Invisible Fences Suck!

I apologize for focusing this blog post on my dislike of invisible fences, but I feel it is necessary after recent events.  If any readers use invisible fences, please understand that this is my opinion.

Luna cuddling with her penguin toy.

Invisible fences suck!  They use punishment techniques to train the dog, do not guarantee the dog is securely contained, and provide a false sense of security to the owner.  If a dog is determined to get out of the yard, they're going to do.  Some dogs might get spooked enough to escape or may see something on the other side of the line that is worth getting a small shock.

Luna after she received her stitches.

The following are just a few experiences I've encountered in regards to the effectiveness of invisible fences.

Loose Lab
When I was a kid, I remember coming across a young Labrador Retriever loose on the street.  He was very friendly so I caught him easily and was relieved to see he still had his collar and tags on.  When I tried to return him to his house, the dog would not cross the yard because he still wore the shock collar and would have received a shock if he got too close.  I ended up sending a friend to the door to get the owner.  Apparently, something had inspired the dog to cross the line and he learned to keep away from the yard or else he would get shocked.

Lab wearing his invisible fence collar.

Duncan
One of my neighbors growing up had a German Shepherd that lived to escape their yard and attack neighboring dogs, kids, and sometimes adults.  The family tried everything to contain the dog including adding the invisible fence to the already six foot high solid wood fence.  No improvement.  The dog was determined to get out and she did so without regard to the shock she received.

Collar that the dog wears which delivers the shock.

Kirby
Another neighbor I had growing up decided an invisible fence was the best option to get her hyper Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier to stay on the property.  Unfortunately, Kirby experienced a shock so severe when he ran through the fence that he was terrified to walk across the yard.  The family ended up removing the fence and carrying him across the yard for months before he got over his fear.

Flags show where the boundaries are and indicate that the dog is in training.

Sadie
I've been working with a family friend's dog for the last few months who has a history of bolting out any open door and taking off.  Despite my insistence that an invisible fence would not help at keeping the dog from running off, they decided to invest in the fence to act as a "last line of defense".  It didn't work.  One day, Sadie escaped through the front door and took off down the street at full speed without even recognizing the quick shock.  Luckily, she was caught before anything bad happened, but she did make it well into town, into a restaurant, and into several back yards before she finally stopped to greet another dog.

I'm not a fan of invisible fences and do not recommend their use to anyone.  These fences do not guarantee to protect and contain even the friendliest dogs that respect their boundaries.  The environment is unpredictable, so why depend on something so unreliable to keep your dog safe?  If you are interested in reading more about why invisible fences don't work check out this article.

Run, run, run!

It is amazing to me to see how much Luna has improved physically over the year and how much she has opened up since we adopted her.  Her walking and running has sometimes made me forget about what we went through last December.

At this time last year, Luna was just starting her career in LGRA racing.  She was getting the hang of going into the starting box and chasing the lure.  I remember how much fun she had on those runs.  She was so excited to let loose and get that lure.

While Luna doesn't hit those incredible speeds anymore, she does move pretty quick.  I took a video of her running back in October, but unfortunately the video did not transfer well to my computer.  I will have to take another soon.

Now that she is back to running like a maniac, I have been reinforcing her recall.  She learned that "eh eh" means "stop what you're doing" so it easily transferred over to "stop moving forward" when she is exploring the ball field where we go running.  She will turn towards me and make her way back to my side when she hears the "eh eh".

We have also transitioned the standard, "Luna, come!" to a whistle.  I don't like shouting commands at dogs, especially when I am in a quiet area.  By using the whistle, I can ask Luna to come back without making a big scene.

Luna has been thoroughly enjoying her runs and I enjoy watching her take joy in something so simple.

Free Ranged

This weekend we officially graduated Luna to a loose-in-the-house dog by taking down her crate.  Luna was not pleased by this changed because she has learned that when the crate comes down it means she is going somewhere.  When we didn't pack up the car she kept looking at us like, "So, what's the deal here?"

For the past few months, Mike and I have been leaving Luna loose in the house while we are out.  She has shown a lot of growth when it comes to being alone.  She still whimpers a bit when I leave, but no more barking.  At first, it seemed like she only stayed on her pillow in the living room.  After a few weeks, I came home to find her upstairs relaxing in the bedroom.  It's nice to know that she understands that she can move around the house.

The next step for Luna is to become comfortable with a canvas crate.  I used one when I was showing Eris and it made traveling so much easier.  The one problem we had was when we left Eris in a hotel.  She was upset in the unfamiliar environment so she tore a hole in the canvas to escape.  This was completely out of character for Eris who normally was more mellow than a goldfish.  To avoid a repeat of that incident, we will be taking things slow with Luna.  I will also make sure we never leave her abruptly in a strange place.

Not only is it nice that we can trust Luna to be good while we are out, but we are rewarded by gaining a huge part of our kitchen.  Yippee!

The Therapist is In

Because of crazy work schedules and a broken air conditioner (finally got fixed yesterday) Luna has been coming to work with me at least once a week.  She has become very comfortable in the office setting.  A little too comfortable.  Most of the time she stays by my desk so their is no need to tie her to the desk or put up the baby gate to keep her in the room.  However, once in a while she will decide I'm boring and leave the room seeking a co-worker who will give her some attention.  It seems she likes to do this when I am on the phone and cannot yell at her to come back.  "Excuse me for one minute.  I need to catch my dog."

While I'm a little annoyed by Luna's antics, the rest of the office staff loves having her around.  She seems to have taken her new role as therapy dog very seriously.  Every morning she will make her rounds to each person with a big smile on her face and a lot of tail wagging.  Last week, a few staff members even got some play bows and greyhound hugs.  When people come into my office Luna will jump up from her nap to greet our guest.

When I am between projects, I try to take a short break to do a little training with Luna.  This way I can step away from my desk and she can get a few minutes of mental stimulation.  This week, I decided to see if I could create a new trick out of Luna's "take it" command.  I first taught her to take a post-it note from my hand.  Then she learned how to pick up the post-it note from the ground.  Her method left the post-it a bit slobbery and very crumpled so I won't be asking her to pick up any important papers.  Finally, I placed the post-it to her back end.  She quickly figured out how to get that silly post-it off and proudly presented it to me for her cookie.  I like this trick because she looks so silly and I'm sure it will delight many audiences in the future.

Certified Therapy Dog

At the beginning of this month Luna passed her Therapy Dog International test.  This week she received her official ID badge and TDI dog tag.  Her bandana is on back order, but we do not have to wait for it before we start visiting.  I also received a book of instructions, a whole lot of paperwork to complete (I thought I was done with that), and a list of places in our area looking for therapy dogs.  We have been given the all clear to get started.  Yay!

Out of the Box

Car ride!

Remember last summer when I left Luna alone for a couple of hours and she destroyed the bathroom?  Since then, Luna has stayed in her crate during any of our absences.  Over the year, she has figured out the routine and will willingly go into her crate when she sees me gather up my shoes and purse.  Since she has settled into our routine so well and she does not seem as nervous when we leave, Mike and I have been testing her staying out of the crate while we are out.  So far, everything has gone well.  This week, we took the tests to the next level by letting her stay a full work day out of the crate.  When we came home, we found a happy dog enjoying her pillow and peanut butter kong.  We will continue testing her to make sure there are no problems leaving her out of the crate, but we hope to take down the crate soon.  We'll keep her pillows and blankets in the kitchen, but it will be nice not to have so much of the kitchen taken up by the crate.


To reward Luna for her good behavior, Mike and I took her to the local dog park after dinner last night.  She was very happy to go for a car ride.  She did a little bit of running around, but I guess it was getting close to her bedtime because she was not as enthusiastic as I would have expected.  Here is a video of her running between Mike and me.

School's Out!

Yesterday was Luna's last day at Attention & Handling class.  I originally signed her up for the class to help her get back to obedience training, but also as a way for her to continue some physical therapy.  At first, I wasn't sure if this was money well spent since our first night was pretty rough.  She was the only greyhound (no surprise) and she was the only dog wearing a harness.  She also struggled with sit and down which made us stand out a little more.

Over the past two months, Luna improved so much.  She was really holding her own around the golden retrievers, border collies, labs and poodles.  Her eye contact was fabulous.  She would stare me down with her ears perked up.  The trainer frequently commented on how great Luna's eye contact was.  Nothing could distract Luna when she was in a stare down.  Her good attention led to improved performance with basic obedience.  She would lie down and sit when asked, heel attentively, and leave an item alone even when it was a tasty treat.  All of these improvements were crucial to our success earlier this week at the therapy dog test.

So what's next for Luna?  Logic says we should continue the obedience class, but the primary focus of the class is to prepare dog and handler for competition.  Since her accident, Luna has shown that she has some physical limitations.  Her sits need a whole lot of work, she is slow to lie down, and she sometimes trips up when running.  To me, it isn't worth the aggravation to overcome these quirks to make her perfect for competition.  Luna has already overcome a lot and I want her to keep having fun with training.  Focusing on these details would not be fun for either one of us.  For now, school is out for Luna, but I'm looking at signing her up for a tricks class.  Who knows what our next big show stopper will be?

Maybe the fiery hoop is a bit much for Luna. 

Testing Her Good Behavior

It's been a busy week for Luna and we're only half way through!

On Monday, Luna went with me to a 4-H Cloverbud meeting to teach Pet Care.  She behaved beautifully around the young kids.  Each member gave Luna a treat, pet her, and had her perform a trick.  We talked about dog safety, what you need to care for a dog, and basic obedience.  The only part Luna had trouble with was with the pet rabbits.  She was VERY interested in meeting them.  After the rabbits were done with their presentation, we put them back in the car so Luna would not be tempted.  She was an angel after they were gone.

Continuing on Luna's good behavior, Ashley and I took Luna and Chewie to be tested as therapy dogs this evening.  It was a pretty crazy environment, but both dogs handled the other dogs, kids, and adults perfectly.  During the test I was not allowed to use treats so I was a little nervous about keeping Luna's focus.  There really was no need to worry because Luna completed all the trials beautifully.  She even resisted a giant treat on the floor when I told her to "leave it".  What I was most impressed by was her stay and recall.  I wasn't sure if she would listen, but she did great.

Chewie had a little more trouble with the test.  She is a very good dog and will make a great therapy dog, but she was a little nervous.  To start, the judge touched Chewie's tail and ears which set her off on the wrong foot.  Next, Chewie had to demonstrate a sit and down.  Sit was no problem, but Chewie never learned down and she had to perform a down if she was going to pass the test.  By pure luck, Chewie finally went into a down.  Yes!  The rest of the trials were fine after that.

So both dogs have passed their therapy dog tests and are on their way to going on visits.  Luna's still got more planned for her week.  Let's keep up the good behavior!

New Toys and Tricks

At our last training session we were taught how to play with our dogs in between obedience exercises to keep them happy and engaged.  The problem is, Luna doesn't really know how to play.  Our trainer suggested we encourage her to chase a toy.  Last week I found the perfect toy; a small fuzzy squeaker on the end of a whip.  Mike has been very excited to try it out so we gave it a shot tonight.

A problem we ran into is that Luna is very good with "take it" meaning take whatever object I am holding or pointing at.  She is very comfortable holding pencils, cups, beer cans, and other strange objects.  So right off the bat she thought I wanted her to take the whip I was holding.  She paid very little attention to the squeak toy at the end of the whip.  Go figure I trained her too well on that one.

We didn't have much room for her to run so she was stuck running in circles, which you can tell got very boring very fast.  We'll have to try again in a field where she can run a little bit.

Luna has also become very vocal since her accident.  I believe that she figured out the value of barking when she was injured because anytime she made a noise we (or the vet techs) would come running.  Now she barks anytime she wants us to pay attention to something she needs.  Usually she will start barking when she wants to go out or be fed.  She is so funny when she barks that I decided to make it a new trick tonight.  In this first video I have not introduced the command "speak".  I was just trying to get her excited enough to bark.  The video had to end because our washer got too loud.

In this second video I have introduced "speak" and a hand signal to help her understand that this is a trick and not something to be done all the time.  She caught on to "speak" very quickly and I'm sure it will become a fast favorite of hers.  You can tell Mike really liked the toy on a whip game as he reintroduces the game at the end.

All Work and No Play

It was another big day for Luna.  She went with me to work where she had a hard day of lounging, greeting co-workers, and eating treats.  Such a tough life.  After work we went to our attention and handling class followed by physical therapy.  Both went well and I can tell that Luna is tired.

Luna and I continue to stick out from the group in our attention and handling class.  Remember, this class is populated by retrievers, collies, and other clever breeds.  Part of our exercises tonight was to get our dogs to play with us.  Our trainer explained how to use the soft toys to get our dogs to play in a game of tug-of-war.  She did mention that there are some dogs that don't know how to play, but they are very rare.  Umm...not in the greyhound world.

I tried to get Luna to play with the toys, but she was more interested in her classmates acting so silly.  We were a little successful when I asked her to "take" the toy.  This is her command for dumbbell so she knew that I wanted her to grab the toy.  Our trainer suggested tying a string to the toy to encourage her to chase it.  This will probably work well for her and will give her a chance to chase something in a safe way as she builds up her strength.

Attention and Handling

Luna and I are trying our hand at some formal obedience.  This past week was our first lesson.  In the class are a border collie, golden retriever, standard poodle, foxhound, newfoundland, and a few labs.  Luna and I definitely stood out being the only greyhound and the only dog wearing a harness.  I explained to the trainer why Luna needed to wear a harness and she is fine with it.

The first thing we were supposed to teach our dogs was to lie down at our sides in a "rest" position so they did not feel the need to watch us all the time.  Luna was not having any of this lying down nonsense.  Since her accident she has a hard time getting into sits and downs so she is really resistant to my requests.  On top of that, she did not want to lie down on the strange matted floor.  Instead, I had her stand next to me in a relaxed position.  As long as she wasn't wandering off or sniffing anything I figure she is fine.

We did a few other exercises that we had some trouble with.  It is hard for me to hold the leash and treats when the leash keeps getting caught around her neck.  We wouldn't have this much trouble with a collar or if she was off leash, but neither of those are viable options.  I'm sure we'll figure out some way to work though this.

I'm excited for the next lesson because we are going to get our dogs excited about chasing a dumbbell.  No problem for us. :-)  Stay tuned to see if we can be the stars of the class next time.

Commercial Inspired Trick

One of the Super Bowl commercials had a small mutt named "We go" who would fetch a beer every time someone said "Here we go!"  I loved the idea of having a dog fetch a beer (who doesn't love stupid pet tricks?) so I started introducing Luna to the idea.  She already enjoys holding a variety of items for me (pencils, duct tape, leash, etc.), but how would she feel about picking up a cold, heavy beer?  

As always, I broke the task down to help her learn the trick.  First, I asked her to take an empty beer can so she could figure out how to hold it in her mouth and get used to the feel/taste.

Once she was comfortable taking the can from me, I placed it on the ground and asked her to pick it up.  It took her awhile to figure out how to pick it up with her long nose in the way.  Next, I gave the can a little roll so she had to pursue the can and grab it. (Notice in this next video how bad her "sits" have become.  Part of this is due to her weakened left side, but I think another big part is her spoiled mind set.  We did not ask her to sit for over a month so she doesn't think she has to any more.)

We're not quite ready for a full can (and we may never get there since it is heavy), but she is well on her way to showing off at our next party.

Back Together and Back to Work

I'm finally back from my travels...for now.  It's nice to have our little family together.

When I returned home I immediately took Luna for a nice walk.  It was the longest walk we've had since her accident.  She looked so happy to be outside on a walk even though she was obviously very cold.  After the walk we spent the evening cuddling on the spare bed watching DogTown (a TV show about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary).  A few times the dogs on the show were barking and whining.  Luna immediately picked up her ears and stared at the TV as if to say "What's going on?" 

We completed the evening with a little physical therapy and some light training.  Her physical therapy focuses on her balance (since she still has a drunken walk).  We did her training on the spare bed which is a great place for her to balance on an unsteady surface. 

Tonight, I decided to introduce a new trick.  Since she is used to being on her side and we were working on the bed I figured it was time to learn "bang".  She quickly picked up the trick and seems very proud of herself.  It only took a couple of tries before she figured out what I wanted.  The next step will be to introduce the gun hand signal.  After that I think we're ready to take our routine on the road.  Here we come Hollywood!

Teacher's Pet

One of my favorite things about dog training is teaching kids how to effectively communicate with their dogs.  As I've mentioned before, I grew up in the 4-H dog project and was a club trainer and leader after graduating the program.  Today, Luna and I returned as guest presenters to the Doggone Crazy 4-H club to share some training tips with the club members.

While I did most of the talking (ok, all of the talking), Luna enjoyed the attention from the club members.  After speaking with the members about the different learning styles in dogs and different forms of motivation, it was time for Luna to demonstrate her skills.  The highlight was her dumbbell retrieval.  I explained to the members that Luna naturally has no interest in the dumbbell.  To get her to retrieve, I broke the task down into baby steps and made it a fun game.  Now, when the dumbbell comes out, she is all excitement for our game.

The kids had a lot of good questions about how to motivate the dog and how to correct the dog when they do the wrong behavior.  I plan to return later in the year to demonstrate some silly dog tricks to the club members.  I want them to think of training as a fun experience for both dog and handler and silly tricks (play dead, roll over, shake, etc.) are great ways to do that.

"Look What I Can Do!"

Luna is continuing to retrieve her dumbbell like a champ.  It is so funny to see how excited she gets when I bring out the dumbbell.  Tonight I tried introducing her to other objects (dog toys) to retrieve.  She did not generalize very well, but after breaking it down to the basic level she quickly caught on.  The funny thing is, it seems she would prefer to pick up the dumbbell than the fluffy toys.  Maybe the fur bothers her tongue?

"Please tell me we are going to train."

"I'm ready!"

Anyway, below are some videos of Luna retrieving her dumbbell.  I apologize for the shaky camera.  It is really hard to film, throw and take the dumbbell, click, and treat with just two hands.

For the last video Mike decided he wanted to try his hand at training Luna.  He did pretty well, but I think he needs a bit of training too. :-)  I'll admit it was kind of stressful to watch and I tried to hold it back, but I think you can hear it in my voice.

The Amazing Retrieving Greyhound

Wow! She was really thin and ripped when we first got her!

Sits, downs, stays, and now retrieval?  Is there anything this dog can't do?  We've only had Luna for three months and already she has learned so much.

Before adopting Luna I had decided that I would train my next dog to compete at AKC shows.  Not a bad idea if I had adopted a retriever or shepherd, but I gave myself a real challenge by selecting a greyhound. Greyhounds can be difficult to train for obedience (but why do they need it when they are already perfect?) and for this reason many people believe greyhounds cannot sit let alone retrieve.

I had never successfully taught a dog to retrieve.  Eris did not want any part of the experience and I blame myself for her dislike towards dumbbell training.  I really had no idea what I was doing and after awhile Eris gave up and refused to look at the dumbbell.  I recall telling my trainer that "Greyhounds don't do retrieval" and resigning from obedience shortly afterward.

I had to eat my words after watching the videos on Never Say Never Greyhounds (http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/search/label/Retrieving).  Here were retired racers who clearly loved the retrieve game.  I studied the instructional videos and decided to give dumbbell training another go, this time in a positive and game-like manner.  The results are fantastic!

Here are the results of just a few short weeks of training.  I hope to capture some better footage of us training in the near future.

Click Treat

In my opinion, nothing works better or is more fun than clicker training.  Using the clicker training method turns everything into a game which keeps greyhounds engaged in obedience work.

Eris at 14 years old.

Clicker training was not the first training technique I was introduced to.  When I first joined the 4-H club with my greyhound, Eris, our trainer did not know how to work with greyhounds.  Her experience had always been with retrievers, shelties, and other "trainable" breeds.  Her technique was to push down on the hind end while giving the command "sit".  While the other kids were getting their dogs to sit by the end of the first class, I was still wrestling with Eris.  Clearly, this technique was not right for us, but we did not know any better.  Because of this difficult start, Eris lost a lot of interest in obedience and I was always frustrated by her performance.

A few years later I had a trainer who introduced me to the idea of clicker training.  Suddenly, Eris enjoyed obedience (well, some of it) and I realized there was an easier way to communicate with my dog without manhandling her.  This method also gives the dog a chance to use their brain and sometimes they come up with new tricks.

Are we going to train?

Since day one, I have been training Luna using this positive reinforcement style.  Not only does she love the "games" we play, but she seems disappointed when training is over.  Up until recently I had focused her training on simple behaviors to help her feel successful in obedience.  Two nights ago I introduced the idea of "down".  I've tried "sit" a few times, but it is obvious she is not quite ready.  To my surprise, Luna picked up on "down" very quickly and will now lie down in a variety of settings.  I believe that she is doing so well because of the positive training method (and some natural smarts) which allows her to think of training time as fun time.

Luna's current obedience knowledge:

• Leave it
• Heel position
• Get into heel position
• Down
• Spin
• Touch
• Watch me

A winning team



She loved the attention.



Luna was awesome at the Somerset County 4-H Fair!  She enjoyed meeting so many new dogs and people during the three days she was there.  I was surprised by how good she was with the small children.  It is hard to believe that this is the same dog that was terrified of an oncoming toddler six weeks ago.  



Luna keeps her eyes on the judge.



New for this year the dog project had an alumni show.  Previous dog club members came together to see if we still had our dog showmanship skills.  I decided to use Luna who had all of ten minutes practice on a show lead before entering the ring.  We were competing against some dogs who had been trained for years and handlers who I had never been able to beat.  One person in particular was my good friend Nathalie.  When we were in the dog club together I was never able to beat her in showmanship.  She always placed higher than me.  This was always a running joke between us.

It turns out Luna is a natural at showmanship.  She looked amazing running around the ring with her head held high, a prancing gait, and a look that said "I'm having fun!"  She was perfect when in came to stacking.  Our training on "stay" really paid off.  I would place her feet without any trouble and she would hold her stance for a very long time.  It drove me crazy to think that inexperienced Luna was doing just as well as Eris, my project dog, had done at the height of her career.

Not only did our performance outshine Nathalie, but we ended up taking 1st place!  Not to shabby for a dog who I adopted from the racetrack six weeks ago.  Since Luna shows so much promise for showmanship and obedience I have offered her to one of my club members for training.  Hopefully, there will be many more ribbons in their future.

Luna is proud of her ribbon, but she really wants the treat.