Post 3 - Raising the Ideal K9 Partner and Perfect Companion

Playing Catch-Up, the Last 5 Days With Nick

In this post I will focus on catching up on the last 5+ days or so of living with Carmspack Nick, what I have recognized and, if time permits, how I will work with him based on what I have experienced thus far. I may have to go into more detail for the pet people reading this blog so that they can better understand why I do what I do and the manner in which I do it

I have to say that this has to be the easiest puppy I have worked with yet. He is still clean in his crate, still handler-focussed, still neutral to strangers and, for the most part, quiet but BOLD. He is displaying some key traits that will likely develop into something that is ideal for his intended future career. Not sure what more I could ask for at this point... I can only hope that this does not put off the pet people who are reading this blog and looking for guidance in dealing with a difficult puppy, because he is not a good example of a difficult puppy at all.

Let's get this rolling along so I can get back to Nick. It is pouring rain outside, thunder, lightning so I would like to get back out there before the chaos ends.

Day 1 left me with the impression that Nick was perfect, or close to it. Well, as it turns out, he is a bit ahead of me in training and offering things I did not expect and I misread him a number of times. Remember when I mentioned the key points regarding house training and that, if you have the puppy loose in the house you must watch him 100%?

Well, I broke my own rule... in fact, it was an epic failure on my part. While playing on my iPhone, I attempted to keep an eye on Nick as he wandered about the place, from dining room to living room to breakfast nook (where there are sliding doors which we have exited from once already for a bathroom break). To make this long story short, Nick indicated that he wanted out, which was subtle but, due to my distraction, it was overlooked. In frustration, he bounded away from the door onto the (porcelain tile) floor of the living room where he deposited what remained of his tripe breakfast. No problem, easy to clean up, after I ran Nick to the door and took him outside where he completed his mission and was praised and played with as a reward for a job well done.

NO, YOU DO NOT TAKE THE PUPPY TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME AND RUB THEIR FACE IN IT!!! Just as you would not take the diaper off of an infant and punish them rubbing it in their face and acting aggressively toward them. This instance was completely my fault and, if anyone should learn anything from this, it is me. Nick even indicated to me what was about to go down (literally) and I chose to ignore it. I was over it as quick as it happened. The key to getting over this is to look at the scenario as a "training opportunity missed" as opposed to an act of disobedience or disrespect. Look at what you could change, be it management, or the process related to training and CHANGE IT!!! Don't repeat what is not working, it will not change anything and don't allow your emotions get the best of you. This goes for every aspect of your relationship with your dog.

Nick, and the Big, Wide-Open World

Bringing a puppy to a wide-open space can be somewhat
daunting. This large expanse of grass (sod farm field)
can create a feeling of vulnerability which can be
an unnerving experience, even for myself

Our first off-property venture would be to a fantastic tracking location that I had come across some time ago. It is nicely out of the way, quiet without the threat of too much traffic. Mr. Jon Ryan, good friend, track-layer and (sometimes) decoy would accompany us on our outing. The photos provide somewhat of an idea of how open and uniform this surface was. While Jon laid tracks at the far end of the field for his dogs, while Nick and I ventured into the field. Now, understanding that dogs can sometimes be sensitive to the vulnerability of being in such a wide open space, you would assume that I would walk right out to the middle and essentially flood the puppy with the surroundings. No... not yet, at least not with the limited time we have spent together (although in hind site I believe Nick would not have been affected). We have had only one day together at this point, so I opted to venture approximately 40' into the open area leaving the tree line and roadway at my back and left, to create somewhat of a feeling of containment. Nick was unaffected... like a stone. His interest was directed at the occasional blowing leaf, which he would venture off to look at, but always return to my side... but this is where it gets interesting...

This photo gives you an idea of the openness of this vast sea of
smooth sod. It's a surreal experience to stand or sit out in something so
uniform that stretches so far. Note the  look of calm in Nicks expression.

Nick left my side to interact with a leaf blowing
in the perfect sea of green but returned calmly
once the item was investigated.

During my last post I provided a detailed account of  Nick setting up post at the foot of my chair while I worked at my computer. This, I assumed, was a product of attraction to the cat combined with my presence, but this would prove to be incorrect based on what happened next. 

Upon returning from across the field after laying a track, Jon's form could be made out roughly. As he drew closer to our location, naturally, he appeared to be growing in size as he approached. At about 60 yards away, Nick became aware of this movement and monitored his progress towards us until he was approximately 10-15 yards away, at which time Nick stood, moved forward from our spot, placing himself between both Jon and I (See photo below). At approximately 15-20' away Jon

stopped and stood staring at Nick and I in a relaxed manner. There was only a small pause as he stood assessing Jon and then advanced on him, paying a bit of disrespect (for lack of a better term) by jumping and bopping Jon in the groin area and engaging him briefly then returning to me after. No growling,  shrieking, hackling, barking and carrying on. No more than a small "woof" under his breath when Jon was approaching, never backing up. Perfect. 

I deal with  many adolescent and adult dogs (mostly show line GSD's) that could not handle this situation very well and would require many repetitions of being exposed to this type of scenario to create desensitization... some never will become desensitized. The key words in this concept that needs to be understood are "create desensitization", meaning that the dogs perception would be altered through multiple repetitions or variations of the scenario until they (in this instance) no longer perceive a threat or offer an alternate response. Starting with something that responds naturally in a desirable fashion as Nick did is the best place to start, a great foundation to build on. You would never attempt to build a quality home on a shoddy foundation with the intentions of going back at a later date to try to repair or replace the foundation... that would be twice as much work and the potential for failure is great. Instead, start with something ideal and build on it. So far, Nicks responses are ideal for my purposes.

Jon's return from track laying prompted Nick to advance
towards him.. Jon is just out of the frame about 20-30 yards
away at this point.

 At home, Nick has started to blossom into a much bolder puppy. He is beginning to engage me in play, mouthing/biting/tearing my clothes, playing tug, venturing into new areas and developing some patterns of behaviour that work well for him to deal with the stimulation that day-to-day events bring. He still does not enjoy entering the crate and he has to be loaded in, however, his resistance is lessening and he does not seem affected by it in any way. He has been on multiple truck rides in his crate without sign of stress (drooling, frantic behaviour, etc.). Random retrieval exercises result in him bringing back thrown objects on a fairly consistent basis however I do not put pressure on the situation opting to do random retrieval exercises. I have, on multiple occasions, been walking through our yard with Nick at heel and drop an object (in an obvious manner) where he sees it drop. He falls out of heel to retrieve the object and catch up again the majority of the time, however, at this point in time, if the object is difficult to pick up and carry he may opt to run to the object and run back to me without picking up. This is very good so far.

The Development of Nick's Natural Motivation to Search

Nick has developed a very strong attachment to me in a short period of time. Although it was early, I decided that it was time to manipulate this attachment and use it to motivate Nick to search/track.

Nicks natural inclination is to stay with his handler (me). To see me leave without the ability to follow me should create some anxiety,  especially when I am walking away from him and eventually, out of sight while Nick is being restrained by a complete stranger. This is exactly how our first search exercises are normally carried out. I generally work in long grass or brush for this exercise so that I can remain hidden while Nick is released and he searches for me. The initial searches may only be 10' long, however, we allow the puppy to work through the situation without us interrupting him, and without assistance from anyone. We allow the puppy to work through the scenario and realize that the use of his nose is the quickest way to locate what he wants. There is no food used or other enticements.

Our first searches were completed at the sod farm, specifically in the rough areas that make up the perimeter of the farm. My friend and assistant Jon restrained the puppy and, once I was hidden, released him. The anxiety created by my departure caused Nick to squirm, wiggle and, by time he was released, completely forget where my entry point into the long grass was. He circled around and hunted back and forth until eventually, his nose went up, he snorted and drove forward into the long grass to my exact position. We would play this out again at my home with my daughter as my assistant (see video).

At first, we perform this exercise as a free search, meaning, it is done off lead but eventually we attached a line to a collar and have him track. The video at right is a demonstration of how we do our initial free searches. There are some subtle handling techniques that you will hear me teaching my daughter in this video which help to intensify the puppy for the search. She does it very well for her age. He persistently works until he finds me, which is important. He does not simply "hang out" with the individual who was holding him in hopes that she will point me out, he takes initiative and begins searching. You will notice that he starts off to the right hand side. This is where our first search took place 3 minutes before. Knowing that he had success in this area before, I am not surprised that he would revisit this area. WE DO NOT STEER HIM AT ALL OR DIRECT HIM!!!... this would only make the puppy dependant on the handler for direction during future searches. There will be time for directed searches later.

This is a key component for any search/detection/police service dog, a natural inclination to search, with intensity and endless motivation. Great!

The Time Spent Between Working Sessions

Socks make fantastic retrieval items. Instead
of creating conflict with your puppy by
taking the socks away, grab a second pair
and do a retrieval exercise!

So, aside from all of the accomplishments, what do Nick and I do with the remainder of the time? Well, a good portion of his day is spent kennelled but let out frequently for bathroom breaks, walks, riding in the truck, basic tasks around our property (including exposure to machinery noise from tractors, mowers, weed whippers and chainsaws) and, due to my business being located on my property, I have a number of different clients that I interact with on a daily basis. Nick is exposed to these interactions as well. This provides a great variety of people experience without leaving the property, which is a great place to start with a new puppy. We also have Nick loose with us in the house on occasion. House training is coming along very well after my initial mishap where I lost focus. We did have one unfortunate incident however. My wife was monitoring Nick when he went to the back door and squatted. She went to rush to get him outside and stubbed her toe on one of our breakfast nook stools. What was supposed to be a stubbed toe ended up being a trip to the E.R. to have 4 stitches to close a wound. It appears her baby toe was bent back so far during the "stubbing" that it tore the flesh at the base of the toe... not pleasant. Puppy raising suddenly had an element of danger added.

Just a note to those who are interested. I have added house training to the list of to-do's due to the fact that there are a number of agencies (mostly in the U.S.) where the police K9's live in the home with the K9 officer's family. I feel that this is an important skill to have and makes the dog that much easier to place.

A Word or Two About Socialization

Socialization. I hear a great deal of discussion surrounding this topic where the term itself is tossed about like candy at a Santa Claus parade, but nobody really explains the manner in which this should be carried out in the first place. It's used as an excuse for an animals behaviour (eg. "He acts aggressively towards other dogs because he was not well socialized") or as part of a blanket statement that provides an all-encompassing explanation ("socialization is important for dogs"). Many problems arise due to errors in carrying out this process, but what's the solution to a socialization issue... or, better yet, where is the prevention? Where is the guide to properly socializing your dog? The answer to these questions lies in your final goal. I will provide my goal for you and indicate how I intend to work towards it.

Goal: A service dog is intended to work with a handler, to perform tasks with great motivation and intensity while still keeping its composure. The presence of dogs and other animals should be met with neutrality, acknowledgement is acceptable, but returning to work after acknowledgement is made is what is most desirable. Better yet is a dog that is so obsessed with its work that it is oblivious to the usual distractions. The satisfaction and reward in this dogs life should come from engaging in the work itself, simply because the dog enjoys it so much.

To achieve this, it is important to teach tasks separate from the introduction to new experiences. 

Process: I will teach Nick to search for an object or person (as illustrated in the video above) in an open area, free of other animals or objects. This would be worked at slowly, over time, increasing the difficulty and area that must be searched. Search sessions would be light, fun and random. As Nick begins to show a strong motivation to perform this task, the task becomes increasingly more difficult, but in the same, simple environment.

Aside from the task of searching (completely separate) Nick will be prepared with experiences that dull him to specific stimulus. For example, the presence of other dogs (see video below) is something I would like to "dull" him to right from the start. Eventually, the task of searching would be carried out in varying environments and then, I would introduce the presence of other dogs while searching, bringing together the task and experience. 

To encourage the neutral response to dogs, I utilize mature dogs that I have raised to set the mood for this experience. Initially, the first time that Nick met our personal dogs, he was "on fire", barking at the constant movement of each of them. I would make a point of isolating him when this nonsense would start by stepping quickly away from him the moment it started, leaving him without the comfort of my immediate presence... not desirable from his point of view and a no-conflict way of putting a break in this behaviour. 

Over a short period of time, once over the initial exposure to 3 large dogs, Nick would steal a quick sniff or attempt to make contact with the rear quarters of each dog as it would pass. During this process, I make a solid effort not to stand still for too long. Being the puppies main lifeline, he is quite sensitive to my movements/position and, by making myself somewhat unpredictable by moving, he is preoccupied with focussing on me, taking the focus off of the other dogs that are also moving about. This "buys time" and, during this time, he is exposed to the presence of other dogs in a scenario where nothing negative happens and he has an opportunity to work with me.

I do not encourage the dogs to play together but do not discourage it either. I try to keep the stimulation low so that the adult dogs do not engage each other in games of chase while Nick is present (this is also why, when I raise more than one puppy at a time, I do not give them opportunity to play together, except through the fence between their outdoor runs). This would only drive up the stimulation that could set the puppy off. Instead I reward the mature dogs for focus and response toward me. This often takes the mature dogs focus off of the puppy, allowing the puppy to sneak a quick sniff or two. If the puppy becomes too obnoxious I allow the adults to "school him" with regards to what is appropriate, which often reduces the intensity of the puppy in this situation. On the rare occasion I will interrupt the puppy if I feel he is becoming too obnoxious or intense however I prefer not to be involved to the point where I could create a conflict with the pup.

I hope that the video might illustrate some of these points a bit better, although this is the second interaction so Nick is more familiar with the scenario making my movement less necessary because he has calmed considerably to the presence of the other dogs. At this point I try to keep things light and flowing along. Notice the large shepherd that I am tossing the Kong with? That is Carmspack Badger, our pet. He was initially raised for service but we opted to keep him after the passing of our beloved Bouvier/Rottweiler mix Xena. His neutrality to dogs is unbelievable and perfect for just such an exercise. Those who have interacted with him or whose dogs have interacted with him understand what I am talking about. Cool with strangers, driven, hard as nails... almost perfect, except that he is a bull in a china shop of sorts which the puppy (Nick) learns when he get under foot.

I was, at this point, going to provide (in great detail) why I do not use the dog park to socialize my dogs, however, I will save that for another post.

Aside from the dog experience mentioned above, Nick had an opportunity to attend a function held at our facility. A local training facility (Dogs On Campus, owned by Cindy Boht) held an agility fun match using our fields, for those clients looking to prepare for competition. There were many quick-moving, active dogs at this event, providing a great deal of motion for Nick to take in. A great experience for a young puppy. All dogs were on leash or contained so there was no direct interaction. A perfect opportunity to be around activity but without reactive dogs. Many people were present as well, which made for a more well-rounded experience.

I think that is it for now. Next post covers our first on-line track and a few new experiences.

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