Tag-Team Vole Wars

Watching Cala the Doberman and Zipper the Min Pin is always amusing. They're sort of Mutt and Jeff. Cala is black and sleek, tough, impatient, and very driven. She's the one you hear screaming and yodeling at the building while we train. Zipper is my first little dog. He's a bossy little burnished copper dynamo.

Saturday I took Cala, Zipper, and Viva, the matriarch, to a local farm where they can run. And hunt voles.

Before I got Zipper, we never hunted voles. We just ran. But Zipper, aspiring earthdog, loves to find and hunt vole burrows. And there are hundreds and hundreds of them. Once Cala realized there was something alive down there she was all about that. So they've worked out a deal.

Zipper finds a hot burrow and starts to dig, but his little feet aren't very powerful. So he calls Cala over, and she begins the major excavations (generally accompanied by screaming and ripping big chunks of dirt out with her teeth). As soon as she's got some depth, the 10# dog tells the 65# dog to get the hell out of his way, and he upends himself in the hole, feet waving, trying to get the prey. Said prey has usually had plenty of time to go lower during all the screaming and barking and digging. So they don't actually score that often. But it sure is entertaining to watch.

--Robin

It's All About The Dog

I don't train my dogs. I develop a relationship. This relationship is always evolving. All along the way, I ask myself..."am I being fair?"..."am I being clear"..."am I enhancing the bond between me and my dog?"

I come from a horse background and, as you know, it's impossible to physically force a horse to do much. Acquiring my first Tervuren in 1985, it soon became apparent that dogs were "trained" differently than horses, and it made me wonder why. In the ensuing years, I have had the great fortune to be heavily influenced by cutting-edge, progressive dog trainers...Sylvia Bishop, Brian McGovern, AnneMarie Silverton, and now Marilyn Donlon. Some of my more valuable insights are:

You get what you give. Want a special connection with your dog, then you must be the first to give it. Consistently and continually. If you were to observe me with Trip, it would be easy to see that I am in love with him. When we work together, I give him all of my attention and ignore everyone else. To him, I smile, talk, touch and am completely available to him. As a result, he adores me. The feeling is mutual.

I am committed to being the best partner that I can be. I practice my responsibilities (heeling, turns, signals) without my dogs, so that my cues to them are clean, crisp and consistent. I don't my make dogs pick up the slack when we compete. I want to be worthy of their partnership.

I am empathetic to Trip. While he has never refused, never stopped trying to figure out the game, I try to reduce the times I make him guess. Dogs are linear thinkers and I teach in a straight line...from one task to another...from one position to another. If Trip doesn't give me the right response, I look at MY delivery style. It's always me screwing up.

In the beginning, I think that when Trip does something right, it is just that he is a good guesser. His response is a result of using everything I've already taught him and then he offers it to me. I can either make the reinforcement that his guess was perfect, close or not what I want. My next actions are dictated accordingly.

I want my dog to be right most of the time. If Trip is wrong, you'll likely not hear me say anything. When Trip gets it right, you'll hear the verbal and very often physical reinforcement. He loves it and, as a result, will always keep trying.

I am his leader. Despite what you may think, Trip does not get to vote. I am in charge, and am benevolent with him. As you've heard me say, a dog will be in charge...they are awful at it, but in your absence, your dog has no choice. Be a worthy leader by being consistent and fair.

I respect my dog for being a dog. Regardless of what I think, Trip was not born wanting to be a Best in Show and High in Trial dog. Given the choice, he may have wanted to chase squirrels all day. Despite his remarkable work ethic and style doing what I want him to do, I remember to let him be a dog. He gets to sniff, run with abandon and just be a dog. He did not volunteer for his role; I drafted him.

I keep my eye on Trip. I observe his subtle body signals, his eyes, the messages he sends me with his ear position. He is an easy dog to read...or maybe I'm just practiced after all of these years. When he is interested in something, I share his interest..."what is in that hole, Trippy??" I've asked him more than once. "Want to jump in that water, fella? Okay, let's go." I want to share his world with him...just as he shares my world with me.

I work with my dogs because they open up a magical world for me and together we embark on a wonderful journey. Each dog has resulted in a different journey. In the ring, sometimes our performances are awful...sometimes they are stellar. All of them combined are part of the fabric of life we are weaving. I lost my ego a long, long time ago. I reach for competitive dog obedience goals because I relish the partnership. Be clear about your goals and why you have set them.

I keep my toolbox full. After teaching dogs for so many years, my toolbox is pretty full, but I continue to seek the guidance of trainers for whom I have great respect. Every time I work with my instructor, I learn something new and am so excited about the possibilities! I now know that there are dozens of ways to apply my theory and get remarkable results. I also realize that technical prowess is diminished without the emotional skills of compassion, empathy, communication and resulting depth of a relationship.

I have learned that Trip will forgive me for my mistakes. However, I often wrestle with forgiving myself. I'm trying to get better at that...and strive to not repeat my mistakes.

Enjoy the Journey,
Andrea Meinhart

Robin's Three Commandments of Dog Training

If you're a dog person, training discussions are endless. Training methods vary wildly, so much so that people have come to blows over training methods. Even within CCSC we have different training philosophies. And we encourage that, because some trainers work better for some dogs than others.

As for me, I really think there are three, and only three, things all trainers *must* do to effectively train their dogs. If you have these three elements, you will be able to go as far as you want in training. Do these things right and your dog will want to learn, want to please, and actively seek to help you train him. Do them wrong and you're headed down the road to frustration and maybe even danger.

Commandment 1. Thou Shalt Be A Benevolent Leader
If you want a dog who wants to work with you, then you have to be a leader. You and your dog are a team. Somebody has to be team captain, and that somebody has to be you. There is no choice here. You provide the kibble, you drive the car, you take care of the boo-boos. Dogs evolved to see and depend on us as leaders. If you are not a leader, this throws the dog into confusion and shakes his foundations of understanding of how his world works. If you don't lead him, he'll be forced to try to lead himself and maybe you too—a task he is unsuited for, and one which will cause a range of issues from ignoring you to outright aggression.

But there's another word in that commandment besides "Leader." It's "Benevolent." Some trainers (and television personalities) would have us alpha rolling our dogs, asserting our dominance with tough tactics. Show them who is boss. Make them sorry if they even think about getting out of line. Exercise them till they drop. Let them know that they better do what you want because if they don't well, by golly it's going to be pretty unpleasant.

That's not leadership. That's dictatorship. And certainly it can work. The truth is, dogs can and do put up with an incredible amount of mental and physical abuse from us, and they can even learn how to do things through the abuse. But I do not want to establish leadership through fear and intimidation followed up with physical pain. The thing is, I don't have to, and neither do you. You can be a leader without ever alpha rolling your dog. To be a good leader, a dog owner and trainer must be clear and consistent. He must also respect the dog. Respect is not a one way street. Want your dog to respect you? Respect him back. Don't expect him to be a human in fur clothing. Don't expect him to think and reason like you do. DO take the time to understand him and figure out how he thinks so you can communicate your wishes to him easily. Do not punish him for being a dog. Put as much time and effort into him as you expect him to put into you. Be calm and positive. Show him what you want and invite him to learn. Don't shove it down his throat. A dog who is benevolently lead rather than crushed under the rule of a dictator will be ready and eager to learn anything you want to teach, any time you want to teach it.

Commandment 2: Play With Thy Dog
That's right. Play. And I mean just that, play. I don't mean throwing a ball or fetching the paper, though those are both great trained behaviors. I mean get down on the floor and wrestle and play. Be stupid and silly. Make play growly noises. Let him jump on your head and growl back. Let him bark and spin. Squeal and run away, inviting him to chase. Play for play's sake. Play because it's fun and your dog loves it and you do too.

Play teaches your dog that you're more than a leader, you're FUN. Being with you is exciting! You just might do something silly any time.

Play increases confidence and attention. Play enhances the dog-human bond. Play lets your dog know that he's fun too, that you like playing with HIM. Play lets the dog know that it's okay to get amped up and excited in your presence. And that in turn feeds into a dog who does more than accept training, he attacks it with verve and vigor.

Commandment 3: Let Thy Dog Know He Is Loved
Some trainers caution against giving your dog too much affection. It makes them take you for granted they say. Spoils them. Undermines your leadership. I mean, how dare the dog solicit a pat from you, they should be punished for that. You should be some sort of distant idol, doling out affection only on your own schedule and only after they've done something for you.

I think that's ridiculous.

If you are a benevolent leader, there is no such thing as giving your dog too much attention or affection. Your dog already understands and respects you as his leader, and you already understand and respect your dog. So if he comes up to you wanting some affection, give it to him. To NOT give your dog affection when he solicits it undermines your relationship. If your dog didn't love you and want to please you, if your dog didn't want to interact with you, he would not be soliciting attention. And isn't getting attention and inspiring your dog to want to please you and work with you the very foundation of all training? So do you really want to shut that off? I don't. I never have. I've always given my dogs all the attention and affection they could stand. I even solicit attention from them.

Certainly some dogs can get obnoxious about soliciting attention, and sometimes you will need to say no. But if there's no pressing reason to say no, then say yes. You'll find your training will be better for it.


Follow those three commandments and learned behaviors become not just easy to teach, but fun too. How fun it is to teach a dog who can't wait to get to work, who actively works with you to learn, who revels in being with you. How difficult it is to teach the dog who isn't sure what you'll do that might hurt or scare him, who doesn't know his role, and who approaches all training with trepidation. I know which dog I want.

--Robin

Favorite Christmas Toy

Or should I say favorite Holiday toy to be politically correct?

Cala loves the funky green woobie she got for Christmas. It came from Auntie Ginger. Cala, being Cala, doesn't give a hoot who it came from. She just loves it, which in Cala-world means she carries it around, screams at me when she can't find it, and uses it to bonk me on the nearest available body part when I don't throw it for her. For hours.

This thing is weird looking. It's called a Turn Up. Lord know why. It's not turnip shaped, it doesn't turn, it doesn't face up. It's lime green. It also came with an elastic cord threaded through the hole in the middle, I'm sure to help keep it anchored in the package. I figured that elastic cord would last about 2 minutes in the patented Cala-Jaw-Of-Death, which can dismember any and all so-called indestructible toys in minutes. But no. She's carefully left the cord alone.

Why, you ask? Because it has a function and therefore must be saved. With the toy firmly clenched in the patented Cala-Jaw-Of-Death, the cord can be hooked around a couple of front toes and sssttttreeeettchhhed. At maximum tension, the Jaw releases, to send said toy flying across the room. Happy, happy joy-joy! A slingshot! Dishes crashing and books flying from tables! This is the Best Toy Evah!

Thank you SO much Ginger for the further destruction of my already bedraggled home.

Welcome to CCSC Dog Talk

The blog of the Columbia Canine Sports Center

Who are we?
CCSC is an innovative dog training facility owned by 3 women who have a passion for dogs and dog showing, staffed by committed instructors dedicated to positive and humane dog training. We make up a really diverse group and have trained and shown dogs to high levels in conformation, obedience, agility, Rally obedience, tracking, lure coursing, earthdog, and more.

About the facility
CCSC consists of two buildings. The main building, which we call Building 1, really has to be seen to be believed. It's huge. 28,800 square feet of clearspan space. Because it's a coverall fabric building, it is light and airy inside. The dimensions are 120' wide by 240' long. Big enough for a 2-ring agility trial and room to spare; our regular setup includes one full-sized and one supplementary agility ring and four smaller rings for obedience, Rally, and conformation. Building 1 is heated and air conditioning is coming soon. The flooring is very dog friendly—3/4" recycled rubber on top of 6 feet of crushed lime. Building 2 is our small building. It has restrooms, a dogwash area, two offices and a break room along with a meeting room. One of the offices hosts a weekly visit from Dr. Sherri Russell, DVM and board certified in acupuncture. Both buildings are available for rent for dog and non-dog activities!

What will we be blogging?
We'll be blogging whatever strikes our fancy. It'll be dog related and/or CCSC related. All three owners and one of the instructors will be blogging. Enjoy!