That's fabulous,
@bounceswoosh! I'd love to hear more about Loki's transformation and change in attitude and how you'll reinforce it, and the general BB philosophy.
We're still having challenges with our pack, periodically.
I told the trainer the techniques sound very similar to what Cesar Milan espouses, and she agreed, saying the big difference is that they do no physical discipline - in fact the only touch is with praise. But it's definitely about asserting dominance and "I'm in charge," which she says makes the dogs less anxious, because they'd actually prefer not to be in charge - but they don't think we are, so they try to take things into their own hands (paws).
I'm not 100% sold on the alpha leader / pack structure thing, as later studies have shown that the wolf pack as we've understood it has a lot to do with what wolves do in captivity, not so much in the wild. That being said, obviously we DO need the dogs to understand we're in charge - not just for our sanity, but also for their (and our) safety.
There are a few basics that we need to work on consistently for the next five weeks (tricky since I'll be recovering from surgery for 2-3 of them). Lots of common stuff - don't let the dogs walk ahead of us (we have never enforced that, so that's a big change). We enforce not walking ahead by changing directions. Not letting the dogs walk ahead kind of addresses loose leash, too. Lavish praise when they're doing what we want. Always be standing upright and projecting confidence when giving commands - don't get in their faces or down to their level. But do crouch when calling them, and that's kind of a judgment call whether to be stern or be soft and cajoling.
For corrections, basically four levels. First is to make a growl sound they taught us, which they spell BAH but sounds truly like a dog growl. It is intended to be not just "stop what you're doing" but "look to me for direction" and is claimed to imitate what a dog leader would do. I personally witnessed Loki running up the front door and woofing while we were sitting on the couch. Without moving a muscle, the trainer made the growl sound - and Loki instantly stopped and came running. That's when I was sold. No physical interaction, no big commotion, no stress, and he stopped doing something I'd never had success with.
Anyway, after growl, a loud clap. After loud clap, there's a sturdy nylon baggie with chain sewn in. The idea is you toss the baggie near the dog to get their attention. This has been very effective, but also freaks Loki out, so I want to use it very sparingly. Finally a spray bottle to the face. We used the spray bottle when teaching the dogs not to crowd the door when we answer it. Pretty effective. I do not consider any of these techniques to be abusive or harsh (as long as you don't throw the chain bag thing AT the dog, but near it). Some of the people online do seem to think it's borderline cruel. But this training method absolutely rejects pinch collars, choke collars, etc. They do include a collar that's similar to a martingale, which is fit so that the tightest point is *just* tight, not in any way constricting. I'd say about the fit of a men's tie. The crucial point is that pulling it just right (I'm working on that part) makes a "zip" sound of the chain going through the metal loop that gets their attention.
Today, I was able to use the growl sound once to get both dogs to stop barking at the door, and twice to get Loki to come in. Last night I had to use the throw things to get Loki in. And so far I haven't had the scenario where Loki gets into what I call his "frantic barking" mode, where he's escalating and freaking out. It'll be interesting to see if the techniques work there. ALSO if I'm going to be throwing these things in the back yard, and practicing lots of walking in the back yard, we're going to need to be cleaning up a lot better back there ...
I suspect a lot of the effectiveness has to do with the individual trainer (aside of course from the owner actually working on these techniques with the dogs). Our trainer has a lot of experience and is clearly very loving with dogs. We were 100% comfortable with her recommendations and techniques, and she repeatedly reminded us to praise lavishly, not just correct. Oh, right - for the next five weeks, we are not to give attention to the dogs when they try to get it - paw on lap, head on lap, that kind of thing. Attention is on our terms, even if that means waiting until they give up, then immediately calling them and petting them.
A major part of this session was realizing when I was giving conflicting messages. I'd cluck (similar to what you'd do around horses, maybe, at least I think that's where I got it) to get them to follow me, but also to get them to stop. I'd start out tall to give a command like "sit," then crouch in front of them and speak softly and maybe pet them. CONFUSING.
When we encounter other dogs on walks, I tend to be hauling on their leashes or straddling Loki and physically restraining him. The trainer said the idea is to get them thinking, rather than controlling them. Get them paying attention to my cues. This sounds like crazy talk, but after the Thursday session, I think it could actually work. This is where the repeat visits will come in - I want to actually go on walks with the trainer and have some of those situations happen.
