Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sunday, April 24, 2011
44 dogs and nary a peep to be heard.
Red Roof Inn's are one of the most accomodating places to stay with your dogs. I mentioned to the fellow at the desk that last time we stayed here two other guests had nine dogs between them....all rescues trained to perform at county fairs. They were extremely well behaved and a happy group. That's nothing, he said, we have 44 dogs here this week end. Then add our four!
There are agility trials going on down the road...wherever that might be. The grounds are clean as a whistle and aside from a bark or two evidnce of dog is nonexistent- I wish they had a huge back yard so we could meet all the other guests.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Why Hire A Dog Trainer?
The other day a few of my friends were telling me about neighbors and friends who they were trying to refer to me and some of the objections they heard. They ranged from the dog is too old; we just deal with it and it’s frustrating; or I’ve already had several trainers come out and nothing has changed. The dog makes us crazy, but what can you do? Or worse, we just put the dog in a room by himself till we can tolerate him again.
My first experience with hiring a trainer was when I agreed to keep an very loving, but wildly rambunctious and huge (110lb) Golden Retriever. He jumped on EVERYONE and no one liked it. I called several trainers, most of whom never returned my phone calls. I did not even know about positive reinforcement and/or aversive training. All I knew is that Sacha caused stress and chaos in my house and we were not willing to give him up to a third owner. But he was driving everyone crazy—human and dogs alike.
I liked the trainer who came out and within one evening she gave me a great foundation for working with Sacha. It took several months of diligent behavior on our part to reinforce the behavior we wanted and expected from him. And nine years later, he still tries to get away with a small jump (we call it the fly by kiss and greet), but he looks to make sure it might be ok this time. No, my look says. And then he stops.
Shortly after that experience, I decided to learn about training, positive re-enforcement and why some dogs are so calm and happy and others drive families to hysterical depths of despair. The most powerful thing I learned is that training a dog is not just about training a dog. It is about learning how the family communicates, how the dog fits into the family dynamics and how each family member responds to training—of any sort!
I also learned that some people may be great trainers, but just not the right person for your family. And I learned some families simply don’t have the time to give to dog training as the chore they perceive it to be. My job, as a good trainer, is to help the family understand that dog training is not a chore.
Training is like teaching your children good manners. You do it daily in steps. Small steps, then big steps and small steps again. With love and patience.
When done right, the annoying barking, jumping on people and other misbehaviors can be eliminated with little drudgery and lots of fun. A chronic barker, a car chaser, a snappy responder, a grumpy dog all have it in them to be a more enjoyable member of the family and it does not take weeks of hiring someone to put the family through their paces.
It takes the right person, for your family’s learning style, to open up the opportunity for a less chaotic dog owning experience. Participation from everyone, and a willingness to have fun, will make it possible to have less aggravation for everyone—family, dog and friends or neighbors.
Never give up and accept a behavior that seems unmovable. With a small shift in everyone’s perception and willingness to give a little rather than running to hide, a little bit of extra training will make not only the family happy, it will make the dog happy too. After all, who wants a life time of being considered annoying and nagged at all the time?
Give me a call and we can discuss your training issue—sometimes it just takes one session. You and your dog are worth the effort!
My first experience with hiring a trainer was when I agreed to keep an very loving, but wildly rambunctious and huge (110lb) Golden Retriever. He jumped on EVERYONE and no one liked it. I called several trainers, most of whom never returned my phone calls. I did not even know about positive reinforcement and/or aversive training. All I knew is that Sacha caused stress and chaos in my house and we were not willing to give him up to a third owner. But he was driving everyone crazy—human and dogs alike.
I liked the trainer who came out and within one evening she gave me a great foundation for working with Sacha. It took several months of diligent behavior on our part to reinforce the behavior we wanted and expected from him. And nine years later, he still tries to get away with a small jump (we call it the fly by kiss and greet), but he looks to make sure it might be ok this time. No, my look says. And then he stops.
Shortly after that experience, I decided to learn about training, positive re-enforcement and why some dogs are so calm and happy and others drive families to hysterical depths of despair. The most powerful thing I learned is that training a dog is not just about training a dog. It is about learning how the family communicates, how the dog fits into the family dynamics and how each family member responds to training—of any sort!
I also learned that some people may be great trainers, but just not the right person for your family. And I learned some families simply don’t have the time to give to dog training as the chore they perceive it to be. My job, as a good trainer, is to help the family understand that dog training is not a chore.
Training is like teaching your children good manners. You do it daily in steps. Small steps, then big steps and small steps again. With love and patience.
When done right, the annoying barking, jumping on people and other misbehaviors can be eliminated with little drudgery and lots of fun. A chronic barker, a car chaser, a snappy responder, a grumpy dog all have it in them to be a more enjoyable member of the family and it does not take weeks of hiring someone to put the family through their paces.
It takes the right person, for your family’s learning style, to open up the opportunity for a less chaotic dog owning experience. Participation from everyone, and a willingness to have fun, will make it possible to have less aggravation for everyone—family, dog and friends or neighbors.
Never give up and accept a behavior that seems unmovable. With a small shift in everyone’s perception and willingness to give a little rather than running to hide, a little bit of extra training will make not only the family happy, it will make the dog happy too. After all, who wants a life time of being considered annoying and nagged at all the time?
Give me a call and we can discuss your training issue—sometimes it just takes one session. You and your dog are worth the effort!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Canine Art Guild Celebrates 5th Year with Online Exhibition
For Immediate Release
March 2010
Contact: Kimberly Kelly Santini 810-908-9003
Canine Art Guild Celebrates 5th Year with Online Exhibition
No joke - this April 1st, 2010, the Canine Art Guild (CAG) will “hang” an online exhibition celebrating their five years of existence. Titled “Dog-Gonn It!” the show is entirely made up of artwork that is 5” square.
Canine Art Guild member Catherin McMillan said “For me it was a case of thinking outside the square I usually work in. I've never worked so small before and it was heaps of fun transferring my thoughts to a smaller canvas.”
There are 48 5” x 5” gems created by guild members, viewable 24/7 at www.canineartguild.com/gallery. You'll also find links on this page to archives of the CAG's past online exhibitions.
Canine Art Guild shows are rotated every 3-4 months. This gives members the opportunity to showcase new work within the context of other canine and animal-centric artists. For buyers looking for a pet portrait artist or simply to add to their art collection, the Canine Art Guild is a key stop.
Visitors to the “Dog-Gonn It!” exhibition can also cast their vote for People's Choice Award. Cash prizes are awarded to the artists who's work garners the most votes.
CAG artists work in all mediums, e.g. paint, ceramics, pencil, sculpture, photography, and digital art, and hail from all corners of the earth. They share resources, educational experiences and marketing ideas while providing inspiration and support to each other.
The CAG offers members a private discussion forum, a profile page linked to the artist’s website, editorial privileges on the Art With a Bark blog, and participation in regularly scheduled online exhibitions like “Dog-Gonn It!”.
Collectors can browse the CAG website (www.canineartguild.com) by breed grouping, artist’s location, medium, or alphabetically.
The Canine Art Guild plans an ongoing series of exhibitions. The next exhibition, slated for spring 2010, is titled “Here Kitty, Kitty.” Clearly a twist on the expected, which in a way exemplifies all that the CAG stands for. In a tail wagging, tongue lolling, sort of way.
For additional information, please contact:
Kimberly Kelly Santini
The Canine Art Guild
346 N Anderson
Lake Orion MI USA 48362
WEB: www.canineartguild.com
EMAIL: info@canineartguild.com
PHONE: 810.908.9003
March 2010
Contact: Kimberly Kelly Santini 810-908-9003
Canine Art Guild Celebrates 5th Year with Online Exhibition
No joke - this April 1st, 2010, the Canine Art Guild (CAG) will “hang” an online exhibition celebrating their five years of existence. Titled “Dog-Gonn It!” the show is entirely made up of artwork that is 5” square.
Canine Art Guild member Catherin McMillan said “For me it was a case of thinking outside the square I usually work in. I've never worked so small before and it was heaps of fun transferring my thoughts to a smaller canvas.”
There are 48 5” x 5” gems created by guild members, viewable 24/7 at www.canineartguild.com/gallery. You'll also find links on this page to archives of the CAG's past online exhibitions.
Canine Art Guild shows are rotated every 3-4 months. This gives members the opportunity to showcase new work within the context of other canine and animal-centric artists. For buyers looking for a pet portrait artist or simply to add to their art collection, the Canine Art Guild is a key stop.
Visitors to the “Dog-Gonn It!” exhibition can also cast their vote for People's Choice Award. Cash prizes are awarded to the artists who's work garners the most votes.
CAG artists work in all mediums, e.g. paint, ceramics, pencil, sculpture, photography, and digital art, and hail from all corners of the earth. They share resources, educational experiences and marketing ideas while providing inspiration and support to each other.
The CAG offers members a private discussion forum, a profile page linked to the artist’s website, editorial privileges on the Art With a Bark blog, and participation in regularly scheduled online exhibitions like “Dog-Gonn It!”.
Collectors can browse the CAG website (www.canineartguild.com) by breed grouping, artist’s location, medium, or alphabetically.
The Canine Art Guild plans an ongoing series of exhibitions. The next exhibition, slated for spring 2010, is titled “Here Kitty, Kitty.” Clearly a twist on the expected, which in a way exemplifies all that the CAG stands for. In a tail wagging, tongue lolling, sort of way.
For additional information, please contact:
Kimberly Kelly Santini
The Canine Art Guild
346 N Anderson
Lake Orion MI USA 48362
WEB: www.canineartguild.com
EMAIL: info@canineartguild.com
PHONE: 810.908.9003
The Ethical Dog - They Do Play Fair
Awesome article from Scientific American Mind - March 19, 2010
Looking for the roots of human morality in the animal kingdom? Focus on canines, who know how to play fair
By MARC BEKOFF and Jessica Pierce
Every dog owner knows a pooch can learn the house rules—and when she breaks one, her subsequent groveling is usually ingratiating enough to ensure quick forgiveness. But few people have stopped to ask why dogs have such a keen sense of right and wrong. Chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates regularly make the news when researchers, logically looking to our closest relatives for traits similar to our own, uncover evidence of their instinct for fairness. But our work has suggested that wild canine societies may be even better analogues for early hominid groups—and when we study dogs, wolves and coyotes, we discover behaviors that hint at the roots of human morality.
Morality, as we define it in our book Wild Justice, is a suite of interrelated other-regarding behaviors that cultivate and regulate social interactions. These behaviors, including altruism, tolerance, forgiveness, reciprocity and fairness, are readily evident in the egalitarian way wolves and coyotes play with one another. Canids (animals in the dog family) follow a strict code of conduct when they play, which teaches pups the rules of social engagement that allow their societies to succeed. Play also builds trusting relationships among pack members, which enables divisions of labor, dominance hierarchies and cooperation in hunting, raising young, and defending food and territory. Because this social organization closely resembles that of early humans (as anthropologists and other experts believe it existed), studying canid play may offer a glimpse of the moral code that allowed our ancestral societies to grow and flourish.
Playing by the Rules
When canids and other animals play, they use actions such as vigorous biting, mounting and body slamming that could be easily misinterpreted by the participants. Years of painstaking video analyses by one of us (Bekoff) and his students show, however, that individuals carefully negotiate play, following four general rules to prevent play from escalating into fighting.
Communicate clearly. Animals announce that they want to play and not fight or mate. Canids use a bow to solicit play, crouching on their forelimbs while standing on their hind legs (above). Bows are used almost exclusively during play and are highly stereotyped—that is, they always look the same—so the message “Come play with me” or “I still want to play” is clear. Even when an individual follows a play bow with seemingly aggressive actions such as baring teeth, growling or biting, his companions demonstrate submission or avoidance only around 15 percent of the time, which suggests they trust the bow’s message that whatever follows is meant in fun. Trust in one another’s honest communication is vital for a smoothly functioning social group.
Mind your manners. Animals consider their play partners’ abilities and engage in self-handicapping and role reversing to create and maintain equal footing. For instance, a coyote might not bite her play partner as hard as she can, handicapping herself to keep things fair. And a dominant pack member might perform a role reversal, rolling over on her back (a sign of submission that she would never offer during real aggression) to let her lower-status play partner take a turn at “winning”. Human children also behave this way when they play, for instance, taking turns overpowering each other in a mock wrestling match. [For more on childhood play, see “The Serious Need for Play,” by Melinda Wenner; Scientific American Mind, February/March 2009.] By keeping things fair in this manner, every member of the group can play with every other member, building bonds that keep the group cohesive and strong.
Admit when you are wrong. Even when everyone wants to keep things fair, play can sometimes get out of hand. When an animal misbehaves or accidentally hurts his play partner, he apologizes—just like a human would. After an intense bite, a bow sends the message, “Sorry I bit you so hard—this is still play regardless of what I just did. Don’t leave; I’ll play fair.” For play to continue, the other individual must forgive the wrongdoing. And forgiveness is almost always offered; understanding and tolerance are abundant during play as well as in daily pack life.
Be honest. An apology, like an invitation to play, must be sincere—individuals who continue to play unfairly or send dishonest signals will quickly find themselves ostracized. This has far greater consequences than simply reduced playtime; for instance, Bekoff’s long-term field research shows that juvenile coyotes who do not play fair often end up leaving their pack and are up to four times more likely to die than those individuals who remain with others. Violating social norms, established during play, is not good for perpetuating one’s genes.
Fair play, then, can be understood as an evolved adaptation that allows individuals to form and maintain social bonds. Canids, like humans, form intricate networks of social relationships and live by rules of conduct that maintain a stable society, which is necessary to ensure the survival of each individual. Basic rules of fairness guide social play, and similar rules are the foundation for fairness among adults. This moral intelligence, so evident in both wild canines and in domesticated dogs, probably closely resembles that of our early human ancestors. And it may have been just this sense of right and wrong that allowed human societies to flourish and spread across the world.
Looking for the roots of human morality in the animal kingdom? Focus on canines, who know how to play fair
By MARC BEKOFF and Jessica Pierce
Every dog owner knows a pooch can learn the house rules—and when she breaks one, her subsequent groveling is usually ingratiating enough to ensure quick forgiveness. But few people have stopped to ask why dogs have such a keen sense of right and wrong. Chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates regularly make the news when researchers, logically looking to our closest relatives for traits similar to our own, uncover evidence of their instinct for fairness. But our work has suggested that wild canine societies may be even better analogues for early hominid groups—and when we study dogs, wolves and coyotes, we discover behaviors that hint at the roots of human morality.
Morality, as we define it in our book Wild Justice, is a suite of interrelated other-regarding behaviors that cultivate and regulate social interactions. These behaviors, including altruism, tolerance, forgiveness, reciprocity and fairness, are readily evident in the egalitarian way wolves and coyotes play with one another. Canids (animals in the dog family) follow a strict code of conduct when they play, which teaches pups the rules of social engagement that allow their societies to succeed. Play also builds trusting relationships among pack members, which enables divisions of labor, dominance hierarchies and cooperation in hunting, raising young, and defending food and territory. Because this social organization closely resembles that of early humans (as anthropologists and other experts believe it existed), studying canid play may offer a glimpse of the moral code that allowed our ancestral societies to grow and flourish.
Playing by the Rules
When canids and other animals play, they use actions such as vigorous biting, mounting and body slamming that could be easily misinterpreted by the participants. Years of painstaking video analyses by one of us (Bekoff) and his students show, however, that individuals carefully negotiate play, following four general rules to prevent play from escalating into fighting.
Communicate clearly. Animals announce that they want to play and not fight or mate. Canids use a bow to solicit play, crouching on their forelimbs while standing on their hind legs (above). Bows are used almost exclusively during play and are highly stereotyped—that is, they always look the same—so the message “Come play with me” or “I still want to play” is clear. Even when an individual follows a play bow with seemingly aggressive actions such as baring teeth, growling or biting, his companions demonstrate submission or avoidance only around 15 percent of the time, which suggests they trust the bow’s message that whatever follows is meant in fun. Trust in one another’s honest communication is vital for a smoothly functioning social group.
Mind your manners. Animals consider their play partners’ abilities and engage in self-handicapping and role reversing to create and maintain equal footing. For instance, a coyote might not bite her play partner as hard as she can, handicapping herself to keep things fair. And a dominant pack member might perform a role reversal, rolling over on her back (a sign of submission that she would never offer during real aggression) to let her lower-status play partner take a turn at “winning”. Human children also behave this way when they play, for instance, taking turns overpowering each other in a mock wrestling match. [For more on childhood play, see “The Serious Need for Play,” by Melinda Wenner; Scientific American Mind, February/March 2009.] By keeping things fair in this manner, every member of the group can play with every other member, building bonds that keep the group cohesive and strong.
Admit when you are wrong. Even when everyone wants to keep things fair, play can sometimes get out of hand. When an animal misbehaves or accidentally hurts his play partner, he apologizes—just like a human would. After an intense bite, a bow sends the message, “Sorry I bit you so hard—this is still play regardless of what I just did. Don’t leave; I’ll play fair.” For play to continue, the other individual must forgive the wrongdoing. And forgiveness is almost always offered; understanding and tolerance are abundant during play as well as in daily pack life.
Be honest. An apology, like an invitation to play, must be sincere—individuals who continue to play unfairly or send dishonest signals will quickly find themselves ostracized. This has far greater consequences than simply reduced playtime; for instance, Bekoff’s long-term field research shows that juvenile coyotes who do not play fair often end up leaving their pack and are up to four times more likely to die than those individuals who remain with others. Violating social norms, established during play, is not good for perpetuating one’s genes.
Fair play, then, can be understood as an evolved adaptation that allows individuals to form and maintain social bonds. Canids, like humans, form intricate networks of social relationships and live by rules of conduct that maintain a stable society, which is necessary to ensure the survival of each individual. Basic rules of fairness guide social play, and similar rules are the foundation for fairness among adults. This moral intelligence, so evident in both wild canines and in domesticated dogs, probably closely resembles that of our early human ancestors. And it may have been just this sense of right and wrong that allowed human societies to flourish and spread across the world.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thoughts on Worrying
The following is from a book I am reading right now called The Gift of Fear, and the author’s thoughts on worry were extremely enlightening to me. I highly recommend this book to everyone. What I got from his section of worry was to be present, be aware and take action, don’t wallow in the uselessness of worry.
"In the original form of the word, to worry someone else was to harass, strangle or choke them. Likewise to worry oneself is a form of self harassment. To give it less of a role in our lives, we must understand what it really is. Worry is the fear we manufacture – it is not authentic. If you choose to worry about something, have at it, but do so knowing it is a choice. Most often, we worry because it offers some secondary rewards. There are many variations, but a few of the most popular follow.
• Worry is a way to avoid change; when we worry we don’t do anything about the matter.
• Worry is a way to avoid admitting powerlessness over something, since worry feels like we are doing something. (Prayer also makes us feel like we are doing something, and even the most committed agnostic will admit that prayer is more productive than worry).
• Worry is a cloying way to have connections with others, the idea that to worry about someone shows love.
• Worry is a protection against future disappointment. (kind of like setting yourself up for it by worrying)
After decades of seeing worry in all its forms, I’ve concluded that it hurts people much more than it helps. It interrupts clear thing, waste time and shortens life. When worrying, ask yourself, “How does this serve me?” and you may well find that the cost of worrying is greater than the cost of changing. To be freer of fear and yet still get its gift, there are three goals to strive for. They aren’t easy to reach, but it’s worth trying:
1. When you feel fear, listen.
2. When you don’t feel fear, don’t manufacture it.
3. If you find yourself creating worry, explore and discover why.
Our imaginations can be the fertile soil in which worry and anxiety grow from seeds to weeds, but when we assume the imagined outcome is a sure thing, we are in conflict with what Proust called an inexorable law: “Only that which is absent can be imagined.” In other words, what you imagine – just like what you fear – is not happening."
"In the original form of the word, to worry someone else was to harass, strangle or choke them. Likewise to worry oneself is a form of self harassment. To give it less of a role in our lives, we must understand what it really is. Worry is the fear we manufacture – it is not authentic. If you choose to worry about something, have at it, but do so knowing it is a choice. Most often, we worry because it offers some secondary rewards. There are many variations, but a few of the most popular follow.
• Worry is a way to avoid change; when we worry we don’t do anything about the matter.
• Worry is a way to avoid admitting powerlessness over something, since worry feels like we are doing something. (Prayer also makes us feel like we are doing something, and even the most committed agnostic will admit that prayer is more productive than worry).
• Worry is a cloying way to have connections with others, the idea that to worry about someone shows love.
• Worry is a protection against future disappointment. (kind of like setting yourself up for it by worrying)
After decades of seeing worry in all its forms, I’ve concluded that it hurts people much more than it helps. It interrupts clear thing, waste time and shortens life. When worrying, ask yourself, “How does this serve me?” and you may well find that the cost of worrying is greater than the cost of changing. To be freer of fear and yet still get its gift, there are three goals to strive for. They aren’t easy to reach, but it’s worth trying:
1. When you feel fear, listen.
2. When you don’t feel fear, don’t manufacture it.
3. If you find yourself creating worry, explore and discover why.
Our imaginations can be the fertile soil in which worry and anxiety grow from seeds to weeds, but when we assume the imagined outcome is a sure thing, we are in conflict with what Proust called an inexorable law: “Only that which is absent can be imagined.” In other words, what you imagine – just like what you fear – is not happening."
Friday, January 15, 2010
Mini-Cujo's
I am really excited about several of the last few dogs I have worked with coming into their new homes. All of them older than puppy ages and rescues. My initial phone calls from clients have me almost quivering in my poop scooping boots and ruffling through my electronic Rolodex to see who I think might be better suited to handling the situation.
All of us who have taken in rescue's know that there will be a readjustment time. And probably more than half of us have at least one to two other dogs in residence. With love and good intentions we know our hearts will win over these fortunate "adoptee's" and life will continue happily ever after.
Sreeeech to a halt, snap, bite and growl! Furs fly's, blood is drawn and everyone (canine and human) runs for cover. What happen??? They were so sweet in the pound.
Without exception, the owners and dogs I have worked with really want to make things work out and are committed to seeing it happen. Giving the new dog love, affection and discipline as we hear over and over again, does help. And much like any relationship in our lives, too much love and affection can also create more problems than we want to live with long term.
Think of it in terms of dating. You like the guy, you like the family, you have fun together. But if he calls every ten minutes, gives you treats and flowers and gifts non-stop, and tells you how wonderful life is going to be with him - ALL THE TIME, don't you get a little bit annoyed? Isn't it a bit too much? Don't you feel like snapping, growling and maybe even lashing out just to get some space to adjust to the relationship. And if you do decide to stick with someone this cloying, aren't you a little tempted to take advantage of the situation. Beg for more treats, more attention, more of everything until they have lost patience and they snap and growl. And then blood and heart break ensue.
Work with your new rescue pup, but remember to give the new guy or gal a little space. Make sure they see you loving and respecting all the other members of the family. Set the example of the kind of behavior you expect. Let everyone adjust while setting the guidelines.
Rescuing a dog is a wonderful experience. Very rarely have I seen a dog sent back when everyone takes the time (new dog included) to learn to live with one another.
It's not easy and that is, of course, why you call me!
The charming dog in this photo is Sacha - 9 1/2 years old. Rescued from going to a kennel when he was a WILD 1 1/2 year old dog. We adore him. His nickname is King. It used to be G*&D#*%t Sacha.
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