Adirondack High Peaks Dog Training Club

07/30/2024

The Fall schedule is out! Build your skills and your relationship! Will you sign up for a class?
Please print your registration, fill it out, and mail it with your payment to the address printed on it.
Schedule: www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-Fall-schedule-v2.pdf
Registration: www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-10-Registration.pdf
Note: Coping Skills for Difficult Dogs class is already closed.

07/07/2024

Dogs of all types LOVE our Tricks class! Here's Onyx showing off his herding skills with a herding ball. Nice job, Onyx!👏👏

06/30/2024

Our 8-week Tricks Class is perfect for strengthening your relationship with your dog and learning to communicate more clearly--while you both are having fun!
Here's Cooper showing off his doggie "push-ups" on his way to earning the AKC Novice Tricks title!
Do you enjoy working with your dog? Consider joining our Fall class! Dogs should have completed CD1 or equivalent.

05/26/2024

Our Summer 2024 class schedule is out! Sign up for a class today!
Please PRINT the new registration, fill it out, and MAIL with your check to the address on it. Don't delay! Our classes fill quickly!

Here is the class schedule and detailed descriptions:
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-summer-v1.pdf
and here is the updated registration form for 2024:
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-registration.pdf

04/27/2024

It’s all about what your dog is saying with their body language—and what they think you’re saying!

The key to dog body language is recognizing stress signals, and understanding what our own body language communicates to our dogs.

04/19/2024

Author Marc Bekoff discusses a new book on raising happy and resilient puppies.

Having empathy for confused transplants from Planet Dog is the key to success.

04/15/2024

Have a reactive dog? Renee Rhoades of R+ Dogs has some great tips to help you and your dog!

Exhausted by your dog's reactive behavior? This trainer's simple tips are well worth trying.

04/11/2024

Canine Instincts and Wildlife 🐾🌳
So many dogs utterly lose their mind at the first sight or scent of a squirrel/rabbit/deer/bird. Nothing works to get their attention at those times. When that happens, a common human response is to keep the dog away from whatever is making them lose their mind.

Understanding Your Dog's Natural Behaviour 🐕💭
What we need to remember about those reactions is that the dogs are responding like that because they have deep and often carefully bred for instincts to do something with wildlife. When they are young and haven’t got the skills they’d need, their responses often are quite extreme. They might bark with frustration and lunge. To see your dog react like that is alarming – and that is what often drives the desire to keep them away from whatever causes them to act like that.

The Challenge of Avoidance 🚫🐦
Part of the problem is how to avoid. I don’t know about you but there is no way I could avoid birds. Even inside the house, my dog will watch them out of the window. As soon as we go outside, I can guarantee she’ll see birds.

Where I live deer are not as common as birds but still, in over 20 years of living with predatory dogs in Scotland, I am yet to find anywhere that is reliably free from deer. Even areas that have been carefully fenced to keep the deer out end up with deer in them. All it takes is for somebody to leave a gate open – and somebody always does that eventually.

The Consequences of Restricting Instincts 🐶❌
The lack of ability to reliably avoid leads to the second part of the problem with avoidance when you are dealing with predation. Lack of access to instinctive behaviour, makes dogs – all animals really – want them even more. By avoiding, you tend to create a huge amount of motivation in the dog. Dogs who are hugely motivated will go over high fencing, back out of harnesses, chew through leads. They become hard to manage and feel impossible to live with.

How Deprivation Fuels Desire➡️🔥
We know that lack of access builds motivation to do the thing that the animal has been deprived of. The scientists who first started studying learning in animals would use deprivation as standard practice in their experiments. If they wanted to train an animal to press a lever or stand in a particular spot to get food, they’d make sure that the animal was hungry. Not starving but keen to eat. That way the animal would make more of an effort to work out what they needed to do to get the food. If they were full and satisfied, they might have just given up and had a nap.

Motivation to solve maze puzzles would be built by confining the animals for a period of time prior to the experiment so that when they were placed in the maze, they were keen to move.

The Irony of Avoidance 🔄🎯
Nothing builds motivation for instinctive behaviour like being deprived of it!

So when we avoid and try to calm our dogs down and look for ways to get them to ignore enticing prey, often what is happening is the dog’s motivation to get to the prey is building and building.

What is the answer? 🗝️🐶
Well, almost all instinctive behaviour can be modified through learning.

If you have a puppy who is screaming and scrabbling at your cupboards whenever you prepare food, you wouldn’t respond to that by not feeding your puppy. Instead, you would teach your puppy that sitting calmly or going to a particular spot is the way to get their food. Nobody would ever question that it is possible for dogs to learn that they can get food by doing something specific.

It's the same with instinctive predatory behaviour. You can’t take that instinct out of your dog but your dog can learn to do something that is more socially acceptable than lunging around and screaming on the lead.

Consistency in Training is Crucial 🐕
It is important to remember that the instinctive behaviour is always going to be the most obvious thing for your dog to do so keeping up with training and being sensible about when and where your dog is off lead are both important things to do too. But you certainly don’t have to keep on living with a dog who loses their mind at the sight of a bird.

04/07/2024

We love adolescent dogs❤️
Adolescence is such an important stage of development! These dogs require extra patience, kindness, and thoughtfulness on our part.

ADOLESCENCE:
As dogs go through adolescence, it’s safe to say things turn a little topsy-turvy! 🙃

If you’re currently at this stage and feeling like you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back, don’t panic! During this stage of life, there’s a lot going on in their busy little brains.

Here are three facts about the adolescent brain 🧠👇

1. The inhibitory neurons of the amygdala that help to dampen down emotional responses don’t fully mature until the END of adolescence.

2. Communication between the frontal cortex and amygdala, which is essential for skills training, decreases during adolescence.

3. Extinction memory is impaired during adolescence, so if your dog has a bad experience it’s much more likely to lead to a ‘hard wired’ fear memory.

Have patience and compassion as you support and guide your dog through this vulnerable period of brain development.

04/05/2024

Friday Funny

03/19/2024

We still have a space or two in the following classes as of 3/15:
Puppy
CD2
Lost item recovery
Skills for Hiking
Tricks
Canine Community Adventures
K9 conditioning (both classes)
Canine Good Citizen

Schedule (does not reflect current availability):
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp.../uploads/2024/03/2024-Spring-
Registration (please print, fill out, and mail in)
http://www.ahpdtc.org/.../2024-spring-registration...

03/16/2024

Did I mention our classes fill up quickly?
Some of our classes are already filled. Here is a screenshot of current availability as of 3/18/2024.
Schedule:
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-Spring-
Registration (please print, fill out, and mail in)
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-spring-registration.pdfschedule-v4.pdf

03/10/2024

Anyone who has ever lived with dogs knows that they show concern for us humans and also other dogs when we /they are distressed. This research shows that dogs do have empathy and sympathy, and (depending on the individual) may offer comfort to try to alleviate the other’s distress. Thank you The Science Dog for the blog.
https://thesciencedog.com/2016/07/12/i-feel-your-pain/?fbclid=IwAR03E54CdW8vhx24ok2Le7E-Pcf5tgSJm1Exx2vjfZIXyf_9V1jCWfuHIgg_aem_AeHaERTldMAn0q9FPMpRZHyHnIPza-bm1gMERGbg4mEfAwaMdv9Ir1r8Y1K-lKGlk2U

Many people who live with multiple dogs have had the pleasure of experiencing two dogs who become great friends. Call the relationship what you will – bonded pair, social partn…

03/04/2024

Have you ever done scentwork with your dog? What kinds of things do you do?

Scentwork stands out as a form of training that goes beyond the typical obedience classes, offering dogs a way to engage in activities that are closer to their natural instincts and needs. This method of training is not just about following commands but about allowing dogs to utilise their inherent....

03/03/2024

Our spring 2024 class schedule is out! Please PRINT the new registration, fill it out, and MAIL with your check to the address on it. Don't delay! Our classes fill quickly!
**THIS SCHEDULE IS NOW OUTDATED**
Please see our recent post for updated class availability.

02/26/2024

If you want to know more about training your dog, or helping them with some behavioral issues, check out this free summit.

Dog training summit for owners and trainers

02/05/2024

Free summit on reactive dogs happening through February!
Talks from 35 speakers delivered to your inbox. Happening right now!
https://barking-up-the-right-tree.newzenler.com/f/summit-24?fbclid=IwAR0Xrv3Hjsp-5J75CX0DSFoFGQ7PgvPHZrEi2UGug923XGAf2NGrfqEKmr4_aem_AUXh2aZPmQnhP0_guLl6sMhGcLLQ8DhniD4tyKRmazS0qzY19ejRhd4ynOhKRMnwo1U

34 amazing experts on all aspects of dog reactivity, coming to you for FREE.

01/09/2024

The membership meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 23rd. It starts at 6:30pm for social 1/2 hour and the meeting will start at 7:00pm. It is at the Saranac Lake Free Library,
109 Main Street. Use the outside entrance on the side of the building.

01/08/2024

The club meeting scheduled for tomorrow,Tuesday Jan 9th, has been postponed due to the expected snow storm. The new date and time will be announced once we can coordiate with the library.

12/31/2023

If your community has fireworks on New Year’s Eve and your dog is sound sensitive, here are some helpful tips for getting through the evening.
Happy New Year, everyone! We’ll see you in 2024. Wishing your dogs a safe celebration!

11/09/2023

Want to learn more about your dog?
Grab your free course in canine communication over on the ISCP website here:

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to try out an ISCP mini-course for free! The ISCP bite size courses are single topic mini courses that

09/22/2023

If your dog isn't obeying your cues, perhaps you need more clarity in the verbal cues you give them. Check out Susan Garrett's blog post on cues. Don't miss the video that's partway down the page!

Our verbals are more than just the words we use for the cue. The TONE in which we deliver them is very important.

09/22/2023

If you have a dog who has separation anxiety, this post has some excellent resources.

SEPARATION/ISOLATION/ CONFINEMENT ANXIETY AND CRATING

I've been seeing an increasing amount of disturbing advice regarding dogs struggling with separation-related problems. I just came across a particular post in a specialist group for canine anxiety where the main focus of the comments was comparing purchases of indestructible crates to “solve” the problem of dogs trying to break out because they are so distressed. The reason for crating was stated to be that the dogs panicked when left alone and were causing damage in the house as a means of trying to alleviate their stress and anxiety. Repeated attempts to break out were described, and the lengths that people were going to in order to keep their dogs from escaping their crates was joked about. It made for very uncomfortable reading.

I'm not anti-crate; they do have their uses, such as safely transporting dogs in the car, preparing them in the event that they need to be kennelled at the vet, having to restrict movement following injury, etc. Crates used in the home should be a retreat, a place where dogs can go to feel SAFE. They should never be used purely as a convenience for humans, with no regard for the dog's well-being or respect for his feelings. Dogs need to be taught how to be comfortable spending time alone, and this takes time and effort. Continuing to crate a dog which cannot cope is not the way to do it - this is not okay. It does nothing to address the root cause of the issue, and will only increase and prolong distress and panic through flooding.

If your dog is struggling with spending time alone, it is really important to ask for help as it is very unlikely to improve by itself. Whether your dog's struggles are confinement, separation, or isolation-related, there is help out there and alternative options to crating. There are always other ways of doing things. Instead of crating, can a room that the dog feels safe in be used? Can a section of a room be penned off with barriers so the dog doesn't feel so confined? Can a neighbour pop in to come and sit with your dog when you need to go out?

There are some wonderful resources out there, but these are a few of the best:

https://www.thecanineconsultants.co.uk/post/separation-anxiety-fact-vs-fiction

This is one of my favourite articles on Separation Anxiety as it thoroughly debunks many of the myths which are perpetuated.

SA is a much-misunderstood topic, but luckily there are some great specialists out there such as Malena DeMartini and Julie Naismith (Facebook groups and websites linked below). If your dog is struggling with spending time alone, please do seek help from a qualified professional.

https://www.facebook.com/SeparationAnxietyDogs/

https://malenademartini.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/separationanxietydogsupport/?ref=share

https://www.subthresholdtraining.com/

I would so like to see greater empathy and some thought before advice is given. We need to move beyond simply looking at how we can stop a behaviour, but consider why it is happening, and what the most ethical course of action is. The answer to a dog trying to break out of a crate is NOT to recommend buying an indestructible one, it is to find an alternative which does not compromise the dog's physical and emotional welfare, does not fail to meet the Five Freedoms, and does not result in flooding.

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

I’m very happy for all of my content to be shared, but please do not copy and paste (to avoid sharing from source), screenshot, or download any part of it. THANK YOU! 🐾 🐾

09/17/2023

Dog humor for your Sunday🤣
Has anything like this ever happened to you?

YALL I am not okay.

I AM NOT OKAY.

I took my contacts out, walked outside and called the dogs in.

Both come up, tails wagging, like the big happy idiots they are.

Charlotte has a stuffed animal in her mouth. So I reach down to pull it out.

IT IS NOT STUFFED.

IT IS NOT DEAD.

IT IS AN ENTIRELY ALIVE BROWN RODENT

I DONT KNOW WHAT KIND BECAUSE I AM VERY BLIND

BUT IT RUNS UP MY ARM

AND IT FEELS LIKE AN ANGRY SQUIRREL

I FLING MY ARMS AROUND LIKE A TORNADO

IT FLIES ACROSS THE YARD

MY DOG CHASES IT

BECAUSE NOW WE ARE PLAYING FETCH

SHES COMING BACK

OH GOD NO DONT BRING IT BACK

IM SCREAMING PROFANITIES

JESUS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

MY NEIGHBOR STEPS OUTSIDE TO CHECK ON ME

AND NOW HES BACK

THE RODENT NOT MY NEIGHBOR

IT IS STILL ALIVE

HOW

WHYYY DID HUMANS DOMESTICATE CANINES

WHAT A HORRIBLE IDEA

I WILL BE TYPING IN ALL CAPS FOR DAYS

DOGS ARE THE WORST

08/26/2023

Our FALL schedule of classes for 2023 has been updated to indicate which classes are full or closed as of 8/25.
Classes begin September 9. Sign up for a class before they fill up!
Schedule and class descriptions here:
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-fall-schedule-update-1.pdf
Registration form here:
http://www.ahpdtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-registration-02232023.pdf
Please send payment with your registration to the address on the form.
Questions? Call the Training Director (info on Registration form)

08/25/2023

PSA: Registration closes soon for the AKC Obedience and Rally Trails at St. Lawrence Valley Dog Club.
Contact info is in the comments.

07/14/2023

Today’s important PSA

"I need help. Today my dog bit my child out of nowhere."
This post is a bit blunt but I need to share it. I don't share this so bluntly to lecture people, I share it because I really care about dog and child safety, and it breaks my heart whenever I read about a child getting bitten, or I see a preventable situation being filmed and shared on social media instead.

There is a rise in dog bites in the UK at the moment, which is really concerning. A very large percentage of reported bites happen in the family home. What else is concerning is the amount of videos I see DAILY of children being filmed behaving completely inappropriately around dogs, where the dog is giving off a lot of communication to say "I don't like this", and it isn't being seen by the adults supervising because they don't know what they're looking for. But some of the stuff I'm seeing...it's just common sense not to let that happen?

Examples of videos I have seen in the last 24 hours alone...
1. Children riding on dogs like a horse
2. Children hitting dogs because they don't know how to be gentle with them yet
3. Children pulling ears and tails
4. Children approaching sleeping dogs and literally flicking their bits and pieces
5. Children approaching dogs that are eating from their food bowl and trying to stroke them
6. Children wrapping arms around dogs to hug them because they love them (not every dog enjoys a hug and we should always make sure that this sort of thing is consent based)
7. Babies crawling in to a dog's safe space when the dog has moved to get away
8. Dogs that had children running around & screaming in close quarters, were barking at the children but didn't have any way to get away from it, or didn't feel able to move away (in this situation we need to step in and separate)
9. Children continually trying to stroke dogs who are communicating that they don't want to be stroked right now

This stuff is NOT OK. One day, the tolerant dog won't be tolerant anymore and it's our job to prevent these situations.

I've worked with hundreds of dogs. Many of the dogs I see have a bite history, because they were put in a situation that just pushed them too far and they had no other way to say please get away from me. Most are great communicators and that communication just wasn't recognised.
A growl is WAY up the ladder of communication, there's actually so much that comes before that.
What did I see in every single one of these videos?
Whale eyes (wide eyes showing the whites of eyes). Lip licking. Yawns. Narrowed eyes. Looking away from the child. Facial tension. Ears back. Appeasement licking (a couple of quick licks to the child accompanied with other stress signals and a quick look away post-lick).
ALL signs that a dog is stressed and is asking for space. It doesn't matter if they're wagging their tail because there are a lot of different tail wags, not all mean a dog is happy. Please note this isn't an exhaustive list of ways that dogs say they don't like situations.

As adults, it is OUR responsibility to actively supervise dogs and children in their interactions, ensuring the interactions are safe for both parties. That means 100% attention on them, not on phones or the tv. It means that we should be able to recognise unsafe interactions and prevent them from happening. It also means that we need to be able to read our dog's body language and prevent situations that are causing them stress.

Other things we need to take in to account:
1. If a dog is in pain or a bit sore then they will be less tolerant (this doesn't only apply to senior dogs)
2. If a dog is a bit older then they might prefer their space, they might have some vision or hearing loss so be more easily startled, they might be more prone to being sore and tired
3. Dogs feel different on different days, just like we do. If we know a dog has had a bit of a stressful day then they may respond differently to things, than they would on a 'normal' day.
4. Every dog is an individual and some feel different about children generally, to other dogs.

Sometimes children just want to love your family dog but don't know how to do that in a dog-appropriate way yet, and we need to guide them. Here is an example from my morning today. My daughter was playing with a bouncy ball on a rubber chain and was bouncing it towards my dog because she wanted to show it to him. Some dogs may have wanted to play with this, some dogs might not have liked it. The reality is my dog was not bothered by it at all, but it is my responsibility to make sure they're both happy and to teach dog-safe interactions, because one day she might meet a dog who doesn't like it.
I stepped forward and stopped her. "Dogs might not like that because he doesn't really understand what your bouncy ball is, it's a bit big and loud sounding. It's nice that you want to play with him. Would you like to help fill up his treat ball with some breakfast?"
An easy redirection in to an appropriate activity that helped my daughter to feel included and involved, that was more appropriate. If children are not old enough to understand these sort of instructions or explanations than you must use management. It is as simple as that.

If you don't know how to read your dog's body language and would like to learn how to recognise the MANY steps that come before a growl, I offer consultations to go through this, and there is a chapter on dog body language in my book Empowering Your Dog Through Choice (only £9.99 on Amazon). The book also includes information on choice in the home, interactions, consent, the emotional bucket, and the jigsaw puzzle of behaviour which is all important to know if your dog is living with, or spending time around children.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empowering-Your-Through-Choice-Relationships/dp/B0BCSCZDSB
You'll also find information on dog body language and important dos and don'ts in my Preparing Your Dog For A Baby online course.
https://knowyourdog.thinkific.com/courses/preparing-your-dog-for-a-baby
In my opinion understanding all of this is such an important part of caring for a dog, it's essential behavioural understanding, and knowing how to read your dog's more subtle body language will help with bite prevention, not just now but with all dogs you spend time around throughout your life.