Modern vs. Traditional Dog Training

I found this article online: Modern vs. Traditional Dog Training: What's the Difference? It kind of goes along with last week's book critiques. I find some validity in both camps, though I tend to lean towards the modern methods. I don't believe in forcing a dog to submit, though I DO believe in using the word "no." I guess I'll take the same approach to dog training that I did with child-rearing: read all you can, keeping an open mind. Then take what works for you and dump the rest. (Thanks Mom for that sage advice 24 years ago.) I think I have awesome kids. I've had some awesome dogs too, so I guess I'm doing OK. I'll keep you posted! -- K

Pepper & Logan would do anything for a cookie, which made training pretty easy!!

Book Reviews

AM/CAN GV SEL CH Tazzman's Aregon

I've read many dog-related books while waiting for the puppy to arrive. Some are better than others. I'd like to share a few. The first one is The German Shepherd Today by Winifred Gibson Strickland and James A. Moses. Ms. Strickland is a very successful German shepherd breeder, handler and judge, as well as a respected author. Mr. Moses is the Jimmy Moses we've seen at our annual specialty shows with his many beautiful dogs, including the gorgeous Aregon (pictured above). Jimmy is also a successful breeder, handler and judge. (Just announced: Jimmy is judging at next year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Pretty cool!) The German Shepherd Today is an older book, copyrighted in 1997. Some of the information is a bit outdated. However, there is A LOT of good information that I have not been able to find elsewhere including:

• How to read German pedigrees
• What to look for when buying a puppy if you want to participate in Conformation
• An analysis of the ideal body, including gait, top line and angulation (I hear these terms all the time, but this book has pictures. I now know what is meant by "hare foot.")

I haven't finished this book yet. It can get very technical and sometimes takes a while to completely digest. I bought the book used for around $5. Money well spent! One thing I don't like is some of the suggested training methods. They are old fashioned and a bit more violent than I feel comfortable with (i.e. kneeing the dog in the chest when he jumps.)

I prefer the training outlined in The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. Her method steers away from dominance and punishment, instead focusing on luring and positive reinforcement. It expands upon the operant conditioning studies of B. F. Skinner and his belief that "The consequences of behavior determine the probability that the behavior will occur again." (Side note: another interesting book on this subject is Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor.) I'm looking forward to trying the exercises from this book with the new puppy. If Ms. Miller is right, my guy will be well-behaved with an entire repertoire of fun tricks in no time. My biggest reservation is the clicker. I don't "click" well. The big question is: will we succeed, or will it be a big mess? Either way I will be blogging the whole thing!


The last book I want to share is Don't Give Up on That Dog!: Raising a German Shepherd Dog: The Many Lessons Learned by Denine Phillips. This book is an absolute joy to read! It's an easy read, not nearly as "heady" as the two previous books. It's essentially a diary of Cooper, a German shepherd puppy the author impulsively brought home. Ms. Phillips honestly shares the good and bad times with this new dog over the next fifteen months. At the end of each chapter is a "Lessons Learned" section full of great tips and resources. I just got the book and can't put it down! And you know I'm going to check out every web address in the book. I'll share the good ones, promise.

I've got the house to myself tonight, so I'm not going to waste any more time on the computer. I've got books to read! Until next time, -- K

P.S. All the books mentioned are linked to Amazon.com, just in case you're interested. Let me know what you think!



More Late Night Shopping

Somebody take my debit card -- PLEASE! The Internet is a bad place. I just bought another GSD shirt on CafePress. It's cute. See ==> I've also ordered two German shepherd related books from Amazon in the past 2 weeks -- and neither has showed up yet. Grrr.

I'm going batty waiting for the puppy to get here. I guess I could be cleaning/puppy proofing the house in preparation. Nah, shopping is more fun . . .

Happy news though. Work finally hired a second animal control officer (after eight months). I told my boss that the new officer needs to be up and running by late November because I'm taking three weeks off when the puppy comes. We need to bond and I want to start potty training off right. Also, I really need some time off -- why not spend it with a puppy?!

Love Me Some YouTube

I'm still anxiously awaiting the birth of "Puppy." I've been trying to pass the time by reading various dog-related books, blogs and magazines. I'll share anything I find interesting -- whether you want me to or not! I also spend entirely too much time watching dog videos on YouTube. The most interesting one I've seen lately is a video of a dog (looks like a German shepherd!) drinking water. The video has been slowed way down so you can actually see what happens. See for yourself at: Time Warp -- Dog Drinking.

Did you see it? The dog's tongue folds under to cup the water and pull it into the mouth. Totally opposite of what you would think, hunh? It also explains why Roxy gets water all over the kitchen floor. Speaking of Roxy, she's telling me it's dinner time. Catch you later, -- K

P.S. I found the dog bowl at zazzle.com. Cute, but at $30 it's outside my price range.

Late Night Shopping

Truth be told, I love Stars Wars almost as much as I love dogs. We've even thrown around a few Star Wars names for the puppy. Yes, I'm a geek. And to prove it I just bought the yet-to-be-born pup a really cool collar and leash combo. Look! ==> The internet is a dangerous place for a tired woman with a credit card. -- K

Dogs On My Pillow

I saw this picture on Facebook and it made me think of Pepper. She was the biggest bed hog. She liked to lay perpendicular to me with her butt stuck squarely in the small of my back. If she was in bed with both Hubby and me she would get between us and form an H, pushing us to either edge of the bed. It was not comfortable and she was usually kicked off sometime in the middle of the night. (I've been told that I'm a "grumpy sleeper.")


Caught in the act!

And for some reason Pepper loved my pillow. There would be six pillows on the bed and she found mine every time. She was sneaky about it too. I would get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and hear her climb onto the bed. I'd come back into the room and there she was. I was always fussing at her to "Get off my pillow." She would move, but not without sighing in protest first. She would also climb onto the bed during the day, pull the blankets down and plop onto my pillow. Even worse, she drooled in her sleep! I changed the sheets constantly. It's hard to fall asleep when your pillow smells like dog spit.

Same pillow, different dog.

By the way, Roxy's not any better. She's horrible to sleep with -- she jumps on and off the bed all night and barks at things that I don't even think exist. Not only is she eventually kicked off the bed, she's locked out of the room. (It's that "grumpy sleeper" thing again. We won't even talk about what happens when Hubby starts to snore!) Roxy also has a thing for my pillow, though most of the time she lays on it backwards resting her butt where I put my face!! I think it's some secret doggie conspiracy. Hubby thinks I'm paranoid. What do you think? -- K






Test Your Dog's Personality

Here's another fun website. Take a 26 question quiz to find out your dog's Canine Behavior Type Index. It's a personality test for your dog. It says that Roxy "is a Spontaneous, Beta and High Activity type which we call the Adventurer." They got that one right! How about your dog? If you take the test, please share your results in the comments. -- K

Roxy playing by herself.