Idaho Canine Training

07/08/2023

‎Show Tips and Tales Podcast, Ep Force Fetch - Jul 7, 2023

05/09/2023

Socialisation.
Play is NOT socialisation. Play is a separate and important skill.....but it isn't socialisation.
What is socialisation ?..... Calmness and acceptance.
What it isn't......over excited, scared, hyper, wary behaviour or PLAY.

I know that seems like a big statement to make for some people but society has some strange ideas of what socialisation is.

That doesn't mean dogs and puppies shouldn't play, it simply means one of the FIRST things they need to learn in life is be calm and accepting of dogs in general....then play can be added as a separate skill.

Calmness and acceptance IS socialisation.
Play is play.
Two completely separate things.

Dogs and puppies are a very small part of having a socialised dog. An important small part... but a very small part in a much bigger picture.
The word socialisation seems to be associated with play and that is a big issue with new puppy guardians/owners.

How you let other dogs meet yours and how your dog meets other dogs forms patterns of behaviour.
The more these dogs have over excited, over aroused and hyper behaviour around other dogs...........the more they understand this IS exactly how to meet dogs....and that is really problematic for many dogs.

True socialisation is acceptance and calmness in ALL the world has to offer.
Everything you encounter in everyday life...is exactly what you need to expose your dogs to.

Little and often
Positively and calmly......and you are well on your way to a well socialised puppy or dog.

One of the best lessons you can teach your puppy or dog is they do NOT need to interact with others.
They don't need to go to that hyper excited behaviour when other dogs are near.

They can be calm, assess the situation and choose to play and interact if they wish.....

That is true socialisation.

03/27/2023

Make sure you’re worth their time!

03/10/2023

02/24/2023

If you do have a STRONG dog; reach out to me. I can help you understand the difference between management and training, specifically to remedy challenges caused by size and strength.

I’m a dog trainer.
I teach people how to teach their dogs.
But I also - just as much or maybe even more - am a “dog manager”.
Teaching people how to manage their dogs.
Management is faster, and for many owners more accessible and realistic than training.
Sometimes this management is short-term, and sometimes it is a long-term solution.
The balance between training and management is individual to each family.
You know what makes management really hard?
Dogs that are stronger than their owners.
I am starting to see this more and more, and it worries me.
Dog owners are reaching out because they are small-framed (I am, too!) and their 80 lbs adolescent Doberman is pulling them over on every walk.
They tell me their dog got in a fight because he got loose when they couldn’t hang on to the leash.
When they try to wrestle their dog away from the opening front door, the dog easily wins and darts out and gets in trouble …
This is not good.
If owners acquire powerful working breeds, they need to be able to keep them under control (through training and/or management) or this quickly gets out of hand.
I want to be clear that I am not making this about body types.
There are a lot of amazing dog trainers out there who have a small frame, who are not physically strong or who have a medical condition or disability and their large dogs are *fantastically* trained.
It's a joy to watch. I highly respect them.
I am by no means a strong person either.
BUT let’s be realistic: If you get a dog that is stronger than you, your training game needs to be on point.
Because if a dog’s behavior is neither regulated by management nor training we have a problem.
In my in-person training I have seen many situations in which the training ability & physical strength of the dog owner was grossly mismatched with the dog’s level of drive and power.
There is so much frustration on both the human and canine sides of these teams.
Those cases are really difficult for a trainer to resolve - and they quickly become sketchy for others around, too (such as the dogs that are charged when the strong dog gets loose).
If you love training fast, driven & strong dogs - fantastic. I love that, too.
If you are looking for a companion and don’t have a huge interest in training - choose a dog that does not overpower you. You and your dog will be MUCH happier with this arrangement.

02/22/2023

WE ARE REPEATING THIS EXPERT FEATURE, for anyone who may have previously missed it, or would like to see it again.

TOO FAT, TOO THIN OR JUST RIGHT?
How to know if your dog is the right weight

One of the most heartening sights for me on this page is the number of followers who send us pictures of their active, healthy BCs who are all of an ideal weight. For being the right weight will not only preserve your dog’s active life for so much longer, it will also spare them so many more unpleasant health issues in older age.

It is also vital for working or competition dogs to maintain the right weight to minimise the risk of injury or excess strain on the heart and joints.

Obesity in dogs, in general, is now becoming as massive a problem as it is in people. Similarly it makes them more vulnerable to so many other illnesses or conditions, ranging from diabetes and arthritis to heart problems and a range of cancers. And seeing as we totally control everything a dog eats, it is also completely avoidable.

WHAT IS AN IDEAL WEIGHT FOR YOUR DOG?
What your dog weighs, on the scales, is not always the best indication of how healthy or ‘right’ their weight is, as collies can come in so many different sizes and body builds. A far better guide can be seen in our illustration, where we look at these key things:

1. WAIST. Does your dog have an immediately obvious ‘waist’ when you look down on them from above? If so, this usually signifies a healthy weight. Similarly, when you run your hands LIGHTLY down their sides, you should EASILY feel their ribs underneath without pressing harder. If your dog looks ‘squarer’ from above, without a more obvious waist and you cannot easily feel their ribs for fat, or without having to press quite hard, the chances are they are pretty overweight. Your dog’s ribs, however, should not actually be sticking out, which could indicate they are UNDERWEIGHT instead.

2. THE ‘TUCK UP’. Dogs of an ideal weight should also have a pronounced ‘tuck up’ where their underbelly tapers up, at an angle, neatly into the groin area (again see illustration). If the underbelly sags down instead, or you cannot see this same slanted angle of ‘tuck up’ your dog is likely to be overweight (though do note some health conditions can also cause swelling of the belly in dogs – covered a bit later).

3. PELVIC BONES. If you put your hand on top of your dog’s ‘bottom’ or hip area, in dogs of ideal weight you should just feel the top of the pelvic bones under the skin. If you cannot easily feel them your dog may be overweight. If they are actually sticking out, your dog may be underweight.

In longer coated dogs you may need to rely more on ‘feel’ than sight to tell if they are the right weight, or look at them when wet. And if in any doubt you can also ask your vet for their opinion.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS OVERWEIGHT
If your dog is overweight, the most important thing to do is accept it. It can be too easy instead to make excuses, or go into denial about it, rather than putting your dog’s health and best interests first, as opposed to your own need to not to have to change what you are doing, or feeding your dog, because this is more comfortable for you.

Weight usually creeps up steadily on dogs for the same reason it does on people – too many extra treats or snacks or portions of food that do not match your dog’s daily exercise levels. Some dogs are also more prone to weight gain than others. But the more overweight your dog gets, the more exercise becomes progressively harder work for them, and takes an ever greater toll on their heart and joints.

You should begin by cutting out all extra snacks, treats and food leftovers and then additionally cutting their daily food portions back by about a quarter to a third, so the reduction is less drastic. If you want to give them treats things like carrot sticks, or lower calorie treats made of fish skin, can be substituted. You want to aim for slow and steadier weight loss over time. Vets can also really help these days with weight loss plans and special diets if required.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS UNDERWEIGHT
People can be so used to seeing overweight dogs in society today – and thinking this ‘normal’ – that very often what they may think is an underweight dog is actually one of perfect weight. Again, if you are not sure check our illustration, or with your vet.

Collies who have been subjected to great trauma or stress – like rescue dogs – can lose weight very rapidly, as can dogs with more super-high metabolisms. Often when the stress element is removed from any dog’s life, their weight will return to normal. However some collies will always be harder to keep weight on than others, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are not also healthy.

MORE RAPID WEIGHT GAIN OR LOSS
If your dog has suddenly gained or lost weight more rapidly, or over a shorter period of time, then a vet check up is strongly recommended. As conditions like Hypothyroidism or Cushing’s Disease can make dogs gain weight or give them a more ‘pot bellied’ appearance. Other conditions can lead to more dramatic weight loss, so it is always worth ruling these out first.

Generally, it is worth weighing your dog(s) more regularly, like every two or three months, to ensure they are maintaining a more stable, healthy weight. It will also give you a chance to act sooner, rather than later, if they need to lose or gain a bit more weight, or if their weight change is a first sign of something else not going right with their health.

Meanwhile all aspects of collie health and diet are covered in my book COLLIE PSYCHOLOGY:
https://performancedog.co.uk/product-category/books-and-dvds/authors/carol-price/ In the USA from https://www.dogwise.com/ # and https://www.cleanrun.com/product/border_collies_a_breed_apart_book_1_secrets_of_the_working_mind/index.cfm In Canada from https://www.4mymerles.com/product-category/books/ And in Australia from: https://gameondogs.com.au/
All text © Carol Price 2023

02/15/2023

Boise's 2023 Rattlesnake, Porcupine and Skunk Avoidance Training for Dogs Workshops: Online Registration Now Open for Saturdays May 20th (10am-2pm) & June 3rd (9am-2pm)

www.dogavoidancetraining.org

01/26/2023

Have you seen advertising for the HALO COLLAR? Are you curious about whether this will work for your dog? I recently had the pleasure of training a dog to this system and was quite surprised at how well it worked. If you have questions or concerns and want a straight answer without all the sales gimmicks, shoot me a message. &containsystem

11/21/2022

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and many of us want to share the great food on the table with our pets. We'd like to offer a quick reminder of safe food treats for dogs and those to avoid.

***Clarification on ham and mashed potatoes: ham is not recommended due to salt, fat, and heavy preservatives. Can lead to gastroenteritis. Mashed potatoes are okay in their bare form, but when fats are added and heavy creams, can lead to pancreatitis.

Our cat-safe food is coming out tomorrow morning!

11/18/2022

11/18/2022

Get your appointments scheduled now for the holidays! We have a new groomer, his name is Derek.. and he is simply AMAZING. We have openings before Christmas, but call now don’t wait!!

11/14/2022

I saw this next to the front door when I arrived at my clients house this week. They have a 5 month old lab puppy that gets quite excited when people arrive.

When I see my clients take the initiative like this it makes my heart happy.

You can either create your own environment or you can become a part of the environment. Even in your own home.

11/12/2022

Puppy biting is normal. It comes with the territory. 😀 Remember this mantra to help mitigate the biting: interrupt and redirect. The checklist in the poster below lists different ways to redirect a puppy’s natural behavior. And most importantly, never punish puppy biting! You could actually make it worse because the puppy could become anxious and defensive.

10/29/2022

Fido causing some issues? Or, are you planning holiday get-togethers and worried about what to do with the dog??
I had some training spots open up in November and December. Let me help you and your family. Please, contact me to see how I can help.

10/24/2022

Here’s another post I share annually. Many, many owners (and trainers) have found life changing insight and value from this short read. I hope it’s helpful. 🙏
——
Okay, so this is a word that gets an awful lot of play in the training world, and it’s definition has come to mean an awful lot of things. Many of which, are incredibly counter-productive, if not downright dangerous.

So let’s see if we can’t clarify a few things.

Socialization isn’t:
-About letting your dog freely interact with dogs at the dog park, day care, or with friends dogs.
-About allowing your dog to meet other dogs on-leash.
-About allowing all manner of people, in all manner of mental/emotional states interact/pet/pressure your dog.
-About exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes, skateboards, joggers...and allowing them to freak out, panic, aggress, hide, bark etc.
-About exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of dogs, cats, and other animals, and allowing them to freak out, aggress, lunge, bark, growl etc.

Socialization is:
-About teaching your dog the proper responses to dogs. What is and isn’t appropriate behavior, and correcting the unwanted when it appears.
-About teaching your dog to walk by the barking, lunging dog(s) on walks and ignore them, completely. Correcting if necessary to achieve this result.
-About advocating for your dog and ensuring people aren’t allowed to pressure your dog, by touching, crouching down, attempting “kisses” etc. That means being a big boy or girl, and stopping others from engaging in unwanted, uninvited interactions.
-About exposing your dog to all manner of daily life “things” and ensuring a proper response. If aggression/arousal is present, it’s corrected, if fear/arousal is present (and causes an overreaction/fleeing etc.) it’s corrected. Ask your dog to learn to ignore and not care about these “life” distractions/concerns/temptations. Teach them to listen to the training, not the world around them.
-About teaching your dog to leave other creatures alone. The cat, the bird, the cow, the goat, the other dog, is simply none of their business. If they decide those things are their business, it’s your job to correct and clarify what is and isn’t their business for them.

Socialization has become a ridiculously simplified, dumbed down, all-encompassing idea. Free interaction and exposure have been presented as a panacea, the magic gateway to a balanced dog. That’s a whole lot of B.S. you’ve been sold, by a lot of people full of B.S. 🙂

Socialization is all about teaching your dog how to behave and exist in the world...properly. People have a belief that only interactions create a well socialized dog. They don’t understand that existence is almost always preferable, and more valuable than actual interaction. Yes exposure is critical, but exposure without 100% clear guidance, and corrections for poor choices, isn’t socialization, it’s chaos, and it’s not teaching your dog what’s right, what’s wrong, and that you’ll keep them safe, so they don’t have to.

A well socialized dog isn’t fazed by the world around them. And that doesn’t come from simple exposure and interactions without guidance. Ironically, that’s precisely how you create anti-social dogs.

Think on that for a minute.

09/29/2022

I love getting updates from old clients…. Although, it really is hard for me to accept these two are already 7. Seems like just yesterday I was working with these pups. Huck and Tag aging gracefully.

09/22/2022

Timco the pudelpointer polishing up his “hold” and retrieve.

09/10/2022

When advocating for our beloved family, our adopted precious puppers, you'll hear us on a soap box about 'Dog Parks' and here's a little more insight as to the why.

Getting together with friends in a more intimate setting, like the back yard or going on pack walks together are a few great alternatives. Sniff spot also offers private play parks, and we have one available local to the Spokane Valley, Dawn to Dusk Doggy Domain. Check them out!

09/06/2022

I would say 85-90% of the people who reach out to a trainer for help, have a dog in the 6-18 month age range (unless they’re looking for specialized help in a specific sport). Dogs go through beeing a ‘teenager’, just like humans do, and it’s important we recognize that they are struggling, not being intentionally difficult or “naughty”. Patience and consistency is critical in continuing to work through behaviors and growth stages.

08/24/2022

Yes!!

Normalize diverse dog personalities and social standards!

08/22/2022

Can you understand your dog’s play body language? This guy has made some of the same observations I have with a healthy play style. There are a few dogs who don’t follow “the rules”.

08/12/2022

Look at this gorgeous and unique great dane mix! “Goldie” joins the Idaho Canine pack for lessons each week 😍

08/09/2022

Edit: THE SPOTS HAVE BEEN FILLED but don’t despair, I still have some slots available in October and November if you still want to get in.
Reach out to me if your looking to sharpen some of your dogs obedience, retrieve work or cuddle skills 😆 these openings will fill up fast.
✌🏾️

07/26/2022

Soooo much work👊🏽🤙🐾 No days off rain, snow and blazing heat. We grind💪

07/13/2022

Chris H. Wrote a wonderful review for my retrieve training (unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture but here is a photograph of me demonstrating at our latest retrieve clinic for Treasure Valley NAVHDA) Chris Writes:

My pudelpointer and I had a very positive experience training with Ana. Her force fetch/trained retrieve expertise is well known in the Treasure Valley NAVHDA community, so I was hopeful she could help me finishing the process with my dog.

And she did! By the last session my dog was retrieving birds (including a duck) to hand. When I had a question about how to change his stop-drop-and-shake at the water's edge when retrieving, she suggested we drive over to the local pond and work on it. Ana really wants dogs and their handlers to be successful and has knowledge and teaching skills to make it happen.

I am a first-time gun dog owner. I tried to become a trainer by reading books, magazines and watching hours of YouTube videos. What I really needed is someone like Ana who could, among other things, read my dog and teach me to read him, too. Is my dog mouthing the bird or is he repositioning it in his mouth? I had seen him chew enough birds that I assumed that he was still doing that. Corrections: when, how and how much? I had misused the e collar in the past. Was that part of the force fetch problem? (As it turns out, no). Should my positive reinforcement be more positive? (Yes). Ana helped with all of this. Save yourself time and frustration: seek out a good trainer.