A pup and a plan

In spending this last week with Alfie, as he was named (after the Michael Caine movie and the real name of James Herriot), I have discovered that he is green. So green. He's a year and a half old, but doesn't seem to know any cues at all. No one has taught this boy much of anything.

So I thought I'd video all my training sessions with him.

And I also thought for once I'd try to intelligently plan what and how I'm training him.

Our 4 year old shar pei/pt bull cross has a short fuse, resource guards, and can be a complex little nugget. So given all that, there are certain things he needs to know ASAP in order to safely exist in this home. Also, I was reading an online discussion with trainer Deb Jones about what she focuses on with a new puppy/dog with an eye to performance. Considering these needs, I've decided where to focus my energy for now.

1. He needs a stationary cue (sit or down) to stop him in his tracks.

2. And he needs a "place" cue so that I can keep him somewhere safely when we're around any triggers for the resource guarding.

3. He seems to be a door dasher and a wanderer. So next on the list is recall, recall, recall...

4. ...and impulse control when it comes to doorways.

5. And beyond these "practical" skills for life in our house, we will be working on bonding and focus.

6. Plus, of course... cooperative husbandry.

Admittedly, we had a couple of sessions that suffered some technical difficulties.

But I have a couple minutes of "loading" the clicker-- letting Alfie know that the sound of the clicker is always followed by a treat-- and a couple minutes of his second session "capturing" a sit. Capturing basically means I've waited for him to sit and use a marker to let him know when he got it right, which is followed by a treat.

Loading the clicker. One thing you'll notice is that he doesn't seem to be making the connection right away. Eventually he starts to perk up noticeably when he hears the clicker.

This is his second session with capturing sit. He clearly knows what's going on now. A few things I'll do differently next time... When he seems to get "stuck" I toss a treat to reset his little brain. I won't wait as long as I did in this session. Also, you'll see that toward the end, I start getting greedy and wait for duration too soon. After the first time I try that, he needed two resets to get back on track. I really confused him. But he's a fun little dude. I'm excited to work with him.

What's it all about, Alfie?

The original crew.

A few days ago, I was thinking about my next dog-- hoping it would be a good 3-5 years away, but starting to think about the prospect of choosing my next dog. All of my dogs have been rescues-- 3 of 4 were strays we picked up in the neighborhood-- with various "issues" that needed to be addressed. All are wonderful and all made me a better trainer with each of their unique sets of challenges.


But next time, I'd like to be choosy for once. Actually select a dog with an eye to compete, to be biddable, to be stable, to be a dog where I could focus my training energy on training skills and not on rehabilitating or reversing worrisome behavior. Still a rescue-- I have nothing against purchasing a dog from a breeder, I just don't ever see myself doing it, though I can't put my finger on why. I started looking into breed rescues. An Aussie. A vizsla. A golden. A Stafford.

And then I was driving to get coffee Saturday morning and saw a dog in the grass, in the shade on the lawn of an old school building. It was dangerously hot outside. One of mine had a heat stroke a few weeks ago, so I think I was extra sensitive to the issue. This guy in the shade was clearly in some distress. I tried to get out of the car to see him, and he couldn't come near me. I brought him some water, and he ran. When I did catch up to him, he pancaked and looked terrified.  He was limping.

But seems relatively healthy, otherwise.

I've now spent the last week with this dog, and I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He's mellow and calm. He isn't afraid of people, but isn't overly gregarious. He gets a little nervous with new dogs, but only if they come on strong. He's becoming excited for training. Doesn't seem to have stomach problems. Doesn't bark (at least not yet). May need further investigation on the state of his hips.

And no clue what he is.

He's overly amorous, but we have an appointment for that in a couple of weeks...

I may have accidentally got what I wanted a little earlier than I planned.