TRAIN YOUR DOG: Sue Ailsby Clicker Training Seminar - Part 2
By Sharon Schaefer
In Part One I covered the mechanical skills of clicker and treat delivery; dogs targeting fingers or pens; and starting hand or counter zen (respecting food not belonging to them). Sue no longer "charges the clicker" because she wants the dog’s first learning to be that they control the click which equals the treat. The click is never independent of the dog’s prior behaviour. Good trainers give information to the dog five times faster than poor ones so practise the skills, become faster, and never start until your treat is ready to deliver.
The click is also NEVER given without the treat. If you click accidentally still give them a treat, no matter what their actual behaviour might have been. They need to know in the core of their being that click IS treat (c/t). You can treat without clicking whether deliberately (eg. a dog who needs some calming) or accidentally (food which falls before they’re reliably progressed on ‘zen’). Don’t panic – cover it with your foot if you can or just let them eat it unless it’s your Sunday roast and you need to rescue it!
Sue starts with target because it gives immediate, frequent, positive feedback to the dog and most traditionally trained dogs and people can still engage with these requests. The dog targets my fingers or my pen and gets a click/treat – if they want another treat most dogs within three attempts will have learned how to control my behaviour so that I will deliver the treat. Hand zen and counter zen are introduced early because this lifeskill is very important to most people living successfully with a dog.
Training is all accomplished by shaping, capturing, or luring and most training is a combination of all three. Like us dogs also process experiences while they sleep and so apparent lack of progress one day or several can be followed by leaps in understanding both for the dog and for the owner!
Luring is the quickest means to an end behaviour in many cases (eg. luring a sit is quicker to the second sit than either shaping or capturing but after a few lured sits let the dog offer them without the lure – capturing the behaviour instead strengthens the learning). The lure needs to be faded quickly so the dog does not rely on it unless the lure mimics a cue/hand signal in which case that cue can continue sometimes (if you always use it the dog will not offer the behaviour unless lured) as training progresses. When you reach the stage of wanting a stand, a nice one can be lured by planning to have the dog back into it – lure from end if nose along mid-jawline below to throat so they are tucking head and backing up.
Shaping a dog to a particular behaviour means c/ting closer and closer approximations in the dog’s behaviour. Begin with baby steps so you both can succeed. If you want the dog to go around a post (or stool or wastebasket or whatever is handy) sit yourself down, toss a treat towards the pole from a foot or so away (a bit of a lure) then c/t while they are moving in that direction, and toss another treat towards or in front of them; c/t several times while they are in area of pole and in motion; then let them come back to you or wherever (no reward) but keep c/ting every time they take any step towards the pole – the direction (clockwise/counterclockwise) doesn’t matter. A 10-20 second session (8-16 kibbles) to begin is best to be really effective. Keeping sessions short will prevent you becoming frustrated! For most dogs who have never been rewarded for taking initiative, shaping requires a constant stream of reinforcement. However, 2-10 minutes after your 10-20 second training session you can do it again; and again; and again. When the dog is offering to go around the pole, click three quarters of the way around and drop the treat at your feet. Let them do this a few times then move your chair back a couple of feet and see if they will still offer the behaviour. After they’ve offered it 100 times you’re ready to add the cue word immediately after the click (if you will be doing herding the cue will probably be different than if you’re into agility). Read Sue’s Levels Training for the means of progressing with distance, direction, and additional posts.
Anything which the dog frequently does in daily life, such as sit and lie down, are easiest (not fastest necessarily) to train by capturing it. You are ready with clicker while you watch TV and the dog happens to lie down so you c/t immediately by tossing the treat so the dog will get up. Then they need to think about what they did that made you c/t; stay still and keep your arms crossed so they can’t target. Be very patient – whether they repeat the down quickly or not they are thinking. Eventually they will get tired and lie down again – immediate c/t. This is one case where you are not rewarding frequently until they start offering the behaviour so don’t do this before a mealtime.
Formal training times should be brief – 2 seconds to 10 minutes is sufficient! It will take you longer to set up the room until you get comfortable with the process. Early on you could have stashes of kibble and cheese around the house and on your body so you can always deliver a treat when needed. The dog will tell you if a reward is good – the behaviour will increase. If a desired behaviour decreases then that is not a reward to this dog at this time or the reward is not frequent enough (about 8 treats in 10 seconds for beginning a new behaviour) or there is something in the environment which is punishing the desired behaviour. Perhaps the dog is not hungry or is too distracted in which case you need to change times or locations. The half hour before the dog’s mealtime is precious training time (treat with their meal kibble) and you can use the bathroom as the first training centre.
The focus is to catch them doing it right – over and over and over again. Food is always the primary motivator/reward because in a training session, if you are going to use a toy as a reward, then the dog needs to be given a minute to actually play. As your partnership progresses, learn what else is rewarding for your particular dog in different circumstances so you can vary the rewards and opportunities to interact. Teach your dog to play with a wide variety of toys both independently and with you. Some dogs might love to tug with you but only in private. Some dogs will retrieve a certain size or feel of ball better than other types. Some dogs will kill every squeaky toy and others will carefully save them to cuddle. Destroying a certain type of toy is a reward to some dogs so plan to give them the chance sometimes!
Lifestyle rewards: going out into the backyard is a reward – ask (by luring) them to target a pen or to sit (not sit/stay yet just one thing at a time) before you open the door. Anything that the dog wants to do can be a training opportunity: jumping up on the couch or going for a walk or getting breakfast are all chances to catch them doing something right then REWARD by allowing the behaviour.
Sue’s oldest dog spends time each evening playing a completely new shaping game as she solves problems for other service dog owners/trainers, her younger dog plays sometimes. These behaviours are never named; they are problem-solving exercises and practise thinking sessions for her and the dogs. When requested to demonstrate she shaped first 10 year old Scuba, then 1 year old Stitch to spin a wheel on a dolly which had been turned on its side and placed across the room – Scuba worked up to solidly spinning the wheel and repeated the behaviour several times in less than two minutes. Sue’s Levels are designed to develop you and your dog into a thinking team that can learn most new behaviours in three minutes. Putting it on cue takes longer.
If anyone wants to compete in any dog sport, including conformation, or simply to develop a better relationship with their partner-dog, I would strongly recommend attending any of Sue’s seminars.
Sue has authored a Training Levels book which is available in three different formats for free download at her website www.dragonflyllama.com.
Showing posts with label Training Advice or Information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Training Advice or Information. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
House Training your ISD CISC Fall Issue 2006
TRAIN YOUR DOG: House Training your ISD
By Valerie Sharp
House training your Dog or Puppy is one of the most important things you do. It is vital that your dog or puppy learns to relieve itself outside. It is a good idea to train your puppy to be able to go on all types of footing, grass, pavement, gravel etc.
It will require patience and lots of repetition but soon enough, you will find your dog going outside. Teaching a cue for the puppy to go, gives you a great tool. The first step in a successful housebreaking training program is to have a plan. Hopefully before a dog or puppy is brought home it has been discussed who will take the pup outside and what method will be used. So in regards to planning your housebreaking, it would be a good idea to talk about: A) Who will get up during the night to take the dog out? If this is to be a family puppy, it’s not really reasonable to ask your children to do this, but if there are two adults in the house, it might be a good idea to consider alternate nights.
B) Will a crate be used? I would recommend a crate for housebreaking and other reasons. If used properly a crate can provide the dog with a comfort area to feel safe and a good way to make sure your puppy does not eat or get into any valuables, plus he will naturally fuss, when he needs to go out, which is a great first step to being able to cue you in that he or she needs to be able to ask you to go outside.C) Will the pup be on a leash, if so who will take it out and wait for it to go to the bathroom? This is a good idea in the beginning as it mean that you can control puppies wandering and help teach a "Go pee" " Good pee" on command, nothing is quite as frustrating as standing waiting for puppy at 3:30 am, only to have puppy having a free romp outside, coming inside and squat. This is not a bad puppy, this is an owner mistake, and puppy needs to learn that it’s outside to do its business, and does not get to play until he has done so. Once your puppy or dog understands that it must go bathroom first and foremost, and then it can play, both of you will be much happier in the long run.
Using scent marking to help you train your puppy or dog:
One of the best methods for getting your pup to go outside is consistency. Each time the dog is taken outside to use the bathroom, go to the same area. This will help the puppy learn that this is where it should go to the bathroom and when you go to that area it is time to go to the bathroom.
If you are clicker training, you can click and treat as the puppy is going to the bathroom. If you don’t clicker train, you can still reward with a "Good Pee" and treat the puppy, but in all honesty, I think they do respond just as well to happy praise, and play as reward, so you don’t always need to look to the cookies, consider a good pat, or a play bow and romp with you as a reward as well.
Dogs are creatures of habit, and we can use this to our advantage, by taking your pup out at the same time each day, it will quickly learn and know when it is time to go to the bathroom. The best times are when the pup first wakes up, after eating, after a play romp, when you come home and before bedtime. A new pup will need to go about every 2 hours at first. As the pup gets older its bladder will also grow and the frequency it needs to relieve itself will decrease.
One note of caution is that if you miss a time the dog will let you know!
By Valerie Sharp
House training your Dog or Puppy is one of the most important things you do. It is vital that your dog or puppy learns to relieve itself outside. It is a good idea to train your puppy to be able to go on all types of footing, grass, pavement, gravel etc.
It will require patience and lots of repetition but soon enough, you will find your dog going outside. Teaching a cue for the puppy to go, gives you a great tool. The first step in a successful housebreaking training program is to have a plan. Hopefully before a dog or puppy is brought home it has been discussed who will take the pup outside and what method will be used. So in regards to planning your housebreaking, it would be a good idea to talk about: A) Who will get up during the night to take the dog out? If this is to be a family puppy, it’s not really reasonable to ask your children to do this, but if there are two adults in the house, it might be a good idea to consider alternate nights.
B) Will a crate be used? I would recommend a crate for housebreaking and other reasons. If used properly a crate can provide the dog with a comfort area to feel safe and a good way to make sure your puppy does not eat or get into any valuables, plus he will naturally fuss, when he needs to go out, which is a great first step to being able to cue you in that he or she needs to be able to ask you to go outside.C) Will the pup be on a leash, if so who will take it out and wait for it to go to the bathroom? This is a good idea in the beginning as it mean that you can control puppies wandering and help teach a "Go pee" " Good pee" on command, nothing is quite as frustrating as standing waiting for puppy at 3:30 am, only to have puppy having a free romp outside, coming inside and squat. This is not a bad puppy, this is an owner mistake, and puppy needs to learn that it’s outside to do its business, and does not get to play until he has done so. Once your puppy or dog understands that it must go bathroom first and foremost, and then it can play, both of you will be much happier in the long run.
Using scent marking to help you train your puppy or dog:
One of the best methods for getting your pup to go outside is consistency. Each time the dog is taken outside to use the bathroom, go to the same area. This will help the puppy learn that this is where it should go to the bathroom and when you go to that area it is time to go to the bathroom.
If you are clicker training, you can click and treat as the puppy is going to the bathroom. If you don’t clicker train, you can still reward with a "Good Pee" and treat the puppy, but in all honesty, I think they do respond just as well to happy praise, and play as reward, so you don’t always need to look to the cookies, consider a good pat, or a play bow and romp with you as a reward as well.
Dogs are creatures of habit, and we can use this to our advantage, by taking your pup out at the same time each day, it will quickly learn and know when it is time to go to the bathroom. The best times are when the pup first wakes up, after eating, after a play romp, when you come home and before bedtime. A new pup will need to go about every 2 hours at first. As the pup gets older its bladder will also grow and the frequency it needs to relieve itself will decrease.
One note of caution is that if you miss a time the dog will let you know!
Seat-Belt Rules! CISC Summer Issue 2006
Seat-belt Rules!
By Bonnie and Sushi the Shiba Inu
On January 8, 2005 at 5:30pm, I had no idea just how important it was to ensure a dog's safety in a car. Gone are the days where the happy pooch can run amok in the car, head sticking out of the window. If you allow your dog to do these things, please read my story.
Saturday was a fairly normal winter day. Snow on the ground, not too cold, roads were clear. I hadn't taken Sushi, my then 1.5 yr old male Shiba Inu, to the off leash park in several weeks due to the weather, but today seemed like a good day to go. Or, so I thought. Sushi and I spent over an hour at the off leash park, we met a Shiba mix, and Sushi played with several of his pals, having a wonderful time playing in the snow. It was starting to get dark, so that meant it was time to go home.
To leave the park, sometimes you had to wait because of traffic - lights had not been installed in the area yet. I was waiting and waiting to turn left, and then another car pulled up behind us. I didn't want to make them wait either, so I thought it was best to turn right. Two minutes later, I wish I had waited. An oncoming car, coming right off of the 410 highway, for some unknown reason, turned and hit the car in the next lane in front of me, with enough force to knock that car into the ditch. Within 2 seconds, I went from thinking, "Thank God that car isn't going to hit us", to "Oh my God, we might die". I saw the car about to hit my car, I heard Sushi scream, and then it was black.
When I opened my eyes, I could smell the airbags. Sushi was quiet, so I quickly managed to get out of the car to check on him. He was scared, but physically he was ok. Exactly 1 week before, I hadbought Sushi a safety harness for the car. He had had one before, but could easily get out of it. This one fits more snugly on him, and he can't move around as much - he can sit and lie down.
When I finally took a look at my car, which by the way was a complete write-off, there was no doubt in my mind, that if Sushi hadn't had some kind of restraint in the car that day, he would have been seriously injured or dead. The oncoming car had not only hit the front end, but had then managed to also hit the driver's side of my car, the side where Sushi was.
Even though I was wearing my seatbelt and both airbags went off, I had 7 months of physiotherapy for my knees and back. Sushi didn't suffer any physical problems. But, it did take about 2 months for him to not be afraid in the car. I have since taken a course in First Aid for Pets.
One month after our accident, a good friend of mine emailed me. She and her dogs had been leaving another off-leash park, and they were in a very bad accident. The dogs were not restrained. Both dogs survived with some bruising, they were very lucky. Because of the impact, the smaller dog flew back into the upper back area of the car. My friend has since purchased a car barrier.
Not long after that, I witnessed an overly excited dog, which WAS in a different style of seatbelt harness, jump out of the front passenger window - he saw the dog park and just couldn't wait. He was unhurt, but the owner was visibly shaken up.
Please find the proper restraint for your dog in the car. Do not allow your dog to sit in the front seat. Small children are not allowed, why should your dog? Do not let your dog stick it's head out of the window. Flying debris could hit your dog.
Sushi now rides in the car comfortably, always wearing his seatbelt harness. The seatbelt loops through the back of his harness. He sits in the middle where he can see us and we can see him. He still associates the car as a "good thing", and he feels the same way about his seatbelt harness. So do I.
[Ed. Thanks to Bonnie, and to Sushi for modelling his safety harness. Sushi’s seatbelt harness is the Canine Friendly Vest Harness http://www.caninefriendly.com/ This harness and other brands are available at pet stores throughout Canada.]
By Bonnie and Sushi the Shiba Inu
On January 8, 2005 at 5:30pm, I had no idea just how important it was to ensure a dog's safety in a car. Gone are the days where the happy pooch can run amok in the car, head sticking out of the window. If you allow your dog to do these things, please read my story.
Saturday was a fairly normal winter day. Snow on the ground, not too cold, roads were clear. I hadn't taken Sushi, my then 1.5 yr old male Shiba Inu, to the off leash park in several weeks due to the weather, but today seemed like a good day to go. Or, so I thought. Sushi and I spent over an hour at the off leash park, we met a Shiba mix, and Sushi played with several of his pals, having a wonderful time playing in the snow. It was starting to get dark, so that meant it was time to go home.
To leave the park, sometimes you had to wait because of traffic - lights had not been installed in the area yet. I was waiting and waiting to turn left, and then another car pulled up behind us. I didn't want to make them wait either, so I thought it was best to turn right. Two minutes later, I wish I had waited. An oncoming car, coming right off of the 410 highway, for some unknown reason, turned and hit the car in the next lane in front of me, with enough force to knock that car into the ditch. Within 2 seconds, I went from thinking, "Thank God that car isn't going to hit us", to "Oh my God, we might die". I saw the car about to hit my car, I heard Sushi scream, and then it was black.
When I opened my eyes, I could smell the airbags. Sushi was quiet, so I quickly managed to get out of the car to check on him. He was scared, but physically he was ok. Exactly 1 week before, I hadbought Sushi a safety harness for the car. He had had one before, but could easily get out of it. This one fits more snugly on him, and he can't move around as much - he can sit and lie down.
When I finally took a look at my car, which by the way was a complete write-off, there was no doubt in my mind, that if Sushi hadn't had some kind of restraint in the car that day, he would have been seriously injured or dead. The oncoming car had not only hit the front end, but had then managed to also hit the driver's side of my car, the side where Sushi was.
Even though I was wearing my seatbelt and both airbags went off, I had 7 months of physiotherapy for my knees and back. Sushi didn't suffer any physical problems. But, it did take about 2 months for him to not be afraid in the car. I have since taken a course in First Aid for Pets.
One month after our accident, a good friend of mine emailed me. She and her dogs had been leaving another off-leash park, and they were in a very bad accident. The dogs were not restrained. Both dogs survived with some bruising, they were very lucky. Because of the impact, the smaller dog flew back into the upper back area of the car. My friend has since purchased a car barrier.
Not long after that, I witnessed an overly excited dog, which WAS in a different style of seatbelt harness, jump out of the front passenger window - he saw the dog park and just couldn't wait. He was unhurt, but the owner was visibly shaken up.
Please find the proper restraint for your dog in the car. Do not allow your dog to sit in the front seat. Small children are not allowed, why should your dog? Do not let your dog stick it's head out of the window. Flying debris could hit your dog.
Sushi now rides in the car comfortably, always wearing his seatbelt harness. The seatbelt loops through the back of his harness. He sits in the middle where he can see us and we can see him. He still associates the car as a "good thing", and he feels the same way about his seatbelt harness. So do I.
[Ed. Thanks to Bonnie, and to Sushi for modelling his safety harness. Sushi’s seatbelt harness is the Canine Friendly Vest Harness http://www.caninefriendly.com/ This harness and other brands are available at pet stores throughout Canada.]
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Training Tips CISC Newsletter Issue Fall 2005
TRAINING TIPS
submitted by Valerie Sharp & Sharon Schaefer
Training general reminder: dogs don’t generalize very well so any lesson your dog has learned in the house to perfection he may not perform in the back yard or any different location (or with different people or animals present). Practise all the lessons wherever and whenever possible, with as many different twists as possible, so that your dog has his best chance of becoming the successful companion you want.
Leash Training: Leash training should be a gradual, relaxed learning process not an out and out tug of war. You can start this exercise quite young, by first allowing the puppy to become accustomed to a lightweight collar around his neck for slowly lengthening intervals. Next tie a string or lightweight puppy lead to the collar and allow it to drag. Puppy will be quite surprised at first and may try to gnaw the leash, do not allow him to do this. Distract him with a toy or treat.
After he has become used to the leash dragging, pick up the leash and follow him around the room. Move on to gently guiding the puppy in your direction, using voice and treats. If puppy suddenly balks, stand still and give the puppy a little slack. Let him correct himself when he pulls against the leash. There is a fine line between the puppy correcting himself and you actively jerking him about. Puppy soon learns that if he sticks with you the leash does not tighten. Use your voice to praise and encourage him when he is moving nicely on lead. If you have an older leash trained dog, walk them together. Puppy will naturally want to follow the older dog and will put up less of a fuss. If you have started the early training exercises he will already be in the habit of following your lead. Soon he will be following you about like a...puppy!
The Loose Leash Game - put your dog or puppy on leash. Place some special treats, toys, or other people or dogs across the room. Lock your hands, holding the leash, to your chest (no corrections!!). Begin to walk towards the special attraction (no commands!!). As soon as the leash tightens back up to the starting line. Begin again, and again, and .... When your dog can walk across the room without tightening the leash they win the reward - eat all the treats or play with the special toy or play with other dog, person, etc.
Chewing: One of the biggest problems people have with their puppies is indiscriminate chewing. It is annoying to find your best shoes (and it is ALWAYS your best shoes) chewed beyond recognition. What you have got to understand is that the puppy is not being malicious. Puppies have GOT to chew. Just like the babies they are, they are teething. Provide the puppy with his own (legal) chewies, and keep anything you do not want chewed picked up and out of the way. If your puppy starts chewing something he should not, remove the item, tell him "no, bad chew or bad teeth", and give him one of his own chewies. Then praise him for chewing the correct item. It is not enough to tell him when he is wrong, finish the job and tell him when he has got it right!
Electrical cords are a major hazard not only to your puppy's health, but also as a fire risk. Limit the puppy's access to a room until it has been puppy proofed. Puppies do not need or deserve free run of the house. I would recommend a crate for your puppy's protection when you leave the house or he is unsupervised. Those of you who do not see the need to puppy proof have unrealistic expectations, and are bound to be disappointed when something you treasure is destroyed.
Yes, puppy can be taught that something is a "No, no", but until he has learned that lesson a few of your possessions will feel his teeth. I would not recommend giving the puppy an old, cast off shoe. The puppy will not be able to discriminate between his shoe and your best shoe. Rawhide chews, Nylabones, large bones (you can buy sterilised bones at pet supply stores), tennis balls, and braided rags are safe alternatives. Make sure he does not whittle his chewies down to a small enough size that he could choke on them or swallow them and create a bowel blockage.
Do not allow your puppy to chew on your hands or nip at your heels. This is a different behaviour than teething. This is how he would play with his siblings to determine his place in the pack hierarchy. You are the pack leader, do not let him get the idea he can challenge you for the position. His need to chew will taper off as he gets his second set of teeth well set in, but older dogs will still chew because they enjoy it. Set the ground rules early and everyone will be happy.
Editor's Note: It would be nice to have regular 'columns' or question-&-answer sections on areas such as Health, Grooming, Training Tips, Dog Humour, and so on.
Any questions or anyone willing to share/contribute in any of these areas (even for one issue) or others please contact me - Sharon Schaefer, Box 568, Ituna, SK S0A 1N0 306-675-4410 belglen@canada.com . The deadline for the next issue is late November.
GROOMING Ideas for grooming time - use a rubber bath mat for traction on top of an appliance such as washer or dryer. The dog is easy to reach and on a non-slippery surface. Just don’t let them jump down!
submitted by Valerie Sharp & Sharon Schaefer
Training general reminder: dogs don’t generalize very well so any lesson your dog has learned in the house to perfection he may not perform in the back yard or any different location (or with different people or animals present). Practise all the lessons wherever and whenever possible, with as many different twists as possible, so that your dog has his best chance of becoming the successful companion you want.
Leash Training: Leash training should be a gradual, relaxed learning process not an out and out tug of war. You can start this exercise quite young, by first allowing the puppy to become accustomed to a lightweight collar around his neck for slowly lengthening intervals. Next tie a string or lightweight puppy lead to the collar and allow it to drag. Puppy will be quite surprised at first and may try to gnaw the leash, do not allow him to do this. Distract him with a toy or treat.
After he has become used to the leash dragging, pick up the leash and follow him around the room. Move on to gently guiding the puppy in your direction, using voice and treats. If puppy suddenly balks, stand still and give the puppy a little slack. Let him correct himself when he pulls against the leash. There is a fine line between the puppy correcting himself and you actively jerking him about. Puppy soon learns that if he sticks with you the leash does not tighten. Use your voice to praise and encourage him when he is moving nicely on lead. If you have an older leash trained dog, walk them together. Puppy will naturally want to follow the older dog and will put up less of a fuss. If you have started the early training exercises he will already be in the habit of following your lead. Soon he will be following you about like a...puppy!
The Loose Leash Game - put your dog or puppy on leash. Place some special treats, toys, or other people or dogs across the room. Lock your hands, holding the leash, to your chest (no corrections!!). Begin to walk towards the special attraction (no commands!!). As soon as the leash tightens back up to the starting line. Begin again, and again, and .... When your dog can walk across the room without tightening the leash they win the reward - eat all the treats or play with the special toy or play with other dog, person, etc.
Chewing: One of the biggest problems people have with their puppies is indiscriminate chewing. It is annoying to find your best shoes (and it is ALWAYS your best shoes) chewed beyond recognition. What you have got to understand is that the puppy is not being malicious. Puppies have GOT to chew. Just like the babies they are, they are teething. Provide the puppy with his own (legal) chewies, and keep anything you do not want chewed picked up and out of the way. If your puppy starts chewing something he should not, remove the item, tell him "no, bad chew or bad teeth", and give him one of his own chewies. Then praise him for chewing the correct item. It is not enough to tell him when he is wrong, finish the job and tell him when he has got it right!
Electrical cords are a major hazard not only to your puppy's health, but also as a fire risk. Limit the puppy's access to a room until it has been puppy proofed. Puppies do not need or deserve free run of the house. I would recommend a crate for your puppy's protection when you leave the house or he is unsupervised. Those of you who do not see the need to puppy proof have unrealistic expectations, and are bound to be disappointed when something you treasure is destroyed.
Yes, puppy can be taught that something is a "No, no", but until he has learned that lesson a few of your possessions will feel his teeth. I would not recommend giving the puppy an old, cast off shoe. The puppy will not be able to discriminate between his shoe and your best shoe. Rawhide chews, Nylabones, large bones (you can buy sterilised bones at pet supply stores), tennis balls, and braided rags are safe alternatives. Make sure he does not whittle his chewies down to a small enough size that he could choke on them or swallow them and create a bowel blockage.
Do not allow your puppy to chew on your hands or nip at your heels. This is a different behaviour than teething. This is how he would play with his siblings to determine his place in the pack hierarchy. You are the pack leader, do not let him get the idea he can challenge you for the position. His need to chew will taper off as he gets his second set of teeth well set in, but older dogs will still chew because they enjoy it. Set the ground rules early and everyone will be happy.
Editor's Note: It would be nice to have regular 'columns' or question-&-answer sections on areas such as Health, Grooming, Training Tips, Dog Humour, and so on.
Any questions or anyone willing to share/contribute in any of these areas (even for one issue) or others please contact me - Sharon Schaefer, Box 568, Ituna, SK S0A 1N0 306-675-4410 belglen@canada.com . The deadline for the next issue is late November.
GROOMING Ideas for grooming time - use a rubber bath mat for traction on top of an appliance such as washer or dryer. The dog is easy to reach and on a non-slippery surface. Just don’t let them jump down!
A New way of Walking CISC Newsletter Spring Issue 2006
Train Your Dog – A NEW WAY of WALKING
By Laura Ford
I’m cheating in this column – instead of writing about training your dog, I’m going to address a common problem, pulling on leash, and one way to manage it. The ideal solution is to teach your dog not to pull, and there are various methods to do this, which are addressed in training books and most classes. The key is to NEVER reinforce pulling by moving forward while there is tension on the leash. However, in real life we sometimes need faster solutions, so that our pups can get out of the driveway for socializing, or we can walk two or more dogs at once without being pulled in different directions.
There are several anti-pulling harnesses, collars and head-collars on the market. Since my husband and I walk dogs and board them in our home, we have tried many of these devices. In our experience, the Halti or Gentle-Leader head-collars do work well for some dogs, but others will never settle or will just shut down and be depressed with the head-collar on. They are generally humane but some people feel they cause problems with the dog’s neck. Head-collars must never be used with extendable leashes. We have walked other dogs, especially large, strong ones, whose owners use Sporn or Lupi harnesses which are designed to put pressure under the dog’s armpits to stop pulling. However, less sensitive dogs will still pull into these harnesses when they are stimulated, and we don’t like the idea of causing discomfort to the dog in order to control it.
When I brought our puppy home, her breeder, Sharon Schaefer, recommended the chest-attachment harness. I wanted to train her to walk nicely on a leash and flat collar, but I soon found that Soley has a rather soft trachea and just a few lunges against the collar would result in gagging and hacking. By strictly using the recommended techniques for leash-walking, I could barely get as far as the sidewalk. I soon got her one of the Sense-ation chest-attachment harnesses at a local dog store. The size Small probably could be adjusted to fit most Icelandic Sheepdogs up to 35 pounds. At first I didn’t see how these harnesses could work, but I quickly found out that they do! When she tries to pull, she is guided back towards me, and pulling quickly looses its incentive. I went back to buy one for my seven-year old committed puller, and on the walk home from the store, he felt like a different dog. I had to look down a few times to check that he was still there. The transition to using the harness was seamless, he didn’t fight it or stop walking as he did with a Gentle Leader head-collar. I now enjoy walking both dogs, without being yanked around, or teaching the puppy the bad habit of pulling.
Since the leash clips onto a ring at the chest, when you are out walking you can still pull your dog toward you when she is lagging or getting into something she shouldn’t. I like the fact that this exerts pressure from the chest to guide her towards me, rather than pulling her around by the neck or head. So far we have used this harness in all our training classes, but we will have to practice heeling using just a collar and leash, which is the only equipment allowed in the CKC obedience ring. This type of harness is not a substitute for teaching your dog to walk nicely or to heel. It only prevents the dog from getting into the habit of pulling and it cures the dog-walker’s disorder of having one arm longer than the other.
There is a similar harness made by Gentle Leader, which works on the same principle and it is worth looking at both brands in case one fits your dog better.
By Laura Ford
I’m cheating in this column – instead of writing about training your dog, I’m going to address a common problem, pulling on leash, and one way to manage it. The ideal solution is to teach your dog not to pull, and there are various methods to do this, which are addressed in training books and most classes. The key is to NEVER reinforce pulling by moving forward while there is tension on the leash. However, in real life we sometimes need faster solutions, so that our pups can get out of the driveway for socializing, or we can walk two or more dogs at once without being pulled in different directions.
There are several anti-pulling harnesses, collars and head-collars on the market. Since my husband and I walk dogs and board them in our home, we have tried many of these devices. In our experience, the Halti or Gentle-Leader head-collars do work well for some dogs, but others will never settle or will just shut down and be depressed with the head-collar on. They are generally humane but some people feel they cause problems with the dog’s neck. Head-collars must never be used with extendable leashes. We have walked other dogs, especially large, strong ones, whose owners use Sporn or Lupi harnesses which are designed to put pressure under the dog’s armpits to stop pulling. However, less sensitive dogs will still pull into these harnesses when they are stimulated, and we don’t like the idea of causing discomfort to the dog in order to control it.
When I brought our puppy home, her breeder, Sharon Schaefer, recommended the chest-attachment harness. I wanted to train her to walk nicely on a leash and flat collar, but I soon found that Soley has a rather soft trachea and just a few lunges against the collar would result in gagging and hacking. By strictly using the recommended techniques for leash-walking, I could barely get as far as the sidewalk. I soon got her one of the Sense-ation chest-attachment harnesses at a local dog store. The size Small probably could be adjusted to fit most Icelandic Sheepdogs up to 35 pounds. At first I didn’t see how these harnesses could work, but I quickly found out that they do! When she tries to pull, she is guided back towards me, and pulling quickly looses its incentive. I went back to buy one for my seven-year old committed puller, and on the walk home from the store, he felt like a different dog. I had to look down a few times to check that he was still there. The transition to using the harness was seamless, he didn’t fight it or stop walking as he did with a Gentle Leader head-collar. I now enjoy walking both dogs, without being yanked around, or teaching the puppy the bad habit of pulling.
Since the leash clips onto a ring at the chest, when you are out walking you can still pull your dog toward you when she is lagging or getting into something she shouldn’t. I like the fact that this exerts pressure from the chest to guide her towards me, rather than pulling her around by the neck or head. So far we have used this harness in all our training classes, but we will have to practice heeling using just a collar and leash, which is the only equipment allowed in the CKC obedience ring. This type of harness is not a substitute for teaching your dog to walk nicely or to heel. It only prevents the dog from getting into the habit of pulling and it cures the dog-walker’s disorder of having one arm longer than the other.
There is a similar harness made by Gentle Leader, which works on the same principle and it is worth looking at both brands in case one fits your dog better.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Training your Dog:Sue Ailsby Seminar Part One
TRAIN YOUR DOG: Sue Ailsby Seminar – Part One
By Sharon Schaefer
If anyone wants to compete in any dog sport, including conformation, or simply to develop a better relationship with their partner-dog, I would strongly recommend attending any of Sue’s seminars. Whether you attend with a dog or as an auditor you are involved hands-on in life skills or training situations that are set up to let the dog and the person succeed. Sue has been a judge, a private trainer specializing in problem dogs, a private coach specializing in high level obedience and other sports, and she is still a competitor and 4H leader and . . . Sue’s Portuguese Water Dog Scuba, besides having conformation, obedience, agility, drafting, water trial titles has the only Herding Title (not instinct test) in that breed worldwide.
In real life Scuba is her Service Dog. Earlier in her career Sue bred and trained the most titled Giant Schnauzer in breed history, a dog who is still several titles beyond any others in her breed. Sue now uses and recommends clicker training through #1 shaping, #2 capturing, or #3 luring. Scuba is 10 and has been completely clicker trained. Sue’s last Giant Schnauzer was her ‘crossover dog’ and she’s the one who achieved all those titles. Clicker is about giving control over their life to the dog. Not control over our lives – positive doesn’t mean permissive. Some of her basic rules are ‘Let the clicker talk. Shut your mouth (because when you open your mouth you need the dog to listen and you’re not ready for that yet) and let the clicker talk.’
Practise the mechanical skills without the dog. Click like shooting a gun – relaxed posture and breathing, squeeze, don’t jerk but the click is fast. Click the eye blinks of a news anchor on TV – now with the other hand. Click left steps of someone striding or strolling along a road. Practise both hands. Place 10 Cheerios in your right hand, click with left hand and drop one Cheerio from fingertips into a bowl immediately after you click. Switch hands. Practice until you can feed Cheerios as fast as you can click. Click and toss dog food into centre of a blanket, keep eye contact up and do the above exercises. Never click next to the dog’s or a person’s ear instead use a click-word like ‘Yes’ to mark behaviour.
Practise the specific sequence for a technique (eg hand zen) without the dog just before teaching it to her. The ‘treat’ must be rewarding to the dog and small food bits are better than toys to begin. To introduce clicker training to your dog plan on a session between 10 seconds to 2 minutes long, - ads in a TV show are good. A quieter room is better but probably not necessary. Doing this in the 5-30 minutes before the dog’s normal meal is perfect – use their kibble. Have the extra treats easily reached and start with a few in your clicker hand, which is resting beside you. Offer your other fingertips (thumb touching fingers), palm up to the dog as if you had a treat in them – dog touches your fingers – click/treat – by dropping the treat on the floor or tossing it at the dog. Repeat. You WANT to reward the dog as much as possible so if the dog is unsure make it easier – put your fingers right in front of their nose, stick your fingers in your own mouth ‘Yummy’ then offer to dog – every time dog touches your fingers or hand they earn a c/t. If they try to touch the clicker/treat hand they do not earn anything, keep the other hand more available. After the first ten seconds, which might be a bit confusing, a timing of about 8 treats in 10 seconds is great. Some dogs are slower than this but they should be ‘in the game’ and trying to earn their next treat.
Traditionally trained dogs might sit or lay down & quit because offering behaviours has never ‘paid’ in their life just make it easier – explain it again. The third or fourth session of target training have them touch a pen in your hand. Show the pen then c/t every time they touch it – you are asking by showing the pen. Continue with finger targets as well. Remember – keep your mouth shut! By about the 100th c/t for touching the pen or fingers you will be ready to add a cue word immediately after the click and keep saying it with the click for another 300 times before trying the cue word first to see if the dog has associated it yet. Give cues, not commands.Now to a life skill – hand Zen. It’s very, very important in these zen exercises that the dog NEVER gets the treat until they stop trying.
Clicker in one hand, put a treat in your other hand, close your fist around it, offer closed hand palm down to the dog and keep it closed no matter what they do to it. The second they pause without touching the hand c/t and drop the treat for them. Repeat. Over a dozen or more short sessions you want to work up to the dog not touching on an open palm. About the third session of this use really yummy treats but closed fist again. They earn the treat by ignoring it or turning head away or however they solve this problem for themselves. This is the beginning for the dog not stealing the 2 year old’s ice cream.
Counter zen (if you’re doing OK you can start this the same day as hand zen and one day after starting clicker training if you’re confused wait a week or so). Use a nose level surface like a chair or coffee table, clicker in one hand and place kibble on the chair so dog sees it – dog goes for it, cover it with your hand – no matter what they don’t get the treat. Dog pauses or takes nose away from your hand c/t by flicking the treat to the floor. Repeat lots. For both these introduce a cue word like ‘Leave it’ after about 100 c/t’s and practise with the cue word after the click about 300 times then see if dog has learned it yet.
Sue has authored a Training Levels book which is available in three different formats for free download at her website www.dragonflyllama.com. Also available are training charts and any diagrams or other needed material. The Levels takes you and your dog through a broad assortment of skills in a very clearly explained step-by-step manner, which is designed to let both partners succeed. They are designed for the average trainer-dog team to complete a Level every three months. Any dog-handler team who has completed Level 7 is less than a month away from a title in any dog sport, even those that are still to be invented!!
By Sharon Schaefer
If anyone wants to compete in any dog sport, including conformation, or simply to develop a better relationship with their partner-dog, I would strongly recommend attending any of Sue’s seminars. Whether you attend with a dog or as an auditor you are involved hands-on in life skills or training situations that are set up to let the dog and the person succeed. Sue has been a judge, a private trainer specializing in problem dogs, a private coach specializing in high level obedience and other sports, and she is still a competitor and 4H leader and . . . Sue’s Portuguese Water Dog Scuba, besides having conformation, obedience, agility, drafting, water trial titles has the only Herding Title (not instinct test) in that breed worldwide.
In real life Scuba is her Service Dog. Earlier in her career Sue bred and trained the most titled Giant Schnauzer in breed history, a dog who is still several titles beyond any others in her breed. Sue now uses and recommends clicker training through #1 shaping, #2 capturing, or #3 luring. Scuba is 10 and has been completely clicker trained. Sue’s last Giant Schnauzer was her ‘crossover dog’ and she’s the one who achieved all those titles. Clicker is about giving control over their life to the dog. Not control over our lives – positive doesn’t mean permissive. Some of her basic rules are ‘Let the clicker talk. Shut your mouth (because when you open your mouth you need the dog to listen and you’re not ready for that yet) and let the clicker talk.’
Practise the mechanical skills without the dog. Click like shooting a gun – relaxed posture and breathing, squeeze, don’t jerk but the click is fast. Click the eye blinks of a news anchor on TV – now with the other hand. Click left steps of someone striding or strolling along a road. Practise both hands. Place 10 Cheerios in your right hand, click with left hand and drop one Cheerio from fingertips into a bowl immediately after you click. Switch hands. Practice until you can feed Cheerios as fast as you can click. Click and toss dog food into centre of a blanket, keep eye contact up and do the above exercises. Never click next to the dog’s or a person’s ear instead use a click-word like ‘Yes’ to mark behaviour.
Practise the specific sequence for a technique (eg hand zen) without the dog just before teaching it to her. The ‘treat’ must be rewarding to the dog and small food bits are better than toys to begin. To introduce clicker training to your dog plan on a session between 10 seconds to 2 minutes long, - ads in a TV show are good. A quieter room is better but probably not necessary. Doing this in the 5-30 minutes before the dog’s normal meal is perfect – use their kibble. Have the extra treats easily reached and start with a few in your clicker hand, which is resting beside you. Offer your other fingertips (thumb touching fingers), palm up to the dog as if you had a treat in them – dog touches your fingers – click/treat – by dropping the treat on the floor or tossing it at the dog. Repeat. You WANT to reward the dog as much as possible so if the dog is unsure make it easier – put your fingers right in front of their nose, stick your fingers in your own mouth ‘Yummy’ then offer to dog – every time dog touches your fingers or hand they earn a c/t. If they try to touch the clicker/treat hand they do not earn anything, keep the other hand more available. After the first ten seconds, which might be a bit confusing, a timing of about 8 treats in 10 seconds is great. Some dogs are slower than this but they should be ‘in the game’ and trying to earn their next treat.
Traditionally trained dogs might sit or lay down & quit because offering behaviours has never ‘paid’ in their life just make it easier – explain it again. The third or fourth session of target training have them touch a pen in your hand. Show the pen then c/t every time they touch it – you are asking by showing the pen. Continue with finger targets as well. Remember – keep your mouth shut! By about the 100th c/t for touching the pen or fingers you will be ready to add a cue word immediately after the click and keep saying it with the click for another 300 times before trying the cue word first to see if the dog has associated it yet. Give cues, not commands.Now to a life skill – hand Zen. It’s very, very important in these zen exercises that the dog NEVER gets the treat until they stop trying.
Clicker in one hand, put a treat in your other hand, close your fist around it, offer closed hand palm down to the dog and keep it closed no matter what they do to it. The second they pause without touching the hand c/t and drop the treat for them. Repeat. Over a dozen or more short sessions you want to work up to the dog not touching on an open palm. About the third session of this use really yummy treats but closed fist again. They earn the treat by ignoring it or turning head away or however they solve this problem for themselves. This is the beginning for the dog not stealing the 2 year old’s ice cream.
Counter zen (if you’re doing OK you can start this the same day as hand zen and one day after starting clicker training if you’re confused wait a week or so). Use a nose level surface like a chair or coffee table, clicker in one hand and place kibble on the chair so dog sees it – dog goes for it, cover it with your hand – no matter what they don’t get the treat. Dog pauses or takes nose away from your hand c/t by flicking the treat to the floor. Repeat lots. For both these introduce a cue word like ‘Leave it’ after about 100 c/t’s and practise with the cue word after the click about 300 times then see if dog has learned it yet.
Sue has authored a Training Levels book which is available in three different formats for free download at her website www.dragonflyllama.com. Also available are training charts and any diagrams or other needed material. The Levels takes you and your dog through a broad assortment of skills in a very clearly explained step-by-step manner, which is designed to let both partners succeed. They are designed for the average trainer-dog team to complete a Level every three months. Any dog-handler team who has completed Level 7 is less than a month away from a title in any dog sport, even those that are still to be invented!!
Health Corner: New and Old Approaches to Dog Breeding and Genetics
Health corner: New & Old Approaches to Dog Breeding and Genetics’ -Seminar by Dr. Sheila Schmutz & Dr. Joe Schmutz
By Sharon K. Schaefer
I was very lucky to attend this one day presentation by a couple, one of whom is a practising livestock/canine genetic researcher (Sheila) and the other a biologist, who are also breeders for 30 years of the rare Large Munsterlander hunting dog. Their combined practical experience and up-to-date DNA/genetic knowledge was wonderful. Early in the day we did a group exercise - we created imaginary matings for three different purposes using fictional dogs with known genetic problems in their 3-generation pedigrees.
One person there wouldn’t have used any of the dogs presented (they did not have a rare breed!) Both Sheila and Joe tried to impress on us the responsibility we have to not only produce nice puppies for our own breeding program but also to consider the risk/benefit to our breed as a whole. “Our dogs have a past and we can’t escape that, and our dogs have a future which we will help shape”. Breed tradition deserves respect - this is not a mousetrap we’re producing! When they get inquiries for brown Munsterlanders (breed standard calls for black) they refer people to breeders of Small Munsterlanders, when they get inquiries for shorter haired Munsterlanders they refer people to German Short Hair Pointers instead of trying to be all things to all hunters (and they never sell to non-hunters).
In this exercise we began to look at incidence, burden, and heritability of the traits and to see why for different breeds and different purposes, different decisions would be made. Incidence is the frequency with which a condition occurs. If you have 100 dogs registered and one of them has missing teeth that is a low incidence and you can choose to not breed that dog (and maybe parents, sibs).
If 50 or 80 of the 100 dogs have missing teeth then decisions have to change and you need to look at other factors. Missing teeth is considered a “low burden” because the dog can live a normal comfortable life at no extra cost to the owner but missing premolars is less serious (fully eligible to breed in their breed) than extra or missing incisors, canines or molars. Missing or extra premolars is an autosomal recessive trait so two carriers would give a 25% occurrence – the heritability of that trait (also classified as low, medium, or high). The inheritance of other teeth is unknown. They would consider missing canines a ‘breed with caution’ in their breed which means the condition should appear only once in a 3-generation pedigree. In another breed this might be impossible to achieve.
The majority of conformation and health issues are multi-factorial (used to be called polygenic) involving at least three different gene locations and environmental influences. It is difficult to identify the genes involved and even more difficult to eradicate the condition. The classic example of this is hip dysplasia. At the international genetics conference held in 2006, each of the three groups (Norberg Angle, OFA, and PennHIP) reported that researchers had mapped to three to four chromosomes involved in HD. This is a wonderful development BUT there was no overlap among the various chromosomes discovered so they cannot focus their work on one or two most promising locations. However since OFA judges bone conformation and PennHIP judges the looseness of tendons and ligaments the expectation should be that there will be several unique gene combinations involved.
Another point to research is the diversity and size of the original gene pool of your breed as well as its history to this point in time. Generally, breeds that were not inbred historically cannot handle inbreeding - it will not be a successful breeding plan. Breeds which began with a very small pool or which have gone through inbreeding and survived generally can be inbred successfully. We looked at calculating the coefficient of inbreeding using Wright’s Formula. When it came to colour genetics the information was overwhelming - I refer you to the website which is very readable and has been updated even since this seminar.
The internet is the primary educational choice because of the speed with which discoveries are being made in all genetic fields. Listed below are Sheila’s ‘colour genetics’ site and another recommended site for canine disease. However they caution us to take any information with a grain of salt, as what is true in one breed may not be true in another. For example, the eye disease Progressive Retinal Atrophy is an X-linked recessive in Samoyeds and Siberian Huskies but an autosomal recessive in several other breeds. Their favourite book reference [ed.: Lowell Ackerman’s The Genetic Connection] is preferred because it is a correct and cautious one.
Suggested references
Ackerman, Lowell The Genetic Connection: A guide to health problems in purebred dogs 1999. AAHA Press, Lakewood, Coloradohttp://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/dogcolors.htmlhttp://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/idid
By Sharon K. Schaefer
I was very lucky to attend this one day presentation by a couple, one of whom is a practising livestock/canine genetic researcher (Sheila) and the other a biologist, who are also breeders for 30 years of the rare Large Munsterlander hunting dog. Their combined practical experience and up-to-date DNA/genetic knowledge was wonderful. Early in the day we did a group exercise - we created imaginary matings for three different purposes using fictional dogs with known genetic problems in their 3-generation pedigrees.
One person there wouldn’t have used any of the dogs presented (they did not have a rare breed!) Both Sheila and Joe tried to impress on us the responsibility we have to not only produce nice puppies for our own breeding program but also to consider the risk/benefit to our breed as a whole. “Our dogs have a past and we can’t escape that, and our dogs have a future which we will help shape”. Breed tradition deserves respect - this is not a mousetrap we’re producing! When they get inquiries for brown Munsterlanders (breed standard calls for black) they refer people to breeders of Small Munsterlanders, when they get inquiries for shorter haired Munsterlanders they refer people to German Short Hair Pointers instead of trying to be all things to all hunters (and they never sell to non-hunters).
In this exercise we began to look at incidence, burden, and heritability of the traits and to see why for different breeds and different purposes, different decisions would be made. Incidence is the frequency with which a condition occurs. If you have 100 dogs registered and one of them has missing teeth that is a low incidence and you can choose to not breed that dog (and maybe parents, sibs).
If 50 or 80 of the 100 dogs have missing teeth then decisions have to change and you need to look at other factors. Missing teeth is considered a “low burden” because the dog can live a normal comfortable life at no extra cost to the owner but missing premolars is less serious (fully eligible to breed in their breed) than extra or missing incisors, canines or molars. Missing or extra premolars is an autosomal recessive trait so two carriers would give a 25% occurrence – the heritability of that trait (also classified as low, medium, or high). The inheritance of other teeth is unknown. They would consider missing canines a ‘breed with caution’ in their breed which means the condition should appear only once in a 3-generation pedigree. In another breed this might be impossible to achieve.
The majority of conformation and health issues are multi-factorial (used to be called polygenic) involving at least three different gene locations and environmental influences. It is difficult to identify the genes involved and even more difficult to eradicate the condition. The classic example of this is hip dysplasia. At the international genetics conference held in 2006, each of the three groups (Norberg Angle, OFA, and PennHIP) reported that researchers had mapped to three to four chromosomes involved in HD. This is a wonderful development BUT there was no overlap among the various chromosomes discovered so they cannot focus their work on one or two most promising locations. However since OFA judges bone conformation and PennHIP judges the looseness of tendons and ligaments the expectation should be that there will be several unique gene combinations involved.
Another point to research is the diversity and size of the original gene pool of your breed as well as its history to this point in time. Generally, breeds that were not inbred historically cannot handle inbreeding - it will not be a successful breeding plan. Breeds which began with a very small pool or which have gone through inbreeding and survived generally can be inbred successfully. We looked at calculating the coefficient of inbreeding using Wright’s Formula. When it came to colour genetics the information was overwhelming - I refer you to the website which is very readable and has been updated even since this seminar.
The internet is the primary educational choice because of the speed with which discoveries are being made in all genetic fields. Listed below are Sheila’s ‘colour genetics’ site and another recommended site for canine disease. However they caution us to take any information with a grain of salt, as what is true in one breed may not be true in another. For example, the eye disease Progressive Retinal Atrophy is an X-linked recessive in Samoyeds and Siberian Huskies but an autosomal recessive in several other breeds. Their favourite book reference [ed.: Lowell Ackerman’s The Genetic Connection] is preferred because it is a correct and cautious one.
Suggested references
Ackerman, Lowell The Genetic Connection: A guide to health problems in purebred dogs 1999. AAHA Press, Lakewood, Coloradohttp://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/dogcolors.htmlhttp://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/idid
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Nail Trimming for your Iceland Sheepdog
Clipping Your Pet's Nails
Trimming your pet's nails is not just a part of grooming, but is important for your pet's health as well. It is important to remember that untrimmed nails can cause a variety of problems including broken nails which are painful and bleed profusely. In some cases, nails will actually curl and grow back into the dog's feet.
A good indication that dogs' nails are too long is a telltale "click-click-click" when walking on uncarpeted areas. Cats may tend to get their unclipped nails caught in the carpet, furniture or your clothing.
How many of us put off trimming our pet's nails until the inevitable veterinary check-up comes around and the veterinarian must do it? If you're like many pet owners, you may be hesitant to trim your dog's nails because you're afraid of cutting the quick of the nail which may cause pain or bleeding. Once you learn how to do it, clipping your pet's nails is almost as easy as clipping your own.
When you are trimming your pet's nails, you are only cutting away the excess. Recognizing what is excess and where the nerves and blood vessels begin is what you need to know to make nail trimming a painless process for both you and your pet.
To trim your pet's nails:
1. Assemble what you will need - trimmers and some styptic powder, Kwik-Stop, CutStop Styptic Pads or other product to stop bleeding if you knick the quick.
2. You may want to sit on the floor with your pet, hold your pet in your lap, or have someone hold your pet on a table. Hold your pets's paw firmly and push on its pads to extend the nail. Locate where the quick ends. With clear or light nails, it is easy to see the pink color where the quick ends.
3. Using a nail trimmer for pets, cut the nail below the quick on a 45-degree angle, with the cutting end of the nail clipper toward the end of the nail. You will be cutting off the finer point. In cats, the quick is generally easy to see, and you can cut the excess away with one cut. In dogs, especially those with dark nails, make several small nips with the clippers instead of one larger one. Trim very thin slices off the end of the nail until you see a black dot appear towards the center of the nail when you look at it head on. This is the start of the quick that you want to avoid. The good news is that, the more diligent you are about trimming, the more the quick will regress into the nail, allowing you to cut shorter each time.
4. In some cases if the nails are brittle, the cut may tend to splinter the nail. In these cases, file the nail in a sweeping motion starting from the back of the nail and following the curve to the tip. Several strokes will remove any burrs and leave the nail smooth.
5. If your pet will tolerate it, do all four feet this way. If he won't, take a break. And don't forget the dewclaws. On most breeds, if they haven't been removed, dewclaws are 1-4" above the feet on the inner side of the legs. If not trimmed, dewclaws can grow so long they curl up and grow into the soft tissue, like a painful ingrown toe nail.
6. If you accidentally cut the quick, wipe off the blood and apply Kwik-Stop or styptic powder to stop the bleeding. It's not serious and will heal in a very short time.
Some valuable tips
Remember, it is better to trim a small amount on a regular basis than to try and remove large portions.
Try to trim your pet's nails weekly, even if long walks keep them naturally short. The "quick," a blood vessel that runs down the middle of your pet's nail, grows as the nail grows, so if you wait a long time between cuttings, the quick will be closer to the end of the nail. This means more likelihood of bleeding during trimming.
Trim nails so that when the animal steps down, nails do not touch the floor.
Invest in a good pair of nail trimmers in an appropriate size for your pet. They can last a lifetime.
Make trimming time fun and not a struggle. Trimming your pet's nails doesn't have to be a chore or unpleasant.
If your pet is not used to having his nails trimmed, start slowly and gradually work up to simply holding his toes firmly for 15-30 seconds.
Do not let him mouth or bite at you.
It can take daily handling for a week or more to get some pets used to this. When your pet tolerates having his feet held, clip just one nail, and if he is good, praise him and give him a tiny treat.
Trimming your pet's nails is not just a part of grooming, but is important for your pet's health as well. It is important to remember that untrimmed nails can cause a variety of problems including broken nails which are painful and bleed profusely. In some cases, nails will actually curl and grow back into the dog's feet.
A good indication that dogs' nails are too long is a telltale "click-click-click" when walking on uncarpeted areas. Cats may tend to get their unclipped nails caught in the carpet, furniture or your clothing.
How many of us put off trimming our pet's nails until the inevitable veterinary check-up comes around and the veterinarian must do it? If you're like many pet owners, you may be hesitant to trim your dog's nails because you're afraid of cutting the quick of the nail which may cause pain or bleeding. Once you learn how to do it, clipping your pet's nails is almost as easy as clipping your own.
When you are trimming your pet's nails, you are only cutting away the excess. Recognizing what is excess and where the nerves and blood vessels begin is what you need to know to make nail trimming a painless process for both you and your pet.
To trim your pet's nails:
1. Assemble what you will need - trimmers and some styptic powder, Kwik-Stop, CutStop Styptic Pads or other product to stop bleeding if you knick the quick.
2. You may want to sit on the floor with your pet, hold your pet in your lap, or have someone hold your pet on a table. Hold your pets's paw firmly and push on its pads to extend the nail. Locate where the quick ends. With clear or light nails, it is easy to see the pink color where the quick ends.
3. Using a nail trimmer for pets, cut the nail below the quick on a 45-degree angle, with the cutting end of the nail clipper toward the end of the nail. You will be cutting off the finer point. In cats, the quick is generally easy to see, and you can cut the excess away with one cut. In dogs, especially those with dark nails, make several small nips with the clippers instead of one larger one. Trim very thin slices off the end of the nail until you see a black dot appear towards the center of the nail when you look at it head on. This is the start of the quick that you want to avoid. The good news is that, the more diligent you are about trimming, the more the quick will regress into the nail, allowing you to cut shorter each time.
4. In some cases if the nails are brittle, the cut may tend to splinter the nail. In these cases, file the nail in a sweeping motion starting from the back of the nail and following the curve to the tip. Several strokes will remove any burrs and leave the nail smooth.
5. If your pet will tolerate it, do all four feet this way. If he won't, take a break. And don't forget the dewclaws. On most breeds, if they haven't been removed, dewclaws are 1-4" above the feet on the inner side of the legs. If not trimmed, dewclaws can grow so long they curl up and grow into the soft tissue, like a painful ingrown toe nail.
6. If you accidentally cut the quick, wipe off the blood and apply Kwik-Stop or styptic powder to stop the bleeding. It's not serious and will heal in a very short time.
Some valuable tips
Remember, it is better to trim a small amount on a regular basis than to try and remove large portions.
Try to trim your pet's nails weekly, even if long walks keep them naturally short. The "quick," a blood vessel that runs down the middle of your pet's nail, grows as the nail grows, so if you wait a long time between cuttings, the quick will be closer to the end of the nail. This means more likelihood of bleeding during trimming.
Trim nails so that when the animal steps down, nails do not touch the floor.
Invest in a good pair of nail trimmers in an appropriate size for your pet. They can last a lifetime.
Make trimming time fun and not a struggle. Trimming your pet's nails doesn't have to be a chore or unpleasant.
If your pet is not used to having his nails trimmed, start slowly and gradually work up to simply holding his toes firmly for 15-30 seconds.
Do not let him mouth or bite at you.
It can take daily handling for a week or more to get some pets used to this. When your pet tolerates having his feet held, clip just one nail, and if he is good, praise him and give him a tiny treat.
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