Button and the TV remote

My first Lakeland was named Button. A puppy mill dog, she was a great pet and a constant source of amusement.

One of her more endearing, and sometimes frustrating, habits was stealing the remote to the television. Often you would go to change the channel only to find the remote missing. At first you might think it had fallen between the cushions or on the floor. When that search failed, the next step was to go to Button’s crate. And more often than not, there would be the remote. Button would be nearby with “how did that get there?” look on her face.

After a while the game took on a new dimension. Button would run through the room with the remote in her mouth. I did not know it at the time, but it was her way of initiating a chase, which by the way can be a dominance test. The way we dealt with it was to ignore her and change the channels by hand.

But the game wasn’t over yet. The next step was for her to change the channels with her teeth. That guaranteed she would be chased. At the time I thought that she had learned that trick by accident.

When we had Button we did not know anything about Lakelands or Manners in Minutes training. Later after she went over the rainbow bridge, I was talking with some Lakie owners. It turned out that she wasn’t the only Lakie that had learned that trick.

Like a lot of breeds, Lakelands absorb a great deal of knowledge by watching what their humans do. She had made the connection between the remote and the TV, figured out how important it was to her people and turned it into the game.

So now when owners tell me the amusing, and sometimes frustrating, little quirks their dogs have, I know where the behavior comes from.

Why I like Pit Bulls

When I first started training the only group of dogs I worried about were the bull terriers. I started my police career in the 80s. Back then the pit bull was very popular with the people who were making and dealing drugs. The would often have several dogs staked out with overlapping circles. The theory was that the dogs would delay the police if they came to raid.

I have a fellow deputy who once had to shoot a pit bull off his arm when the dog would not let go. We were particularly wary of their reputation for the strength of their jaw. I listened to more than one bandit brag about how he had bred his dogs for the aggression.

Fortunately for me, the first bull terriers to come into my center were four American Staffordshire Bull Terriers. They belong to my friend and groomer, Kris. She has been raising and showing these dogs for some time and the male she brought in was in the top ten for the breed.

Knowing that Kris is also a trainer and has very good control of her dogs lessened my worries. I found them to be sweet, easy to train and eager to learn. Now Kris does not train in the Manners in Minutes system, but wanted to see it for herself since like many good trainers she is always looking for something to make what she does better.

When I commented on how nice the dogs were to work with Kris explained that when the dogs were still fighting in the pits before it was outlawed, they were too valuable to let them fight to the death. So the owner had to be able to go into the pit and get his dog out without getting bit by either dog. By breeding they are gentle and sweet to humans.

Later when discussing training bulls with the developer of Manners in Minutes training, Pat Muller, Pat also added that during the period when the dogs were still fighting, they were the family pet during the rest of the week. At the first sign of excessive aggression, especially around the owners children, the dog was put down. So over time only the gentlest and sweetest of the bulls (around humans) were bred.

Since then I have worked with a number of Staffordshires, Am Staffs, and Pit Bulls. I look forward to everyone of them. They have all trained well and are some of the best dogs I have turned out were from these breeds.

The lesson from all this is that any dog is dangerous if it isn’t properly trained and socialized. Pit Bulls aren’t more likely to bite than any other breed. As a matter of fact, the most popular breed in this country is the Lab. And Labs are also the dog breed most often reported to the police or animal control is the Lab.

Books shouldn’t be judged by their covers, and dogs shouldn’t be judged by their breeds.

Training the dog owner

A couple of days ago a gentleman called me about training his dog. It is a bull terrier mix of unknown origin. It had just shown some aggression towards a child and an adult. No biting, just aggression.

I explained to him how Manners in Minutes training de sensitizes a dog to behavior that triggers aggression, and where aggression in dogs comes from. I then told him about how we build behavior training from one command to another so that when we are done, the owner has on, off, and dimmer switches that controls the dog’s behavior.

His comment was he was sure when we finished I could control the dog, but when he went home he would not be able to control the dog.

He hit on one of my pet peeves about dog trainers. A lot of people who become trainers started out in someone else’s class (as I did) and did well with their own dog. From that they got the idea that they could train dogs. And, in a way, they can.

Most dog trainers are natural alphas. They never really had a problem with their or anyone else’s dog because dogs recognize their alpha qualities and do not challenge them. I don’t know how many times someone has told me to watch out for Spike because he hates everyone. I then have to tell them fine, but get Spike off my lap because I’m getting tired of rubbing his tummy.

Now I have a huge advantage. I spent twenty four years as a Deputy Sheriff working the streets. After walking into more than one situation where you either take control or end up in the Emergency room, you learn to be a very effective alpha with people. If you can own a bar full of drunks who want to fight, being the pack leader to a dog is not that hard. So it would be very easy to amaze people with how well their dog does with me.

I also spent twenty of those years as a Field Training Officer. If I can teach a twenty one year old young man or woman how to deal with that bar, making you the alpha dog in your pack just isn’t that hard.

When your dog goes home with you, I’m not there to enforce the rules. So if I fail to train you to be in charge, I’ve failed you and the dog.

And sadly all too many trainers just do that. The dog is fine with them and at the training center, but you go home with the same old dog. Before you pick a trainer, go watch them train. If they don’t spend more time with the owner than the dog, find another trainer.

After the first Manners in Minutes session I tell owner the dog doesn’t need to come back for the follow up, the owner needs to come back.

Doug

How dogs think

Does this sound familiar? You are leaving the house. You look at your dog and say:

“Fluffy, if you’re a good dog while I’m gone and stay off the couch, I’ll give you a cookie when I get home”.




With a small child this might work. Clear instruction along with the promise of a reward might get a child to listen. But Fluffy is a dog.

And Fluffy thinks:

I know my name is Fluffy. And I know your name is Mommy. And of course I know what a cookie is.
Now the couch is that comfortable thing l like to lie on. And when you leave home I’m loose to do whatever I want. So I must be the pack leader. And as the pack leader I can lay down wherever I want. You get all upset about me being there, but you gave me the right to lie where I want.
By the way you sure are a funny looking dog Mommy. And you don’t know how to run our pack. Good thing I’m here to be in charge.

So when you come home, Fluffy is on the couch.

Fluffy is a pack animal, and no matter how hard you try to change him, he lives his life by pack rules.