We all know Dutch shepherds can be a handful. They are smart, energetic, and a little bit of crazy. Add those together and you are destined to have some funny now, not so funny then stories. Below will be a list of those misadventures and of course will be added to over time.
Smurfs
The one that stands out most in my mind you can still see the lingering effects of. One day we decided that we trusted Scout to be left out of her crate with Copper while we ran errands. We came back home and opened the front door to let the dogs out. Copper came bounding out of the house, happy as always to see us, that goofy Golden Retriever smile plastered on his face. I couldn’t tell what it was initially because he was moving so fast but he didn’t look right. Then it hit me, he had blue splotches all over him and his tail. In panic mode trying to figure out what happened, I rushed into the house thinking nothing of Scout as she slinked by me and out the front door. It was a complete mess in the house. My wifey has direct mail marketing company, A3 Marketing, and had some printer ink sent to the house. That dirty dog Scout decided it would be a great idea to play with and destroy the box that the ink had come in.
There was magenta and cyan ink all over the place. On the carpet, on the hardwood floor, on Copper and on Scout. It was a mess and an expensive one at that. We did the math and our darling Dutch Shepherd Scout destroyed $200 dollars worth of ink. I am pretty sure you can still see the cyan ink on Copper even after all the baths he has had since then.
Howdy again from deltacanine.net. Today’s dog training tip will cover the essential equipment needed to train your dog. Some owners go crazy and get way more equipment than is necessary.
Crazy right? With those two items alone, you can have an extremely well behaved, obedient canine companion. The other equipment out there that is touted as the best thing since sliced bread such as shock collars and halter leads are just not required.
With these two tools and patience, the sky is the limit in what you can do with your dog. Together, the lead and prong collar communicate to your dog feedback. It gently leads them in the direction you want and provides correction when they do something they know is wrong.
The Lead
I prefer a leather lead in a six foot length. I like leather over nylon because of the feedback it provides. It seems like the leather is more responsive. You can’t beat the utility of a double snap lead however. So I am on the lookout for a six foot leather double snap lead. With a double snap lead and a flat collar, you can fashion an expedited harness for lowering and lifting, you can fasten the two snaps together and wear the lead when on the long line, or you can quickly clip the snap onto the floating ring around an object to hitch a dog to it. The double snap lead is very utilitarian.
6 ft double snap nylon lead with floating ring
6ft leather lead and prong collar
The Collar
The collar I use and recommend is the medium (3mm) prong collar made by Herm Sprenger. Now some people seem to think just because it looks scary it must be torture to use it on the dog but as I have mentioned previously, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The choke chain that most people is actually very harmful to the dog because every time you tighten it, you are in fact strangling the dog, breaking down the muscles of their throat. Whereas a correction with the prong collar mimics the nip that a dog would receive from its mother for doing something it shouldn’t. The prong collar provides more feedback to the dog with a minimum input than can be achieved with a choke chain.
The flat collar is ineffective for training unless you are doing agitation work in a protection dog. Now I am sure you have all seen the dog wearing a nice flat collar dragging its owner down the street on their “walk.” Give that owner a prong collar and proper instruction on using it and pulling will no longer be a problem.
A few quick tidbits about the prong collar. Use the same link every time you put the collar on the dog and remove it so you only have to replace that one link when it is finally time to replace it. I mark the one I use with red tape as you can see in the picture below so I don’t mix them up. Also, make sure you aren’t using the special links at each end, as they are much more expensive to replace.
Dead ring vs live ring
There are two rings on the prong collar, the dead one (in the middle of the chain) and the live ring which is attached to the chain with a swivel. When training, you should snap into both rings. To make this easier on myself, I bought a nifty little paracord tab from one of the handler’s son while training at Baden K9 in Ontario. A little bit of lost history they also taught us up there while talking about the prong collar was the dogmen of old flipping the prong inside out, and snapping into the swivel ring to hitch up the dog. Pretty neat huh?
Herm Sprenger Medium prong collar. Notice the red tape and the nifty tab.
So ladies and gentlemen, all you need to start training your dog is patience, a six foot lead, and a prong collar. Get out and there use every day for a training opportunity. Until next time.
Hello again from deltacanine.net. Join us today and watch a video of 2 yr old female Dutch Shepherd doing some simple agility.
Scout and I did some agility work after a quick run to the Port Orange City Center. In the video you can see us “hupping” on to an obstacle about shoulder height high. We did this a number of times. Each time changing the exercise just slightly to add a different stress like how we discussed in this article. Sending a dog from out of position is what you want to strive for in training. It doesn’t take much work to lead them to the obstacle and encourage them to jump up. What takes practice and repetition is going away from your dog and having them go to the correct obstacle. Towards the end of the video you can see me go from Scouts side and have her up will I am diagonal from the obstacle. Start small and work your way up.
Hopefully you enjoyed this agility video that gives a quick glimpse into the athletic ability of the Dutch Shepherd breed.
Happy Friday from us at deltacanine.net! Today will be discussing proper leash management when working and training your dog.
I noticed I’ve been lazy of late, so I thought I’d touch on this subject to pass on the importance of staying vigilant as a handler. I reviewed some video footage of my agility training with Scout from a couple days ago and noticed I wasn’t managing the lead properly. In the video you can see clearly the lead is a tangled mess and also has way too much slack in it. Combined, the two equal ineffective corrections and poor communication between dog and handler.
Managing your lead 101
So what does it mean to manage your lead? (Lead also means leash) Managing your lead means taking out enough slack that should you need to apply a correction, theres no wasted movement in utilizing one. At the same time, it also means there is enough play in the lead so your dog can make their own decisions. At no time should the lead be taught. Now the tricky part is managing the slack in your hand. The live part of the lead should always be at the bottom of your hand leading straight to your dog. If you have the lead coming out the top of your hand, you will get a torquing action on your wrist as you apply a correction, making it less effective and inefficient.
While we picture a leather lead below, another important thing to remember when utilizing a double-snap lead is to firmly grasp the metal end not connected to your dog. In the event that you forget to hold on to the ring and unused snap, a firm correction to your dog will also give you quite the trophy on your knuckle. Trust me, been there, done that. I’m quite fond of these types of leads because of their versatility but feel the nylon doesn’t respond as well as leather. I look forward to finding a double-snap in leather to have the best of both worlds!
Proper Lead Management
The slack is not managed well in the hand
In this picture is the slack is managed properly.
In this picture, the live end of the lead goes through the top of the hand.
In this picture, there is not enough slack in the lead.
In this picture, the slack is managed properly in the hand, the live end of the lead goes through the bottom of the hand, and there is enough play in the lead
Hello again from deltacanine.net. I had the opportunity to go up to Jacksonville for an overnight the other day and I was pleasantly surprised that Ash and Ry could come with me. The only problem was we didn’t know what to do with Scout. Lol of course I didn’t think to plan ahead and see if VIP Pet Resort had room but I remembered seeing a dog at one of the hotels I frequent in Tallahassee and I was willing to bet the dog I saw wasn’t a service a dog. So I looked up to see if there was an Aloft in Jacksonville close to the airport and then checked out the pet policy once I found it.
Aloft Jacksonville Airport allows dogs!
And there is no pet fee. I was very pleased when I found out. It worked out great because free is much less expensive than having to pay for boarding and we got to keep our companion with us. Aloft even has a complimentary dog bed for your furry friend as well.
Pet Policy
Animals are family, too! That’s why the Aloft Jacksonville Airport welcomes dogs up to 40 pounds.* Our pet-friendly arf(SM) program offers a special bed, bowl, and a doggie bag of woof-alicious treats and toys, all complimentary to use during your stay. Please make sure they’re on their best behavior—we don’t want to charge you extra for housekeeping! – direct from Aloft Jacksonville Airport policies found here
Pretty cool huh?
We definitely enjoyed our stay. It was great getting Scout in a new environment with new people, sights, and smells. She even had her first elevator experience. The only problem was she badly wanted to get in the pool to swim with Ry and I while Ash worked poolside.
Truth be told, I was more concerned about Scout’s behavior but Ry was the one that caused the most chaos. The poor little nugget was coming off having a fever and developed a stuffy nose. She was not a happy camper and screamed bloody murder starting at about 0100 and waking up every 30 minutes after that. It was brutal and I was convinced we were gonna kicked out of the hotel. Luckily that didn’t happen.
So next time you get to travel with your furry canine companion, be sure to check to see if your destination has an Aloft Hotel. Use the time together to get some stability training in as well. Remember, every day is training.
Scout, Ry, and me lounging at Aloft Jacksonville Airport
Scout put into obedience on an elevated surface, in this case, a table.
Today on deltacanine.net we will be talking about stability of a protection dog.
I’ve been away for the last couple of days so it’s been Ash, Ry, and Scout manning the home front. Ash relayed a story to me about taking the dog to the office with her. Ash was plugging away on the computer with Scout lounging out behind her and then someone began opening the door. Scout did exactly what we wanted her to do, let the person know that they shouldn’t open the door unless they are supposed to. Scout immediately moved to the threat and let them know in no uncertain terms that she was there and ready to defend her owner. In this case it was just the office help but it surprised both Ash and Scout. Ash recalled Scout and put her in down stay on an elevated surface. Scout did great on the initial threat reaction but had trouble turning off the switch. She remained on high alert even though clearly there was no threat.
The point of this story is many so called protection dogs have no problem turning on the switch to go into 100 percent aggression mode. But the real test for both the dog and the training is how well they turn off the switch. This is where stability exercises come in.
You want your dog under your command at all times, even when you are both confronted with a high stress situation (in this case an unknown person opening a door). The foundation for stability is placing your dog and yourself in artificial stressful situations, starting small and working your way up. This can be simply placing your dog on elevated surfaces and putting them into obedience. And as complex as the crazy exercises we conducted at Baden K9 in Ontario with blindfolds, one hand immobile, and lowering 80 lbs German Shepherds, 8 week old Belgian Malinois, and full grown Dutch Shepherds into dark tubes in teams. The more you place yourself and your dog in stressful situations the better bond you will have and thus you will have more command of your dog.
Remember, don’t ask something of your dog you aren’t willing to do. Dyas K9 says the best way to build a bond with your dog is to do stuff that you find stressful. He said to run with your dog if you don’t like running, climb with your dog if you are afraid of heights, swim with your dog if you don’t like swimming.
This post isn’t like the ones you normally see on deltacanine.net. Today’s post is a collection of thoughts about dog training and a situation involving one of our dogs at Home Depot. So lets dive in.
Joel Ryals and Dunetos K9
I started following Joel Ryals of Dunetos K9 on Facebook and have seen a lot of his blog articles pop up on my feed. I have to say I have very much enjoyed reading his content. I believe he did some training and with Baden K9 which is fantastic in my book. I very much agree with their training philosophy. If I get the opportunity, I look forward to conducting some training with him. His kids are doing a writing project and post on his blog as well. It was extremely entertaining getting to see the world through Oreo’s eyes, the Combat Cookie. Definitely check it out.
One of his recent blog posts about building vocabulary or negative vocabulary as he calls it made me take a look at myself and realize I get lax with Scout when I know I shouldn’t. Lol I even have a blog post about how to give your dog commands and one also about consistency. Its important to look at yourself and learn where you need to improve. So I need to be firm and consistent with my commands. I need to give Scout the command once, if she doesn’t obey, she needs a verbal and also a physical correction. Otherwise I am building a vocabulary and letting her choose which issuance of the command she gets to obey. Just imagine the mom threatening different punishments with her young child instead of following through with the specified consequence for disobeying.
Scout and Home Depot
Once again we made a run to Home Depot. Pretty sure most of the people that work there recognize us by now. Every time Scout goes she gets more social interaction and confidence in a different environment. We added the stress of a cart on this excursion. Wifey was having a little bit too much fun with the cart and sort of lost control and ran into the end of an aisle, knocking over some stuff. Lol it was hilarious. For your viewing pleasure, I have included it below. Besides the hilarity of the crash, notice Scout. Although she was supposed to stay in a down stay, I was very proud of her for staying on the cart. Most dogs would have vacated it. There’s something about honest communication that can’t be replicated with toys and treats.
Ash and Scout checking out at Home Depot during a supply run
How to socialize your dog in public
My Dutch Shepherd, Scout and I made a quick run to Home Depot this afternoon to grab some more paint for another one of those projects where you think you have enough supplies but then it turns out you don’t. I love taking Scout with me because every time is a new challenge, not only something she has to work on but I do as well. Today it was socializing.
It is always great to get your dog around new people. Socializing your dog is a must and sometimes instead of just training your dog to get used to people, you end up training the people who want to interact with your dog on how to do it. Today was a perfect example of that.
Invariably, when people see a dog out in public they want to pet it. Of course, its always easier to say no than to take the time to answer their questions and keep your dog in obedience while they get their personal space invaded by a complete stranger.
My standard operating procedures or SOPs
Step 1. “May I pet your dog?” “Yes but stop if she stands up. She is in training and we don’t want to reward bad behavior.” Normally at this point people look at you as if you have two heads because of course its ok to have a misbehaving dog (sarcasm)
Step 2. Correct if they step out of obedience. Now its not always easy to correct your dog in front of complete strangers but just remember you are the owner and you are the one that has to take the misbehaving dog home with you. They don’t have to deal with it after this interaction. Place the dog back into obedience and try attempt two. It seems like a lot of people hesitate and keep their hand just out of reach. The hesitation on their part builds suspicion in your dog and normally pulls them out of obedience unless you train them.
Step 3. If the person does hesitate, tell them to go ahead and get in there and normally I reach down and pet Scout to show them its ok. It comes down to confidence. A dog is gifted at reading humans and can sense the hesitation and lack of confidence. It doesn’t know why you are acting hesitant so then they start to wonder if they should be hesitating too.
Step 4. Once they get their pets in, thank them for the training opportunity. Lol they normally look at you funny again when you explain everyday is training.
I didn’t realize it during the moment but reflecting back on the training we did at Baden K9 up in Canada, thats exactly what Mike was instilling in us. Confidence as handlers. Silly me, I thought we were training the dogs but it turns out Mike was training us to be confident with and around unfamiliar dogs and handlers to accomplish the task at hand. Once you take the hesitation out, great things happen and you are able to do wondrous things with your dog. Stuff you don’t see every day.
Scout practicing some agility during a project break
The likely cause your dog misbehaves sometimes but not all the time is you. Give a smart dog an inch and they will take a mile. I have seen it with Scout all the time. The minute you get lazy and don’t correct her when the both of you know she should, she will begin to see what else she can get away with. As Mike McConnery from Baden K9 says all the time, “dogs are creatures of opportunity.” If they see an opportunity, they will take it. Like getting one last bite in on the decoy after they have been called off. Dogs are smart creatures.
Consistency is key
The solution is simple but takes dedication. Be consistent with the behavior you accept from your dog. If your dog is forging ahead too far, (aka Scout) give them a correction. If they do not square up properly when sitting next to you, correct them. Your dog is a reflection of what you accept. If you are lazy, you will have a disobedient dog. Its hard sometimes, especially when you get nice a comfy to start watching a movie and then at that exact moment, your dog decides to misbehave but its at that critical time that you most nip that bad behavior in the bud. Otherwise, its an uphill battle.
Anyone can be a dog owner, it takes more to be a dog handler
There are plenty of dog owners out there that are completely happy with having a disobedient dog that doesn’t listen, jumps all over guests, and is otherwise a pain. But if they were to put in some effort and not accept poor behavior, they could have an even better and more rewarding bond with their furry friend. A dog handler does not accept poor behavior from their dog when it knows better. A dog handler has fair and consistent expectations for their dog and communicates with the dog when those expectations are not met.
Do not be lazy and accept poor behavior from your dog when you both know what is right.
Well trained protection dogs are a force multiplier and allow you another tool in your pocket in dealing with situations that could turn confrontational. Notice the term well trained in the previous sentence. A dog that is not well trained could actually be a liability in such situations. Their “spun up” behavior as Joshua from Baden K9 would say could in fact escalate an already tense encounter. Barking and growling when it senses the aggression in the air leads both sides to up the ante if you will. On the other hand, one that is calm can actually be an ace up the sleeve because the aggressor won’t pay as much attention to them and will be surprised when you call the dog to action if the need arises.
You can think of protection dogs as adding layers of security.
Scout acting as a visual deterrent
Protection dogs as a deterrent
The very presence of a dog at your side lessens your appeal as a target by predators. Criminals want a soft target and having a dog at your side, even if it’s a small yapper, makes them think twice before engaging you. Now if you have one that is bigger and has the appearance of possibly being able to stop man, your appeal decreases even further.
The second way a protection dog can act as a deterrent is through a “watch” command in which the dog barks and shows aggression to the would-be assailant. That is enough to make most people back up and leave you alone.
I used Scout as a deterrent coming back from New York at a gas station in South Carolina at 0500 in the morning. I noticed a lady in a tattered and stained white dress going to the different truckers in the parking lot. Ash and I took turns going to the restroom and the lady went up to Ash on her way in. I tried to duck the lady on the way out but she caught me and asked for money. I told her I’m sorry I couldn’t help and made my way to the car. It was Ash’s turn to drive so I settled down in the passenger seat and didn’t think much of the lady. Next thing I know, the lady was standing at the driver’s side window. It surprised me and I couldn’t figure out why she was still accosting us. With Ry and the wifey in the car, I was taking no chances and calmly and quietly gave Scout the “watch” command. Scout reacted the way she should, she focused on the threat and let her know in no uncertain terms she was ready to go should the need arise. The intense barking made the lady back up, just the way it was supposed to. We quickly exited the parking lot and got back on the road. I’m pretty sure nothing would have come of the encounter but you never can be too safe with your loved ones in the car. I wasn’t taking any chances. Scout definitely got some cool points after her display and then stability as I called her off the “watch” command.
Protection dogs as a weapon
As much as we love our Dutch Shepherd Scout as part of the family, should the need arise, it is her job to close with the aggressor to give me and my family time to escape a violent encounter. That is the job and duty of a protection dog. Quick rant about protection dog training philosophies that encourage the “full mouth, bite and hold.” I think it’s completely irresponsible and ridiculous. Those that train that way are training their loyal dog for a suicide mission. It’s too easy for the assailant to bash the dogs head in or shank it while the poor dog is doing what it was trained to do, bite and hold no matter what. I want my dog to having a fighting chance. She should go in, bite, see a threat, disengage as it comes her way, and then reengage, each time causing more damage, rendering the attacker less dangerous every time. I understand that some have dogs purely for sport and that’s great, they are fantastic trainers with very amazing dogs. But don’t confuse a sport dog with a protection dog.
Should the first two deterrents, visual and a warning, not work, the dog should be deployed. As mesmerizing as it is watching the dog work, the dog has his job and yours is to escape the violent encounter. It happens all the time in training where the handler deploys the dog and just stands there watching the dog fight the decoy instead of looking for an avenue of escape. Train like you fight and fight like you train. Quick aside about training for the real world. Josh from Baden K9 was down from Canada cohosting some training with Rich Graham in Orlando that Ash, Ry, and I got to attend. One drill was conducted with both Ash and me, with Ry in a stroller. My job was to keep Scout between us and the attacker as Ash pushed Ry in the stroller and found us an escape route through a dead bolted door. Talk about a Charlie Foxtrot. It was fantastic real world practice though.
The dogs I’ve seen love working the decoy and getting a clean “out” shows fantastic cooperation between handler and canine. A well trained protection dog should “out” on command and rejoin you and your loved ones once you get to a safe location.
The security layers added by a well trained protection dog can not be overstated. Besides the benefit of a visual deterrent, having an extra tool to help you in a situation increases your chances of survival.
