photo of happy dog
Lucky Dog Sports Club in Jupiter
Positive, rewards-based
dog training

October 2010
In This Issue (click the title)
Article: Fun With Your Dog
Article: Help! My Dog Is Peeing!
Article: The Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance
Jumping For Joy! Agility Fun Runs.
Upcoming Classes: Obedience, Agility & Puppy
Article: News To Know
FAQs
Join Our Mailing List!
Fun With Your Dog!

Fun Backyard Games With Your Dog

Backyard versions of six popular canine games.

Cathy M. Rosenthal


You throw the ball over and over again, and your dog happily retrieves it. But wouldn't it play ballbe more fun to play with your dog in ways that bring out his special talents? Borrowing a few ideas from canine sports, use these tips to make backyard playtime more fun.

Jumping. Make your own agility or flyball hurdle by placing a broom or PVC pipe across two plastic buckets. Hold a treat on one side, and encourage your dog to jump over. 

Jump, sit, stay.Create an agility pause table by placing a bench, ottoman, or piece of carpeted plywood on four cement blocks. Teach your dog to jump onto the low table, then sit or lie down for five seconds, then jump off. Ta-da!

Backyard tunneling. Using a nylon pipe tunnel, coax your dog inside it with food. Run alongside the tunnel or sit at the other end to persuade him through. Reward your dog with toys or food at the end.

Enthusiastic fetching. Flyball dogs are rapid fetchers. To build your dog's excitement, throw the ball, hold him back for 10 seconds, and then let him sprint after it.

Hide and seek. Teach tracking skills by showing your dog a toy and hiding it in an easy to find location. Once he gets the hang of the game, ask friends to walk away from your dog to a hiding place in the yard. Ready or not, here he comes. As your dog's skills improve, have your dog sit with his back turned while everyone else hides.

Simon says. In rally obedience, you instruct your dog to perform skills printed on directional signs. Make your own obedience signs, such as "right turn," and place them around the yard to create a mini-course for you and your dog.

 

Interested in additional articles and videos? Check them out on our website.
Help!

My Dog Is Peeing! What Do I Do?


What is the difference between submissive and excitement urination?

Submissive Urination
Submissive urination occurs when a dog feels threatened. It may occur when he's submissive pupbeing
punished or verbally scolded, or when he's approached by someone he perceives to be
threatening to him. It's important to remember that this response is based on the dog's perception of a threat, not the person's actual intention. Submissive urination may resolve as your dog gains confidence, but you can help build his confidence by teaching him commands and rewarding him for obeying. You should also gradually expose him to new people and new situations and try to make sure all of his new experiences are positive and happy.
Your dog may be submissively urinating if:
  1.  Urination occurs when he's being scolded.
  2. Urination occurs when he's being greeted.
  3. Urination occurs when someone approaches him.
  4. He is a somewhat shy, anxious or timid dog.
  5. He has a history of rough treatment or punishment after the fact.
  6. The urination is accompanied by submissive postures, such as crouching or rolling over to expose his belly.
What to do if your dog has a submissive urination problem:
  • Take your dog to the vet to rule out medical reasons for the behavior.
  • Keep greetings low key.
  • Encourage and reward confident postures from him.
  • Give him an alternative to behaving submissively. For example, if he knows a few commands, have him "sit" or "shake" as you approach and reward him for obeying.
Avoid approaching him with postures that he reads as dominant, for example:
  • Avoid direct eye contact. Look at his back or tail instead.
  • Get down on his level by bending at the knees rather than leaning over from the  waist and ask others to approach him in the same way.
  • Pet him under the chin rather than on top of the head.
  • As you approach, present the side of your body to him, rather than your full front, and avert your gaze.

Don't punish or scold him. This will only make the problem worse.

Until the problem resolves, you might want to protect your carpet by placing a plastic
drop cloth or an absorbent material in the entryway where accidents are most likely to
occur. Alternatively, you can purchase "doggie diapers" at your local pet supply store.

Excitement Urination
Excitement urination occurs most often during greetings and playtime and is not accompanied by submissive posturing. Excitement urination usually resolves on its own as a dog matures, as long as it isn't made worse by punishment or inadvertent reinforcement.

Your dog may have an excitement urination problem if:
  • Urination occurs when your dog is excited; for example, during greetings or during playtime.
  • Your dog is less than 1 year old.
What to do if your dog has an excitement urination problem:
  • Keep greetings low key.
  • Don't punish or scold him.
  • To avoid accidents, play and greet outdoors until the problem is resolved.
  • Take your dog to the veterinarian to rule out medical reasons for the behavior.
  • Until the problem resolves, you might want to protect your carpet by placing a plastic drop cloth or an absorbent material in the entryway where accidents are most likely to occur.
  • Alternatively, you can purchase "doggie diapers" at your local pet supply store.
  • Ignore him until he's calm.
Debunked!
Dog Training and the Myth of
Alpha-Male Dominance


By Jeninne Lee-St. John Friday, Jul. 30, 2010 Time.com

Dogs are descended from wolves. Wolves live in hierarchical packs in which the aggressive alpha male rules over everyone else. Therefore, humans need to dominate their pet dogs to get them to behave.

This logic has dominated the canine-rearing conversation for more than five years, thanks mostly to National Geographic's award-winning show, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan 

 

But many experts say Millan's philosophy is based on now-debunked animal studies andsubmissive dog that some of his techniques - most famously the alpha roll, in which he pins a dog on its back and holds it by the throat - are downright cruel. Rival trainer Victoria Stilwell has launched a competitive assault on Dog Whisperer by starring on Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog and by spreading her system of positive-reinforcement training virtually and with troops on the ground: this June she launched a podcastand franchised her methods to a first batch of 20 dog trainers in the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Greece. She uses positivity as a counterpoint to dominance theory and reserves her aggression for the poorly behaving humans.


The debate has its roots in 1940s studies of captive wolves gathered from various places that, when forced to live together, naturally competed for status. Acclaimed animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel dubbed the male and female who won out the alpha pair. As it turns out, this research was based on a faulty premise: wolves in the wild, says L. David Mech, founder of the Minnesota-based International Wolf Center, actually live in nuclear families, not randomly assembled units, in which the mother and father are the pack leaders and their offspring's status is based on birth order. Mech, who used to ascribe to alpha-wolf theory but has reversed course in recent years, says the pack's hierarchy does not involve anyone fighting to the top of the group, because just like in a human family, the youngsters naturally follow their parents' lead.  

 

Says Bonnie Beaver, former president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): "We are on record as opposing some of the things Cesar Millan does because they're wrong." Likewise, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) issued a position statement last year arguing against the aggressive-submissive dichotomy.


It is leadership by showing a good example, not dominance, that AVSAB says owners should strive for in relation to their dogs. The organization's statement, which does not explicitly name Millan but references his terminology and some of his controversial techniques, argues that dominant-submissive relationships that do occur in nature are a means to allocate resources - a problem that rarely exists between dogs and their owners. (Nor even, AVSAB notes, among feral dogs, which live in small, scavenging groups without alphas controlling access to food and mates.) House pets, on the contrary, bark too much, jump up on you, ignore your commands, growl and nip at you because they have been inadvertently rewarded for this behavior or because they have not been trained to act differently.  

 

To be sure, Millan's approach to retraining is sometimes warm and fuzzy, and he has much common ground with positive-reinforcement trainers like Stilwell. Both trainers strive - as much as possible with a nonspeaking animal - to determine the psychological cause of a pup's misbehavior. Both encourage people to ignore dogs' annoying habits so as not to accidentally reward them with attention. Both agree that punishment is only effective during or within half a second after the offending behavior: yell at Butch for peeing in your kitchen after he's already walked away, and Butch will think he's in trouble for walking away. Both trainers obviously love animals.

But, AVSAB says, calling a dog's behavior aggressive, as Millan often does, should be reserved for the most violent animals, and some critics even dislike the quick smacks on the flank he gives to focus a dog's attention. "Discipline doesn't come in the form of screaming at your dog, hitting your dog or putting it into an alpha roll," says Stilwell. "When you do that, instinct tells the dog to shut down, which is mistaken for calming, but really you're making the dog more insecure."


Such insecurity can have unintended consequences. For one thing, rather than submit, your pets might lash out at you. "They may react with aggression, not because they are trying to be dominant but because the human threatening them makes them afraid," AVSAB says. For another, even if a dog looks subdued, you don't know what's going on inside. "Fear increases cortisol," says AVMA's Beaver, a professor at Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine. "Long-term fear increases it significantly and can lead to long-term health problems associated with stress" - a point that Stilwell, in her melodious British accent, likes to point out to her clients on TV.

Take the example of Atlanta couple Louie Newman and Judy Griffin, who already had two Lhasa apsos when they adopted a rescue poodle named Manny. Not only did Manny pick fights with the other dogs, he also would attack Newman whenever he went near his wife or even tried to hand her the remote control. Newman and Griffin thought Manny wanted to control everyone, but Stilwell told them he was just trying to figure out his status in the household. "She said he was always tense. He didn't ever blink. I would've never thought to check if my dog blinked," says Newman, a recording executive in Nashville, who learned to relax when approaching Manny and to court him with treats. "He was really insecure. Who would have thought that? He acted like he owned the house."


Of course, letting Manny's whims rule the roost was one of the couple's big mistakes. The question is to what extent they, or any dog owner, should put him in his place. With Stilwell gearing up for her third American TV season and Millan in the middle of his sixth, the answer may be a lot simpler and less dramatic than producers would have us think. "All I have to be is one position higher than that dog," says Beaver. "I raise him to see me as a leader. Not an alpha, a leader."


Jumping for Joy! Sign Up Today.

Agility Fun Runs


This is a great opportunity to practice your agility in a different atmosphere and have some FUN with your dog. There will be two courses to challenge all levels. Do all or part of the course and practice important handling skills, whether you are at the novice level or higher. Toys and treats are allowed. NO harsh methods will be accepted. Bring your chairs, crates and water bowl for your dog (we have a hose and water fountain). Please only flat buckle collars.

2010 DATES & TIMES
    
  • Friday, November 5th. First run at 6:00 p.m. (Gates open at 5:00 p.m.) Running big to little dogs .
  • Friday, December 3rd. First run at 5:30 p.m. (Gates open at 4:30 p.m.) Running little to big dogs .
(These dates subject to change.)

CRATING: Indoors in climate-controlled comfort (or outdoors if you prefer).

EXPERIENCE: All levels (Novice class students and up if training at Lucky Dog) are welcome to practice this nested course (novice/open and excellent). After everyone runs the first course we will reverse it and run again after walking the new course. The lighting and footing are great. Toys and treats are welcome and encouraged to reward your dog.

FEE: $10 per dog (2nd dog $8). Please try to bring exact change or a check made payable to Lucky Dog Sports Club. Credit cards are also welcome. There is a 10% discount for members of Lucky Dog. Please try to bring exact change. You can also pay by check or credit card.

REGISTRATION: To sign up, click here and email us your name, and your pet's name, breed, jump height, and level (novice/open or excellent). You must sign up in advance.


Class Schedule - Obedience, Puppy, and Agility Classes.

SUMMARY OF UPCOMING CLASSES:

Obedience, Agility, and Puppy Classes


For detailed info, descriptions, fees, instructors, and to register, click on the More Info link or go to our Schedule Page.  Interested in a class you do not see listed? Please let us know. If there is enough interest we will organize one. Know you want to take a class? Sign up early before your are closed out of a filled class!
                                    
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Focus Foundation

Obedience, Attention, Focus, and Impulse Control
-- everything you've
always wanted for your dog!
Kaya on the a-frame
Focus Foundation is also the prerequisite for Intro to Agility and it's a great class before Rally.

This popular 6-week class fills quickly so sign up today!

Next Available Class: Monday, November 29th at 6 p.m.


Sign Up
More Info
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Rally-O

Rally-O (also know as Rally Obedience) emphasizes fun and excitement for the dog/handler team while providing an interactive approach to obedience. Rally is about the most fun you can have doing obedience exercises with your dog!

This class will fill quickly! There have been lots of requests.

Tuesday, November 9th at 7:30 p.m.


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Ideal Puppy I & Ideal Puppy II

This is an important socialization and training class for puppies 9 to 20 weeks of age. Don't miss out on these important behavioral milestones that will help your pup grow into a more confident, well-adjusted dog. Your dog will only be a puppy once!

Ideal Puppy I and II are each 4 weeks long for a full and wonderful
8 weeks of learning and play. Sign up for 8 weeks and save.pug pup

UPCOMING CLASSES:

Session C from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m.
Ideal Puppy I begins Thursday, October 28th.
Ideal Puppy II begins Thursday, December 2nd.

Session D from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Ideal Puppy I begins Thursday, December 2nd.
Ideal Puppy II begins Thursday, December 30th.


Instructor: Stacey Perry

Sign Up

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Pilates For Pooches

Have a stronger and more fit dog!

This class is great for both athletes and healthy family pets.
Your dog will have so much fun while improving his or herbalance, body awareness, flexibility and muscle strength!


This 5-week class begins Wednesday, November 10th at 6 p.m.
Don't wait to sign up for this special class.


Instructor: Certified Canine Therapeutic Massage Therapist, Stevi Quick.


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Advanced/Masters Agility

The class will include complex sequences found in Excellent and/or World Team level courses photo- Nellie in weavesdesigned to build the skills necessary to successfully compete at the highest levels. In the class you will continue to perfect skills that are needed to be successful and get the most out of a performance. This class is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their communication with their dog and increase speed and reliability.


Some spots are still available. Sign up soon if you want one.
Monday, October 21st at 7:00 p.m.

Instructor: Cynthia Kean, AKC agility judge and top agility handler


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 Private Instruction and Consultations

We are available to offer you and your dog private or semi private lessons in obedience, agility, housebreaking, jumping, and other issues, either at Lucky Dog or at your home. Please contact us for more information.

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THIS INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT CLASS DATES AND TIMES.
News To Know

Crate Repair
Have a soft sided crate that is torn (or chewed!)? I recently had my over-aroused border collie waiting for his run at an agility gathering and decided that he would take matters into his own hands, er, teeth! He chewed right through the front of his crate and dashed across the field. Thankfully, his recall is better than his patience. Anyway, Kim Clancy did a terrific job fixing it (and at such a reasonable price!) and it is back in use, except at agility events that is. Email Kim and get your crate fixed.

Mutt March

The Mutt March will take place on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. - noon at Halpatiokee Park in Stuart. Pledges from the fundraising walk, which annually attracts hundreds of dogs and their owners, support Humane Society of the Treasure Coast's programs and services. The event kicks off at 8 a.m. with a free pancake breakfast from IHOP and registration and continues with a 3/4 mile walk with the animals at 9 a.m. There will be lots of fun activities for the entire family.

Registrations and donations can be made online or call the HSTC at 772-600-3211.

Responsible Dog Ownership Day

Don't miss this event on October 24, 2010 from 10:30 am - 4:00 pm at the Jupiter Tequesta Dog Club. Go on over for demos, fun and education. It's on the FAU Jupiter Campus. Email Maureen Parsons for more information or click here for their flyer.


Tracking Practice
Some Saturday mornings in St. Lucie county. Contact Jane Craig for dates.

Fun Run
Sunday, October 24th starting at 8:00 a.m. (gates open at 7:15) at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Stuart (exit 133 on the Turnpike or 102 from I-95). Provide your name, contact info, dog's call name, Excellent or Novice, jump height and breed to Kathy Kent.

Teacup Agility
For those of you with small dogs (17" or less at the shoulder), IRDTC  offers an opportunity for the little furballs to find out what it is like to run like the big dogs -- with equipment that's scaled to their body size. Teacup Agility is relaxed and playful  --  TDAA offers lots of games that you learn as you go along.   Because it is a smaller venue (in numbers) you get to run 4 or 5 events each day.  It's possible to earn more than one title in a weekend!
For more information contact the trial secretary Jane Derr at 321-724-6376 or email.


Starfish Border Collie Rescue Benefit
Dog Paws has reserved the Vero Beach Fairgrounds for a canine social and fun run to benefit Starfish Border Collie Rescue. Minimum $10.00 donation for 2 runs per dog. Raffle baskets & 50/50. Good time, great friends and an even greater cause!
Saturday, November 6 � 9:00am - 11:30pm. Email Dalyce for more information.


Email me if you have an event or notice you would like posted in our next newsletter.
Quick Links
Directions to Lucky Dog;
 Articles- Training & Behavior;
 Membership Info- Join the Club and access Lucky Dog on your schedule;
Rent Lucky Dog for your dog event; 


 Facebook logo
Contact Information:
Mindy Cox, Training Director
Phone: 561-427-6700 
Fax: 561-748-3699 
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.luckydogsportsclub.com
Address:
300 S. Central Blvd., Suite B, Jupiter, FL 33458

Any suggestions or comments? Please email. I value your feedback.

 Lucky Dog logo

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do you have an at-a-glance way to see classes and events?
A: You betcha! Our class calendar will give you the schedule at a glance. If you are a Lucky Dog member organizing your practice times, you can now tell if a class is inside or outside. It is color coded by type of class (such as agility, obedience, puppy). The first class will have START to indicate the beginning. 

Q: How do I register for a class or event?

A: Find the class you want on the Schedule page. For events, go to the Events page.
Click the Register button or link and fill out the secure online registration form.  Or you can call 561-427-6700 and I will sign you up over the phone.

Payment can be cash, check, or credit card.

The fastest way to sign up, especially if you want to secure your spot in a popular class is to use the secure online registration form. You can also mail your form (very slow!), drop it off in our secure drop box to the left of our front door, fax it to 561-748-3699, or you can sign up by phone. Go to our Contact page to find all this info (or find the info in this newsletter in the above right column.

Q: What training philosophy do you use?

A: We only use positive, reward-based, dog-friendly training methods at Lucky Dog. No jerking, pulling, ear pinching or other aversive methods are used. We introduce the training clicker into many of the classes so your dog has a  quicker and clearer understanding of what you are teaching.

Q: Do I need a club membership to take a class?

A: No. Becoming a
club member and taking a class are two separate things. But as a member you have access to Lucky Dog and can practice whenever you want (when there is no class scheduled).

Q: What are Lucky Dog's hours?

A: At this time there are no regular hours when you can drop by, but if you'd like a tour just give us a call and we are happy to accommodate you. Someone is always there when a class or event is scheduled.

Q: Do you only do group classes or can I schedule a private lesson?

A: We are happy to schedule a private lesson at Lucky Dog. We offer obedience and agility private lessons.

Q: Is there certification for dog trainers?

A: Thanks for asking. Yes, trainers can be certified through the CCPDT (
Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) which is an organization respected throughout the world for maintaining high standards for certification, knowledge base, and continuing education requirements for dog trainers. Mindy Cox, Training Director at Lucky Dog is certified (CPDT-KA). Click here for more information.

My goal is to make this monthly newsletter as useful and interesting to you as possible. Which sections do you like the best? Articles? Class info? News of local events? Human interest information? What else would you like to see covered? And if you like it, please pass it along to a friend.

Please send your feedback, good and bad. It's always appreciated! You can reach me at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Mindy Cox, B.S., CPDT-KA
Training Director