Westie Terrier Blog

A video of a man screaming at his deer-chasing dog in the U.K. seems to have created a small interest in how to bust dogs off deer.

Dogs chasing deer is not a new problem but an old one, and it is not limited to deer. Dogs may bust on fox, geese, feral cats, horse, sheep, bear, and even cars and bicycles.

Anything that moves away quickly — and especially anything that moves away while making noise — will tend to trigger the prey drive in a dog.

What to do about it?

Well to start, recognize that prey drive is a deeply-seated code that is curled up like a watch spring in some dogs, and that pursuit is a self-reinforcing behavior.

What’s that mean?

Simple enough: It means the dog gets a great deal of pleasure from the pursuit itself.

For a dog, chasing things is a peak experience in and of itself. It is FUN in capital letters.

What that means for you, the owner or trainer, is that you are going to have to use all three legs of operant conditioning in order to achieve success if you have a dog with a lot of prey-drive.

(From a recent article on the Terrierman Blog)

Deer-chasing Willow

I have a confession to make. Last month I came very close to losing my little Westie, Willow. It was a prime example of the danger of deer-chasing.

We were walking in Morrison Park close to where we live in Courtenay. The park is a large area of forest and streams where we like to walk almost every day. Its a great place to wander and gives a Westie a wonderful chance to exercise its nose.

Courtenay is a small city surrounded by forest. If you live on the outskirts of town, as we do, this forested area starts just a couple of blocks away and runs up to Mount Washington and then on to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Morrison Park is actually just a promontory of forest that has been set aside for recreation and there are no fences or any other containment. In other words, if a dog takes off in those woods it can easily be lost forever. Deer-chasing is very dangerous under these conditions.

And that’s what almost happened to me. We were walking in the park. Willow was loose, dragging a 30 foot long-line. Suddenly, she jumped a deer and she was off before I could jump on the line and stop her. That’s how fast you can get into trouble with deer-chasing.

That long-line is all that saved our bacon that afternoon. The brush was too thick to track her. All I could do was head off in the direction she was going and hope she would get hung up somewhere.

That’s exactly what happened. She got a couple of miles and the line finally tangled around a root and stopped her. Fortunately for us, she has been trained to sit calmly as soon as her leash pulls tight, and thats what she did instead of fighting it. As soon as her forward progress was stopped she sat and started barking so I could find her. Everything ended well and I learned a valuable lesson.

Here’s the thing: Westies are terriers. That means that the prey drive is pretty strong in most of them. They can be tripping along as cool as cucumbers one minute and gone in the next instant if something catches their interest. This is especially true if the dog is young and fit like Willow is. Deer-chasing is especially attractive for dogs in their prime when they still have lots of energy.

You may think that you don’t need to worry about such things, especially if you don’t live in a place like Courtenay where deer, and sometimes bears, are often seen walking down the street at midday. But, your dog has the same instincts and they can be triggered by kids on skateboards, cats or other things just as easily as by deer.

The absolute safest thing is to never let your dog off the leash, but who wants that? Having your dog running free beside you is a great feeling and something we should all work towards. That’s why Willow was hooked up to the long-line that afternoon. Deer-chasing wasn’t on my mind though. I was guarding against her chasing a squirrel and figured I would have lots of time to reel her in.

Its fine to let your dog off the leash once you’ve done some work with him. That work includes having him solid on-leash and then on a long line. It takes work and time, but its worth it. Things can change in an instant and its quite possible to lose your dog. It may not run off into the woods, but it could run in front of a car or get into some kind of mischief that ends with it in the pound or being put down.

So, do the work. Put the time into training before you let your dog run free. The training is fun and rewarding in itself and it will protect you from a lot of heart-break in the future. Deer-chasing is not the only thing you have to be careful of.

I came across this article today. The main thrust seems to be to realize that dogs are individuals and that their behavior can’t always be predicted based on the characteristics of the breed alone.

As a dog trainer for over 20 years I have worked with hundreds of dogs and their owners.  One common misconception is that people think a dog behaves a certain way because of either the dog’s breed, his past or his current environment.  It is usually never just one thing that makes a dog what he is, but a combination of a lot of different things.

Inherited Temperaments and Environment

Let me explain further.  Within every breed there are different temperaments that are inherited.  Further, the pup’s early socialization (or lack of) and the dog’s past and current environment plays a role in its behavior.  Finally, how the dog perceives its current home environment, as well as how its owners interact with it, plays a role in the dog’s behavior.

In every breed there are dogs that have issues.  Most bad behavior is changeable, but occasionally, no matter what you do to try and change the behavior, like hiring a trainer (or trainers) and reading books, it is not.

What dog owners have to understand is that while labs, for example, are known to be “good family dogs” each one can be very different.  There are laid back labs, hyper labs, even-tempered labs and a few with a screw loose.  Mixed-breed dogs can sometimes have the best of all breeds in them but not always.

This is certainly true for Westies. Most of them will be high-energy dogs, especially when they are younger. A lot of owners use this characteristic to excuse bad behavior, thinking that it is just a matter of the dog having a lot of energy. In fact, your dog can still be well-trained and polite even if he does have lots of energy. It just takes some extra work and calm on the part of the owner.

We always have to remember the four part hierarchy of natures that Cesar Milan lays out.

1. Animal (not human)
2. Dog (not cat or horse)
3. Breed (Westie not Beagle)
4. Individual (dominant, timid etc)

Individual characteristics lie above breed and sometimes contradict our expectations. If your dog doesn’t act the way you expect it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong. He’s just being himself.

 

You always need to have the right tool for any job – and in the case of dog training there are a whole lot to choose from! As simple as marker training sounds, getting accustomed to the new routine can be a lot for even the most dedicated trainer to handle. That’s why it is important for a canine owner to research and acquire a tool that is convenient and comfortable, something that can be taken on-the-go or used according to your own companion’s very unique needs.

If you’ve done your homework and read some reputable dog training books – you know that a cue or “marker” is used to let your dog know the exact moment that it has accomplished a request. Whether you are teaching advanced tricks or simple behaviors, this type of straightforward communication is what many dogs require to succeed.

The “Just Basics”

There are a few tricks of the trade that are always within reach. If you have hands and a good set of working vocal cords, you are already in possession of the top two training tools that nobody even knew were really tools! Although it is recommended to go for something a little more consistent (we will touch on this idea later), a finger snap or vocal cue can work just fine in certain contexts.

Consider Your Needs

“Clickers” are highly recommended dog training tools, small enough to fit in the pocket and clear enough to be understood by almost any canine. The most basic designs are simply two pieces of plastic that “click” at the push of a button. Other varieties have adjustable volumes for scaredy-dogs and outdoor training.

Are you going to use clicker training solely to teach your companion how to go for walks without breaking etiquette? Get a leash with a clicker right in the handle. Simply want something that can give you a little more hands-free time? Go for a wrist-strap variety! There are endless possibilities for numerous special situations – you just have to find the right clicker for your dog training needs!