I Like to Blog So Much...

I made a new one!

http://dctourist.blogspot.com/

Thank Whomever!

Forecast is for highs in the low 70's tomorrow. Outdoor puppy class will be a pleasure after 6 months of fa-reezing out there on the field.

This is why I need 10 acres of usable land...indoor dog training!

How about this? (click)

In Under the Wire

Puppy class just made it before the Naweastah of Aught Seven (that one's for you, Mark Grace) hit. The weather was quite lovely, actually.

One dog was moved up to the next level, Off Leash Readiness, because he already knows how to down & stay. I suspect he'll even be more advanced than that class.

Meanwhile, one student in class has two dogs, and his other trainer was not available on Saturday. So, I had the pleasure of handling Tucker, the little black pooch of unidentifiable lineage. He's a handful, let me tell you, but he's very smart and food-motivated (perhaps I detect some Border Collie in him?). I love handling different dogs in class - you'll remember last year I got to handle the lab/husky mix known as Bonnie Blue Eyes. Each dog presents its own challenges to the trainer, so my experience widens.

My earworm for this morning is Smoke on the Water.

I Can Seeeeee You!

So, since I don't get too many comments (ya jerks), I decided to put a little non-invasive script on my blog's template to count how many of you are actually reading this thing.

And here's me as a Modigliani painting:

Momma's Got a Brand New Dog

My Ma's new puppy came home on March 21. She's adjusting to life at the Steingrandt household (oy vey!). Here are some pictures to warm your cockles.

Introducing Higbee!

Back to Sleep Deprivation

Lloyd informed me on Saturday that we'll be moving the puppy class from 10am to 8:30am. That means my blissful 4 weeks of sleeping until 8:00 have come to an end. It's said that people need less sleep as they get older, but in my case, my ideal range is still 9-10 hours. But given my teevee addiction, I find it hard to turn off Donald Trump and get to bed at a decent hour.

However, the good news is that Off Leash Readiness is starting again, which means Franklin can finish up his lessons. I dropped him out of class last year because I was handling another dog as a favor to a client, and the weather got too hot for Franklin to be comfortable.

Class on Saturday was really great, yet again. One of the students was out of town, so her mother brought one of the two dogs to class. Let me tell you - Mom "got it" right off the bat. She wasn't worried or concerned about the little details, but understood the over-arching concepts over rewarding the wanted behaviors, even if the dog wasn't "commanded". For example, it usually takes several classes for owners to understand how to keep their dog under control by either holding the leash as close to the collar as possible, or by dropping to their knees and holding the collar itself. Owners will many times have dogs running & jumping all over the place until they can remember that the closer the dog is to them, the more under control it will be. Mom got this right away, and was kneeling and holding and reinforcing that dog at all the proper moments.

That is why this (as I said below) is a fantastic puppy class!

You Know What "They" Say...

An apropos quotation for today:

"Youth is wasted on the young"

It's hope and regret mixed together, I guess. See, today I am 35 years old. I am midway through a years-long career change. If only I knew then what I know now, is that how it goes?

The regret: I spent 4 years of college and my parents' money studying a field that I only used for 5 or so years after graduation. I could have studied psychology or biology, emphasized behavior theory and modification, and been rapidly progressing to becoming one of the top dog behaviorists in the country. Who knew working in an office was so soul-draining and reflux-inducing? I didn't. Every adult I knew worked in an office. It's just not for me.

The hope: I am doing it. Albeit 15 years later, but I think (hope) I have another 30-40 years of prime time left, and maybe I'll still become top of the field, although probably not in the realm of behavior, more in the area of obedience/positive reinforcement training. But the door is open, of course, for me to change my mind. And that's the wonderful thing about life - you never know what's around the next bend. The goal is entirely attainable - that I will be making a living helping people understand the doggy mind, and train their dogs to live among humans.

So, today I am telling myself: "yes, I could have done it years ago, but no worries - I'm doing it now".

I leave you with Franklin and his new friend, from the dog park on Sunday morning:

For Jean

Hi Jean! I hope you're doing OK. Are you back in London now? I hope your friends are taking good care of you.

Anyways, since you asked:

Clicker training is a positive reinforcement technique used to train dogs do do a variety of commands, from sit to complex work performed by guide dogs.

In order for a dog to understand a command, a reward (in most cases a food treat, sometimes a toy) must be given to the dog within 3 seconds of his performing the command correctly. After 3 seconds, the association in the dog's brain between the command and the performance is broken. So, for example, if I tell Franklin to "sit", and he sits, I need to give him a small bit of hot dog (or freeze dried liver, but we won't get into that!!) within 3 seconds, otherwise he won't know that it was his lovely "sit" that earned him the treat.

But if you think about it, it can be difficult sometimes to get the treat to the dog n that limited time frame, especially if you're working with Joel Walton's "All or Nothing" technique (more on that later...but remind me to do it).

That's where the clicker comes in. A clicker is a small piece of plastic that makes a clicking noise when pressed. A trainer can hold it in his or her hand the entire time while training their dog (you can't do that with food...your dog will snap it right out of your hand!). When the dog performs a command correctly, the clicker is clicked, and the dog is also given a food reward. Eventually, the dog learns that the clicking sound means he did the right thing. Once the dog learns to associate the clicking sound with the correct action, it becomes much easier for the dog's trainer to reward the dog within the 3 second time limit.

You can see that this would be great for training guide dogs, because a lot of the time, the guide dog won't be near the trainer when doing a command, making it impossible to get a food reward to the dog within 3 seconds. But, the dog can always hear a click from across a room!

Fantastic Puppy Class

We just started a new session of puppy classes. Not only is the class at 10:00 a.m. (as opposed to the usual ungodly 8:30 a.m.), but the dogs and humans are most excellent. Everyone listens, and no one gets freaked out when they make mistakes. And the dogs are all smarty pantses.

I also got to teach a makeup lesson, which I don't get to do too often. The people are doing clicker training with their dog, who is singularly squirmy and fun (the dog, not the people, although they could be fun, I don't know them that well).

More Waiting

Alas, my readers (all 3 of you!), it may be longer before I can post again. Life is proving difficult as hell so far this year. Not a smooth ride at all, and I'm a sucker for a smooth ride.

So, I leave you with these doggie tidbits:

• PBS Nova...wonderful hour-long docu about the evolution of dogs. If I lived in New Hampshire, I would love to take classes from the guy from Hampshire College. I love how he grits his teeth like a dog. Also makes a great case for mutts, as far as genetic health goes.
• Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. Interesting and anecdotal book about doggie behavior and what goes on in their brains. I can really help when you find yourself anthropomorphizing too much.

Comment if You...

Saw me on Your Dog's Best Friend on Fairfax or Comcast public access cable.

More to Come

I will have fresh-baked posts for you all in a couple weeks. Yeah...sorry. I just started a new job, ensuring our government's propaganda machine is in working order, and will be attending my Grandma's memorial the first week in March.

Thanks for your kind words about my Grandma. It's hard to think about not talking to her, or getting the cards from her anymore. But with spring comes new life & new adventures, all of which she'll be watching.

In Memoriam

Edna Louise Rusch (nee Lempke) was born in September 1906. She was the first of her family to go to college, she was a nurse, a wife, a mother and a grandmother.

She loved dogs.

My Grandma died today. This was the last picture we took together, on her 100th birthday in September 2006.

'Tis The Season

I'm so sorry for no posting. It's the season to be super busy. However, I have two weeks off from work coming up, and will post something or other during that time.

The two of you who responded to my last post - yeah you! The rest of you can Kissmyarse.

Happy Holidays & Merry Xmas & Happy Hanukkah annat!

It Works Like This

Dear Lurkers:

The more comments I get, the more inclined I am to post!

No Photo to Share. Seminar Summary.

The Ian Dunbar seminar in Orlando was a gruelling 3 days, but let me tell you, I learned so much my head was threatening to explode.

I learned some new techniques which are different than Lloyd's. I think that's just peachy. When I strike out on my own as a professional, I want to be armed with as much knowledge as possible.

Dunbar has very strict age limits for his puppy classes, which allows young dogs (no more than 4 months) to play while being trained subtly. The subtlety comes from allowing play, while interrupting at timed intervals to take hold of the dog's collar, then letting him go back to play. This creates a reward system for allowing the owner to grab the collar - the dog learns that he will be allowed to play after he allows his collar to be held.

This progresses to holding the dog's collar, then having him sit, then allowing him to continue playing. Eventually, the owner should be able to tell their dog to sit from a distance, without touching him. The young age of the dogs allows them to interract without the baggage and behavior problems that may come with older dogs.

We also got to see videos of all the techniques in action, including a beginner's class with older dogs. One of the videos showed dogs progressing from being rewarded for simply looking at their owner to staying by their side while walking. Pretty amazing stuff. Franklin and I are practicing this. It may taker a while, but it is gentle and reduces stress for dog and owner.

One of Lloyd's favorite phrases is "catch a dog doing something right, and reward him for it". This fits the technique above to a tee. The owner simply waits for the dog to do what is required, and is rewarded. The beginning is looking at the owner, progessing to always following the owner's face, even when the owner turns his or her back to the dog. This progresses to the dog sitting by the owner's side, then walking by the owner's side. Wonderful.

I met some top-notch people at the seminar, including local DC area trainer and author Joel Walton, and trainer and author Nicole Wilde.

R.I.P. (not dog related)

Milton Friedman died at age 94.

Don't Get Your Knickers in a Twist

I'm waiting on someone to send me a picture via email before I blog about the seminar. If it doesn't arrive by a week from today, I'll soldier on without it.

Now stop bugging me! Sheesh!

Seminar on Thursday

I'm trying to ignore the fact that I have to get on an airplane on Wednesday. But the Ian Dunbar seminar starts on Thursday, so I will have reportage for you next week.

In the mean time, I am working with Franklin on his Gentle Leader. I sewed a small bit of fleece onto the snout piece so it wouldn't dig into his wrinkles. He gets treats when I put it on him, and we've walked some small distance with it. He is still getting used to it (i.e. he hates it), but he does very well with it. Nary a pull...loose leash all the way.

Becoming a professional

I just took a lookee loo at the NADOI provisional membership application. A provisional membership in NADOI is for apprentices like me. Let me tell you, it's hard. It's long. It's detailed. If this is a provisional membership, I shudder to think what the full-fledged membership entails.

But I'm going to do it. By god. NADOI is top-of-the-line for dog training instructors. Lloyd will help me with my application, I'm sure, and I'll be on my way.

Also, Franklin tried on a Gentle Leader last night and it fit! We're working on somee positive reinforcement training to gradually get him used to it. The Gentle Leader will be a huge help in our therapy team training. It's not a muzzle, by the way - it's like a horse bridle. Basically, a collar that doesn't go around the neck, but around the snout instead. The name is as it implies....a gentle way to lead a dog. Ask your dog trainer about it. It does take some instruction and training to use it, but it's well worth it. Every dog I've seen who uses one is a dream to handle. Can't wait to get going with it!