American Pit Bull Terriers

September 30, 2014 by Fanna Easter

American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) Dog Breed Information

American Pit Bull Terriers are a cross between a terrier and bulldog. During the 19th century, farmers wanted a Terrier that was tough as a Bulldog, but could still chase and kill vermin so the Bully/Terrier breeds emerged. Pit Bulls can do it all, honestly! They can hunt game like a terrier, herd cattle like a bulldog and are great family companions. Pit Bulls have many different names, but they are formally known as American Pit Bull Terriers.

Pit Bulls are negatively viewed due to breed-specific legislation claiming them a dangerous breed. This is far from the truth. Any breed of dog can be dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands and are exploited. Learn more about Anti-Breed-Specific Legislation FAQ where both the CDC and President Obama debunk this myth.

Temperament

Terriers were bred to work independently so they can be a bit scrappy with other dogs. While Pit Bulls are the larger version of Terriers, they can cause more harm due to their larger size if they are not taught how to greet dogs politely. Now, some Pit Bulls are fabulous around other dogs and some are not, it depends. However, as a whole, terriers can be a bit scrappy if dogs get in their personal space.

You may notice your Pittie gets very excited around fast movement. This is a Terrier thing, as they’re bred to hunt game. At times, Pit Bulls can become mesmerized by fast movement and they seem to tune out from their owners. They’ll usually vocalize and focus on what is moving, which can be a bit scary for unaware owners. When this happens, throw 10 treats in front of your dog. This will snap him out of his trance and focus on something else. And, it’s always best to redirect him before this happens so throw 10 treats in the opposite direction of whatever is moving really fast. Try to do this before your dog notices the fast movement.

Play Style (It’s different from most dogs!)

Most Bully breeds (Bull Dog/Terrier crossed) possess very different play styles than most breeds. They don’t understand personal space, which can easily offend another dog or person. Honestly, they don’t think they are too close. Pit Bulls will climb right into your lap. Pit Bulls play with lots of body contact, which means they will:

Body slam: Bump their bodies against a dog usually at full speed, which most dogs find very rude
Hip check: Bump their hips against another dog
Shoulder check: Bump with their shoulders

It’s vital to find other dogs that mimic the same play style as your Pit Bull. Also, your Pit Bull needs to learn this is not polite behavior with humans. He will think it’s fun, but most humans do not. If you are not sure about your Pit Bull’s play style, consult with an experienced dog trainer. He will make recommendations and point you in the right direction.

Grooming

Pit Bulls need regular brushing, as they do shed often. I recommend the following:

A rubber curry-style brush
Weekly nail trims
Ear cleanings
Baths as needed
Teeth brushing several times a week

A Few More Words About Pit Bull Terriers

I cannot say this enough: it’s not the breed of dog that is dangerous. Any breed of dog can and will bite. Following the trends, it seems people love to hate larger, shorter-coated muscled dogs, which were bred for guarding, working or herding. Many target these breeds because they can look scary. I’m not sure about that, but one thing I do know for sure is any dog can bite. Taking this into account, I would not recommend most American Pit Bull Terriers for new pet owners. They can be a bit plucky (very determined), which amounts to a huge handful for novice dog owners.

Learn more about Pit Bulls at UKC American Pit Bull Terrier Standard. They are registered through United Kennel Club (UKC). There are as many Pit Bull rescue groups, which is both good and bad, as Pit Bulls that need homes. Be sure to also check out these excellent sources for more information on rescuing American Pit Bull Terriers.

Tell me about your Pit Bull in the comment section below.

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3 Dog Obedience Training Styles

September 29, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Different Dog Trainers

Let’s chat about three different dog trainers and their preferred dog obedience training styles. I will include my training style too and, I will admit, I feel a bit intimidated comparing my training style to both of these pioneers in dog training. So, here it goes!

Dog Trainer: Karen Pryor

Karen was instrumental in educating the dog obedience world about clicker training, as she was a dolphin trainer. Not only did Karen Pryor bring clicker training to the masses, she was also the driving force behind scientific research on training new behaviors. Clicker training means to mark a behavior with a click. The click means two things: I like what you did and you earned a treat. Karen does not use food to lure a dog into a behavior. She is more hands-off and will shape (reward small steps toward a final behavior like teaching a dog to walk politely on leash) and capture (click and treat when a finished behavior is offered like a dog laying down). The absence of a click means the dog did not perform the behavior correctly. Dogs quickly learn to work for the click.

Dog Trainer: Zak George

Zak George has taken social media by storm with his dog training videos on YouTube. Also, Zak has starred on SuperFetch, which airs on Animal Planet and CBBC’s “Who Let the Dogs Out.” He shows no signs of stopping, appearing on numerous prime time TV shows, getting the message out that positive reinforcement dog training methods work! His energy is fabulous, and his videos are on point so pop in and watch his YouTube channel at Zak George’s Dog Training Evolution!

Dog Trainer: Fanna Easter

About 90% of the time, while teaching classes, I recommend a clicker to mark behaviors, as dogs learn so fast using this method. I do use lures mostly when instructing pet parents how to teach their dogs to lie down as a first step to loose leash walking or when a dog becomes confused. When training my dogs, I use a clicker 99.9% of the time. When teaching people how to train their dogs, I find people will move and fiddle around when they become stressed so I recommend food lures to redirect their nervous energy. Having a dog follow a food lure will redirect the dog (decreasing the dog’s stress) while providing a moving outlet, decreasing the pet owner’s stress — a win-win! Once the fiddling around stress has successfully stopped, we go back to using the clicker.

Tell us about your dog obedience training style in the comment section below!

READ ALSO: Dog Obedience Training

Come When Called Part 3: Adding Distractions

September 26, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Teaching Your Dog to Come When Called

Adding Distractions to “Come” Cue

If your dog ignores you and runs off, it might need some specific training. Here is the final installment of a four-part series on training your dog to come. You’ll learn:

How to perform an emergency recall
To call your dog indoors from the backyard
To call your dog back to you around distractions (squirrels, etc.)
How to teach multiple dogs to come back to you
Fun games

Directions

View first video and practice homework for seven days.
View second video, practice homework for seven days.
View third video, practice homework for seven days.
View fourth, and final, video.

Each video contains tons of information so re-watch them several times. Bookmark for easy future reference.

What you will need:

Delicious treats the size of a pea
Six-foot leash
Flat buckle collar or body harness
Clicker

Note: Always enroll your dog in a group dog training class. This video should not be used in place of dog training class attendance.

You’ve completed the “Come When Called” series. Revisit the videos as often as necessary for polite greeting behavior!

In case you missed it: Come When Called Part 1: Intro

German Shepherds

September 25, 2014 by Fanna Easter

German Shepherd Dog Information

While living in Germany, I was able to witness the German Shepherd dog in its true glory, as they originated from Germany, and learned more than I ever had before. I was lucky enough to attend many dog shows in Europe and watch them move like the wind across the ring. Also, we were part of a Schutzhund Club in Vilseck, Germany, where 90% of the dogs were GSDs. We saw every variation from East German, Czech lines, long coat, short coat to everything in between. Their coloring is usually black and red, tan and black and sable. While the white German Shepherd is frowned upon in the U.S., I did see many white German Shepherds in Germany and they were lovely!

The German Shepherd Dog was designed as a versatile dog and they can do anything! They excel at obedience, service dog work, military work, herding livestock, protecting their family and so on. Most are lighter weight than other guarding breeds, such as the Rottweiler, are able to walk across debris without it caving in and fly like the wind over fences.

Training and Temperament

During my group classes, German Shepherd Dogs excelled at learning new behaviors. Now, they will have fear periods just like any dog, but I feel herding and guarding breeds have a longer or more intense fear period than other breeds. Since these breeds are bred to observe constantly, they may see things a bit different than other breeds. With any fear period, it’s vital they learn positive associations with anything that may cause barking, growling or moving away. I like to play “look at the monster,” which means they look at the scary thing and I click/treat. Make sure you are at a safe distance from the “monster,” which means your GSD will look at you and able to take treats. When in doubt, move further away. This teaches him the “monster” is not that bad because every time you look at it, you get “cheese.” Never force your GSD to walk over or touch anything that causes him to be fearful. This can cause him to be permanently fearful of that object.

They are great family dogs. My best friend and godchildren have owned German Shepard dogs for more than 15 years, and they will sit and walk nicely on leash for my 4-year-old godchild!

Dog Grooming

Now, this breed does shed, especially during spring and fall, as they are blowing their undercoats. I recommend using an undercoat rake to remove excessive undercoat and keep shedding to a minimum.

Exercise

German Shepherds need a minimum of a 30-minute walk per day. Also, feed your dog using interactive food toys, which dispense food as your dog paws, moves or tosses the toy around. This will ensure they receive plenty of mental stimulation.

Learn more about German Shepherd dogs and rescue at German Shepherd Club of America and National List of German Shepherd Dog Rescue Groups.

Tell me about your German Shepherd dog in the comment section below.

READ ALSO: German Shepherd Training

Service Dogs

September 25, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Service Dog Training: What is it?

This topic pops up occasionally during class when someone wants to train his personal dog to become a service dog. There is a big difference between a service dog and a therapy dog. Let me explain the differences while including links for further information.

ADA Guidelines for Service Dogs

“Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Some State and local laws also define service animal more broadly than the ADA does. Information about such laws can be obtained from the State attorney general’s office.”

From my perspective, service dogs are trained to perform a specific task for a person, and this can take years of training. Once the dog learns the task, he must practice this task in many situations. We call this generalizing a behavior. Generalizing a behavior, especially a complex behavior, takes lots of time.

Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs and their owners have been trained and passed required assessments, such as the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, Delta Society Pet Partner Assessment and Therapy Dog International testing. While there are different variations of Therapy Dog Certification testing, those previously listed are the larger organizations.

It’s not only the dog that’s required to be trained and pass required assessments. The handler does as well, as they are the second half of the therapy team. Many times, we focus on teaching the dog how to handle certain situations, but he needs to learn how to politely ask a patient for permission to enter his room (not all people like dogs).

There are many places, which boast service dog training services, products and ID tags. Please always follow the ADA’s Guidelines and contact professionals at the listed Service Dog Directory for guidance.

Service Dog vs. Therapy Dog

Therapy dogs are taught to behave politely in specific situations (nursing homes, physical therapy gyms and hospitals). Service dogs are taught to behave politely in many situations (planes, restaurants, grocery stores and hair salons). They also perform a specific task for a person (picking up items, alerting seizures or low blood sugar and pulling a wheelchair).

Service Dog Training Tips

If you would like to teach your personal dog to become a service dog, I would begin your search at Service Dog Directory – Pet Partners. Also, if you are interested in learning how to become a service dog trainer, contact these folks too. They can point you in the right direction.

Service dog trainers, I want to hear from you! How did you become a service dog trainer?

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