I have had some great success lately simply changing some trainer lingo with standard lingo and found it particularly useful in the modification of certain behaviors with most dogs and their owners. Certainly for undesirable behaviors like jumping on guests, playing to rough with the kids, barking at the window jumping on furniture uninvited and so on. In many households, many owners are already marking and giving feedback for bad behaviors without even knowing it. The term reinforcement has typically been used when analyzing a dog’s behavior but I think it sounds too clinical and has a certain stigma attached to it. When I use the term reinforcement sometimes a person’s eyes can gloss over. So I prefer the term feedback. That is a term most of us are completely familiar with…and no, not the kind that comes from a microphone or a particularly loud rock band.
Most of your dog’s behaviors are due to feedback or lack of feedback from you or anyone else that comes into contact with your dog. A great example of feedback occurred when visiting a client recently with her husband and their 100+ lbs Great Dane mix. We were ignoring the dog because he was in a hyper/excitable mindset and we did not wish to further it, mind you, I also had a warm and stinky chicken biscuit in my treat pouch and years of experience with this dog in particular. One more variable is that he recently  had undergone surgery to repair his rear left acl and now 90 days out we see it did cause a little backslide on training and his behavior in general. Note; it is very common for dogs to act out that have had surgery to repair a limb or anything that can make the feel vulnerable. Dog’s will backslide into a reactive or retractive state to avoid having to confront another oncoming dogs/strangers/ or anything else they feel threatened by to prevent any meet and greets. They feel insecure about their recovery and will majorly overcompensate for it with behaviors that you may have never experienced with your dog before. Unfortunately, this dog in particular was already a nervous Nelly on a leash walk but we have made a lot of past progress. So you can imagine their frustration when all of a sudden they were back at square one!! But they weren’t they just needed to be shown what the dog felt comfortable with in his current state and build from there with his already expansive knowledge base of obedience and clicker work.
Upon arrival, we decide to keep him in the kitchen with a doggie gate so we could sit in the other room and chat about things. Before we knew it…well maybe 20 minutes of talking we saw him start to lie down in the kitchen and relax. So we tossed in a few treats and continued talking. Once we decided enough input was gained from each other we ventured into the other room with a calm dog.
After getting into the other with him he started his very excitable routine. WE have been working hard on not letting him engage with os for this as he tends to jump up and with a torn acl surgery…it is at the least not advisable. We chose to ignore him and wait for him to settle in mind AND body. There is a difference between a dog who knows how to settle and a dog who knows the settle command and will offer it even when his mind is still racing like an Indy car.  So after several  minutes(must have seemed like hours to the dog) of random behaviors from the dog, all of which were increasingly desperate attempts to gain attention from one of the 3 humans in attendance we he still could not settle. Instead he ran up to me and muzzle punched me right in the stomach precisely where the treat pouch was and pawed at me with both feet!
Instantly both owners erupted vocally (not maliciously but more embarrassed) reached for him, declared their awareness and disapproval of the event and both saying several things out load to the dog at the same time. The combined effort was amazingly coordinated but same out like this, “Dog’s Name, Off, down, leave it, Dog’s name, noooo, STOP, Dog’s name†and so on and so on. And these are extremely educated dog handlers and are very aware of learning terory and positive reinforcement. BUT what they needed to do is be able to see it from the dogs perspective and learn about their own feedback.
So let us review the incident from the dogs perspective and see how many “words†it takes to detail it.
For the dog it went more like this…Hey OMG my favorite people are all here…WOOT WOOT… sniff sniff,,,I smell chicken…sniff sniff…yep defiantly chicken…..Auto Sit, down, up, sit..down…..long down……………longer down…..up…walk, sniff…..play bow…down…settle……..REALLY LONG DOWN………..BORING LONG DOWN…..where is the chicken?? WHY is everyone ignoring me!!!! WHO has the chicken? And why can’t I have some?!?!…Up…. Walk, sniff, walk, sniff…sniff…ssssnnnniiifffff…….SNIIIIIFFFFFFF….FINE…stupid humans I will show where the chicken is….Muzzle punch and paws all over me….HE has the chicken!
And as soon as he told everyone in the room where the chicken was, mom and dad erupted with feedback…teaching the dog the jumping up and muzzle punching the guy with the chicken is how to get mom and dad to interact with me. It did not matter that their intent was to stop him from jumping on me…an event which already occurred and now gained feedback, and any feedback is better than no feedback. What mattered is that he got everyone in the room to react to that behavior and the feedback served as…dun dun dun REINFORCEMENT!!
They are well on their way to getting him back to the outside world and slowly gaining confidence in what he can do they just needed a little insight into the dog mind, and after all that is really the only thing we should be considering when working with our dogs…what THEY think is way more important that what your neighbors, fellow walkers or even yourself is thinking.
One final tidbit to snack on is to realize that the majority of us, myself included, struggle to modify our own behaviors; in fact most people don’t even recognize that most of our behaviors are the result of cues and stimulus as well. Think about a doorbell a phone call or a car horn; do any of those sounds make you change your current behavior and do something else?  So when embarking on a behavior modification program take to realize that what you see is not always what you can get with your dog and what you think you are doing is not always what your dog thinks you are doing.
Ken Dupcak CPDT-KA
Your BEST friend, their BEST behavior!!
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To my best friend!  I already miss you so much and I hope you know will always know that.  You were my first dog on my own and you were the greatest companion a guy could ask for.  You left me last night and now I don’t know how to pick up the pieces of this shattered road.  You started me on this road to caring and training dogs and I will forever be in your debt and shadow of grace!  Please forgive me for anything I ever did that confused or bothered you…I wish you were her now to bother me forever. I love you more than myself and I am forever thankful that we were here for your last breaths.  Sleep well pretty girl Boogz, I will never forget you redhead….NEVER!
How I am ever going to get passed this moment of pure agony and bottomless grief.  It is the worst pain I have felt to date. It compares nothing to the deep wound that cancer left in our lives 6 years ago.  I am self-medicating to the point of disaster and the consequence is going to lead to something vile. It has already started regrettable with me and my closest.
I went outside and looked up at the skies last night and the stars were so crisp and clear, I thought to myself how beautiful.  Then, just as I asked for a sign that you had passed over the bridge, a shooting star appeared with a red beauty just like your own.  I thought that stuff only happens in movies but I have now been proven wrong and proven a believer all at the same time.  I know you are safe and no longer in pain but damn of I don’t I wish you were here.
Tomorrow I will take you in your blanket to the final place on this planet where the shell of your soul can be forever memorialized and where ashes to ashes dust will not just be something a priest says.  I will be there for you the whole time as you were for me so please don’t be scared, it won’t hurt.  You deserved sooooo much more and I am so sorry that I did not have the time for as you got older, I got busier and as the years flew by, it is only now when you are gone from the physical plane that I am constantly reminded now of how stupid that was. I wish we could all be more aware of the fragile moments of existence that we share with our friends, family and loved ones but we are only human.  I can only wish and dream that I was a dog so I could learn to see those real moments of what the world truly has to offer.
As I fight back the tears and sobs of agony that occur each moment I am awake and sober, they stand forever at attention to remind me of your noble presence and cause.  People all say your timing was perfect and that being able to hold you for your last breaths was a blessing.  I think your timing sucked and you need to know that part.  I was not ready to lose my mentor, my moral compass and the best shotgun rider in the whole west babe. Nor was I ready to hold my baby girl in my arms as she gasped her last breath of air…nothing has been more real and it has burned itself deep into the data bank of my mind.  I am lucky to have been there but cursed to have been witness to something I was so helpless to fix it. I tried so hard to breathe life back into your lungs but you were no longer inside.  I understand that 15 years was a long time in that body and I really don’t blame ya. In fact, I am quite jealous that you are not longer stuck here on the planet where pain rules all.
Suffering is a part of life according to Buddha but I am so happy your suffering has come to finality. But where yours stops, mine begins and that is the way of life for me and others like me who choose to help four legged and furry children. You will never live long enough for me, my wife and the countless other rescues, trainers, caregivers and dog lovers around the world.
How much I would give to be back at the first day you walked into my life, came behind my desk and plopped down at my feet and said,†You are my new human now!†and so it was.  I don’t know much about the first years of your life but the kind woman who brought you to me said you had a leash on the was chewed through, so I assume you were fine with leaving where you were.  But just in case you were not, now you can go back and check on them to see how they are if you so desire.
If not, then please when you get a moment, stop by and say hey in some way that I might understand.  I am open to see you and will always be looking for you.  There will not be a day that in my life that you haven’t already touched with your love and tolerance.  I wish for just one more paw shake, one more fish out of water, one more bang and roll over…just one will do please.
To my best friend, please forgive me for all my issues, time constraints, meetings, other dogs, training dogs, phone calls or anything else that took me away from my baby girl…my first baby girl…I love you more now that you are gone and can’t understand why loss can be so enlightening for such a dumb soul like me.
Sequoia Boog-a-nutz Dupcak you will be forever in my heart, my writing and all that I do.  Please say hey to all the others on that side of the bridge…I will see you there one day soon.
Dad
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So this morning I had the wonderful pleasure of going to go the the dentist. A few weeks ago I was chewing on some really good, salty, Swedish licorice. It is an acquired taste but I grew up eating it so it is more like a comfort food for me. I always ask my mom to bring it back for me every time she visits Sweden. She was born there and that meant that I was lucky enough to accompany her to her birthplace many times during my childhood.
Needless to say, in one  bite I was able to unseat a crown AND pull out a very old filling. However,  I was not yet aware of the unplanned extraction until the second bite. CRUNCH!!! I thought to myself. I don’t remember there being any nuts in this before?
Then it hit me…the fear was instantaneous! Thoughts of a trip to the dentist flooded my brain almost as fast as I spit out the salty, crunchy mess. I was almost paralyzed with fear as I stuck my finger into my mouth to investigate what I already knew was a worst case scenario. You see, I have a very common fear or dental phobia as it is sometimes referred to and it is a very serious thing for some people. In fact there are quite a few articles that even call it more of a PTSD. I am not quite that far up on the scale but I am close. Close enough to need pharmacological intervention on the day of!
During the last 2 weeks the pain increased in such a quick fashion(as tooth pain always does) it was pretty much unbearable. But the fear of the dentist coupled with a the fear of embarrassment(not a legitimate fear for such an incident) kept me from calling and booking an appointment. In fact, I tried to hide the pain as long as I could from my friends and family but it eventually got the best of me. Now that I looking back it seems so silly but I assure you the fear was very real and it changed my personality tremendously and lowered both my tolerance and threshold for everything. Just ask my wife! Love you Hun!
The trip to the dentist was one of the longest car rides I had ever experienced! I actually entertained the idea of taking every exit I passed on the 45 minute route to the appointment. My palms were dripping with sweat, I had no appetite, I was pale, my breathing was erratic and my pupils were dilated like saucers. And mind you, this was with pharmacological intervention!
At the time I did not think that I would use my terror to educate anyone but it sure seems like a good idea today.  So now I want you to think about a situation in which you felt something similar. Maybe a graduation, a reunion, new job or quiting an old job. I want you to imagine trying to stay calm but not looking like you are trying to. You need to keep functioning even though you feel like you certain doom is upon you.  Now maintain your composure because society and laws require you to do so even in the face of EXTREME FEAR!!! And if you so much as make ANY unstable or unpredictable moves  you will be labeled as â€Aggressiveâ€, and from now on you will be yelled at, pushed around or possibly physically punished for your reaction.
Now I would like you to apply that to your dog, your neighbors dog, dogs at the park or any dog at all. This is what happens to most dogs with fear issues and is heavily promoted on television to the masses as acceptable ways to stop a reactive dog. Fear is usually always in the equation of an “aggressive†dog and is so overly misdiagnosed its nauseating. Kind of like sitting in the waiting room at the dentist!
Just think about all those poor dogs who are living with an alien species(us) who are scared and confused. Trying to figure out our language as well as theirs with no handbook along the way. Try to put yourself in the sweaty paws of that dog you are thinking about and imagine that you were the one on the end of a rope being told to do something you may or may not be comfortable with. If only for a few seconds try to not be so judgemental about the behaviors you feel are so inappropriate and reflect on what it is you do when you are freaked out.
Most people don’t speak dog but there are a few of us who can. So please, if you have or know of a dog that you think might be fearful, take the time and have them evaluated by a certified professional dog trainer or a behaviorist. You can go to the APDT Trainer Search here, or the CPDT Trainer check up here and find a local professional to help you out. If you are in the Atlanta area and need help please feel free to to contact us:
www.atldogtraining.com info@atldogtraining.com 678-756-6426
Ken Dupcak CPDT-KA
P.S.- Had to get a root canal at the dentist!!
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Water, water and more WATER!
Does your dog ever come home from Dog Daycare and empty his own water bowl…and then sometimes ask for more? That floor soaking water chug maybe due to the fact that he isn’t getting enough water during his day of play. There are many reasons why a dog won’t drink from a common water bowl. My dogs won’t touch bowls in daycare yards or at a public park. The biggest and most common reason that I found is simply that the bowls are downright nasty! And if I think the water bowl looks or smell nasty you can imagine what your dog thinks about it. Do you like water fountains? I sure don’t and I certainly try to leave my house each day with my own water in a clean and sanitized bottle. I think your dog is worthy of the same.
When interviewing any dog daycare center anywhere in the country, one of the most important things you can inquire about is the water situation. Clean and fresh water is crucial to the prevention of dehydration and overall health degradation during any stay away from home. Whether it is a day of daycare or that 2 week vacation your family has planned, I cannot understate the importance of making sure that wherever your pet stays has clean and fresh water.
Of course your local dog daycare is going to tell you they have access to fresh water, but ask to see it. Ask to see the bowls in the play yard as well as the ones in dens or kennels. If they don’t show them to you I would be wary. Ask what the bowl washing procedure is? Ask what type of chemicals they use to sanitize the bowls. If the answers don’t jive with you then you have your answers. I can tell that a safe water protocol is that all common bowls are pulled, washed and sanitized at least one time per shift. Twice is preferable and hourly would be the bee’s knees.
All individual water bowls should be changed once every twenty four hours or more often if they look dirty. Ask them if the boarding dogs share dens with other dogs. If so, how is that water situation handled? Odds are your local facility is doing a good job with water for dogs but it never hurts to be sure. And not only in the summer, all year long it is important for fresh water to be available for any pet. Most young daycare pros will play harder in the colder months at daycare than in the heat of the summer and can increase the risk of dehydration. Water is the most important factor to a healthy stay when your dog is out of your care. Disease, stress and dehydration can all be avoided with proper water bowl cleaning procedures.
Remember, you can always ask to see the bowls! I do!
As I set off for my morning walk/jog today, I had no idea the beauty and comedy I would find in this mornings events. Considering the amount of tragedy that I awoke to. There has been a shooting in Colorado at a movie theater and a large number of people have been killed or wounded. I am not current with the situation but I did spend enough time watching the news to shed a tear as I thought about those poor people caught so off guard.
It was in that moment that I remembered I had a running partner named Fezzig. A 7 month old German Shepherd pup who was totally unaware of the shooting in Colorado and was instead totally self absorbed with checking out the local PeeMail on the fire hydrant in my yard. And so…off we went.
The walk started off fine and we decided to try picking up the pace a little bit. Fezzig was not so sure about the increased tempo and would have preferred a leisurely stroll about the block. We have already had an hour long morning play session of ruff and tumble with Mr. Fantsy Pants, chase games with Scout, and tennis ball aerobics with Miss Bueno. So by now he was a little concerned.
Prompltly, my knee reminded me that I was not ready for such an endeavor and that I should cool it. Deciding to heed natures subtle reminder I decided that Fezzig and I would need a slower pace and a longer duration. Hmph!!
About half way thru our walk I noticed a group of 10-15 Canadian geese ahead of us on the road. That was my cue to grab the clicker, grab the treats and be ready! Clearly, he had not noticed them, walking blindly up the hill, he was gob-smackedby the greatest display of goose choreography I had ever seen! All at once, every goose lifted their heads and honked like it was rush hour in New York City. Simultaneously, they spread their wings as far as they would go before tearing while also gaining about 12 inches in height as well.
This was all very perplexing to say the least to Mr. Fezzig and he gained a safer vantage point behindme. Still looking but not sure what to think, Fezzig peered at the scene before him and the look of a brand new sight was written all over his conflicted face. The innocence of his fear was overpowering the desire to bark and chase. I liked that and so I started praising him, “What a goooood boyyy!â€, “Nice Job Buddy†and coaxed him through the moment. I was standing still about 20 feet from the flock and just as he gained the confidence to take a step out from behind me, it happened.
In what I can only describe as the second greatest display of goose choreography,instantly every goose launched into the air like bottle rockets. The sound transition was incredible, and Fezzig’s mind was BLOWN!! Imagine discovering for the first time a parade, and in this parade were marching bands. And just as you get comfortable enough with the sights and sounds of this magical thing before you…they go silent and shoot straightup into the galaxy somewhere! Wow!! I am so glad I was there to see it as I cracked up for hours about it. Of course I kept it cool until Fezzig sorted things out but by the next turn I could not control my laughter.
During the launch sequence I remained calm but kept a tight grip (grip only, no tension on the leash) and watched for signs of stress or panic. He flicked his ears back and for and his eyes danced wildly back and for in his head like ping pong balls. But his brain never fell out of his ear, he was present for the whole experience. And that, is a good thing for such a young pup. A meeting like that could have gone badly. Dogs can get spooked and start chasing the geese or cat or anything else that may startle them. It is our job on the loop end of the leash to be on the look out for these type of interactions that can help or hurt future meet and greets with ALL animals.
Always be armed with high value treats or toys when you go on walks to help deal with the daily distraction factors on your adventures with your pups. And remember to step back and imagine what your dog might see that you don’t when you walk togther.
KD
Potty training is has got to be one of the hardest things on the planet. That is, if you want to do it right. And trust me, You DO want to get it right.
The moral dilemma faced with it even in my own household is the isolation that takes place in the EVIL crate, cage, kennel, room or place.. Crate training is necessary for the new puppy to acclimate to his new surroundings safely and securely. It is also a great way to teach your dog aout quiet times and that the world is not all recess all the time. Naps and studying should be as much or more of your puppies schedule than recess. However, a screaming puppy is right up there with nails on a chalkboard. For some, the sound is too hard to tolerate and will let the puppy out. For others, it will annoy the daylights out of them and the will become reactive to the behavior as it increasingly irritates them. For a select few people, the sound is non-exist-ant. These people have the patience of a saint and shall be forever honored with front of the line status in this life and the next. I strive to ignore for the most part but it is very difficult, almost like mediation.
A crate if used properly serves the same purpose as a child’s crib. I newborn baby needs continuous supervision as does a puppy. You would never leave young child unattended for any reason and the same goes for any puppy.
At 5 months of age your dogs brain is at the final stages of development. This means the organ is still forming and growing. Any dog under the age of 5 months should be considered entry level, novice or rookie in the potty training department or any department for that matter. Full bladder control usually occurs around 9 months of age give or take. The size of the dog can often help or hinder the process.
I know there are many, many dogs out there that “Just get itâ€. But, for many, many, many others the story is very different. That little bundle of fury joy you just brought home, is also a water chugging, food gobbling, sleep stealing, schedule busting baby that needs constant attention. He needs to be taught how and when to drink, poop,eat, pee, sleep, poop, pee, train, play, pee, sleep, pee, poop, sleep, pee, eat, drink, pee. Get the idea? And just like the old addage what goes up, must come down- with a puppy, what goes in, must come out. Young dogs lack the ability to tell you when they need to go potty. The bladder gets full, signal goes to brain, dog goes pee. If you are extra attentive you can really help you dog out by setting him up for success.
Here are a few things to make you Successful:
-Limiting water intake (check w/your vet to learn the required amount of water for your pup per day)
-Call a vet and find out how much water your pup needs to survive on, then increase that by a little
-No water after 6pm (ice cubes are a better idea if you have had some evening exercise)
-Water with meals
-Age of dog in months = length in hours he can hold it (unless he has just eaten, woke from a nap or had a play session
-30 minutes after any large water consumption your pup will need to urinate
-Take treats with you when you go outside
-Don’t leave bowls of water lying around, puppies will dring to excess
Check for discharge around your dogs genitals = UTI (urinary tract infections are a huge culprit for indoor peeing)
Why do people expect so much of their puppy but not of themselves? How old were you when you were potty trained? How much effort goes into potty training a child yet people expect that puppies should inherently know that is it is “wrong†to shit in a house. I chuckle even writing this and I hope that is serves people and puppies around this planet well. But just how big do you think the human diaper industry is? I saw a “Coach†diaper bag on TV the other day, my wife pointed that one out. The average parent carries a diaper bag around for years and hopes that they have every thing in it to help the child be succesfull during the day. Yet most puppy owners don’t even leave the house with a bag to pick up the poop! Pick up the POOP!!
Can a 12 month old child in diapers, stand up and ring a bell when he needs to go potty? Make sure you spend the time needed to fully potty train your pup. Seek help from a professional (not one who tells you to rub their nose in it) if you are struggling as this can lead to a life time of problems. We offer a whole potty training package at www.ATLDogTraining.com and would love to help out. 90% of all euthanasia cases are for behavioral issues like peeing on the floor!!
KD
Moving always seems to be the MOST stressful time on people, so can you imagine what your dog must be going through? All the loud noises, stuff being moved, normal paths thru the house are blocked by big bulky objects. There is a strange thing attached to Dad’s car (uhaul trailer) the weird hours that we are now keeping as we try to maintain our business a location and a marriage!! Bubba my male GSD wants me to also mention the high level of anxiety I am going through as well. I am WAY over threshold and I can only imagine what my poor dogs must be thinking.
The uncertainty of the future and where we will all end up is really only relevant to me when I am in the act of moving. But I imagine how my dogs feel when they are uncertain. Sometimes it might seem like disobedience or ignorance but really I think it is that they have know way of knowing what we expect of them and therefore it is best to do nothing at all. Boy I wish I could do that. I just wanted to post this to all those who have issues with their dogs or even no issues at all. Try to take a moment every day and think about how your dog might be processing what is going on around them. The chaos, cleanliness or total peace in which you exist does effect those around you. Take a moment with them and just let them be the dogs they are!!
I KNOW I am over threshold and I still can control my outbursts or grumblings, imagine how they feel!!  Dharma, my cat has chosen the safest place in the house…the hall closet!
Ken Dupcak
CPDT
HAPPY NEW YEARS!  Hope yours was what you needed it to be.  My goals this year are to grow my blog, keep running and reflect on how to be a kinder and gentler trainer/person.  There are so many topics to discuss this year and I look forward to growing with my dogs and my clients!  Thank you for your support and please comment, post or send pictures of your dogs and session and I will feature them.
On that note I want to discuss a game today that has a mixed reputation.  So often I hear how bad it is to work tug with your dog. This is so far from the truth to those of us that know how to do it the nice and fun way.  Below is Ozzie and he has MASSIVE prey drive and is reactive on leash. He is a tenacious, intelligent but a fearful dog with a drive to kill vermin and heard small groups of things..  He is a blue heeler/jack russel mix so you can imagine his energy levels.  We spent the day teaching him how to tug with control but to have fun and get out is angst(in an appropriate) environment with professional help and guidance.
If you have a dog that is mad about tug then some rules need to be applied to the game.  And if you have been playing tug with your dog for any length of time, please dont expect them to obey the rules right away.  They have learned to play it their way with you up through now and we are going to switch it up.  Watch me change the old game to the new game on on Ozzie in this video.  He has been taught to only let go with a tug on the leash.  I will attempt to teach him to let go on his own and as soon as he does, I will give it back to him.  Most dogs will not let go because they think that makes the game end.  But when we teach the dog that it makes the game start all over again, they let go faster and faster.
Watch the first several attempts by me to “out†the toy.  Kim has to come grab him off.  But the 3rd time I ask her to wait and see if I can get him to let go with out pulling him off.  And when he does…BANG he gets the tug right back and we start at it.  If he cheats, I will say “AHH†and make the tug inanimate.  This will usually get the dog to let go as the game has stopped.  The key is to give it right back when the do finally let go!
If your dog is more than you can handle or you have a pup that wins all the time, you certainly need help to teach him the right way, so please call us and we can help.  I only let the dog win 1 out of every 6 games to keep him coming back.  Just as it is not fun to play with your dog if he ALWAYS wins, it is the same for him if we always win!
KD
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