I have been stalking following Debbie Jacobs through her blog, website, and Twitter for a long, long time. I love that she not only is she a positive trainer, she focuses her work on fearful dogs.

I had the pleasure of meeting her at BlogPaws, and she so generously gave me a copy of her book A Guide to Living With & Training a Fearful Dog, which I devoured in one sitting.

In summary: I wish I had this book four years ago when we first brought Lucas home.

Lucas reads in his quiet spot under my desk. He gave the book two paws up!

For one thing, many people labeled Lucas as “aggressive” instead of fearful. It crushed me and John as we struggled to help Lucas navigate the world. Debbie’s book lends that understanding, empathetic voice that I so needed in those early days.

Honestly, I can’t say what was the most useful part in the book because I marked it all up with notes to myself and places to return to again and again! Even though we’ve spent years, worked with several trainers, read a library’s worth of books, Debbie’s book gave me a ton of new ideas to keep working with Lucas.

The book includes a useful glossary of terms commonly found in training books and a super-helpful resources section for further reading.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s full of practical advice, reassuring words, and tips and tricks that will help any dog owner – even those without a fearful dog – develop their bond. This book is going to take up permanent residence on my shelf because, as all of us who love a fearful dog know, there are days when training doesn’t go as well or our dog experiences a set back. I plan to dip into this book each and every time we face something like that for the patient reassurance that Debbie gives her readers!

I can’t wait to see what Debbie works on next!

I wonder what he’s thinking…

Last night, Emmett and Lucas were bored! I’ve had to work late almost every night this week, and it’s been so hot that we haven’t gotten much walking in either. So at around 8:30 PM, I decided to take them outside and work on a new trick. Once I discovered that Emmett was a hoop-jumping fiend, I embellished it a little, and here’s what I came up with:

( Ed. note: This was totally spontaneous, so please ignore the overgrown/half-dead grass situation and my ridiculously pale legs.)

Take 1.

Take 1: Emmett jumps Lucas from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

Take 2.

Take 2: Oops from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

Take 3.

Take 3: Now he’s got it! from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

As you can see, Emmett catches on quickly, then proceeds to get a little carried away! I think we may have to refine the jumping a little bit… specifically, getting him to wait for his cue! I was really impressed with Lucas, too, for staying so still while his brother leapt over him.

This was a lot of fun, though, and I plan on working with them on more elaborate tricks!

What’s the most fun trick you’ve taught your dog? Any fun games you can try this weekend?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Lucas always tries to understand what I'm saying!

I chatter to Emmett and Lucas all day long. A lot of what I say to them has created an odd set of routines. For instance, they tend to follow me around the house. So when I’m in the office and I say “I’m going to refill my coffee,” they know I’ll be coming right back, so they don’t follow me.

Other things have really specific meaning to them – Want to go for a walk? Are you hungry? Let’s go see Cady! (meaning, play with the darling dog next door). They have really specific reactions to each of those things. At “walk,” Lucas runs and sits at the front door. At “hungry,” Emmett runs and sits in front of his bowl. And at “Cady,” they both run to the backdoor and start dancing with excitement.

But recently I realized that they respond more consistently to nonverbal cues. Like hand signals with training, dogs seem to respond to visual directions… even ones you don’t try to teach them!

For example, when I pull my navy blue running shoes out of the closet, Lucas dashes to the front door just as reliably as when I say “walk.” He has learned that these sneakers – not my black ones, not the yard work ones, THESE ones – mean we’re going for a walk.

Likewise, they’ve learned that when I pick up the single key to our mailbox, they know that they’re not getting a car ride, they’re not going for a walk, I’m not leaving… I’m getting the mail. So as soon as I pick up that one single key on its Colts football key chain, they dash to the front window to watch me walk to and from the mailbox.

Those are just two small examples of our nonverbal conversation. It goes on throughout the day with all the different cues that they’ve learned – this happens, then I get to do this! I know a lot of it is routine, but it takes some pretty deep intelligence to really get the cause and effect associated with certain actions.

What nonverbal cues does your dog respond to? Do you find that your dog does better with verbal or nonverbal communication?

I’ve been a little MIA this week from the blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and other internet spots where I tend to spend my day. Over the weekend, I re-injured a herniated disc in my back, which has made sitting in my desk chair incredibly difficult this week. However, I was really lucky that I had received the Bella’s Hot/Cold Pain Relief Pack for review!

The pack was actually for Lucas. Lucas has an odd set of problems. When we first adopted him, he limped. The shelter said that it was because he was so malnourished as a baby that, as he received good nutrition and health care, he hit a growth spurt, which put pressure on his joints. Sort of like a teenage boy’s growing pains. But the limp never really went away; in fact, it worsened after long walks or too much play. We consulted our vet who suggested we start giving him stronger supplements, which worked whenever he wasn’t active. With playtime, the limp came back.

Fast forward two years. We moved to Bloomington, we found a new, fabulous vet who we love dearly! She did a more intensive exam, including x-rays. Turns out Lucas had a fractured pelvic bone, most likely the result of getting hit by a car as a young pup, and it had gone untreated and healed in such a way that his pelvic bone is too narrow to support his 80-pound frame. Hence, the limp. She got us the mac daddy of joint supplements, and on the (now rare) occasions when it flares up, we used a heat pack.

The heat packs we tried were all designed for people. They wouldn’t stay in place, got too hot, or cooled off too quickly. Then came the Bella Pack – one of The Whole Dog Journal’s “Product that Rocks.” It’s designed for a dog – and it has straps to hold it in the exact place the pup needs it most. It can be folded, even when frozen, to fit your dog’s contours. Plus, the gel is nontoxic. From the Bella Pack, “The gel is super safe, non toxic & made in the USA… I sleep well at night knowing that if someone’s beloved pet were to chew the Bella Pack, they would be fine.” Great!!

So, as you can see from the picture above, it works for Lucas! He tolerates it, and I think it relieves his pain. And then, this weekend after I got injured, I used it as a cold pack on my back – and it worked really well! I velcroed the straps around my waist so that I could still get around the house instead of being stuck sitting in one place.

If your dog (or even you!) suffers from joint pain, arthritis, or has a tendency to get injured, I highly recommend the Bella Pack. It’s safe and convenient, two things I love!

“The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.”
– Konrad Lorenz

Lucas and cousin-dog Turk out for a walk

When we lived in DC, Emmett and Lucas had very busy social lives. They went to the park for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening. We took them to Petsmart or to friends’ houses for puppy play dates on the weekends. They went to a doggy birthday party with all their park friends. On nice nights, they would romp on our building’s (fully fenced in!) roof deck with other dogs from our building. Dog owners sought each other out for social activities, group walks, and park meet-ups. Every single day, Emmett and Lucas met and interacted with lots of dogs. In fact, I think that’s what helped Lucas overcome many of his dog-related issues. At some point he realized, Wow! Dogs are FUN!

When we moved to Indiana, the comment we received from absolutely everyone was, “The dogs will be so happy to finally have a yard!”

And they are, of course. Sort of.

When I walk the boys around my neighborhood, they get barked at. A lot. There’s the boxer who yelps from over his blue picket fence. There’s the collie-something who rushes his chain-link fence, snarling and snapping. Then there are the dogs behind electric fences, and the dogs who rush out from half-open garage doors to yip and yap as the boys pass by. These poor dogs sound miserable. And, sadly, I only see the same few dogs get walked consistently. (I’m not really a Gladys Kravitz. I just work from home in an office with a window!)

Now we have to really strive to arrange dog interactions. And, unfortunately, I think Lucas is starting to digress a little. Even though we take him to Petsmart and arrange play dates, he’s doing pretty poorly at greeting unfamiliar dogs again. So we just need to step it up, find more opportunities, or create them!

But it makes me wonder about all those people who were so excited that the boys would finally have a yard… In the city, at least in our neighborhood, dog owners strove to arrange interactions and socialization for their dogs. In the suburbs, at least in our neighborhood, most of the dogs we encounter are barking at us from behind a fence.

So is the yard really all that great? Could it be? Are city dogs happier than suburban dogs?

Currently, Lucas is one tired dog:

And so is Emmett:

I love when the boys are this tired because I can get so much work done, but this level of exhaustion is nearly impossible to achieve with two fun-loving, energetic dogs. But since Thursday, we’ve kept them incredibly busy. So here are my fool-proof 10 ways to tire out your dog! (Click on the images to enlarge.)

1. Have a friend over! Scout came over to play with the boys on Thursday. Just adding a new playmate into the mix keeps them busy all day.

2. On a nice day, break out the hose. It’s sort of like a brand-new toy.

3. Of course, if your dog isn’t fond of water, there’s always rolling around in the dirt.

4. Once the backyard loses its luster, head out for a hike. All the sights and smells keep them captivated and busy!

5. Long days playing outside are perfect for doggy ice cream, too.

6. Invite some more friends over like Cady and Bella.

7. Start a game of tug-o-war! It’s not easy to get three dogs into the game, but someone can serve as the ref.

8. Or just keep wrestling.

9. It’s important to stay hydrated! And drinking water as a group seems like a fun activity.

10. But sometimes it’s just nice to sit with a friend and watch the birds.

And that is how you get two very tired pups!

What did you do this weekend?

As I wrote earlier in the week, we’re having some trouble with self-rewarding behaviors. With Emmett it’s the counter-surfing, and we’re working out the technology to do a little Skype-scare with him. In the meantime, we have a similar, but totally different, situation with Lucas.

As far as Lucas is concerned, nothing bad has happened to our little family since he’s been on guard. Maybe it’s his shepherd genetics or maybe it’s his high-anxiety nature, but Lucas patrols the house like it is his sole responsibility in life to keep us safe. Which is fine. Except when it’s not.

Like when he barks at every single person, biker, dog, stroller, or frolicking child that is within his eye line. Especially when he does this while I’m on a conference call.

But in his little head, nothing bad has ever happened because his ferocious barking scares them all (who???) away. Which is why this is incredibly difficult to correct. I’ve been brainstorming a training plan to combat this behavior, but there are a couple challenges: First, every wall in our entire house has at least one window. It was one of the things so appealing about the house, of course, but now it allows Lucas unfettered views of the street in every direction. Blinds didn’t work (he made himself a little peephole by breaking a couple of them) and curtains didn’t work because he just noses them out of the way. Second, while desensitizing him would be ideal, it’s nearly impossible to disallow him to bark, like when we’re not home.

I don’t want him to start ignoring “come,” so I’ve been training a really specific whistle as an alternate recall. They get a very yummy treat every single time we whistle those exact notes. Every single time. I haven’t busted it out when he’s been barking yet because I don’t want to lose its effectiveness, so step 1 is to continue training the whistle with increased distractions.

Step 2 is to start using that whistle whenever I see someone approach the house first as a distraction mechanism, with the yummy treat, of course.

And then step 3 is to use the whistle while he’s barking at something.

That plan doesn’t stop the barking, though. It just calls him away from it. But it’s a start.

Maybe next month, once calling him away from barking becomes reliable, I will start working on desensitizing him (keeping him on leash in the office is one idea, sitting with him on the balcony and clicking and treating is another).

Have you faced this behavior before? Any better ideas or suggestions on how to put an end to this self-rewarding behavior?

Every short dog is bold in the doorway of its own house.
–an Irish saying today in honor of St. Patty’s Day!