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Show C-7 Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 20-22, 2013 Park Record PAWS Talking Dogs: Try training dog based on cooperation and respect By Lisa Moore The Modesto Bee (MCT) J Puppy classes help new owners By Kathy Antoniotti Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) A KRON, Ohio - The first night of a puppy class can be hectic as excited little ones age 8 weeks to 4 months begin to learn acceptable behavior and how to properly socialize with other dogs. But for two 10-week-old pups, it was a night of rediscovering the kinship of being littermates. The owners of two Labrador retriever-mix pups were shocked at the resemblance of the two canines when they arrived at Papp's Dog Services in Akron, Ohio, recently for their first puppy class. "They have to be brother and sister," remarked Papp's owner Susan Jenkins, who has more than 30 years of experience in animal obedience training. After a little sleuthing, pet parents Naomi and James Bryant and Pat Doane realized that little Maxx and Roxie came from the same Barberton, Ohio, home within the last month. The other remarkable thing is that both sets of owners realized their puppies needed a few training sessions to learn how to behave. While getting some "grown-up" help from Jenkins' dog Caleb, who has been ranked one of the top obedience Labrador retrievers in the nation, instructor Jennifer Durst began the class by talking to owners about what is considered acceptable behaviors and what they could expect to learn in the four-week, hour-long sessions. "Supervision is the key," Durst told them. When not supervised, puppies should be in a totally empty crate to prevent them from choking on toys, blankets or chew strips. "Treats are an earned privilege," said Jenkins. Toys should be given only while the puppy is supervised to make sure it can't break off pieces of rubber or fabric, she said. During the first class, puppies and their owners focused on behavior issues they are dealing with, such as housebreaking and biting, a puppy's way of communicating. The joyful pups were having a great time and had no idea they were actually absorbing new lessons. Most owners in the class said they were having issues with housebreaking their pups. "If you are supervising your puppy properly, you will pick up on the signals when they need a potty break," Durst said. Durst, a member of Cuyahoga County, Ohio's Public Animal Welfare Society, explained that getting angry or frustrated with a misbehaving puppy is counterpro- ductive. "One of our goals here is to make your puppy comfortable in any situation and help you learn to be comfortable, too," Durst said. The four-week curriculum is geared to helping owners raise the ideal pet. Jenkins has worked with veterinarians, vet assistants, groomers and therapy dog testers for the Delta Society, the largest national group that certifies therapy dogs in the U.S., to develop her curriculum. Jenkins insists puppies begin learning limited recall - to come when called each and every time they are called. "In my opinion, (it is) one of the most important things you can teach a dog," Jenkins said. It wasn't long into the session that Durst and Jenkins thought it was time for the puppies to take a break from the classroom and expend some pent-up energy by introducing them to a strange new game of walking through a tunnel. Starting with encouragement from their owners and a treat waiting at the end of the opening, some of the pups were chasing each other through the tunnel on their own by the end of the class. Throughout each session, puppies will continue to learn how to get along with each other as well as the manners they need to keep their families happy. Dogs who get a good foundation with early training stand a better chance of a good life. Trained dogs are more welcome in homes and don't end up abandoned in a shelter for bad behavior, Jenkins said. "I've gotten a 5-year-old shepherd that was a biter that would probably never have gotten to that point if they had brought him to me sooner," Jenkins said. "It's much more difficult to recondition that behavior after an animal has been doing it for a long time," she said. --- (Kathy Antoniotti writes about pets for the Akron Beacon Journal. She is unable to help locate, place or provide medical attention for an individual animal. If you have an idea or question about pets, write her at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; call 330-9963565; or send an email to kantoniotti@ thebeaconjournal.com.) --- une was struggling to gain control of her young dog Farley, a beautiful Standard Schnauzer. She cited trouble with mouthing and general rambunctiousness as reasons for a consultation. When I met Farley, he presented himself as a normal and energetic young dog. One thing that was apparent immediately, however, was that Farley never gave June eye contact - ever. In fact, it was as if she didn't even exist, despite her being at the other end of the leash. Leash walking was a train wreck, with Farley lunging ahead, and paying no mind to June's instructions. In talking with June and getting a detailed history, two things came to light. First, June was at odds with her husband over how Farley should be handled and trained. Her husband felt that the way to train the dog was through the application of dominant and corrective measures, which included lots of scolding and jerking the dog around by the collar during leash walking. June wasn't comfortable applying those techniques. Second, June had no real value in Farley's mind. His food bowl always had kibble for him to graze on, he had access to a box full of toys to entertain himself, and he even spent time running on a treadmill for exercise. And compared to her husband, she was not an effective punisher. The application of heavy corrections had resulted in a "punishment callous," meaning that corrections were so standard for Farley that he became conditioned to them, and they ceased being effective. June could not deliver the strong punitive corrections that her husband could, so her corrections had no effect on Farley. Such is the ugly side of corrective training - the more you apply corrections, the harder they must become over time, as the dog becomes insensitive to them. June and I came up with a training plan that did not, much to June's relief, rely on punishing the dog, but rather focused on Farley's efforts to offer behavior that we found acceptable. We also devised a strategy to make Farley see June as an important member of his world by changing the feeding and toy routine. Instead of keeping Farley's food bowl full of kibble, we placed him on a twice daily feeding schedule. When June filled his bowl, before placing it on the floor, she calmly cued Farley to sit. The first few times she did this, Farley just barked, or jumped toward the counter to get at the food bowl. June's response was not to punish; instead, she just walked away, and Farley was denied his food. She returned a few minutes later and tried again, with the same results. After numerous attempts, with Farley not responding to her cue to sit, she simply stopped, and that meal was skipped. Same with the evening meal. By the next day, Farley was pretty hungry, and June was in a new position of quiet power - the Controller of Food. She went through her same routine and, holy smokes, Farley sat immediately when asked to do so. I also had June pick up all of Farley's toys and place them out of reach. The only time Farley was given access to a toy was when he and June were practicing something: Sit when cued, play with a toy; walk a few steps while maintaining slack in the leash, stop and play a little tug. Since Farley loved to play with toys, June felt the need to interact with him frequently, and working with her was now his only avenue to toy play. Fast forward a few weeks and June is happy to report that she sees improvement every day. Her relationship with Farley is one of mutual respect and understanding. Farley now gives her lots of eye contact, an indication that she is relevant in his world. And June has a dog that willingly complies with the cues she has taught him, not because he has too, as June will not use punishment to make the dog do anything, but because it is in his best interest to do so, as rewards are offered when he does comply. Learning new behavior is also going well, with Farley an eager and willing participant, since the training process is fun, without correction and includes rewards. This is just one example of the power of positive training. You can choose to not apply corporal punishment and yet still teach your dog manners and maintain control. A big difference between the two training styles is that one subscribes to the idea that the dog must do a task or face punishment, while the other sets up the dog up to want to do a task, or be denied a reward. Both can be effective, but one training style is about dominance and force, and the other is about cooperation and respect. Which relationship would you rather have with your dog? ©2013 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) 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