Life's A Game

10/11/2023

09/14/2023

07/26/2023

Please be mindful in this heat!

Wow!! Sunshine + 100° in OKC today means that pavement is HOT. Too hot actually for your pup’s paws on their walk.

The type of ground makes a huge difference.

Top left - concrete 126°
Top right - asphalt 138°
Bottom left- shaded concrete 116°
Bottom right - grass 103°

06/26/2023

Training through the use of pain isn't the answer be it a dog or horse.

The words "never" and "always" leave zero room for compromise, and therefore should not be taken literally in every single case, and an example might be the use of draw reins on a horse.

What draw reins do----They give the rider enough leverage, because of the physics of basically the pulley principle, to force the horse's head into positions that can cause extreme pain, and can even cause long term damage.

They also can so thoroughly overwhelm a horse's ability to avoid them that some horses who have been ridden much in draw reins automatically come behind the vertical, like in this picture, even when ridden without draw reins, and once that happens, that the horse just "gives up," it is extremely hard damage to undo.

Now, sure, it is theoretically possible for an extremely gifted rider to use draw reins with extreme tact to correct extreme resistance without causing extreme damage or discomfort, just as some extremely gifted riders can use extreme bits without similar damaging results.

The problem, though, is that lots of riders assume that they are "extremely gifted," when they are not.

I read something that makes sense, "Draw reins should only be used by the most gifted riders in the world, but the most gifted riders in the world do not need draw reins."

So, yes, while there is theoretically a tiny window, a sliver, of wiggle room, it is probably a mistake for any of us to equate ourselves with riders so exquisitely gifted that we can use devices like these safely.

Which means, since many riders use these things daily, that there are more exquisitely gifted riders out there than we realize, or there are lots of arrogant riders out there who think they are, and which situation is accurate, I leave to others to judge----

03/28/2023

Yes!!

03/21/2023

With so many choices out there, how do you decide which boarding facility is the best fit for you and your dog? For us there are some non-negotiables and they are:

Experience- experience with a wide variety of breeds is essential in our book. Every breed has it's idiosyncrasies and while every dog is an individual, it's important to take these into consideration when planning a dog's stay and when interacting with the dog.

A solid understanding of Dog Behavior- liking dogs and wanting to work with dogs, doesn't make up for years spent studying dog behavior. Understanding how a dog's brain works can help you stay one step ahead of the dogs in your care, thus allowing you to nip any potential issues in the bud.

Cleanliness- At Lifes A Game, all visiting dogs are treated like our house dogs and are kept as clean and comfortable as is humanly possible!

Vet Med Experience- it's a fact that accidents can happen and dogs can get sick. The ability to recognize, manage and seek the appropriate treatment in a timely manner for any health issue that might arise is an essential requirement for anyone taking responsibility for another person's dog.

Kindness and Patience.

03/13/2023

So true!

03/12/2023

Let's talk buckets!

You have a bucket. I have a bucket. Each of our dogs has a bucket. Furthermore, every household has a bucket- which is the combination of all the individual buckets residing there!

Of course, I'm not speaking of a literal bucket but rather the amount of stress each of us can take before we reach that tipping or overflowing point. Some people and dogs are born with large buckets that fill slowly and drain quickly. Some have tiny, thimble size, buckets that stay topped up most of the time because they barely drain. Some are in between.

Once we become aware of the idea of buckets, it behooves us to become mindful of what is paying into our dog's bucket. Things we humans might not give much thought to, might be a drop in your dog's bucket. As we go through a day, a bunch of these seemingly innocuous drops can really start adding up! The scientific term for this is trigger stacking, by the way.

If we are not aware of these drops in the bucket or accumulating triggers we are going to be surprised when something, often seemingly benign to us, causes an unwanted reaction or behavior in our dogs. When these things occur, we often feel they come out of no where when in fact they have been building as their buckets been filling!

As owners, our job is not only to be mindful of things and situations that pay into our dog's bucket but also to help our dogs learn to grow the size of their bucket and to teach them skills to help them drain their buckets when they, inevitably, begin to fill.
I'll save suggestions on how to go about this for another day. Right now I'd like to give examples of things that might be filling your dog's bucket.

Day Care
Dog Parks
Going for a walk
A vet visit
Obedience class
Novelty (person, place or thing)
A car ride
A scary situation
A bad experience with a person, place or thing
Visitors to your home
Going to the groomer
The Amazon delivery person
The squirrel outside

As you can see, for some dogs, life in general is bucket filling!

Now that you are aware of your dog's 🪣, go through the examples above and tell me whether or not your dog finds them to be positive stressors or negative stressors. Some can be both!

10/25/2022

09/29/2022

The next time you’re in your dog’s mouth (you do brush his or her teeth, right?) notice the bump on the roof of his mouth just behind the two front middle teeth? It’s called the ‘incisive papilla,” and near the center of it is a hole that leads to a duct that leads to the “Jacobson’s organ.” The Jacobson’s organ is a very cool thing. Put in “See Spot Run” terms, it allows your dog to literally taste the air by combining taste and smell.

Dogs use their Jacobson’s organ to experience sexual markers (pheromones) left behind by other dogs via urine, or when coming across the scent of a bitch in season. While dogs don’t have a Flehmen response seen in many other animals (throwing back the head, and raising or curling the upper lip which helps open the entry slits into Jacobson’s Organ), dogs will “chatter their teeth” instead. A dog might hold his mouth in a quasi-open position that looks a little like a grin, or he might even lick the air. And you thought he was just happy to see you.

One theory holds that the Jacobson’s Organ could account for a dog’s ability to identify and recognize other animals and people. It’s also believed that it’s this organ that enhances a newborn’s ability to find its mother.

Image found on Pinterest (without the arrow) and happily credited upon receipt of information

09/12/2022

There's a lot of truth written here!

In the last few years, I’ve watched “dog culture” explode into a phenomenon I’d never seen as an early dog trainer. When I first started training dogs, people didn’t come to me with requests for their dogs to be able to handle things and expectations we put on them so heavily today. Nowadays, it’s amazing what we ask of our dogs because of this culture that emerged. And then we wonder why dogs are going downhill behaviorally so quickly.

1. Dog “groups” where people get together with dogs on leash and do activities and social events. Including birthday parties, Halloween parties, etc etc

2. Dog daycares where dogs are kept in large groups to play

3. Dog parks where humans AND dogs interact in groups

4. Behaviors like perfect heel on leash, sit stays on beds, ignoring environmental enticement in the name of “training”

Then there’s dog sports, dog classes, therapy dog work, service dog work, dog shows, trail walks, public outings, restaurants, breweries, and farmers markets and parades and town days and family over (with their dog) for every holiday and apartment complexes and car rides and pet stores and all these places we’ve been made to believe dogs SHOULD go and should WANT to go to and if they don’t then you need to do more and more work with them and help them like it and if you don’t then you aren’t fulfilling them or meeting their needs and your dog isn’t happy and you are failing or they just haven’t been raised right.

Please. Take a breath.

For 20,000 years dogs existed beside us doing none of that. For 9,000 years they were created for purpose and work, not for pets (with the exception of a few toy breeds) We didn’t expect ANY OF THIS during that time unless they were designed and created for it: now it’s what we want all the time. From all dogs. That’s not fair.

Our culture has changed SO much and dogs haven’t had a chance to catch up. We want all this new stuff because it’s part of OUR new culture, but we need to pause and realize it’s not a part of most of theirs. People coming over? Not really what most dogs were created to enjoy. Going new places all the time? Not what most dogs were created to handle. Hanging out in groups and put in costumes and having their pictures taken? Not normal to a dog. Riding calmly in a glass box going past all these distractions at 35mph? Not part of their DNA either.

We would NEVER expect this of any of our other animals either. Why are dogs taking the brunt of this. Because dogs are extremely adaptable and truthfully, they love us so much they will try so so hard to make us happy and do what we ask of them. But, can we for a second stop and think that maybe it’s too much sometimes? Can we please take some accountability for their stress and mental health as part of OUR unrealistic expectations that we’ve been led to believe make for a good dog vs a bad dog? I’m not talking about not working with them and helping them learn to live in todays world. That’s important. I’m talking about taking a step back and having respect for who they are and why they originally ended up with us. I do this all the time before I put any of my dogs in a situation, and that means sometimes I don’t bring them.

If the culture is changing; let’s add human education and understanding of basic canine ethology, body language and respect into it too. It’s only fair to honor the animals who have stood beside us for so so long.

Helen St. Pierre

08/29/2022

As important as understanding how to train a young dog to realize his full potential, equally necessary is having the wisdom to accept less, when it’s the right thing to do for the dog—

‘Perfect is the enemy of good’
It doesn't allow room for dogs to make mistakes and work things out on their own.
Pursuing perfection sets an impossibly high standard.

Dogs, and trainers alike, learn from being allowed to make mistakes, and, in turn, learning from those mistakes will pave the way for excellence.
We can reach for excellence with effort, practice, hard work, consistency and taking the time that it takes…
Patience is the cornerstone of teaching, and one of the best gifts you can give to your young dog.

08/16/2022

😎
Just say -NO!- to retractable leashes.

Please do not use retractable leashes, they are dangerous.

07/29/2022

Games work!!

07/28/2022

🐾❤️

07/09/2022

I'd like you to meet Ivy! Ivy is a busy young dog adopted as a young puppy from a local rescue. She came to us bouncing off the walls and not particularly a joy to live with as her bucket runneth over frequently!

Fast-forward to today after returning home from a 17 day Live-in and Learn stay and here's what her owner has to say...

Ivy has been the most perfect dog since she's been home!
I've laughed because Dave said he was pretty sure you or I had slipped her a Va**um after he came home yesterday. 🤣🤣 but she has continued to be calm when asked and just really great in general...
..She's been great in her kennel several times today, so I'm hopeful.
Thanks so much Jennifer! You really might be a miracle worker.

*Disclaimer: no drugs were given at anytime!* 😉😂

We did focus a great deal on the concepts of Calmness, Arousal up/Arousal down and Optimism. Management played a key role in Ivy's journey as well!

Ivy has the best owners and I'm sure they will continue to help Ivy live her best life!!

06/09/2022

Management IS training! 😉

The key to stopping naughty behaviors is to PREVENT them from happening. Managing your home in a proactive manner is key to success and happiness!

06/07/2022

Truth.

Training often fails because people expect too much of the dog and not enough of themselves. - Bob Bailey

03/21/2022

Calmness is King!
I mentioned yesterday that puppies need ~17-20 HOURS of rest/sleep a day. Adult dogs need ~15-17 HOURS of sleep/rest a day. It is up to us- their owners- to facilitate this downtime for our puppies and adult dogs.
We lead very busy lives these days and if we aren't careful, we unconsciously sweep our dogs right along with us into the hustle and bustle of our households. What do you think the consequences of an over stimulated, in-need-of-rest puppy are? --Definitely behaviors we don't want like- biting, an inability to disengage from things in the environment, attention seeking, pestering you or the other animals in the house and so on... In other words they act an awful lot like a toddler who misses their nap?!
What can really help mitigate these behaviors is starting our new puppies off living within the Calmness Triad or Calmness Wheel!

THE CALMNESS TRIAD:

PASSIVE CALMING ACTIVITY
* Meaty Bones
* Long lasting chews
* Stuffed Kongs/Bones (freezing them makes them last even longer)
* Food Puzzles
* Snuffle Mats & Lick Mats
* Scatter Feeding

ACTIVE REST
*Crates, Pens, Gated Rooms

CALMNESS PROTOCOL
* Feed when calm
* Time feeding to coincide with external distractions
* When you can't focus 100% on your puppy or if you don't feel like training- pop your puppy in their crate or pen with a Passive Calming Activity.

Management IS training and it's important we not let our puppies/dogs rehearse behaviors we don't want. Dogs become what they do everyday so implementing the Calmness Triad from day 1 is one of the best things we can do for our new friend!!