Day 57 in 2020

Day 55 in 2020

I haven't given a Gimli update in quite some time. That's partly because, as with all children, the milestones come fewer and further between as he gets older, and it's partly because the school year has been keeping me pretty busy. Not to fear, though, neither Gimli nor his training have been neglected in that time. We still train with Gimli two to three times a day for at least 10 minutes each time.

A lot of that training is practice and honing, but I try to introduce at least one new thing per week or so. Sometimes that "new thing" is just a more detailed aspect of an "older thing"—like starting him a few weeks ago on the prompt "get in" with a box larger than his body, and slowly, each week, shrinking the box size until he's looking all cute and silly standing in a small shoe box. Next we will generalize that command to other objects as well, like a pot or a pan. And sometimes teaching "new things" really means new things, like later this week we will be introducing the fun commands "hug" and "camera" so that we can get better selfies on our hikes. All the important things, you see.

But while these party tricks might not seem all that important, the great value of trick training lies in relationship building. The more training we do, the more we are communicating, and good communication builds trust and happy times together. It might be the equivalent of actually talking to your spouse in the evening instead of sitting side by side on the couch on your laptops with nary a word. Plus it's not infrequent that these tricks come in surprisingly handy, like, for instance, taking better selfies on hikes. Yes, all the important things.

Day 350 in 2019

Gimli loves learning new tricks. Training with your dog, either for obedience or for tricks, is a great way to bond with them. In the process you build a language that you both speak and understand together, and speaking the same language is a means of creating inclusion and building trust. One of the ways that we settle Gimli down in new surroundings, when he's anxious and uneasy, is to grab his attention and ask him to perform a trick with us. It's our way of saying "we may be in a new and unsettling situation, but some things haven't changed, some things you can rely on".

Gimli knows about 30 commands, the majority of which he understands not only by command gesture but also by voice command alone, and at least half of which he can perform at a distance or in distractions.

He knows all your basics: name response, sit, down, stay, come, and look at me.

In addition to the basics he knows many of the "good behavior" commands: heel (on left), come by (on right), go to bed, crate up, leave it, and nose boop (better known as touching a hand target, used mainly for shape training).

ALSO, he knows most of the common "fun commands", like fetch, roll over x2 (both directions), spin x2 (in both directions), shake x2 (both paws), speak, sit pretty, high five, and chill (similar to play dead, but I refuse to even playfully kill our dog).

Then there are the purely silly trick commands we've worked on: kiss, wave goodbye, bow, stand (tall), back up, go around (circle anything), peak-a-boo (through the legs), weave (through legs), jump over, go under, and crawl. Plus he knows the names of several of his toys and will go find them and bring them on command.

Then today we started work on balancing a treat on the nose, and here's where a real self-awareness comes into play with great importance. I really wanted this to be as easy as all the other tricks, which were embarrassingly easy to teach. But where in the past I met with eagerness and skill today I was met with anxiety and defiance. He was uncertain. In the world of the language we had built he was lost and did not understand and that left only uncertainty and a break down of trust. I could have kept pushing, because he was slowly getting the gist of my request, but instead I read his discomfort and, after a few tries, gave up for the time being and spent a few minutes reassuring him with commands and language he was comfortable with. Will we come back to this trick? Probably, but clearly I need to first figure out which steps I skipped that will give him the common language we need to get through. Balance a treat on his nose was too much because treats coming towards him have always been awarded. First he probably needs to learn how to balance something else on his nose, then he needs to learn that some treats may fly at his nose with entering his mouth. When we've accomplished those steps, then we can move forward.

Because the training is less about the perfect dog, and mostly about the perfect relationship.

Day 274 in 2019, and tips for hiking with your dog or puppy

I think I've mentioned this before, but Gimli is a very energetic dog. He's also a very smart dog, and if you fail to exercise a smart dog, both physically and mentally, you're in for it. Really in for it. Like damaged furniture and ransacked cupboards in for it. We make sure Gimli gets three outings a day. That includes at least one walk in the neighborhood, but the same walk in the same place every day, while definitely still physical exercise, it's kind of like getting your exercise around a track every day—same scenery, same terrain, same smells (if you smell your track, that is, which Gimli does). Much more stimulating is getting out and about, so I try to take Gimli to different places at least once almost every day. Sometime we go downtown, sometimes to a different downtown, sometimes to another neighborhood, or along a walking path in a park, but my favorite outting with Gimli is a hiking adventure.

Gimli and I try to go hiking at least twice a week. We have a few favorite parks nearby, a couple a little farther away, and we are still finding new wild places to explore on occasion, too. But hiking with your dog is very different from just walking your dog for many reasons, so here are a few tips, or things I've learned, to make it a safe, rewarding experience.

1. Choose your location first and make sure your dog is welcome there. While it seems like dogs and nature should go together, dogs are domesticated animals, and therefore as intrusive a species as we are ourselves. It stands to reason, then, that some parks, especially preserves, either restrict the spaces your dog can visit, the length of the leash they can be on, or ban them outright. This is for the safety of the plants and animals the park is trying to preserve, and sometimes for the safety of your dog, so be sure to check ahead and honor the park rules.

2. Pick a good harness. While a collar is a great tool for walking a leash-trained dog, even well-mannered dogs may become overexcited about a smell or an animal in the woods and pull or lunge. A harness protects a dog's neck and trachea in the event of pulling or leash snapping. Additionally, if your dog needs help getting over, under, or across something big, wet, or sticky, the handle on the back of a good hiking harness can help you give that aid. Try Ruffwear or Embark for good quality harnesses.

3. Consider a long lead. Of course first check the leash rules for the park you are visiting—many will require dogs be kept on six foot leads only, but where no length restrictions exist, a long lead can give your dog more freedom to sniff and explore, and provides great opportunities to practice recall while in different places. We use this thirty-foot lead. (Never use a long lead with a collar, though—a dog can get up good speed on a long lead and the sharp tug at the end could seriously injure their trachea).

4. Consider a basket muzzle. I know most people think "mad dog!" when they see a muzzle, or at the very least they'll give that beast a wide berth, but basket muzzles are actually a really great training tool for dogs—especially if they like to eat everything they find! Unlike restrictive, form-fitting nylon muzzles, basket muzzles allow a dog to fully open their mouth so they can breathe and pant normally, drink water from a deep enough dish, and receive treats for training, but what they won't let a dog do is eat those possibly poisonous mushrooms you pass on your hike, or the chipmunk that stupidly ran right out onto the trail. Baskerville muzzles are highly regarded in the traning world.

5. Pack wisely, both basics and extras besides. Poop bags (sure it's the woods, but don't forget both you and your dog are invasive here, and so is your waste), treats, and water are obvious basics, but also consider bringing a brush or curry brush to remove burs and a towel in case of water or mud. A few pet first-aid items might come in handy, too. While most things can probably be taken care of when you get home, tweezers for thorns caught in paw pads and hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in case of ingestion of something questionable (if not using that basket muzzle, that is) can be useful more immediately.

6. Lastly, don't forget protection. Before hiking anywhere be sure your dog is up-to-date on all their vaccines, their heartworm and internal parasite preventative, and their flea and tick preventative. Since there are lots of different kinds of preventatives to choose from, and lots of different parasites in different areas, be sure to let your vet know you are hiking with your dog and ask what preventative they recommend for your situation.

Day 264 in 2019