Before You Bring Your New Cairn Home: Understanding the Basics

A drag lead is strongly recommended for at least the first two weeks your new dog is in your home, and maybe longer, to prevent any potential trouble and give you easy control whenever it is needed.  A drag lead is simply a short lead (maybe 4 or 5 feet long) that is attached to your dog’s harness at all times.

Why Leadership is Important

Before you bring a new dog home, it's important that you understand that your new dog must accept you as the leader - in all things - in order for there to be peace and harmony in the home.  First and foremost, you must be Alpha in your new dog’s eyes, i.e., the All-Powerful Leader and Provider of All Good Things.  Being Alpha does not mean you must be domineering or that your dog is supposed to think you're a dog!  It is ludicrous to even suggest that!  Being Alpha simply means your dog sees you and respects you as the Leader, the entity who controls all of the things of value: food, toys, furnishings, doors – everything! 

The messages you put out the first few days are vital to your ultimate success with your new dog.  Think ahead about how you are going to introduce the new dog to your home, your family, and your routines.  If you can visualize exactly how you will do things, every act will flow much more naturally when you have your new dog in your arms or at the other end of the leash. 

If your dog feels secure that you know what you’re doing, you will have harmony in the home.  To be a good, effective leader, you must provide clear communication to your dog in every situation, so it is entirely up to you - the human - to see the world through their eyes and think like a dog, not the other way around.

The Magic of a Drag Lead

It is always best to Start at the Beginning!  For the first two weeks minimum, you should have a drag lead attached to your New Cairn’s harness, inside your home and outside, in a securely fenced area.

A drag lead is simply a short lead (maybe 4 or 5 feet long) that is attached to your dog’s harness at all times.  Simple, yet it can seem almost magical because it communicates to your dog that you are the leader.  The first time you calmly step on a drag lead to gain control over a situation, your new dog will “get” the message.

Eliminating a drag lead too soon can lead to real problems.  A shorter drag lead - maybe a foot in length - is extremely helpful long-term to consistently remind a smart Alpha Cairn that you are truly in charge, without interfering with their freedom to run and play in the yard.

If there is a problem, the drag lead allows you to take control of the situation without putting your Cairn in a position where it feels the need to defend itself.  Remember, you are a Leader, not an adversary!  If you reach for your new Cairn under a piece of furniture, you are invading their space and may rightly invite a defensive growl (or other defensive behavior), but if you calmly step on the lead and maneuver it toward you so you can pick it up in a non-threatening manner, you are in a much better position to coax the dog out of it’s “safe” spot, redirect the dog’s energies, and restore the leadership balance.

A drag lead gives you power (Alpha) and a measure of control, and it helps you avoid situations where you ask for a behavior but have no way to ensure that you can make it happen without asking a 2^nd time (which you should never do!).  “Come!” is a great example.  In the beginning, it is really best to calmly step on the lead, pick it up, and then say, “Come!” where you can easily reel the dog in, ready to give a nice treat as soon as the action has been achieved.

How much you need to use the drag lead will vary from dog to dog, depending on their level of fear or sense of entitlement (i.e., they think they should be Alpha!), but you will be well served, no matter what, if you attach a drag lead for at least two weeks – and maybe longer. 

In the following video, these young Cairns are on short drag leads and you can easily see that they have no problem running and playing.  What you don't see is that, at the end of play, the male Cairn would always come back in the home when called, even if he did not have the drag lead, but the little Alpha female would come only when wearing the drag lead.  She would simply play "keep away" without that little drag lead because she absolutely knew the difference in the ability of the human to control her actions, and it took a solid two-plus years of consistency to get to the point where she would reliably come when called without the lead.

More to Think About from the Whole Dog Journal Blog:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/Newly-adopted-dog-Dont-take-the-leash-off-anytime-soon-20984-1.html?ET=wholedogjournal:e183316:811252a:&st=email&s=p_totw091515&t=tl2

Hand Feeding Your Cairn!

Greer fka CP Raelynn is delighted to be hand-fed when she stops at the local pet shop, but did you know that hand feeding at home for the first few weeks or months can make all the difference in the world as far as establishing your leadership role and gaining the absolute trust of your new Rescued Cairn?

Editor’s Note:  I hand feed treats throughout the day, as recommended below.  All treats come directly from my hand – Never from the floor!  I prefer to hold the dog in my lap at regular meal times however, have them sit patiently looking at the bowl in my hand, then say “OK!” when I let them start to eat.  This way I have one hand on the dog at all times and the other hand holding the treasured food bowl.  It is an excellent way to bond and establish trust.  When the meal is done and I set the bowl down, I always bring my free hand to the dog’s face and gently stroke (or groom!) for a few seconds, then continue to sit for a few moments, allowing the dog to relax fully.

By Michele Ryan – Rowdy Rover Blog

Work To Earn = Better Focus!

I wish the dog trainer I had in 1991 told me to hand feed my two pups!  Since 1991, I have been hand feeding my pups and dogs, for trust, bonding, training cues, and if they needed a “check in”.  As a trainer, I always tell my pet parents to hand feed their pups for a while, or their teen/adult dogs if need be!  Below are the reasons why it’s such a great idea!

Hand Feeding: The foundation to a good working relationship.

Hand feeding isn’t the answer to all behavioral problems, but it is a way to take a dog that has trust issues and turn them around.  So whether your dog has a specific phobia or is shy around people, hand feeding is the first step to changing those behaviors.  For people that are training to do competition dog sports, hand feeding is the way to get the dog to bond to you to the point that they never take their eyes off of you.  For people that just want an all-around great pet, hand feeding is one of the steps I recommend.  It’s for any dog, any owner that wants a special bond with their dog.

In order to make training fun and enjoyable, it must be rewarding.  If your dog doesn’t care one way or the other about treats, doesn’t like to play with toys and won’t bother to walk across the room for an ear scratch, how are you going to reward him?  If he sees no reason to work for what he gets because it’s always available, gets it on demand, or is easily stolen, changing his meals to scheduled feedings and teaching him to work to earn can help repair a rocky relationship.

Why hand feed?

If you do this for the first 6 months of a dog’s life, you will have a dog that is more bonded to you than you have ever had before.  Training will be extremely easy with those dogs.  It’s just getting people to actually do it.  Most people say they just don’t have time.  But it doesn’t take much more time than putting food in a bowl for the dog.  This is also a great way to work your training cues while hand feeding.  Remember the “Nothing in life is free” rule!  It’s easy to have a well mannered dog, you just need to put the time and commitment into him or her! 

Hand feeding teaching the dog to focus on you!  You control the food, the goodies, the treats.  And you are making them work for it, even better yet!   This makes for a non demanding dog, or a request barker later.

If your dog is pushy, bossy, or rude, hard to motivate, disinterested, or has its own agenda, (or even if it isn’t) hand feeding will improve your relationship with your dog.

Hand Feeding:

• Teaches your dog that all good things come from your hands

• Teaches your dog to have manners around food

• Teaches your dog to drop everything and come when called

• Slows down a fast eater

Hand feeding is an important element in Caruso's training routines

So how do you do this?

Find a spot on the floor, this can be where your pup or dog eats now, or better yet, for socialization, you can feed him in different areas of the house.  Put the dog food in his bowl.  Hand out the kibble here and there without asking the dog to do anything.  If the dog naturally comes to you, immediately give the dog some of it’s kibble.  If they are sitting there staring at you, give them a few pieces.

Make sure NOT to reward bad behavior.  If you give a dog kibble that is jumping up, barking, pawing at you, or misbehaving, then you reward that bad behavior, and you don’t want that. I ask that the dog is standing or sitting patiently, acting calm before I hand feed them.

Once the dog has the routine down, start asking the dog to do things for the food.  Sit, watch me, down, shake, spin, and so on.  Great time to work in your training skills you learned in class!  So in the end, they are working for every kibble they eat.  Remember the “Nothing in life is free” rule: Dogs want a leader, and they want a job.  By hand feeding like this, you accomplish both.

It doesn’t have to be just one person in the house that is feeding the dog as long as the food is pre measured so you don’t over or under feed the dog.  Kids do really well with this.  And you wouldn’t believe the bonding and understanding that kids and dogs have when they have hand fed.  This will also help with the recall.  A dog that is hand fed will almost always come to your hand if you put it out.  You just better not try to trick them too many times by not having food in it or they get wise to this trick!

Have you ever seen the dogs that never take their eyes off their owners?  Hand feeding is the way to accomplish that.

Yes, hand feeding can be a pain.  And yes, you have to be committed to doing it for months to make it work.  But once the routine is established, then it becomes much easier.

And you will have a much better dog because of it.

Now that is worth it to work the work to earn rule!

Read the original Blog Post here:

http://train-pawsitive.com/work-to-earn-better-focus/

Follow the Leader!

Who does your dog see as the Leader in your pack?

"…From the dog's perspective, only someone they respect has the right to control, direct or inhibit another dog's behavior..."    Suzanne Clothier

Leadership Basics

A simple guide to regaining your dog's respect in pleasant, non-confrontational ways.

There are three basic aspects to leadership: 

-  Control of or Undisputed Access to Resources

-  Proactive Intervention

-  Ability to Control, Direct or Inhibit the Behavior of Others 

Behaving like a leader means that you must demonstrate 'to the dog's satisfaction!' that your behavior is that of a higher status animal.  Each dog will have different criteria for what constitutes adequate leadership skills on your part.  And his expectations may change considerably as he grows and matures, requiring that you also make shifts in your approach. 

Directing, Controlling & Inhibiting Behavior 

From the dog's perspective, only someone they respect has the right to control, direct or inhibit another dog's behavior.  Turned around the other way, this means that if you can't control, direct or inhibit your dog's behavior (especially at critical or highly exciting times), your dog is making it quite clear that he does not consider you higher status, in other words, he doesn't respect you, a clear sign that your leadership is inadequate for that dog (though it may be quite adequate for another dog with a different personality). 

Your dog will grant you precisely the respect you have earned.  No more, no less.  And he will adjust that constantly.  If you begin to act in sloppy ways, he'll downgrade the respect.  Clean up your act, and he'll respond accordingly.  You are not voted leader for life in the world of dogs, you earn the dog's respect daily.  The more intelligent, confident and ambitious the dog, the more likely he is to quickly notice tiny shifts in your behavior on any given day, and to test you and the rules regularly.  This is why when changes occur in our lives, which result in changes in our behavior (as simple as being rushed for time to moving, changing jobs, or other bigger life shifts) prompt new behavior from the dog - he's testing to see what the changes mean for him. 

Basic training is important to help the dog understand that you can control and direct his behavior, something you will also be teaching him through your resource control actions.  But you must earn the respect and the right to control the dog's behavior.  If you do not have control of the dog in non-stressful times - like meals or playing ball or even walking (pulling?) down the street - I guarantee you he's not going to listen to you when something he thinks important happens (like a cat dashing across your path or a jogger going by or another dog appearing on the street, the person at the door, etc.).

Practice self-control with your dog frequently, as well as basic obedience in every place you can think of, and with you in every possible position.  Act like a leader, earn the respect! 

Proactive Intervention

Good leaders are watchful, protective and quick to act to defend.  When you are with your dog, really be with him, and watching his responses to the world around him.  Plan ahead how you will handle situations you know may be troublesome.  Be someone he can rely on no matter what.  If it helps, think of him as a guest at a party or family gathering who is unsure of what may be the polite or appropriate thing to say or do.  If you were helping such a guest, how would you do this?  By paying close attention, anticipating situations where help may be needed, and avoiding those situations that he couldn't handle. 

How do you know if your leadership is adequate for any given dog? 

If you can control or have access to ANY resource without the dog challenging your right to it AND the dog allows you to control, direct or inhibit his behavior in highly exciting or critical moments (quiet times with just you and the dog do NOT count;  Controlling the dog when a cat dashes past or someone knocks on the door or when guests comes DO count) AND your dog trusts that you will step in if necessary to protect him from other dogs or people, and is willing to defer to you on these occasions.

If there are weak points in any of these areas, you may need to make some changes in your leadership style.  One easy, non-confrontationnal way to gain your dog's respect is through resource control. 

Regaining Resource Control 

What Matters To Your Dog? 

Make a written list of the top 5-10 resources for your dog.  This may be food, treats, toys, attention, play, special resting places, walks, car rides, etc. - Hopefully you are on the list!  Don't waste your time or the dog's by trying to control resources that don't mean much to the dog. 

What Can You Ask From Your Dog? 

Make a list of EVERY behavior your dog knows - whether formal commands or tricks.  From this list, you will draw your 'request' of one or more behaviors which must be completed promptly, on one quiet command, and executed exactly before you will provide the resource.  For access to any resource, insist that your dog 'give' you something before you provide the resource.

A sit or down is a basic starting point;  However, as the dog's skills allow, make the dog work harder.  Put 2 or 3 behaviors together; Do not be predictable!  Too many folks stay with a simple sit or down, never progressing to much more demanding requests as the dog's skills allow.  Remember how your mom got all excited when you were finally able to write your name?  Well, it's good to remember that these days folks take that for granted and expect much more from you.  Asking a truly intelligent dog to merely sit is like asking Bill Gates for $100 - it's not exactly requiring him to give something meaningful.

Making the request meaningful relative to the dog's skills will sharpen him up - he must really concentrate and pay attention to you.  Ask for any and all skills the dog has, and all the tricks he knows, and mix them up in an unexpected order. 

The goal is the dog's complete attentive cooperation, not a habituated response that requires no thought from the dog. 

No Grading on the Curve.  Set your baseline for acceptable responses and hold tight.  If you want the dog to sit within 2 seconds, then accept NO responses that are slower.  Being consistent is an important part of leadership.  Smart dogs will push you hard to see if you'll accept less or slower responses - that's what got you both into this situation in the first place! 

Consistency Counts!  Be relentless.  Your dog views you as his leader 24 hours a day.  He cannot and will not understand your annoying boss, your in-law problems or your IRS woes as the reasons for your inconsistency.  He believes what you say - every time! 

Too Bad!  If the dog offers a wrong or slow response, you can repeat the command, try again, or even gently remind/help him, you can offer verbal praise and encouragement BUT do not provide the desired resource till he gets it absolutely right.  If the dog blows you off, quietly turn away and make the resource unavailable.  This may mean putting the food bowl in the refrigerator and walking away for a few minutes before nicely asking again.  It may mean walking away from the door you would have opened if the dog had played by the rules.  It may mean ending the game of fetch.  Try again in a few minutes to see if the dog is more willing to cooperate, but be sure YOU are the one who chooses to start again, not the dog pushing you to it.

Stay Cool.  No need to be harsh, angry or confrontational.  Simply draw a direct line from the dog's behavior to the consequence.  If you do this, this happens.  For example, you ask the dog to lie down before throwing his ball, and he refuses.  Oh well - game is over;  You pocket the ball and walk away for a bit (maybe just 5-15 seconds; maybe much longer; all depends on the situation and the dog's behavior).  Take home message for the dog: If you do not cooperate, I don't play. 

Earn Your Oscar!  When necessary, be dramatic in your responses - acting shocked or deeply disappointed with the wrong response from the dog, sweetly encouraging if he's almost right, and dramatic in your withdrawal should he really blow it.  Often, handlers offer such "mushy" information that the dog has a hard time telling the difference between what's right and what's wrong.  Harsh or angry is not necessary; but clearly delighted or disappointed can help the dog figure things out.

Educate The Dog!  The more your dog knows, the more ways he has to cooperate with you.  Polish up his current skills, and keep adding new ones;  more and more tricks, for example, gives your dog more ways to be right and earn what he wants.  Training is communication, and communication is critical to healthy relationships.  Besides, it's just plain fun!

"Copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Clothier. Used by permission of Suzanne Clothier. All rights reserved. For more information about Suzanne please visit SuzanneClothier.com"

Read More Training Tips from Suzanne Clothier:

http://suzanneclothier.com/articles

Tips to Hone Your Alpha Leadership Skills

Maury, Wicket, and Cindel clearly know who controls the resources!

"…From the dog's perspective, only someone they respect has the right to control, direct or inhibit another dog's behavior..."   — Suzanne Clothier

Leadership Basics

A simple guide to regaining your dog's respect in pleasant, non-confrontational ways.

There are three basic aspects to leadership: 

• Control of or undisputed access to resources
• Proactive intervention
• Ability to control, direct or inhibit the behavior of others

Behaving like a leader means that you must demonstrate to the dog's satisfaction(!) that your behavior is that of a higher status animal. Each dog will have different criteria for what constitutes adequate leadership skills on your part. And his expectations may change considerably as he grows and matures, requiring that you also make shifts in your approach. 

Directing, controlling & inhibiting behavior 

From the dog's perspective, only someone they respect has the right to control, direct or inhibit another dog's behavior. Turned around the other way, this means that if you can't control, direct or inhibit your dog's behavior (especially at critical or highly exciting times), your dog is making it quite clear that he does not consider you higher status; in other words, he doesn't respect you, a clear sign that your leadership is inadequate for that dog (though it may be quite adequate for another dog with a different personality). 

Your dog will grant you precisely the respect you have earned. No more, no less. And he will adjust that constantly. If you begin to act in sloppy ways, he'll downgrade the respect. Clean up your act, and he'll respond accordingly. You are not voted leader for life in the world of dogs, you earn the dog's respect daily. The more intelligent, confident and ambitious the dog, the more likely he is to quickly notice tiny shifts in your behavior on any given day, and to test you and the rules regularly. This is why when changes occur in our lives, which result in changes in our behavior (as simple as being rushed for time to moving, changing jobs, or other bigger life shifts) prompt new behavior from the dog - he's testing to see what the changes mean for him. 

Basic training is important to help the dog understand that you can control and direct his behavior, something you will also be teaching him through your resource control actions. But you must earn the respect and the right to control the dog's behavior. If you do not have control of the dog in non-stressful times — like meals or playing ball or even walking (pulling?) down the street — I guarantee you he's not going to listen to you when something he thinks important happens (like a cat dashing across your path or a jogger going by or another dog appearing on the street, the person at the door, etc.).

Practice self-control with your dog frequently, as well as basic obedience in every place you can think of, and with you in every possible position. Act like a leader, earn the respect! 

Proactive intervention

Good leaders are watchful, protective and quick to act to defend. When you are with your dog, really be with him, and watching his responses to the world around him. Plan ahead how you will handle situations you know may be troublesome. Be someone he can rely on no matter what.  If it helps, think of him as a guest at a party or family gathering who is unsure of what may be the polite or appropriate thing to say or do. If you were helping such a guest, how would you do this? By paying close attention, anticipating situations where help may be needed, and avoiding those situations that he couldn't handle. 

How do you know if your leadership is adequate for any given dog? 

If you can control or have access to ANY resource without the dog challenging your right to it AND the dog allows you to control, direct or inhibit his behavior in highly exciting or critical moments (quiet times with just you and the dog do NOT count;  Controlling the dog when a cat dashes past or someone knocks on the door or when guests comes DO count) AND your dog trusts that you will step in if necessary to protect him from other dogs or people, and is willing to defer to you on these occasions.

If there are weak points in any of these areas, you may need to make some changes in your leadership style.  One easy, non-confrontational way to gain your dog's respect is through resource control. 

Regaining Resource Control

What matters to your dog? 

Make a written list of the top 5-10 resources for your dog. This may be food, treats, toys, attention, play, special resting places, walks, car rides, etc. (Hopefully you are on the list!)  Don't waste your time or the dog's by trying to control resources that don't mean much to the dog. 

What can you ask from your dog? 

Make a list of EVERY behavior your dog knows — whether formal commands or tricks. From this list, you will draw your "request" of one or more behaviors which must be completed promptly, on one quiet command, and executed exactly before you will provide the resource. For access to any resource, insist that your dog "give" you something before you provide the resource.

A sit or down is a basic starting point. However, as the dog's skills allow, make the dog work harder. Put two or three behaviors together; do not be predictable! Too many folks stay with a simple sit or down, never progressing to much more demanding requests as the dog's skills allow.  Remember how your mom got all excited when you were finally able to write your name? Well, it's good to remember that these days folks take that for granted and expect much more from you. Asking a truly intelligent dog to merely sit is like asking Bill Gates for $100 — it's not exactly requiring him to give something meaningful.

Making the request meaningful relative to the dog's skills will sharpen him up — he must really concentrate and pay attention to you. Ask for any and all skills the dog has, and all the tricks he knows, and mix them up in an unexpected order. 

The goal is the dog's complete attentive cooperation, not a habituated response that requires no thought from the dog. 

No grading on the curve. Set your baseline for acceptable responses and hold tight. If you want the dog to sit within two seconds, then accept NO responses that are slower. Being consistent is an important part of leadership. Smart dogs will push you hard to see if you'll accept less or slower responses — that's what got you both into this situation in the first place! 

Consistency counts! Be relentless. Your dog views you as his leader 24 hours a day. He cannot and will not understand your annoying boss, your in-law problems or your IRS woes as the reasons for your inconsistency. He believes what you say — every time! 

Too bad! If the dog offers a wrong or slow response, you can repeat the command, try again, or even gently remind/help him. You can offer verbal praise and encouragement BUT do not provide the desired resource until he gets it absolutely right. If the dog blows you off, quietly turn away and make the resource unavailable. This may mean putting the food bowl in the refrigerator and walking away for a few minutes before nicely asking again. It may mean walking away from the door you would have opened if the dog had played by the rules. It may mean ending the game of fetch. Try again in a few minutes to see if the dog is more willing to cooperate, but be sure YOU are the one who chooses to start again, not the dog pushing you to it.

Stay cool. No need to be harsh, angry or confrontational. Simply draw a direct line from the dog's behavior to the consequence. If you do this, this happens. For example, you ask the dog to lie down before throwing his ball, and he refuses. Oh well — game is over; you pocket the ball and walk away for a bit (maybe just 5-15 seconds, maybe much longer; all depends on the situation and the dog's behavior). Take-home message for the dog: if you do not cooperate, I don't play. 

Earn your Oscar! When necessary, be dramatic in your responses: acting shocked or deeply disappointed with the wrong response from the dog, sweetly encouraging if he's almost right, and dramatic in your withdrawal should he really blow it. Often, handlers offer such "mushy" information that the dog has a hard time telling the difference between what's right and what's wrong. Harsh or angry is not necessary; but clearly delighted or disappointed can help the dog figure things out.

Educate the dog! The more your dog knows, the more ways he has to cooperate with you. Polish up his current skills, and keep adding new ones. More and more tricks, for example, give your dog more ways to be right and earn what he wants. Training is communication, and communication is critical to healthy relationships. Besides, it's just plain fun!

"Copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Clothier. Used by permission of Suzanne Clothier. All rights reserved. For more information about Suzanne please visit SuzanneClothier.com"

Read more training tips from Suzanne Clothier:

http://suzanneclothier.com/articles