hoku's mum

Yep, the clicker is a powerful tool. The other day we agreed to 'babysit' our pals golden for the day. This is Hoku's best buddy, and we though, no sweat, it will be a blast for him to have a play mate all day. Well, she is a rescue with a LOT of issues, including separation anxiety and abandonment issues. Luckily she is clicker trained. I took her and distracted her while her people drove away, but when she realized that they were not in sight, she freaked. I had her leashed just in case something like this happened. Well, after about 20 minutes of hell, I had the brilliant idea to take her inside and run her through her tricks with the clicker. At the first click, she calmed down, focused on me, we worked for a few minutes on simple stuff (sit, down, shake, and recall to me) and she was fine. She was great the rest of the day and evening, played, minded me, was just a great girl to have around. PHEW!!!! Thank you, Clicker!

You could try working on her recall by using a long line on part of your hikes (30 + feet of light parachute type line) with a knot every 5 feet or so. Attach it and let her drag it. That way she has some freedom to run, but you can call her and reinforce the command. It worked great with teaching Hoku to stick close and come when called on hikes. It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but as a training tool its been great for us.

W*O*W that is just awsome! That pup is having a blast, so great to see... Thanks for posting that.

What really worked for us and the jumping thing was to just turn your back and ignore the pup. Sometimes any attention (even getting told no in a stern voice and pushed off) is better then nothing. Ask for what you want in a polite greeting (sit, whatever you want), and if you get jumped on, turn and leave. If it happens at the door, turn around and go back out the door. Enlist some friends to help you by coming to your door, knocking, coming in, and if they get jumped on, they turn and leave. Try again in a minute. It may take a bunch of tries, but they really finally get it that jumping just makes the fun people go away. Give any company a heads up, most people are glad to help you train your pup to be a polite host, and it makes an interesting start to the visit! It can get quite comical if it goes on for a bunch of times (I know from experience ), but it really worked for us, and now our friends always comment on how nicely Hoku greets visitors.

Yes, what Mary said! You have to make yourself more fun and interesting then the other dogs and the leash. Teach him fun tricks and do those on the side while waiting, keep him engaged and therefore (hopefully) not frustrated. Watch and sit are a good starting point, but you need more fun things (wave, spin, sit pretty, touch, down, back up, paw, etc) Hoku obsessed on the other dogs and was getting really growly and grumpy at agility class, but now we play our little games, and he is much more calm and focused, and I can run him off leash (well, I still use a 6" old cut off leash just in case, but have not needed it). I still can't get a tug going at class, we do tricks for treats while waiting our turn, but tugging in class is our next goal (it's his big motivator at home).

Hi Anda, Glad to hear the second class was more fun and relaxed. We just started agility this summer, and we really like it alot. I'm sure Hoku would like sheep better, too, but we can have agility equipment in our back yard, unlike sheep! We use the Natural Balance rolls as treats, diced up, and they work great. We adjust his food accordingly, since it IS food, and he *loves* it (Lamb is his fav... ) You might want to look into getting a little treat bag, keeps your pockets cleaner (and I had a pup once *eat* the pockets out of my shorts that had treats in them ) It definatly gets more fun as you go, and then, all of a sudden, it's not about teaching your dog any more (they pick it up pretty darn quick), it's keeping the operator errors to a minimum! Have fun, and I love the updates, keep 'em coming!

Yippee for Ouzo! Looks like he had a blast... So great you are doing this.

Great advise so far. And I agree with Anna, if the stalking behavior bugs you, stop it. If you want to do agility, (and its is big fun!) you will have to have your dogs attention on you, not the other dogs in class, the people walking by, the kid a block away... and that is what bc's want do.... they seem to need to be on top of everything that is going on in sight. We work on 'look at me' when Hoku's attention starts to get sucked way. We do fun and distracting things so he can't obsess on other dogs or people. I'm sure what ever you do with your dog, stock work, agility, hiking pal, Frisbee, whatever, being able to get her attention on you is a good thing. Most of all, have fun with her and work her brain!

Welcome! I agree that the pup sounds like he thinks he is in control. I would suggest NILIF as a place to start. He need you to be a firm and benevolent leader. I second the book 'The other end of the leash'. As for the leash biting, maybe you could give him something to carry in his mouth, or ask for other (incompatible) behavior when he does it (such as a fun trick). Or try hot hot hot pepper oil on the leash. The bitter apple only works when it is wet, so you could try carrying it with you and spray the leash frequently. Do lots of 'brain' work with him (teach him tricks, and work on your basics training sit, down stay, etc) it will poop him out and help create a strong bond with you. Keep training fun fun fun, I love the clicker and positive training and so does Hoku, he loves to learn. And remember, he is in the throws of adolescence, the most challenging time. Most dogs at the shelters are around that age, for many of the same reasons you are going through. Be patient, be firm and loving, and you will both get through it!

Hoku came into our lives after we lost our heart dog Spencer at age 16. It took us 3 years to even think of another dog, could never 'replace' Spenny. But one day I just got a wild hair and looked at our local shelter's website, and there he was... we both knew from his pic that he was our dog... and he was at the shelter... <races to the shelter before some horrid thing could befall 'our' dog> He was waiting for us... sweet pup of undetermined age and breed, but guess about 10 week BCx? Puppy Hoku He is now just two, and, an amazing guy, smart, smart, smart, and always a challenge. Can't be let outside to much on his own... digs to china, chases everything (caught a couple birds... ) obsesses on the neighbours stock, etc, so supervision is the name of the game. If we get lazy and don't use and challenge his brain, he starts getting wacky and acting 'bad'. He has a great 'off' switch in the house, and when we go outside, it's ON, ON, ON!!! He loves to learn, and we do lots of fun stuff, tricks, Frisbee, agility, soccer, and he will do anything if you will just throw the stick into the water. He is a play monster, *loves* to romp with his pals, but is growly and weird to new dogs, especially when he is leashed. Still working on that one. Loves kids, is gentle and very sweet, scared of men in hats, loves visitors, and is just always happy and willing to do whatever kooky thing we ask. He can be a power monger with his little 'sister' Gussy, so we keep them separated when they are alone. He is a hatful of contradictions, but we love him so dearly. No one could ever 'replace' Spencer, but I now know that you can have (at least) 2 heart dogs in one life time.

Just saw this, been gone some.... SSSSOOOOOO glad for the happy ending...Welcome home Naihm!!!! <<<Hugs to all>>>

Hi and Welcome (been just lurking lately and read your intro). Your beautiful girl is a pup with a normal short attention span. Keep trainings short (2-5 minutes) and fun. Do lots of them, but always quit while she is still excited and wants more. Also try playing a ball or Frisbee game, and do quick agility trainings in the midst of the play with the play being the reward for one weave. Back to play, and throw in a tunnel and more play. Getting her to think in the midst of play is a great thing. As she gets older and has more attention span you can do more serious training then. It's amazing what they learn in those little tiny trainings, and it comes out later, as if it needs time to sink in...

We are dealing with some similar issues, and I am now reading a book called 'Fight' by Jean Donaldson. It is very good, and has opened my eyes a lot. She recommends something similar to what INU suggested for shy dogs. She outlines the different types of dog on dog aggression, and gives good practical advise on ways to deal with it. You may want to check it out. Also, maybe try and make some play dates with dogs that Lucky gets along with to reinforce that other dogs are fun and not to be snapped at. Good luck!

Wooo-hooo! Congrats!!!

Hey, thanks all for the thoughtful replies, I've been out of town for 4 days, and only now able to respond. First off, all of your dogs are just to darn cute, I *love* them all! Thanks for posting the pics, and the descriptions of your dogs. We are on the fence about a third dog, and this boy just popped up which got the gears going. Have not met him, we need to be sure that we are ready for another one before we see him. I know us... we would take him home, ready or not! You know that if we get another dog, ya'll will be the fist to know!

Oh.... been away for a few days, and just wanted to add my prayers for you and your family... Toby was one lucky little guy who made one bad mistake. Glad he had a good life with you. *hugs*

Pia - Sound like a nice mix, especially the bestest dog in the world part! Not sure if the mix is known, my friend who is a vet tech met him, and thought of us. The folks who are fostering are being very choosy about where he goes, and she thought of us, since we have been thinking of another dog. Who know, maybe we would not fit the criteria! Sluj and Angie- do your dogs play with other dogs? That is one of our major criteria in a new dog, must like to play (Hoku is a play monster!) If we decide to move forward, we would have the dogs meet and see where that goes. powerman- we have 5 acres, a pond and are active folks (agility for fun, lots of hiking, dog play is a big part of every day) so that seems a good fit. We are not BC snobs at all, we love mixes (Hoku is a shelter rescue and most likely a mix of some sort), so we are just wondering mostly temperament with other dogs and people, prey drive (we live surrounded by livestock, so a dog that is constantly fixated on the neighbors horses or the cattle on the ranch behind us would not be a great fit) size, and coat type (a fluff-butt would be very hard where we live, a nice tight coat is best with all the dry grass here) Really appreciate the feedback, it's so helpful!

There is a BC ACD mix that we were pointed to that is in need of rescue.... we have been thinking of getting another dog, and am wondering if anyone has any experience with this mix? He's around 5 months, and we have not met him yet... afraid to untill we know we can say yes.... Thanks!

Here's to hoping the meeting goes really really well!!! She sure is one cute pup, love that she has black *and* brown spots... and those little brown eyebrow spots... to cute!

Welcome! Bear is one cute guy! And another big **thanks** for rescuing a great dog, good on you!

Hi and Welcome! Molli is a cutie! You have gotten lots of great advise, I will just chime in about the leash thing. The leash is your friend. I am similar to you in not liking a leash, and had lovely ideas about Hoku always being able to be off leash. Well, great till he hit about 5-6 months, and then all kinds of craziness broke out. The best thing recommended to me was to use a light weight long line (30-50 feet) for walking him 'off leash'. It gives you the ability to enforce your recall. You really don't want her to learn to blow off your recall. We did lots of hiking with that on our neighbors ranch, and he learned manners and recall even with cows in the field with us. But that is down the road for you at this point. Work on loose leash walking as she gets more comfortable going out. Take her to lots of place (once she is all set with her shots), busy streets, playgrounds, parks, shopping areas, walk her on all kinds of sidewalks (this is one I learned the hard way.... we live in a rural area, so I take Hoku up to town once in while... He flipped out on sidewalks with lots of grates and manhole covers....had to pick him up and carry him he was such a mess one day...) I have realized that leash walks are fine and fun, too, and really good for him to have good leash manners. The other thing is to do short (1-3 minute) training sessions for basics: sit, down, stay, leave it, here, and simple tricks. Make it big fun, and quit before she is ready to quit (good advise for all play time...after all, all toys are yours, and you say when to play) Mind work is as tiring for them as exersize, so lots of tiny training through the day is great. Still helps soooo much at 2 years old! A great resource is the ClickerSolutions list. Here is a link to so of the articles. Good luck, and keep the pics comming!

Thanks, all! Hoku did pretty darn good again today, had a moment of grump when another dog sniffed up his butt, and he really did not care for the very loud pirate songs going on right behind the course as we were setting up, but he coped and was a good boy. The Fair folks zooming around on the golf carts had him quite unnerved, but he finally got used to strollers! His run was good, got his weaves again, and stayed focused. Wow, the Fair is quite the dog challenge, and he passed with flying colors, what a good boy!

I am just so dang proud of Hoku. We just started agility this summer, and it has been fun, but challenging. He has issues with other dogs in class, and I've wondered if he would ever be able to run a course without melting down. Well, he's been doing great in class lately, and our instructor does a demo at our County Fair, and she asked us to participate. My initial reaction was *no way* could he cope with the over stimulation of the Fair, let alone run a course off leash with a zillion kids and dogs and Ferris wheels and horses, and popping balloons, and no fence. aaahhhhh! But we decided to try it, and WOW, he did GREAT! He was calm, relaxed and happy with all the people (lots of complements and pats from strangers), and he did a great run, was the only beginning dog to get the weaves and got a big cheer from the crowd for that! He stayed focused on me, and I did not even get lost on the course (the biggest miracle of all!) It was really fun! Here is one picture of him on the A-Frame to give you an idea of the crowd (the whole course was that thick with people and dogs) We go back on Saturday to do the second demo, and I hope he does half as well, given that the crowd will be twice as big! This really proves to me the power of desensitizing, as we took him walking at the Fairgrounds as they were setting things up (ohhhh, the pigs just about sent him over the edge that evening....), and we did a 'practice' as a group the night before the Fair opened. By the time we went for the demo, it was all old hat for him, and he was cool as a cucumber (maybe I should have entered him in the veggie competition.... )

Here is a link to a flower essence that our agility instructor recomended for Hoku. He gets into a big spin and gets over stimutated in class and can not focus on anything execpt the other dogs. I think it helps... he is doing much, much better. YES essence Seems to help me, too!

opps, double post