When you have a Giant Schnauzer, you sort of get use to people stopping you and asking questions about the breed and where did you get the dog. In my case, the experience has gone one step further. I take my Giants for a walk hooked up to a dog cart. I rarely don't get too far before someone stops us and starts asking questions.
Here are some stories about what has happened to us while out for a cart walk.One day I was going down the street with Cinderella hooked up to her cart. I got about half way down the street when a woman came running out of her house yelling "I saw that dog on T V in Kansas City". Well, it turned out that my new neighbor had seen a program that had been done locally by an NBC affiliate and the program had been aired on a national scale.
Cinderella and a few dog friends of hers with dog carts ( a West Highland White Terrier and a Soft Coated Wheaten) had been interviewed by the local station and they put together a half-hour program on dogs and carting. The program was also about kids and what they can do as Jr. TV reporters. The girl doing the interview was about twelve or thirteen years old and did a great job.
The Westie had led the Memorial Day Parade and the whole parade had to move at the pace set by that little Westie. The Army Tankers were complaining about going so slow and what was holding up the parade. All of the ten Dog Carters in the parade had a great laugh at that one. By the way, we won first prize for the best unit in the parade. Gave the $150.00 to the local Kennel Club as a donation.
Another time, I had an incident with Pazazz one day coming back from the lumber yard. I had a load of 2x4's and some other lumber on the cart and Pazazz was walking along, tail up and happy to be working. We live about two blocks from the yard. A woman pulled up along side us and shouted " you should be whipped for making that poor dog pull that heavy load. I told her to look at the dog and you will notice that her tail is wagging an mile a minuet. She loves it and the load is less than fifty pounds.
She pulls 75lbs of sand bags for conditioning and thinks nothing of it. I received no answer as she raced away. Another day, Gemma and I were coming down Wyoming Avenue with about 50lbs of sand bags in the cart and a lady pulled over to the curb and ran over to us. She was very excited about seeing a dog pull a cart and wanted to know where I got the cart and what breed of dog Pazazz was. I said, lady your car is going down the street, you had better run and stop it. In her excitement, she had stopped, opened the door, got out, and never put the car in park!
Fortunately, she was able to catch it and stop it. It turned out that she was a reporter for one of the local papers and did a very nice story about carting and Giant Schnauzers! Even took pictures of both of us. We got the front page of the News Paper the next day.
Giant Regards,
Harry Russ
123 Yeager Ave
Forty Fort, PA 18704-4031
dogcartman@gmail.com
http://www.dogcartman.com
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
How I Got Started In Dogcarting
The town in which I live, Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, was flooded in 1972 during hurricane Agnes. The water reached a height 6 inches from the second-floor. In order to live close to the house while it was being repaired, My wife, Marie, and I decided to purchase a motor home and park it in the driveway. At the time I was the Regional Director of the Governors Justice Commission and had to spend many hours on the road working with municipalities that had been inundated by the flood. This would enable Marie to stay close to the house with our two Giant Schnauzers while the house was being repair .
We were also involved in showing the two Giant Schnauzers in dog shows and spent many weekends going to the shows. We had the Winnebago set up so we could unhook it weekends and drive to the dog show. We had never been to the Florida dog show circuit, and since we now had the motor home and I had lots of vacation time coming, we decided to go.
We planed to spend the month of January on the road and since I knew Giant Schnauzer people in Florida, we were able to make all the arrangements as to where we could park the motor home between dog shows. We planed to visit all the vacation sites near the dog shows.
When the dog shows moved from the west coast to the east coast, we were invited by Cynthia and Vince Fiorino to park in the corral they had for their horses, next to their home in Davie.
While there, Vince showed me a riding cart he had purchased from the Dingus Company. He had used it very little because he didn’t have a harness that fit his Giants properly. I wasn’t too interested in being pulled around by my dogs and didn’t really look to closely at the construction of the cart.
On the way home from Florida, Marie mentioned that she thought it would be fun to have the dogs pull a utility type cart that we could walk along side. We talked about this idea for many a mile and when we got home set about looking to purchase a utility type cart. Needless to say, we were not able to find anyone that manufactured that type dogcart. Now this is where the repair of our flooded house comes into the story. Since all the tools I had were in the flood and I had to replace them, I had all types of woodworking tools available. Marie said I should build a dogcart. I had no idea of how to start and how it should look. I spend many hours in the library researching dogcarts and harnesses. There was much information on the history of carting in Europe and many of the books had pictures of milk carts and teams of dogs pulling the cans of milk to market. I even found and article written by a man in Wisconsin on how to make a harness. Marie tried to contact the author but not with success. Since I worked in the Criminal Justice system, Marie got the idea to contact the police department in the authors home town to enlist their aid in contacting the man. We were sorry to learn that he had passed away a few months earlier. Things were slow in developing and it wasn’t until later in the year when we were having a dinner party one evening that the subject came up about the pending gas crisis. One of the women at the dinner asked Marie if our Giants were related to cart dogs in Europe. She said we could use the dogs to go to the store and have them pull the groceries home. Well that was it for me! Marie said I had to get moving on my dog cart project and get a cart built. I had all the tools and information and there was no reason to delay any longer. Gas lines were long and at times you could not even get gas locally. The shopping center was less than a mile away and she said that it would be good exercise for me and the dogs.
The history of dog carting is not written in glory. Dogs in Europe were used by tradesmen and farmers to pull their wares to market. Things had deteriorated so badly that in 1824, the Prefect of Police in Paris issued an edict forbidding tradesmen to use dogs to pull their trade carts on the streets of Paris.
Dogs had been used to pull heavy loads and in many cases were not fed proper diets to enable them to continue working. Some died in the harness. Carting gradually declined in use in Europe.
Carting in the United States had never developed as a means of transportation for man and dog. Hence if carting were to have a chance as a sport, the carts and the harnesses had to be made so that they fitted properly.
Making the wooden box and the racks was not going to be a problem. But the design of the undercarriage and the wheels and shafts were going to require professional assistance. Fortunately I has a friend, Bob Prashker who manufactured baby car seats and was willing to spend time with me and his designer and make up the plans for those parts of the cart. Bob made the parts in his plant and when the people who worked for him saw the strange parts being built, the were interested in knowing what was going on. When they found out it was for a dog cart, everyone got into the act and came up with ideas for improving on the design. It was amazing how many people helped me with my first dog cart. Bob even had nylon what enabled me to make quality harnesses. Marie was able to sew the harness on her sewing machine. We knew we had to put padding on the chest plate and from research on European harnesses found out that sheepskin was not the thing to use because it generated to much heat and would cause skin irritation. Marie, being a nurse, came up with the idea of using pads that were used for hospital patients. We cut the pads to fit the width of the nylon and sewed it to the harness breast piece.
Bicycle wheels were readily available and without much work were able to be fitted to the axle. The only problem was when weight was placed in the cart the axle that came with the bicycle wheels would bend and the wheels would bind against the cart side. My Father came up with a simple design that provided a bracket that would fit the outside of the wheel and be bolted to the side of the cart thus solving the problem.
The Christian Science Monitor had an article published in 1942 in which the author stated all that was needed was a dog, an old box and a couple of wheels and you were ready to go. Not so! If the sport of dog carting was to succeed, the carts were going to have to be designed to fit the dog and enable the dog to pull the weight with little pressure pressing down on its back. My many helpers were able to solve that problem and when the final design was completed, there was less then three pounds of pressure on the dogs back with a fully loaded cart.
Now the only task before me was to put it all together and hook up my Giant Schnauzer and have her pull the cart!
But that is another story.
We were also involved in showing the two Giant Schnauzers in dog shows and spent many weekends going to the shows. We had the Winnebago set up so we could unhook it weekends and drive to the dog show. We had never been to the Florida dog show circuit, and since we now had the motor home and I had lots of vacation time coming, we decided to go.
We planed to spend the month of January on the road and since I knew Giant Schnauzer people in Florida, we were able to make all the arrangements as to where we could park the motor home between dog shows. We planed to visit all the vacation sites near the dog shows.
When the dog shows moved from the west coast to the east coast, we were invited by Cynthia and Vince Fiorino to park in the corral they had for their horses, next to their home in Davie.
While there, Vince showed me a riding cart he had purchased from the Dingus Company. He had used it very little because he didn’t have a harness that fit his Giants properly. I wasn’t too interested in being pulled around by my dogs and didn’t really look to closely at the construction of the cart.
On the way home from Florida, Marie mentioned that she thought it would be fun to have the dogs pull a utility type cart that we could walk along side. We talked about this idea for many a mile and when we got home set about looking to purchase a utility type cart. Needless to say, we were not able to find anyone that manufactured that type dogcart. Now this is where the repair of our flooded house comes into the story. Since all the tools I had were in the flood and I had to replace them, I had all types of woodworking tools available. Marie said I should build a dogcart. I had no idea of how to start and how it should look. I spend many hours in the library researching dogcarts and harnesses. There was much information on the history of carting in Europe and many of the books had pictures of milk carts and teams of dogs pulling the cans of milk to market. I even found and article written by a man in Wisconsin on how to make a harness. Marie tried to contact the author but not with success. Since I worked in the Criminal Justice system, Marie got the idea to contact the police department in the authors home town to enlist their aid in contacting the man. We were sorry to learn that he had passed away a few months earlier. Things were slow in developing and it wasn’t until later in the year when we were having a dinner party one evening that the subject came up about the pending gas crisis. One of the women at the dinner asked Marie if our Giants were related to cart dogs in Europe. She said we could use the dogs to go to the store and have them pull the groceries home. Well that was it for me! Marie said I had to get moving on my dog cart project and get a cart built. I had all the tools and information and there was no reason to delay any longer. Gas lines were long and at times you could not even get gas locally. The shopping center was less than a mile away and she said that it would be good exercise for me and the dogs.
The history of dog carting is not written in glory. Dogs in Europe were used by tradesmen and farmers to pull their wares to market. Things had deteriorated so badly that in 1824, the Prefect of Police in Paris issued an edict forbidding tradesmen to use dogs to pull their trade carts on the streets of Paris.
Dogs had been used to pull heavy loads and in many cases were not fed proper diets to enable them to continue working. Some died in the harness. Carting gradually declined in use in Europe.
Carting in the United States had never developed as a means of transportation for man and dog. Hence if carting were to have a chance as a sport, the carts and the harnesses had to be made so that they fitted properly.
Making the wooden box and the racks was not going to be a problem. But the design of the undercarriage and the wheels and shafts were going to require professional assistance. Fortunately I has a friend, Bob Prashker who manufactured baby car seats and was willing to spend time with me and his designer and make up the plans for those parts of the cart. Bob made the parts in his plant and when the people who worked for him saw the strange parts being built, the were interested in knowing what was going on. When they found out it was for a dog cart, everyone got into the act and came up with ideas for improving on the design. It was amazing how many people helped me with my first dog cart. Bob even had nylon what enabled me to make quality harnesses. Marie was able to sew the harness on her sewing machine. We knew we had to put padding on the chest plate and from research on European harnesses found out that sheepskin was not the thing to use because it generated to much heat and would cause skin irritation. Marie, being a nurse, came up with the idea of using pads that were used for hospital patients. We cut the pads to fit the width of the nylon and sewed it to the harness breast piece.
Bicycle wheels were readily available and without much work were able to be fitted to the axle. The only problem was when weight was placed in the cart the axle that came with the bicycle wheels would bend and the wheels would bind against the cart side. My Father came up with a simple design that provided a bracket that would fit the outside of the wheel and be bolted to the side of the cart thus solving the problem.
The Christian Science Monitor had an article published in 1942 in which the author stated all that was needed was a dog, an old box and a couple of wheels and you were ready to go. Not so! If the sport of dog carting was to succeed, the carts were going to have to be designed to fit the dog and enable the dog to pull the weight with little pressure pressing down on its back. My many helpers were able to solve that problem and when the final design was completed, there was less then three pounds of pressure on the dogs back with a fully loaded cart.
Now the only task before me was to put it all together and hook up my Giant Schnauzer and have her pull the cart!
But that is another story.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The Magic Button - Every Dog Has One.
There have been times that we all wish there was a magic button we could push to turn our beloved pet off when a situation arose that caused the dog to become very excited and noisy and almost uncontrollable! Well there is such a button!!! Not a physical button, but a word that when spoken by you causes the dog to become calm, quiet, still, controllable, paying attention, doing what you want it to do rather than acting crazy, and uncontrollable.
The magic word is YES! When spoken by you, your dog will listen to you and act in a calm, serene, tranquil, peaceful, placid manner! How do you get this to work on you dog? You just say the word YES as you give the dog a piece of food. I use small pieces of chicken hot dogs. My dogs love hot dogs, but you can use any piece of food your dog likes so long as you can give it in small pieces as you say the word - YES-! I just have the dog stand or sit in front of me and give it pieces of chicken hot dog as I say YES until I give it the whole hot dog. [Remember to do at least twenty repetitions.] Cut the hot dog lengthwise into quarters and each quarter into 12 or 13 pieces.
Why does this magic button word work so well on the dog. Well, what you are doing is establishing a conditioned reflex on the part of the dog to the word YES. You are causing the dog to think of food every time you say YES. It is a physical fact that the dogs body produces the least amount of Adrenaline when it is eating. When thinking of food, the dogs body goes into a set pattern where the blood goes to the stomach and other processes go into effect. Instead of producing Adrenaline, the dog's body produces Serotonin, natures equivalent to the drug, Prozac. The main thing is, the dog becomes calm when thinking of food! That enables YOU to control the dog, give it a CUE that will bring about desired behavior. YES gets the dog to pay attention to you, acts as a calming agent for the dog, is a method of telling the dog that all is well. YES is never a command, is never correctable! ES gives you instant control!
After you have taught the dog to respond correctly to YES, you are then ready to teach your dog any other behavior you desire!
An ancillary effect of the training to establish the Magic Button with your dog is the reduction of the strength of the dogs Visual - Oral Reflex. In the wild, the young dog has to have a very strong Visual - Oral Reflex in order to enable it to catch prey for food. The young dog sees an object move and grabs at it with its mouth. If successful, the dog gets to eat. If unsuccessful, the prey escapes and the dog does not eat. This sight - bite reflex is usually strong in puppies. The young animal grabs at every thing it sees moving, including hands, feet and clothing. When young children are part of the dogs pack, the quick movements of the children cause the pup to grab at them causing problems due to the needle-like teeth of the puppy.
The training of the dog with the piece of hot dog being placed in the dogs mouth, causes the dog a pleasurable experience each and every time it sees a hand moving towards it. The dog learns to open its mouth in expectation of the food being placed in its mouth, and this, coupled with the food being presented in an overhand method ( dominant ) as apposed to a an underhand (submissive ) presentation, teaches the dog to inhibit the bite reflex. As the training continues, the dog's learning to inhibit this reflex can lead to the eventual extinction of the Visual - Oral Reflex.
I always have my clients give the food with their left hand and work the dog on the left side. The reason for this method of presentation is that the dog is left brain dominant. That means that the right side of the dogs body is the dominant side. Hence, working with the left hand enables you to work in a mirroring fashion, using the right side [dominant] of the dog, thus making it easier for the dog to learn.
If you use your left hand and move it in a very slow fashion, the dog will be able to focus on your hand and hence better able to develop concentration. Using the dogs right side to instruct is the natural way for the dog to learn, enabling it to learn easier, retain it longer and execute the behavior with greater exactitude.
The magic word is YES! When spoken by you, your dog will listen to you and act in a calm, serene, tranquil, peaceful, placid manner! How do you get this to work on you dog? You just say the word YES as you give the dog a piece of food. I use small pieces of chicken hot dogs. My dogs love hot dogs, but you can use any piece of food your dog likes so long as you can give it in small pieces as you say the word - YES-! I just have the dog stand or sit in front of me and give it pieces of chicken hot dog as I say YES until I give it the whole hot dog. [Remember to do at least twenty repetitions.] Cut the hot dog lengthwise into quarters and each quarter into 12 or 13 pieces.
Why does this magic button word work so well on the dog. Well, what you are doing is establishing a conditioned reflex on the part of the dog to the word YES. You are causing the dog to think of food every time you say YES. It is a physical fact that the dogs body produces the least amount of Adrenaline when it is eating. When thinking of food, the dogs body goes into a set pattern where the blood goes to the stomach and other processes go into effect. Instead of producing Adrenaline, the dog's body produces Serotonin, natures equivalent to the drug, Prozac. The main thing is, the dog becomes calm when thinking of food! That enables YOU to control the dog, give it a CUE that will bring about desired behavior. YES gets the dog to pay attention to you, acts as a calming agent for the dog, is a method of telling the dog that all is well. YES is never a command, is never correctable! ES gives you instant control!
After you have taught the dog to respond correctly to YES, you are then ready to teach your dog any other behavior you desire!
An ancillary effect of the training to establish the Magic Button with your dog is the reduction of the strength of the dogs Visual - Oral Reflex. In the wild, the young dog has to have a very strong Visual - Oral Reflex in order to enable it to catch prey for food. The young dog sees an object move and grabs at it with its mouth. If successful, the dog gets to eat. If unsuccessful, the prey escapes and the dog does not eat. This sight - bite reflex is usually strong in puppies. The young animal grabs at every thing it sees moving, including hands, feet and clothing. When young children are part of the dogs pack, the quick movements of the children cause the pup to grab at them causing problems due to the needle-like teeth of the puppy.
The training of the dog with the piece of hot dog being placed in the dogs mouth, causes the dog a pleasurable experience each and every time it sees a hand moving towards it. The dog learns to open its mouth in expectation of the food being placed in its mouth, and this, coupled with the food being presented in an overhand method ( dominant ) as apposed to a an underhand (submissive ) presentation, teaches the dog to inhibit the bite reflex. As the training continues, the dog's learning to inhibit this reflex can lead to the eventual extinction of the Visual - Oral Reflex.
I always have my clients give the food with their left hand and work the dog on the left side. The reason for this method of presentation is that the dog is left brain dominant. That means that the right side of the dogs body is the dominant side. Hence, working with the left hand enables you to work in a mirroring fashion, using the right side [dominant] of the dog, thus making it easier for the dog to learn.
If you use your left hand and move it in a very slow fashion, the dog will be able to focus on your hand and hence better able to develop concentration. Using the dogs right side to instruct is the natural way for the dog to learn, enabling it to learn easier, retain it longer and execute the behavior with greater exactitude.
Introducing Your Dog To Strangers
Dogs sometimes show fear, extreme caution or aggression towards strangers. There are several reasons for this behavior, but the main thing is the behavior is reversible with one conditioning technique. It is important that the animal have a pleasurable experience each and every time it comes upon a stranger. It is therefore your responsibility as the pack leader to insure the dog gets the necessary experiences that will assure it that every one out there it meets is a friend and not a threat to the dog.
You start off by doing what we call setups. You have several people you know and who are willing to work with you do the following routine at least twice a day: With the dog on lead, have the stranger come into the dogs view at a distance that causes the dog discomfort. The moment the dog sees the stranger, you start the Magic Button Routine and continue until the stranger is about twenty feet from the dog. ( At least twenty repetitions doing YES.) Have the stranger turn and walk away, until out of sight. (Helps if you work near the corner of a street ) If aggression is demonstrated, you say WRONG and turn the dog away and start the Magic Button Routine again. Do twenty repetitions of this routine each session and do the sessions three times a day. Do this routine until the dog no longer gives any visible indications of discomfort at the approach of the stranger within twenty feet.
The next step is to have the stranger come close enough to throw two or three pieces of hot dog at the dogs feet. Remember, the dog has to be sitting or in the down position. Any tightness on the lead will signal the dog that something is wrong and that it needs to protect you with aggressive behavior. ( Positive Thigmatoxis). Keep a loose lead!!!! As the dog takes the hot dogs thrown at its feet( may take a while, but just stand there and wait for the dog to take the hot dogs) you say YES. Do this routine at least twenty times a session. As the dog shows comfort with the stranger approaching and is eagerly taking the hot dogs, have the stranger move closer to throw the hot dogs. Do not have the stranger give the dog the hot dogs by hand. I do not teach my dogs to take food from strangers! The stranger should be able to move close enough to place the hot dogs on the ground. Remember that each time the stranger throws the hot dogs, they should stand still until the dog takes the hot dogs and you say YES, then they turn and walk away. This teaches the dog that they are in control and can make the stranger go away by acting in an acceptable manner. As the dog becomes accustom to the approach of the stranger, the stranger does not have to walk out of sight, only about thirty or forty paces away, or until a distance is reached that the dog appears comfortable.
If possible, use as many strangers as you can for the training. Continue until the dog shows no concern for strangers approaching it, and the stranger can walk past you in a normal manner without the dog paying any attention to the person, or shows eagerness towards the approach of the stranger.
The problem is not solved overnight, but then therapy takes time and involves conditioning of the animal. All people and animals are different and learn at different rates.Next you can move into the house and perform the following routine.
This is the type situation that clicker training comes in handy! Have the individual feared by the dog sit on the couch with a bag of hot dogs cut up in pieces. You start playing around with the dog, with the dog on lead. When the dog is farthest away from the individual, ignore him. When he takes one single step towards the individual, even if he's accidentally moving closer, or if he glances at the individual, you click or say "HERE"( IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CLICKER), and have the person throw a treat on the floor in front of the dog. If it helps, you could use chalk, duct tape, string, whatever, to draw several lines on the floor with the individual in the center of the area. You can begin the session with the dog on a loose lead if it makes you and the stranger feel more comfortable. First you click the dog for moving forward towards the line. The person throws the treat OUT past the line so the dog can "safely" run and get it, and then has a chance to offer to go inside the line again, click and treat. Keep that up until the dog will willingly go across the line towards the stranger. (When the dog is able to accept the presence of the stranger in the house, work the dog off lead.) Then hold off until he accidentally puts a paw inside the next line closer to the person, click and treat. Keep working to shape the dog until it willingly approaches the stranger. The goal is to be able to get the dog to be able to approach the stranger and take a piece of hot dog placed between the strangers feet. It shouldn't take too long. At any time the dog shows aggression or concern towards the stranger, start the Magic Button routine to calm it down. Then go back to the last successful behavior and start the procedure all over again. Next session have the person sitting somewhere else. Have the person work in at least three different areas of your home. The next step in the conditioning process is to have the stranger stand up and work with the dog, until the dog is able to complete the behavior modification routine. The goal is to have the dog approach the stranger and take a piece of hot dog from between the feet of the stranger. The final step is having the stranger walk around the house with the dog on a down, stay. Start with the person at the furthest point and work toward the goal of having the stranger walk up to the dog and place a piece of hot dog between the dog's feet.
Do the same conditioning procedure with other strangers. Your ultimate goal is to have the dog permit the stranger to touch the dog without any overt action on the part of the dog. This goal can be accomplished by having the dog sit and while you do the Magic Button routine, the stranger comes up to the dog and at first offers a closed fist to the dog to smell. After the dog is able to accept this, you have the person offer an open hand to the dog to smell. The hand should be palm up, as this is a sign of subordination to the dog. (All subordinate animals approach the dominant animal from a lower position, thus indicating their submission to the higher animal.) Finally, after the dog has indicated acceptance of the stranger by at least taking a non threatening step toward the stranger, have the stranger touch the dog on the shoulder with the back of their hand.
This is a totally non-aversive way of getting the dog to voluntarily approach the people he's afraid of, and at the same time, helping him to calm down and adjust to his home and any circumstances that might arise in it. Notice that at no time is the animal given a correction for acting in an aggressive manner during the conditioning process. No correction is the correct response on your part.If you are not familiar with clicker training let me know and I will post the training pattern.
You start off by doing what we call setups. You have several people you know and who are willing to work with you do the following routine at least twice a day: With the dog on lead, have the stranger come into the dogs view at a distance that causes the dog discomfort. The moment the dog sees the stranger, you start the Magic Button Routine and continue until the stranger is about twenty feet from the dog. ( At least twenty repetitions doing YES.) Have the stranger turn and walk away, until out of sight. (Helps if you work near the corner of a street ) If aggression is demonstrated, you say WRONG and turn the dog away and start the Magic Button Routine again. Do twenty repetitions of this routine each session and do the sessions three times a day. Do this routine until the dog no longer gives any visible indications of discomfort at the approach of the stranger within twenty feet.
The next step is to have the stranger come close enough to throw two or three pieces of hot dog at the dogs feet. Remember, the dog has to be sitting or in the down position. Any tightness on the lead will signal the dog that something is wrong and that it needs to protect you with aggressive behavior. ( Positive Thigmatoxis). Keep a loose lead!!!! As the dog takes the hot dogs thrown at its feet( may take a while, but just stand there and wait for the dog to take the hot dogs) you say YES. Do this routine at least twenty times a session. As the dog shows comfort with the stranger approaching and is eagerly taking the hot dogs, have the stranger move closer to throw the hot dogs. Do not have the stranger give the dog the hot dogs by hand. I do not teach my dogs to take food from strangers! The stranger should be able to move close enough to place the hot dogs on the ground. Remember that each time the stranger throws the hot dogs, they should stand still until the dog takes the hot dogs and you say YES, then they turn and walk away. This teaches the dog that they are in control and can make the stranger go away by acting in an acceptable manner. As the dog becomes accustom to the approach of the stranger, the stranger does not have to walk out of sight, only about thirty or forty paces away, or until a distance is reached that the dog appears comfortable.
If possible, use as many strangers as you can for the training. Continue until the dog shows no concern for strangers approaching it, and the stranger can walk past you in a normal manner without the dog paying any attention to the person, or shows eagerness towards the approach of the stranger.
The problem is not solved overnight, but then therapy takes time and involves conditioning of the animal. All people and animals are different and learn at different rates.Next you can move into the house and perform the following routine.
This is the type situation that clicker training comes in handy! Have the individual feared by the dog sit on the couch with a bag of hot dogs cut up in pieces. You start playing around with the dog, with the dog on lead. When the dog is farthest away from the individual, ignore him. When he takes one single step towards the individual, even if he's accidentally moving closer, or if he glances at the individual, you click or say "HERE"( IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CLICKER), and have the person throw a treat on the floor in front of the dog. If it helps, you could use chalk, duct tape, string, whatever, to draw several lines on the floor with the individual in the center of the area. You can begin the session with the dog on a loose lead if it makes you and the stranger feel more comfortable. First you click the dog for moving forward towards the line. The person throws the treat OUT past the line so the dog can "safely" run and get it, and then has a chance to offer to go inside the line again, click and treat. Keep that up until the dog will willingly go across the line towards the stranger. (When the dog is able to accept the presence of the stranger in the house, work the dog off lead.) Then hold off until he accidentally puts a paw inside the next line closer to the person, click and treat. Keep working to shape the dog until it willingly approaches the stranger. The goal is to be able to get the dog to be able to approach the stranger and take a piece of hot dog placed between the strangers feet. It shouldn't take too long. At any time the dog shows aggression or concern towards the stranger, start the Magic Button routine to calm it down. Then go back to the last successful behavior and start the procedure all over again. Next session have the person sitting somewhere else. Have the person work in at least three different areas of your home. The next step in the conditioning process is to have the stranger stand up and work with the dog, until the dog is able to complete the behavior modification routine. The goal is to have the dog approach the stranger and take a piece of hot dog from between the feet of the stranger. The final step is having the stranger walk around the house with the dog on a down, stay. Start with the person at the furthest point and work toward the goal of having the stranger walk up to the dog and place a piece of hot dog between the dog's feet.
Do the same conditioning procedure with other strangers. Your ultimate goal is to have the dog permit the stranger to touch the dog without any overt action on the part of the dog. This goal can be accomplished by having the dog sit and while you do the Magic Button routine, the stranger comes up to the dog and at first offers a closed fist to the dog to smell. After the dog is able to accept this, you have the person offer an open hand to the dog to smell. The hand should be palm up, as this is a sign of subordination to the dog. (All subordinate animals approach the dominant animal from a lower position, thus indicating their submission to the higher animal.) Finally, after the dog has indicated acceptance of the stranger by at least taking a non threatening step toward the stranger, have the stranger touch the dog on the shoulder with the back of their hand.
This is a totally non-aversive way of getting the dog to voluntarily approach the people he's afraid of, and at the same time, helping him to calm down and adjust to his home and any circumstances that might arise in it. Notice that at no time is the animal given a correction for acting in an aggressive manner during the conditioning process. No correction is the correct response on your part.If you are not familiar with clicker training let me know and I will post the training pattern.
The Development Of The Cart Dog
Dogs have been pulling carts for their masters for centuries. Ever since Man and Dog learned that they could be more productive in getting food when they worked together, they formed a bond that has lasted thousands of years. As Man and Dog learned to work together, Man has found ways to lighten his burdens and increase the responsibilities of his companion. Dog has gone alone with these additional burdens because man had convinced Dog that Man would provide for Dogs every need. As time went on and Man had the need for more food for the tribe, he developed a way for Dog to carry home some of the kill. Dog had now advanced to being a pack dog and could carry more of the kill home to the tribe in this manner. As time progressed, Man found new ways to use his friend in his quest for more food for the tribe. Man had used a crude device of two poles lashed together and an animal skin tied across the middle to load his possessions and pull them when the tribe moved from place to place. Some industrious member of the tribe got the idea of using Dog to pull the rig, now known as a Trivois.
Man and Dog moved across the face of the earth using this device. Mans best friend worked alongside him as mankind advanced from cave dwellers to villager and town dweller. As Man developed in his abilities to provide food for his family, a crude form of commerce was begun. Man invented the wheel. This was to change Dogs life forever. It would now become easy for Man to use Dog to not only move larger amounts of his possessions, but to involve him in his commerce. Mans best friend became a Cart Dog.
Man and Dog moved across the face of the earth using this device. Mans best friend worked alongside him as mankind advanced from cave dwellers to villager and town dweller. As Man developed in his abilities to provide food for his family, a crude form of commerce was begun. Man invented the wheel. This was to change Dogs life forever. It would now become easy for Man to use Dog to not only move larger amounts of his possessions, but to involve him in his commerce. Mans best friend became a Cart Dog.
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