Beautiful photo

Courtesy of Jessica Swett!

My foster pup, Erica

Choosing a trainer

Please please do your research when choosing a dog trainer for you and your family. Don't necessarily go with the first one you come across. Observe classes, ask around in the community and ask THEM questions about their methods, experiences, referrals etc. The training you receive for your dog is hopefully for a lifetime and each dog will respond differently to different methods. Don't choose the wrong trainer and wrong method - it could squash your dog's confidence and break your bond with him/her. 


A person does not need to be certified to be a "dog trainer" and there are a few out there who are not certified but easily could be. However, certification through the right organization, requires the trainer to keep up with continuing education, prove his/her credentials, and keep a positive reputation in society. You wouldn't send your children to a teacher who didn't have decent credentials and a good reputation so why wouldn't you put the same thought into who trains you to teach your dog. Go with your gut and research your options. 
Your dog deserves it.


APDT.com

Fitness class with your dog

There is a huge epidemic of not only overweight people in the US but overweight pets as well. That got me thinking, what if you could get fit WITH your dog? No I'm not talking about just walking your dog or even running with your dog. That can be entertaining for some but I personally am not much of a runner or even a walker. Sure, I'll do it. For my dog. But what if you could have more fun with fitness and include your dog at the same time? I used to go to a boot camp style class and it was the only thing that really kept me motivated. Until I moved and now I'm a little scared to start over. But I remember thinking that it would be great if the outdoor classes could have included dogs too! That way I wouldn't have to feel so guilty about leaving my 4-legged friend at home. And since no one around here offers it, I figured that I could get this up and running myself! Why not, right?


Of course, this type of class would do enormous things for teaching your dog some good obedience skills too, not to mention the incredible bonding that would happen between you and your partner dog. Sprinting while practicing recalls. Getting an amazing Stay out of your dog while you do some jumping jacks. Doing some agility, literally with your dog, leash walking skills attained while sprinting, jogging, lunging - all those paces that your dog would need to learn to cater to... Talk about a well mannered and FIT dog! 


I would love to get a list together of people who might be interested in joining this type of class. 
Please message me via facebook: facebook.com/missbehavior
 or email: Info@missbehaviortraining.com
Otherwise, stay tuned as I work out all the details!

Control Issues...

I think that a lot of dog trainers have one similar trait within their personality, even if most won't admit it. Some need to control. It's not a bad thing, nor is it always a good thing. It needs an appropriate outlet. Psychologically speaking, it may have come from lack of being able to control something else in their life, either presently or in the past. Then of course, you get the trainers who want to control with force and confrontation or you get the trainers who want to control in more of a matter-of-fact, this is just the way things are done kind of way. Without this trait of control, how would one have started experimenting with dog behavior, with the need to change the way the dog acts. There, of course, has to be a balance sought out here. Yes, I want to control my dog's behavior but I'm not going to change who they are, or what their personality is. For that reason, I need to take the time to try to teach the human side of the equation how to accept their dog for who he is, work with him rather than against him, and learn to parent him and advocate for him. 


Now here is where the controlling side of my personality clashing with the job. When I can't PUSH training on people. I know just how important training is, not only to create an obedient dog, but also to create a positive relationship with your dog. I can't march down the aisles of Walmart and slap everyone buying Beneful dog food upside the head. But don't think I'm not tempted! I can't preach to everyone, pushing a second manners class on them because I know the likelihood of success for the dog and person who takes that second class, over the person who just takes one to say they did. I am well aware of the financial constraints people have and of the time constraints. I know that people get their dogs for companionship, sometimes on a whim, sometimes mismatched, but the fact is that most people love their dogs and mismatched or not, they can't imagine their life without them. Realistically, I would love to insist that everyone consults a qualified trainer and behavior consultant but that's just not going to happen. Human nature is what it is. I want to control people so that they all get the help they need before it's too late. Most people want to wait until the last possible second to get help, because they have hope that everything will work itself out on its own. And I can understand that. Truly. 


Just remember that I, along with most other qualified trainers, have spent a lot of time and money in this field of learning about and studying dog behavior. It's not something that the average person is expected to know. Like doctors, teachers, veterinarians, mechanics, construction workers, we trainers study the things that the average person doesn't have time or the interest to study. 


No, I can't push classes on people. And I certainly can't push private training on people. But I can recommend that you seek help at the first sign of the problem. Ask for help! Don't wait until it's too late. Prevention goes a very long way.


Maybe that was my passive-aggressive control tactic, yes?

Life is rough at Miss Behavior's house...

Introducing Rally-O

What is Rally-O? It's rally Obedience and it's a great dog sport that requires the dog and handler team to move through stations of signs with obedience skills (typically 10-20). The team of dog and handler moves continuously at a brisk, but normal, pace with the dog under control at the handler's left side. 


Here's how it works:

You and your dog will enter the ring and follow a course of numbered signs.

Each sign indicates a different obedience skill for your dog to perform.

You move at your own pace, completing each skill before moving on to the next one.

Though your dog has to be under your control, a perfect "heel position" is not required.

Rally is a fluid, continuous performance.

Once started, you move from one exercise to the next without being directed by the judge.

He just tags along to watch for mistakes.

His stopwatch is running, but the time is only taken into consideration if there's a tie in scores.

There are currently about 50 different exercises in the sport.

The judge will choose 10-20 exercises and build a course using the signs designating the selected exercises.

All exhibitors will receive a course map from the judge.

They're allowed to walk the course without their dogs prior to the start of the class.

Each owner/dog team starts out with the same number of points.

The judge deducts points for such errors as missed or incompletely performed stations, touching the dog, and leash corrections.

The team with the highest score (i.e., fewest number of faults) wins first place. The next highest score takes second place, and so forth.

(http://www.lovable-golden-retriever.com/rally-obedience.html)

In my opinion, this sport really fosters good teamwork between the handler-dog and it also encourages listening skills, manners, bonding, and confidence building. You can go all out and get competitive or you can do it just for fun


I'm thinking about starting my own version of Rally-O this spring, not so much for competition (just like when I teach agility) but rather for the experience of teaching your dog some good skills in a game-like fashion. 

Interested?? Please contact me so I can add you to the mailing list!
Info@MissBehaviorTraining.com
www.Facebook.com/missbehavior

My day at AHC

It was a very long but good day at Animal Health Center. We had everything from a husky who was a challenge to get out of her cage, to a spunky lab who struggled to sit still for an eye staining, to a oh-so-sweet beagle who was full of kisses and love. Throw in a few cats with respiratory infections, a couple of neuters, a dental, and many others in between and it made for a full day

And on top of that, with the end of the day came Stella with all her pent-up energy and amazingly beautiful good looks

It's a full house!

Teaming up with the Vet

Once a week, I've been shadowing Dr Allard at Animal Health Center in Rochester and I LOVE it! I thought it would be a good idea to get a little perspective of "the other side" so I'm in my 3rd week and learning a lot. Not only that, but I've had good opportunity to offer some of my expertise for clients who come in and have dog or cat behavior problems, so it has really been a win-win!


Last week, there was even a surprise visit from one of my favorite labs, Delaney. What a nice way to end the day, with a familiar wagging tail!

I'm off and will report what I learn later tonight!

Did you know Miss Behavior has goats?

I adopted these guys in June of 2010 so they are about 10 months old now and have visited numerous nursing homes and really caused a lot of smiles. There really is no therapy like goat therapy!

Have you met Erica?

Erica is my foster dog who is going to be impossible for me to rehome because she is just SO perfect and has fit in so well in my house!

Here are some videos for you to enjoy!

And another:

Oh and one more:

Miss Behavior as a dog

So I got to thinking the other day... I'm not really sure how the thought popped into my head. I think I was wondering why some people are so impatient (specifically my fiancé at that moment!) and I imagined him as a dog. Ha! Only a trainer, right? I won't go as far as to tell you what kind of dog personality he would have but then of course I got to thinking about how I might measure up as a dog. Here's what I came up with:


I would always want to learn something new but I might get bored quickly so I would need constant reintroduction of challenges, fun new tricks, sports, food, and toys. 
My frustration tolerance and patience would be pretty high, I would be a little hesitant to approach strangers but I would never be one to want to cause any sort of confrontation (Flight before fight when necessary). I would offer all the necessary calming signals until I made you my friend. 
I might not be the most obedient one in the bunch, as I like to do things my own way but positive reinforcement would be the way to go with me. I would shut down or lose trust in you if you used any aversive methods with me. I would always seek out my person's approval.
I would love my cuddle time but only once I know you well. I would not be the type to want to be hugged by strangers. I would love to meet new dogs but probably wouldn't be one to get along with EVERY dog. However, I think I would learn to tolerate them from a distance. 
I wouldn't be the most active breed in the bunch but new and exciting things would motivate me over the same old thing. I would be very aware of my environment and surrounding, as well as the moods of my fellow dogs and people.
 If you were sad, I would probably lay my head in your lap  and give you the puppy dog eyes until you got up and did something about it, thus taking your mind off the sadness moving in a positive direction. 
I wouldn't be much of a barker but I would probably vocalize my happy emotions as necessary




So there it is. I would love to know what others think they might be like!


-Miss B

Blogging with Miss Behavior

I was never one to be able to keep up with a journal in my younger years but with technology where it is, I thought I would give this blogging thing a shot. I often get asked a lot of dog training questions that are certainly worth sharing with more than just one person so that's my goal for this blog: to create a more personal way to share my knowledge and insights with those who choose to listen to them!

I can't promise updates on a regular basis but I will certainly post when I can.

Stay tuned and enjoy my insights, rants, and answers to dog-related questions!

-Miss B