Home Sweet Home

It's been an insane summer. I'm so behind on blogging. Cathi & Jake met me for an afternoon when she was in Vancouver, and we walked with George and went over some appropriate meet and greet routines for Jake. He learnt how to lay down!!! Cathi said after the cone came off they were ready to start on the training....and she sure didn't waste any time. I'm hoping I'll hear from her, as it will be a rollercoaster of ups and downs with Jake. I'm hoping Cathi's lists will continue to have more plus' than minus' :)

Jake had emergency surgery for his ear & teeth, thank you to the vet & staff at Riverside in Kamloops, Cathi & Beaglepaws ! ...poor guy, had an ear hematoma the size of a large taco chip, a rotten tooth with roots exposed & bloodwork which came back borderline hypothyroid and he was due for further testing. Here he is, not looking very pleased sporting his cone of silence :)

One of his favourite positions.... all snuggled in.

I continue to post to the blog when Cathi sends me updates.

Hope for Catherine! Here's Jake playing with toy & socializing :)n

For those days where you wonder what you've gotten yourself into......

Jake playing with his toys, while I interrupt to give him treats.

Jake waiting for his treat.

No need to growl ...it's more fun to share!

Jake takes treats sooo gently, he could show my dogs a thing or two!

Here are some lift me up pictures of Jake being his charming self around other dogs.  I've got video that I will mail to you as well.

Daizy n Jakey, side by side.  They had a really sweet way with eachother.  

Keegan the pain and Jake.  Keegan was always in Jake's way, and Jake took it in stride.  Keegan was the first dog that I saw Jake initiate play with.  He had a big brother kinda relationship : )  
Taiki and Jake's bums, side by side tracking a scent.
Jake and Keegan on a rock Jake for some reason was sooo patient with Keegan.  Keegan and his big bum sitting on Jake!

Jake has a facination with horses.  He just hangs out with them.  No lunging, no whining, or baying.  He liked being close by.
Jake after our race around "A country ranch" where he had his first sleep over.

You can see us racing around and the other dogs getting into the game.  Notice no lunging from Jake in any of these photos!
This young girl was smitten by Jake...and followed him around.

Tiffany snuggles with the lab close by.  

Jake with his pals.  All shapes and sizes, he enjoyed himself and just hung out with everyone.  Jake's mouth relaxed and happy and his tail...sideways!

Jake is in the far right corner...a little dot compared to these big dogs!

Jake met one dog at a time, then once he showed interest to explore the big yard, he met the rest of the gang.  One dog at a time greetings seem to work really well for Jake.  He doesn't like to be lunged at....which is ironic!   I don't know why he feels the need to do it to others....maybe he hasn't heard of the saying...do unto others as you would yourself :P

Hope this helps!

Research article from www.dogstardaily.com post comparing training styles for dogs labelled "Dominant" & "Aggressive"

**Helpful video's showing how to counter condition behaviours for dogs that are labelled "aggressive"

**also scientific based explanations of video's to identify inaccurate diagnosis of dominant behaviours and training solutions**

The page is here: http://www.drsophiayin.com/dominance.php

Dr. Yin’s credentials are here: http://www.askdryin.com/pdf/SYCV2008forWEb.pdf

How to put the Gentle leader on....for Catherine

1-treat in one hand and the other holds the gentle leader by the middle of the loop, the two ends should be dangling

2-dog moves forward through the loop and put cookie in dog's mouth

3-then take the ends and clip behind the ears, and make sure it's tight so the pressure is on his occipital bone.

4-snap shut and then attach leash onto the ring and you're good to go!

Call with questions!

wow, Cathi is coming into town to spend time with Jake!!!

Cathi sent an update tonight along with a summary of Jake's history.  She included valuable information on her life with Riley beagle, her first rescue.  She sure took the reigns and worked through soooo much with Riley, I really feel relieved and confident in her abilities of providing a solid (and loving) forever home for Jake.   This is the best gift a foster mom could receive.  Now the only thing left is spending time with Jake.

Today Jake was just soooo entertaining, and full of beans.  He's one of the sweetest beagles I've met.  A quiet kind of sweet, he doesn't demand much, he just soaks up what is going on around him and makes the most of it.  

Today we started out with an early coffee at Galelio & quick walk along the shoreline (I love this old boat as you can tell )
Jake the co-pilot.  He normally is in the kennel, but I wanted to see what he was like out and about in the car.  He's really quiet and puppy like.  At first he stood on the arm rest in between front seats as my co-pilot.
He decided to put his head out the window for maximum sniff factor :)
Keeping a look out for any wildlife lurking in the forest as we drive down the country road.

Our morning walk was Magee beach.....he loves this place, best of both worlds; forest and beach.  Normally a good 1hr in the morning and 1 or as long as you like,  toward the evening when it's cooler of exploring in the woods works for Jake.

hot water dog
shall I jump over?
naw, wading in the water is more my pace this morning.

The afternoon we spent at home, lounging in the backyard while Katherine worked.

Then off to a vet appointment (I'll tell Cathi all about it Saturday) back to the house for a Kong stuffed with kibble and cheese and then a snooze on his dog bed in his own space to rest up.

Then once 5 bells hit......we jumped into the car and raced off to the Estuary for some more walking and fun.
I think this tree trunk had dognip on it....Jake raced to the top
And posed for this picture, he seriously waited in that position for me to snap a pic :P  

We came home for another Kong stuffed with kibble and chicken liver this time then a bit of alone time while I did the dishes.  We had our last night pee in the yard then I some one on one time with Jake.

Tonight we played with his stuffed toys on the couch and played the "trade ya" game.  I sing to him while I'm trading his one toy for the other toy then for treats and or belly rubs. Now is he snoozing beside me with his butt or some part of his body touching.  He is such a snuggler.

His resource guarding training is working like a charm.  He's not going to be here much longer so we relaxed the rules a bit and I wanted to proof my theory about a way of training using games, treats, toys and singing...whatever the dog LOvES that's what you reward him with...my singing is not the greatest, it's not my idea but Jake just melts when I sing a nonsense song about trading and you can literally see all tension is relieved from his body when you are playful with him and singing.

 This is the sort of thing I love about this type of training.  You just never know what floats their boat and keeps them in the happy place, and it's always so much fun to find something soooo simple, that makes them light up and tap dance for joy.

No growling with me at all, just lots of snugglie, cute as pie rolly polly sweet behaviour.  I think he really likes sharing his toys, I just don't think anyone showed him how much fun it could be.

I can't wait to show Cathi this!

Jake has won the lottery!

Jake's new family if all goes well!  Picture of Cathi, Chuck and Jake who is all smiles.

Cross your fingers, toes, eyeballs for Jake!  I just heard word that Cathi called Beaglepaws and they are making their way down for a day out and about and sleepover with Jake this weekend!  I pray I heard correctly!  If all goes well he'll be going home with them. That would be the equivalent of winning a Lifetime Jackpot!  

Jake's bad rap, poor guy

Notice no muzzle & he's right beside another dog but focusing on moi!

Jakey sure knows how to melt hearts!

I was digging around for background information on Jake and came across some behavioural issues with regards to snapping, that he bit his last owner and being told they use a muzzle when walking him.

Wow, that didn't describe the Jake that I've had in my care for the past month. I have not seen any snapping behaviour nor have I felt a muzzle was necessary. We're taking Out and About classes to teach Jake how to focus on a person and learn an alternative behaviour to lunging at certain dogs ( he's learning that if he's relaxed he can say hello, sniff and then be on his way but if he looks like he's tracking the dog, he is walked away, 'lets go" in a happy voice..no leash correction.  We then slowly work our way back,  at a pace where Jake shows no signs of stress, and can concentrate on what I'm asking of him.  Repetition is key. Positive associations of other dogs approaching is essential, so whatever it is in life Jake LOVES, it comes out when other dogs are around, goes away when they leave.

Jake has growled a few times but nothing more than a growl to warn you about his anxiety.

1- when Tiffany @ A Country Ranch went to open his kennel door to let him out in the morning he pushed himself to the back, growled and was shaking at the same time. she opened the door, sat on the floor and threw cookies and he came out on his own and went to her for reassurance

2- Francesca called him to come, and he obviously wanted to sniff more, so she went to get a leash to put it on him, and he growled at her, but she said his tail was tucked so far under his legs that she said he was afraid. She just talked calmly and clipped on the leash and then he was happy to come with her.

Both instances the growl let them know Jake needed their help to work through his anxiety. No snapping, no biting. All was resolved by their understanding his body language, and non confrontational methods to reassure him no harm would come.

I personally love dogs that growl, as it's their only way to let me know if they have anxiety about something. They growl when they're playing, if a scratch feels really really good....dogs growl for a number of different reasons, it's their way of expressing themselves. A way of communicating with us.

I'm not sure what type of training people have been using with Jake but I will be video taping our interactions to show people that sometimes all it takes is for someone to lead by example in a non confrontational manner using reward based training (making good stuff happen not making bad stuff go away) and those issues become non existent.

1-I use life rewards, treats, toys, going for a walk, cuddling, whatever the dog LOVES to do in exchange for polite behaviour from your dog ... what happens is that the dog repeats the polite behaviour as it is rewarding, so the undesirable behaviour is extinguished.

2-I also teach a dog to share by simply teaching "off" or "drop", 'trade" and "take" it cues and ALWAYS give them something of higher value when you take something away, or if you're asking them to get off the couch...so they learn that it's no biggie if someone comes close as there's something better on the way. I do not grab anything from dogs, as if I want something I just say the cue 'drop' or 'off" or "trade" and they're happy to oblige.

3-Counter-conditioning, desensitization, or asking your dog for an incompatible behaviour (ie. if the dog jumps up to say hello..........simply teach the dog to grab his favourite toy and bring it to you to say hello so he doesn't jump up) . These techniques change a dog's internal emotional state, and the non-confrontational methods keep the dog in a happy calm attentive = perceived "dominant' behaviour disappears.

If all a dog has seen is to be pushed around by a human, commanded, well.........some dogs can learn to diffuse the humans aggression (you read right) and frustration by offering up submissive behaviours. Other dogs react differently. It sounds like Jake falls in this category.

I do not use or find confrontational methods beneficial to building a trusting relationship with my furry pal. Maybe that's why I haven't seen any of the snapping or bite.

For those dogs who have not been taught to share and perceive the confrontation as a threat or just don't see the point in what is being asked and stand their ground....when confrontational methods fail....they end up at the vet's office as "idiopathic aggressive" dogs to be euthanized because the owners were misinformed and the dogs labeled as dominant and they need to be dominated = yanking, spraying lemon juice, squishing, scruff shaking....if I were a dog I certainly would not put up with that aggressive behaviour from humans, so I'm not surprised that dogs snap or bite in self defense.

These dogs are part of your family. They're not out to get you or have a master plan to over throw your home. They do what all dogs do, unless you teach them differently. If you use any sort of compulsion or force or fear, startle based hands on training, then a dog will only learn avoid your wrath in certain situations if you're lucky. The relationship will be limited to you enforcing the commands.

I've never physically, mentally, or emotionally tried to make them fear my wrath...the closest they come to being scolded is I'll say their name sharply then tell them what they should be doing. Once they do it they are rewarded with praise, treats, cuddles or life rewards. Their reaction to my sharp use of their name is one of pay attention as she's going to let me know what I should be doing instead.

They don't cower or anything fearful, they take note of their name and what I'd prefer them to be doing in the form of a "cue" , you can see that in two video's

1- "Jake gets his groove on" when Keegan starts to play to rough, I say "Keegan" "gentle" and the play continues nicely..Keegan doesn't cower or miss a beat playing, he just adjusted his playstyle...simple as that.

2-"Jake learning touch" when Taiki the pug is jumping all over trying to be the one to touch my hand. I say "Taiki" and he sits (a default behaviour ) and actually waits patiently after that for his turn to touch my hand and get a treat. He doesn't cower or look at all upset. He's just a bundle of happiness that needs to be reminded from time to time that the patient and polite dogs are the ones who get to interact first.

I am the keeper of all things tasty, fun, adventurous which they have access to in exchange for polite behaviours.  I use lure and shaping games to teach cues so I can communicate with them using handsignals and my voice.  No hands on the dog necessary, and with enough of a history of me being their source of everything wonderful...they naturally keep their eyes on me to ensure they're not missing out!  Simple as that.

This is all thanks to taking classes at Dogsmart, and attending seminars of Ian Dunbar, (www.dogstardaily.com), Patricia McConnell, Susan Garrett and reading everything I can from authors like Kathy Sdao, Susan Garrett, Pat Miller, Jean Donaldson, Ian and Pat's library, Karen Pryor and a host of others who have the same training mindset.

I wrote this to ensure that the people who are interested in Jake believe in the same training philosophy as I do as we have not seen any of the snapping or perceived "dominant" behaviour.

I don't mean to offend anyone, everyone is different and does what works for them. I can tell you that whatever training style that was used in the past did not treat Jake's issues.

What I have done so far, has worked. It would be nice to find a family that shares the same training philosophy and has time to continue the training so Jake can overcome his bad rap :)