----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Øsleby"
Subject: RE: PESO: Another Dawg Picture
Ok. Here my rant is over. Do you, or other fellow PDMLers, have any advice
here? Is there any method I can make him used to flash photographing.
He may not like the whine of the charging circuit, BTW.
Anyway, start with some simple calming techniques. I've found a very good
one is to stroke the dog down his side, right from his cheek to his hip.
They find it very calming, and so might you.
You are mimicking what the bitch did to him after he's had a meal when he
was still nursing.
It's a very powerful bonding method.
Anyway, once you have the dog in a calm state of mind (it helps if he tends
to be calm anyway), put a command to this behaviour. I don't know what the
Norwegian translation would be, but in English, I use the word "settle", as
in "settle down" to indicate I want him to drop back into the trance that I
put him into with stroking his side.
His tendency when you are doing this will be to sit down.
As he sits, tell him to sit, and praise him for doing it.
Tell him "settle", and "good sit" and any other soft gentle verbal praise
you can think of (use the language of your choice, it's the thought that
counts), and stroke his side.
After you've been playing this game a few times a day for a couple of weeks,
you will find that your dog is a lot happier to do things for you, and you
can start desensitizing him to the flash.
I'd use food as a motivator.
Start by seeing if it is the light or the noise that bothers him.
It won't change much, but it's good to know what triggers our dog's
behaviour.
Start by pointing the flash away from him, perhaps even put it into a sock
to muffle the output, and sit down beside him.
Stroke his side for a while, make sure he is calm, and have a helper trigger
the flash some distance away from him, and pointing it away, especially if
it is the light rather than the noise that is setting him off.
If he reacts badly, tell him "no, Settle", and wait for him to calm back
down. Don't say anything to him at all while he is acting out. After he is
calm again, resume stroking his side and telling him he is a good dog.
At some point, he will stop reacting badly to the flash.
Once he stops reacting badly, but not before, reward him with food.
Once you are using a food reward, start a new game as well.
This is a fun game, and really easy for the dog. Less easy for the person.
You really have to be attentive to your dog for this one. I find even having
a radio turned on is too much of a distraction for me.
Stand in one spot in your house, perhaps beside a table. The dog should be
on leash.
Have a bowl of treats on the table.
All the dog has to do is sit in front of you and look you in the eye.
He does that, you tell him how wonderful he is tickle his ears for a moment
or two, and give him a treat.
I suppose it is easiest to pop the treat into his mouth, and then tickle his
ears.
Once you have the dog in the habit of looking at you, put a command to it.
Tell him to "watch me", then praise him for doing it.
Easy, watch the dog, and wait for him to look you in the eye. Treat him,
praise him, tickle him, and wait for him to look you in the eye again.
Repeat as needed, until his tendency is to look at you. Keep verbally
encouraging this behaviour, even as you wean him off the treats.
Dogs like to be acknowledged when they do what they are supposed to be
doing..
Teach him to "stay" as well.
After the dog is sitting reliably, and you can stand beside him while he
sits still, take a short leash in your right hand (I work the dog on the
left side, alter your method to suit), drop your hand, palm towards the dog,
in front of his nose and give the command "stay". Pivot in front of the dog
so that you are "toe to toe" with him. Stand in front of him for a moment,
then pivot back beside the dog.
Count to two, then praise the dog for staying.
Build up your time slowly until you can stand in front of him for a minute
or so.
Use your settle and watch me commands gently if required.
If the dog starts to move, tell him "no" in a command voice. If he stops
moving, pivot back beside him immediately, count to two, and praise him.
If he moves, take a few steps backwards away from him and call him to you.
Praise him gently for coming when called, take him back to where you were
working the stays, and do it again, for not as long, and keep working on the
time.
Once you have a one minute stay, then take a step out, and pivot in front.
Go back to very little time, and start building the time up again.
Once you are at a minute, you can start to take two steps, drop back in
duration, and work the time up again.
Repeat this method until you have the dog sitting reliably for a few minutes
with you right at the end of a six foot leash.
In a few weeks, you should have a dog that trusts you completely, will calm
down more or less on command, will sit and stay for pictures while you walk
back to the camera, and will look you in the eye while you are shooting.
http://pug.komkon.org/01nov/2Rotties.html
William Robb
