NADA News

NADA News
Fall 2013
Issue 6
August 2013 trial,
with judges Lynda and
Dan Yielding
PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2013
It is hard to believe that 2013 is coming to an end. NADA has had a busy year as we con>nued to offer a record number of classes to our members and to the public. We have also hosted two significant training sessions – four days with Susan GarreG from Say Yes Dog Training and two days with our very own Dianne Ford. Rose Brown, also one of our very own, provided a half-­‐day workshop for members. Feedback on all three events was very posi>ve! !
All of our commiGees have been very ac>ve. The Fundraising CommiGee has clearly outdone themselves as they approach their $5000 goal this year! The Agility Trial CommiGee ran three excellent AAC Trials and also surpassed their financial goals for this year’s trials. The Agility Training CommiGee offered many advanced level classes and developed our Instructor’s Training Program. The Flyball Training CommiGee has been successful in rebuilding their numbers in the beginner’s level classes. Finally the Barn CommiGee has completed several projects -­‐ the most significant being the restora>on of the sand floor in the barn. !
It has been my pleasure to work on your behalf as the President of NADA. We have an amazing Club and I believe we con>nue to make progress in showing the public what is possible when using posi>ve training methods and viewing our dogs as teammates. We have con>nued to be visible in public demonstra>ons such as the Pet Expo and the Heavenly Creatures fundraising walk. This year we had our first experience in providing “entertainment” with our wonderful canine friends! We were “performing guests” at the Husky Energy 75th Anniversary celebra>on. It was a lot of fun despite the 28 degree temperature! !
I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to the work of the Club this year. We accomplish an amazing amount of work for a completely volunteer organiza>on! I have met so many wonderful people within our Club through volunteering at different levels. I know we have a volunteer requirement to fulfill but it very easy to do when you get to hang out with such nice folks and their pooches! I encourage you to inquire about the work completed by various commiGees and of course the Board of Directors to see what may interest you. Hope to see everyone at the Christmas party – another wonderful social event where you get to hang out with great folks and eat great food! What more can one ask for? !
1]
Sandy !
In this Issue
I’m happy to be able to
finally share the 2013
NADA News- the second
newsletter that I’ve
edited and the last (at
least for a while!).
With the change in the
Board of Director
positions as of our
November Annual General
Meeting, this task now
falls to Jonathon Adeywe’re in good hands!!
Trial”Q” Reports 2013
Congratulations to all our handler-dog teams
who qualified in our 2013 NADA trial season! !
You are all STARS!!
!
The complete list and
contact information for
our new BOD can be found
on page 6.!
!
Also in this issue of
NADA News, we celebrate
two of our long-time
members, Rose Brown and
Jennie Murphy, who have
achieved certifications
in clicker training
(Rose) and Behavioural
Adjustment Training
(Jennie). They have both
started local dog
training and consulting
businesses, which you
can read about on page
10.!
!"#"$%$&'()*+,$-./0$3$
!
The summer of 2013
proved to be a
successful trial season
for many NADA members,
as our “Q reports”
attest. Whether
qualifying runs were had
or not, the trials were
great fun for all
competitors. Sincere
thanks goes out to our
tireless volunteers!!
!
Finally, our “photo
contest” winner is
featured on pg. 12. OK,
so there were only two
official entries (of the
same dog)- but what a
great picture!!
!
Carolyn Walsh
!
[2]
Break it Up!
by Rose Browne, KPA CTP
Editor’s Note: At a public event in 2012, several NADA members witnessed a dog fight (not involving NADA dogs),
which prompted long-time NADA member and dog trainer Rose Browne to write this article. It was shared on email with NADA members at the time, and we appreciate Rose permitting us to reprint it in the newsletter. Dog
fights can and do happen- knowing what to do can make a big difference to the outcome!
Ask anyone who has ever witnessed a dog fight and they will probably tell you that it’s one of the most terrifying, if not worst thing they ever witnessed among dogs. I’m not talking barking, growling or air snapping at each other, but rather a full-­‐fledged fight where one or both dogs are physically locked on with their jaws and will not let go. Blood will be drawn, physical damage will be done or worse, a dog may die as a result. !
Reality Bites You may think that this will never happen to your dog because he’s well behaved, gets along with other dogs, etc. but who said that that it only happens to ‘bad’ dogs? There have been many cases of dogs being aGacked by other dogs in dog parks, on walking trails, city streets and yes even in dog training classes. It may never happen to your dog but you may very well be a bystander who ends up witnessing such an event. Whatever the case may be this is an emergency situa>on that can end in disastrous results for you, the dogs and anyone else who may try to step in and help. Knowing what to do in advance can help prevent the situa>on from becoming worse; in other words be prepared! !
Ins-ncts: Yours & Theirs
Your first ins>nct upon seeing a dog fight might be to jump in and try to break it up by gegng between the two dogs and grabbing them by the collar or back of the neck. !
STOP! This is one of the most dangerous ac6ons to try and o8en ends up in disaster for everyone involved! !
Two dogs in the middle of a fight are in fight (defensive) drive. If you charge in and grab them by the collar or neck they will ojen redirect the bite towards you without even thinking, regardless of whether you’re the dog owner or not. !
The dog is reac>ng out of ins>nct combined with adrenaline and can do serious bite damage to someone in seconds. They really are not capable of processing ra>onal thoughts at this point and are in survival mode. !
For your safety never use this approach as the chances of being hurt are extremely high. !
!
…con%nued on page 4
[3]
What to Do
There is no one specific sure fire way to break up a dog fight but there are several op>ons that do work and it’s best to try these approaches from the least intrusive hands off methods first (if possible) before moving to the hands on methods. !
Do not try these methods if you’re not comfortable or are concerned for your safety. Instead seek out help from someone else rather than pu=ng yourself in harm’s way.
!
Hands-­‐Off Methods
•
Noise o Voice: Generally this works only with minor scuffles but fails to get any results in a true dog fight. Emo>ons also become involved and ojen people will run screaming at the dogs and end up gegng close to them and risking injury to themselves. Yell once, if the dogs don’t respond stop yelling and try something else such as: o Bang Pots & Pans: Stand at a safe distance but near enough so that they can hear the sound, this can be useful in home segngs. o Air Horn – useful to have on hand in class segngs or at trials, etc. Be careful not to use this if you have sound sensi%ve dogs nearby.
!
•
Sprays
o Water Hose – if you’re in a yard turn the hose on full force and spray both dogs aiming for their faces. o Citronella Spray – useful to have on hand for classes, trials or public events. Aim for the dog’s faces and spray but be careful not to be downwind of this if you are using it outside. *Once a fight has turned serious, using noise, or sprays may not help.
!
!
Hands-­‐On Methods If the hands off methods don’t work the safest way to break up a dog fight is with two people. Trying to do this by yourself again can lead to the dog(s) redirec>ng their fight towards you. •
If Both Dogs Are On Leash o You and the other person each take hold of the end of a leash and calmly move the dogs away from each other. Don’t hit or kick the dogs as this is risking redirec>on towards you. Instead keep a >ght hold on the leash and move off as quickly as possible in opposite direc>ons un>l you are a safe distance from the other dog. o If one of the dogs is latched on to the other dog and won’t let go do not try to pull the dog away on leash as he will only clamp down harder and make the situa>on worse causing him to ‘tear’ or clamp down harder onto the other dog. •
Wheelbarrow Method Step #1 o You and the other person each grab one of the dogs by the hind legs, high on the leg above the knee (this lessens the chance of injuring the knee), and pull up so the dog’s back legs are off the ground—you should look as though you are holding wheelbarrow handles. The legs must be held high enough that the dog cannot whip around and redirect onto you. This method works well because the dog will not be able to hold his balance and will loosen his grip and turn around to see what has happened. !
…continued on page 5
[4]
Step #2 o With each dog in wheelbarrow posi>on, maintain a firm grip and start turning in a circle while backing away from the other dog. This stops the dog from curling and coming back and bi>ng the person holding their legs. o It is very important to ensure that you grab the legs gently but firmly so as to avoid damaging knees or breaking the dog’s leg. !
On Your Own
If no one else is willing or if you are by yourself and have to break up the fight, remain as calm as possible and focus on the task at hand. Screaming and yelling will only hinder the situa>on. !
First try noise or spray and if this doesn’t work try to place whatever is handy between the dogs. Something large, flat, and hard is ideal (i.e. clipboard, binder, cookie sheet), but use whatever is handy. Once you have posi>oned the item between the dogs, maneuver so you are moving one dog backwards. This can be accomplished by walking into the dog’s space with the item between you, while taking care that your body is to the side of both dogs, rather than between them. If you have nothing on hand to use then pull the more intense fighter off by using the wheelbarrow method as described above. If you’re not sure which one this is go for the dog that you are less likely able to control with your voice, i.e. if your dog is involved pull the ‘stranger’ dog off. !
!
Keep in Mind
Regardless of what method you use to break up a dog fight remember the following points: •
Take control of the situa>on, remain calm and focused – higng the dog wont’ help! •
If noise and/or sprays don’t work immediately move on and try something else. •
If the dog is pinned by the other dog do not try and pull the dog from out under the dog. •
Ajer dogs have been separated assess for bites or other injuries.
•
No bleeding doesn’t mean there aren’t injuries! Watch for any signs of discomfort, and go to your vet immediately if you are in doubt. •
Keep your safety in mind – you can’t help if you’re injured in the process! !
My hope is that you only ever read this ar>cle and file it away for reference without ever having to use these methods to break up a fight. However should you happen to find yourself in this type of situa>on then I hope these methods will prove useful and that you will be able to intervene quickly, safely without harm coming to you, the dogs, and any other people who may be involved. !
“Prepara6on -­‐ allows you to prevent the intensity of the ordeal” – John-­‐Talmage Mathis Rose Browne is a Karen Pryor Academy Cer%fied Training Partner (KPA CTP) and owner of Dynamic Canines Inc.
[5]
CANDID SHOTS -JULY 2013 AAC TRIAL
Newfoundland Athletic
Dog Association
Board of Directors
2013-14
!!
!
!
President: Aaron Froude
[email protected]
Vice President:Dawn Bignell
DawnB@nfldathle>cdog.com Treasurer:Jennifer Williams
[email protected]
om
!
!
Secretary: Allison Kenny
AllisonK@nfldathle>cdog.com Communications: Jonathon
Adey
JonA@nfldathle>cdog.com !
!
!
Members at Large
Terry Parrell
TerryP@nfldathle>cdog.com Bev Dalton BevD@nfldathle>cdog.com !
Training Directors !
!
Agility: Carolyn Parsons
[email protected]
Flyball: Steph Conway
FBDirector.StephC@nfldathletic
dog.com
!
PHOTO CREDITS:
BEV DALTON
Others
Barn Manager: Norbert
Turpin
!
!
[email protected]
Agility Trial Co-Chairs:
Aimée Surprenant
TrialChair.AimeeS@nfldathleticd
og.com
!
!
Dianne Ford
DianneF@nfldathle>cdog.com Agility Trial Secretary: Josh
Holmes
[email protected]
om
[6]
How A Dog Is Put Together
(and why we should care)
by Carolyn Walsh
Like us, our dogs don’t get to choose their basic shapes and sizes. Body structure-­‐ or how they are “put together”-­‐ is a result of genes interacting with the dog’s early environment, especially diet and the amount of physical activity. Once our dogs are Binished growing, around 12-­‐24 months (depending on the dog’s breed/mix and size), their skeletons are pretty much set. So, our dogs end up with straight shoulders or well laid-­‐back shoulders, stable hocks or slipped hocks, well-­‐balanced back legs or an overangulated rear. “Huh?” (Don’t worry, this was my initial response, too.) I got my Birst inkling of the importance of structure for an agility dog at Kim Anderson and Cheryl Bartlett’s NADA workshop in 2012. Kim and Cheryl mentioned the importance of looking at your dog’s shoulders, in particular, when deciding on jump heights. A “well laid back” shoulder, or one that angles at about 45 degrees from the upper arm, is better for a dog than a straighter shoulder. This is because the shoulder joint provides shock absorption for a jumping dog, and the better the shoulder angle, the smoother and easier the dog moves. Cheryl recommended that, before buying a puppy, you discuss with the breeder any plans for future dog sports, and he or she should be able to match you with a structurally sound dog. Indeed, sound advice-­‐ no pun intended! While many breeders know and care about structural soundness in their dogs, not all do or will they ever. And what about those of us who discover agility later in our dog’s life, or get a puppy from a shelter or rescue? What do we do? The answer, I believe, is to educate ourselves about dog structural soundness (and, yes, this includes learning some anatomical terms). But why should we, as individual dog owners and an agility club, care about dog structure? Because what we don’t know can hurt our dogs. A dog’s physical structure is going to put limits on the types of physical activities that he or she can perform without risking injury or causing pain. For example, a dog that has straight shoulders, or who is overangulated in the rear end (often caused by legs that are too long), is likely experiencing a lot of stress on the front and rear joints when jumping, running at speed, catching discs, doing Blyball, etc. Increased joint stress, over time, leads to the physical break-­‐down of the joint assembly and/or the other parts of the dog’s muscular/
skeletal system that try to compensate for any of the dog’s weaknesses. So, dogs with a problem in their front end can end up with a secondary problem in their rear assemblies, and vice versa. Over time, which can range from months to years, the stress from repetitive physical activity will literally wear the dog out, and you can end up with a dog that suffers from premature arthritis, scar tissue build-­‐up, and an overall lower quality of life. Some of you are probably thinking that we humans can have the same fate-­‐ and this is true! If you are a dedicated runner with bad knees, you may willingly make the decision to live with the damage that running causes for the other beneBits that you get from it. But what about our dogs… why do they perform in agility, Blyball, search and rescue, or obedience? Simply because we ask them to. Do some of them love these sports? Undoubtedly. How long will they perform if they are experiencing pain or damage from their activities? Probably until they can do it no longer. A combination of your dog’s training, his or her relationship with you, and the general high tolerance that dogs seem to have for pain may allow your dog continue on in an activity with few obvious signs of distress until the damage has been long done. [7]
So, what can we do to prevent things from coming to this? The Birst step is to learn as much as we can about what makes a dog structurally sound, and how to evaluate structure in our own dogs. Luckily, there is help out there! Long-­‐time breeder and conformation judge Pat Hastings has produced a set of books, DVDs, and a traveling seminar series on dog structure, and how to evaluate it in both young puppies and adults. I have been lucky enough to attend Pat’s seminar twice in the last year; the last time being here in St. John’s, when Pat was brought in by the Newfoundland All-­‐Breed Kennel Club. There were several other NADA members at that seminar, as well. Given her background, Pat’s message is particularly directed towards breeders, who she tries to convince to breed speciBically for structural soundness, in addition to all the other breed standard traits that breeders try to achieve in their puppies. One of her DVDs and books focuses on puppy development and how to evaluate structure in an 8-­‐week-­‐old puppy (the age which she believes is best for “seeing” the dog’s future structure). Her latest book, however, “Structure in Action”, co-­‐written with veterinarian and agility competitor Wendy Wallace, is a great resource for learning what “rear overangulation” or “slipped hock” means. It is full of photographs showing examples of good and bad structure. For learning how to see these features in our own dogs, a picture is worth a thousand words. Another resource for understanding canine structure is Helen Grinnell King-­‐ again, a long-­‐time dog breeder, as well as an agility competitor. Helen’s well-­‐illustrated book “What’s Your Angle?” discusses her views on how to evaluate structure, with a particular focus on canine joint angulation. She talks about her views on dog (and horse) structure in a podcast with Daisy Peel here: http://
www.daisypeel.com/
podcasts/session11/ While we may not yet have the “Binal answer” on what is most important from a structural perspective for any dog doing agility or other sports, there is a lot of agreement that sound structure is critical for our dogs to be truly capable of performing and enjoying their activities. Simply put, if we are going to be involved in dog sports, not knowing about our dog’s structure can put their well-­‐being at risk. Our dogs are in our hands-­‐ let’s learn all we can-­‐ as individuals and a club! Where to get started to learn about canine structure:
!
Pat Hasting’s website: http://www.dogfolk.com (Everything you didn’t know about dogs!)
!
Helen Grinnell King’s website: http://www.recipetowin.com (Ingredients for a great performance dog!)
!
Test your knowledge of dog anatomy on the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine page:
http://www.vet.osu.edu/assets/flash/education/outreach/games/skeleton/skeleton.html
!
I have personal copies of Pat Hasting’s books “Puppy Puzzle”, “Structure in Action”, and the Puppy Puzzle DVD. If you’d like to borrow one, contact me at [email protected].
8]
Crossword Fun!
Instructor Development
Theory and Application
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
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15
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www.CrosswordWeaver.com
ACROSS
DOWN
6 This is the type of conditioning that focuses on
increasing or decreasing the frequency of behaviors.
7 A method in positive reinforcement training that
eventually leads to final topography and results in a
thinking dog that seeks to solve problems.
9 The type of reinforcement that involves adding a
pleasurable reward after a desired behavior is offered.
11 An instructor needs to give ______ that is timely,
specific, within the control of the handler, relevant to
the issue at hand, and issue not person-oriented.
12 The influence tactic that our instructors may use that
best suits NADA's Code of Conduct and context.
14 What an instructor needs to do with their voice to
increase their power in the class through visibility.
15 The type of reinforcement where an aversive stimulus
is removed after a desired behavior is offered.
16 This is the type of conditioning we use to create a
positive association for grabbing the dog's collar.
1 A method in positive reinforcement training that leads
to achieving the final topography very quickly, but can
lead to an 'unthinking' dog.
2 A stimulus that a handler provides that indicates the
moment a dog is doing something right (like a clicker
or "Yes").
3 What logo should be on the instructor's attire to assist
in visibility and legitimacy power?
4 A word handlers often use with their dogs that is
technically positive punishment.
5 A critical game that allows a dog to learn inhibitiion
control without the handler having to "manage the
dog" (a Susan Garrett's game).
8 A Reward ______ is a list of all the dog's personal
preferences for rewards, which can become training
tools for the handler.
10 The fundamental principle of our curriculum
development for both dogs and handlers that ensures
successes and increased confidence (two words).
13 An invaluable tool for training dogs in our sports.
Puzzle submitted by Dianne Ford. For more information about our Agility Instructor Development Program
for NADA members, contact Dianne at [email protected].
9]
CONGRATS!
Congrats to Rose Browne, KPA CTP on
completing Dr. Susan Freidman’s Living and
Learning with Animals course. This past
February Rose graduated from the Karen Pryor
Puppy Start Right Instructors Program before
graduating with distinction from the Karen Pryor
heading to Clicker Expo where she not only
Academy Certified Trainer Program in April
attended 3 days of seminars from some of the
2012. Rose has been training dogs since 1995
world’s top trainers but she also had the
and was a former Volhard Trainer but crossed
opportunity to work directly with world
over to clicker training when her German
renowned trainers Ken Ramirez and Emma
Shepherd (Bella) developed behavior problems
Parsons, as a training coach in their working
as a young dog. Rose realized that her former
labs. Rose is also a Professional Member of the
training methods were actually making Bella’s
Force Free Pet Professional Guild, as well as the
behavior worse and began searching for better
Canadian and American Association of
ways to not only train but also to rebuild her
Professional Dog Trainers. Rose opened the
relationship with Bella. After much research and
doors to ‘Dynamic Canines Inc,’ in June 2012
study Rose was accepted into the Karen Pryor
and offers a variety of classes as well as private
Academy in the fall of 2011. In addition to
consultations. For more information check out
completing the Karen Pryor Trainer Certification
her website:
http://www.dynamiccanines.ca
!
Program last year Rose also trained chickens at
!
Terry Ryans Chicken Training Camps, and
attended seminars by Kathy Sdao and Michelle
Pouliout during her time in Washington. In
October 2012 Rose received a Certificate of
Excellence in Applied Behavior Analysis after
CONGRATS!
Congrats to Jennie Murphy on
launching her new company, A Rock Solid
Dog, which offers Behavior Adjustment
Training for dogs and their owners. Jennie has been involved in the world
of dog training since 1990. It was at this
time she acquired a 5 week old GSD/terrier
cross (if only she knew then what she
knows now!). Realizing she had her hands
full, she quickly enrolled in a local
obedience school. Her mentor at the time
saw “something’ in Jennie and asked her
to be an instructor. Jennie attended several
obedience instructor camps in the U.S and
you could say the rest is history. However
history took a turn for the better as in 2009
her method of training (correction based)
was challenged by one of her dogs. She
began to explore totally positive based
methods and was extremely pleased with
the results. In 2012 she attended the
Behavior Adjustment Training Instructors
Camp in the U.S. This specialized force
free training program deals with fearful,
aggressive and frustrated dogs. In 2013,
after many months of intensive training
certification Jennie became a certified
Behavior Adjustment Trainer.
Jennie has also completed several on
line courses ranging from Susan Garrett’s
Recallers and Puppy Peaks, a canine Nose
work course and Karen Pryor’s Foundation
clicker course. She is a Canine Good
Neighbor Evaluator and volunteers at the
St. John’s Humane Services in hopes of
making the shelter dogs more
adoptable. She is also a member of the
Association of Positive Pet Trainers.
Jennie continues to teach obedience
and she herself has entered numerous
obedience trails, accumulating over the
years several high in trial ribbons. She
also partakes in the sport of Rally O and
has Rally Excellent titles on her dogs.
Training for Canine Search and Rescue is
also one of her passions. Up until her dog
retired last year, she was involved in Pet
Therapy. She also brings years of
experience in training and teaching agility,
10]
puppy classes and a sport foundation class
with NADA. She is currently working toward
her master’s title with her dog. Jennie has
recently been certified as a Fun Scent
Games Instructor (DN-FSG). Look for this
exciting class and others in the new year.
Jennie brings to her classes be it
through her private BAT practice or through
her teaching with NADA , many years of
experience but most importantly she brings
a love for dogs and a love to help owners
excel with their training needs.
!
For more information on Behavior
Adjustment Training check out
www.functionalrewards.com or email
[email protected]
!
This & That…
FUN TRIAL!!!
!
TUNNEL ONLY Fun Trial at the NADA
Arena on Saturday, Dec 7th.
Registration starts at 2 pm (after Rally).
Winter Travel Restrictions for Pets
!
Due to dropping temperatures and increasing
passenger loads over the holidays, Air Canada,
Air Canada Cargo, and West Jet will soon be
implementing restrictions on pet travel. Check
airline websites for further information!
Christmas Party!!! Saturday, Dec 14th, 6 pm Sandy’s House (check e-­‐mail for address) Potluck/Secret Santa/SPCA Dona>ons
Psst…Holiday Deals: Clean Run has free interna9onal shipping for orders >$200 placed between Dec 16-­‐22nd. Newfoundland Search Dogs, Inc. is
holding an on-line auction ending at 8 pm
on December 8th. Great items- gets your
bids in. To bid, join the open Facebook
group “Newfoundland Search Dogs On-line
Auction”
11]
FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS
NADJA
owned by Virginia and Clifford Harger-Grinling, on a walk around Long Pond.
The photo was taken by Pauline Bonnett, and submitted by Virginia.
12]