Dog Ballet (Canine Freestyle)

Have you ever seen a dog dance with it’s owner? It’s the most amazing thing. It’s a real sign that the dog-owner-bond is strong and also a clear indication of amazing, amazing dog training. While Vance isn’t nearly this well trained, watching canine freestyle has me really inspired about just how much he and I could accomplish if I paid more attention to his training.

While I’ve always loved dog agility shows, there’s something even more amazing and inspiring about canine freestyle. I think that’s because the performance is so reflective of both the dog’s personality and the bond between the owner and the dog and that makes it even more inspiring than a traditional agility course. Vance loves agility training, and watching these videos, I wonder if he wouldn’t love a form of even more intense dog training like this. You can see so clearly that the dogs in these videos are loving every single minute of it, and that’s a really amazing thing to see.

Here are a few of my favorite canine freestyle videos from YouTube–I’d love to hear about your favorites if you have any of your own! And what’s something you’d love to be able to train your dog to do?

(And make sure to check in again later today for the announcement of the winner of the Tricky Treat Ball!)

Watch the Dog Whisperer Online (It’s Totally Legal!)

We don’t get the National Geographic channel here at our house (we only have very basic cable) which means we usually have to wait for the Dog Whisperer to come out on DVD. Well, not anymore! I just noticed that they’ve started adding four episodes at a time of the Dog Whisperer to Hulu.com so we can now watch them at our leisure.

A few fabulous things about Hulu–it’s advertiser supported (so it’s free) but the commercial breaks are much shorter than they are on TV, the streaming works flawlessly with our high speed connection, and you can resize the viewing window to any size you’d like from tiny to full size. Sometimes, I keep something open in a window while I’m doing something else on the computer, so this is perfect for me. Other times, I want to watch something on the entire space of the widescreen 23″ monitor, so I go full screen mode and can sit back and enjoy.

Also, this means you can watch the Dog Whisperer *legally* even if you don’t get the National Geographic channel. I know there are ways to watch TV shows that aren’t so legal and I’ve never tried that approach because it’s littered with viruses (and, you know, the whole breaking the law thing factors in in a mega way). I just got through watching Season 5, Episode 7 where our favorite dog whisperer Cesar Millan works with an adorable basset who’s afraid of the head of the house. I couldn’t believe when Sadie (the basset) wouldn’t even take a treat from him because she’s so afraid of him. It’s always so amazing to watch how patiently Cesar listens to the people who need his help–if it were me, I wouldn’t be nearly so nice to them. Guess that’s why he’s the dog whisperer and not me ;-).

Nothing in Life is Free Dog Training: 9 Tips to Make it More Effective

If you’ve got a dog who’s a little on the bossy side like we do, you probably use the Nothing in Life is Free dog training program (also called NILIF). Basically, NILIF is where you always make your dog do something for you before doing anything for your dog. So, before the dog gets food, the dog sits on command. Before the dog goes out, the dog lays down on command. Before the dog goes for a walk, the dog sits on command.

It’s a little tedious (that’s putting it mildly). But, it’s a really effective way to keep your dog behaving like a family member instead of like a hoodlum. With our dog, this basic NILIF program is usually enough. But, every so often he starts to get a little pushy, and when we see the warning signs that he thinks he’s in charge of us (pushing us with his nose when he wants to be petted, insisting it’s time to eat a half hour before meal time, that sort of thing), we step up our NILIF dog training program. Here are ten ways to boost the effectiveness of Nothing in Life is Free with your dog, too.

1. Play with *my* toy. The first thing that we’re really careful to do when stepping up the NILIF dog training around here is to always choose the toy for play sessions. We’ve got a big dog toy box around here and he’s definitely got his favorites. Usually, we let him choose something, but when he needs to remember we pay the food bills, we get to choose the toy. And because I’m a little ornery, I usually choose something that’s not his top toy. If he won’t play with my choice, we don’t play at all.
2. Play on *my* terms. Along with choosing the toy, we also play on our terms–that means stopping the play session before he’s done with the game so that he knows it’s *us* who’ve decided not to play anymore. This is a great way to remind the dog that Nothing in Life is Free.
3. Bed before excitement. While he usually has to sit before anything good happens (guests come into the house, we put his leash on for a walk, we fill his bowl with food), when we step up the NILIF dog training, he has to be on his bed, laying quietly, before anything happens.
4. No more stalking. I work from home, and so the dog tends to follow me from room to room throughout the day. He likes to lay in the sun in whichever room I’m in. When we’re being strict adherents to Nothing in Life is Free, he doesn’t get to follow me around. In fact, he has to stay put on his bed in the den which is usually on the other end of the house from where I am. In that way I know where he is, but he’s not as sure where I am, reminding him that I’m the boss of him, and not the other way around.
5. Don’t even think about it, mister. Ordinarily, he’s allowed on the furniture (when we invite him), but when we’re fully in NILIF dog training mode around here, he stays on the floor. Should he ask, fuss, or whine, he gets a whithering look and is sent to his bed. It usually only happens once, but we’ve found it’s really important that we go out of our way to make the point that it’s not that we’ve “forgotten” to invite him–we’ve deliberately chosen *not* to invite him onto the couch to cuddle.
6. Stay out of my personal space. He’s a cuddler. Which is usually delightful. I especially love the way he leans on me when we’re out in the back yard and he’s sitting by my side. But, when we’ve stepped up the Nothing in Life is Free training, he needs to respect my personal space. That means no leaning, no cuddling, and no being close without being invited.
7. I decide who gets petted and when. In fact, when we’re NILIF-ing, he only gets petted when he’s called over (and then sitting as told), and only for a few brief moments of affection. It’s especially important that he’s aware we’re determining the frequency and duration of any ear-scratching sessions.
8. No treats. I hate this one, but I’ve found it makes a big difference. Usually, throughout the day, I ask him to do dog tricks and give him treats intermittently. But, when we’re Nothing in Life is Free training double time, he gets no treats, at all.
9. Sit and make it snappy. Have you ever noticed your dog responding a little sluggishly to your commands? You say, “Sit” and he …. sits, eventually. You say, “Speak” and he… looks at you a long time before barking. When we’re NILIF-ing around here, we expect him to be extra responsive to any commands. We do this by being more assertive and confident in giving commands, by being extra-deliberate and focused. He. Will. Sit. Now.

So, there you have it–the nine extra ways we step up the NILIF dog training in our house. Have you ever used Nothing in Life is Free with a dog? Did you notice it made as big a difference with your dog’s attitude as it’s made with ours? I’d love to hear about your experiences with NILIF dog training!