My Walk!

Meet Gunner!

Picture a massive ninety pound ball of energy and affection, then put it on stilts... now you have Gunner. This exceptionally handsome Pitbull/Great Dane cross was the one calling the shots in his household. Now think about this: Gunner's owner is a lovely woman who is absolutely no match for his strength.

The fact that Gunner is part Pitbull unfortunately means that he and his owner may fall victim to discrimination from ignorant and fearful people. Because of this Gunner will be expected to uphold a greater level of obedience and manners. To add to the dynamic of his situation, Gunner's owner has brothers that like to rough-house with him. Fortunately Gunner's owner was keen to recognize that changes needed to be made before Gunner's conduct got out of hand.

It was plain to us trainers that most of Gunner's delinquencies were predominantly juvenile responses. He would, with proper adjustments, grow out of these behaviors. The first suggestion was to modify the rough-housing to structured games of Tug of War. By enacting specific rules and maintain consistency, Gunner's relatives could still play with him but without the effect of riling him up. Another solution that helped Gunner's owner gain more control during walks was the Red Light Green Light exercise. This taught Gunner that he was not in-charge and in fact he would have to look to his owner for approval.

For more information on Zen Dog games like Tug of War and Red Light, Green Light visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Nora the Pit Mix.

Meet Nora!

Nora is a sweet, playful girl...with her family. Once she is outside, everyone she sees is greeted with snarls and barking, outside she became a ferocious ball of teeth and noise! This didn't just happen overnight — Nora was a skittish and shy puppy, but she grew older and bolder. Over time, instead of hiding and tucking her tail, she began to bark, growl and lunge!

Many people would write Nora off as aggressive, dangerous, protective, or say she was downright vicious. But Gordon and I knew better. Nora wasn't born a mean or a bad dog. She was just afraid.

Nora was afraid of the noises on the street, of the people she saw, and especially of fast movements and unusual shapes. When dogs get scared their primal fight-or-flight instinct kicks in — either get to safety or do something to make the "threat" leave.

It's hard to understand but Nora's barking was a tactic to make scary things go away and it worked — every single time. The people who scared her, the kids, the bike, the car, all passed her by (quickly) when she barked aggressively — she had learned what to do to make them disappear!

Our plan for Nora was straightforward, but also challenging. The first mission: Nora's family was to make new, positive, memories of the things that scared her in the outside world. We recommended a "desensitization and counter-conditioning" plan that included Treating for no Reason, obedience training to help her focus during stressful encounters, (using food as a reward), better tools and new leash handling techniques.

Of course, the hardest part of training was our homework for Nora's parents: not punishing or "correct" Nora, but instead acting relaxed, jolly and confident — even outside — when her barking was at its worst!

At well over a year-and-a-half, Nora will take longer than a puppy to become okay with new experiences, people, places and things — after all, she's the dog equivalent of a twenty-year-old human! But with the right training plan, the proper tools, time and consistency we hope to see Nora exploring and enjoying the world around her with a new sense of confidence.

To learn more about Treating for No Reason and for additional info on shy and fearful dogs, please visit Zen Dog Training Online.

For a simple-to-understand guide on desensitization and counter-conditioning, please read The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell.