My Daily Dogs

How was my day? Glad you asked! Pull up a chair.

I started the day out videotaping a session of Behavior Adjustment Training for a leash reactive Anatolian Shepherd. My kids graciously rushed their morning school preparations to assist me. We staged encounters with four other dogs and made some good progress.

Then I set a rabbit trap. My goal for the week is to teach two half-crazed cattle dogs to come when called, even when they are engaged in hunting their "achilles heel."

I got a break mid-morning, so I did some maintenance training with my own three dogs -- mostly obedience stuff. I need to start warming Alie up for pheasant season.

Did a session with Rex, a Labrador that is going through my retriever training program. We are working on his conditioned retrieve, and he is coming along nicely.

I finished a Level One Obedience program with a Golden Doodle in Stapleton. Very smart dog. Great personality too. She picks up new skills in about two tries and then gets bored.

I now am on my way to do a follow-up session for Coda, the Bernese Mountain Dog who recently graduated from my Level One Obedience board-and-train program.

Thomas Aaron is the owner of FetchMasters, LLC and trains dogs in Denver, Colorado.

When the Leash is not a Ball and Chain

I spent an hour this morning working with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Asha, who does not like children. If Asha is off leash, she does not mind being in the presence of kids; if a child approaches too closely, she simply will turn and walk away. But when she is on a leash, she recoils in fear at the approach of a child, and she will lash out if the child approaches too closely or too quickly.

Dogs have a fight_
-or-flight instinct, and Asha definitely prefers flight. But when she is on leash, she cannot run away. So, she attempts an aggressive display to drive children away (and it works).

We have been taking a multifaceted approach to helping Asha. Last week, we did some counter-conditioning work in front of a grocery store to teach Asha that children are the harbinger of good things (namely treats). Today, we implemented a functional reward (turning and walking away from children), when Asha offers a calming signal (i.e. looking away from the child). It is basically B.A.T. work with a few minor technical alterations to make it more feasible in a bustling, and sometimes unpredictable, city park.

Asha is catching on very quickly. In fact, now that she is comprehending that the leash is not a ball and chain anchoring her in a compromising situation, she is voluntarily approaching kids to investigate.

Thomas Aaron is a dog trainer in Denver, Colorado, and is the owner of FetchMasters, LLC.