Why I Show Dogs in Sports

I wrote this post almost 2 years ago right after @MousetheDog earned his 22nd and 23rd titles, but I never found the right time to post it.  I truly feel that some of the more valuable lessons I've learned came from dog showing.  @MousetheDog was my first dog, and he was a spectacular and exceptionally well-tempered and forgiving creature.  I'm so lucky that he tolerated all my mistakes. 
Now that he's nearing the end of his competitive career, I'm starting this process over again with another teammate.  The goal of this post isn't to encourage others to start showing their dogs, but to remind myself of all the lessons I've learned over the last decade.  I'm going to use these lessons as I start off with my new partner in canine (I love puns), @VestaTheDog.  @MousetheDog's new job will be to teach her all that he knows, and Basil's new job will be to keep our new little tyke in line. 

The Roman Reign Posse, in a shark. 
I love my dogs.  It doesn't take long for someone to realize that I'm borderline-dog-show person.  The only way I get to stay on the sane side is by being equally immersed in other activities.  This blog post isn't entirely about dogs, it is most much about what I've learned through showing dogs.  I've showed, trained, handled, and judged (not in all activities) dogs in conformation, weight pull, drafting, rally, herding, water rescue, packing, and obedience.  Needless to say, I was exposed to many different breeds and many different types of dog owners.  And the politics in the dog world is tremendous.  The movie, Best in Show was a severe understatement of what really goes on at dog shows.  Dog show politics makes any other type of politics (including governmental) look like a walk in the park on a sunny day when the birds are chirping.   I heard that horse show politics are worse, but I'll avoid that for the time being.

Showing dogs has made me a more patient and understanding person.  Showing dogs can be the ultimate test of persistence, and it can frustrate you to no end.  After all, the essence of handling a dog in the show ring is that you and the dog have to work together like a team.  That's right.  That animal that would rather hump your leg is supposed to do what you ask.  Furthermore, that dog doesn't speak English.  I tend to laugh when people complain about their students or their employees.  At least human students and employees speak English (or another spoken language) and can be reasoned with in some logical fashion.  A dog cannot.  A dog does not care to learn your way of communication nor does the dog really care about what you want. 

"Mom, I don't speak English. I speak dog."

Motivating the unmotivated: Mouse wakes up in the morning with a few things on his mind: I want to pee, I want to poop, I want to eat cat poop, and I want to find something to gnaw.  While he didn't tell me that himself, I'm just going to guess that is what's on his mind.  Dogs are not motivated to do what humans want them to do in general, and it certainly is true for some activities like competitive obedience.  Some of the exercises in competitive obedience are pretty unnatural for a dog in the wild (ex. sitting perfectly still for one minute, heeling with precision, or retrieving an object with a jump in between).  Teaching a dog that doesn't speak your language to be motivated to perform unnatural exercises in unpredictable environments is a pretty big feat.  To do that requires a great deal of creativity in communication and motivation. 

One thing that you'll learn in showing dogs is that the handler is wrong 99.99995% of the time.  Let's just round that up to 100% of the time.  I've learned in dog shows that I'm always wrong.  Everything that doesn't go as planned is my fault.  Either I gave the wrong hand signal, or maybe I set up dog up to miss a turn, or maybe I didn't proof my dog for a certain distraction, or I got flustered and made my dog misjudge my commands - it is always my fault.  Being wrong in dog shows all the time makes taking responsibility for being wrong in other realms so much easier.  I'll say it now. I'm human, and like all humans, I'm wrong from time to time.  I try not to be wrong, and I try to fix my wrongs.  But I'm pretty sure I'll mess up here and there. 

There are more microcultures in dog shows than there are in the Center for Disease Control.  I tried to break down all the groups, but that list just got out of control.  There are at least 30 or more microcultures, and learning to navigate all these different microcultures is a challenge.  But however it makes drives home the point that in order to work with all these groups of people with completely different attitudes, one must truly understand them and their motivations.  This becomes even more important when companies try to market to these different groups. Marketing plans are not always generalizable. 

Showing dogs has taught me deal with arbitrary rules and regulations.  Dog show can be rules are pretty silly an useless.  In a particular draft dog test, a dog can fail an entire test for moving their feet during the greet a stranger exercise.  Yes, a dog could simply fail for shuffling their feet.  Seems silly, but rules are rules.  In competitive obedience, the handler is only allowed to give the dog one command.  No where in practical life would you only give a dog a single command, but again, those are the rules.  In dog shows, changing rules and regulations takes years, and by the time a rule has been changed, your dog has passed prime show time.  I typically follow rules I don't agree with, but as is life.

"I like to eat cupcakes."
There is no one way, and there's no "expert."  All dog are different, and all handlers are different.  I don't believe there's a single one and only way to train a dog as I don't believe there's only one way to market or to use social media.  Also, in dog training, I don't believe in experts.  While there are many people who are extremely knowledgeable and highly experienced that I look to for mentorship, those people are always learning and changing their techniques.  They do not claim to be experts, but they do claim to keep learning.  I hope that I'll keep learning my entire life, and if I ever call myself an expert, someone please kick me. 

Through showing dogs, it is nearly impossible to embarrass me.  Let's just say that my lovely dog, Mouse, was a character, and he had embarrassed me in the ring to no end.  From picking up a a piece of a mop and frolicking about the ring in his cart in front of the entire national club members to jumping a ring to pee on a tree, I'm not embarrassed anymore.  Mouse is a dog, and he does things that dogs do.  Life goes on, no matter how foolish your dog makes you look at a dog show.  

I wasn't dancing. Mouse and the sheep almost tripped me.  That's pretty typical. Photo by Yvonne Schoeber.
I'm accustomed to failure and criticism.  I fail because I try.  I've been asked many times how I manage to do so well in so many areas.  The answer is 1. Because I'm type A and 2. Because before there were many successes, there were many failures.  @Jason talks about this many times This week in Startup, and I think that it is a common motto for many people who try many ventures.  Failures are a learning experience.  Every failure leads you closer to success.  Criticism can be a hard pill to swallow, but I've found that people who give me constructive criticism do it because they care and want me to succeed.  If I wasn't given ways to improve, I'd stagnate and stay the same.  If you hadn't seen Randy Pausch's Last Lecture on criticism, do so now. 

Support is critical.  Dog people are extremely supportive.  Check out this card my trainer sent me when Mouse earned his companion dog title (below).  My trainers are pretty darn awesome.  In my group of friends in the dog community, we all treat each other like family.  Even with friends across the country, they know that I'm available anytime of the day (literally) if they need me, and they are available anytime I need them.  I remember being woken up one morning at 5 am to a phone call demanding that I evacuate to Virginia due to Hurricane Rita.  If I didn't leave now and drive up to them, them were going to come down to get me.  That's how much they cared, and that's how supportive they were.  Another friend I met through my breed club was so supportive that two days prior to his passing, he emailed to congratulate my dog and I on our recent achievements.  He never let on that his cancer had severely worsened, and even when he was the one in need of support; he thought of me first. 

With that said, showing dogs makes you really reprioritize your life.  For the most part, many of my mentors in the dog show world are older, and when working with an older population, death is inevitable.  I would hazard to guess that I've lost at least 25 friends in the dog show world in the last seven years.  When some of your strongest supporters and wisest mentors pass, it makes you really rethink your life and how you spend your time.  One of my biggest influencers passed away from a heart attack on the day I gave a lecture about finding your mentor.  That was kind of rough, but it makes me care a whole bunch less about little things and more about people. 

Also, dogs are earnest. You can't fool a dog.  They can tell when you are nervous, upset, or tired as they can read body language much better than humans can.  You're better off being honest because your dog will be. 

How Not to Socialize Your Dog

If you were a parent of a human toddler, would you take your child to a group of older kids that beat him or her up while you stood idly by?  After expressing fear, would you let the older kids beat your child up again? Would you then reward your child for showing fear?  That's essentially what I saw this past weekend.


An off-leash boxer was romping around the area at a dog-friendly event.  A young woman had a pyrenees mix puppy on a leash that looked to be about four to six months old.   The off-leash boxer attacked the puppy on three separate occasions, leaving the puppy yelping and screaming for 30 seconds.  The owner never protected the puppy from the boxer nor did the owner walk the puppy away from the boxer.  On two occasions, she walked the puppy up to the offending boxer.  At the end of the event, the puppy refused to follow the owner and cowered everywhere it went.  She stopped, petted the dog, and coddled it when showed fear.  This is a dog that is going to develop severe behavioral issues in the future.  The other owner praised his boxer as well.

The owner essentially put the puppy in a situation where it would be attacked, and then instead of teaching it to be confident through leadership, she coddled it.  I politely warned the woman that she was teaching her dog to be fearful, but she wouldn't have any of it.  She insisted that her cowering puppy was outgoing.  Unfortunately, it is difficult for many people to view their beloved pet(s)' behavior in an objective manner, and it was very obvious that the puppy no longer trusted her judgment. In my opinion, the owners of both dogs handled the situation improperly.  Both dogs were praised for undesirable behaviors. 
I have articles on how to socialize, but this one is how to NOT socialize.  Socializing isn't just spending time in the presence of others, socializing means having positive social interactions and learning how to interact.  Here's some basics on socializing your dog. 

• DON'T just let your dog play freely with other dogs.  Dogs are dogs.  They will fight on occasion.  They will pick up bad behaviors.  DON'T think that your dog won't come home with only germs from the dog park. They'll probably also bring home some unwanted behaviors due to social learning.  DO supervise your dog during play.
• DON'T assume that other dogs are friendly.  Like people, some dogs are just big mean jerks that want to pick fights.  DO know the other dogs before you let yours play or get beat up.
• DON'T think that all dogs have to get along.   DON'T walk your dog up to an aggressive dog.   If another dog is being a big meanie, just walk your dog away.  DO avoid fights.
• DON'T coddle your dog. Coddling your dog (babying/praising/petting when your dog exhibits fear or anxiety) only encourages those behaviors.  DO ignore fear and anxiety, and DO reward confident and active behavior.
• DON'T assume that other dog owners are watching their dogs.  Other owners probably aren't watching their own dogs.  Most of the time, they are socializing amongst themselves.  DO watch your dog and other dogs. 

Lee Mannix - Austin's Own Dog Whisperer

It is with great sorrow that I write that Austin has lost a great member of the canine community.  Lee Mannix was tragically killed in a car accident on Sunday, May 2nd.  The Statesman's report is located here.

Aside from dog training, Lee Mannix was known for his great generosity and work that he contributed to rescue groups in the central Texas area.  While I haven't taken any classes at the Lee Mannix Training Center, it isn't difficult to find someone who has taken Lee's classes.  After Hurricane Katrina, when many dogs were displaced, Lee's facility took in Ruska for training.  Let's just say that Ruska had some behavioral issues, but she was adopted to a wonderful owner. 

That owner brought Ruska to my drafting classes, and well, this photo says it all.

Ruska went from disaster dog with behavioral issues that would have landed her life behind bars or worse to a dog that was the life of the parade.  She won 3rd place with her cart in a parade in Lampasas in 2007.  Ruska is just one of many examples of Lee's ability and generosity to the Austin canine community.  Lee Mannix was also one of the early supporters of Keep Austin Dog Friendly. 

Remember him fondly by holding your puppies tight and training them well.  While Lee may no longer here, his lessons live on in the people and dogs he touched.  Training never ends, and neither will Lee's teachings. 

More dog training goals for Mouse and Basil - Private lesson notes from August 2009

Mouse and Basil had another private lesson on August 29th with Judy Ramsey.  We sure do have quite a bit of homework to do.  Here's my notes from our lesson. 

 For Basil:

1. Handler Error: I haven't been giving her very clear signals as when to when we are working, and when we aren't. I need to give obvious signals as to when she needs to be on task and when it is okay to chill.
2. Basil hesitates before jumping up and tends to swing out to the left when heeling instead of staying very close to my leg.  To fix this, I will heel to the right.  Either by pivoting or by veering to the right or by spiraling to the right, Basil will be challenged to keep right next to my leg.  I will do this at very short intervals, and release her to treats on the front of my calves.  That will teach her to wrap around close to my left leg. 
3. Right and Left Pivots.  I'll pivot to the right or left and release her immediately.  The goal is to teach her to not hesitate and to reinforce the heel position.  Teaching her to move to move with my left leg when I say heel (instead of just going forward) should reinforce that heel is a position, not a movement. 
4. Step right when I heel will also reinforce the heel position.  It should not matter if I step right, left, back, front, or pivot, Basil should stay glued to my left leg.
5. Shaping heeling - I haven't done this before as I started with other methods of heeling with Basil.  To shape it, I'll take a couple of steps and treat her. Take more steps and treat. More steps and treat. This is rewarding her for being by my side, but not necessarily teaching her the exact position. 
6. Building drive on starts - Starts are essentially the start of each exercise.  In competitive obedience, each exercise starts with the dog in heel position and the judge asking "Are you ready?"  At that point, my dog should be up (focused and attentive).  I start training for this by putting my dog in start position, then doing something fun.  I can play with a toy. Throw her a treat. Jump around. It needs to be something that makes my dog go "WHOA! What was that?" Over time, start position should be associated with something fun and interesting.  Start position = good things to come.

For Mouse:

1. Mouse also needs motivation on the line up.  This is a fairly common issue.  Many dogs can lose focus when sitting at the start up.  By pairing line ups with something fun, the dog will start to anticipate fun stuff during line ups, thus keeping the focus.
2. Alternate exercise with drive games - doing this increases endurance for motivation and speed.  By alternating adding a drive game after exercises instead of treating, this will build more endurance for focus, energy, and the expectation of working even after an exercise is completed. 
3. Teaching Mouse to motivate himself - This is a fast paced, pre-planned training method.  It is a mixture of changing positions mixed with exercise.  I should give Mouse a command, treat fast, then throw a toy, then give the come command, treat, throw toy, give command, push and play, throw toy.  This is should teach him endurance, as well, as focus to switch quickly from one activity to another. 
4. I need to do the same thing with sits to achieve faster sits. I should give the command to sit, fast treat, I change positions but not move far, sit command, fast treat, change positions, sit command, fast treat, change positions, sit command, etc......
5. Mouse needs more work on right turns. There are two different methods: the 270 turn and treating right out of the right turn.  We started 270 degree right turns after the last private lessons, but they are exceptionally difficult for any dog.  Dogs will have a tendency to lag, and the goal is to keep the dog right on your left leg or hip, depending on the size of the dog.  I'll start with the right turn, and treat Mouse upwards and almost across the front of my body as I'm turning.  As I turn, I'll shift my eyes, shoulders, upperbody, before turning.  Mouse is picking up on these cues when I turn slowly, but he isn't quite doing it quickly yet.  After he has mastered the right turn, we're going to move to 270 degree turns.  Using the same basic concept, I'll treat Mouse immediately out of the 270 degree turn, keep trucking it, 270 turn, and keep heeling, 270 turn, etc....

Dog Etiquette when out and about in Austin

Now that the weather is cooling off, more people are bringing out their pooches out to enjoy the relatively cooler weather. Since when is 97 degrees cool? :o) With that said, a reminder of good dog etiquette is due. Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, I've only noticed an increased number of irresponsible dog owners. Let's Keep Austin Dog Friendly by following a few simple guidelines.

Keep your dog on-leash at all times (unless otherwise specified). I cannot stress this enough. Keeping your dog on leash will prevent entire hosts of problems, particularly at locations where the parking area is not physically separated from patrons. These places include South Austin Trailer Park, South Congress area, Sunset Valley Farmer's Market, and Draught House. Problems with off-leash dogs (even friendly ones) can result in car accidents, dog fights, or someone's lunch or dinner being eaten.

Here's just a few excuses I've heard regarding not leashing their dogs:

• The management allows it. Perhaps the management doesn't notice or maybe they don't want to upset customers. Business owners contact me about this issue regularly. Regardless, it is city ordinance. Should an incident occur, you were breaking city ordinance. That's a citation.
  

• I'll watch my dog. That's what this young woman said right before her daschund ran into a moving car headfirst. The little dog's head was crushed. Even a very large dog is difficult to see in the rear view mirror. Allowing your dog off leash not only puts your dog at risk for being hit by a vehicle, but it also put the mental pain and guilt of hitting an animal on the driver of the car. Dog watching skills also decline dramatically after drinking alcohol. Drunk human and unsupervised dog is just a recipe for disaster.
  

• My dog is friendly. My dog has never done that before. That's what dog owners say right after a dog fight or aggression incidence. Truth of the matter is that most people cannot read canine body language accurately; a dog may be giving signals that it is unhappy long before it reacts. Also, dogs are not 100% predictable. Even the most well-behaved dog can have a bad day.
  

• My dog likes other dogs. Allowing your dog to run up to other dogs is just plain rude, it is not expressing like. It can be seen as a challenge, and the dog that is run up upon may become apprehensive or confused. It is the same as if I ran up to a stranger's table at a restaurant, jumped on the table, and started throwing insults. That's poor dog behavior. While it usually turns into nothing more than sniffing, it can turn into something much worse.
  

• Nothing has happened before. Consider yourself lucky then. Prevent car accidents and dog fights from happening. If you love your dog, leash your dog.
  

Keep in mind that it is a privilege to bring our pets to these businesses. If the businesses cannot accommodate you and your dog because they are busy, please be understanding and gracious. If you and your pet is asked to leave due to behavioral issues, please do so in a gracious manner.

Only bring well-behaved, human and dog friendly pets. Please seek professional training to address those issues before taking your dog out. Aggressive dogs have been one reason businesses have changed their policies. Do NOT bring aggressive dogs out in public. See our supporters page for training recommendations. Canine Good Citizen Testing is also a good idea for all dogs.

Keep your dog under control, always on leash per city ordinance. Do not allow your dog to go wherever he pleases. Do not allow your dog to pull you around. If your dog is not under control, please seek training prior to taking your dog out. Do not allow your dog to bark incessantly. See our supporters page for training recommendations.

While you may allow your dog to eat human food, don't allow your dog to eat other people's food.

Makes sure your dog is reasonably clean. No one wants to have lunch next to a stinky dog. Nor does anyone want fleas.

Make sure your dogs are up to date on shots. Carry your rabies certificate in the car.

Please only allow your dog to only potty away from the main areas, and please clean up any accidents.

Not everyone loves dogs. Respect those people's wishes. Please do not allow your dog to approach people without their permission.

Not everyone has common sense or decency. People will yank on your dog, sit on your dog, feed your dog things they shouldn't eat, and hurt your dogs in other ways. Don't be afraid to correct those people's behavior for the sake of your dog.

Do not allow your dog to socialize or play with other dog unless it is safe. Do not allow your dogs to romp and play when it is crowded. Someone may get side swiped. Do not allow your dog to approach other dogs without the owner's permission.

Please follow these guidelines with visiting dog parks. Support City Code 337 and Bull Creek Clean up. Keep our parks clean.

How to find a dog trainer.

I’ve been asked many times to recommend a trainer. While I have opinions about training methods, I feel that it is best for people to find a trainer that suits them best. With that in mind, here’s a list of guidelines and criteria I use when looking for a trainer. I also use the word handler and trainer interchangeably. Almost all trainers handle their own dogs in dog sports (except in conformation). The person handling the dog is usually the one that also trains their dog. More often than not, those handlers also have trainers. At a dog sports trial, I look for handlers and dogs that consistently perform well. I ask them where they train, and more often than not, those great handlers have the same trainer. I hang out at training facilities and watch how the trainers interact with their students (both dogs and humans) . If a trainer yells or looses his/her temper with students, I avoid. The first rule of dog training is that if you are angry or upset, stop training and cool off first. Dogs and people will pick up that you are upset. That’s going to send mixed signals to the dogs and confuse them. I also look at the trainer’s personality and interaction with the dogs. Is the trainer a leader (all mental, not physical)? Physical force is not needed to be a leader. Confidence is needed. Do the dogs find the trainer fun and interesting without the use of food? Does the trainer motivate the dog and the owners? I watch the trainer’s body language. You’ll notice that successful trainers walk confidently with their heads up high and their dogs following their lead. Unsuccessful trainers seem slumped, draggy, and seem to be pleading with the dogs to pay attention. Most if not all training methods are available online or in books. Finding the knowledge is easy. Many programs certify trainers as having said knowledge. Finding someone with the personality, temperament, and experience to be a good trainer is an entirely different story. I talk at length with trainers about their methods and their experience. If a trainer cannot fully understand the different concepts of training methods, I avoid. If a trainer doesn’t understand the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning, I avoid. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are the basis of dog training. Both concepts are taught in Introductory Psychology classes. I avoid trainers that only have “one” method. These trainers tend to not be as successful as trainers who have more than one skill in their tool box. These trainers often get stuck in a rut when the only method they advocate does not work with all dogs. Having been trained in research, I’m well aware that there is no such thing as one method or theory that will solve all dog training problems. Sorry, just isn’t true. Different dogs need different methods. I watch trainers and their own dogs in public. If their own dogs are well-behaved in public, that’s a good sign. If their own dogs are NOT well-behaved in public, avoid. Being in public is key. Having a dog that is trained at a facility, but not in other locations shows me that the trainer does not know how to proof their dogs. If I ever hear the words, “But Fido is soooo good at home,” I run away fast. I ask the trainer about the function of each step in training. Each step has a function. Each word, each treat, each command, and every single praise has a function. If a trainer replies with, “That’s just the way I do it,“ I avoid. The trainer might know what to do, but if he/she cannot understand why, he or she cannot understand or offer advice on complicated issues. These types of trainers might be able to offer a quick fix for small problems, but not create a strong foundation for training. I avoid facilities that offer training without the owner. Most dog training is training the owner. Sometimes that is the more difficult part. Most of the time, behavioral problems are owner problems, not dog problems. In my opinion, there is no point in training a dog when the people having to live with the dog cannot implement the training. I look for trainers that are interested in developing a relationship with my dogs and myself. Dog training is a lifetime commitment, not an 8 week commitment. I want a trainer who understands and cares about the well-being of my dogs and doesn’t just treat me like a customer. A good trainer should want to make you a better dog owner for the lifetime of your dog, not just for the duration of the class or consultation. I also look for trainers that keep improving and keep learning. I avoid trainers with that know-it-all attitude. Every dog is different, and new training methods are being developed every day. A good trainer should be open to new ideas and trying new methods if an old method doesn’t work. You wouldn’t buy a cell phone that is 10 years old because there are probably better ones on the market. You wouldn’t only train with methods that were developed in the 1940’s now would you? I may use old methods in my training, but I also use new ones when appropriate. When I train, I look for trainers who also show in canine sports including obedience, rally, agility, or etc…While many people say that they just want their pets to have manners, good manners are built on a strong foundation and a strong relationship between dog and owner. Trainers that show are constantly being tested as they must show off their training skills. They must not only have a dog that behaves in at home, but also in public and with many distractions. The dogs much truly understand the concept of particular commands, and they are also proofed so that they can perform regardless of their environment. They must also perform many of the exercises off –leash on a single command. That type of performance can only be achieved if there is a strong handler/dog bond. Many trainers can teach a dog to sit and down on command in a controlled environment, but not many can train and handle a dog in a canine sport. However, not all trainers need to show in canine sports to necessarily be a good trainer. Not all trainers that show in canine sports are good trainers. Regardless of what you are looking to accomplish with your dog, I urge you to look for someone that has the knowledge, experience, skills, and personality that fits what you and your dog. Happy Training!