Springtime? Is that you? Come closer so I can see.

We had two (!) days in a row that were sunny and warm. Maybe we're over the hump?

Of course, I was at work for one of these days. But the next, Elka and I went on a nice long jaunt to soak in the sun.

New (to me) survey: Dog aggression and owner aggression

I posted not long ago about how Alpha rolling was both not my style and also not a safely recommended training technique. A study in 2009 by the University of Pennsylvania veterinary researchers linked an exacerbation of aggressive dog behavior with punitive and confrontational training techniques, entitled "Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors" by Meghan E. Herron, Frances S. Shofer and Ilana R. Reisner. Basically, if you're aggressive your dog will be too. Of course, Patricia McConnell beat me to posting about the study, but in a way, I'm glad. She's somebody I've heard of, read a lot, and am confident recommending her advice to people.

(Picture of Elka "paws up", taught through positive reinforcement techniques, to prevent this post from being a wall of text)

Wordless Wednesday September 5 2012

Elka, look at me, I want to take your picture

 No, seriously, it'll just take a second and then we're done.

 What about the squeaky toy? Do you want that?

Walking on a sunny day

With fall fast approaching (here, anyway), the sunny days seem that much more precious and few.  

When Elka and I take our walks, we don't just walk. If we're on the sidewalk, we practice "automatic sits" (Elka sits when I stop, preferably at heel).  We practice "look at me".  And oh yes, we practice heel.  Sometimes that goes better than others; at the beginnings of our walks, Elka is very excited to go go go, and has to be reminded, sometimes frequently, that she really should be walking with me.  Frequently, "excuse me" is enough to reach her. Other times, I have to stop walking and wait, and then she comes back to me and sits.

Command Clinic: Look at me

Theoretically, in doggie body language, direct eye contact is not polite.  It could be a threat or a challenge, or it could just make other dogs uncomfortable.  It depends, and I dont' know enough of the particulars beyond what I just said to discourse on it just yet.

To humans, though, eye contact is very important.  If somebody avoids eye contact, they don't like you, or they're lying.  If they give you direct eye contact, it shows you're important to them, they're paying attention.  If they absolutely won't look away, it could be a threat or a challenge (I'm seeing some overlap here).

Let's focus on the "important" thing, though.  Sometimes, it's important for our dogs to look at us.  It could be so you can give them cues, which could be very significant with regards to safety or with regards to Qualifying on that agility course.  It could be so you can take a picture.  It could be just to get your dog's attention.  Overall, "Look at me" is a pretty handy cue.