Category Archives: Fin

Sophie

Embrace the Curfew

Five German Shepherds

Left to right: Fin, Amy, Sophie, Blitz and Molly

Out of Control

Back in 2002, we were the confused owners of five German Shepherds. Their behaviour was appalling and we were losing control. Every morning we would take them to the nearby army ranges for their morning walk. We found ourselves going earlier and earlier in the hope that we wouldn’t meet other dog walkers because if we did, it would turn into utter chaos.

We realised we needed to do something about the situation and we consulted dog behaviour expert, Angela Stockdale of The Dog Partnership. Her advice was ‘they need a curfew‘. We were even more confused if we didn’t take them out, how would they get the exercise they needed? They would become even worse, surely.

We decided to put our scepticism aside and follow her advice. For three months we didn’t take them out for walks. Their stress levels that had been escalating day on day during the walk, began to come down.

Life without walkies

But you can’t just stop walking your dog and leave it at that. The morning walk had to be replaced with some other activity. For us it was clicker training and to say it was a life-saver is not an exaggeration.  We scheduled short five-minute sessions several times a day, individually for each dog. It enabled us to get to know each one of them far better, learn their strengths and weaknesses, what motivated them and what bored them.

In no time at all, they weren’t rushing to the front door at 5 am, barking and waking the whole neighbourhood. They were more relaxed. When it came to training sessions, we did various different things with each of them. We had a lot of glass doors and when one was doing their training session, the others would watch.

Dogs Dancing

Molly (left) does the tango with Fin

Molly, who was a timid girl, learned to dance and her confidence grew. Fin, who was our newest rescue, learned some manners and how to behave around ladies!

Dog Skateboarding

Amy on her skateboard

Amy who was frankly a bit of a thug diverted her attention to skateboarding.

KONG Time

Amy (left) and Sophie at the top of the stairs

Sophie was a master of the KONG. She would empty it of every last crumb by taking it to the top of the stairs and dropping it down.

Jolly Ball

Blitz with his beloved Jolly Ball

Blitz, our first rescue boy who was a real gentleman, loved the Jolly Ball and would spend ages playing with it on his own. Both him and Fin mastered the peek-a-boo trick (see our What Makes You Click Training Cards for this trick) and many others.

Did it work?

So, what was the result of our three-month curfew? We had calmer, better-behaved dogs that we knew as individuals. They could entertain us and show off their tricks which they really enjoyed. Who doesn’t enjoy praise for a job done well? It was time well spent and we were able to gradually reintroduce them to the outside world.

What you can do right now

Why not give clicker training a try? We have Clicker Training Cards, that come complete with clicker and treats, or download our What Makes You Click? cards absolutely free and get started right away.

Clicker Cue Cards

What Makes You Click Training Cards

You will need lots of tasty Training Treats which we have in abundance, or why not make your own. Most people have a tin of tuna, flour and eggs in the house. This recipe will get you up and running in no time: Tillies Tuna Cake Recipe.

Tuna Dog Treats

Tillies Tuna Cake Recipe

Snuffle Mats are becoming an increasingly popular game for dogs and cats. If you fancy a challenge how about making your own Snuffle Mat to keep them entertained when you’re flagging. An old doormat and some t-shirts should suffice to complete this excellent tutorial from the Dogs Trust.

Make your own Snuffle Mat

Make your own Snuffle Mat

Learn to love the curfew

Your dogs may not be badly-behaved and in need of a curfew, but it has been forced on us all and we have an opportunity to really make the best of it by embracing it and spending quality time with our furry friends. You never know, both dog and owner could learn something new.

Finnegan

We say goodbye to the Big G

At the beginning of January, we were devastated when we lost our beloved Fin.  The Big Ginger, as he was affectionately known, has left a huge hole in our lives.  He had many conditions and a lot of our time was taken up with caring for him.  However, despite all his various illnesses, he was a happy boy and still enjoyed a walk, albeit slowly, around the park, feasting on sheep poo when he got a chance.  He also adored the snow and would gulp huge mouthfuls of it, at every opportunity.

He must have been at least 15 years old.  We adopted him in 2003 when we were told he was around 2.  We got him from Vigil German Shepherd Rescue in Surrey, after being sent his picture (above left) to post on our website.  We couldn’t resist him, and after a brief introduction, took him home.

Fin wasn’t always the easiest dog, he never got along with our other rescue Blitz but he was such a character.  Sometimes, when there was a full moon, he would throw his head back and howl like a wolf.

He is so sorely missed, but we are thankful to have had so many years with him, and he will always be in our hearts.

Sleep tight Big G.

Training your dog with a Target Stick

Teach your dog to target using a target stick or target wand. A fun training activity, but also a useful way to lead your dog without force.

Targeting or Touch Targeting is very simple – it is teaching your dog to touch something on command, such as your hand, a cup or maybe a ball, with either his nose (or paw).

How is it useful?

Fin is lured into a Down with the target stick

Targeting can be useful in a number of ways. For instance, sending your dog to his bed to ‘settle’, or training him to ring a bell to go outside are both forms of targeting where the bed and the bell are the targets.

Why use a target stick?

Almost anything can be used as a target, but the beauty of using a target stick is that you can move it around easily.  They usually have a target ball on the end which can attract your dog’s attention, they are easily portable, and they can be used to encourage your dog to follow. Some even have an integrated clicker.

Once he is comfortable touching the target ball, this behaviour can easily be transferred to other objects.  Floor standing target sticks are also ideal for distance work where your dog may need to work away from you (handy for dog agility/dog sports, but other situations too).

As soon as your dog is working with a target stick, it can be effective for leading his movement without force.  With your dog happy following the target, you can use it for many things – like encouraging a ‘down’ (right), leading him through the weave poles in agility, doing a twirl around you, or pushing objects on cue

Getting Started

Make sure you have your clicker, a quantity of small but high value treats in a treat pouch, your target stick, somewhere quiet with no distractions, and a dog that is hungry!

Your dog should already be familiar with the clicker (although the steps can be adapted to non-clicker training methods if you prefer).

Step 1

Start by doing a few simple tricks that your dog already knows to get him to focus on you.  Sits or downs perhaps, remembering to click and treat each time.

Once you have his attention, present the stick to your dog.  Be ready – out of curiosity he is bound to sniff the stick, and as soon as he does, or shows any interest, (anywhere on the stick, not just the end with the ball) click and treat.  Repeat the action and again click and treat each time he shows interest.

Try not to let your dog bite the target or stick

If your dog attempts to bite or grab the stick, try to discourage him without putting him off of the exercise.

Vary the stick’s position slightly in relation to your dog, and keep going until it is clear that he understands that if he sniffs or touches the stick (wherever it is) with his nose, he will receive the click and treat.

If your dog is really not interested, be patient and give him a chance to work out what you want him to do.  In some cases it helps to smear something smelly and tasty onto the target ball to help get your dog started.

Train in short bursts so that he doesn’t lose interest, taking regular breaks to do other things.  Only once your dog is touching the target stick 100% of the time, move on to the next step.

Step 2

So far you have said nothing when he touches, so now it’s time to add a verbal command, or ‘cue’.  Present the stick and just as his nose is making contact, say the word you want to use, like ‘touch’.  Don’t forget to click and treat. Do some repetitions and gradually introduce the word earlier and earlier until it is clear that the cue is making him act.

When your dog is 100% reliable, stop clicking for touches that are not done on command.

Step 3

Vary the position of the target stick

At this point you can start to move the target stick’s position a little more, still using the ‘touch’ cue.  Click and treat each time.  Most target sticks are telescopic so you can extend and get your dog to work further away from you.  You could also put the stick on the floor or on a piece of furniture.

Again make sure the behaviour is 100% solid before moving on.

Step 4

When your dog is reliably touching on command, you can start to shape the behaviour.

Your dog may only be touching the target ball already, but if not, it shouldn’t take too much encouragement to focus him on that rather than the whole stick. Just click and treat for nose touches on the ball itself, and nowhere else.  He’ll soon get the message.

Then, try moving the stick a little as your dog approaches, so that he follows it. As your dog understands what is needed, vary the distance and speed of movement.  Remember to click and treat the touch each time.

Before long, your dog should be touching the ball at the end of the stick on command wherever it is.

What next?

A floor standing target can encourage your dog to work away from you

If you have a free standing target stick you can begin to ask your dog to work away from you.  Start with the target close at first and use your ‘touch’ cue.  Click immediately and he should return to you for the treat (setting up the next go very nicely!).

Move the target to different positions relative to you and gradually increase the distance to it, repeating the command, and clicking and treating for each success.  If you have a hand held target stick, you could achieve the same thing by putting it on the ground where your dog can see it.

Dogs enjoy speed and excitement so it is good fun to turn this into a fast paced game.  Put the target down a few feet from you, give the touch cue, and when your dog touches the target, click and throw the treat out past it so that your dog has to run to get it.  On his way back to you, give the touch cue again, click and throw the treat again after a successful touch.

Remember…

If at any time your dog starts to get confused or frustrated, either go back and repeat the previous step, or switch to something simple that he can do easily.  This will make the training fun for him and keep him interested.

Take your time. Some dogs take longer than others, and it is important not to push forward too quickly.

Always put the target stick away at the end of a training session so that your dog is not touching it when you are not looking and therefore not receiving a click and treat.

Have fun!

The ginger one

Getting to the bottom of Fin’s problem

It’s been a difficult month with regard to our 13 year old rescue boy Fin.  We adopted him from Vigil German Shepherd Rescue when he was just 2 years old (who can resist a ginger GSD!), and for most of his life, he has been fit and healthy.  However, last year he was struggling to go to the toilet, and since he absolutely refused to be examined the nearest diagnosis we could get for his symptoms was colitis.  He had a course of steroids which affected him quite badly at the time but seemed to cure the problem, along with a complete change of diet.  He was doing pretty well until recently.

The symptoms were back so we returned to the vet and this time he was sedated to allow a thorough examination.  The conclusion was anal furunculosis, also known as perianal fistula, which may have an underlying allergic or autoimmune cause.  We had no knowledge of this horrible disease so set about researching it online and joined a group dedicated to it, which was very useful.

Although steroids helped last time we didn’t want to risk the side effects again so, along with our vet, looked for other options.  The most popular treatment seemed to be Cyclosporine (Atopica) which is incredibly expensive and although we were offered an alternative drug, it ran the risk of pancreatitis.  We rejected that and plumped for the cyclo, combined with Ketoconozole, which reduced the cyclosporine dose and therefore the cost.  Having agonised over it and made the decision, we discovered that the keto had been withdrawn due to severe side-effects in humans.

We were back to the Cyclosporine on its own, although once the problem was under control, we could use a cream to keep on top of it.  We requested a prescription from our vet, which they gladly supplied, and sourced the cyclo from an online pharmacy at a considerably lower cost.

Once again we had to change his diet to a “novel” protein to try to rule out food allergies.  Given that our dogs are raw fed and we raise a lot of our own meat here on the croft, it was difficult to find something that he had never eaten.  Buffalo or kangaroo came to mind!  In the end we chose duck.  He has started his diet and seems quite keen on it and we are awaiting the arrival of the drugs.

We will let you know how he gets on and if anyone has any experience of this disease or advice to offer, we would be pleased to hear from you.

On another note, lambing has begun with three sets of twins so far and the cameras are worth their weight in gold – no more spending hours in the freezing cold watching the sheep puffing and panting!