Rewards of Obedience Training

The joy of being able to run your dog free safely and reliably comes about from structured decent obedience training. Buddy Brown the Dog from Nova Scotia learned at an amazing rate. 

Buddy at Brooks

  He was transformed from an out of control adult ruffian, jokester into an excellent working companion dog in one year. Once he knew the recall exercise soundly and solidly, he was ready for all the freedom of the wide open spaces out at Brooks Alberta. He was the happiest dog ever being allowed to run his face off, come in when called and to be able to take off again. He was so happy running free. So happy. When Bud was trained, the world changed for him.

Running free is a dog's right

Buddy at Lake Newell Alberta, he loved the water and snooping under the docks for beavers

EXERCISE PEN TRAINING IS A FOUNDATION EXERCISE

If you are having a difficult time seeing action in the x-pen, put a chair out there by the pen, a book or newspaper  (word puzzle) and wait the full twenty minutes. Consider it meditation. From time to time remind your friend why you are out there by saying things like, “I am waiting for you to go pee, so go pee please”. If after twenty minutes you still have no joy, put your dog on leash, take him backindoors to the crate, remove the leash and collar and put him in the crate. Say “kennel” as you put the dog in the crate. Wait five or ten minutes and do the routine again.

 When your dog has relieved himself in the x-pen area you can give him some free time in the yard or in the kitchen of your home; at this pont we do not  take him or her out for an on leash walk.  After about twenty minutes of free time play a young puppy will want to go out to pee or poo again. This is why the long weekends work well for teaching the crate and the x-pen. A normal pup or adult dog will be well  online in four days. Dogs which are not normal minded, i.e. Rescued, traumatized, injured, ill or geriatrics can take as long as two months to grasp the full routine and be ready to proceed with learning. Eventually the x-pen will not be required at  home. If you live in an apartment, your x-pen is an on leash area to which you quickly  bring your dog to relieve itself within a few minutes of your building doors. Gravel alley ways, specific tree trunk, parking lot post, curb gutters; drainage is a consideration for the urine. Tiny dogs can use balcony pee trays and if you have a penthouse balcony, I wish I had one too. The principal feature of the learning exercise is to put the dog on leash and collar from the crate, walk in a controlled fashion to a door, go through that door out to the exercise (pee) area.  If you have an exercise pen, remove the leash put the dog in the pen, tell him why you are there and wait. If you  do not have an exercise pen, leave the dog on leash and wait for results, repeat why you are there, if you have joy, (results)  praise your dog, clean up where needed. Do not go for a walk! That would be giving the dog unearned territory. OF COURSE the dog will pee on a walk! That is what they do. We are teaching him to go in a specific spot, at a specific time determined by us. This is laying a foundation of understanding that will allow your dog to run free, safely with reliabilty. It is a wonderful thing to see your dog running free as Nature intended, a sight well worth the effort getting there.



EXERCISE PENS AND OBEDIENCE TRAINING

EXERCISE PENS and OBEDIENCE TRAINING

Outdoors, the x-pen sets aside for pet "business"

The exercise pen is a set of eight connected wire panels 24, 26 or 48” high. We set them up outside to section off an area we wish the dog to stay out of, or stay within, to do his business. They are not strong structures and do not hold the dog unattended.  They merely mark out an area.  You can also mark out an area by keeping your dog on leash to do its business and by going to the same spot all the time. Inside the house the x-pen also marks out an area but we do not usually use as a business area indoors.

We use the x-pen outside to teach the dog to do its business on command, or to go in a small space without having to run free. We use it for extended travelling and visiting, and for other sanitary reasons like ease of clean up or for a sick dog. The advantages of all, if not apparent, are that once you have instructed your dog to do its thing and it is done, that is that taken care of. You are now ready to go on an outing, or you can now comfortably lock your dog up or leave it for a while when you are otherwise busy, or you are now ready to go visit family or friends who do not want your dog to pee in their house...and so on. And, the army does it for their dogs so it must be good. Side note, if that is not enough, horses do this so dogs can too.

Teaching a dog to relieve itself when told is an easy thing when the same routine, place, and words are used.  Until trained, always take the dog to the exercise pen on leash. If you do not have an x-pen, keep the dog on leash to do its job. If nothing happens put him back in the crate for 15 or 20 minutes and try again. See that he gets a drink if he wants.  It might take a long time to get results but it will happen and when it does be sure to say “WHAT A GOOD DOG” with sincerity,(dogs spot a fake instantly) and true relief. Expression in your voice (or body if you have no voice) is of the utmost importance in dog training. At first it is very exaggerated then reduced to a more normal level of gesture.

THE DOG FROM NOVA SCOTIA



THE WAYWARD BUDDY BROWN about four yrs.

The Dog from Nova Scotia, Buddy Brown, was rescued from Newport Station near the town of Windsor.  He arrived in Calgary August 29, 1998 via Air Canada cargo. His case came across Dog Nana’s desk (a table in a bar on Springfield Road in Halifax); the story being that Buddy would have to be destroyed for biting and uncontrolled behavior. Since there was no money for a vet to do the deed, Buddy was due to be shot by one of the men he bit. A helpful family relative. Clearly a road trip from Halifax to Newport Station was required to determine the full scope of the situation. If Buddy was in fact crazy and in need of being dispatched, there were better ways to do it other than shooting, and Anna Lee would sponsor the better way.

The road trip from Halifax to Windsor is beautiful, full of history and opens up lots of new stuff to explore like the Bay of Fundy, the Evangeline trail, Fort Edward, and the Annapolis Valley. How to impress a flat lander!  All kinds of things to discover. Nova Scotia is a fantastic beautiful place. And there are a lot of dogs there too, so that is good.

Buddy lived in the unfenced back yard of a house that was situated alongside a busy roadway. He was chained,  and locked and chained again, day and night to a makeshift dog house/ storage shed.  He was insanely bounding to the end of the chain barking and snorting, in the midst of bones and dead things, dirt, logs and wasps, without fresh water or a bed. He was in immensely poor circumstance, even though he was probably very loved at one time in his life. He had been a "girl friend/boy friend lovey dovey play house gift". He was thoroughly surprised when Nana suddenly strode up to him and from just beyond the reach of his chain patted his chest. She said, “What a noisy boy”. Buddy sat back and took a long look.

Once the training collar and the six foot leather leash were on his neck, Buddy went charging into a straight headlong tug. Nana gave him a whip lash correction, harsh and exact. She abruptly changed direction and pace, Buddy hustled to catch up and when they finally stopped, he looked down at the chain and clip on his neck, followed down and up the leash with his gaze and came to rest on Nana’s face.   Buddy thought, “Who the hell are you and when are you leaving? I’d like to chase the train please.”

Buddy’s downfall was he would constantly escape his confining chains, run at large and raid the neighborhood. He was a plague. He played chicken with cars, chased the trains and people, especially kids on roller blades and molested other dogs. There was a playground on the other side of a hedge which lined the back of the property where Buddy lived. Kids at playground would lose their ball in the hedge; rustle around looking for it, driving Buddy mad. His chains held him back but he was still very threatening to the children. Pheasants living in the trees nearby had learned the limited length of Buddy’s chain and they also tormented him as they picked and pecked along the ditches. There was a food freezer in the storage shed. It was there that Buddy bit his last victim who was removing a turkey from the freezer to take to the house for cooking. Buddy figured the freezer was his to protect from non-pack members.

Nana took Buddy for a walk on leash. He was a fast learner. After talking to Buddy about all these things, Nana could see the only way to save him was to get him out of there. If the man did not shoot him, someone else would. The Canadian Kennel Club people would not help Nana with a single thing because Bud was not a pure bred dog (the bitches)so Nana found help from the CBC radio in Halifax,  from Matt Griffith at Air Canada halifax who helped with cargo fare, Dr. Neil Pothier a vet from Digby NS who helped with a crate deal and pills, and Buddy’s owners, who even though Buddy escaped one last time and took off, managed to catch him and drove him to the Halifax  airport on the appointed day.

From the journal, getting him accustomed to the crate.

Before she left ahead of Buddy, (they could not get the same flight) Nana made a second trip back to Newport station, to drop off the crate, leash and collar and airline ticket for Buddy. Since he had never been in a crate before, he had to try it out to be sure it would not be a crazy fight at the airport. He did very well and at the airiport his owners had no trouble with him. His flight to Clagary with a stop in Toronto was twelve hours. On arrival at Calgary International, he popped out of the crate a peed a lake on the nearest parking lot post. He never looked back and became a famous trained dog. Buddy the Dog from Nova Scotia. 

Buddy in Calgary at Anna Lee Kennels

Trained, groomed, well fed  and enjoying freedom

CRATE TRAINING IS NOT EASY

It is difficult to curtail your dog’s freedom; you might feel like a big bully. Remember, the benefits of persisting with it are numerous. Crates save money, time, and lives. For the week or weekend that your dog is being crate trained, there are only three places he should be: in the crate, on leash, or in the outdoor exercise pen to do business.

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a man and a dog”.  Mark Twain. (1835-1910)

BUDDY BROWN, THE DOG FROM NOVA SCOTIA

ANNA LEE KENNELS DOG OBEDIENCE

Anna Lee Kennels Lake Midnapore Calgary Alberta

Obedience Level A

Dogs who achieve the Level A Merit Award have proficiently demonstrated the following exercises:

A. Go into crate or ex-pen on leash or off in a decent and orderly fashion. They are quiet in the crate.

B. Make appropriate business while on leash or in business exercise pen.

C. Wait at door, wait in crate.

D. Wait to load in car, load in car,ride properly in car, wait to unload from car, unload.

E. Sit on command.

F. Controlled walk ready to heel.

G. Stay in confined area.

H. Come to handler from pup pen or crate.

I.   Wait for chain on and Wait for chain off.

J.  Change of pace slow.

K. Change of pace fast.

L.  About turns.

M. Walk controlled on leash for dog walks.

N. Sit and accept praise.

O. Allow grooming and vet attendance

P. Accept wearing service jacket / backpack

Q. Have sitting room privileges in evenings.

HAPPINESS IS A TRAINED TEAM!

LEASH/COLLAR EQUIPMENT

THE CONVENTIONAL TRAINING SLIP COLLAR AND 6FT (2M) LEATHER LEASH USED IN OBEDIENCE

There is no doubt that the slip collar is the best for training, however it is imperative for the dog trainer to know how to use it correctly, otherwise it can be cruel to the dog. The purpose of the collar and leash is to quickly and effectively show the dog where he should be with respect to the handler. If the leash and collar do not work to that objective then the dog will become confused. Leather is the best material for a leash, better than webbing and chain leashes should be thrown away. The chain goes on the dog not around your hand so if you have a chain leash throw it away or use it with a lock  for chaining up your bike.


Cloth slip collars are used on young or sensitive dogs. Collar rings as well as collar thickness can be size appropriate.

Note ring and link size

A dress up collar has very small links and would not be good for training.

A safe clip is one that is the correct size and is one that opens with a draw back pin instead of a press in pin



Choose the correct size clip and leash width



Webbed ribbon leads are used for training puppies and for  indoor umbilical training where the dog stays attatched to you all the time.

EXERCISE PENS

Here's the thing about exercise pens.  They will scratch the floor, edges are often rough and can cut fingers, paws or big wagging tails, collars and tags will get caught on the wires, they pinch your fingers when you fold them up, they mark up the walls, they are noisy, but they are a most excellent tool in dog training. Someone is yet to invent an exercise pen  that doesn't do all of painful things mentioned above, so we work with what we've got. Wear leather gloves when folding up an exercise pen, be careful of the flooring you set the pen on, protect walls with a towel or table cloth draped over the pen, take collars and sweaters off dogs in x-pens, have enough enclosed space to accommodate your dog's tail within the pen.
The exercise pen is not intended to "contain" an unattended dog. It merely keeps the dog "over there" while you are "over here" and gives the dog it's first private space.  Space is a thing which is earned. If your pup has the run of your house, you are in serious trouble in more than one way. Only trained dogs should be allowed onto the carpets. Same as the crate, dogs must learn how to stay inside the boundary of the exercise pen. Also, your dog must be crate trained before you allow more space with the exercise pen. 

There seem to be three types of exercise pens.  The best ones are made up of eight plain panels linked together. The ones in a permanent circle drive me nuts, any doors or gate in an exercise pen are problematic sooner or later. Plain panels allow you to set the pen in a variety of arrangements. Pens can also be set outside to keep young dogs out of garden areas or to set out a potty area.



Be careful of the flooring you choose to put the exercise pen on



Use the exercise pen to block off a space for your dog to be in, but he must not jump or dig at the panels. Yell at him if he does.

ABOUT BEDDING

ABOUT DOG BEDS 

Whippet puppy China

The department and pet supply stores have a huge selection of pet beds and blankets. Not all dogs use a blanket but all creatures enjoy a cozy spot to lay upon to sleep and rest. When selecting bedding, consider safety (strings, treads, loops), washability; look for removable covers or beds which will balance in the washing machine. Use a sheet to cover the bed reducing the need for laundering.

Blankets without binding, fleece material from a fabric shop unsewn, are safe for bedding

Above all else keep it clean, check the bed daily