So I got a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix named Empress. She was the most mellow dog, loved everyone, was always calm and rarely barked. She also had hip dysplasia at 9 months old so wasn’t ever very active. We had 13 wonderful and stress free years together.

Then in 2011, I decided it was time for my dream dog. I mean I was now an experienced dog owner right? Along came Kaiserin, a 9-week old purebred long -haired German Shepherd. She has proven to be so incredibly affectionate and intelligent from the very moment I got her. But, right away, it was also pretty clear she was going to be very different from my first dog.

From day one, she was go, go, go all day. She got up in the morning and gave me a look as if to say “so what are we going to do today?” If I didn’t find her a “job” or something to do, she decided on one for herself and it was usually something loud or destructive. One day the couch “stole” her ball and since she couldn’t get it out from underneath, she decided to chew a hole through it. It became clear very quickly that this was a dog that needed a lot more training.

[embed_video link=https://www.facebook.com/natasha.baguley.7/videos/10153626417666745/]

What I didn’t like though was people telling me that you have to run your dog to exhaustion so that they were basically too tired to cause trouble. This seemed wrong to me and after having one dog with joint issues and an awareness of the dangers of over exercising a young dog, I knew I had to find a better approach. Instead I decided I needed to teach her things. After all, this is a working breed used by police, military and drug enforcement. How could I expect her to sit on the couch all day watching me on the computer.

We went to obedience classes and I took her to her first obedience trial at around a year old. She learnt fast. We started to do some agility classes for fun and I bought a book of 101 dog tricks and started teaching them to her one by one. She didn’t know they were tricks. To her, these were things she had to do and I believe taught her that she needed to be looking to me for direction (rather than deciding on her own what to do). It seemed I could teach her anything.

I taught her how to paint by holding a brush and touching it to a canvas, how to be a soccer goalie and how to bring me specific objects from a pile. I watched a video on treiball and taught her to push a ball into a net. I recently discovered scent work through the Sport Dog Training Centre and it has given her something else positive to focus on and is something she really seems to enjoy. I was amazed at our first scent trial how focused she was, especially since we developed a new issue we are still working on overcoming.

You see, I had this wonderful dog that learnt so much and was an absolute angel in the house. The problems occurred as we continued to try to interact with the world. What I wasn’t prepared for was the prejudice that exists towards dogs of certain breeds. My shepherd/lab cross looked very happy, approachable, friendly.  Kaiserin looks very intimidating with a dark face and an intense stare. When she was young, she was the cutest, fluffiest puppy and people would run over to see her from across the street. I even had a couple of people stop their cars and ask if they could get out and see the puppy.

As she got bigger, she was gangly with big ears and big feet and still drew a lot of positive attention. Then just after a year of age, when she hit 90 pounds, attitudes changed. People crossed the street to avoid us. They pulled away their dogs and children like I had some kind of monster on the other end of the leash. The problem was that Kaiserin was still the same puppy inside. She loved people and attention from them.

She loved to see other dogs. But when people looked scared, I now pulled her away. When she saw a person or dog she couldn’t get to, she fought the leash and lunged towards them, just wanting to say hello. Nobody wanted to say hello anymore. I started holding her tightly when people passed. I now realize tightening a leash like that is a very bad plan. I saw her getting frustrated. After a few more months, she started barking as well as lunging. I held on tighter and dragged her past the other dogs amidst a barking fit, telling her no. Then a few months later, she added an occasional growl. I created a very bad habit and a 2 year old dog with a case of leash frustration/aggression.

To this day she is still fine off a leash. I can take her to the dog park and she runs around greeting all the dogs and humans, happy as can be. But the minute the leash is on, she doesn’t like the restriction. I look back now and see exactly how the problem evolved. If I could do it all over, I would have used positive reinforcement and distraction to make sure leash walking was always a positive experience. At almost 5 years old and after some behaviour modification work, she is much better. Leash walking can still sometimes be a challenge though.

So my two pieces of advice to anyone considering a German Shepherd  (or other large working breed) is to make sure you have time to devote to activities that stimulate their minds. And don’t feel like it is a chore because these activities are all actually lots of fun. My second piece of advice it to be aware that people are going to be scared of your dog, adjust your training accordingly, and find a trainer who understands the issues specifically related to these dogs.

I always wanted a German Shepherd, mostly because I think they are the most beautiful dog around but also because they are strong and noble, loyal, intelligent and protective.  In the late 1990s, I spoke to a breeder who told me a German Shepherd maybe wasn’t the best first dog because they really required a lot of work and training.

So I got a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix named Empress. She was the most mellow dog, loved everyone, was always calm and rarely barked. She also had hip dysplasia at 9 months old so wasn’t ever very active. We had 13 wonderful and stress free years together.

Then in 2011, I decided it was time for my dream dog. I mean I was now an experienced dog owner right? Along came Kaiserin, a 9-week old purebred long -haired German Shepherd. She has proven to be so incredibly affectionate and intelligent from the very moment I got her. But, right away, it was also pretty clear she was going to be very different from my first dog. From day one, she was go, go, go all day. She got up in the morning and gave me a look as if to say “so what are we going to do today?” If I didn’t find her a “job” or something to do, she decided on one for herself and it was usually something loud or destructive. One day the couch “stole” her ball and since she couldn’t get it out from underneath, she decided to chew a hole through it. It became clear very quickly that this was a dog that needed a lot more training.

What I didn’t like though was people telling me that you have to run your dog to exhaustion so that they were basically too tired to cause trouble. This seemed wrong to me and after having one dog with joint issues and an awareness of the dangers of over exercising a young dog, I knew I had to find a better approach. Instead I decided I needed to teach her things. After all, this is a working breed used by police, military and drug enforcement. How could I expect her to sit on the couch all day watching me on the computer.

We went to obedience classes and I took her to her first obedience trial at around a year old. She learnt fast. We started to do some agility classes for fun and I bought a book of 101 dog tricks and started teaching them to her one by one. She didn’t know they were tricks. To her, these were things she had to do and I believe taught her that she needed to be looking to me for direction (rather than deciding on her own what to do). It seemed I could teach her anything.

I taught her how to paint by holding a brush and touching it to a canvas, how to be a soccer goalie and how to bring me specific objects from a pile. I watched a video on treiball and taught her to push a ball into a net. I recently discovered scent work through the Sport Dog Training Centre and it has given her something else positive to focus on and is something she really seems to enjoy. I was amazed at our first scent trial how focused she was, especially since we developed a new issue we are still working on overcoming.

You see, I had this wonderful dog that learnt so much and was an absolute angel in the house. The problems occurred as we continued to try to interact with the world. What I wasn’t prepared for was the prejudice that exists towards dogs of certain breeds. My shepherd/lab cross looked very happy, approachable, friendly.  Kaiserin looks very intimidating with a dark face and an intense stare. When she was young, she was the cutest, fluffiest puppy and people would run over to see her from across the street. I even had a couple of people stop their cars and ask if they could get out and see the puppy.  As she got bigger, she was gangly with big ears and big feet and still drew a lot of positive attention.

Then just after a year of age, when she hit 90 pounds, attitudes changed. People crossed the street to avoid us. They pulled away their dogs and children like I had some kind of monster on the other end of the leash. The problem was that Kaiserin was still the same puppy inside. She loved people and attention from them.

She loved to see other dogs. But when people looked scared, I now pulled her away. When she saw a person or dog she couldn’t get to, she fought the leash and lunged towards them, just wanting to say hello. Nobody wanted to say hello anymore. I started holding her tightly when people passed. I now realize tightening a leash like that is a very bad plan. I saw her getting frustrated.

After a few more months, she started barking as well as lunging. I held on tighter and dragged her past the other dogs amidst a barking fit, telling her no. Then a few months later, she added an occasional growl. I created a very bad habit and a 2 year old dog with a case of leash frustration/aggression.

To this day she is still fine off a leash. I can take her to the dog park and she runs around greeting all the dogs and humans, happy as can be. But the minute the leash is on, she doesn’t like the restriction. I look back now and see exactly how the problem evolved. If I could do it all over, I would have used positive reinforcement and distraction to make sure leash walking was always a positive experience. At almost 5 years old and after some behaviour modification work, she is much better. Leash walking can still sometimes be a challenge though.

So my two pieces of advice to anyone considering a German Shepherd  (or other large working breed) is to make sure you have time to devote to activities that stimulate their minds. And don’t feel like it is a chore because these activities are all actually lots of fun. My second piece of advice it to be aware that people are going to be scared of your dog, adjust your training accordingly, and find a trainer who understands the issues specifically related to these dogs.

The post Natasha and Kaiserin appeared first on Sport Dog Training Center.

He had the most amazing and loving temperament….his obedience was another story. At 5 months old he weighed a whopping 65lbs and had zero leash skills. Basically Cairo knew how to sit and was crate trained. He was a determined confident young fellow and had no problem dragging me down the street or deciding mid walk to take a nap on some neighbours lawn

I needed a trainer immediately!!! He is a very high drive but a social dog that just wants to be part of everything going on. He would see a dog across the street and bam…he would to pull to greet it. He has a huge love for children and would do the same. By the time he was 8 months he was 100lbs and could pull a 200lbs man to the ground with ease.

Cairo is a very intelligent dog that was easily trained. In our home he is a perfect angel. We have two cats that he has learned boundaries and respect. We are able to leave the cat food out and he knows not to touch it. He knows to go to his place when the door bell rings or when we are eating or preparing food.

We have taught him to sit and allow us to enter thru doors or walk down stairs first before he is allowed. He is a superstar at home.

I can literally teach him anything and he is so well behaved until…..we are in public. Poor Cairo would lose focus and become so overwhelmed with anything going on around him his manners and all the hard work behind closed doors went right out the window.

Another problem with Cairo is that the public was afraid of him. He has a very intimidating look as well as being 120 lbs dog. This meant that it was that much more important to have him act appropriately.

This brings us to our quest for a trainer.

Now this part I thought would be easy. Call up some qualified local dog trainers do an interview and find someone I liked with experience with a Corso. Boy was I wrong!!!

Being a first time dog owner I was naive to the politics and breed labelling I would encounter. I had several trainers who claimed to have experience with this breed who ended up not comfortable with his size, strength, drive, and stubbornness. Instead of owing up they were over their heads with a working breed they told me he was just not a good dog. One trainer even went as far as to tell me my 5 month old pup would later become so unmanageable at 18 months I would likely have to euthanize him. Can you imagine!!! Based on the breed and the fact he required just a little extra effort.

One day I was out at the park at a local dog event and met Suz with Sport Dog. I figured I had nothing to lose. I joined the K9 club June of 2015. Suz and Emily had zero reservations about having a young cane Corso with some extra energy and a whole lot of drive. We started to do the dog line dancing classes as well as scent detection.

They gave me exercises to help me redirect his focus back onto me. Cairo was able to overcome his intense drive to yank me around the room dog to dog, person to person. He also now had a job (scent). Having this job and providing him with mental stimulus as well as his regular hiking or walks has also stopped him from destroying his beds at home.

Today he is now certified with his Canine Good Neighbour Certificate and he has successfully completed his beginner level container, room and vehicle search for scent detection. All this was achieved in less than 6 months. We also have been able to work him off leash with a room full of dogs with heeling, downs from distance and some basic rally. I’m so happy that the world can now see how wonderful he can behave.
I knew it was just a matter of finding the right place for us and the right people to train us. So if you have a dog with a little extra drive or energy Sport Dog will help you and your dog succeed.

Sarah Leason

The post Sarah and Cairo’s Story appeared first on Sport Dog Training Center.

No one did any redirection or comforting for 3 hours. This left Harley extremely reactive to everyone, dogs and people. She had a 30 yard threshold. She growled if people tried to touch her. She wouldn’t eat in public.

It was hard because she loved trials and working but I couldn’t take her out anymore.

Stage #1

The first thing I did was take Harley out into public. We went to the beach and did – nothing. Harley sat in the car and watched the world go by. She showed no interest at first.

At home we did redirection exercises. I started teaching her leave it. When she left it we played.

We went to the dog park at 5am when no other dogs were there and she played with a ball for 2 hours.

I increased her exercise to give her ample opportunity to ‘shake it off.’

Stage #2

We went to areas where there was triggers, but stayed a long way away and played. It was fairly easy because Harley has a very high ball drive and she wants to work.

We didn’t do set ups. We didn’t force her to confront her fears. We just played.

Stage #3

Harley started to notice the ‘far off’ triggers. She started to take her ball and offer it to the distant dogs. She started to make play overtures. I started to take her back around trial practice, etc and let her learn to relax in the show venue.

Of course this is  a simplistic view of our program, but we combined reactive dog therapy and play therapy. In 5 months Harley can be in a reactive dog class as the demo dog. She no longer fears.

Is this because the play ‘counter conditioned’ her response to fear? I guess this is a question that only researchers will be able to answer. All I know is that this gave me my wonderful dog back.  I do want to thank Emily Clinansmith and Sarah Hughs for their help.

At the time of writing this, Harley has started Agility training. She is almost ready to return to the Rally Ring, and she has 2 legs of 3 for her first scent dog level.

The post A Reactive Success Story: Harley’s Story appeared first on Sport Dog Training Center.