Puppies at Work 2: Bite Work Progression

If you tuned in for the last post in our bite work series, you learned that PetU offers a variety of training options one of which is protection training. Dennis has been training protection dogs in Milwaukee for over 20 years, and we currently have 4 German Shepherds that are in various stages of training. We start training our puppies for bite work when they are just a few months old. Last time, we showed you newest litter of 3 month old puppies learning bite work. This post showcases the next step in training, with our 6 month old GSD puppies, Kinley and Chaos.

The pups have very different personalities. Kinley, the little girl, is crazy. She comes running out the kennels barking her head off, and will do whatever it takes to get the tug. Chaos, on the other hand, is a little more reserved. He wants to play, but doesn't yet have the level of excitement of his sister Kinley. Because of this, we have to use slightly different techniques to work each dog.

I mentioned before how the bite work games start off simple and then increase in difficulty based on the individual dog. After the game concept has been grasped, we begin testing and working their drive by increasing the difficulty of the games. Watch the video of Kinley training below. She is very adventurous, and so Dennis tests her drive by hiding the tug on top of the steps. This is her first time using the stairs, but her prey drive is so great that they don’t bother her. Note how much energy she has and how her eyes never leave the ball.

In the next video, you can see that Chaos is a little more wary about the stairs. Dennis compromises by letting him grab the tug off the side, because he doesn’t want Chaos to feel so frustrated that he loses interest. The game moves at whatever pace Chaos sets it at, and we always want training to feel positive.

We work with our dogs daily, and also have a weekly bite work class for our clients. If you are interested in learning more, bite work classes are a great way to test the waters. You will learn from the best, and watch multiple different dogs work at different levels.  Call us at (414) 766-1100 to find out more.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series, following Broc and Pepper, 9 month old GSDs from a previous litter.

What's Your Pup's Superhero Name?

This is The Mysterious Snuggles, formerly known as Bell. She might not look like it, but Bell has an alter-ego as a superhero. She is a fantastic snuggler, and it really is mysterious how she manages to look so darn cute all the time!

I'm house-sitting Snuggles and her 2 brothers, The Mysterious Snuggles 2 (Bubba) & The Mysterious Tail Chaser (Reggie) this week. I'm taking some time away from the blog this week to cuddle with them, but I promise to be back in full swing next week with plenty of new posts.

In the mean time, you can figure out your own dog's superhero name! Make sure to comment below, or post your dog's picture and new superhero name over here on our facebook page.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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Buzzfeed: Dogs Who Forgot How to Dog

While working at the daycare all day, we take plenty of pictures of our dogs making ridiculous faces.

Keep you're eye out in the future for a post of the best, weirdest and craziest pictures that we've captured.

But for now, head on over to this buzzfeed article and check out these pictures of dogs who forgot how to dog! 

Happy Sunday!

Weekly Awards

Congratulations to this week's winners! 

Most Likely to Win a Beauty Contest - Becca

Class Clown - Chaos

 Best Sibling Duo - Kota & Hugo

Best Winter Wear - Kypo

Class Couple - Primo & June Bug

We will be posting these every Friday, so make sure to check back weekly.

Why No Behavior is the Best Behavior

When you are with your dog, what are the moments that he gets the most attention from you?

Most likely when you two are playing (high energy) or he has done something naughty (negative energy). But how about when he is laying down quietly chewing on a toy? Last week we talked about desensitization, a method that encourages a positive, non-reaction from your dog. This week’s topic follows along the same line: rewarding your dog for doing nothing.

How it works

When I started at PetU, one of the first dogs I trained was a massive St. Bernard with a bit of an attitude problem. He knew he was huge, and knew how to throw his weight around. His owners brought him in for our 3-week intensive Canine College dog training program. They needed our help calming him down and focusing his energy, along with basic obedience.

The first few days that Canine College students are with us are solely spent on bonding; we let them come to terms with the new surroundings and new handlers. I did a lot of focus work with him, which taught him that I was in charge and I could be trusted.

Although he and I now had a bond, I spent the next few days listening to him make a racket in the kennel, and very unsuccessfully attempting to put his leash and brand new Gentle-Leader on. Just because we were friends did not mean he wanted to listen to me. Have you ever seen a crocodile do a death roll when they catch their prey? That’s more or less what our “training” sessions looked like. (He was the crocodile). I always won in the end, but it was an intense battle.

I decided to use a simple method to solve both of his issues - I would reward him for doing nothing. Whether we were working in the kennel room or attempting to put on the leash, I waited until he was sitting down and acting calm. As long as he was calm, he got a treat. As soon as he stopped barking in the kennel, I would peek my head in to check on him. If he was laying down or sitting calmly, I would go in with lots of treats and lots of praises. I did this several times a day, just for a few minutes each time. After only a few sessions he was noticeably calmer.

The end result

Within a matter of days he transformed from out-of-control to manageable. Then we bought him a weighted vest to help with his focus issues. He absolutely hated having it slipped over his neck, and would never stand still for me to buckle under his chest. Using the same method, a couple of bags of treats and lots of patience, I was able to finally attach the leash, gentle leader and vest, all with him standing calmly.

He had learned that being in a relaxed, calm state was the energy I wanted from him. From then on, we was a different dog; by simply rewarding ‘no behavior’ I had entirely transformed his overall behavior in just a matter of days.

NOTE: The key to this method is upkeep. It is not enough to do it for a few days and then never reward him again. Those rewards don't need to be treats, they can be as simple as a pat on the head or a short back scratch, just to let them know you're happy with them.

As always, contact us at (414) 766-1100 to set up training sessions!

Doggy Daycare Adventures

We've had a pretty full day over here at Pet U. There has been lots of relaxing...

Making new friends..

We played fetch for hours

These two spent some quality family time..

And there was lots and lots of cuddle time.

(You can tell Zoey is pleased with herself, just look at that face!)

#1 Reason Working at a Doggy Daycare is the Best

Because moments like this happen regularly.
(They just might not be captured on camera.)

What Is Raw Paw, And How Did My Dog Get It?

Raw paw is a fairly common occurrence in dogs new to daycare. Your dog might not be used to spending hours racing around with his new best friends, and the pads of his feet aren't used to the new wear and tear. Normally, the pads of a dog's feet are black. Raw paw is what happens when the black gets scraped off, and the pink underneath peaks through. In some cases blisters can form. It's usually not serious, but can be painful.

For example, every spring when we finally break out our flip flops, our toes are sensitive from having spent the whole winter protected in boots. If you ran around with sandals on all day the first day you could, you would be in a lot of pain by the end of the day. Instead, if you wear them little by little, you build up the skin on your feet to withstand wearing them day after day. It is exactly the same for dogs that get raw paw. They just had too much exposure at once, and their feet weren't used to it.

Treating raw paw

Signs of raw paw are limping and licking the pads of the feet. If we notice that a daycare dog has raw paw, the dog will be taken out of daycare and given some quiet time up front where they can rest and greet our guests instead. Their feet are washed to make sure there is no debris, and if necessary we bandage the foot so they can’t lick at it. It’s important that the paw takes as long as needed to heal, even if this means keeping your pup out of daycare for a few days. 

Once the paw is mostly healed, we slowly integrate them back into the group, allowing them plenty of time for their feet to adjust. Soon, the dog will be back to racing around with his friends, like nothing ever happened!

Pet U Weekly Awards

We're kicking off a new series! We want to find the best of the best every week in daycare. The categories will change every week, and we're always looking for new ideas. If you have a category you would like to see, please comment below.

Cutest Winter Wear - Ollie

 Most Likely to Fall Asleep During School - Rex

 Best Puppy Kiss - Geneva

 Best Puppy Eyes - Hank

Class Couple - Lucy & Bristol

Stay tuned for next week's award winners!

How to Transform Negative Behaviors

This is the second post in our Tricks & Techniques series. How many of you have dogs that are afraid of the vacuum? Or maybe your pup has that naughty habit of yanking on the leash and chasing after kids on skateboards. For whatever fear or compulsive behavior your dog has, there is one simple technique that can work miracles - desensitization.

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What is it?

Over the years as a professional dog trainer Dennis has helped countless clients with this technique. Dogs can have a trigger, whether it’s a sound or a situation, that cause them to react negatively. Desensitization is a very useful technique to correct negative behaviors, as it encourages your dog to learn the appropriate behavior in a safe, controlled environment. Your dog learns that their trigger isn’t dangerous, or exciting, and therefore doesn’t need any sort of reaction from him.

How does it work?

Desensitization is done by introducing your dog to the situation or object in a controlled manner, by eliminating any unnecessary factors. It takes a lot of time and patience.  We are trying to ensure success for your dog, not to test him, and so the pace of the exercise wholly depends on the dog. I make this point very clear because many trainers believe in putting the dog straight into the situation and forcing him to “deal with it”. Our approach is to take the time to work with the dog slowly, and allow him to overcome his issues confidently.

If you try this technique yourself, make sure to follow these simple guidelines:

• Do not use any type of force – allow the dog to figure it out on its own.

• Do not punish him – only use positive reinforcement, after your dog shows the behavior you’re looking for.
• Do not allow the trigger to leave while the dog is showing fear – Keep the object in sight until your dog is calm and acting appropriately. Only then can you take it away
• Do not allow your dog to run away while his trigger is present - this teaches him that showing fear will make the trigger go away.
  
  

Make sure to use lots of treats, toys and praise for this exercise. You want your dog to see it as a positive experience! Also, it is important to remember to end every training session on a positive note, even if you have to take a small step backwards in order for him to feel successful.

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Here’s an example

Dennis once worked with a dog that was terrified of small motorized vehicles, such as mopeds, motorcycles, and lawn mowers. The first step was to place treats on the parked vehicles, and to play games around them. Then they started the engines, but continued to place treats and play games. They repeated this step for a few days to let the dog feel be confident.

Next, they placed treats on the vehicles again, but this time had his owner rev the engine. The final step was to slowly begin driving the vehicle while the dog was in the same area. Dennis worked with the owner and his dog on this for three days, until the dog had made significant improvement. The owner then checked back in after a month, saying that he was able to mow his lawn while his dog stayed calm and relaxed in the yard.

In conclusion

Using this method will permanently transform your pup’s negative behavior. While at PetU we most often use this technique to correct mild behavioral problems, there are many fear-based ‘aggressive’ dogs that can also be helped through this technique. We had an American Bulldog stay at PetU who hated men. Using desensitization, Dennis was able to take her out on a walk just 2 weeks later. Her tail was wagging, and it was as if she was a completely different dog.

IMPORTANT: If your dog is showing signs of aggression, please do not attempt to fix it at home! Often times, what is simply a fearful dog can appear to be aggressive to the untrained eye, however if not properly handled there can be serious consequences. Please do not attempt to fix these types of behaviors on your own. You can reach us at PetU at (414) 766-1100 to schedule an evaluation, or find a trainer or behaviorist in your area!

Just a Normal Afternoon at School

Here's what a hard day at school looks like for these pups:

Check out our facebook page for more daily pictures!

Puppies At Work: Foundation for Bite Work

There are very few things in life cuter than watching a GSD puppy start learning bite work.

The end result of this type of training is this:

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So, how do you go from an adorable little bundle of fur, to a full-fledged protection dog?

Dennis is a Lieutenant in the Milwaukee Police Department, and has been raising and training dogs for over 20 years for family obedience, behavioral issues, personal protection, police, sport competition in Schutzhund and Service Dogs of America competitions. He has trained several puppies all the way to executive protection and police service dogs.  Dennis and his dog Xeus are the only team in history to have all Service Dogs of America protection titles on one dog. He is an incredibly talented trainer, and both he and the dogs bring a contagious excitement and energy to the room when training.

Protection work and bite work are very specialized types of training, that most people don't have experience with. One of the first days I was at Pet U, I watched Dennis training with Allie, his competition-winning German Shepherd. It was a little scary, a bit emotional, and unlike any dog training I'd seen before. So naturally after seeing the finished product I was intrigued as to how this sort of action was taught.

How does it work?

Our puppies are temperament-tested for their potential as police dogs as early as 2 months old. Drive is the want and desire to do something. In this case, to be a protector and to take down the instigator. There are 3 fundamental drives needed in protection work that we test for.

• Prey drive - The want to catch the prey
• Defensive drive - The want to defend and protect itself
• Fight drive - The want to win even under extreme stress

Some puppies naturally have more drive than others. Drive can be increased and improved, but it is important that the puppy naturally has a high drive to begin with. We begin training with the simple game of tug-of war. At the same time we test their social drive and prey drive, and their sensitivity to noise. The games and tests will increase in difficulty as the puppy grasps the concept. The idea is to teach him how to best use the 3 drives in order to produce a trained response under pressure of attack.

Puppies in action

Playing with the rag teaches the puppies how to bite fully and to fight for it. We introduce them to as many of our training items as possible in this stage. This is the stage that decides which puppies will continue with training. Broc passed with flying colors!

Broc - rag work

Stay tuned to learn more about the process and see the next stage in training.

And remember, training protection dogs is not easy, and should not be attempted on your own. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us here at Pet U! We would love to answer any questions!

October's Dog of the Month: Zoey

Zoey is our first ever dog of the month!

When Zoey first came to PetU just over a month ago, she was skittish, terrible with strangers, and experiencing separation anxiety. She started doing one-on-one sessions with Dennis, and after a few weeks started attending daycare. Her progress was slow, but steady.

A few weeks after starting daycare, she had a breakthrough. I was crouching down petting another dog, and Zoey launched herself at me, trying to cuddle and lick my face. Then, as if realizing what she had just done, she retreated a little ways. But her tail was wagging.

Since then, she has had more little breakthroughs. It is really special to watch her come out of her shell. Zoey is representative of exactly what we strive for at PetU, and we couldn’t think of a better dog to kick off our Dog of the Month!