Note: I wrote this post about two weeks ago, but haven’t been able to find the time to publish it. I think you’ll still enjoy it, though. Also, I’m happy to report that we’ve found what I think is going to be the perfect forever home for DaVinci!
When DaVinci the old English sheep dog puppy came to stay with me, he was eleven weeks old and already had some pretty intense behavioral issues. We have been working hard daily to address these issues and he is making lots of progress already! He is getting much more comfortable giving up his toys and is doing great with the food aggression training that we have been doing. (I’ll share some more specific information about this training process in a future blog post.) He also is becoming much more trusting of me and is becoming much more calm and cooperative in situations where he previously would feel unsure or uncomfortable. Only very rarely, does he still feel the need to growl.
With dogs such as DaVinci, it is really easy to get completely focused on the problem behaviors. And this makes sense, not only are DaVinci’s “problem” behaviors frustrating and annoying, they are also potentially dangerous. We certainly don’t want him to grow up to be a dog with aggression issues and these behaviors also make him a more difficult puppy to adopt out.
However, we aren’t just focusing on the unwanted behaviors. I’m also spending lots of time doing proactive training with DaVinci. He is learning behaviors and skills that will help him in lots of different situations later on. One thing in particular that we have been focusing on is getting DaVinci comfortable with various tasks related to vet care and grooming. DaVinci’s fluffy coat is quite handsome, but it is going to require a fair amount of maintenance to keep it looking so nice!
When DaVinci had been with me about a week, I noticed that he was already starting to get some mats in his coat, particularly around his tail and back legs and on his belly.
One of my friends has been coming over several times a week to help with DaVinci’s training. So, she has begun teaching him that it is fun to be brushed! At first, he was a bit unsure about all of this. What was this strange object and why did we keep running it through his coat? Was it is a new kind of chew toy? Or was it something to be avoided?
However, we’ve practiced this a handful of times now and he is getting much more comfortable and relaxed with the process. I would even say that he is starting to enjoy it! Of course, we are slow and gentle and DaVinci gets lots of treats and praise during the brushing sessions. And, after just a few brushing sessions, his coat is looking much nicer and we’ve been able to get most of the mats out.
Over the past handful of years, I have met quite a few long-haired dogs that absolutely hate the groomers. I’ve even met a few that have to be sedated if they need to be groomed or shaved, or even just have their nails done. I think a dog can unfortunately end up like this quite easily, if he has a handful of bad experiences with grooming early on.
Hopefully, this proactive training can help DaVinci have many good experiences with grooming and vet care early on, which will help him learn to be calm and relaxed in these sorts of situations, rather than scared and defensive.
Especially with puppies, it is so important to think about all of the experiences your dog might encounter later in life and start early on training for these situations. It is much easier to teach your dog that something like brushing is lots of fun when he’s had no previous experiences with it, then to try to have to do training after your dog has already developed a fear or dislike.
Looking forward: February 2016
In other news, I am super excited that we have recently announced the date for the 2016 Art and Science of Animal Training Conference. The conference will be held February 20-21 in Dallas, Texas.
And no, that wasn’t a typo… The conference will now be two days!
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably read some of my notes from the past Art and Science of Animal Training Conferences. They can all be found here.
So, mark your calendars and also keep an eye on both the conference website and conference Facebook page. More information about the program and registration will be posted soon.
This is such a great post! I shared it on my fan page! I used to get stuck grooming all those aggressive pets so I really appreciate that you’re talking about this!
Interesting!
And have fun at the conference!
? husky hugz ? frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thanks for the alert! I just signed up at the website for the mailing list =)
Good to remind about being pro-active and taking it slow with grooming for pups, and I’ll add that applies to the elders who can get crabby about the fuss — grooming is so important to finding growths, bites, stings or other things that may be bothering your dog and are important to their health. Skin is a major organ even though we don’t often think of it that way…Thanks again for this excellent post!
Thanks for commenting! Great reminder that we also need to be careful when grooming older pets.
I loved reading how you are working on training with DaVinci to undo his behavioral issues to help prepare him for a forever home. I also love that you are working on getting him to like being brushed since his coat will need regular brushing to keep his fur free of mats. I hope you share more about DaVinci again.
TW wishes you could train me. I still have aggression issues after 10 years. I’m a pit bull of a cat.
Yay for grooming progress! I agree that it’s especially necessary for long-haired dogs to be comfortable with grooming. Mr. N gets brushed out almost every day and it would be a horrible process if he didn’t tolerate it.