Liza Rader - Focus Dog Training

11/27/2024

The dog training industry, and the lives we share with our dogs, are shaped by culture, and the topics we discuss are incredibly complex.

Especially with social media, and in such a fast evolving industry, we need to keep our critical thinking caps on and be ready to think deeper about the information presented to us!

Here are just a few questions to get you started:
🔸What is the strategic purpose of this idea?
🔸What does the author want me to believe and why?
🔸Which of my biases might lead me to discount this idea?
🔸What would this idea lead to if implemented?
🔸What political/ideological considerations inform or limit this point of view?
🔸How did I arrive at what I think?
🔸What do I not yet understand?

09/22/2024

If you’re feeling super overwhelmed by your dog’s behaviour, here’s what you’re going to do:

➡️ Ask yourself first: is the dog safe, fed, and watered?
Yes? Good. You’re doing better than a lot of people.

➡️ Give yourself some grace.
Dogs with behaviour challenges are HARD to live with. It’s exhausting and overwhelming. You’re not alone in that.
It’s normal to feel frustrated, angry, disappointed, guilty, and sad when our dog is not living up to our expectations or the expectations of society.

➡️ If at all possible, take a break.
If it is safe to do so, put the dog in a crate or separate room and go for a walk. Leave them with a friend or family member, or board them for a couple of days. If you are burnt out on dog training, stop.

➡️ Physical health first
A lot of behaviour problems are rooted in pain and discomfort. Don’t hesitate to make an appointment with a vet you trust to rule out any contributing physical health issues.

➡️ Meet their needs (as best you can right now)
Dogs need to spend time in nature, moving their bodies and sniffing. They need good quality rest, to engage with interesting sensory experiences, and to use their brains. Rent a sniff spot, go out early, do what you need to do to get them moving and exploring.

➡️ Reinforce what you like
Behaviour is always happening, there is no such thing as the dog not doing anything. Playing games like Smart x 50 to reinforce the behaviours that aren’t a problem can make a big difference. The absence of obnoxious behaviour is worth reinforcing!

➡️ Ask for help
If you’re feeling lost with your dog, and don’t know what the path forward should be, reach out to an experienced and qualified trainer. It is not a pet guardian’s job to know everything about dog behaviour and training, and we all need support with our dogs at some point.
Some cases really need a professional eye, and a good trainer is never going to judge you for what you don’t know!

09/10/2024

Such a fantastic update from Team Fiddle!

Fiddle joined our Frantic to Focused program earlier this year, after a long struggle with profound fear, leash reactivity, hyperactivity, and general chaos.

She’s injured herself and her mum, and was really struggling.

With some amazing support from Total Canine ( ) and Animal Behaviour Clinic ( ), and a comprehensive training and wellness plan, we’ve made some really fantastic improvements. Fiddle is enjoying her daily walks, learning to feel safe with body handling and things like training platforms and trash bags in the house, and her barking and chaos in the house has greatly decreased.

And best yet, we have this great update!

Emily writes:
“As we geared up for our annual summer road trip across the US with Fiddle, I was feeling anxious that the progress we’ve made this year would melt away outside our day-to-day environment. During previous trips, Fiddle was constantly overwhelmed, resulting in really scary incidents like jumping off a cliff, running through barbed wire fencing, and chasing deer long distances.
I’m thrilled to report that Fiddle knocked it out of the park! We stayed grounded in our systems, skills, and management, so we got to walk in exciting new places, exist around people and dogs, and enjoy total off-leash time in nature. Family who’d been around her before said she seemed like a totally new dog. I’m so proud of us for the work we’re doing and the relationship we’re building!”

These really intense spaniels are just as intense as the mals and the sport/working border collies, just a different flavour of nutty. Just because they’re cute doesn’t mean they’re easy!

A working springer spaniel is a LOT of dog, and dealing with behaviour problems in one as a first time dog owner is a massive challenge. Emily has more than risen to the occasion!

Well done, Team Fiddle!

Intense spaniels and other sporting/gun dogs are our specialty here at Focus Dogs!

If Fiddle’s story resonates with you, head to our website to learn more about 1:1 virtual coaching, or check out our on-demand webinars on exercise, retriever games, recalls, and more (links in bio!).

08/30/2024

Biscuit turns SIX today (how?!) and he has grown into just an absolute dream come true!
He's really come into his own this past year. He exudes Big Stud Dog Energy, picked up his CH in just a handful of shows, and has graduated to mentor dog status! It's just baffling that he's the adult in the room, but here we are.

He loves his birthday present, a Canada goose dokken. Any excuse for tank mode!

Without Biscuit there is no Frantic to Focused, no Ball is Life, or Retriever Games, or Understanding Exercise. (And no [redacted], or [redacted] 😉)
So much of what I teach I learned from him and for him.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. Thank you for always keeping me honest, and making me work. I love you so.

08/18/2024

Just this past week, Behavior Vets shared a post about an upcoming event. “Sparkles & Spice?” the post reads. “Helping People and their ADHD-like Dogs Keep it Together.”
I am a certified dog trainer, I have ADHD, I identify as neurodivergent and Mad, and I have an educational background in disability justice. And I was, to be blunt, floored.

To read the full open letter, click here: https://www.focusdogs.ca/writing/behavior-vets-and-neurodivergence

08/02/2024

Happy Birthday to the sweetest and bravest of baby boys!
Hutch is one today!

And he's come so far since we picked him up in January.
He arrived here frantic and scared, and he is really blossoming into a gentle, intelligent, fun little guy.
He's going to go far!

(and even though he is now taller than Biscuit (!!!) he will always be "the little guy" around here)

06/30/2024

Temper tantrums are emotional outbursts that are often extreme and unpleasant.
They can be a response to anger, frustration, exhaustion, hunger, and even pain.

They often seem unwarranted or disproportionate to adult humans.

The idea that dogs can’t or don’t tantrum is rooted in a misunderstanding and disrespect of human children. It is not an accurate representation of dog behaviour.

Tantrums are a normal part of human development. Experiencing emotional overwhelm is an unavoidable part of learning and growing as a toddler. The same factors of lack of experience, mismatched expectations, inability to otherwise communicate, and inability to self regulate, are also true for our dogs. Especially young dogs. We can work to minimize distress without pathologizing normal behaviour.

Just like toddlers aren’t being manipulative or spoiled when they scream or cry, neither are our dogs. All behaviour is learned, and all behaviour is about changing outcomes for the learner.
The framing of a tantrum is only problematic if we hold onto outdated and harmful views of children.

Children and animals in our care who are experiencing emotional distress need clarity, empathy, and support.

For those of us in a training or teaching role, we can use clarifying questions to accurately assess behaviour without shaming the use of labels.

06/16/2024

Are positive methods harder than compulsive methods? Do they take longer?

Well sure, if they're new to you!

As a crossover trainer, someone who was originally taught compulsive methods before switching to more positive methods, I can attest that the easiest method is the one you know best.

Learning new skills and habits is hard, and it takes time. But it's worth it.

06/09/2024

Neurodivergence is a hot topic right now! And rightly so, because it's a useful and fascinating term! Before we can talk about what it means for dogs, we need to know what it IS.

There are a lot of really watered down or overly simplified definitions floating around on the internet, but if you look at the source material, here’s what you’ll find:
Neurodivergence is a sociological term that means, to quote leading autism rights activist and writer Lydia X. Z. Brown, “a brain outside of what most of society considers normal, healthy, stable, sane, or intelligent”. It was coined in 2000 by autistic activist Kassiane Asasumasu.

Neurodivergence is a term that exists outside of medical and scientific frameworks.
It is rooted in the social and radical models of disability, not the medical model or legal frameworks.

It builds off of liberation based movements like disability justice, consumer-survivor, q***r rights, and mad pride.
Like “q***r”, the term neurodivergence enables us to understand ourselves as part of a political class, and to question and challenge societal ideas of normalcy and dysfunction. It takes the focus off our individual non-normative brains and onto the ways society is built to privilege certain neurotypes.
Neurodivergence does not mean “ADHD and autism”. It is an umbrella term so that all of us with brains who are marginalized and medicalized can find community together, and seek liberation.

Discussions of neurodivergence in dogs should center neurodivergent speakers, and people with education and experience in areas such as critical disability studies, consumer-survivor & mad pride organizing, and autism and disability self advocacy.
Many of the issues that affect neurodivergent people (medicalization, the racist and colonial history of psychiatry, abusive behaviour modification practices, carceral “health care”, and more), affect dogs too.
And discussing the incredible diversity in dogs, and how we conceptualize normal vs abnormal, functional vs dysfunctional, in such a varied species can give us insight into how we uphold ableism in our society.

On the flip side, framing neurodivergence in a medical context is misleading, continues to uphold systems of power used to marginalize neurodivergent people, and further devalues the expertise of people with lived experience and/or education in the humanities.

06/06/2024

Very exciting news here at Focus Dogs, the wonderful Piper and Jules have graduated!
Jules is a really experienced dog guardian and handler, and when she got her first toller puppy Piper, she knew something wasn’t right.

Piper wasn’t the rambunctious ball of trouble we expect toller puppies to be. She hid a lot, startled easily, and would run away from noises.

Jules was right, Piper is profoundly fearful. Sometimes guardians can do everything right and still end up with a behaviour case.

Having a fearful puppy is so hard. It’s hard not to blame yourself, and hard to filter through a ton of conflicting advice. It can mean putting important goals on hold, or shelving them completely. And it can mean grieving the dog we hoped we’d have.

Jules and I have been working together, with the help of her sister Alison and their fantastic vet team, since Piper was still a baby. Because Jules asked for help early, and has taken her time to work through the training program and support Piper through the first year of her life, she’s now thriving!

A combination of good management, training, and vet care has helped her so much, and now if you met her you’d never know how much she’s struggled!

Well done Jules!

06/02/2024

Important safety note!
Is your dog's ball the right size?

Balls that can fit fully in the dog's mouth are a *major* choking hazard! Especially for dogs who catch balls midair and/or chew on them.

In these photos you can see Biscuit with a medium sized chuckit ball (L) and a large chuckit ball (R). The medium fits fully in his mouth, behind his canines and between his premolars. It is a choking hazard. The large is a bit comical, but because he cannot fit it past his molars and it is wider than his mandible, it is much much safer.

Check your dogs balls!*

05/26/2024

I could not be more tired of these posts.
“Everything your dog does wrong is your own fault. Own it.” What an unkind and unhelpful thing to say.

Guardians can do everything right and end up with a serious behaviour problem! It is not their fault if they don’t have the knowledge of a qualified behaviour consultant or veterinarian. And it’s not their fault they don’t have a magic wand that undoes health problems and trauma.

I keep seeing these two very different concepts being conflated by trainers on social media: fault and responsibility.

Fault implies that the dog’s guardian is the cause of the problem. It really implies an inherent failing.

Responsibility is different. If my dog barks disruptively in a store, it is my responsibility to take him outside. If she wants to lunge at horseback riders, it is my responsibility to keep her a safe distance from them.
My dogs need a fair bit of exercise in nature. It’s not easy for me to provide that for them, but it’s my responsibility to make sure it happens.
Our dogs’ welfare is our responsibility. It’s our responsibility to ensure they aren’t a nuisance or a hazard in the community.

But FAULT?
Is it a guardian’s fault if they were lied to by a sketchy “rescue”?
Is it a guardian’s fault if they were assured by a professional that a training protocol was safe and effective and it wasn’t?
Is it a guardian’s fault if no one explained to them that a dog breed being “active” doesn’t mean a 45 minute neighbourhood leash walk a day?
Or that corgis are cattle dogs?
Or is it their fault if their dog has a genetic health or behaviour problem?

I’d argue no.

It IS their responsibility to continue to do their best to ensure their pet’s welfare, and keep them from being a nuisance or a hazard. That’s different.

Even with the things that are caused by mistakes or even malice, browbeating people for being at fault is not helpful. The people who don’t want to be responsible for their actions and for their dog aren’t going to listen. And those who are able to do so just feel bullied.
Shame does not teach.

I’m super tired of having consults with people in tears because they feel guilty for things that are blatantly not their fault.

Pet guardians deserve better, and dogs deserve better.

05/15/2024

So why don’t dogs come when called?

🐾 The world is exciting and reinforcing

A lot of our dogs live in relatively sterile environments. The outside world is full of interesting smells and experiences that don’t exist inside our homes.

🐾 We have taught them to ignore us

When we ask our dogs to do behaviours that are beyond their skill level, like recalling out of play, they learn to ignore our cues. Because what happens? We give the cue, the dog keeps doing something else (sniffing, playing, etc), and the immediate consequence is… more of those things! Frequently asking our dogs to do things that they aren’t likely to do just teaches them to ignore cues.

🐾 We overuse the cue

No one likes being nagged. Every time we ask our dog to come back to us we are asking them to give up something valuable, even if it’s just continued access to the environment. As a captive species, dogs have very little freedom, and asking them to give that up is a big deal. When we find ourselves having to call the dog over and over to control their movement, we can degrade the cue and make it more likely that the dog will ignore us.

🐾 Our reinforcement isn’t good enough

Again, the world is exciting and freedom of movement is a big deal to dogs! The reinforcement for coming when called needs to be big, and it needs to be worth it to the individual dog. If it’s between three kibbles or chasing a bunny, the bunny is going to win. But a breakfast sandwich all scrunched up in its bag for the dog to chase and rip open? More likely to be worth coming back.

🐾 We punished coming back (usually accidentally)

When coming back starts to predict leaving the park, getting nagged to sit, being yelled at, getting leashed, even being petted or handled for some dogs, it is likely that coming back will decrease. Dogs are smart, and they do what works for them. Coming when called should almost always predict only good things for dogs, so that in the few cases when we really have to grab them and hightail it out of the park it’s just a weird one off.

🐾 They can’t hear us

This one’s simple. Either because they’re so focused on sniffing that they’re not hearing, or because the wind is up and they’re out of range, that may just not hear us.
Get a whistle.

Recalls are simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy! You can find the link to my webinar on how I teach reliable recalls under “media” in the link in bio!

04/28/2024

I have to share another fantastic update from Team Scout!

As many of you know, Scout started Frantic to Focused after some really scary bunny related incidents. Like a lot of spaniels, he has a hard time self regulating and can completely fly off the handle around cats and critters.

But we've been working really hard on teaching him to observe and dismiss without needing his hand held, and it's paying off!

His mum Michelle writes:
"Spring has arrived in Ireland and the fields are full of rabbits!
Today Scout was on the scent of the rabbits, he was all nose and no ears! Rather than panic I remembered our training! Did a huge scatter and then the second he lifted his head I cued a 'kill it' with his rabbit lotus ball and after the fun game he immediately engaged with me... which was great because then two baby rabbits ran in front of him and I had to recall him, he did a fast 360 and was rewarded with his rabbit lotus ball again!
Woo hoo!"

This is huge! Beautiful job!

04/17/2024

We really need to talk about baby dogs on here more!!

🐾 Socialize Carefully

Socialization is the process of teaching our puppies that the world is safe, that they are capable, and that we have their backs.
The key here is that they have to feel safe to be able to learn that the world is safe. What might be a happy experience for one puppy may overwhelm another.
Because of this, socialization looks different for every puppy!

🐾 Use management

Your puppy is like a toddler, and we wouldn’t let a toddler run around unsupervised!
Utilize baby gates and playpens, and keep a close eye on your puppy to avoid mayhem and accidents. Preventing puppies from learning unwanted habits is half the battle.

🐾 Focus on the positive

If your puppy does something you like, reward them with attention, a game or a treat. Staying positive makes all the difference.
It’s so much easier for both us and the puppy to focus on “lay on your mat” rather than “don’t flail around and acost the visitors”.

🐾 Remember: they’re just a baby

Puppies don’t come home knowing how to live in our world. They’re going to make mistakes and they’re going to do things that are normal for puppies, like having accidents or biting in play.
They don’t know right from wrong, so don’t punish their mistakes.
Ask for help when you need it

🐾 Puppies are hard!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, would like more specialized support than a puppy class, are seeing behaviours you find concerning, or just want to get the best possible start with your puppy, reach out today!

04/11/2024

ClickerExpo has been over for a few days and my brain is still kind of mushy.

It was my first big behaviour conference and it was such a treat. Getting to meet so many amazing trainers and see wonderful friends in person was really special.
I keep getting asked what was the most interesting thing I learned, or what stood out the most, and honestly the biggest thing is just that it is such a privilege to train dogs. What a gift this job is, and this community.

Being at Expo really highlighted the reasons I decided to do my certification through KPA. The education itself aside, two things really stood out to me. The culture of the school, which truly takes to heart the power of positive reinforcement, and Ken Ramirez’s interview with Hannah Branigan about diversity. In that interview, Ken discussed how people of different languages, cultures, ages, educational backgrounds, the list goes on, working together makes us all stronger and smarter. He spoke about treating people with equity and valuing their input regardless of their status. Those things that drew me to KPA were so present at Expo!

Of course the speakers were all fantastic (I do want to shout out Kiki Yablon's talk on natural contingencies, which was such a highlight), and I had way too much fun buying books, but it was the energy of the conference that did it for me.

I’m not one for crowds, or group events full of unfamiliar people, but Expo was remarkably inviting. It was so cool to share space with so many nerds with such a wide variety of experiences and interests.

And also to be Wibble’s designated carrier and warm seat.

(also Dr Susan Friedman told me to take my hat off and then complimented my hair! Imagine that!)

04/01/2024

I will explain!

Just like all other kinds of exercise, dogs all need learning experiences that are not coloured by frustration, punishment or other aversives. I think of this as a different cup to fill than enrichment.

They need to stretch their brains as well as their bodies, and the extent to which this is true will vary from breed, to line, to dog. Some dogs need a lot of complex problem solving to be happy. Some dogs need a little. Just like physical exercise.

And here’s the thing, that need does not go away when they’ve learned to come when called, lay on their mat and walk on a loose leash. We can’t keep practicing the same 3 tricks and expecting the same result as when they were first learning.

This is why I love dog sports, they give me a framework to keep stretching my dog’s brains and meeting their need for complex problem solving without having to think of brand new things to teach them all the time.

Today Biscuit learned that nosework hides can be in a crack on the pavement, which blew his mind!
What are you teaching your dog today?

03/19/2024

I offered to sing the title of this, and you should all thank Sarah for very diplomatically not taking me up on it

Is fetch a problem? Does fetch cause problems? Is chasing a ball different from marking and finding a bumper? Can we utilize retrieving in beneficial ways? All this and more as Sarah explores the popu