(photo taken from Fresh Air Training LLC, who conducts the BARK and SNARK and GROWL [formerly, BARK and SNARK] classes for dog reactive and dog aggressive dogs)BARK and SNARK Class
In February 2005, Rain and I went to the Dobe-O-Rama. Rain was showing signs of being afraid of dogs that came at her face on, we had in fact been attacked on 5 separate unprovoked occasions when Rain was working in cape or rigid handle mobility harness, on leash, by a total of 6 dogs (one was a German shepherd service dog on leash being protective of its owner or very dog reactive, one a rottie on a flexi lead in PetSmart, we were double teamed by a rottie and doberman running off leash in the city park not under owners control more than a block away from her dogs, a golden retriever and finally a Pitt bull who were both running loose with their owners no where to be seen in separate incidents). There were lots of things to buy, seminars to attend and well behaved dobies were all over the place. It would be a fun outing amidst a great many dogs for both Rain and I.
Before the seminar about dog reactive and dog aggressive dogs we were seated by the training ring and the sponsoring group had different doggie games they were playing. Rain went out in the training ring by herself to pick a bone from the bone box and brought it happily back to me, seated outside the training ring. There were so many dobies in attendance, more than I had been around at one time since I had trained and shown my first dobe in obedience and had hung out with other dobie owners. Dobes all around the training ring and in the adjoining room, pretty tight quarters for all and not one altercation.
I explained to one of the members involved in putting on the event that Rain had never played with a big dog, that she has little dogs at home whom she dearly loves and the woman said that her dog Sterling was a great dog for Rain to go in the training ring with. Sterling was a huge 5 year old blue dobe rescue. I turned Rain loose and she ran and spun and enjoyed herself. Then she approached Sterling and put her front end down in a play bow and gave a little woof then spun, sprinting away trying to get him to play chase. Sterling just stood there and looked at her, but she kept trying. Rain was having a blast trying to get that big dog to play with her.
We attended a seminar by a trainer who had a class for dog reactive dogs and dog aggressive dogs. I was very interested in the seminar as I hoped to gain information about dog aggressive and dog reactive dogs so that I could better protect Rain from them if I could learn what to watch for from those types of dogs. It was a very educational seminar and it only piqued my interest in learning more about those kinds of dogs as well as making sure Rain wouldn't become dog reactive.
After the seminar I talked with the speaker/trainer about Rain and what Rain had experienced. The trainer gave me new insight of those "attacks" by strange dogs. Rain looked different than any dog those dogs had probably seen - she was wearing something on her back which made her look different. In the case of the rigid handled mobility harness it might be perceived by a strange dog that Rain was "looking aggressive" as the handle (3" above her back) looked like the hump of Rain's shoulders. In the case of the capes it was just something they hadn't seen before and were reacting to it's strangeness. I signed us up for her next Bark and Snark Class.
Bark and Snark class began 2/23/05. It was held in the gymnasium of the local humane society. There were originally 5 dogs (2 Pitt bulls, a small terrier, a border collie who was taking the class for the second time and dobie Rain) in the class and 3 trainers. For the first several times in class we only had voice control over our dogs as we did not hold a leash but they were each restrained by a cable and "snap-back" safely spaced along the 4 walls of the gym. Later we would be taking our dogs off the cable, putting our leashes on them walking them around the gym doing various exercises with the other dogs and eventually turning our dogs loose with the other dogs loose in the gym and under our voice control.
That first class began and the other 2 instructors had not met Rain and I, they asked me after watching Rain and seeing how well behaved and gentle she was, why Rain was even in the class. I explained what had happened to Rain, being jumped on several times while working in cape, and wanted to learn all that I could as well as Rain learn what to do when confronted by dog aggressive or dog reactive dogs and to help teach Rain that I was there to protect her.
1st Class homework: "NAME GAME" and"Gottach"
2nd Class homer work: open bar/closed bar.
3rd Class homework: back out.
There were 8 classes, Rain and I attended all.
In the class was a little terrier, "Poppy the Terrible". When the time came to let the dogs off leash Rain was teamed with Poppy. Poppy reacted to Rain and per the protocol her parents immediately left the area out of sight. Poppy went to the door her parents had exited thru when Rain came up to see what she was doing. Poppy immediately wheeled around and charged Rain who was about 5-6 feet behind her. It was pretty funny, Poppy was doing her most vicious "Poppy the Terrible" act and Rain just sat back on her haunches looking down at that snarking little dog as if to say "is that all the better you can do?" When Rain didn't react to Poppy at all Poppy went back to the door where her parents had gone. Rain stood up and went about investigating the rest of the room.
Eventually nearly the entire class was off leash in the gym. One, Jack the Pitt bull, had to remain on leash as he had a "hair trigger". Happy and wagging one moment and in the blink of an eye would go off with teeth bared, snapping and roaring. As I was the only disabled handler there one of the trainers would take Rain out in the center of the gym, turn her loose and keep track of her while I was seated in a far corner of the room watching. Rain would lope around visiting with the people and their dogs and come back to check on me and I would send her out again. Jack and his owner walked by Rain at one point and Jack went off at Rain, straining at his leash, snapping his jaws in his muzzle and roaring at her. Rain stopped in her tracks and then got "real big" and roared back in Jack's face and then continued her good natured lope around the room visiting. When Rain told Jack off he actually stopped in his tracks and closed his mouth. From that time on whenever Jack was near Rain he literally turned his face away from her, totally avoiding looking at her. That was the one and only reaction Rain had to any of the dogs in the class.
We worked off leash on long recalls with food lying in the center of their paths. We worked on having our dogs focus on us as we and they moved in, out and around the dogs in the class off leash, with the exception of Jack.
On graduation night there were a lot of visitors seated around the perimeter of the room and we did off leash obedience like long recalls with all the dogs at the same time. Rain loped around the room greeting all the humans, she had a kiss for each one of them. Jack did not graduate and the trainer recommended that he attend at least 16 more weeks of intensive training to possibly reach the point of being off leash in the gym. Jack was a scary dog.
Both Rain and I learned a lot from this Bark and Snark Class. We learned about ourselves and we learned to trust each other even more. Our partnership bond was growing even stronger.
Later Rain and I went to an off leash park with the Bark and Snark trainer, our first and yet probably last time as the off leash parks are not disability accessible. I now use a wheelchair instead of the rollator walker I used that day in 2005.
Rain had a great time! She ran and played. A young couple arrived with their mini Eskimo dog and their 2 year old son. Their little dog went off playing with other dogs in the off leash park and Rain began to play with the little boy. Rain play bowed and woofed softly enticing him to a long game of "catch the doggie" and he was up for it. He laughed and giggled as he ran after Rain who would stop and wait for him to get near then run off, whirling and darting past him daring him to tag her. He wasn't quick enough to ever tag Rain. They played until they were both exhausted and collapsed on the ground...the little boy still giggling and Rain panting heavily with a twinkle in her eye. It was amazing to watch this big baby dog playing with this little baby man - never once touching him nor bumping into him...I am sure that came from Rain living and playing with little dogs and the need to temper her strength and enthusiasm with them.
New Tasks/Commands
Since Rain's SDIT Training Journal was written I have stopped using the rollator walker and now use an electric wheelchair. Rain is learning how to work along side the wheelchair, her body placement with regard to the wheelchair and honing her retrieving skills.
January 2006
Task/Command: wheelchair placement ("SnapBack" on chair and Rain's collar)
# of times per day: 1
Approx time per task: 30 minutes
Total time per week: 0 to 2 as weather permits
Rating/Comment: VERY GOOD/goal is to wean Rain from the "SnapBack" affixed to the wheelchair, working on loose leash and or off leash in proper position.
April 2006
Task/Command: wheelchair placement
Rating/Comment: EXCELLENT/Rain is no longer wearing a "SnapBack" and is working on loose leash or off leash in proper position: turning, speeding up and slowing down and stopping with the wheelchair.
November 2006 Task/Command: LOAD UP (in new Grand Caravan minivan thru rear entry) Rating/Comment: EXCELLENT/Rain easily will load up - sent up the rear ramp to her seat in the front of the vehicle.
(photo of CallaLily, 6# 8 year old chihuahua, Service Dog, she has gone from working in the house with no public access rights to being a fully certified Service Dog, retrieving one of the ceramic dog food dishes, photo taken December 2005. Cally will retrieve anything she can get her teeth on and either drag it or carry it to me. She also taught Rain how to retrieve and is Rain's competition if Rain hesitates on a retrieve. Cal works as a Service Dog primarily in the house as it gives Rain a break while home. With Cally's work at home Rain then only needs to help me with bigger things. Cal has been a house service dog since 2000 and became certified in 2006.)Classes
September 2007
I love the dog training center where I've been taking Whisp for Agility classes and decided to take Rain thru Novice Obedience for a second time ... just for the fun of it. Rain had completed Novice Obedience back in 2004 when she had begun to learn how to work in a mobility harness. Things have changed since then and Rain has been working along side my electric wheelchair. I thought that it would be fun for the two of us to take Novice again with my newer mode of mobility. I hadn't realized how much I missed formal classes until Whisp began her Agility. It is wonderful quality training/bonding time spent with each of them.
22 Sept was our first class and it was HUGE!! Two large St Bernards were the biggest dogs in the class down to small lab size. I have never been in a class this many dogs and it was a blast! Rain also had a lot of fun. Her eyes sparkled and her joy showed in her face.
This block of lessons are for 10 to be used within 6 months which allows people to come and go from the classes, as they see fit, making the classes very fluid as far as attendance. We missed class last Saturday as I needed to attend CERT (Citizen Emergency Response Training) thru my city's emergency preparedness. I am looking forward to going to class this Saturday.
TIPS
My mobility Service Dog Rain and my Service Dog Cally, who primarily works in the house, were trained using a clicker as well as positive reinforcement. I really like clicker training.
No matter what type of training method one uses (except abusive or cruel ones which I abhor) remember that training should be FUN for you and your dog. If you are tired, worried, tense, angry...don't train until you can have fun. If your dog is frustrating you go back and do some things that your dog knows well and end on a positive note so your dog will continue to look forward to training.
Some times it seems like training is going really well, the dog is grasping everything you try and then one day the dog acts as if you are speaking a foreign language or suddenly went deaf. This is a plateau and it is normal. I look at it as the dog's mind/memory is now downloading and storing the training information, or awaiting a visit from the "brain faeries", and it might take a day or two but then your dog will be right back up to speed as if there never was a problem. When this happens we take a day or two off from our training and go on a field trip or just do something fun for the two of us.
Sometimes when trying to train a new task and the dog doesn't seem to understand, step back and take a look at the separate steps that comprise the task. It might just be as simple as changing the word to a familiar one to teach the task then changing to the word(s) you ultimately want to use. Rain had trouble with the "door pads" the words I was using for the electronic touch plates, I backed up to having her "touch" the pads (CDs taped to the walls), then I had her "Touch Pads", then I had her "Touch Door Pads", then I had her "Door Pads" now all I have to say is "Door". She was doing the same task but I was building to the words I wanted to end up using, the transition was very easy for her.
OR it might be that the dog understands the words but not in the context you are using them. Rain knows the words "Rise Up" for putting her feet on a check out counter (she doesn't counter surf at home, thank heavens) but when it came time to teach her to turn on/off a light switch she couldn't figure out how to "Rise Up" on a vertical flat surface as she had only done it on raised horizontal surfaces. I lifted her front feet up on the wall, pushing the pad of one paw on the wall light switch while saying "Rise Up Lights". I only had to do this twice before "the light bulb went on" in her head and her faced smiled. When I then gave her the command to "Rise Up Lights" she immediately put her feet up on the wall and flipped the switch. Now all I have to say is "lights" and she turns it on/off, which ever is needed.
