Jo's Old Site

As my mother is a dog trainer too she told me yesterday that one lady that she put through a ring runout used food with her dog but didn’t know how to use it correctly. And what this lady used is dry kibble and the dog paid more attention to mum than its trainer.

Particularly when the dog knew that my mum had meat which it thought was more appetizing than what its owner had. Also if people are going to use food they also have to find out how to use it by experimenting and observing how other trainers use it. And then they should judge for themselves whether the way the people they observe methods are effective or not.

And another way to find out how to use food is by watching dvd’s and reading books but if people find it hard to watch television or read books on dog training then I say that the next best thing is to observe how other dog trainers train. Also if a trainer uses food it doesn’t just teach dogs to sit, drop, stand, stay, and come when called but it can also influence dogs behaviour in other ways.

Also some people learn how to use food through clicker training. And clicker training is about waiting for the dog to do the behaviour naturally by themselves and then click it when they do it without putting a cue word on the behaviour as the dog’s trainer should just click to begin with whenever the dog does what their trainer is trying to teach.

And then after the dog catches on and does this clicked behaviour more often then the cue word is added. Also some people that train dogs don’t always use just use one type of food to reinforce their dog. As they might switch from using cooked sausage, to cooked lamb, or cooked chicken. They might even use a bit of cheese every now or then. Or play games with their dogs such as fetching games, or games that entices the dog to use its nose. Praise is also very important in dog training.

When we are trying to reduce the amount of barking that a dog or dogs do often telling them to be quiet or squirting them with water is ineffective. But what I find is more effective is giving dogs food when they bark or react to people going by. As I have read somewhere years ago that food has a calming affect and so it comes in handy when dogs bark as it helps them to regain control. And I have also read that when dogs bark to tell them to sit as dogs bark less when they are in this position.

 Also notice that I said that they bark less, as sometimes they will bark in this position too. And another thing that I’ve read is that we should praise dogs for being quiet but after we done that they might bark straight after we said it.

So then what people should do when they tell their barking dog to sit is go up to them and give them food. And it is always handy for a person to have food on them at all times when they are around dogs. Also after they have given their dog food while the dog remains in the sitting position they can then tell their dog good quiet and give them another tidbit to reinforce what it means.

And another thing that we should do when dogs are barking at people, is instead of getting angry at the dog for barking we should try using our observation skills as all dogs usually do always bark for a reason and it might be something the person is wearing or something the dog notices about the person’s posture when they walk by like hunched shoulders.

As I went shopping with mum yesterday, I found a double sided grooming brush that is especially for small dogs and cats. And the brush is one of the Purina Total Care products. Also as I brushed Ilse out yesterday with it I found that she didn’t mind it at all. And then as I said the brush is double sided one side is a bristle brush and the other side is a pin brush but with rounded caps which is why dogs with soft coats don’t seem to mind this brush as it said on the packaging that this style of pin brush is gentle on the skin and prevents breakage of the hairs during brushing. I also discovered that the bristle brush does my miniature schnauzer beard and eyebrows really well too.

After I had tea with my parents last night I let Ilse out for a run and a ball game. But instead of giving her treats to encourage her to come back to me with the tennis ball I had a rope toy, and I let her tug on the rope toy whenever she came back to me with the tennis ball.

Though Ilse was still inclined to run with the ball and play by herself. Or if not that she then got distracted by a smell on the ground. But then once Ilse realized that she got the chance to tug on the rope toy too if she got the ball and brought it back to me Ilse then eagerly returned to me with the ball.

Also once she was so keen to tug on the rope toy that she returned without the ball that I’ve throwned. But then I told her get ball and she went and found it and brought it back. It is also so good to know that I can use another type of reward other than food to get Ilse to do this. And also even though Ilse likes chasing after the tennis ball and carrying it, and she likes food I realized that the rope toy has a high value from Ilse’s point of view. 

As finding out what a dog considers is high value and low value is important when their trainers are trying to get them to do things. Also playing games with dogs teaches dogs to focus more on their trainers. And also having cue words is another important thing that a trainer has to work out. And then once the trainer’s dog is familiar with whatever cue words their trainer decided on, using them and especially the ones they use when they are playing with toys can really turn a dog on.

Also to get a dog used to playing with their trainers, of course their trainer has to play with their dog more often. But their trainers should always end the game before the dog that they are training decides that it is over.

On the seventh of February mum and I went to a sweepstake trial at Oxley, as Ruebens mum’s Irish Terrier and Ilse my Miniature Schnauzer were entered. Mum was going well with Ruebens until someone’s dog ran across two rings while it was suppose to be working and it went up to Ruebens and sniffed him. And Ilse was entered in the CCD class again and got her second pass with a score of 95 out of 100 and another second place.

There was 19 dogs entered in the CCD class, and only five of them passed. The highest score in CCD that night was 99 out of 100.

I had my miniature schnauzer named Ilse or Ilsa on Evo or Innova Evo for a bit over a year now. So I thought that it was now time for a change. And it is also a good idea to change to other brands every now and then as different pet foods use different ingredients.

And to help me make the decision on what to feed Ilse on next I did some research on the internet, and I discovered a list of recommended brands. And when I decided to make a change I originally wanted to try Ilse on Eagle Pack but I found out that it isn’t available everywhere in Queensland. Also if I really wanted to change over to Eagle Pack mum would have to drive me to Toowoomba, and my mother thought that it’ll be better that I find out what else is available at Pet Goods Direct rather than drive all the way to Toowoomba just for dog food.

So after looking at the list of recommended dog food I noticed that California Natural was there, and I knew that it was one of the brands that is available at Pet Goods Direct in Ipswich. As the dog food was right next to the bags of Innova Evo. And so yesterday when my mum was in Ipswich with nan she went to Pet Goods Direct and got me California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato. It is also another brand of dog food that is made by Natura Pet Products like Evo and has no rice in it.

And as I looked on the back of the bag I noticed that it listed Sweet Potato, and oatmeal, and I also know that these two ingredients are low g.i.

When I brought my groceries on Thursday I asked the check out person for help, and apparently I didn’t make myself clear. As instead of helping me put the three bags on the walker the guy just rings the bell. Then as it took so long, I started putting a bag on the walker and this still didn’t give him a hint and then finally someone came and as he was talking to the person he told them that I needed help taking what I brought out to the car. Also it didn’t occur to him to ask what I needed help with he just assumed. And when I heard him talk about the car, I said not the car I just want the things put on the walker.

The check out person next to him heard me and he put the remaining bags on the walker for me. I felt a bit sorry for the guy that served me as he obviously embarrassed himself, but next time I would tell the check out people can you help me put the groceries on the walker.

Up here in Queensland we sometimes get cane toads swimming in our dogs water. And so it is advisable to renew the outside water dishes with fresh clean water. Also not only cane toads get in the dog’s water but just the other day, I saw Dita spooking at the water dish as though there was something in it. And then as I told mum that she might find something in the water dish she then checked and she found that there was a grasshopper in the water and got it out.

As my mother was telling me the other day about this canine behaviourist that she sees on TV she then suggested that I should get some mini treats for Ilse. But I got the wrong thing as she wanted me to get Nature’s Gift Mini Treats and I got Love’em Liver Treats.

They also have two varieties of this brand which is either beef liver, or chicken liver. And when I discovered that I got the wrong thing I told my mum that her dogs can have what I got. As I knew Ilse didn’t really like the beef liver treats. But then as Ilse didn’t protest as much when I went up for tea with mum and dad on Thursday Night, I decided to open the packet of chicken liver treats as knowing that Ilse had never had them before.

And as I could tell that she liked the Love’em Chicken Liver Treats I told mum that Ilse seems to like the dried chicken liver so I’m keeping that for her but I then told my mother that she can give the dried beef liver that I got to her dogs. Also I noticed last night that giving Ilse a treat when I return has stopped her protesting when I go up for tea.