Growing Older With Dogs: How Our Best Dog Choices Change With Age.

Michael Baugh CDBC

Sixty crept up on me. I’m not saying forty feels like yesterday, but it certainly doesn’t feel like three dogs ago (Stella and Stewie were concurrent). We are getting older, have been since the day we were born. The choices we make about living with dogs need to be different from the choices we made thirty, twenty, even ten years ago.

Choose a puppy? At my age? Probably not. A lot of things change in our later decades. Many of us become happier and more emotionally stable — yay. On the other hand, our skin gets thinner. That sure takes a lot of joy out of raising a puppy. All puppies bite; it’s normal; and their teeth are very sharp. If you are on a blood thinner (I’m not), that can make things even more serious. And our knees. Mine remind me often that I don’t want to be chasing a crazy playful puppy around at top speed like I did when I was younger. Maybe a two-year-old or three-year-old dog would be a better choice.

Choose the dog that would be right for you five years from now. I know this is tough to predict, and most of us don’t want to think about it. My dog, Charlie, will probably live another ten years (more, I hope). That means I may start a new life with a new dog at seventy. I hope to be strong and healthy at seventy. The question is, do I want a large, active adult retriever (for example) who needs a lot of exercise and pulls on the leash and jumps on me when I come home at seventy-five? No. Of course I would train him. But training a large dog is still a physical endeavor. Better if I choose a smaller dog, something cute and cuddly, please.

Choose to have the hard conversation. We are used to outliving our dogs. Eventually, one will outlive us. This is difficult to imagine now when we are healthy and enjoying life more than ever. We should think about it, though. If death comes for me at seventy-five, who will take care of my beloved little five-year-old dog? All of us, without exception, need to have a care plan for our dogs, a safety net for them in the event of our passing. Talk to your younger family and friends. Get a commitment and put your wishes in writing.

If you have money — and I know some of you do — consider what one of my clients has done. She set up a trust for her dogs. It’s in her will: money (a considerable sum) for their care after her passing.

I want to have a dog my whole life, she told me one day after our training session.

I smiled. Of course, you should.

Imagine it: graying hair and graying muzzles, slow walks, evenings in your favorite chair. It’s all possible. Choose well for the years you’ll have together. And when the time comes for either of you to say goodbye, know that you planned well, loved deeply, and gave each other a life worth remembering.

 

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Sedona Arizona, Houston Texas, and online everywhere. He specializes in aggressive dog training.

Dog Training – Active vs. Passive Learning

 

Michael Baugh CDBC

A new client in his early 30s stood in his driveway, his large dog sitting calmly by his side. His dog’s behavior intake form mentioned some aggression issues. This dog didn’t look aggressive, not at the moment anyway. I got out of my car, not nervous; let’s just say I was extra aware. (You don’t want to be creepy about it. It can spook the dog). The man released his dog to say hello, and it was all wags and nuzzles; the dog didn’t even jump.

“Who did you train with?” I asked the man later.

“I watched videos,” he answered, listing a few well-known positive reinforcement trainers.

You might think that trainers like me would be worried. Potential clients can get a flood of information about dog training any time they want online. AI will even help them refine their searches. I’m not worried. I’m glad. Watching videos helped my client and his dog. I made my job easier.

The problem isn’t dog training videos. It’s passive learning. A learner who is just a viewer doesn’t have to do anything. Yes, there is some retention of information, but that declines significantly if the learner is scrolling through videos. More is not better. Active is better.

A lot of positive reinforcement dog training videos are great. Books and podcasts are too. But research on learning consistently shows that participation and feedback improve retention far more than passive consumption. That matches what I see in dog training every day.

My client watched one video at a time. He paused and practiced. That’s not passive. It’s why he did so well. There were gaps and areas for improvement. But he’d gotten us to a great starting point.

When I’m working with a client, I teach a concept, demonstrate a skill, and then observe while my client tries the new skill with his dog. The process is dynamic. My clients’ active engagement solidifies the learning.

The more active the learner becomes by practicing, asking questions, and even handwriting notes, the more the information sticks.

Videos, podcasts, and reading all have their place. My client had a great deal of knowledge when I arrived on that first day. He and his dog had an open line of communication. My job was to show him how to leverage all that learning to remedy the occasional aggressive outbursts. After just two visits, far fewer than the number of times I typically see clients, the man smiled and said, “I think I got this.”

I nodded, “I think you do too.”

The foundation was already there. Dog training is experiential. If the information is good, putting it into action is the most sensible next step.

 

Michael Baugh CDBC  specializes in aggressive dog training in Sedona, Arizona and Houston, Texas. You can see his online dog training videos on YouTube.

Starbucks and Aggressive Dog Training

Michael Baugh CDBC

I savor victory every time I pass a Starbucks. It had a tight grip on me. Every day, I pulled into the drive-thru and pulled out my phone with the app. I smiled, paid, took what the big-bucks boss called my “luxury experience,” and drove off. The trouble started with lattes: grande, then venti, two percent, soy, oat milk. Always iced. Things got worse with the occasional piece of coffee cake or pumpkin loaf. The habit grew expensive. I grew fatter. It had to stop.

My personal journey kicking fast-food coffee reminds me a lot of my clients. Our dogs get into bad habits: barking, lunging, and biting. Things escalate. We grow frightened and weary. Of course, we want it to stop.

Our behavior seems random. Same with our dogs. Habits, aversions, quirks — how do they form? Our dogs’ aggressive behavior works. It creates distance. Scary things retreat. My Starbucks routine worked, too — caffeine, sugar, ritual, relief. Different behaviors, same mechanics. Short-term payoff. Long-term costs.

Here’s how I kicked my Starbucks habit with parallels to curbing aggressive behavior in our dogs. It’s simple. But it takes some grit to pull off in real life.

Block access to the unwanted pattern of behavior.

Starbucks: I deleted the app. Since I stopped most often on my way to client appointments, I left just in time to get there (none to spare at the drive-thru). In the early days, I also changed my route so I would not pass the location nearest my home.

Aggressive dog training: Avoid aggression triggers. Walk when there are fewer dogs and people out if that’s your problem. Safely confine the dog out-of-sight of visitors if it’s a stranger aggression issue. Keep dogs that fight separate. Manage toys and food if the dog is a resource guarder.

Create new patterns of behavior.

Starbucks: I make my own iced coffee at home and take it in a tumbler. It actually tastes better. Eating before I leave certainly helps, too. I call my best friend on the way to clients. He knows I’m a recovering consumer.

Aggressive dog training: Train calm, predictable patterns of behavior. Introduce the triggering stimulus gradually, from a distance, with very little activity or distraction. Teaching a relaxation protocol is a great idea. So is casual observation of a trigger in a non-stimulating setting.

This works. But behavior change is still hard. I still think about stopping. And I still notice every Starbucks sign, no matter where I am. The process works with our dogs as well. Stick with it. Remember, I said this takes grit. I meant that. The long-term payoff? It’s absolutely worth it. Like a cold brew with oat milk from my tumbler on a warm day, it’s worth it.

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Sedona AZ and Houston TX. He specializes in aggressive dog training.