A few nights ago I took the dogs out for their last potty around 10 pm, and things didn’t go quite as planned. Instead of walking sleepily out of the house to his favorite place to pee, Will took one step into the fresh air and hurtled like a bullet into the dark behind the house. In a second, no more, I heard a cacophony of snarls, screams and growls. I knew instantly what it was: the local raccoon was raiding the bird feeder behind the house. I was sure this was the problem, since the big garbage can full of grain for the sheep had been raided for a few nights in a row until Jim got creative with bungi cords. The only critter big and strong enough to pry off a metal garbage can lid is a raccoon, and every year one trades wits with us over who gets to eat the grain, so I was sure that’s who Willie was tangling with–in the pitch dark, up the hill a good 50 yards away by now, with me in my slippers and bathrobe.
“WILL!!!” I yelled, “THAT’LL DO.” Growls, hisses, snarls and screams streamed down the hill through the dark… but no sounds of Will running back down the hill to me. “WILL!!!” I screamed again, beginning to have panicked thoughts of Willie’s face looking like hamburger after losing the battle to the raccoon (not an uncommon result of a fight between a dog and a rac I’m afraid). ‘”THAT’LL DO!!!”
Well, it didn’t do at all, at least not for the next ten-fifteen seconds or so. Will did come back after about 15 seconds, it’s true, and all injuries and further dramas were avoided, BUT he would’ve come back instantly if I hadn’t messed up and taken my own advice. How many times have I said that it’s far more successful to first stop a dog when he’s tearing away from you than it is to ask, first thing, for him to come when called? After all, when a dog is running full tilt away, he has to stop first before he can turn around and change direction, right?
Sure enough, I got my head on straight (and my dog back instantly) the next time it happened (last night). It is SO helpful to be mentally prepared, isn’t it? Will again tore out of the garage so fast he was 25 feet away, and a few feet from the raccoon before I could open my mouth. But this time, what came out of my mouth was the right cue. I said, simply, “NO.” (Sometimes I say Whoa, I’m not sure Will can tell the difference!). It worked not because I said it in a loud, deep voice, but because I’ve taught Will to stop when I say “no”. It’s just one of his cues, one of the things I’ve taught him to do using positive reinforcement. It’s the easiest thing in the world to start: just say no, or whoa, or whoops, or whatever you want to say in a conversational voice. If your dog turns his head (which inherently means he has stopped doing what he was doing) or stops moving forward, shower him with praise (I ‘load’ “good boy” with tons of treats the first two weeks I’ve working with a dog) and reinforcement. Gradually work your way up to asking him to stop when he’s more and more distracted, always making the reward worth the effort. (I once gave Will an entire bait bag full of food for stopping instantly after flushing a deer). This is a very short description of how to teach your dog to stop doing something while still being positive and humane… you can read a more thorough one in Family Friendly Dog Training. (I also teach an “Emergency Lie Down…” but I didn’t want Will to lie down in the dark when I didn’t know where the raccoon was.)
Here are some thoughts to ponder: 1) I don’t think it’s inherently obvious to use Stop or Whoa or No to stop a dog when he or she is dashing away from us. I think we naturally tend to call them back, and in my experience, a recall isn’t as effective as a stop signal. 2) I’m curious how many readers have an “Emergency Stop” on their dogs. I couldn’t live without one, living in the country beside a county highway, but I’m interested in your experience. Do you also find it far more effective to stop a dog running away with a Stop or Lie Down than a recall? Do you buy my logic as to why it should be more effective?
On another note completely, here’s a laugh for you. (At least, it certainly was for me.) The following was part of a standard media release I was asked to sign:
For the purposes of clarity, I expressly waive any and all moral rights I may have in connection with my appearance/services.
Couldn’t be more clear, hey? Has anyone asked you to waive your ‘moral rights’ lately? (I crossed it out!)
Meanwhile, back at the farm: First, the FIRST flower at Redstart Farm! If you don’t live in the north, it’s hard to describe how color starved one gets in by the end of winter. The first flower brings more happiness than I can say.
And here’s Will trying to play fetch with a large, long branch from a tree (it’s much bigger than it looks, at least 15 feet long). First he tries to pick it up…
Next, he got it in his mouth but dropped it and play bowed …
Then he stopped and looked at me to solve the problem (a notable difference by the way between domestic dogs and wolves: dogs give up quickly and look to their owners to solve the problem, wolves keep trying by themselves, even if they are comfortable and familiar with the people standing beside them. Just more evidence that dogs are super smart!)
Here’s to nothing but flowers and fetch games for you over the weekend. For us, Sunday is the first day of lambing… the cycle lasts 17 days, so who knows when they’ll come, but I always get excited about the propects! Wish us luck.. all healthy twins and contented momma’s.
Keli says
I have an emergency lie down that I got from your book and I try to practice it at least once a day (highly aroused dogs playing fetch). I did have to use it once many years ago, and it did save my dog’s life (getting hit by a car). A while back I was wondering if I was actually diluting my command by practicing it too much, so I thought I would test it out. I came up with a game plan, so that if it was successful, I was fully loaded with super great treats that my dogs would be very happy they listened. I waited till there were some squirrels in the yard, let the dogs out, and gave the command. I was very happy with the results. It might have not been an instant down, maybe two or three strides, but I was greatful that it transfered to a live moving object! I also found it was easier to teach my second dog this command. She seemed to pick it up by observing the other dog and I just reinforced the behavior.
Nice flower – hopefully you get your enjoyment out of it today, because they are saying lots of snow Saturday night! Aaaahhh – spring in Wisconsin 😉
M. Tornado Puppy says
Complete luck for me on this one, as I’d not yet read your FtLoaD: When I first brought my lab home — having learned about Pavlov in basic psych or sociology (it’s been awhile) — I precluded every feeding for Po Campo with two short whistles. Simple, no big fuss: just two short whistles, then a bowl full of breakfast or dinner. My thinking (guessing) was that he’d begin to associate these two whistle bursts with a big ol’ bowl full of yummy goodness, which, in turn, would bring him back to me, the guy who provides the meal, looking for more.
Turns out it was a lucky guess. I’ve pulled him up short twice (once while going after a squirrel and the other time for a stray dog — both times while we were off-leash jogging through the woods); I’m not saying it’s foolproof, but so far so good. (I won’t put my money on it until we jump our first black bear … )
Don says
It’s so interesting to read about the everyday training issues and your human decisions (“no” versus “that’ll do”). Good to hear that Will didn’t end up with hamburger face.
We haven’t yet taught an emergency “down” to our keeshond. I guess that “no” would qualify as an emergency stop, and he does know that. I figure that it will be better to get him polished with his novice-level obedience before introducing an emergency down, but maybe I worry too much about being systematic in his training.
Carolyn says
Are lambs always born with a twin? I think opossums are.
Nadine M. Rosin says
Good, informative article with a great example…and so happy the raccoon didn’t win. Will is a BEAUTY!
Sabine says
Your heart must have been beating a mile a minute when you heard all the commotion that Will and his “buddy” created. I had the pleasure of separating my dachshund from a rabid skunk two years ago and not only will I never forget the pungent smell, nor the blood-shot eyes and fury of my dachshund. He managed to break the skunk’s back and did some serious damage to that poor creature, without having a scratch on him ! (Mind you – while that all happened, my boy was on a leash ! ! !) He took a turn into the underbrush and came out with that skunk in his fangs. I should have turned around the moment I noticed this intense smell of “eau de skunk”.
My shepherd knows the command “stop and wait” and it has saved numerous herds of deer from being herded into small grazing circles in the forest. 🙂
I’m so glad that spring has sprung in your yard and soon – too soon! – it will be summer.
Sabine
Kaiser Soze says
Good point. I need to start working on this ASAP.
My 1 year-old Lab-Border Collie mix couldn’t care less about anything I say if he darts away when I let him out to pee in the evening. Especially if there are rabbits in my backyard.
Linda says
Am I a Luddite (or dog owner equivalent)? When I need to stop my Lab hurtling toward something or someone, I shout “COOKIE.” (And suitably provide same when she returns.) If she is not too far away yet, she pivots around and heads back. Alas, if she is deeper in the woods before I notice her whereabouts and is on the trail of yummy deer leavings, it doesn’t work very well.
Love reading your blog–it’s the only one I look at.
Geisha Stewart says
Great points. Peanut panicked once and ran down the block. I forgot that I had an emergency recall cue – which worked as soon as I remembered it! I also did the same thing in a fight – forgot for a moment that we had Spray Shield to detach the dogs from each other. Now I rehearse such things.
We have a moving stay that I practice a couple of times on every walk or hike. It just occurre to me that I have mostly been practicing on trails. Time to do more work on the streets!
Looking forward to have you with us in Seattle in September 2010!
Ferreh Hiatt says
I too have stockdogs and I have used the well trained “down” to my advantage when recalling dogs. When I teach emergency recalls in my classes, I would always stress that it was very important to have a moving down on a dog, because the dog was more likely to “down” first, then come. I used the example of putting a car in neutral before you could put it in reverse! So I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who has found this principle to be true!
Trisha says
All good reminders to us that 1) emergency stops can and do work if they are trained correctly in the first place and maintained and 2) that ‘trained and maintained’ means practicing them in a variety of contexts (streets versus trails, in yard versus deep in the woods, and 3) it’s good to remember you have one (as I didn’t the first time! sigh….)
And fyi, ewes can have singles (most common out west, where it’s touch for a range ewe to protect and raise twins), twins (my favorite), triplets and even more, depending on the breed.
Linda says
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Shaya says
An emergency down or other stop sounds like a good idea. In Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevvitt she mentions a swimmer’s turn equivalent as part of her come which is useful in an emergency when the dog is running away from you. I need to reread that to figure out how she trained it and if it applies.
I’ve definitely noticed when my dog plays keep away that it is so much easier to ask for a sit (his default behavior) and then come up to get him, working on walking in a curve and not rushing up to him, then it is to ask for a come. Obviously there is more work that needs to be done on a great recall as well as an emergency cue.
If I wanted to get his attention fast I’d say “Look!” which means there are squirrels in the window or good food on the ground he can have. Not ideal because that doesn’t mean I necessarily have the super interesting thing but it does get attention.
Hilary says
I have a ‘change of direction’ whistle which I know wouldn’t be useful in an emergency but I use it alot. When my dogs are racing ahead off the lead, I’ll deliberately cut up a different path using the whistle and they backtrack and follow me.
Had some motorcyclists up ahead this morning who were just standing round planning their fast drives through the countryside. Gave my whistle as soon as I saw them and we all did an abrupt turn out of their way.
I could do with a real emergency ‘no’. Will work it into our walks.
Thanks for your blog entry -really interesting.
Mary says
Because I’m a lawyer as well as a dog lover, I feel compelled to explain that, as ridiculous as the phrase sounds, moral rights is just a term that refers to the bundle of intangible rights that a person has to control his or her intellectual property, including your own image.
I’m definitely going to have to work on an Emergency stop – my Daisy will chase a squirrel right in front of a speeding car if I let her. Having a super-confident and game dog is wonderful in many ways, but it would be much better if she also exhibited a little bit of common sense regarding her own physical well-being.
Trisha says
Thanks for the legal clarification! Have to admit the wording still makes me laugh!
Penn says
“Color starved”. That’s the best term I’ve heard for it so far.
Jodi says
I read this post and 2 days later Sasha took off after one of the neighbor kids. Unfortunatly, I’m a cat person. Sasha belongs to my roommate. Having been a paper-girl as a child, and having been chased by dogs, it terrified me just to watch; although Sasha is much more likely to lick than bite, the kid doesn’t know that. I’ve invested in several of Trisha’s books and am eagerly waiting for “Family Friendly Dog Training” right now. Trisha– You’ve already taught me a lot about dog training. Having been afraid of dogs my entire life, I’m finally enjoying “Man’s best friend.”
It is strange to me that my cat, Dexter, seems easier to train to “come” and “sit” than the Lab!
Anne says
I have a 5 month old puppy who is not so good at “come” yet. If I hide from her, all of a sudden she wants to come and find me. In an emergency- like when she is heading for the open gate to the driveway- I tend to blurt out what ever pops in my head “Sprite!” (her name) in a firm voice, or “aaachh!” and she will stop and look, then if I kneel down and call “here Sprite” she’ll come.
It even worked once when she found her way into the pasture with the ewes and lambs and Sprite, who is an Aussie that already knows her mission in life is sheep, was heading for the sheep. It could only be bad if she made it there, as she is very little and the sheep can be protective of their babies. I called Sprite, that’ll do, here, and she came – that was quite exciting and really I was more hopeful than confident that she would listen.
I did find out none of these things works if she made it down to the road already and found a dead rabbit to carry around.
Jessie says
Yes! I don’t pretend to be anything approaching a professional dog trainer, but yes, if my dog is off on a tear, I can give her a Down/Stay from any distance and she will listen to it! She’s got a good (not perfect) recall. But the Down/Stay always works and works immediately, even if she is chasing something.
I never gave much thought to why it works. Just grateful that it does! Discovered it completely by accident one day when I needed her to stop immediately and the recall was totally ignored. We’ve used it ever since.