Carry your puppy into the class cuz the bitumen is very hot. I carried her anyways as she was being a chicken. I went into class. There were about 8 puppies all up. I kind of thought they'd all be running wild but I spent most of the hour lesson with her on my lap! Heavy! The teacher was fantastic. The kids and I learnt so much (wasn't really any point bringing the puppy haha). Anyways I finally got to see Xena with other dogs and it wasn't good. She was cowering with her tail between her legs- something the instructor pointed out to me. She had been panting before that loudly and I was wondering why as she had water... but these are all signs of stress. The instructor found a 'hiding hole' for her and said she would come out when she was ready. She did... and went straight under my legs. A couple of puppies could reach her and she did have a little sniff before moving away from them. She wasn't aggressive at all... just couldn't seem to cope with it. Trainer told me its really important for her to go out and be socialised now, even though she hasn't had her last shot. She told me to take her everywhere and to carry her so she can see whats going on but not be overwhelmed having to deal with it all.
Some of the puppies sat quietly, 2 played till they began to work up and then we were all asked to put our puppies on our laps. We did some slow doggy massage on their head and necks. Xena fell asleep on me. Another came in late with a puppy that went off the moment she saw the other puppies. She barked a lot. So every puppy is different. They are all sweet yet all have their problems. This made me feel more confident about Xena's growling.
We spent most of the lesson discussing bad habits and the correct way to fix them....
Growling... from now on when I wake Xena to move her she will wake to a yummy treat on her nose. Waking up and moving will be a good experience. Growling at any other time will be met with walking away slowly and ignoring her for 1 minute. She was the only growler in the class.. she was also the only dog cowering. But its ok... I like challenges :) Trainer told me she'd is ok with being growled at cuz that's a warning that there is a problem. Next comes the bite and that will be without warning. So growling is a way of the dog giving you a chance to back off and come at it from another... positive angle.
NB: After thinking about it Xena did one other thing before growling. She blew me off. I went to move her she looked and then looked away like she was ignoring me. Then she growled lowly, then louder. All warning signs that she was threatening me.
Jumping up... cross your hands and stay still... no sound at all until she moves away. Almost all the dogs were jumping. Xena does a little in the morning when she hasn't seen you all night but honestly until I have my coffee I'm only sleep walking anyway and she wont be getting any reaction haha.
Jumping on people as they come in the door. When you come home ignore the dog until it sits on its bum.... then pet it. It will learn quick enough that it will get a nice pet if it isn't rudely jumping all over people when they come in.
Mouthing... The game ends immediately and you move away silently and ignore the puppy. By 4 months you will have a dog with big teeth and it will hurt. No rough play around the dogs head as this makes them head shy and more likely to growl and bite when trying to feed, muzzle them etc...
Digging... Dogs dig holes to cool them self in. She recommended giving them a spot in the garden, digging it out, putting a pig ear in it. Refilling it, wetting it and letting t find that spot so that can be their spot. This was not approved of by the most people there who loved their gardens... but almost all of them had diggers. She said if you allow it to chose its own spot it will pick something near the reticulation as its cooler and find the plastic pipes to 'oh what fun' chew on. Xena started to dig a spot the other day but we distracted her by playing. She said any holes the dog does dig... fill it in and put its poop on it and it wont dig there again.
Barking... immediately walk the dog from the room. As soon as it is quiet say 'Quiet'... don't say it while its barking or it will think quiet means bark. Return it to area. If it barks again... redo.
Tail chasing.... Loud clap of hands immediately. Distraction. It can become compulsive so don't let it start.
Taking items it shouldn't take... no reaction at all. Simply grab a squeaky toy etc and distract dog with it. You can go and get the item after it is off playing with something else.
Crying at night... completely ignore. Get earplugs, it should be over in a few days.
Other than that we also discussed one puppy whose owners were at work 8 hours each day. Puppy was left in a large room and shredding its toilet bedding and weeing everywhere. Trainer couldn't say much about that (don't think she was impressed). She did show us food cones and food balls. These were really cool. I will be picking one up tomorrow for Xena. She can have it at night. Then if she wakes up to cry at least her evening meal in a cone will keep her busy.
On toys... keep them in a toy box. Bring out 3 a day. Let her play with them and then return them to the box. Next day different toys. Rotate toys over a few days to a week. This keeps toys new and interesting and stops her looking to create new ones from your furniture.
Trainer recommended putting vics vapor rub on leashes if the dogs bite them and on furniture or citronella spray.
I also need to find out about noxious plants as I have a lot of trees in the back yard and she's chewing on the pods.
You know.... I don't think I would have bought Xena if I had known she had shyness issues. She is going to be a very big dog and I have kids. It would have worried me a lot. However, after the first doggy training class... I feel confident enough to cope with it. I'm not a mushy person. I'm not a hard person either, though I can be when I need to be. I'm not looking at her as a big puppy anymore. More a sweet puppy whose quiet loving but has a confidence problem. Maybe another person wouldn't be able to handle her... I work with the elderly and disabled people.. I have tons of patience. Maybe I will be good for her. I hope so.
Doggy Facial- Body Expression and dog training site
www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html
UNDERSTANDING EXPRESSIONS
Happy: A happy, confident dog has his mouth slightly open and may be showing part of his tongue.
Worried: If your dog has his mouth clenched tightly shut and is turning his head away from something he’s seen, this is a signal that he is feeling insecure and worried. It is a pacifying rather than an aggressive gesture.
Curious: A dog that keeps his mouth shut but is looking ahead with his ears slightly up is interested in something he has seen.
Listening: Standing still with his mouth shut and ears straight up means the dog has heard something and is now trying to work out what it is.
Anxious: If your dog is afraid of something he will lower his head and pull his ears back. The lips are loose or pulled back.
Threatening: Your dog will curl his lips back to expose his teeth and gums. He will often do this after some other, more subtle, signals – such as looking away – have failed.
Aggressive: A dog that opens his mouth, wrinkles his nose and exposes all his teeth is giving a final warning that he is about to bite.
From
http://www.havehappydogs.com/understanding-dog-mouth-expressions/
This weeks task...
Sit
Your dog will be standing. Have a treat in your hand. Trainer uses deboned cooked chicken thighs cut into small pieces. Say good dog over and over and let it lick your hand but not get the treat. Once the dog has naturally sat down say 'sit' and open your hand.
Easy as that. Spend 3 minutes x twice a day.
Xena
All the dogs name means is pay attention to me (owner). Have the dog siting and you standing. Hold the treat out and lower it to her nose then raise it to your eyes saying Xena. Then when she has made eye contact, lower the treat down to her and give it to her 'eat.'
Cone Training
To teach the dog to use a cone, fill it with mayonnaise or phili cream cheese smeared around inside to teach dog to lick into it. Then fill lightly with its food. Don't pack tight.Other training
If your dog is walking toward you say 'Come'
If your dog sits down say 'Sit'
If your dog paws you hold it's paw and say 'Paw.' Once you've named a behavior you don't have to ask for it again and it won't do it again.
Distract it from doing 'naughty' things with its toys.
Remember that dogs see things differently. You can train it to sit in the tiled kitchen then ask it to perform its new trick in the carpeted living area and it wont do it. You must train it in different spots and on different surfaces.
Feeding... who says it should be from a bowl. Throw their biscuits around the garden... so she can occupy her time sniffing them out. Hide a cone somewhere in the garden. At least one meal a day should be like this.
I need to buy...
A cone and ball feeder
A lot more toys... some squeaky to gain her attention
A cleaning product that removes doggy smells
A doggy deodoriser
A drink bottle for dogs
Chicken thighs/ sausages... cook and cut up into 5 cent piece size. Enough in each bag for 1 meal.
Sandwich bags
Earplugs
Well its the end of day two. I hope she sleeps tonight. She's been so much calmer this afternoon. We all have.
I have looked up plants toxic to Dogs and Apricot seeds are poisonous. I have a lot of fruit trees including an apricot but it doesn't fruit much... will have to keep an eye on it dropping fruit.
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