I agree with your behaviorist about working with the dog doing a slight bit of obedience if they begin to get nervous in a new place. Something that you have practiced and home and is associated with fun and yummy treats. I find that it breaks the cycle of nervousness and they stop worrying about the new place because you are doing something in "their comfort zone that reminds them of home". And they begin to concentrate on you and then they have less time to worry. FWIW, I use the same type of thing with young/baby horses when they go to new places so that they begin to concentrate on me and stop worrying about the new place. It is usually a short little routine with the same pattern of activities in order (sit, down, sit, shake, etc) so that they dog recognizes the pattern as one they do at home.
Glad that your work is so beneficial for Ninja. He has come a long, long way! :-)
Excellent progress report! I was going to say something similar to Kris above - its how we finally got Kitsune to pass objects (garbage cans, etc) on the side walk, by redirecting and working him through some obedience than proceeding. He can pass them now with no hesitation. Keep on keepin' on, Romi and Ninja!
Have you considered Portia's breed as her weird vibe? The fact that she can't make certain facial expressions and her tail size limits the amount of language she can portray... I know a lot of the times at the dog park where scuffles begin, it involves a boxer, which makes people think they belong on the dangerous dogs list, but really their body structure is designed as such that they cannot communicate as smoothly as say a shepherd (with long snout, long tail). Is there a boxer group/forum that might have info on experiencing similar reactions from other dogs? Because Portia always looks so chill otherwise!
Oh wow, this has been fun to read. I am still slowly getting through discussions! (there are a lot of them :0 ). Sounds like a lot of major positive progress has been made with Ninja! I am so happy for you- and him :)
Jen has a really good point about the Boxers having limited body language. The drop ears and docked tail really limit their ability to communicate with other dogs. That being said, I've heard that drop-eared dogs that have had their ears cropped have a lot more problems being seen as threating to other dogs. Jack has very poor dog greeting manners, which can get him snarkies, but overall most dogs don't seem to have a problem with him.
Last Saturday I signed up to take a class my behaviorist offers, called "Control Unleashed" - the class is based off Leslie McDevitt's book. My behaviorist has worked with Leslie McDevitt personally and with her assistants, so she felt qualified to teach this class. It is a one-time class which is 5 hours long! It was pretty exhausting, but I learned A LOT. I thought I would share what I learned, since I don't think many behaviorists or trainers offer this type of class and i'm always glad to share my experiences for other owners to learn from.
A lot of this class was how to learn to read a dog's body and see the signs of their mental state. In the class, each person would walk into an enloclosed gated area, and everyone would shout out what they saw in the dogs body language. Here are a couple lists of the signs that mean certain behaviors.
Signs of Stress (dog reacting to stress factors in its environment)
Yawning Penis Crowning ("lip stick") Sweaty Paws Lip Licking Vocalizing (whining) Dry Pant Dilated Pupils Whale Eye (precursor to aggression) Urination Won't eat (take treats) Ears pinned back (bunny ears) Freezes (precursor to aggression) Pacing Slow or little movement Tucked or low tail Stiff posture Excessive shedding Stretching Trembling Muscle "ridges" around eyes and mouth Shallow or fast breathing Holding Breath
Looking away Paw raises Sniffing Sneezing Scratching Blinking Shaking Off Yawning Lip and Nose licking Sitting Lying Down Moving in an arc on approach Urination
Distance Increasing Signals (dog wants to get away - fear or anxiety)
Marking Territory Hard Eyes Showing Teeth Front Lip Curl Ears Alert and Forward Tense Body or Face Heightened Posture Height Seeking (jumping up) Lowered Head and Neck Excessive Barking Pilo-Erection (back or tail) High, fast and flag (high) tail (usually dog-to-dog) Ground Scratching Freezing Very brief Look Aways Whale Eye
Distance Decreasing Signals (dog wishes to interact)
Play Bows Easy Wagging Tail Flicking Tongue Submissive Grin Rollover Tap-Out (belly up) Licking near mouth Relaxed Posture Soft Eyes Ears Forward or neutral
Displacement Behaviors (dog trying to shift focus from something)
Marking Territory Inappropriate increase in activity Stretching Yawning Shaking Off Sniffing Looking Away Urogential "check out" Lips Pursing
Guarding Body Language (I want it and you can't have it)
Look will vary depending on level of guarding Standing close to object & freezing Looking between object & you Tail can be wagging frantically or still Pursed Mouth Hard Eyes Growling or Quiet Progressing to showing teeth Ears Back
So when I got in there, I was shocked at how many signs Ninja was giving off, that I never recognized. When I took him out of the crate - his tail was low, ears forward, low head, looking at everyone and everything in the room. Once we got into the confined area, he shook 3 times in a row! He also sat and scratched. He then put his nose to the ground and was sniffing around. Then one of the dogs made a noise and he froze. After a few seconds, he went back to sniffing the ground did another shake and his tail went back into a curl.
When we left the enclosed area, his tail was still up, and seemed a lot more relaxed...and then he shaked one more time! I put him back in his crate so the other dogs could go.
I always notice his tail, and the shaking(but didn't know what the shaking meant), but I never realized his ears or that while walking, his head was so low.
We went on to talk about focus. Something I never thought about regarding the crate. When I open the crate door, both my dogs bolt and get very excited (they are usually only crated when we leave). We worked on a technique when opening the crate door. My behaviorist noticed that NONE of the dogs looked at the owner when getting out of the crate - they just locked in on everything else around them. So we were to open the crate, move to one side of the crate and have the dogs come to us right when they step out. So their focus is on us immediately.
We also worked on the "Go to your mat" technique. Ninja doesn't really have this down. So we have to work on this a lot. The mat is supposed to be their "safe place" She demonstrated with her Catahoula. Right when she let him out of his crate, focus was on her. Walking to center of the room, off-leash total focus on her. The mat was probably 10 feet away and she said "Go To Your Mat" and instantly he ran and plopped down on the mat. The mat is also an automatic "down/stay" So they should not move from the mat until released. It was pretty impressive. Even with distractions going on around him he did not make one move, until he got his release word. I really need to get this down with Ninja. It would help him in so many ways. Especially with people entering our home, if I could get him in a down/stay and focused on me while people enter and make themselves comfortable - MAN, that would be so awesome!
We then did some Massage - Ninja loves the massage, you sit in a V position and the dog lays in front of you. Ninja plopped right down close to me and when I started doing the massage, he rested his head on my leg - which is total relaxation for him. I was surprised how well the massage calmed him down, enough for him to lay his head down on me.
Then we did some touch training and "look at that".
The last hour was show time. Each owner and dog had to go back to the ring, but use all the tools learned to keep the dog focused and calm. By this time Ninja had eaten 3 hot dogs worth of bite size treats and was no longer food motivated. So I asked if I could use vocal and physical praise instead. That was fine.
So I open the crate and ninja turns straight to me and sits. I say "Good Boy Ninja!" And give him some pets. We start walking and I notice Ninja's attention is on everyone else again. So I tell him to sit and "Watch Me" Which he does, so I pet and praise him again. We get into the ring where we are supposed to tell the dog to "go to your mat". Ninja was quite stressed when we walked in. He froze and I could not get his attention vocally to make him go to his mat. He is also not very good with it yet. So I sat down in the V-Position and he came over and laid down and I started massage. That is as far as we could go, since he refused to eat (i think from being full or bored of the treats, or maybe just tired from such a long class) and he seemed a little stressed at that point, so we didn't push him.
So - I was told to start re-socializing him in public, like busy area's with lots of sounds and even on-leash dogs. And start making a routine for him to be able to focus on me and not care so much about whats going on around him. And use the massage if things get too stressful, since he relates to that the best with calmness.
Since this class has gotten so popular and is usually booked a couple months in advance, she has decided to start a Control Unleashed Part 2 class. This first class only covers the first 4 chapters of the book, so part 2 will cover the rest. I am excited to attend it once she figures out everything. Should be in a few months.
Anyways, I don't want to make this post longer than it already is. I should probably post pictures of what the signs of the body language look like...but I'm kind of tired now. hehe. If anyone has questions on the signs, feel free to message me and I will send pics and better explain what it means...eventually I will add pics of the body language signs when I have more time so it will be more clear what to look for.
ETA: Ninja also didn't have any problems being in close quarters with the dogs. He was giving growls in his crate to men who walked by though. I was surprised since there was a very large black great dane next to us!
Sounds like a great class! Also sounds like Ninja continues to improve.
We do a lot of the same things you mentioned in our training classes. The touch training and "look at that" was key to my success with Luytiy. The "look at that" also really has helped Kahuna and Lani.
The "Control Unleashed" book is really a great book. Jen has read it a few times and always talks about it.
Maybe you should take some of this info and turn it into an article for the forum? Just a thought.
Comments
I agree with your behaviorist about working with the dog doing a slight bit of obedience if they begin to get nervous in a new place. Something that you have practiced and home and is associated with fun and yummy treats. I find that it breaks the cycle of nervousness and they stop worrying about the new place because you are doing something in "their comfort zone that reminds them of home". And they begin to concentrate on you and then they have less time to worry. FWIW, I use the same type of thing with young/baby horses when they go to new places so that they begin to concentrate on me and stop worrying about the new place. It is usually a short little routine with the same pattern of activities in order (sit, down, sit, shake, etc) so that they dog recognizes the pattern as one they do at home.
Glad that your work is so beneficial for Ninja. He has come a long, long way! :-)
Keep on keepin' on, Romi and Ninja!
Have you considered Portia's breed as her weird vibe? The fact that she can't make certain facial expressions and her tail size limits the amount of language she can portray... I know a lot of the times at the dog park where scuffles begin, it involves a boxer, which makes people think they belong on the dangerous dogs list, but really their body structure is designed as such that they cannot communicate as smoothly as say a shepherd (with long snout, long tail).
Is there a boxer group/forum that might have info on experiencing similar reactions from other dogs? Because Portia always looks so chill otherwise!
Last Saturday I signed up to take a class my behaviorist offers, called "Control Unleashed" - the class is based off Leslie McDevitt's book. My behaviorist has worked with Leslie McDevitt personally and with her assistants, so she felt qualified to teach this class. It is a one-time class which is 5 hours long! It was pretty exhausting, but I learned A LOT. I thought I would share what I learned, since I don't think many behaviorists or trainers offer this type of class and i'm always glad to share my experiences for other owners to learn from.
A lot of this class was how to learn to read a dog's body and see the signs of their mental state. In the class, each person would walk into an enloclosed gated area, and everyone would shout out what they saw in the dogs body language. Here are a couple lists of the signs that mean certain behaviors.
Signs of Stress (dog reacting to stress factors in its environment)
Yawning
Penis Crowning ("lip stick")
Sweaty Paws
Lip Licking
Vocalizing (whining)
Dry Pant
Dilated Pupils
Whale Eye (precursor to aggression)
Urination
Won't eat (take treats)
Ears pinned back (bunny ears)
Freezes (precursor to aggression)
Pacing
Slow or little movement
Tucked or low tail
Stiff posture
Excessive shedding
Stretching
Trembling
Muscle "ridges" around eyes and mouth
Shallow or fast breathing
Holding Breath
Calming Signals (dog signaling non-aggressive intent)
Looking away
Paw raises
Sniffing
Sneezing
Scratching
Blinking
Shaking Off
Yawning
Lip and Nose licking
Sitting
Lying Down
Moving in an arc on approach
Urination
Distance Increasing Signals (dog wants to get away - fear or anxiety)
Marking Territory
Hard Eyes
Showing Teeth
Front Lip Curl
Ears Alert and Forward
Tense Body or Face
Heightened Posture
Height Seeking (jumping up)
Lowered Head and Neck
Excessive Barking
Pilo-Erection (back or tail)
High, fast and flag (high) tail (usually dog-to-dog)
Ground Scratching
Freezing
Very brief Look Aways
Whale Eye
Distance Decreasing Signals (dog wishes to interact)
Play Bows
Easy Wagging Tail
Flicking Tongue
Submissive Grin
Rollover
Tap-Out (belly up)
Licking near mouth
Relaxed Posture
Soft Eyes
Ears Forward or neutral
Displacement Behaviors (dog trying to shift focus from something)
Marking Territory
Inappropriate increase in activity
Stretching
Yawning
Shaking Off
Sniffing
Looking Away
Urogential "check out"
Lips Pursing
Guarding Body Language (I want it and you can't have it)
Look will vary depending on level of guarding
Standing close to object & freezing
Looking between object & you
Tail can be wagging frantically or still
Pursed Mouth
Hard Eyes
Growling or Quiet
Progressing to showing teeth
Ears Back
So when I got in there, I was shocked at how many signs Ninja was giving off, that I never recognized. When I took him out of the crate - his tail was low, ears forward, low head, looking at everyone and everything in the room. Once we got into the confined area, he shook 3 times in a row! He also sat and scratched. He then put his nose to the ground and was sniffing around. Then one of the dogs made a noise and he froze. After a few seconds, he went back to sniffing the ground did another shake and his tail went back into a curl.
When we left the enclosed area, his tail was still up, and seemed a lot more relaxed...and then he shaked one more time! I put him back in his crate so the other dogs could go.
I always notice his tail, and the shaking(but didn't know what the shaking meant), but I never realized his ears or that while walking, his head was so low.
We went on to talk about focus. Something I never thought about regarding the crate. When I open the crate door, both my dogs bolt and get very excited (they are usually only crated when we leave). We worked on a technique when opening the crate door. My behaviorist noticed that NONE of the dogs looked at the owner when getting out of the crate - they just locked in on everything else around them. So we were to open the crate, move to one side of the crate and have the dogs come to us right when they step out. So their focus is on us immediately.
We also worked on the "Go to your mat" technique. Ninja doesn't really have this down. So we have to work on this a lot. The mat is supposed to be their "safe place" She demonstrated with her Catahoula. Right when she let him out of his crate, focus was on her. Walking to center of the room, off-leash total focus on her. The mat was probably 10 feet away and she said "Go To Your Mat" and instantly he ran and plopped down on the mat. The mat is also an automatic "down/stay" So they should not move from the mat until released. It was pretty impressive. Even with distractions going on around him he did not make one move, until he got his release word. I really need to get this down with Ninja. It would help him in so many ways. Especially with people entering our home, if I could get him in a down/stay and focused on me while people enter and make themselves comfortable - MAN, that would be so awesome!
We then did some Massage - Ninja loves the massage, you sit in a V position and the dog lays in front of you. Ninja plopped right down close to me and when I started doing the massage, he rested his head on my leg - which is total relaxation for him. I was surprised how well the massage calmed him down, enough for him to lay his head down on me.
Then we did some touch training and "look at that".
The last hour was show time. Each owner and dog had to go back to the ring, but use all the tools learned to keep the dog focused and calm. By this time Ninja had eaten 3 hot dogs worth of bite size treats and was no longer food motivated. So I asked if I could use vocal and physical praise instead. That was fine.
So I open the crate and ninja turns straight to me and sits. I say "Good Boy Ninja!" And give him some pets. We start walking and I notice Ninja's attention is on everyone else again. So I tell him to sit and "Watch Me" Which he does, so I pet and praise him again. We get into the ring where we are supposed to tell the dog to "go to your mat". Ninja was quite stressed when we walked in. He froze and I could not get his attention vocally to make him go to his mat. He is also not very good with it yet. So I sat down in the V-Position and he came over and laid down and I started massage. That is as far as we could go, since he refused to eat (i think from being full or bored of the treats, or maybe just tired from such a long class) and he seemed a little stressed at that point, so we didn't push him.
So - I was told to start re-socializing him in public, like busy area's with lots of sounds and even on-leash dogs. And start making a routine for him to be able to focus on me and not care so much about whats going on around him. And use the massage if things get too stressful, since he relates to that the best with calmness.
Since this class has gotten so popular and is usually booked a couple months in advance, she has decided to start a Control Unleashed Part 2 class. This first class only covers the first 4 chapters of the book, so part 2 will cover the rest. I am excited to attend it once she figures out everything. Should be in a few months.
Anyways, I don't want to make this post longer than it already is. I should probably post pictures of what the signs of the body language look like...but I'm kind of tired now. hehe. If anyone has questions on the signs, feel free to message me and I will send pics and better explain what it means...eventually I will add pics of the body language signs when I have more time so it will be more clear what to look for.
ETA: Ninja also didn't have any problems being in close quarters with the dogs. He was giving growls in his crate to men who walked by though. I was surprised since there was a very large black great dane next to us!
That sounds like a very interesting class.
Great job to you & Ninja!
We do a lot of the same things you mentioned in our training classes. The touch training and "look at that" was key to my success with Luytiy. The "look at that" also really has helped Kahuna and Lani.
The "Control Unleashed" book is really a great book. Jen has read it a few times and always talks about it.
Maybe you should take some of this info and turn it into an article for the forum? Just a thought.
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