This is Allie our Briard Spokesdoggie! She owns Carol and enjoys life to the fullest in the true Briard spirit! The 3rd pic is a lovely sit-stay that would make any trainer happy. The second pic shows a very nice fetch and hold. The 1st picture is a great example of big toys for big dogs. Thanks for all the great pics and videos of Allie. I can see why you love her so much!
I received a letter from Carol about her dog Allie. A couple friends of mine, Carol and Allie are having some trouble communicating with each other. Carol is my 2 legged friend while Allie is my 4 legged friend. She is an adorable example of a Briard with a flop crop. I'm attaching some great pics and a couple videos so you can all get to know her better.
If anyone was ever curious about Briards in action, well here's a big treat for you! See Allie run! run Allie run! At the end, note how quick she is to stop and go very still and respond to her name being called. A prime example of their keen hearing and quick response time! Great videos that are a must see! In my earlier blog about this lovely and lively breed, I mentioned that Briards needs LOTS OF EXERCISE!
And of course Allie's website filled with gorgeous pictures!
Dober,Later, she sent:
I wish you lived closer - Allie could benefit from your training expertise! She is a quick study, but has a few habits in need of attention - Like lunging at other dogs (playfully, but unfortunately I'm the only one who KNOWS that! It can get quite embarrassing!), and jumping on people when she gets excited (which is all the time).
Carol (CJ)
I received one good suggestion from the Briard Yahoo Group about the lunging problem. They said squirt lemon juice in her mouth the moment she goes for the other dog. Problem is, I lack the coordination necessary to squirt her in the mouth (and NOT in the eyes) while simultaneously wrestling all 86 pounds of Briard in mid-lunge! I'll give it a try, but I have my reservations.
Some training advice in regards to Allie: I wouldn't try to squirt lemon at her. seriously. Please don't attempt to squirt anything at your dog's face. This can make them head shy and start avoidance behavior. She's so smart she might begin thinking that if you take her for walks, she'll get squirted in the face! An 86lb dog already has the physical upper 'paw' on you! Allie has great hearing from what I've seen in the videos so all she needs is some distraction. She's a smart girl and will learn very quickly. In the first picture, Allie is in a great sit-stay so be sure to remind her of those obedience lessons when walking her!
Practice in the house first. Try using a yummy piece of white meat chicken for this tip. Call Allie over to you and say, "look at me." When you say this make a big deal of showing her the chicken you put between your lips. The very second that you say 'look at me,' and she actually does--rush to give her that treat with lavish praise. -You-- have to be the main attraction in Allie's life, not strange dogs! You are the provider of her favorite interests-treats and praise and love. It's important to get and keep her attention.
To prepare for your next walk, take the plastic squeaker out of a squeaky toy and put it in your pocket. In that same pocket, put a small baggy of Allie's favorite treats. Make sure she has a proper collar and leash in good condition. Now you're ready to take her for her walk.
The moment she reacts to another dog and pulls at you, squeak the toy while saying firmly, "Look at me Allie. Sit. Stay." If she stops her lunging for even a moment, praise her in a calm, loving voice but don't praise her in a loud, excited voice or she'll get worked up. Keep her in a sit stay position for 10 seconds, and then reward her with a food treat while squeaking the squeaker just once more. Then give her the release word, for example, 'ok' or 'well done.' Briards are notoriously smart so if you are consistent with her, she will quickly learn: squeak means stop, Look at Me, sit, stay and get PRAISE and TREATS!
The importance of Allie learning,'look at me,' sit and stay, are very important. It sounds like Allie is a very friendly and sociable girl, which is always terrific! Now we should make sure that she gets the socialization she needs and make meeting people a positive experience for both of you. Briards don't take well to harsh or critical training. Instead of a barrage of NO!NO!NO! to Allie and 'I'm sorry' to the ones she jumps on, we need to channel all that energy and brain power into knowledge of exactly what is expected of her.
*MOOF!*Dogs aren't psychic so they look to us to provide them with proper behavior cues. If we don't teach them what good behavior is, we can't expect them to magically know! Carol, you're her Alpha Leader and it's your responsibility to show her how to greet others, in and outside of the home. As the alpha female, it's YOUR job to greet people first, with no exceptions. If Allie does as she's told, then you can greet the other person and dog first, as an Alpha leader should. This will make Allie proud because now she'll know exactly what is expected of her and in turn you will be proud of her for such good behavior. It's a win-win situation! *MOOF!*
Allie needs to be drilled on her Look at Me and sit-stay. Start with very short durations of 1 minute, then 2 and so on. Practice her sit-stay on and off leash inside the house. She's so smart she might assume that she only has to do sit-stay when she's just outside or only on the leash. Daily training sessions of merely ten minutes each will make a big difference!
I'd also recommend some social time for Allie. Look into your local Briard fanciers group and see if you can set up some play dates for her. Training Allie while she has another dog around will be very very helpful. Try to find someone whose dog has excellent leash manners. Many dogs learn better when they see another dog follow through with a command properly. This is called Modelling and it gives the dog visual cues on how to act. Another suggestion is doggie daycare once or twice a week to give her the chance to be with her four legged friends more often. The more frequently she is exposed to others, be they 2 legged or 4 legged, the less she is apt to overreact on casual outings and visitors.
Carol, I wish you and Allie all the best in your improved communication skills! May you have many more romps and make tons of memories together!
Dober
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*disclaimer* There are always exceptions to the rules. Any discrepancies noted should be mentioned to the author. 'MOOF!' is placed in the same way dogs bark 'moof.' It's a way of saying, Hey! What's That?! Look!________________________________________________
