the floor as they walk drives my sensory system absolutely up a wall.

And the rest of why is really truly about the dog’s well being.  I’ve lost count the number of dogs who after I trim their nails look at me with relief and walk normally without pain once more.  Imagine walking with your own toe nails so long they touched the floor, or worse so long they caused your toes to splay out?  Ouch!

So needless to say nail trimming is something that is a very routine activity around here.  There was one point in Zora’s life where her nails were growing so fast that I trimmed hers at least twice a week.  With the dremmel rotary sander.  Which gets them very short.  Now hers only seem to need it once a week.  Thankfully, since I invariably end up dremmeling my own hands usually multiple times when doing the dog’s nails and twice a week meant my hands were getting pretty beat up.

Tom’s nails are incredibly hard and strong.  I don’t think I’d be able to trim them with hand clippers.  He gets the dremmel too.  Unlike Zora, his grow at a rather slow rate and so his nails only need trimming every 3 weeks or so.

Because I feel and believe dogs need to be comfortable and as low stress as possible for husbandry tasks like nail trimming, brushing and the like I spend a lot of time ensuring the dogs are comfortable with the routine.  Zora I have stand on a padded bench when I do her nails simply because she’s short and having her up is easier and safer on us both.  Tom stands on the floor and I pick up his feet one by one like a horse.  Afterwards they get good treats and we go outside to play.

The dogs and I practice and train the nail routine to the point where they are comfortable quietly standing while I pick up each foot and trim.  No force, no restraints, no being held down, or leashed, or muzzled.  The end desired quietly standing behavior is taught over time through both classical and operant learning.  When they are learning, there are lots of short sessions where many times no nails are even touched let alone trimmed.  Over time as they get more comfortable with standing patiently, we progress to feet handling and the dremmel sound.  Then 1 toe, then 2, eventually 1 foot, then 2, until in the end the stand quietly for all 4 feet is learned and reinforced.  And trimming my dog’s nails becomes a quick, painless, low stress routine activity.

With pretty cute feet as the result.

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Tom’s 2 front feet with nice short freshly dremmeled nails

As I said, I believe striving to teach dogs to be that comfortable is a need.  With some dogs who have had trauma associate with nail trimming, the goal make take years or never fully be met, but I believe the owner/handler/trainer needs to strive to work towards that goal.  Helping a dog feel as relaxed, safe and in control as possible for routine procedures such as nail trims, brushing, vet visits, ear cleaning and such is something I feel very strongly about.  Forcibly making a dog tolerate such simply because we are in a hurry or impatient is wrong.  Yes teaching the dog the skills to well tolerate husbandry procedures takes time, patience and practice, but is something I feel we all, as dog owners, need to make time for.  Even starting with teaching a dog to step up onto a low platform and stand quietly on a mat, so that the next time at the vet getting on the scale for a weight isn’t stressful, makes a difference for the dog.  Or teaching a dog to rest their chin on your hand on cue so you can flip back their ear to take a peak.  Or if the dog has had enough adverse experiences to be a bite risk, taking the time to desensitize the dog to wearing a muzzle, so that being muzzled isn’t an additional trauma.

Many of the experiences we ask our dogs to be ok with can be very hard to be ok with.  Helping dogs learn the safe skills to cope and tolerate with such experiences not only makes their lives better, but improves the safety and speed at which such necessary experiences can be accomplished.  Which makes caring for our dogs even easier and more pleasant, for them and for us.

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