Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Week 3 is down - Capone's personality is emerging!

Our new Boston terrier never ceases to amaze me!

His personality is beginning to appear. He is playful, quite mouthy, likes to bark very loudly, is extremely boisterous and is almost potty trained. This was the best week so far for his potty training habits. I sincerely think we are over the initial hurdle of getting to be comfortable with each other now.

Good thing too! He had a little bout of "dogie" stomach flu. It went through him withing 48 hours I was stuck at home with a sick dog, put him on the BRAT diet after 24 hours and he managed each and every time to make it outside to eliminate. I was very thankful. He is now paper trained too, and I have found that I can put him out before I leave to go to the grocery store, go workout and he will eliminate on the paper if he does not do his business beforehand. Which happens as he is still young, immature and sometimes forgets to do his business outside so it is much easier to clean the "potty" paper and anything which falls on the carpet. Also, suggest that you get an oversize rug to put under the area where your pet had marked in the house as it makes it much easier to clean up the messes your dog will leave. My older dog is rat terrier, he rarely if ever goes inside the house but there is an occasion or two when it was snowing out and you simply cannot get them to go out into the cold wet snow to eliminate.

I have been reading books like crazy on the subject of training difficult to train dogs, "Training the Hard to Train Dog " by Peggy Swagger and also "Cesar's Way" by Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier. It is much too difficult to find books on the subject of training deaf dogs, again I must let folks out there know there are just not enough books on this subject. I have found great comfort in the books I am reading as they are gently letting me know that the dogs tune into us and our emotions. So, that said, do try to maintain your calm confident leader of the pack composure when dealing with the new deaf dog. He cannot hear you, you do not know how many times you will have to remind yourself about the fact that he cannot hear -- the dog reads your emotions and body cues and looks at your face and takes it cues from those things. The deaf dog also follows and mimics your hearing dog. So, the deaf dog will learn all the bad traits your hearing dog knows.

I start each day with a brisk 15 min walk with the dogs (trying to work them both up to a cumulative total of 60 minutes of walking daily), make sure to exercise and play with them to wear them out in the morning and again in the afternoon (if not possible due to heat then play with them indoors) and then again after dinner. I feed the dogs after exercising, they go do their business and then sleep for a couple of hours and I do whatever I need to do (writing is one of the things I do, work on this blog or on my books). I was not aware that the dogs sense your composure by the way you hold their leashes when you walk with them, remember they are merely acting on your own emotional projections coupled with their own fears (especially in the case of a rescue dogs -- like this Boston Terrier), have discovered that must change a few things about myself so the new dog does not fight with the other older dogs (intense jealousy there), also be sure to set up a schedule intersperse throughout your day -- teach the dogs new commands and re-teach (remind) them commands, correct their behaviors 3 to 4 times a day for about 5 mins at a shot and work your way up to 20 mins at each session.

The single most difficult thing to deal with right now is the fact that our new pup is full of energy and some days requires much more playtime in the evenings as he becomes wild man and runs around like a chicken with his head cut off. I have been reading on how to re-educate a dog who bites playfully too hard and also who barks excessively. I am not sure if I need to get a crate to calm him down, I never liked crating dogs, but I might!. For now I am putting him in timeout for 15 minutes in the kitchen with a baby gate blocking the entrance -- when he bites me too hard and gets frenzied before bed time. He clearly wants another dog to play with and so I have become his play buddy as my husband still works, the other older dog (11 years) has no patience with him and since I am retired I have begun to play with him to wear him out.

Have read about and tried 1) using spray water bottles on the dog to deter biting and barking, 2) closing the dog's mouth with your fingers to stop him from barking, 3) Saying and signing "NO" with a mad face. I have not tried "The Husher" device (similar to a muzzle) nor have I tried Tabasco or lemon juice to deter mouthing or biting. The most important thing I can say is that you must find a way to teach the dog "NO" and "Quiet" as they are vital. As is "Good Dog".

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Week two is down

It has taken the better part of week 2 to get the idea of training Capone to go potty to actually stick in his mind. His real personality is starting to come out now too. Not sure what he had gone through in his past life. One thing is certain. This pup had a hard life before he met us, this is evident in his jealousy of the older dog and also his need for constant attention negative or positive. His need to bark excessively seems to point to the fact that he needs more exercise as he feels he needs to bark when he wants attention, which seems like it is constant.

Potty training has consisted of getting him on a schedule, a strict schedule. Boston Terriers have a problem with corn meal in their food, gives them horrendous gas. This means taking him out every 30 minutes until he goes potty after each meal. This also means correcting him "on the spot" for not going outside to do his business, begin lazy is not an excuse for defecating inside the home (especially at the entrance to the kitchen)! He is starting to get the message. Finally! :)

He has had two really bad days of defecating inside at every opportunity, followed by chastising each time he went to the bathroom inside. Initially,every time he went outside to do his business he was too busy looking around to -- now, a perfect set of 3 days. He has now had a 4 day streak of always making it outside to defecate. The key is getting to know your dog, when they begin to circle -- then you know that they need to go outside! It will in my opinion take 2 - 3 weeks to re-train a 2 year dog to go potty outside.

He is coming along very well, training him to not bark all the time will be on for the "to-do list" next - we need to work on that list plus the fact that he needs to stop being so jealous of our older dog. Must prepare him to exercise longer and more frequently. Since he is not used to 1 hour long walks yet, I am gently training him to do 15 to 30 minute walks several times a day until he is ready to walk for 1 hour. With the high heat and humidity, we must take our walks at daybreak, shorter walks later in the day so as not to dehydrate the dog.

Signing, is coming along slowly. He knows the sign "NO" and "YES" as this is being used in conjunction with potty training Capone.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Why do deaf dogs bark so loud?

Capone barks at everything. He whimpers when his feelings have been hurt. He makes strange little noises and he barks ALL the time. Question I have is why do deaf dogs bark so loud? It is simply because they cannot hear themselves? Can they feel vibrations which they translate into what we actually "hear"? Deaf dogs have never heard a growl -- so they don't seem to know how to growl (this may not be the case concerning dogs who have lost their hearing). While I am not certain,  this seems to be a bit of a lazy way for the dog to get your attention -- be it positive or negative. Think it is time to research how deaf people communicate with their dogs, which training method works - Cesar Milan seems to be best for fast results.

Puppies are all pretty much born deaf, they are deaf the first two weeks of their lives. When they reach 14 days of age their ears canals open up and they can hear sounds. The pups other senses become more vital. Deaf pups smell everything first, see them second, feel them third and react to the sighted dogs cues. When you call a hearing pup to you for dinner, the sighted ones come first, the deaf are the laggards.

Checking into on-line at training sessions with dog trainers. Decided that I am going to arm myself with dog training books at the local library, off ebay and off amazon.com. Enlisted the help of my local librarian, we went on-line and looked at how to train a deaf dog. Reading now about how to teach ASL to a deaf dog, also rented a copy of ASL signing on DVD as the book cannot really "show how to sign". Successfully taught him the ASL word for "NO", next am going to teach him "YES" and more words. Deaf dogs are pretty easy to paper train, next is training to eliminate in the outdoors. He is a visual creature so we have learned to leave the bottom most blinds open in all window or he will chew them so he can see (it only took one training session of staying at home alone for me to learn), or move them with his head. He also, pops in on us in the bathroom, he wants to "see" us in the shower, so we replaced our shower curtain with clear liners so he can "see us". He wants to know our every move, not a problem -- I merely have to get his attention (walk in front of him, or wave my hands or flick the light switch on or off) and show him where I am going.

My older rat terrier is not getting along with the new 2 year Boston Terrier. I read in the dog training manuals that older dogs will take sometime to warm up the the dogs. That appears to be the case. We put the older dog in our bedroom with the door closed when they get tense, this calms them both down. Good thing I am retired! We have all been going for frequent walks, exercise seems to be the key to keeping a deaf dog in check. While they may sleep in our bed at night and on the oversized dog bed my husband purchased for them both they are still not sure of each other. The dogs have yet to  learn how to play (when the older dog will even allow it) together as one is much larger than the other. So, this may take a month or so to teach him to "play nice" - hm, wonder what the sign is for that!? We have decided to keep the playful young deaf dog. So, keep checking back as we learn how to train and live with a deaf dog.

Now comes the real hard part -- how to train the dog. I  must finish his potty training lessons. Train him to use the outside for eliminating waste. On to the more positive tactics and teaching him a handful of ASL signs.  Hopefully next week will go better!

Here is a photo of the dear deaf pooch. He  looks like an angel when he is asleep.

Monday, July 4, 2011

July 2, 2011 marks the start of life with a deaf dog

My husband and I decided to adopt a deaf male Boston Terrier dog named Capone. He is a handsome two year old with epilepsy, he unfortunately also tested Heartworm positive. He is simply a delight. Sad that he was abandoned, and had to undergo such problems at such a young age. However, now he is in good hands, we shall pamper the pooch and get him in tip top shape. 

Stephen and I decided to take the time over the long Fourth of July weekend to spend time with him and acclimate him to our little apartment. We have another male dog Rocky, who unfortunately is a crusty old man of ten and who loves being the only dog. Rocky is not a happy camper when it comes to the new big pup we brought home.

I bought a couple of books on ASL and have begun to use them with Capone. I hope that this will help me communicate with him as he cannot hear me. Beleive me I did test his hearing to verify that he has no hearing, which I must say having a dog that cannot hear is a blessing of sorts. I have also contacted a trainer for a possible class which will give me a little help. 

Check back in from time to time as I detail my experiences as I try to teach Capone sign language for dogs and get him used to life in our household. There is one thing I am sure of -- I am so glad that we have this little apt to teach Capone in, the problem will happen here preferable to learn in rental! As opposed to a new place or in our summer vacation home in the Southwest.