How to Teach a Pug to Fetch

Now our mom is aware of her limitations, and she is not much of a dog trainer to be sure.  I guess you would call her and dad a bit.....permissive.   She does like to teach us some tricks though.   Now Weasley liked to chase toys but was dead set against bringing them back, here is how mom taught him to fetch.  (Yes many dogs fetch naturally, but not all of them).

Supplies Needed:

One energetic pug and one ball

One  bag treats and one clicker 

 Step 1: Present the ball to the pug and when the pug looks at the ball click and treat.

Step 2 Place the ball on the ground and click and treat when the pug looks at it, approaches it, and finally touches it.  Very gradually increase the difficulty requiring the pug to touch or mouth the ball before you click and treat.  You can also start to roll the ball at this point.  Remember work slowly and ensure success for your pug.

Step 4 Once your pug is consistently running towards the ball and touching it.  You are ready to throw the ball.   Click and treat when your pug runs to the ball and touches it.  At this point they don't have to bring the ball back.

Step 5 As soon as your pug starts putting their mouth on the ball and picking it up click and treat big time, with a jack put ( a couple of little treats).  Before long your pug will be chasing the  ball and returning it to you.   Fetch!

See the video below to see Weasley fetching away in our back lot.

Monday Mischief Managed-Weasley and The Plastic Bag Vs. Mom

The mischief maker: Weasley, who always knows when his Mom and Dad have treats on hand.

The mischief: Plastic Bag thievery 

The weapons:  Power Patties Tripe Treats treats and sealed containers to stash them in.

The Plan:  Stash the treat containers stashed around the house

give Weasley the drop it command and reward him with a tripe treat taken from one of the secret (to Weasley) locations and do this about twenty times a day.

The Results: A pug who will drop a plastic bag on command!

Mischief Managed!

Monday Mischief-Graduation!

Weasley here:  On Sunday I passed a big puppy mile stone.   I graduated from Basic Obedience at It's Your Dog in Sussex, NJ.

For the past three months every Sunday I  have been making the hour and half trip there and back first to attend puppy pre-school play group and then Basic Obedience and finally today was the big day!   I got my diploma (and they even gave me a big bone biscuit!).

I got lots of claps and cheers, mom and dad where both so proud of me.  After graduation they took me shopping at the doggie boutique next store Maxwell and Molly's Closet.

 


I got a pair of yellow duck PJs and a squeaky bulldog toy.

Thanks to class I can  now lay down patiently while Mom takes my photo (provided she remembers my treat.)

 

This bulldog toy is awesome!

Dad got something too on the way home we stopped at a farm stand and bought a Peach and Blueberry Pie a reward for all those long drives he made and how patient he was waiting for me and mom to finish classes.

Mom hung my Diploma on the refrigerator:

It was a busy day and by early evening I was all ready for bed time in my new jammies.

Monday Mischief-Recall

Weasley here:  I'm still working on this basic training thing.   On Saturday we all took a long walk and them mom and dad had some tasty looking human breakfast that they did not share with me, the meanies.  Then mom and dad took me to the dog park and it was empty so we practiced some re-call.  I like this game I run back and forth and get a treat!

"So, I'm here, wheres my treat."

At training class on Sunday we practiced leave it and I did such an awesome job that mom and dad bought me this new toy.

He is small and cute just like me and I love him.  The most amazing toy ever!

Mom plans to use the toy to teach me leave it! (Fat chance I'm leaving my ducky) but don't tell her.  She is already planning to order back ups on amazon.

Oh and mom wants to post the French Toast recipe so in exchange for the promise of more Kong Mini Squeakers I am going to let her.

Plain and Simple French Toast

1 loaf Challah bread sliced (about 8 slices)

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup heavy cream

Whisk the eggs and the cream together and pour it into a baking pan.  Lie the  bread slices in the mixture and soak for about 90 seconds, turn and soak again.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt in 2 tbsp of butter.  Add the challah bread and cook about 2 minutes per side until nicely browned.  Transfer to the oven to keep warm, add another 2 tbsp of butter and cook the remaining french toast.  Serve with Maple Syrup (mom likes Grade B).

Monday Mischief-Growing Up!

Weasley here.   Mom can't believe that just a few months ago I looked like this, a tiny baby.....

Now I am a big mature, young man pug!

Of course mom still thinks I'm a baby.  She is wrong though because I have gotten too big for puppy play group, now I'm ready for Basic Training: Obedience 101!   I go to training at Its Your Dog in Sussex County, its almost an hour and a half from our house, but they offer a puppy play group and Basic 101 class combo that mom wanted.....and Sunday was the first day of 101.

To get confident I followed my Pal Sid's advice on Confidence Shirts.  Mine are from Cafe Press, they use American Apparel t-shirts and they can put saying on your shirt.  They have a million pre-made shirts with sayings from movies and books that mom goes nuts for.   So to get my confidence up I put one of my new shirts on Sunday morning:

See, confident!

In case anyone's interested this is what my shirt says:

It is a reference to a silly character Freddie Threepwood from some stories written by one of mom's favorite author's PG Wodehouse the shirt is pretty cool, but I was dissapointed to learn that there are no actual Donaldson's Dog Joy Biscuits.

Mom made a special obedience class morning breakfast, Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (of course she really made the pancakes for herself and Dad) but I got a taste which sort of made up for the Donaldson's Dog Joy Dissapointment.

Lemon Cream Cheese Blueberry Pancakes from  Food 52 

Serves 6

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

2 eggs, seperated

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

6 ounces cream cheese cut in small pieces

1 table spoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

zest of one large lemon 

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk. Add cream cheese and mix until cream cheese has separated into uniformly small lumps, about the size of large cottage cheese curds. Stir in melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.
   
2. Add dry ingredients to wet, then stir to combine. Whisk two egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold gently into batter.
   
3. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan over medium high heat, until a drop of water sizzles. Lower heat to medium; butter or oil pan. Drop batter into pan by 1/3 cupfuls. Once the batter has spread, drop in the berries. You might want to drizzle some batter to cover them. These need to be cooked a bit longer than you might expect; they won't bubble as quickly or as much as plain pancakes. Turn down the heat if necessary, to keep them from over browning, and let them puff up to their full extent after you turn them, which will take 2-3 minutes. Serve maple syrup.
   
   (Keep pancakes warm by placing a plate over a pot of simmering water and place the pancakes on the plate as you cook batches, this keeps them warm but prevents them from drying out as they would in the oven).
   
   
   
   
   After pancakes we got in the car to drive to class.  Unfortunately I had to take off my confidence shirt as mom thought shirts in class might not be the best idea, maybe she didn't want the other dogs to be distracted by my awesomeness.  I was excited when we got to class and already to get going.
   
   
   

   

   Basic 101 Here I come!

   
   

 I was the youngest dog in class by about 6 months and I was the only one for whom it was the first class.  So I studiously watched the other older dogs perform the exercises first:

I can do that, no problem!

The class was mostly on leash walking and I  totally nailed it.  After all the point of walking is obviously to get to all the exciting things as quickly as possible.   Mom seems to think I didn't do quite perfect and was saying some things about the need for more practice at home, and sighing a bit as she tripped over my lead.   The trainer lady fitted me for a front fitting harness.  I think this was because I am so super cool that the lady just wanted to get me a new cooler grown up dog harness instead of my old baby one, but mom says it is to stop me pulling.

Any way class was a blast and I managed to eat about 7 good size freeze dried tripe treats.  I can't wait until next Sunday!

Puppy Class-What To Look For?

Most informed dog parents these days know that the critical canine socialization period occurs before the age of three months.  For new puppy owners that means two things: 1) The breeder or rescue group responsible you got your puppy from needs to have started the socialization process and 2) you need to keep the process going and find a good puppy class ASAP.


Weasley started his puppy pre-k class last Sunday at Its Your Dog on Sunday. Even though the facility is nearly an hour and a half from our home in Jersey City I love the trainers' philosophy so much that its totally worth it to me to make the trip.  Of course I can only speak for myself but here are three things I looked for in a puppy class:


1) A 100% Totally Positive Trainer-  The benefits of positive training methods over correction based techniques are so overwhelming that there is absolutely no reason to go to a trainer who doesn't use them 100% of the time.   If you want to build a loving relationship with your puppy, and who doesn't, positive training is clearly the way to go.   All of the research into animal training, including the training and education of humans, indicates that positive training is far more effective then negative or fear based techniques.  Personally, my all time favorite dog trainer is Patricia McConnel I highly recommend all of her books and her blog

 2) A Trainer You Like and Who Makes You and Your Dog Feel Good:  Considering that anyone who understands positive training methods work for dogs should know that they also work for the humans responsible for the dogs, I've seen a suprising number of positive training afficianados in person and in the media who are darn right negative, nasty, and punitive when it comes to dog owners.   Yes, the dogs behavior is the owners responsibility and some people make stupid mistakes in regards to their dogs, but praise rather then criticism is the method dog trainers should employ when dealing with both species.  I once took an introductory Rally-O class with Bob at a facility that shall remain nameless.   Despite it being an introductory class the trainer seemed to think that I should know all of the Rally-O signals and signs ahead of time (she was from the dog show world as where most of the attendees).  The trainer made me fool so foolish and flustered as she again and again called out my mistakes, while asking me to move from technique to technique before we had mastered the foundation, that I nearly left the class in tears.   I'm sure I over-reacted but Bob and I decided we most definitely did not need that class and I never went back, and wound up out 100 dollars.  We took another fun class at a different faciltiy and had a lovely time.  




3) A Puppy Class that Emphasizes the "Soft Skills" A Dog Needs to Be A Good Pet- For sure basic obedience is important, we all want dogs who sit, stay, come, leave it, etc. and definitely young dogs can learn those skills.   However, far more important for a family pet, is a dog that enjoys meeting new people and other dogs (or at least tolerates it well), plays nicely, has good bite inhibition, tolerates being touched all over, and does not mind being grabbed.   A good puppy class should work on those skills  and assign MORE importance to them then sit, stay, leave it, etc.   


One thing I love about Weasley's puppy class is that it is 99% playing with other dogs.   The trainers supervise and group the dogs by weight and size.   Periodically, the owners and the trainers, step in to grab the dogs and reward them after being grabbed.  A technique called "gotcha" by the trainers.  After being grabbed and rewarded with a tasty treat the puppy goes back to playing so they learn that being caught by the owner is a good thing and not the end of the fun.   


Periodically , puppies wait at the side lines while another group plays.  This is a great time to work on skills like "look at me".   I practice calling Weasley's name and reward him when ever he glances away from the action to take a look at mom.   


Weasley will continue in his puppy class until he is 5 months old and then will transfer to basic obedience where he will begin working on sit, stay, lie down, etc.  We have already started on some of those skills at home so hopefully it will be a breeze!


Below very blurry pictures of Weasley's first class!

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie-Wherever you (and they) want. A Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop Post

This is probably the  best picture I  have ever taken of any of my dogs.  It was taken about 6 years ago when we all lived in a Manhattan apartment.  Tubby was 4, Norbert, 3 and Ping 2. No grey hairs, as much as I love my old guys, I do miss those days. It was pre-Bob and pre-Dr. Zira so they are not featured.  It is also a fitting segue-way to my post

Every night in our house is a four dog night, it would be a five dog night but Zira chooses to sleep on the floor, and that is not counting the three feline visitors who regularly stroll across the pillows.  When I meet non-dog people they often ask me with a mix or horror and salacious glee, "they don't sleep in the with you bed do they?"  Whether or not it is harmful for pets, particularly dogs,  to sleep in the bed has long been a topic of debate.  Many pet guardians admit to allowing their pets in the bed in embarassed and guilty tones.  However, there is really no reason for this.  Allowing your pet in the bed is a matter of personal preference and not a determining factor in whether or  not you are a good pet parent.


One reason for owners shame over admitting to allowing their dogs in their bed stems from the training angle, and most particularly from what Patricia McConnell would call the "dominance myth."  This is the outmoded idea that dogs spend every waking moment of their lives trying to stage a coup in the home and establish themselves as the leader over their owners.  According to this theory if your dog gets on the bed or other furniture they are trying to establish themselves   as "dominant" over you.  The real reason a dog, or cat, lies on the furniture, is the same reason we do: Its comfy!


  Certainly some dogs may demonstrate resource guarding and growl or even bite humans or other dogs who try to move them from a cozy spot.   This is definitely a behavior problem, but the solution isn't to establish dominance over the dog.  It is to teach the dog a good solid off cue.  The most effective way to do it, as with anything in dog training, is through positive reinforcement.   Armed with a clicker and some bits of chicken anyone can teach a dog a firm off command in a few days time.   Many people also train their dogs to wait for permission to get on furniture and beds.  I  have not done that myself.  However, even with four dogs in the bed and five dogs on the couch, I  have never had any real problems.  When Bob began to display some resource guarding behaviors around the furniture towards his canine siblings, I worked on his off command and also rewarded him for sharing the couch with the other dogs.  Once I had changed his mindset, through attention and food rewards, that sharing the couch and bed with other dogs was a really good thing,  his resource guarding tendencies pretty much disappeared.  I still keep a careful eye on his behavior though, and we regularly review the off command.


The other argument for not allowing  your pet in the bed is the health and hygiene one.  Last year a report published by the University of California at Davis listed medical risks associated with sharing your bed with your pet including: bubonic plague, cat scratch fever, and fleas.  Upon examination of the report though it is pretty clear that many of the risks where caused by poor decision making on the part of the pet owner or happened because the human in the equation was an immune compromised individual.  Obviously a dog or cat who is not well groomed can contract fleas or other pests and pass them on to the owner, whether or not they share the owners bed.  The other obvious response to the hygiene and health argument is that any contact with living things carries the risk of disease transmission.  Think of all of the horrible diseases we catch from other human beings.  Aside from sealing yourself inside a hermetically sealed plastic bubble there really is no way to avoid germs. 


Of course if you don't want your pet in the bed with you that's fine too!  Just make sure you get them something comfy of their own to sleep on like one of these great beds from In The Company of Dogs.  


On a non-related topic please keep Dr. Zira 









in your thoughts.  She went to the vet to have a check up on her eye issue and they found a strange area of irritation on her leg that had to be biopsied.  Hopefully it is nothing.

Bibliophile Bob-A Hounds Book Review Post

The hounds are excited to introduce a new feature to our blog, book reviews.  Our mom loves to read, so book reviews are a natural choice.   We've decided to include non-fiction and fiction choices, so long as animals are featured in the book.  Our first book choice is Dog Sense by English animal behaviorist, John Bradshaw.  Below is Bob checking out his work:

 Mom took the book out of the library (got to support those libraries since our grand dad was the director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library until he retired).  Overall mom is glad she didn't buy the book because a lot of the information in it was things she already new from other books she has read and from John Bradshaw's interview in bark magazine.  Still mom liked the book and would give it a 3 and a half paw rating, out of four.

Things I (mom) liked about the book:

1.) Bradshaw points out that wolves and dog's are very different.  I have never liked the dog is a wolf theory, and pretty much all modern research into dog behavior discounts it.   Bradshaw points out that though dog's DNA is similar to wolves, they are still drastically different.  First, he provides evidence that supports that DNA does not regulate behavior.  Then he argues that dogs have been in existence for approximately 15,000 years, so they have had all that time to become very different from wolves.   Finally, he points out that our original assumptions of wolf behavior are very faulty because they are based on observations of wolves in zoos and those wolves are in an abnormal environment and thus don't behave like typical wolves in the wild.   Rather then looking to wolves for clues about dog behavior, Bradshaw suggests we look to the behavior of feral village dogs in India.  These dogs live much like dogs might have lived in early human times.   They exist in a loose pack structure, but there is no definite "alpha" dog and they don't hunt together.

2.) Since he discounts the wolf theory he is very anti the dominance/alpha theory of dog behavior.   I love this because I am not a fan of dominance/alpha theory at all, lots of abuse has been dumped on dogs for many years due to the "alpha" theory.  In Bradshaw's opinion dogs are not constantly trying to dominate humans, or each other, and  if we act like they are they fail to really understand and bond with our dogs. 

3.) He is against physical punishment.   At our house we definitely prefer the carrot to the stick approach, in my opinion positive reinforcement is how dogs, people, cats, everyone learns.  Bradshaw recommends positive reinforcement and also withdraw of attention as an aversive for a dog who misbehaves.   So if a dog is jumping up on you and you don't like it, turn away from the dog and ignore them rather then physically punish the dog.  Then when the dog is behaving again (four fleet on the floor) lavish them with the attention they crave.

4.) He wants people to lighten up their expectations on dogs.  Bradshaw points out that we humans expect a LOT of our dogs.  We want them to behave in public at all times, to be quiet, to wait for us patiently while we are gone, to repress frustration and anxiety, etc.   Bradshaw has particularly good advice about how to train a dog to adjust to being left alone that might help dogs with separation anxiety.

5.) He's English-What can I say, I am an unrepentant anglophile so anyone from that country automatically gets points.

What I didn't like:

1.) Much of what has been said in the book has been said before and though Bradshaw does add some new things to the conversation, a lot of it felt like a rehashing of other books I've read.

Here is a link to a you tube video of Bradshaw discussing dog behavior