Leap into Training

01/07/2024

This is exactly how we make a house of 5 dogs work!

Let's get real for a second.

The world often paints a picture that dogs who live together are best friends and do everything together.

This is just not true. Many many many multidog household utilize management in different situations to allow dogs personal space to enjoy things such as:

- feeding time
- chew time
- play time
- attention time

This. Is. Normal.

Just because someone utilizes management, doesn't mean their dogs don't enjoy each other's company or have fun together. It just means that there are certain activities that they prefer to do on their own.

And I will tell you firsthand that implementing safe space zones and time apart can be so beneficial to the relationship between two dogs.

Think about it-- do you enjoy doing every single activity that you do at home with your spouse, family, or sibling RIGHT there? I don't think so.

So let's normalize management between dogs who live together!!

Do you want to work on your dogs' relationship and/or interactions? Go to my website here to schedule a private consult: perkedears.com/private-training-sessions

12/28/2023

Poisoned Praise

Lately I've been pondering experienced handlers who seem to be doing all the right things -enthusiastic markers, good technical personal play concepts, no obvious or heavy-handed corrections, good core training techniques- yet have dogs having a hard time.

From dogs who shut down to dogs who look bored to dogs that start to view the games we play with them as chores to slog through.

I'm not stranger to this myself. So what gives?

I believe a large factor (if not the largest factor) is poisoned praise. That although we've done all the right technical mumbo jumbo, that our dog doesn't believe our praise. Somewhere along the line we've poisoned it.

How? It comes in many forms, but these are the most common versions I see -and almost always there is a large combination of elements at play.

1) Frustrated handlers dealing out frustrated praise. We are trying to pass off a lie and they know it. If our praise feels like cloaked frustration, that's the end emotional result.

2) Drilling Skills. For all but a few dogs repetition kills enjoyment yet many of us continue to train and train and train to get something "right".

3) Focusing on Specific Skills too Early. Before we can truly get skill we need attitude, teamwork and communication. Many experienced handlers want to rush into skills. If you don't allow the dog to cultivate desire first, you're gonna have a heck of a time getting a great performance.

4) Obligatory Praise. As handlers we know we should reward our dogs. However if praise, treats or tug feels like a chore to the handler, the dog feels that in the communication. Just another chore on the training front today. Thanks.

5) Praise is Pressure. I could write a whole post on the topic, but in a nutshell as we advance skill sets praise comes with a level of pressure. When we earn an A on a paper we feel we should be able to earn similar again. Less than an A can make us feel defeated, even if we weren't prepared adequately. If we keep pushing the envelope on skills, sooner or later you are going to find a dog who has some level of pressure stress. Where pressure lives desire and joy get worn away. Couple this with the fact that there is handler pressure too and the dog praises us with the wanted behavior, the team can quickly be dealing with a heck of a lot of pressure.

6) End Goals are Prioritized Over the Process. Especially for handlers well into their sports, there is a conscious or unconscious push towards the end goal -getting on that competition floor. It motivates you, but it often also takes you out of the moment when you train your dog. Plan away, but not being present with your dog is a very, very good way to create disconnect and make your praise seem hollow and fake. Don't go through the motions.

7) Making Mountains out of Molehills. People -experienced or not- have the very odd ability to find a single great session amazing while completely unravelling with one off session. We all have set-backs, but I promise just like a few great repetitions isn't actually as amazing as you think it is, nor is a couple of bad repetitions as detrimental as you may believe. What we communicate is what's going to hold water long term. You don't need to be super duper happy about the set-backs, but save your mental breakdowns for when you're not playing with your dog. Honestly, it's just dog sports. You're not curing cancer.

8) Not Taking Time to Play. Interact like you mean it. Play for the sake of playing. Quit training and have fun (a lot of handlers truly don't know how to mentally entwine the two). Build muscle memory for joy, desire, messy speed. You can refine it later. You obviously have the skills to teach "stuff". Now teach yourself to have enough fun that your dog believes you.

9) Quest for Perfection. We all want our dogs to do it right, but I promise the quickest way to strip desire in a dog is to make them go back and fix their work. God what a chore! Like a teacher over your shoulder telling you the moment you get something wrong. What a nag! Keep flow. Keep momentum. Keep speed. Keep desire. Those are way the heck harder to train anyway. Don't worry at some point you'll have enough steam in the tank to fix things, but until you actually have that, keep moving. Poor finish -keep moving! Missed a jump -keep running! You do not need to make it "right" all in the same session.

10) Time Lines. Deadlines create pressure. If we want X by Friday, unless it's already close to ready, I will need to strip desire in favor of simply "getting it done". There are times I may need to do such, but if more than 10% of my training is rushed, that rushed feeling is going to start to poison things. Rushing kills the process, which kills joy. Marie Kondo would feel we should throw it out.

If you think you may have poisoned your praise I encourage you to take a training break. A couple of weeks or even a couple of months. Enjoy your dog. Begin to grow a new praise system -one they believe and buy into. Allow them to show you how brilliant they are and have them believe it. Let them be cheeky.

When they have some fire in their soul, then you are ready to try again, going slow, relishing each session as two teammates who at the end of the day really enjoy time spent together.

12/27/2023

THIS!

I see a lot of cases where dogs frequently dart out of the front door. Some of these dogs, encounter danger if they run loose. But many of the ones I see, are a danger to others when they run loose.

Teaching impulse control and boundaries at doorways is an absolute must. However, if you have a dog that is a danger to society AND has a history of bolting through the front door, I always recommend creating a double barrier at the front door. Training and behavior is never 100% fool proof. Dogs make mistakes. People make mistakes. And sometimes we cannot afford for any more mistakes to happen.

This recommendation is NOT a substitute for training. But, when added in as a compliment, if we make it a rule that the gate closes before you open the door and vice versa, we can get pretty close to a 100% fool proof guarantee that door dashing will never happen again. I always tell people that I’m a realist and that safety is top priority. So in these cases, the configurable gates are a crucial part of the plan.

12/20/2023

Silly boy, Shadow is hanging out for a few days with me! This evening we practiced his place skills “learning how to just chill” after some running around in the yard ❤️

12/16/2023

How I crate train my puppies:
Kelce is 9 weeks old today and he’s been with us for a full week. He wakes up between 6-7 am, we go outside and potty, we come inside and train with food (following hand lures, recall games, building our marker words, crate games, facilitate appropriate interactions with my personal pack of cats and dogs), play for about 30 minutes, and then he goes back in the crate for an hour. Then I wake him up and we go outside to potty. Come inside and play and train for 30 minutes. Then he goes back in the crate for an hour. Then I wake him up, we go outside and potty, come inside and play and train for 30 minutes, then back in the crate for an hour. I do this all day long until 10 at night! He’s sleeping from 11 pm- 6/7 am consistently in the crate. I do not wake puppies during the night. If he wakes up, I will take him outside to potty but no kisses, no eye contact, no cuddles, no praise, no treats at night... just potty and back in the crate. I do wake them during the day- even if they’re sleeping in the crate. This is how I get my puppies sleeping through the night! He’s not having any accidents in the house or the crate, because I strictly supervise him and scoop him up if he is showing signs to eliminate and I manage his free time. Too many people give puppies WAY TOO MUCH FREEDOM before the dog has earned it. The puppy is no longer crying in the crate and he immediately self soothes and takes a nap. Sometimes I put bedding in the crate, sometimes I don’t. Kelce is not soiling the crate or chewing bedding, so we are giving him safe bedding sometimes, and no bedding sometimes. I want him to be able to self soothe with many different variables, and without getting him used to it being a certain way. We have avoided any unhealthy possibility for separation anxiety or containment phobia (or bratty tantrums) because we practice crate time all day long. We are on our way to creating a healthy balanced mindset and a dog that can perfectly self soothe. Kelce is going to have a great life filled with traveling and it’s important that he loves his crate! Plus he’s got a long flight to Florida in his future to go live with my sister!

12/15/2023

😒🙃

You is expensive.

12/14/2023

Sign up before New Years Day and you’ll get 10% off any of my 3 week, 6 week or 10 week training packages!!!

Message me for more details and we can jump right in!

12/09/2023

Silly little Bailey is brushing up on his manners before all of the family comes up for Christmas!

Want help with your dogs manners? Reach out and we can get started!

12/05/2023

11/20/2023

Just LOOK at this CUTIE PIE!!!

While his family is out of town Shadow is taking advantage of “Karli Kamp”! We are brushing up on his manners and having fun, all while soaking up the morning sun!

Need a place for your pup to stay? Shoot me a message!

11/19/2023

So proud of these three for passing their CGC (Canine Good Citizen)!!!
I especially want to throw some extra love at Muzzy and her owner!!! (center, shepherd mix)

She came to me with some real, big feelings towards seeing other dogs and when strangers approached her but they have been putting in the work and it shows everytime I see them! Now she gets an award and lovely title for their hard work! I can’t wait to watch her breeze through her earning her CGCA and CGCU next!

Are you interested in your dog passing their CGC, CGCA or CGCU? Shoot me a message and we can get you in a class or try taking the test!

11/11/2023

Due to unfortunate messaging over the years, coupled with a lack of knowledge, and compounded by the human tendency for denial/delusion, what should be obvious and commonly accepted is anything but.

A few of the messages:
-There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Wrong.
-Any dog can be “fixed” if you’ll get your energy right. Wrong.
-Every dog should be saved. Wrong.

The knowledge gap:
-We have a chaotic house, with lots of kids running all over, and we adopted a highly nervous but “sweet” herding breed. Bad.
-My dog challenges everyone in our family, and has bitten us all, but is great with my trainer. Bad.
-We got a guarding/working breed so it can protect the family, even though we’ve never had a dog before. Bad.

A bit of denial:
-He only bites us when we kiss/dance/move too fast/leave the house/vacuum because he had a traumatic early life. Delusion.
-She’s guards her spot on the couch, her toys, and her food, and will bite us if we get too close, but it’s only because she never had things of her own before. Delusion.
-He always growls at or bites my husband, but I’m sure he was abused by a man before I adopted him. Delusion.

Can people improve? Absolutely. Can dogs improve? Almost always. Does that mean that all fits can be made healthy and happy, or are wise? Nope. People and dogs come in many flavors, and many of these flavors work wonderfully well together, some work with certain other flavors, and some (human and dog) don’t work well at all. It’s a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. We should be choosing the dogs we share our lives with based on an honest and informed assessment of who we are, what our lives look like, and what dog—both breed and individual personality—fits that reality best.

Ignore the silly messages, do your homework, and lose the denial.

Fairytales in dog land often end up as nightmares.

11/02/2023

⚠️ NEVER underestimate the impact that YOUR stress levels have on your horses and dogs! ⚠️

This is Herx coming down after a week's worth of absorbing my study deadline stress. Today was the last day. You can see the effect my compounding study stress has had on my dog but you don't notice it until there is contrast and the stress is gone.

How does this happen?

Both horses and dogs have the ability to smell something you can't...
Glucocorticoids (cortisol) and adrenaline.

These are hormones and neurohormones that are produced when the mind experiences stress/trauma.

Cortisol in particular is a hormone that, when released in high levels, can be sustained at high levels, unlike adrenaline that is fast acting but also fast to deplete.

Cortisol is an essential hormone for consciousness and alertness, but when secreted in prolonged high amounts has some negative mental, emotional and physical effects.

When you experience compounding stress you won't necessarily notice it because it is slowly compounding (like building blocks of lego).

What you may eventually notice is:
🧨 you become a little less tolerant to things you would normally tolerate
🧨 you may become a little more over sensitive mentally and emotionally
🧨 you may experience memory loss
🧨 you may struggle with a lack impulse control
🧨you may have problems with reasoning and risk assessment
🧨 you might find you struggle with attention and focus
🧨 you may develop problems getting to sleep or staying asleep (insomnia)
🧨 you may find you might develop some anxiety and/or depression
🧨 you may have difficulties regulating your emotions
🧨 you may experience sensory overload problems
🧨 you may find you do things that help you feel distracted from your emotions and stay stimulated as much as possible

These things slowly creep in without you knowing it.

In the meantime, your dog is smelling the little fluctuations and surges in your cortisol levels as the baseline rises to new levels, your horse is smelling it to!

You can't smell cortisol so you aren't even aware that your dog or horse is responding to the information you are unknowingly and unconsciously giving them.

⚠️ This scent is a warning system to your dogs and horses ⚠️
This scent says "I feel under threat, be alert and vigilant of me and around me".

When you release this scent, you will display corresponding microexpressions in your body language to. So now your body smells like danger and your body looks like danger. This is a lot of information for your dog and horse. It speaks VOLUMES and 100% trumps ANYTHING you say verbally to your animal. They'll believe EVERYTHING your smell and body says over what your words say.

And we wonder why our dogs and horses don't want to partner up when we want them to!

🫵 So check in with yourself first.
🫵 Do some deep breathing.
🫵 Check your body for areas that are holding tension.
🫵 Acknowledge any emotions that you're holding on to without having an opinion or validation.
🫵 Data dump whatever thoughts are running around in your head.
🫵 Take a walk and MAKE time for yourself
🫵 SLOW YOUR MOVEMENT DOWN!!!

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 😊

10/21/2023

There is nothing harder to overcome in a dog than a poisoned recall cue.

You know the one- you call the dog to come to you, the dog refuses or dances around, and you get frustrated and angry and start bellowing at the dog to come to you.

The dog learns over time that your recall command means you are mad and to keep away from you.

Owners don't intend to poison the cue, but 100% of every dog that comes to us for remediation has learned that the recall command is something to be suspicious of.

So here's a handful of rules for teaching your dog a reliable recall:

1) Never give your dog a command that you cannot enforce. Your dog cannot refuse if it's wearing a leash and collar, and you happen to be holding the leash.

2) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS positively reinforce honest effort. If your dog comes to you, praise the dog SINCERELY and offer something of value in return for that effort.

3) Don't run your dog down if it refuses or is reluctant to come to you. You did that, not the dog. You breached a sacred trust, and you have to earn it back. It starts by not chasing the dog because you planned poorly and are now frustrated and angry.

4) 100% of recalls should be positively reinforced.

5) The recall should be the behavior you practice the most, with the greatest ROI for the dog. If every time you call your dog, you are locking him up, leaving him or any other activity the dog finds de-motivating, you are diminishing the value of the recall.

6) NEVER NEVER NEVER punish your dog for coming to you. I don't care what the dog did before that, but if you're not adhering to the short list of things above, that's a YOU problem, not a dog problem.

Think about it. When you were a kid and you heard your mom shout your first, middle, and last name, you knew you were in for it.

You didn't want to come to that, why do you think your dog would?

09/25/2023

Being able to have a little dog community is so great! Training together, helping one another and just having fun! Joining my classes gives you access to being part of a training family! Come join ours ❤️
Summit Paws
Melissa Tsouhnikas

09/23/2023

Don’t forget! ◡̈

Score a 20% discount on any of our dog sport decals + tees at ShopCanineAesthete.com 🛒👕

09/17/2023

Something I teach all my clients is that stress is good.

All dogs get stressed out at some point in their life. For some it's walking down the road past barking dogs, getting into a vehicle, getting groomed/nails cut, going to the vet, hearing fireworks, or meeting new people.
Every dog is stressed by something and every dog responds to stress differently.

It's my job as a trainer and handler to not cater to that stress.

A lot of times, owners have every intention of helping the dog, but in reality they're reinforcing and teaching the dog to continue reacting badly to the stressful thing/situation.

By learning how to help your dog in a stressful situation, you'll help build a more confident dog.

Zyko was nervous of the blow dyer, instead of turning it off and teaching him being nervous gets rid of the stress, I worked him through it. Once he relaxed, I turned it off and within seconds he was ready to play with his toy.
He may never love being blow dried, but he will tolerate it, behave appropriately, and once it's done he's not going to fret over it anymore.

09/15/2023

Keep a look out for an upcoming sale on training!

There are so many great benefits to training your dog!

09/10/2023

Friday, October 6th at 6:15pm I will be starting a 6 week Canine Good Citizen course! We will meet in the side parking lot of the Tractor Supply in Wind gap! 250$ per dog

This will be a group class paired with a test at the end of the course (only if your ready)! If your not sure you and your dog can do it ask me and we can make some arrangements!!!

Comment and or message me if you’d like to be added to the roster or if you have any questions!