How does a dog learn to have great recall?

OK, I have a question for all of you dog training pros out there:

If your dog has great recall, how did you train him/her?

Dublin.

I’ve always thought about this, and one of the most puzzling things to me is that the dog I know with the BEST recall wasn’t that seriously trained (or trained with methods that I disagree with, or have been taught are flat-out wrong).

Dublin is the dog with the most outstanding recall that I know. She lives, as you may remember, next door to my parents and my dad considers her his surrogate dog; he spends a ton of time with her. Dublin will stop on a DIME when you call her name. Dad told me that this past week, she got out of the gate to chase a cat in the neighborhood, but she stopped immediately when he called her — in the middle of a cat chase! And ran right back to him. This astonishes me, and yet I’ve seen her do it. She comes right to you, every single time. Dublin responds to anyone who calls her name, too — even to her family’s little girls.

But this is what bugs me. When I asked my dad why Dublin has such great recall, he always tells me this story: “When Dublin was a puppy, she was about to wander into the street, so I grabbed her and smacked her pretty hard and told her not to do that again. She really learned, though! She’s come perfectly ever since.”

All of the reading and training I’ve done tells me that this can’t be true, that dogs don’t learn from physical punishment, that Dublin must be afraid of my father, etc. If you’ve seen them together, however, it is impossible to believe that she comes out of fear. This dog trusts my father utterly; she adores him. In fact, my dad might be the only person that Dublin truly loves; she’s more or less indifferent to everyone else. I’ve honestly never seen any anxiety or fear when she interacts with him. Furthermore, he doesn’t use physical punishments with her on a regular basis. He swears this was the only time he ever smacked her.

Dublin has not really received any formal training; I don’t think she even knows how to go “sit” or “down” on command, but she is an excellent Frisbee player, athlete, and all-around wonderful family dog.

So, what do you think? Why does Dublin have such great recall? Can it really be the smack from my dad when she was a puppy, as he claims?

How did you train YOUR dogs to have great recall?

Happy “gotcha” day, Pyrrha! First anniversary

A year ago today, we brought this scared little pup into our house:

Pyrrha, the day she was pulled from the breeder. Late April 2012.

She was so scared of us that she couldn’t even make eye contact with us. She sulked around the backyard, avoiding contact with us at all costs. When in the house, she would hide in whatever rooms we weren’t occupying. I was starting to think we’d made a terrible mistake, that this dog was too withdrawn to ever be happy and stable…

Second day with us; too scared to interact. 19 May 2012.

But gradually, little by little, she started to bloom…

1 June 2012.

… into this super-weird, goofy dog that we know and love today.

1 November 2012.

Yeah, she still has her issues, and we still work on them every day, but we love this crazy dog, neuroses and all.

30 April 2013.

Happy first anniversary of your life in our family, Pyrrha Louise! Here’s to many more years together.

Springtime, and the sticks are plentiful

Spring is upon us, and the backyard has quickly grown unruly. The sticks are also plentiful.

My, what big teeth you have, P.

What are your dog’s favorite springtime activities?

Spring and a leash reactivity update

Spring has FINALLY arrived, and we’re enjoying a lot more time outside: taking long walks, playing in the backyard, having dog friends over to romp.

Still no word on our next foster, but we’ve truthfully enjoyed the break. It’s nice to have a few weeks off, with our normal routine and our low-maintenance dog. That being said, I am excited about our next foster, whoever it will be! (Selfishly, I’m hoping for a young adult who would be a good playmate for Pyrrha… She loves having other dogs around, particularly ones she can wrestle with.)

Tulips in the backyard.

Update on her new leash-reactive behavior

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m keeping an eye on her behavior on walks. The interesting thing is that her aggressive displays are not consistent. On some walks, she’s totally fine; happily wags her tail at dogs that pass and seems like her “normal” self. But on other occasions, she shows this new fear/aggression display (barking, lunging).

There are consistent factors to her leash reactivity, however. She will react badly if: a.) we’re walking with another dog, especially a puppy, or b.) we’re walking solo, but the passing dog barks at her. If the passing dog just looks at her or wags its tail, she’s fine; no reaction. But she suddenly feels like she needs to respond in-kind if the dog lunges or barks at her.

I definitely want to manage this behavior before it becomes consistent (i.e., she responds with an aggressive display to every dog that passes us, not just the barking/lunging ones).

Do you have a leash reactive dog? What have you done to help mitigate this behavior?

Doggerel on Twitter and Pinterest

For your Friday perusal, Doggerel is on Twitter and Pinterest!

Of particular note on Pinterest, the boards DOGS, Woman’s Best Friend, and Canines and Men.

Does your dog blog have a Twitter handle or Pinterest account? Let us know!

Happy Friday!

Becoming a “German shepherd person”

We talk a lot about breed stereotypes, but I think there’s also something to be said about those stereotypes of people with certain breeds.

For example, culture sees a person with a pit bull and assumes they’re really tough and macho. A lady with a chihuahua? She must spoil it to death and always refer to it in the third person. Border collie people? They’re super-INTENSE.

Naturally, these stereotypes are not completely true. Plenty of pit people are utter softies! There are chihuahua owners who are very serious about training and conscientious care. And maybe there are even some border collie people who are lazy?

But there are perhaps types of people who gravitate toward certain breeds or breed groups. I have always loved dogs in the herding group. I can’t say that I will ever be interested in owning a brachycephalic dog or any dog in the toy or terrier category. But that’s just me! Every other dog owner has his or her reason for the dog they chose.

But I, for one, never set out to become a “German shepherd person.” I was roped into it by my husband, who has his heart set on a GSD after his summer in Ireland with a noble, loyal Alsatian. I just wanted to adopt a DOG, any dog! But then we found Southeast German Shepherd Rescue, and the rest, well, is history…

I don’t think I fit the typical profile of a “German shepherd person.” Many of them are very tough, macho-presenting people; many have backgrounds in the armed forces or in police work (which makes sense, seeing as GSDs are often service dogs); and many like choke chains, shock collars, prongs, and heavy-corrective training. I am a small young woman who prefers dresses, reads poetry, and runs a calligraphy business in her spare time. I have met GSDs who WEIGH more than I do!

But all that said, I love our girl and I love her rescue and the dogs we’ve fostered. I still think GSDs are a very difficult breed with a lot of issues (both health and behavioral), due to the way they’ve been so poorly bred in the United States. But I love these dogs. They are so intelligent and sensitive and loving. They latch onto their people and devote themselves utterly. They are fun and quirky and neurotic and whip-smart. In short, I am glad that this breed found me.

Now, my fellow dog-loving coworkers send me articles about GSDs, pages from their dog-a-day calendars featuring a regal shepherd, etc. It’s fun to live into this stereotype of the “German shepherd person.”

What about you?

Do you ever feel stereotyped because of the dog you have?

Amusing web searches for my dog blog

People often wander over to read Doggerel through a variety of interesting online searches. I’m guilty of this, too: just typing in whatever question you have at the current second into your search bar. But I love that these are the questions that are bringing people to my blog.

Here are a few recent funny search terms that brought people here:

“why does Cesar Millan make that noise”

I’d like to know, too! Heh.

“people who abandon dogs”

… should burn in a lake of fire…

“how do I tell someone their dog is fat”

Very gently…

“why shouldn’t people pet dogs”

Sometimes, they shouldn’t because a dog might be very shy or even fear-aggressive, but I wonder what this person is getting at.

“i shouldn’t have got a dog”

Oh, no! I hope you find some more helpful solutions than what Google is probably going to offer you…

“should i get a bulldog”

Well, you know my answer…

“where does a dog sleep”

Wherever it wants to. And then, this one:

“why does my dog sleep between us”

Because it is cozy and warm there!

“super dog breed”

LOL. They are all super in different ways! But best luck on your search, good sir or madam.

Has someone ever found your dog blog via a funny question?

Pyrrha turns 2!

Happy birthday, sweet P!

Unlike many rescue dogs, we actually know Pyrrha’s birthday, since she was registered with the AKC by her breeder. And, so, today, she turns two!

She still has tons of puppy energy and quirks. Here, she is getting really excited about the stick in my hand…

Ah, a stick. Better than any kind of fancy birthday present!

We ordered this customized, handmade ID tag for her as well, although it hasn’t come in yet.

(c) Make Your Dog Smile.

I love the look of the stamped, hammered brass! Make Your Dog Smile, the Etsy store, has tons of beautiful, modern ID tags. I love them all!

Happy birthday, darling Pyrrha. We love you so much, as very weird as you are. Life would be dull and monochrome without you!

How do you celebrate your dog’s birthday?

To foster or to adopt?

Derp. Hey, P? Wanna sibling?

So… yep.

Lately, we’ve been contemplating the idea of adding another dog to our lives.

Here’s my quick question for you:

Should we foster or just adopt?

If we fostered, we’d be fosters for Pyrrha’s rescue, Southeast German Shepherd Rescue.

If we adopted, I’d like to find a male, mix-breed puppy from SGSR or another rescue. I am not particular about the breed or breed mix. I’d just want a happy, outgoing, dopey puppy — essentially, a little dude who would balance out some of Pyrrha’s anxious energies.

What do you think? Did you consider fostering before adopting? Is that a bad idea? Share your wisdom! I’m all ears!

(*All of this still kinda pending landlord approval, too, so… I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much!)

Checking in on me

Wherever I go, I always get the sense that someone is following me…

(Truthfully, I like having such a sweet dog who likes to keep constant tabs on me. This might annoy some people, but I love it. Yes, even when she tries to squeeze herself into our tiny bathroom with me. And all this from a dog who would formerly hide from us in corners of the house! She is such a gem. I can’t help it; I like to gush about her sometimes. It always makes my day to remember how far she’s come.)