hey, all!

i was so happy to see this pasted-post on another list, and immediately wrote the poster, asking if i might cross-post -
she very kindly agreed, but see what came ALONG with her permission!
the back-story is IMO even more-impressive than the original post -
this lady drove several ** hours! ** each way, in order to get a pos-R trainer to help her second-dog,
as all of her local trainers are proponents of punishment + aversive-tools.
THAT is literally going the extra-mile - or 20 or 30, each time!

also NOTE how many AKC-titles her dogs have earned - my word!
this lady was really bitten by the dog-bug, after getting her first terrierist, enjoy...
and a huge Thank-You to ** willma **, for allowing me to share this remarkable story. i hope her dogs appreciate the devotion of her care.



======= pasted copy below ===========

Message #27212
Tue Jan 5, 2010 7:34 am

Subj: Re: vid-clip of jumping-dog learning alt-beh

If you read Control Unleashed the "look at that " game is much the same. The object is to work with the dog under threshold and for the dog to be able to look at the distraction then turn to the handler and the dog is rewarded.

The object is for the dog to look at the thing (calmly).
It is not an attention game but one that helps the dog be able to change the way he reacts to things. I hope I explained this right.

This is not a study but I can tell you we started the "game" over 2 years ago and it works still today... even better!
Back then I had to watch the environment to make sure I did not put her in a situation that she was not ready for. Now when we walk past the house where the lunging dogs live she will look at the yard and turn to me for a treat even if there are no dogs in the yard.

Yesterday one dog was out and charged the fence at us, usually she will turn and look to me but she started to go towards the fence and react to the dog but then she opted (on her own) to turn back to me.... yea!... did she get a treat... you bet.
I am glad to pay her every time she makes a good choice!

The best part is that we can go places and do things that were not comfortable for us before. I am sure the handler with the jumping dog feels the same way.
---- Willma, APO
Charlie and Kayla (Terriers) with 25 AKC titles

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<jjohnson2908@...>


====== back-story! IMO the best part ;-) ======


Our Terriers are Charlie, a Westie that came from a from a pet store, he was our first and is (now) nine yo . Then we have Kayla, a Border Terrier who came from a "good breeder" - she is 4 yo.
She was/is reactive and this sent me on a path to find a better way. Trainers in my area use and teach leash pops and the first night of a new class most/many dogs are fitted with a prong collar..
I was lucky to get the name of a positive trainer a few hours from my house. She helped me learn to reward Kayla for the behaviors I want rather then correct for unwanted ones. Also to listen to what she is telling me - What a turn around from what I had been taught!
Learning to help her to be able to function in situations that before were so stressful (for both of us) is so rewarding .
And yes of course you can x-post and tell them a real person like me is learning better ways and again thanks, I hope it might encourage someone else to come over to the "bright side"
---- Willma

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wow! i was simply blown-away, and i am still smiling -
so many people in the USA never attend a class of any sort, make no effort to B-Mod a problem-behavior,
and whine about low-cost classes offered 15-minutes from home...
here is an owner who went *hours* each way to help her dog, and then went on to compete with her in AKC-events -
which would have been impossible before her B-Mod.
what a trooper! Willma, U rock - and Clicks! for the dogs, too.
brilliant work by all,
--- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007