I just wanted to post and say how well Phoenix is doing. I have to admit, she had been doing a lot of resource guarding with her food and toys, and had been pulling on her walks. She was also darting out of her kennel when the door would open, and her mouthing was getting out of control.

I was reading some posts here about two weeks ago and Jeff had mentioned how he mainly uses physical cues, rather than a lot of talk. He also mentioned how many good videos are out there on YouTube.

I started searching around and hit on the Solid K9 Training videos by Jeff Gellman. I wondered if his methods could really work, especially with a stubborn and tenacious Siberian. I have to say, I was truly amazed at how quickly we were able to get these issues under control. She is like a completely different dog. So much more calm and much nicer to be around. I was really surprised at how much better she responded to physical cues, versus verbal. She seems much more affectionate and way less mouthy. It is much more gentle than before. Don't get me wrong, she still acts like a puppy, and is very much a Siberian Husky, but she is controllable, which is huge!

I thought it was interesting, because I had seen Solid K9 Training recommended in another thread about a week after I had began utilizing these methods. My trainer says I need to be ready, because she is constantly going to test us, but I believe if we remain consistent with her, she is going to do really well.

It's also been fun, because we have been taking her to a really nice dog park, and so far, it has gone extremely well. She loves interacting  with the other dogs. The socialization has been awesome! Just wanted to share.

Sounds like things are going well. We'd love to see some picture/video updates of Phoenix!

What a great update! I'm so glad you found some resources to help you, and that you have utilized Solidk9training advice.

It is indeed real world dog training that believes with proper tools and techniques any problem can be solved.

What are you using on walks now? Any tools or techniques or protocols that you have adopted that you can elaborate on ?

I just happened upon SolidK9Trainings BBB site (they aren't accredited by BBB, BTW) and the reviews they have there are outstanding!
But, Jeff, don't you get tired hopping between Seattle and Providence (just teasing on the Jeff and Jeff, guy)

Haha, I wish that was my life.

I am in the process of booking a seminar with Jeff and Sean O'shea (The Good Dog Training) in Providence in March. I also start my training/walking job here in Seattle next week.

Hopefully this year I can get my own gig up and running.

LOL, Sara...but only because you asked!

Here is Phoenix with her best dog park buddy, Tessa. Apparently there is something very tasty about her ear, LOL. They get along so great, it almost makes me want to get a Golden...someday.





I tried to get some video to load, but it was too big. I'll try again later.

Adorable. Bode loves floppy ears. My parents have spaniels and Bode always gets all up in their ears!

Thank you, Jeff. I can't say enough good things about Solid K9 Training. Too funny about Al's comment, as I had to double check when I first found the videos, to see if you were "that" Jeff, since your approach is so similar to Jeff Gellman's. I know you will have wonderful success with your own business! Can't wait to hear all about the seminars.

As for Phoenix, we did decide to try the prong collar for walks and were super impressed with how quickly she responded in a positive way. It really worked in two minutes, like he said it would. Of course, she objected several times on those first few walks, but once she realized this was her new way of life for now, she settled down and stopped pulling. I use two fingers on the lead to correct her when she pulls ahead a bit or tries to stop and randomly investigate a leaf or something. If she continues to pull, I stop and wait until she relaxes. Another thing I do is try to catch her behaving properly two or three times on her twenty-minute walk, and calmly say "heel" when she is heeling nicely, followed by a calm "good girl". I'm hoping this will reinforce the behavior I want.

I also realized I was sending her mixed signals when big cars and trucks would rush by, so I loosened up the lead, instead of choking up on it, then calmly say "good girl," once it drives by, if she reacted calmly, which she now does 99% of the time. Calmness really is key.

We also make her wait politely when we open the kennel and she comes out so much nicer and less mouthy now. It only took shutting the door on her about a hundred times to get her to this point -- no joke.

Our trainer also told us to use a one-word correction for all negative things -- "no." Not "no biting," not "no jumping," etc, just "no". The thought is that we will have a very quick way of correcting all negative things in the future, even if we cannot use a physical cue for some reason. They said to never use her name when she is doing something wrong, since we want her to have the best recall possible and we don't want her name associated with bad behavior.

As for the food and toys, we are doing exactly as Jeff Gellman recommends with food guarding canines, making her wait and look at us politely with a questioning look, then telling her to "take it," which she does very well now. She responds much better to the "out" command, so I am down to only doing that once per feeding now. She rarely gets snappy now while eating, but it is still a work in progress. I do touch her sensitive areas a bit when feeding her, such as near her ribs, but she is acting a lot better about this than she had been. Then I leave her in peace to finish her meal.

The next thing I want to work on is "place". I would like for her to be able to spend more time outside of her kennel. We also plan to see if we can eventually wean her off the prong collar for walks. I'll let you know how it goes.

LOL, Sara. Golden's just have those silky ears that Phoenix loves to slide down! I imagine Spaniel's are the same. It is just too cute!

Well your improvements with Phoenix sounds amazing and that's what it is all about.

Learning how to communicate with our dogs and properly balancing Yes and No, balancing I agree with this with and I do not agree with this, balancing encouragement and corrections.

The proper protocols and structure on basic things like walks and coming out of a kennel or going through a door will have a critical chain reaction onto everything else in our lives with our dogs.

Excellent work.

I'll have to check out these Jeff G videos - very early on I was struck with how quickly Ami responded to hand signals over verbal commands.  Usually it happened unintentionally before I realized he was learning something.  Which is why I say a dog is always learning whether we are teaching them or not!

Phoenix pics with the Golden are lovely - husky play always makes me smile

Aww, thank you, Amy! We do love our puppy girl, no matter how naughty she acts sometimes.

I agree, it is interesting to see how well some dogs respond to non-verbal cues. Our lab/boarder collie mix immediately picked up on our "sit" signal, which is placing our right hand up in front of him, from the time he was a little pup. He still responds much better to that than if we tell him to sit. It's kind of fun, figuring out what works best for each one. Of course, with Phoenix, we have our work cut out for us!

Thank you, Jeff! That means a lot coming from you!

I just watched some of his videos, and I really like how he says training your dog should be looked at as a lifestyle. It was a good reminder for me to stay on a consistent path with Q.

I like the lifestyle idea, a lot.

A fellow Husky owner and myself just last week tried to help out a new Husky owner in town because her Husky was pulling so bad on the no pull harness. It was clear that both dog and human were miserable and were accomplishing nothing on their walk, and the dog was actually limping from the tension on the leash, possibly inducing injury, I thought.

She got very defensive and abruptly said "I've already been through training."

It made me really sad. Training is not an event , it's a process.

It wasn't until it was mentioned (by Jeff?) originally that I stopped and thought about how many hand signals I use.

While I may say "set", it's often accompanied by a "limp wrist" pointing down. When the two of them are wanting out at the same time, I'll hold a hand up to one or the other to move them back - and they *do* move back.

Avalanche is good about "lay down" but it's a "set" hand signal that drops further. Now if I could just get Sasha to lay on command, she knows what I want, she just doesn't like laying down - except in her corner ( 'course, the fact that Avalanche "attacks" her when she's down probably doesn't help the cause a lot! )

And I definitely agree that it's a life style and a life long project / commitment. Keeping these 'idiots' safe is not a once in a while thing!

The big challenge for Link right now is Place duration with high distractions, like opening the treat jar and walking around the house shaking a bag of treats.

He's getting very good, thanks to the 50 ft line impulse work we're doing.

Once he is able to Just Hang Out and keep still no matter where we are, I'm going to cry with relief.

aljones wrote:

And I definitely agree that it's a life style and a life long project / commitment.  Keeping these 'idiots' safe is not a once in a while thing!

Know just what you mean, Al. Got a phone call from son last night as he was coming to pick up Archer..."can you come get the nitwits from out in from of the car..."

One of the challenges my husband and I are facing right now, is that we are temporarily living with his mother after selling our house and searching for a new one. Although Qannik loves his new temporary digs and is adjusting very well, he has a little bit of seperation anxiety. I've tried to tell her not to make a big deal of her comings/goings (just as our trainer told us from day 1). After looking at Jeff Gellman's video on this subject today, I realize that I need to reinforce this with her and with my husband who tends to be a bit more emotional with him.

With respect to hand signals, I use a few too. The one that works the best is the closed fist signal for sit. I've been doing that since Q was weeks old, and he gets that perfectly.

djannitto wrote:

One of the challenges my husband and I are facing right now, is that we are temporarily living with his mother after selling our house and searching for a new one.  Although Qannik loves his new temporary digs and is adjusting very well, he has a little bit of seperation anxiety.  I've tried to tell her not to make a big deal of her comings/goings (just as our trainer told us from day 1).  After looking at Jeff Gellman's video on this subject today, I realize that I need to reinforce this with her and with my husband who tends to be a bit more emotional with him.  

With respect to hand signals, I use a few too.  The one that works the best is the closed fist signal for sit.  I've been doing that since Q was weeks old, and he gets that perfectly.

Husbands When Ami gets anxious due to thunder...hubby pets him, soothes him, coo's etc etc etc. Ditto other things Ami doesn't like Train the dog...train the husband first

Husbands are a bad influence. Mine is the same way. He's definitely the emotional one, and he will pet Link literally while I am correcting something.

Ugh.

There's a little routine that goes on here, now. I try to do something Ami does not like, he runs to Wayne's end of the table, between the table and the wall or under the table, plants his feet, lowers his head, tries to stare me down, with Wayne laughing and singing "Daddy save me!

I agree, DJ, the husbands can be harder to train than the canine!

DJ & Al, that's pretty cool how you both instinctively use hand gestures to guide your Siberians and how well they respond to it.

LOL to both of you, Jeff and Amy. Even though it is not all that funny when you are in the midst of it, it is nice to be able to laugh at their antics sometimes, even if they do drive us crazy -- the husbands and the dogs.

Funny, I just realized, hubby gets to take Olivia to her next few classes, as I have school on her class nights starting next week. Mwahaha, there will be no holds barred! Our trainers will bust him on so much stuff! Much better coming from them than me. He has been stirring Phoenix up with hyper hand motions and his "puppy talk". Then he complains when she takes a chunk out of his hand. Well, duh. The big issue is, she does this with our male trainer, as well, and he doesn't think it's very cute either.

Oh, BTW: We didn't get Phoenix's AKC litter number in time to register her for beginner pup on 2/1, but she is going to be entered in a match tomorrow, which is almost as good, but no shot at any points. It will be good practice, nonetheless. I will try to update with some pics and video from the match some time this weekend. We are so excited!