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Not all dogs are daycare dogs - and that's okay

4/25/2019

The Biscuit! Although puppies are often big and bold, their egos are still fragile.

Biscuit has always been full of energy!

I dismissed my own dog from daycare today.

The puppy I am raising is a seven month old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. He is smart, funny, vibrant and sweet. He is also intense, sensitive and very high drive.
His name is Biscuit and he has been living with me since he was nine weeks old. His first day of daycare was less than 24 hours after I brought him home. I have spent large amounts of time and energy teaching him to settle around other dogs, structuring mental stimulation and nap times and ensuring he gets a wide variety of activities. I limited his daycare days to maximum three days a week and took him for walks before he came to work with me. And for many months he did very well.
But he has still started to struggle. At seven months, he is hormonal and high strung. Puppies may act brash and bold, but their egos are still fragile.

One thing clients hear from us frequently is the term “arousal level”. What this refers to the physiological and psychological reactivity to stimuli. High arousal levels are where a dog is unable to contain themselves in response to stimuli. This can be seen in the puppy frantically jumping up on visitors, or the dog shrieking on the end of the leash at the sight of a squirrel.
As the daycare manager and as his full time guardian, I saw signs that Biscuit’s arousal levels were too high. He had a hard time taking a break from play. Even when he was alone, he paced, or tried to push through barriers to access me or the other dogs. He did not sleep.
We frequently have to speak to owners about their dog’s arousal levels, or their stress levels. Sometimes this means that their dog is not suited for daycare, either temporarily or permanently. Sometimes what we need is a better management and training program. Maybe the dog requires mental health care from a veterinarian.

Sometimes the dog simply does not thrive at daycare and the likelihood of this changing is slim.
Our goal is always for the dog to thrive at daycare. Not just cope. Not be kinda okay with it.
Right now, Biscuit is not thriving at daycare.

We do not want our dogs to practice hyper arousal. We get good at what we practice. The more the physiological and psychological state is experienced, the stronger those neural pathways become. It is important to avoid having our dogs practice emotional states that we do not want them to have.
Right now, I am not able to manage Biscuit’s arousal level in daycare in a way that sets him up for future success.

So I’m in the same boat as many of our clients over the years. The dog I’m caring for isn’t suitable for daycare right now.
So what does that mean?
Well for me, it means I can’t take him to work with me. Which is kind of crummy, but hopefully in acting now I’ve prevented this being a permanent situation.
It means I’ll now get up an hour earlier so he can have more mental and physical stimulation before I go to work.
It means I have to commit to continuing to build his skills so he can become better settling around other dogs and disengaging from exciting things.
What it does not mean is that he is a bad dog, or that I am a bad guardian.
It doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a hard decision to make.
Now it is inconvenient to not bring him to work with me, just like it can be inconvenient from our clients.
But as his guardian, it is my job to do what is best for him. Right now that just means no daycare.

I don’t do well in clubs, at loud parties or in busy malls at Christmas time. If I was a dog, I would not be a daycare dog. So I empathize with the dogs who age out of daycare or who find their assessment too overwhelming or scary. I empathize with Biscuit, who is just not able to pull himself away from his friends, even though he is overwhelmed and tired.

Daycare can be an amazing tool for busy people and their dogs. It can help build independence for dogs with specific mental health needs, help dogs exercise their social skills in a safe environment and provide vital mental enrichment and social connection.
It can also create and exacerbate behavioural problems.

I chose to dismiss Biscuit from daycare because I love him.
We choose to not accept a dog to daycare, or to recommend they stop coming, because we love them too. Some daycares operate as warehouses for dogs, we choose not to.

If your dog isn’t a daycare dog, for right now or for always, please don’t feel bad.
Look into a force free dog walker, work your dog’s needs into your own exercise regime or start taking more classes or doing more activities with your dog. Take this opportunity to spend more time together and learn new skills with them.

Maybe Biscuit will be able to return to daycare in the future. Maybe he won’t. Either answer is okay.

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Our Policy regarding Adversive Equipment

10/16/2018

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At Dog Utopia, our top priority is your dog's mental, physical and emotional safety.
Recently we have seen a marked increase in the number of dogs coming into grooming on prong collars. We want to be transparent with you about our policy regarding prong, shock and choke/”training” collars.
After much research, discussion, and trial and error, we no longer allow prong, shock or choke collars past our front gate. We want all our clients to continue to feel welcome, but we will ask that you remove the collar and attach the leash to a flat collar, which we can provide.
The reason that we have this policy is twofold. Firstly, the current research on dog behaviour is very clear. Prong, choke and shock collars are painful, and they increase fear and anxiety in the dog. Prong collar related injuries are quite common, and the psychological damage even more so.
Secondly, dogs that are trained using adverse methods frequently learn to offer fewer behaviours, and to hide their signs of discomfort. They learn that these valuable communications will either be ignored, or punished. As such, they present a greater risk to our staff, as the warnings they give are much more subtle, if they are present at all.
We understand that some of our clients feel that these devices are necessary for their dogs, or that they were told by pet store employees or other trainers that they were the best choice. We want to have an open dialogue with all of our clients, and we encourage you all to speak with us about this policy. We have included some links below to further reading on this subject.
If you want to make the move to less adverse equipment, but are unsure of where to start, or if you are concerned about behavioral problems, please think of us as a resource. Come by the shop, send us an email or give us a call, we are more than happy to help.

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Top 5 High Drive Puppy Tips

12/28/2016

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Echo demonstrating the intensity characteristic of high drive puppies.

Top 5 High Drive Puppy Tips
Liza Rader, Daycare Attendant and Trainer at Dog Utopia

Even for experienced puppy raisers, high drive puppies can present a unique set of challenges. A high drive dog is one that exhibits a high level of focus on the object or task they find rewarding combined with above average energy and a strong desire to work. High drive is different than high energy in that the dog is not just energetic. They are driven to complete a task, and will not give up until it is completed to their satisfaction. When harnessed, a high drive dog makes an excellent sport or working companion. But those same characteristics can make for a difficult dog to live with. A puppy that is highly invested in getting what they want can be a real challenge.
All puppies need guidance and for their handlers to be fair and consistant. Set your puppy up for success by focussing on teaching them what to do, rather than what not to do. Of course all puppies are different and have differents skill sets, but these are some general tips to make life easier with your high drive puppy. For more in depth training, sign up for one of our classes or contact one of our trainers for a private session!

Break behaviours into small pieces. High drive dogs are usually easily overstimulated, so breaking behaviours into very small pieces is very useful. Let puppy perfect one small piece of a behaviour before adding something new. Before asking them to sit calmly in a busy space, first reward for any calmness at home, then for calmness outside, then 100 feet away from something interesting. Let them master each step.
Focus on impulse control. Impulse control is extremely difficult for all puppies, but especially high drive ones. Calmness is not an inherent skill for high drive dogs, it must be taught. Teaching them to ask permission, to leave it, and to relax all help your puppy learn alternatives to just leaping headfirst into things.
Utilize your puppy confinement area. A gated off hallway, large crate or x pen are all excellent ways to safely confine your puppy. When puppy is not being receptive to training and is over threshold, give them a 5 minute time out in their safe area. Do not punish them in this area, there is no need for harsh words or handling. Simply plop them in and walk away. Do not return for any screaming or barking. Alternatively, you can play with your puppy in their safe confinement area and step outside of it when they are overstimulated or otherwise being rude.
Don't be prey. For most puppies, the most effective way to teach bite inhibition is to squeal as if you were another puppy who was hurt. For many high drive puppies, their only reaction to this is to play harder. “Oh goodie”, they say, “this is fun!” Instead, use a firm “OW” and remove yourself from them. Step over a babygate, put them down, pop them in a crate or otherwise remove yourself from them. Never push your puppy away or run from them, as these are just fantastic games that build drive instead of decreasing it.
Give puppy a job. Puppy's job can be anything from searching out their food in boxes or food toys, to achieving socialization goals, to trick training on walks and learning a puppy safe dog sport such as rally obedience or nosework. You can't rely on physical exercise to tire a high drive puppy out. Using their brain is the best way to teach them new skills and most importantly tucker them out. A tired puppy is a good puppy.

High drive puppies are a challenge! It's normal to feel frustration or to see very little progress at first.
Be patient and trust the process!

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