Gracie's Bark | Pet Friendly Resource

A Dog's Letter: Dear Gracie, Love Ceilidh

Bark Gracie, 

Wow it's been too long since we traded woofs at Many Paws Pet Villa's basic training.  I hope you've got Tammi and Rob well in hand.  It's been a constant effort, but I think I've worked wonders with Mary.  

I really miss cavorting and running flat out at Horseneck Beach, but during the off-season (why do they call it that when there are so many birds to chase?) I also enjoy Gooseberry Island. 

  

I had my first swim ever (no paws touching) this summer because Mary was doing something very strange - she was lying horizontally in the water and I just had to check it out.  She says I whimpered the entire time I was swimming, but that's not my recollection.  I just wanted to be sure she was okay!  

I completely agree with you about DNRT's properties (www.dnrt.org).  Slocum's River Reserve is my favorite - when the woods are buggy there are always the meadows with a breeze off the river.

Lots of dog friends and things to sniff and rabbits! I could catch one if I wanted but it is more fun to scare them away. When I'm feeling brave, I bark at the cows too.

 

I also run on my person-uncle's farm.  I do not know why he objects to me lying in the cool dirt or chasing rabbits through the vegetation, but it is still a favorite place and I get lots of treats just for lying in the grass in the shade instead helping them turn the dirt.

Glad to see you are having fun this summer.  Mary says I look forward to more runs with you at Horseneck in the Fall (but I don't know what look forward means, so it must have something to do with her)  

In the meantime hope you caught the latest news on Dartmouth's Dog Park. I know Mary could use some help.  

Woof (and rabbits!) ~ Love Ceilidh

Dear Ceilidh: Thank you so much for writing me a "bark" letter about your summer adventures. We will definitely post the latest news on the Dartmouth Dog Park soon. I am super excited about this! Hope to see you in the near future at Gooseberry Island or Slocum's River Reserve. ~ Love Gracie

A Little Girl, With A Big Stick!

For Gracie, getting along with other dogs can sometimes be just as challenging as humans trying to get along with other people. For the most part she is a great dog with other dogs. But there are those certain dogs that for some reason get under her skin. Someone who spends significant time with her and other dogs recently described Gracie to me as “a little girl, with a big stick”.    

I will be honest with all of you, she likes to rule the roost. She’s half Australian Shepherd and half Yellow Lab, but her Aussie traits definitely prevail.  As with all mix breed dogs they take different traits from different breeds.  Most of the time, it ends up being the strongest personality from the specific breed that show through.

Aussie’s are natural herding dogs. Although they like to control their herds and keep things in order, they have also been known to stir up a herd just to put them back in order again. They strive for a job to do and can get bored quite fast.

Now on the flip side, Gracie has a “core” set of dogs she has spent significant time with and she adores them. For example, my parents have two Scottish Terriers that spend a lot of time with her. She plays very gently with them even though they literally jump all over her and bite her ears constantly. She is incredibly tolerant and we know she would never hurt them.  Gracie also plays with another Lab mix named Buddy, a Golden named Cali, and a mix breed named Lexi. She accepts them into her life without a problem and enjoys their company immensely.

We love Gracie and everyone around us that she spends time with loves her too. But she can give you a run for your money and spending time with her involves a ton of patience and understanding.

Gracie is one of the main reasons we started this bark blog. We want to share our stories and experiences with all of you and have you share yours back with us.  Because she challenges us everyday, she keeps us in line with the care we give her. She is included in almost everything we do. Gracie is an amazing dog and we are so fortunate to have her in our lives.

Gracie’s loyalty to us is undeniable and her level of intelligence far surpasses any dog I’ve ever come in contact with.  She is also such a goof sometimes and can make us laugh several times a day.  

Oh no Gracie! We are going to get you back on track!

Since we've been hibernating a bit this winter because of the cold temperatures, Gracie has not been exposed to all the people and dogs she usually is exposed to during the warmer weather. 

We've been walking our normal route during the winter and recently there has been more foot traffic. Gracie is a highly reactive dog and I need to make sure I am prepared when there are bicycles, roller blades and other dogs around. Keeping her attention focused on me takes a lot of work, but when prepared, I can pull it off usually without a hitch.

We encountered several situations lately when I was not prepared, so you can imagine my frustration. I always have to remember to keep my frustrations aside and just deal with the matter at hand. My feeling of frustration can be passed on to her, increasing her anxiety over moving objects and/or other dogs, whatever the case may be. Of course she is going to slip up every now and then, everyone does! It's a part of life. I have to remind myself that no one can be perfect, not even my girl Grace. 

Getting back on track is an awesome feeling. When I see her focusing on me when a dog walks by, it really makes me realize how smart and eager to please she is. She trusts me and I do not want to let her down.  

I would really like to start using Clicker Training more. I just seem to struggle with juggling enticing treats, the clicker (even when it is around my wrist) and her leash. As for right now, we've been taking the "Leave It" command a bit further and started using it outside. I talk to her to get her attention. In a very firm but calm way I say "Leave It". Once she looks at me instead of the other distraction, I give her a treat. 

Gracie is a great dog with a strong personality that we love. We just need to be more attentive to her issues with moving objects and her protectiveness over us. We are working on everything and we know it will all take some time. Our goal is to be consistent with our training and to understand she has her limits too.

Good Girl Gracie. Keep up the good work!    

If anyone has any recommendations for help with juggling the clicker, treats and leash, please let me know! 

I would love to hear any suggestions or solutions that work for all of you.

 

Gracie & The SIT Command

There are many uses for the SIT command. We make Gracie work for almost everything we give her, whether it be a toy, treat or even her dinner. 

Gracie has to SIT:

at the door, before bolting out into the yard

to put her leash and/or collar on

for her dinner

for treats

for toys

during a game of fetch, before I toss the toy again

before getting into the car

before getting out of the car

before crossing the street

There are tons of uses for this basic command. Below is how I taught Gracie to SIT when she was a puppy. She learned to SIT when she was around 8-10 weeks old. It was the first command I taught her during her first couple of weeks in her new home.

1. I got some really tasty treats (For example: boiled hot dog cut into tiny pieces is her favorite)

2. I got her attention by saying her name and talking to her

3. I put a treat to close to her nose 

4. I moved the treat up over her head and lured her into the SIT position while verbally saying the command "SIT"

5. Once she was in the SIT position, I quickly gave her the treat as a reward 

I repeated these steps about five times in a row, then gave her a break.  I did this a couple of times a day about 3-4 times per week. It is very important to be patient and consistent when training your dog.

Developing a great relationship with your dog involves communicating with him or her in a fun and positive way.

Gracie's Bark Celebrates National Train Your Dog Month!

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers has officially declared January as the National Train Your Dog Month! 

In honor of this announcement, Gracie's Bark will be offering various training bark tips and barking with the theme of Dog Training in all of her blog posts during the month of January. 

To kick off our Dog Training theme this month, we have come across a fun and interesting video about a company called Wag Hotels, located in CA, that is offering a fun exercise program for dog owners and their dogs.  Two dog trainers run the Wag Workout program. The dogs and their owners not only exercise, but learn helpful training tips too!

Check it out Work Off The Holidays, With Your Dog, featured in the Wall Street Journal on December 24, 2009.

 

Have you heard of the Mirror Method for dogs?

This is an interesting article about a dog training method called the Mirror Method. This method takes on a holistic approach focusing on relationship, training and lifestyle.

Hungarian Super Pups A training method that focuses on the whole dog. http://tinyurl.com/yfcnow7

The dogged debate about training methods - The Boston Globe

The dogged debate about training methods - The Boston Globe

There was an interesting article featured in the Boston Globe this weekend highlighting some different dog training methods.  The article debates Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer's training techniques verses other positive based training methods. It was an interesting article, definitely worth taking a minute to read it.

Personally, I choose the positive based training method with Gracie.  I've had great success with her but what most people don't realize is that the training is not a quick fix.  It does take time, but the bond you form with your dog and the end results are worth it.