Reviews for Vir-chew. Dog Bless You! What modern dog training has taught me about leading a good life.
Review #1 click here. "A treat for dog lovers that provides helpful lessons on dog training as well as some valuable advice for life in general, Vir-Chew is a unique motivational book you shouldn't miss out on." READ FULL REVIEW
Review #2 click here. "Never preachy, often funny, sometimes irreverent, and even radical in its discussion of what makes for living a good life. I recommend this book to all readers, whether you have a dog or not" READ FULL REVIEW
Review #3 click here. "What I enjoyed most about this book is the author’s voice—his kindness, sincerity, compassion, and honesty. He starts from the simple truth that none of us is perfect, we all make mistakes, but through effort and most of all Love, we can all grow, and yes, by using some of the techniques he learned by becoming a dog trainer." READ FULL REVIEW
Review #4 click here. "Vir-Chew: Dog Bless You by Dan Josselyn-Creighton is about how working with dogs helped the author overcome depression after first losing his dog Kayla when she was 19 years old and later his mother, whom he loved dearly. Seeking purpose after experiencing these deaths led him... to become a dog trainer. He found his passion and, as a result, saved the lives of many dogs by helping their owners understand them better and thus respond appropriately to their dogs’ behavior. " READ FULL REVIEW
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Bowled over
Tips from Dan
You're probably going to be surprised by one piece of equipment I never use with my dog. There are actually several, but most of them are obvious: prong and choke collars, shocks and sprays. All positive dog trainers avoid these items, but there is one on my list that might surprise you; a food bowl. My dog never eats any of her food from a food bowl; we don't even own one anymore. I do feed her, of course – I don't shove her out the door at dinner time and tell her she better start hunting or find a job! Instead, I make her meals FUN! There are a few different ways you can do that, and not only are they easy, they will make your life easier.
Kongs
The first thing I recommend is getting a Kong, or maybe several. A Kong is a durable hard-rubber treat hiding a toy. The first time I gave my dog a Kong, I was SHOCKED by how much fun she had with it! I popped a few treats into the Kong, and she had a blast trying to shake or roll the treats out. I even put some loose treats on the floor, but she didn't even notice – she was focused on getting inside that Kong! You can get creative with your Kong. I like filling my dog Buffy's Kongs with a couple different kinds of treats and then freezing them in place with peanut butter. The benefit for your dog is that Kongs are FUN! The benefit for you is that your dog staysnoccupied while you concentrate on other things; it can be used to keep your dog busy when they are home alone, crated, or when you want to distract them from something scary.
Kibble balls
Another great item that I love to use with my dog is a Kibble ball – a hollow ball with one hole for filling with Kibble. If your dog eats dry Kibble, or even something semi-solid like Beef Rollover, you can fill the Kibble ball with that. The dog then needs to roll the ball around the room until he gets all the Kibble out. Like a Kong, it can be fun, mentally stimulating, and a great way to keep your dog busy for a while. Buffy gets nearly half of her daily allowance of food from her Kibble ball.
Puzzle games
I also like to give my dog some of her food in puzzle games. Puzzle games for dogs come in a variety of types. The one I have for Buffy has several sliding lids covering compartments, and she has to figure out how to slide the compartments open to get the treats inside.
Hand feeding
I also feed my dog at least a handful of food per day directly out of my hand. When I am sitting watching TV, I invite my dog up onto the couch with me (this is allowed in my home), and if she lies calmly next to me, I feed her a piece of Kibble every 2 or 3 seconds. This keeps her focused on me and also encourages her to engage in calm behaviour when she wants something. It's also a nice, easy, bonding experience.
Preparing for adoption events
Tips from Dan
Adoption events are a LOT of fun. There are lots of dogs and lots of people who love dogs, and I have enjoyed every one I've been to. It is a stressful environment for most dogs though, and it can be especially stressful for a rescue dog that may have fears we aren't even aware of yet. Keeping a few important points in mind will help the event go smoothly.
Body language
The most important thing is to have a good understanding of canine body language. Look over the handouts “Doggie language” and “Batzone” and commit as much as possible to memory.
If the dog you are handling starts showing any stress signals, give it a break and get it away from whatever is scaring it, no matter who or what it is.
If you notice another dog giving stress signals, give that dog a little space.
If your dog wants to say hi to a stressed-out dog, don’t let it. That may be a little frustrating for the dog you are handling, so you’ll want to make sure your own mood does NOT appear stressed, even if you are a little stressed. There is a technique called “The Jolly Routine” that you can and should use whenever the dog you are handling is feeling stressed out.
Our normal attempts to soothe an anxious dog are often, maybe even usually, misunderstood by dogs. If the dog doesn’t understand what we mean when we say things like “There, there – it's OK" (and they don't!), then they may end up thinking words like "It's OK, there, there" mean something scary is approaching. Dogs are pretty good at recognizing our happy, playful body language though, and will often respond playfully, or at least respond a little more calmly. Here is a link that describes it in more detail, with a short video to follow:
Show your dog some love!
You also need to find something that rewards the dog. We want the dog to have a good time at these events. If they get scared by another dog or a person, they may become more fearful around other dogs or people in the future. I always take treats with me wherever I go. My pockets ALWAYS smell like meatballs! But you have to be very, very careful with food at these events, as many dogs are resource guarders. If too many dogs are sniffing at your pocket (a treat pouch that closes tightly will work better than your pocket), just throw away any treats you have on you – it’s not worth the risk. If there is ANY sign of resource guarding either by your dog or one of the other dogs, throw the treats away. We do NEED to find things that are rewarding to the dog though. If you aren't going to have any treats on you, you may need to experiment a little bit.
Most dogs get a little itchy behind the ears, along the collar line, under the neck, and at the base of the tail. Some dogs love petting, but most dogs are not very fond of being petted on the head. Do a simple test: pet the dog on the head for a few seconds and then stop. If the dog solicits more petting, GREAT! That dog likes petting and you can pet it to your heart’s content. If the dog doesn’t react or moves away, it probably isn’t crazy about the petting. Do the same thing with scratching behind the ears, tail, collar, etc.
Whatever they like, give them a lot of it, whether that be:
Treats (but not when other dogs are close by)
Affection
a friendly scratch
verbal praise
petting IF they like itA little walk or a run. Dogs LOVE to run. One of the best things rewards you can give a dog is a playful, happy run. If we can teach a dog to have a GOOD time at these events, that will help them be more comfortable around unfamiliar people and dogs, which is exactly what we want.
A potty break
How to handle people approaching your dog
There are going to be some things you can't control. There are ways of greeting an unfamiliar dog that are considered polite in the canine world, but most people don't know them, and you are not going to have the time to explain to people that some of the ways they greet dogs are inappropriate.
Some of the most common mistakes are:
1. making direct eye contact with an unfamiliar dog
2. leaning or looming over a dog
3. approaching head on and getting in the dog’s space before it has accepted you.
4. petting a dog that does not want to be petted
I'll include a handout for politely greeting dogs, but you probably won't have a chance to explain this to people. You'll still want to familiarize yourself with the polite greetings though, so that if a guest is giving a dog a hard stare or starts petting a dog they've never met on the head, you'll be aware that the dog is likely to become stressed. Let the person that scared the dog know that the dog is feeling a little stressed (don't blame them) and back off, maybe taking the dog for a short walk or run.
The body language handouts and the polite greeting handout should be helpful; try to commit as much as possible to memory. Remember to monitor your dog's body language and the other dogs as closely as you can, making sure they have a good time and giving them lots of something they find rewarding: treats, play, a friendly scratch behind the ears, collar line, or base of tail, a short walk or run, a little playtime away from the crowd, maybe a potty break.
Keep an eye on the way people are interacting with your dog, and be ready to give the dog a break if anyone interacts inappropriately with your dog, and some people will act inappropriately: they will get in the dog's face a little too much, stare a little too long, or be too quick to reach out and touch the dog. If the dog gets stressed, you need to step in and help them out. If it knows it can count on you to be its advocate when anxious, it will love you for it. This will help you earn the dog's trust, and there's nothing better than earning the trust of a dog that's feeling a little insecure.
The most important thing is to have fun. My mentor, Steve Benjamin, used to say, “Dog training is supposed to be fun – if it's not fun, there's a good chance you're doing something wrong!" Rescuing dogs should be fun too, so let's go have some FUN!