#monique anstee

[lifeandtimesofdog]

When a dog raises his excitement, more often than not, we rise with him. However, we must know when to dial it way back down, which often is a fight against every fiber in our bodies. This requires discipline from us, not from the dog!

Sometimes we need to go into particular situations with a very deliberate mind, and energy, which will vary depending upon the dog, and the day. But, the key to success is not how you go in; It is knowing that split second of when to become totally and completely soft, in your mind, your muscles, your energy and your thoughts, as soon as the dog shows effort.

Great Dogmanship is about feel and timing, which is turning it on, then turning it off, by altering your own internal state. You should be able to control your own energy as quickly, deliberately and smoothly as you can flip a light-switch.

Great Dogmanship is really to have your emotions, energy, and muscles on cue. You can become whoever, at the push of a button, depending upon who you are working with. One mentor said it best - it is putting a mask on, becoming that person, for as long as your dog needs it, then knowing precisely when to take it off.

And please remember - it isn't the ability to put the mask on that counts. While useful and necessary, it is knowing when to take it off that will give you greatness.

Monique Anstee

Victoria, BC

Originally posted 2/17/2015 on the Naughty Dogge Facebook

[millenniallust4death]

My local community had a fighting-breed kill another dog. This is tragic for so many reasons.

1). People have been told that it is all in how you raise them. This is not true. Genetics play a vital role in breeds. But this has been glossed over my many rescue groups. The breed in question are wonderful, loving dogs but let's be honest about the propensity for dog fights, so that we can prepare new owners and stop tragedies happening.

2).  Dog parks have created the mentality that all dogs should be friends. They shouldn't. They need to learn to mind their manners with strangers, give a polite nod and 'good morning' and continue on. Dogs need dog friends. But social habits among friends vs strangers are very different.

3). Many breeds should not be in dog parks past a certain age. I say this as an owner of two of those breeds...

4).  In our city where import fighting breeds come in by the truck-full every month, going into unknowing homes, unprepared for what they have blooming, the rest of us need to learn how to keep our dogs safe, and how to get a clenched mouth free...  I now walk with a dominant dog collar, big enough that I can fasten around any offending dog, if ever needed, God forbid.  I also walk with an extra leash, so that I can tie any offending dogs up to a tree, while I pry them off.  And I should be walking with a breaking stick to force the jaw open. I do walk with air, but in the case of full fight, this is not enough. I protect my dogs, and now with some of the dangerous dogs I'm seeing, I need to walk with specific tools to protect myself. I wish we were allowed stun guns here in Canada…

5).  We have all become so naive about what dogs are capable of doing. This was not breed specific - Dogs fight. However, certain physically strong breeds or breeds with lots of umph, can do serious damage, and genetically know how to do serious damage.

6). Basic obedience is under valued. Before this fight was fully on, simply saying the dog's name should have snapped them back. Dog training has gotten so dumbed down. Corrections have become so taboo that many trainers are actually avoiding teaching obedience in favour of light, fun fluff. Few in this town teach loose leash walking, which is the most important of all. Without it, we are stealing our client’s money.

7).  All foster-dogs coming into this city should be required to go into a foster-home for at least a month, so that temperament can be fully assessed.

8).  Dog aggression, in a young, confident dog, does not look like people expect.  It comes across as overly friendly.    A pushy determination to say ‘hi’.

9).  I hope a memorial gets put up for the little dog who lost his life, as a reminder for us all to honour and respect dogs for being dogs. Enough with our pretending they are our babies. Yes they are our family members but they are not our babies.

10).  My heart goes out to BOTH owners. What a tragedy, and cruel life lesson. I hope we can all learn from this so that it is not repeated.

Monique Anstee The Naughty Dogge (27 March 2017 post on Facebook)

[wyrddogs]

I’m going to talk somewhat briefly about why I’ve been using running as part of Kermit’s training, with the caveat that I am not a professional dog trainer, I’m just some random person who likes dogs and mostly avoids dog training discussions but occasionally reads or overhears things that I kludge into my training style.

First thing is I accidentally discovered that when Bindi is startled by something that she finds scary (e.g. a motorcycle backfiring, a firecracker, etc.) having her focus on me or work on place, like I was taught in reactivity class, is not super helpful to her. Even though she’ll look at me or lay on her mat, she’s still shaking and thinking about how scared she is. Meanwhile, telling her to pull me as hard and fast as she can for at least a block (two is better) lets her expend all that emotion through hard physical activity. After a good hard pull, she’ll shake herself off and return to her usual self.

Next is Monique Anstee (Naughty Dogge on FB) had a semi-feral, extremely fearful dog that she rehabilitated over several months, and one of the things she did to help him was run him super hard every day. And after a run he was able to manage his own emotions and handle training better.

Third is @malinwoman (hope you don’t mind that I tag you) mentioned in a post that acting out your flight/fight response by running or punching something is super helpful in getting over a stressful situation.

So when I first started leashing Kermit and preventing him from eating poop, that was a stressful experience for him-- because I wasn’t letting him do what he wanted, and more than that, I was waiting him out so he had to make his own decision, on his own time, to turn away from the poop. Even though he gets a big reward for leaving the poop it’s still stressful for him. When I let him pick the pace, he chooses to run as fast as he possibly can for as long as he possibly can. Then, like Bindi after she pulls me, he shakes off.

It has the added benefit of putting him into a really good mood, even though I’m not letting him do what he wants. Our last walk out there ended with him prancing ahead of me with his tail held high even though almost 50% of our walk consisted of me waiting for him to choose not to eat poop.

It helps that his legs are very short and I’m faster than he is.

[doberbutts]

lifeandtimesofdog replied to your post “Folks, y'all should send me asks to keep my mind off my migraine....”

Not clue how to submit an ask, but what dog trainers do you follow/are you inspired by? Bonus points for why you like them.

I don’t really follow any mainstream trainers, to be quite honest.

I do really like Monique Anstee’s dog blog, but she mostly just has the same style of blog I used to where she wordvomits about things that bother her or things she likes with her dogs/clients.

I follow some dog blogs here, but not really to focus on the training aspect. Mostly I follow them because I like them as people, I like their opinions on dog training, or because I like their dogs and want them to succeed in their goals. So I don’t really care what methods they use on their dogs, so much as I care about the other things, because whatever methods other people use on other people’s dogs don’t really affect the methods I use on my dogs and my clients’ dogs.

[handsomedogs]

Have you got any tips for bonding with a new (adult, not puppy) addition to your home? I'm finding it hard to connect emotionally to our new dog, and I feel like our current dog feels a little replaced/isn't connecting either. Thanks!

Hi anon! Sorry for the delay in answering this ask. I hope your new dog is coming along in bonding with you!

Emotional bonds aren’t always instant, and often they take a lot of time. Be patient, and be understanding. Go at the dog’s pace. Try to plan some time each day for a quiet walk, or a grooming or petting session, or a training session if your dog is up to it. Keep it positive, keep it calm, and end it before the dog gets up and leaves (so it ends with the dog wanting more). 

As for ensuring your previous dog doesn’t feel replaced, I read this truly fantastic blog post by Monique Anstee, the author of The Naughty Dogge:

How do you tell your current working dog that the time to pass the torch has arrived? I won’t.

Before I train my puppy, I will always do a very short bit of work with Reggie.

And, l’il Johnny needs to be trained multiple times a day. That means Kate, Pippa and Reggie get the same. I’m now training four dogs at least three times a day each. Good bye TV. Farewell FB. I’ve moved onto more important things!

When I play with him, I have certain sessions where all of his toys come out, and all the dogs participate. They are starting to tolerate him, because of his box of excellent toys.

On walks, it will be a while until Johnny’s joints can handle the distance. By then, Reggie will be needing shorter walks.

With tracking Johnny Jr. will need to go first, with less age on his track. But while his ages the fifteen minutes, I will pee Reggie and quickly groom him, so that he’s still the first out.

In the house, Reggie has moved in fully. Johnny will be a complete house dog for about six months. Then he will spend moments of every day outside in his deluxe dog run.

The key is now making sure Reggie continues to feel as valued and important as he always has. It does take a little bit of effort but not much.

Monique AnsteeVictoria, BC

Hope that helps anon, and I hope you and your established dog are warming up to the new dog. -C

[topbooksinpets]

As A Dog Thinketh - Monique Anstee http://dlvr.it/RHctrn http://dlvr.it/RHctrn

[latestcanadaposts]

B.C.: 15 bestselling books of the week, March 3

B.C.: 15 bestselling books of the week, March 3

Whitewater Cooks: More Beautiful Food, by Shelley Adams. PNG

1. Whitewater Cooks: More Beautiful Food — Shelley Adams (Alicon Holdings Ltd.).

2. As a Dog Thinketh: Daily Words of Wisdom — Monique Anstee (TouchWood Editions).

3. The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief and Compassion — Surprising Observations of a Hidden World — Peter Wohlleben (Greystone Books). 

4. 

[worldfocusnews-blog]

As a Dog Thinketh offers readers plenty to ponder about relationship with pooch Author and dog trainer Monique Anstee's book As a Dog Thinketh offers advice and reassurance for the person looking to be a better dog owner.

[lifeandtimesofdog]

Feel and Timing:

A tool is a tool. It doesn't matter the quality of a hammer or drill, it matters the quality of the craftsman.

I can pick up that drill, and do a fairly disastrous job of making kitchen cupboards. But hand that drill over to a skilled craftsman, and they will all look a whole lot better. Is it the drill that was flawed? Should I buy a different brand?

Dog training tools are the same. It doesn't matter if you use a halti, no pull harness, buckle collar, pinch collar, clicker, or whatever you want to use to teach your dog to walk nicely on a leash. If your skills are lacking, so will the end behaviour be. Trying to buy bigger and better tools isn't going to help you until you look inwards and realize that it is indeed you, yourself, who is lacking the skills. There are some exceptions to this rule, but they are truly exceptions!

This is the fascinating part of dog training. All come to me needing skills, but many are unwilling to work on themselves. They expect the dog to change, transform, while they stay the same. It doesn't work that way. Your relationship with your dog is just that; a relationship. What you do will affect what he does.

But change is difficult for us. It is stressful. It requires us admitting flaws, and being vulnerable. If we rise to the occasion in training our partners, we will end up better people. However, it really is much easier to either a) stuff more food in the dog's face, or b) pound on the dog some more.

Have some people lost the ability to dig deep, to improve themselves?

Some days when I look around, I feel that the art of dogmanship is becoming a lost art. I see my peers, who are veterans in dogs, and they all possess what I speak of. They might all be different from each other in the tools that they use, but they are craftsman. They can take the equivalent of an old, rotten piece of wood and with love, and pride, turn it into something beautiful.

So please remember, it isn't the tool, it is you.

Can you calm your mind? Can you loosen and control your muscles, and control your breath? Do you have the right feel on the leash, for each dog that you work with?

If not, it is time to work on your dogmanship.

Monique Anstee

Victoria, BC

www.naughtydogge.com

[millenniallust4death]

Have you seen the latest post from The Naughty Dogge? (It was posted moments ago; I'd link but you know how Tumblr asks are.) It makes me wish I could send it to those behind the Toronto prong ban you were discussing :)

There isn’t anything I can add so I’m going to quote Monique’s entire post.

As a Dog Society, we are failing.

I’ve been having run-ins with a woman with her two out-of-control dogs.  Both of her dogs are reactive, and one is downright dangerous, but that isn’t the subject of this blog, though it will be the subject of many future ones.  

What this blog is about is how we, dog trainers and the current world of training, have failed this woman and many others.  

How?  She has been told, and believes, that she can retrain her aggressive rescue dog, of a fighting breed, that darn near outweighs her, that she can do it without corrections.  She cannot.  

Instead, she has a dog, well two dogs, that she cannot control, and cannot walk on a leash.  She physically cannot hold onto their leash.  They outweigh her and take her to their victims.

No one has taught this woman about corrective equipment that can help her get control.  It isn’t politically correct, so dog-trainers skip those conversations.  Instead, I’m sure her mentors are watching, waiting for her to euthanize her dangerous dog.  Because euthanizing is easier than putting on a pinch collar and risking being bad mouthed by your peers in this small town.  

Her solution thus far, rather than looking like a water-skier behind a boat, is to unclip the less-dangerous one.  Can we fault her?  No.  Her no-pull harness was not designed for her lunging gladiator.   And no meatball or roasted liver treat outweighs the reward of a freshly caught Border Collie.  

It’s time for people in the rescue world and dog trainers to get honest again.  If we want to adopt this type of dog out, we need to be honest and admit that the training methods that we suggest for your perfect but unruly labradoodle and all regular pet dogs will not be suitable for a dog bred to protect at no cost, who out-weighs you, and who is coming with past baggage.  

Monique AnsteeThe Naughty Dogge on Facebook2 March 2017

[lifeandtimesofdog]

Olympic Dressage Horses versus school pony.

Most pet dogs are reliable school ponies, but the dogs that I get to train are olympic dressage horses. They will respond to every question, even the ones that we do not know we are delivering. By comparison, your school pony will barely respond to anything. The first of these two animals has caused grief in their home because he will respond to anything; every breath that is different will get a response, and any tightened muscles will get a different response. These animals force us to be aware of what we do, and then force us to be consistent with all that we do. By giving us such awareness and control, these animals are our teachers.

The second school pony will barely respond to anything, and as such, will be a much easier animal to live with, or blunder along with. And to deal with. However, all of his responses will be at a much more muted level. The word 'brilliance' will never be paired with this animal, but they will be solid, reliable, and pleasant. And probably easier to love!

Most of the dogs coming into my reactive dog classes are from the first group. They are Olympic Horses, picking up on cues and then responding to things that their owners are unaware that they are giving. They have great intelligence, which has gotten their more novice owners into trouble. All of the pointy-eared herding breeds fit into this group also.

I do believe that we always get the dogs that we need, though not necessarily the dogs that we want. The perfect animal for us arrives when it is time for us to be working on a skill that we are lacking. To succeed with these animals, we must learn that skill. We are not training dogs - we are working on ourselves.

If you find yourself running into trouble, probably you got more dog than you bargained on. In addition to teaching obedience, your other solutions will be your own personal growth as you learn to be aware of the all cues that you are giving, which in turn will teach you to have complete control over what stresses you, and how you choose to respond in those moments.

While at times it might not be the funnest journey, it is addictive. People who decide to dig deep and work through it with these dogs almost always end up hooked into a dog sport, and doing very well.

We are so lucky that we get to play dogs. And that our dogs make us better people.

Monique Anstee

Victoria, BC

Originally posted 2/5/16

[doberbutts]

Another really successful day with a reactive client. This is a 1yo Rottie who is both in a fear period and has some seemingly hormone related issues with other dogs. This is where things get hairy- because there IS a fear response present here but she also responds to other dogs like L and Creed where she only gets explosive on leash and otherwise acts like she wants to play and be social when loose.

Today was my first time meeting X in a true training environment. I met her once before when her owner signed up for training, but that was a quick 10 minute meet-and-greet as she explained the problems she’s been experiencing. X is a fairly well trained sport dog who has been having fun in agility and rally until this problem came about and was, subsequently, kicked out of the sport classes she’d been taken until the problem can be remedied. X has not actually attacked another dog nor has she done more than noise/slobber while her owner desperately tries to redirect her when she reacts.

Today’s neutral dog was not Creed but a young adult who’s taken about 10 classes with me thus far for the same problem (who learned with Creed as a neutral dog). His owner has effectively mastered the “stop freaking out! if you freak out then your dog will freak out harder!” routine and now his interaction with his dog (D*) is far more upbeat and laidback than when he was in constant fear of losing control. D, as a result, is much more willing to be happy and relaxed while training. I wanted X’s owner to see that it was possible to obtain that dog that could ignore other dogs, to see that even with this training there is still management and slip ups and keeping your situations fair, and to see the way D’s owner handles his dog as a reference for how she should handle X. She commented, towards the end of class, that watching me work with X was eye-opening for her because she is never able to see her dog performing for someone else- it’s always just her looking down the leash at a dog she’s becoming more frustrated and more disappointed with.

Because I wanted to evaluate before jumping straight into remedying the problem, I asked to handle X for the first part of class. Outside of a few grumbles to herself about D being roughly 15 feet away from her, she was capable of keeping her opinions to herself. At some point, she glanced up at me, and I rained treats and praise down on her for choosing to ask me for guidance on what to do and turn her back on the dog she wanted to threaten. She caught onto the game pretty face, glancing at him and then looking at me and glancing at him and looking at me- until she was prancing in her pretty rally heel about 8 feet away from the object of her hatred, side by side with him and wiggling her nub excitedly when she understood what I wanted her to do. No more growling, no more posturing, her owner walking slightly to the side of us dumbfounded that, to her eyes, sweet-talking, treats, and managing the distance from another dog for 30 minutes was all it took to turn her demonic teenager back into that sweet young adult she used to be.

I handed her the leash and X snarled and sniped at D twice when passing him- telling me that her owner’s nervousness and frustration with this problem made the current distance impossible. They moved to about 12 feet away and had much more success there, until we were able to shorten the distance back down to 8 feet. At that distance, both dogs were able to offer a down, facing away from each other, and watching their owners intently.

X was in a prong, as her owner fears losing control of her dog when she reacts, but she did not receive a prong correction throughout the duration of the class. I did inform her owner that while I wanted her to bring the prong back to the next class, I also wanted to try with just her flat collar to see if we could get the same success. She walked on a loose leash, no leash corrections or pressure was given, and if she began to lose control of herself we simple had the distance between the dogs lengthened before trying again.

When I posted about L, someone commented saying that there was only a large amount of improvement because of the aversive training (because +P is the fastest at stopping problem behaviors). That is somewhat true. It also misses the mark a bit as I would not count either situations as “improvement”, simple success in showing both dogs what the desired behavior was and setting the way for further success. Neither of the dogs have “improved” to my mind- L may be somewhat better at controlling herself, but how much of that is her owner’s handling that’s improved rather than L herself? X may have been able to tolerate D standing about 8 feet away from her without feeling the need to get up and snipe at him, but how much of that is her owner’s own anxiety toned down vs X’s?

Monique Anstee (The Naughty Dog Blog) has a couple posts now about how reactivity is very often the handler’s fault and not actually on the dog. This was key for me to understand two aspects of reactivity when I struggled with Creed- first to watch my own behavior with him and second to explain why he may act one way (towards other dogs) with one person and completely differently with me. Similarly, I see this more and more with my very desperate clients with very reactive dogs- their dogs are actually very easy to convince not to react, provided they are handled correctly. The problem: their owners don’t know how to handle them correctly, and have waited to come to me until they are legitimately afraid of their dog or what their dog is capable of. And thus, in my classes with my reactive dogs, you will see me following behind the pair occasionally barking my own orders- lower your arm! looser leash! reward that right now! don’t correct her, talk to her! give him space! don’t get mad! don’t be nervous! take a breath, try it again! that’s pretty hard, make it easier! why is this difficult for your dog- tell me, with words, I want to hear it from you!

I got out of aggressive dogs because I got tired of getting bit. I got into aggressive dogs because I got tired of seeing people feel so helpless and afraid when trying to manage their dogs’ poor behavior. And I take the occasional reactive dog now, because I enjoy seeing a broken relationship be mended when the communication between the pair has finally been fixed. Whatever methods needed to happen between point A and point B.

[latestcanadaposts]

B.C.: 15 bestselling books of the week, Feb. 17

B.C.: 15 bestselling books of the week, Feb. 17

1. Whitewater Cooks: More Beautiful Food — Shelley Adams (Alicon Holdings Ltd.).

2. The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief and Compassion — Surprising Observations of a Hidden World — Peter Wohlleben (Greystone Books). 

3. As a Dog Thinketh: Daily Words of Wisdom — Monique Anstee (TouchWood Editions).

4. Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation — Monique Gray Smith (Orca Book Publishers).  

[latestcanadaposts]

As a Dog Thinketh offers dog owners plenty to ponder

Author and dog trainer Monique Anstee’s book As a Dog Thinketh offers advice and reassurance for the person looking to be a better dog owner. Submitted / PNG

As a Dog Thinketh

Monique Anstee | Touchwood Editions

$22

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Sally Jo is a six-month-old mini Australian shepherd…