Ninja's Re-Socialization Process!

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Comments

  • edited November -1
    LMAO
  • edited November -1
    Romi,

    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! :-)
  • edited November -1
    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!
  • edited November -1
    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 :)
  • edited November -1
    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.
  • edited November -1
    Wow. Such progess with Ninja!
  • edited April 2009
    Another update: "Ninja in Control Unleashed!"

    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!
  • edited November -1
    This is very facinating!!! You are giving me more tools for me to use on my soon to have Katsu (we only have a name, no pup yet)
  • edited November -1
    Wow Romi, that's really interesting. And it sounds like Ninja did REALLY well. That's fantastic! Keep up the good work, and thanks for sharing!
  • edited November -1
    It's impressive how much he has improved. Great job!

    That sounds like a very interesting class.
  • edited November -1
    What wonderful helps - thanks for posting the info!

    Great job to you & Ninja!
  • edited November -1
    wow! that sounds like a VERY interesting class!! There are many signs I now 'see' in Kitsune!
  • edited November -1
    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.

    ----
  • edited November -1
    Thats a good idea Brad! I will get a draft going...
  • RyuRyu
    edited November -1
    Romi, I continue to admire you and John so much for being so diligent and consistent in Ninja's resocialization process. YOU GUYS ROCK!
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