Premack: Making Walks More Fun for ME!

You’re walking down the street on a crisp fall day, enjoying life and your dog is, too. Suddenly the peace is shattered as your dog lunges to the end of the leash, yelping and straining to chase that foul, fuzzy-tailed yard-invader, a squirrel. You get dragged over to the nearest tree that smug little rodent ran up as your dog bounces, trembles, and wraps the leash around the tree faster than you can untangle. The next five minutes are spent trying to get your dog out of wild hunting beast mode, and your “walk” is now a weight-pull competition with a crazed hound (and you as a distinctly unwilling participant.)

Sound familiar? It was a common occurance for me, and made walks frustrating whenever the weather was “squirrel appropriate,” (aka all the time.)

Enter the premack principle.

Sniffing at something interesting can make a great reinforcer.

You ask your dog to do something for you first, and then reward him with that super fun doggie thing he badly wants to do. I ask Bug for a sit when there’s a squirrel in sight and then we get to chase it up the nearest tree!! We’re not there yet, but what I’m hoping to develop is an auto-sit when she sees a squirrel, and I’ll go to intermittently reinforcing it with a chase (that way when a squirrel is sighted across a busy road, we don’t need to play frogger!)

Another benefit to the game: an off switch! By chasing a squirrel and then continuing the walk as normal, your dog will get lots of practice coming down from highly aroused to calm. After just a few repetitions, Bug would settle down after a squirrel chase and return to “normal walking mode,” much, much more quickly than I’d ever seen her “turn off!”

Final benefit (probably doesn’t apply to sight hounds but here it is anyway): my squirrel radar is much better than Bug’s, so 2 out of 3 times there’s a squirrel, I will see it before she does. Awesome! I can ask her for a sit (to her, the cue is out of the blue) and then BAM I make a squirrel appear for us to chase, I must be some kind of god! Sitting when I ask is great, you never know when I can make a squirrel chase happen!

Super fun doggie behaviors (things like chasing squirrels, running over to sniff things, etc) can be extremely powerful reinforcers. Learning to harness just my little gun dog’s prey drive has made walks so much more fun! Rather than hoping to not see squirrels and groaning inwardly as my dog flies off the handle at the sight of one, I’m looking for squirrels, excited to challenge her obedience and know that we’ll both have fun at it!

Premack lets you and your dog enjoy the doggie things in life! 

Make Your Dog's Workouts Fun!

It is important for active dogs to have the strength to compete in the activities they love without getting hurt. However, most people (and dogs) find exercises that accomplish these goals to be extremely boring. They don’t have to be! Here are five ways to make your dogs strength building exercises fun for both of you!

Get Creative

Do you find a particular exercise extremely boring? Figure out what the exercise is trying to accomplish and find a more creative way to accomplish the same thing. For example, we find passive range of motion exercises to be about as exciting as watching paint dry, but range of motion is important. One of our alternative solutions for many dogs is to teach them to put 4 feet in a box. This requires them to pick up their legs and still results in their legs going through the appropriate range of motion, but is way more fun for all of us!

Train with a group

Everything is more fun with a group! Find friends to train with, or attend a class. Not only are you and your dog going to have more fun, you are also much more likely to consistently get your dog the exercise he needs.

Switch up exercises

Repeating the same exercise week after week can get really boring very quickly. Luckily different exercises can help accomplish the same goals. For example, hat box sits combined with backing up on an objects results in rear end strength gains, and improved proprioception. Very similar gains can be seen with 4 feet in a box combined with sits to stands with front feet on an object. Combining different sets of exercises not only keeps things fun, but also increases the benefits you will see in strength gains since the muscles are used in slightly different ways.

Add challenges to a known exercise

Once your dog knows an exercise change it up! This will not only keep things fun, but it will result in a stronger dog. For example backing up is a great way to improve rear end strength. Once your dog can back up, teach him to back up onto a 2-3 inch tall object. But don’t stop there! As he gets comfortable with this object switch it up and see what he can back up onto. Can your dog backup onto an elbow height box, a fitness pod, a peanut, the couch, the stairs? What else can you think of to teach your dog to back up onto? Progress slowly and keep safety in mind, but add challenges to keep things fun!

Play to your dogs strengths

Find ways to make exercises that you and your dog find exciting! If your dog loves to put his feet on things, take advantage of that. Your dog might find sits to stands with paws on an elbow height object way more fun than sits to stands on a peanut. Make sure that you still add variety to your exercises, but consider what your dog enjoys and what he’s good at.

Bonus

These same ideas apply to people too!

So get out, have fun, and increase your dog’s fitness so you can have more fun adventures together!

Capital Area Humane Society Dog Parkour Workshop!

Everyone had a lot of fun at our first Dog Parkour (Urban Agility) workshop with Capital Area Humane Society dogs and volunteers! We believe that dog training should be fun for everyone regardless of skill level and experience. Training shelter dogs is often frustrating for volunteers as they don't think they are making progress of succeeding.  Dog parkour is a great activity for shelter dogs because it increases their confidence, builds positive associations with working with people, and tires them out physically and mentally!

We had six awesome dogs and volunteers for this workshop. All the dogs are looking for a good home! Here is what we have learned about the dogs in the hour we worked with them.

Carlos: Carlos is an 11 month old Lab mix. He loves to play ball and train, and has lots of potential as a sports dog or active companion.
http://www.petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Retriever-Labrador-20398531

Luther: Luther is a year old lab mix that loves people and is a goofy, fun dog looking for an owner with a sense of humor similar to his.  http://www.petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Retriever-Labrador-21054222

                                                                        Gabe: Gabe is a 3 year old Pittie mix. He likes to work and train, and is very focus when working. He would enjoy a home who will teach him new things , and take him on adventures.  http://www.petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Terrier-Pit-Bull-20361750

Baloo: Baloo is a 2 year old Pittie mix. He was incredibly focused when training and has great awareness of how his body works. He would love an active home that is ready to give him the time and training he wants.  http://www.petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Terrier-Pit-Bull-21192531

Liz Lemon: Liz Lemon is a year old Pittie Mix. In addition to having the most adorable ears, Liz Lemon  loves butt scratches and gives things a thoughtful consideration before leaping in.  http://www.petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Terrier-Pit-Bull-20426921

Sunny: Sunny is a 2 year old Lab mix. Sunny would love to show you everything she knows and what a good dog she can be. She is a parkour rockstar and a really fun dog!

http://www.petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Retriever-Labrador-20497584

Training Urban Agility Skills: Inside an Object

Skill: 4 Feet in an object

Benefits:  Increased proprioception, increased balance, increased range of motion

Sports applications: Obedience-directed jumping/retrieves, Agility-body awareness

Safety: This is a fairly safe exercise, but be sure to check the edges and bottom of the object to be sure they won’t scrape, cut, or otherwise injure your dog.

How to train: Start with a large object that has sides just tall enough that your dog has to step over them to get into the object. Reinforce for any interaction with the object including things such as head into box, one foot in, or pawing at it. Gradually increase your criteria until your dog is getting all four feet in the object without hesitation. You can now increase the difficulty by decreasing the size of the object or increasing the height of the sides.

Advanced Version: Send your dog to specific objects from a distance. This is a great way to practice directing your dog to a specific location.

Find objects that move. This can be things with wheels or something that tips when the dog gets into it. This is a great foundation for teeter work.

Practice obedience exercises in the objects such as sit, down, stand or spin.

Urban Agility (Dog Parkour) for Teeter Fears

There are probably quite a few of you out there that have done agility long enough to encounter the dreaded teeter monster of agility class lore. Some of your dogs may be convinced that it is a obstacle specifically designed to destroy their very being where others of you are anxiously awaiting that fateful day when your dog first encounters the teeter of doom.

Well, there is good news for you!

It is completely possible to use the skills you might learn in Urban Agility to help your dog learn that the teeter isn’t a scary obstacle and could even be considered FUN! It takes just a few simple steps and once you have these well mastered, you should be well on your way to a fast, confident teeter performance.

The things that scare most dogs about the teeter is that it MOVES (gasp, that can’t be good! I’m going to fall to my doom!) and it makes NOISE (things that make noise have been scientifically proven to eat dogs, don’t you know??). We can use this knowledge to design a plan that teaches our dogs that things that move and make noise are good.

Are you ready for that? Good.

1) Teach your dog to stand on things. At this point they should be things that are solid and won’t move when he steps or jumps onto them. Good objects to look for are stairs, platforms, walls, loading docks, etc. Repeat until he is confidently jumping on everything you ask of him.

2) Gradually introduce objects that move. Start with things that move a VERY LITTLE bit and don’t make noise when they do so. This can be things like cardboard boxes, laundry baskets, etc. Be sure the object is appropriate for his size, and is safe. You can gradually increase the movement of these objects. Little kid toys with wheels seem to work very well (and you end up with some pretty cute tricks too!). Reinforce your dog everytime he gets onto one of these objects and it moves.

3) Teach your dog that making noise is a good thing. Teach your dog to knock over or touch objects that might make some noise. Good things for this are tarps, bags, mugs, water bottles etc. Remember to reinforce with delicious treats or a fun game every time he makes noise. Gradually find things that make more noise. We have found placing metal objects inside other metal objects makes the most racket.

4) Now combine the two skills. Find objects that both make noise AND move. Be creative here and try to find as many different objects as possible. The more things you find, the more comfortable your dog is going to be when introduced to a teeter. It will simply be one of those “weird things that move and bang around to give me cookies.”

5) Find teeter like objects. Be sure to find objects that move like a teeter. Placing a pool noodle under a board will do this, as well as finding a seesaw at your local playground.

6) Repeat this WHOLE process with a real teeter. Teach your dog to walk on a plank, then teach him to make it make noise, and to move it, then put the moving and the noise together at a low height. Gradually increase the height until you can show off how much your dog loves the full teeter to all of your very jealous friends. The more work you do in the previous steps, the faster this one will go, so do your homework!

This video will give you a brief introduction into the first few steps of training a teeter:

Caleb Backpacking Update: Urban Agility (Dog Parkour) for Conditioning and Rehab

I am so excited how well Caleb did on the backpacking trip! The past five weeks of conditioning seems to have really paid off. One of the benefits of winter backpacking in Ohio is that no one is around, so the dogs get to run off leash. Obviously they enjoy this, but I was concerned how he would do with 35+ miles of off leash running, and was prepared to leash him and give him NSAIDs for pain.

Day One:

We hiked around 11 miles, the dogs probably ran double that. No limping! I kept expecting him to limp, but he was running and jumping and hiking without any signs of pain.

Day Two:

Everyone was a bit tired, but we had another 11 mile day. Caleb started limping a little bit about two hours into the hike. It was only an occasional limp, and not very obvious but since we still had two tough days of hiking ahead of us we gave him a little of the NSAID. We only gave him ½ dose (NSAID rationing, Bug’s knees without 5 weeks of conditioning were not holding up nearly as well), but that seemed to be enough and he ran around without any signs of pain the rest of the day.

Day Three:

We knew it was going to be a long 13 mile day, so I gave Caleb a ½ dose of NSAID right away.  No obvious signs of pain the whole day!

Recovery:

He recovered way faster than we did. Caleb got an NSAID Tuesday night, because no one wants to live with a sore grouchy Caleb. Wednesday morning he seemed completely fine, no limping at all!

Vet Note:

I am extremely pleased with how well Caleb did backpacking. In the past he has become pretty sore and would get very grouchy (to the point of growling and snapping in the tent if disturbed) but that was not the case on this trip. He likely would have continued to be fine without the NSAID, but they work much better when used proactively so we made the decision to treat if there was a question. Good job Caleb and Karin! Keep up the good work!

Caleb Week 5: Urban Agility (Dog Parkour) For Conditioning and Rehab

We seem to have found a better balance between what will make Caleb really sore and yet still doing enough to see the benefits. This is probably helped by the fact that he seems to be recovering from being sore or tired faster than when we first began. Also, this last weekend he spent three nights away from home at camp and seemed to recover from this pretty well. As of the posting of this, Caleb is on a 3-day 30-mile backpacking trip, so stay tuned to see how well he recovers from that. Here’s what we’ve been working on:

Walking through ladders: We had a ladder at camp made of 6-8” flyball jumps and pool noodles. He did well at both picking up his feet and at placing them in the appropriate location. This exercise is designed to increase his range of motion and proprioception. We will continue to use this exercise in the future and will change up the ladders to make them more difficult.

4 feet on, 4 feet in, backing up on objects: Same as the previous week. We did see some progress from the previous weeks. He will now back onto an object with either of his back feet which points to a more equal balance of strength between the two back legs.

Balancing on objects that move(fitpaws, exercise ball, etc) We moved between stands and sits while on an object that was wobbly. We also used a treat to change Caleb’s balance to force him to readjust his weight distribution.  This exercise intended to increase balance and strength.

Walking.  We  went for a couple long walks, but did not have him run as he seemed to be sore after his run last time, and was tired the day that we wanted to run. This exercise is intended to increase endurance.

Jumping. At our training class on Wednesday, one of the exercises included jumps. In the past Caleb has been hesitant to jump and very sore afterwards. We set the jumps to 12” and he seemed to willingly take the jumps after a warm-up and was not very sore later.

Vet Note: I’m happy with the improvement Caleb is showing! It will be interesting to see how he does on the backpacking trip, which will likely include a lot of walking, jumping, and sleeping on hard ground. We have prepared for him becoming sore on this trip by including an NSAID for Caleb in his supplies.