Two years ago this weekend, Mr. Wild Dingo and I drove up to the city to adopt Loki. I still remember the mixed feelings I had when I met him. He was much bigger than I had anticipated and he wasn’t even full grown. But his silly personality and his sad beginnings are what sold Mr. Wild Dingo and I on him.

It’s been a wild and crazy two years with Loki.  While many of our readers think Loki is a well-adjusted, well-behaved, easy-to-train dog, I can honestly admit that it’s been a roller coaster ride and I’m still not certain we’re dialed in tightly as a team yet. With all the training and work we’ve done together in the last two years, he’s still challenging me and calling me on my inconsistencies as his handler. And “handled” he must be.

Loki is a wonderfully smart, driven and silly dog. He’s also easily frustrated which can be good and bad for learning new things. Frustration builds drive and drive builds learning. So while it’s pretty easy to teach him new things, on the flip side, his frustration can lead to undesired behaviors. Loki’s also anxious and unconfident.  He’s a not a dog that would fit in with just any family.

Retardo Montelban

Loki’s also sensitive to sound. I mean really sensitive. So much so, I can’t even use the blinkers in the car with the windows open. I forgot to tell Mr. Wild Dingo this while we were driving with Loki last week. Mr. Wild Dingo put on the blinkers and Loki promptly pulled out ear-splitting yaps, giving Mr. Wild Dingo just the jolt he needed. (Ooopsie.)

He also has the most insane pack drive I’ve ever seen which has earned him the nickname “Retardo Montelban.”  His jumping, barking and thrashing about whenever Mr. Wild Dingo and Juno came to class was difficult to ignore by classmates. Heaven forbid I ever hand Loki’s leash to another person. Though he’s people friendly, he’ll raise bloody hell before anyone else but me, Mr. Wild Dingo or a few of the trainers can hold his or even Juno’s leash. Yes, you read that right. He won’t stand for anyone else handling Juno either.

A few weeks ago, I contacted Loki’s foster and asked her to send me digital copies of photos I found in his paperwork. I had begun to wonder a little more about his background and age. These are some of the photos I found in his file that were taken January 2008.  His adoption files had these photos from his first foster in Taiwan, and said he was 1.5  years old and 36 lbs. Based on the January 2008 images below, and his adult weight (67 lbs), I seriously doubt he was more than a year old in January 2008.

Even before he was a year old, Loki nailed down his innocent puppy look.

Back then his ears were so big, they couldn’t stand up on his small head.

Look at the size of those paws!

Not much of his widow’s mark shows in his puppy face, which is all black. But his eyes, tail and ears are so telling. Does anyone want to just salt those ears and munch them up like I want to?

When he came to us end of May 2008, he was 58 lbs, which was about 90% of his adult body weight. According to dog growth charts, that would make him at about a year old when we adopted him. Given all of that, I decided that his anniversary would be the same day as his birthday, which makes him three years old this weekend.

Loki’s US foster mom sent me the above photos with the following provoking thoughts that I think can apply to any rescued dog:

“I learned a long time ago that I do not want to know too much about their previous lives. Sometimes history is best left alone and unsaid. There are things you will learn from him over time when he is ready to tell you. If he remembers. Some things are only bad as we perceive them, not how others see them. It really doesn’t matter how old he is or what his life was like. What matters is how he/you deal with his life now. Remember, dogs are never victims, they accept life for what or how it is and have the best time they can. Give him kisses for me and remind him that is a long way from where he started and very lucky!”

I think Loki knows he’s lucky. But I get the feeling he’s always wondering when he will be forced to leave again (never). He had so much change as a young pup that it seems perfectly natural in his learned behavior to fear being separated from his pack.

Regardless of his anxieties, Loki has for the most part, learned to trust me. And obviously, that is where he’s gone terribly wrong. Just look at the various ways I torture him.

“Hallo. My name is Inigo Montoyo. You killed my stuffie. Prepare to die.”

“Does this crown make my butt look big?

“Does this boa make my ears look big?”

“Is it ok to steal a cookie if I’m wearing a mask?”

“I can’t help how handsome I am. ”

Regardless of all the challenges he has and continues to present, Loki can charm the most unsuspecting person with silly behaviors. The range of expression in his face seems infinite. Every time I photograph him, I’m conflicted in my choice of photos to use for this blog because each expression tells a complex story. I love the fact that he has grown to love modeling. I can litterally put any costume on him and he not only endures it but rises to the occasion and pulls out his own “Blue Steel” for the camera.

I’m grateful Loki came into our lives because he’s taught me a few things about myself. For one thing, I’ve learned more in the past 2 years about training dogs than I had ever planned. When I adopted him, I foolishly thought we’d go to one or two obedience classes and be done with it. But his own drive to work and my own need to handle his anxious behavior kept us in school.  I’ve also learned that working with dogs is far more fascinating than I anticipated. It doesn’t matter if temperament is born or learned, it’s obedience training that builds confidence. And while his temperament may never change, obedience and consistent handling will be his saving grace. I’ve made my share of mistakes with Loki but luckily for me, he’s been forgiving. I’m still learning. Unfortunately for Loki, he’s my unwitting experiment.  Booowhahahaha!

“Oh crud Big boy. Why do we ALWAYS have to pose for the camera before we eat our pupper-versary cake?”
“Princess, just do what she says. Really.”
At home, Loki is the picture of perfect.

The husky in Juno comes out and she jumps the gun before we release her. Loki is the ever attentive soldier and will only eat when told. I told you he has “issues.”

“Happy Anniversary Big Boy. I’m glad you’re my pack mate.”
“Thanks Princess. I’m glad you’re my bite-toy, err… my pack mate too.”

Happy Anniversary Loki. We love you more than you know.

Loki, Juno and I have known Sugar for a while now and met on the Internet when Sugar’s mom, Crazy Lady, commented on this post because we shared the same breed of dog: a Formosan Mountain Dog. Loki and Sugar had similar temperaments thus, Sugar’s mom, Crazy Lady and I commiserated. But over the last two years, the two of us prevailed and have watched each other’s dogs grow into wonderful…cough, cough… wonderful, well-behaved canine citizens.

When Crazy Lady first shared with me her health issues, at the time mainly seizures, she said something about Sugar going berzerk just before one of them. I think I can safely say that I planted the seed that Sugar was alerting and that she needed to get her trained and certified and ASAP, because Sugar can work and that’s what Formosan Mountain dogs do best. They are “busy” dogs and love to work.

Well, Crazy Lady got Sugar trained and certified, but above what I ever dreamed. I only expected this little doggie to tell Crazy Lady when she was going to have a seizure so Crazy Lady could make herself safe. But she does so much more! This little doggie is so strong, she carries like 387 lbs of Crazy Lady’s medicines and purse items. Crazy Lady must have a lot of lipstick because I refuse to believe she has 386 lbs of medicines. It just can’t be.

Sugar also acts like a cane for Crazy Lady! Huh? How in the world does a  30-something pound dog hold up a PERSON? All I can surmise from having a similar cracked-up, err, I mean, highly-work-motivated Formosan dog with lots of muscles is that Sugar is built for strength and can probably hold up about 787 lbs if she had to. Between you and me, I see Sugar at Gold’s Gym pumping iron in the wee hours of the morning while Crazy Lady is still asleep.  Geesh, that dog NEVER stops working!

And there’s brains behind all that brawn that Sugar carries.  Sugar can alert and get help for Crazy Lady’s seizures. Personally, I think Sugar Sweet is far more qualified than any of the required quacks, I mean, doctors that Crazy Lady has been forced to see in the “system.”  If you don’t believe me, read here or here.

You know what’s even more amazing about Sugar? Before she met Crazy Lady, she was tossed away in Taiwan. On the streets. Abandoned. Alone, starving. Somebody didn’t want her. She had been trained as it was obvious she knew some commands. But someone intentionally threw this dog away, like useless trash.

When Sugar met Crazy Lady, she was shy and frightened but she blossomed into a wonderful companion pet. When life took an unexpected rough turn for Crazy Lady’s health, Sugar rose to the occasion and quickly grew into exactly what Crazy Lady needed to live safely, and sanely!

Can you believe how lucky Crazy Lady is to get a dog like this? Thousands of dollars are spent on training medical service and seizure alert dogs yearly and fate dropped her in Crazy Lady’s lap.

Sugar is not only fulfilling her destiny of being an outstanding working dog, but she is living proof of how a discarded then rescued dog can not only blossom into a loving companion pet but into an invaluable partner.

Visit Sugar Sweet’s blog to read more about her. But for now, she needs your vote, so go to Mango Minster Hard Working Girls and vote for Sugar Sweet NOW!

It must be a bitch to get a good nights sleep with those ears. She also noted that his yin pulse was a bit off (resulting in an anxious dog). Wow. I’ve never known him to be “anxious.”

It’s hard to believe this cute floppy eared puppy turned into…

this wildebeast with gynormous ears.  

Gosh I wish I had my hands on him when he was a pup. He probably wouldn’t have turned into Retardo Montalban, the only dog with the most rediculous pack drive you’ll ever witness. It’s been almost a year and a half since we adopted him and he still sticks to me like super glue. On the other hand, it makes him an extremely interesting dog and I still shake my head and wonder why in the world anyone would give him up, let alone drive him miles from his home, abandon him and drive away. Sure, he’s goofy, a bully and a brat. But he’s incredibly smart, extremely loyal, anxious to please and stands at attention like a soldier when working. 

And he’s smart enough to cheat when we play hide-n-seek.

“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, … 100!”

“Ready or not, here I come!”

She’s a lady, for sure. But she did have frijoles for dinner last night. I’m just sayin…

Fine Print:  FMD Satellite does not guarantee FMD and its signal will stay in one location long enough for you to watch an entire show.

Oh well, there’s nothing ever on TV anyway!

“I’m not so sure shaking the hula hoop is defined in the definition of “working dog.” Besides, it brings a little too much attention to my apple bottom booty.”

“Weee!” Juno scretchs to a hault and sits promptly in the show-down competition of hurdling an obstacle and recalling to the sit. She beats the border collie by minutes. Woo hoo! Huskies rule and Border Collies drool. But I’m not competitive. Nope, not at all.

“Shoooow me the hot dog!”

“You want me to do what? Sit next to him? Up here? How much will you pay me?”

“If I close my eyes really tight, this beach class will go away and I will be running free on the Isle of the Ill-Behaved!”

Sneak-peak at September’s masthead inspiration.

The trainer asks, “What’s the problem?”

“Let me show you,” I reply. I turn to Loki and say, “Loki, Fetch!”

Loki slowly walks away then turns around and replies, “So why are you talking to me like that? You always order me around like I’m nothing. You tell me to come, I come, then in the middle of me coming to you, you change your mind and say ‘down.’ Up, down, up, down! What am I, an elevator? You point your finger at me and shoot me like some sadist and the next minute expect me to lay adoringly at your feet.”

“Then you make me sleep on the floor, with my sciatica. And do you ever take me for a decent walk? NO, it’s out of the house, a short pee, and right back home. Maybe if I could stretch out a little, the sciatica wouldn’t kill me so much! I should roll over and play dead for real for all you care!”

“That’s amazing that he can talk! So what’s the problem?” the trainer asks.

“He has a hearing problem! I said ‘Fetch’ not ‘Kvetch!’ ”

****

Kvetching during training is an art form for Loki.  It gives onlookers a great chuckle because it goes a little like this.

Me: “Heel” (Loki heels.)

Me: “Down”

Loki: “Arghahahahrhg  grrr  ghrrrhh” and Loki lays down.

He talks back all the time. We discovered one reason he kvetches is because he keys into the smallest body movements, even my hesitations and pauses, and truly gets confused. So during our Tuesday training session we worked on training my body movements and now there’s less confusion and less kvetching. At least for now.

It will be a sad day, for me and the audience, when he makes it through an entire class without a peep from that yapper.

How this dog, who can sit politely and patiently wait for me, can be considered … err … actually be “naughty.”

Or how this dog is considered a “working” dog.

“Hey sleepyhead, sit up straight and at least look like you’re paying attention. The female bi-ped is watching us.”

“Pipe down jabber mouth. I was just in the middle of a great dream about a hunky malamute bringing me a meaty bone.”

I really wanted Loki to like both TravelMarx so I stuffed two tug toys in Marc’s and Mark’s luggage when I picked them up so they could pull them out after meeting the terrible two-some. I’m a thinker like that.  Anyone who plays tug with the 24-hour tug machine is on Loki’s A-List.

I love to bore everyone with a dog and trick show. Loki and Juno gave a private performance of their best agility.
“Oh crud. The things this human puts us through…”

We went for a walk on the first day in the mountains. Loki and Juno complain about how ruff they have it and beg Marc to bring them back to Seattle.

We live to torment the dogs.
Loki: “Hey Little Miss, watch where you stick that nose.”
Juno: “Like I have a choice. Do you think I’d willingly put my nose anywhere it could be blown off?”

We’ll never get a dining room table. Who needs one when the dining room can be a tug room?

We tormented the Travelmarx with a morning at the K9 Clinic.  A year ago, Loki could  not do this simple little behavior of sitting quietly at the training clinic. One day last year, Loki barked at a puppy and the trainer was like, “Barking at a puppy? That’s not right.” And I’m all like “WTF? Hello….Have you NOT noticed that he never shuts up? Like, can you provide either advice on what to do or slip him a Mickey so we can all have a little peace of mind?”  Little things like sitting quietly make me think there’s hope for him yet.

For once, Loki is the calm one and I look like a lunatic marching soldier. “Oh please, oh please don’t let us get kicked out of the master’s class!” Loki walks next to his GSD buddy, Yagu. Seems like all the shepherds really like Loki, or maybe they enjoy ignoring him. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Loki bully a GSD on the field.  He’s bullied a lot of other dogs, but never a GSD.

This doesn’t look that interesting. But seriously? Half these dogs in this tightly knit group are “naughty,” meaning,  they’ve been labeled aggressive or dog aggressive. One of them in particular is rated a 10 on a scale of 1-10 (no not Loki) and I’ve never seen that dog be naughty in class.  And they’re all calmly laying down in close proximity next to each other with no naughtiness. It’s impressive what training can do for a behaviorally challenged dog. Though its never a good idea to leave Loki lying down too long. It gives him time to plan his revenge…on me!

“Hey human, what’s next? If I’m such a “working dog” what the hell am I doing always laying around?”

Juno shows up for her class with Mr. Wild Dingo and makes crazy eyes at the camera. But she does us proud. During class, Scott recalled her and Loki whined while he watched from the sidelines. For a split second during her recall, she glanced over and considered following Loki’s whining request “don’t go to my human Scott” but she made me proud and blew Loki off and finished running to Scott. Loki immediately got put in the car for bossing Juno from the sidelines. Doh! The power is shifting. Loki is losing his ground on Juno!

Posing with one of the TravelMarx before Juno’s class starts.

Wow! Who says Huskies aren’t obedient? She’s like the only dog in her class who can heel off leash. Juno turns on a dime and follows Scott’s request to heel.

“Wow pop. Nice biceps. Oh what’s that? You want me to sit? Maybe I’ll just lay here a little bit longer and admire those biceps.”

That night we hosted a BBQ. I never remember to take pictures during the party, but we got a quick shot of the early food.

Juno turned from a husky into a hussy, turning tricks every chance she had. She learned very fast that her Juno Mind Trick would make any sucker deliver a tasty human treat into her mouth! She should be arrested for selling herself so shamelessly.

Loki catches on to the scam too and play bows all the party suckers into giving him grilled chicken.

The next day, we visited the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco on the last day, sans dogs. I know, it’s uncivilized how dogs are not allowed in some places. Here we are in a “rainforest.” I donno. I expected a little more Jurasic Park and a little less concrete for it to feel like a rainforest. Most of the plants were common household plants and the biggest thing we had to worry about (other than humidity frizzing our hair) was a butterfly accidentally landing on us. Lame.

Posing with the TravelMarx on the “weed roof” (Living Roof) of the Academy of Science. The docent told us they started with 7 species of indigenous plants last year to grow the garden on the roof. In less than a year they have over 70. Then she told us that they would remain low and like ground cover and would never get that tall. Um, ya, right.  I’ll bet it takes more energy to maintain it than it actually saves or produces.

We pause for a bit of yoga at the end of our visit. I balance precariously in “Half Moon on Wedge Heels” pose, while Mark to the left balances in “Half Moon Hand Holding” pose and Marc on the right takes the “Saturday Night Fever” pose. Visitors in back practice “Laugh at the Morons” pose.

The End.

In one of my old posts, Adventures of a Formosan Mountain Dog, a commenter, Chris, living in Taiwan writes “Most Taiwanese only want the imported dogs. It is so sad. They are such great dogs but everyone just treats them like a pest.” (That sounds like what they think of dingoes in Australia.)

Taiwan has an amazing national dog. Why import dogs when there’s such a great breed, wandering the streets? I found my Formosan dog, Loki, to be incredibly smart and loyal. Other Formosan dog owners who write in, like Sugar’s mom, and Popeye’s foster mom  write the same thing. These Formosan dogs learn fast and furious. They can be working dogs or they’re content to sit by your feet. Loki is by far the easiest dog to teach anything to. He has his some behavioral challenges most likely learned by on the streets by himself for so long. Then he was passed from home to home which also didn’t give him much confidence. But learning? I can’t keep up with how fast he learns. He’s challenging me to give him harder and harder tasks. Outside of the basics (sit, stay, down, come, heel), he can sit or down during a recall, stand, bow, touch, weave between my legs, out a toy from his mouth, bite/take a toy or object on command, retreive items,  bang/you’re dead, ignore food thrown toward him, get in the car (from a long distance), jump over or under any obstacle even without him at heel position next to me, sit or down him with me telling him from a 2nd story window or another room, come out of play with another dog or chasing something he shouldn’t, climb or descend ladders, stay down while other dogs tempt him to play, lay down while other dogs jump over him and the list goes on.  The hardest thing I had to teach him? Getting into a kiddie pool to cool his feet on a hot summer day. What can I say? He’s not a water dog.

This type of learning is not unique to Loki. This is pure Formosan (and German Shepherd) drive.

Reading Locke’s info on AHAN’s pet adoption page, and going to see more pictures of Locke, I can tell he is definitely part Formosan. His paws (long toes for moutain climbing) are a dead give away. That long jaw, triangular head and HUGE ears are another dead give away. My Formosan dog, Loki is very big for a Formosan dog. He’s 72 lbs. Most are about 30-45. But this is because Loki is half German Shepherd. It looks like Locke will be smaller, around the 40 lb size.  His photos show him too thin and he needs some weight put on him.

Formosan dogs make GREAT agility animals. Aside from Loki’s anxiety (unique to him not typical of the breed), Loki’s working drive makes him a “plug and play” dog, like a Mac computer. You plug it in and it works. Many times I just point at something say something and he does something. Whether its right or wrong, he tries and uses his brain to solve the puzzle I present to him. When he gets it correct, he’s rewarded, when he doesn’t he gets “try again” which frustrates him to keep trying different things until he gets it right. A “working” dog uses his brain to learn what the handler is asking.  A working dog stays engaged and looking at you for the next job. Formosan dogs are incredible at this.

Locke is a gorgeous Formosan dog crossed with kelpie, it seems. Oh my, if you adopt him, you’ll have your hands full, but in a great way! Please adopt him. Otherwise Mr. Wild Dingo, who’s in love with him, will force me to adopt him and I’m just all dogged out at the moment. I know we’ll be watching to see if he gets adopted before September (when his time runs out). Because if he doesn’t, we’ll then there will be three at Wild Dingo. Please help me keep my sanity and adopt him!

“Hey Daddy-O, this class is cramping my style. Let’s make like a tree and leave.”

“Keep talking. I got a lot of room left in my ears yet.”

]]> http://www.wilddingo.com/2009/07/27/beach-blanket-bombs/feed/ 4 http://www.wilddingo.com/2009/07/20/chronicles-of-loki/ http://www.wilddingo.com/2009/07/20/chronicles-of-loki/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:04:18 +0000 Wild Dingo http://www.wilddingo.com/?p=1792 [...]]]> For the three readers who actually read this blog, the few who know Loki and ALL the dog handlers at the K-9 Clinic, you all know how far he’s come. Last year, I couldn’t last 3 minutes in class without him yapping, jumping, mouthing and thrashing around like a raving lunatic. Now, when he goes to training class with just me, he’s very well-behaved and fairly quiet and can look like this:

A calm, confident, quiet, dog. How about that?

But then we started taking Juno to the same class as Loki mainly because Juno turns into her own version of a raving lunatic when she’s left alone, and well, she can use some obedience training too. But something strange happens when Scott and Juno come onto the same training field as Loki.

First, let’s observe several well-behaved dogs in their down-stay positions:

Notice Scott and Juno are quiet, calm and and well, just being darn good while Juno stays in her down.

Now let’s widen the angle of this photo a bit and see what we get:

Hmm…who is that dog being led away from the group because he can’t shut his yapper?

Let’s take a closer look:

Yup, there he is. My Lunatic. Doing exactly what he used to do the very first day I took him to school. Why? Because he can’t stand the thought of Scott giving Juno any attention.

Loki is on a unique 10-step training plan: Five steps forward and five steps back. I’m just lucky that the trainers “graduated” Loki to the next level class so the two are not on the field at the same time together anymore.  Did they take pity on me or could they not listen to Loki yap one more second on another Saturday morning?

Now the question is: which is the lesser of two lunatics? One who destroys the yard and home when alone? Or one who destroys your good name in public? I guess it doesn’t matter when you’re lunatic enough to love them anyway.

Twinkle Toes, the Formosan Jumping Bean,  shows us it takes more than one human hurdle to challenge his athletics!

Wanna be startin’ somthin’…

Hmmm…  I just figured out where Loki gets all the little scabs on his back side.

“Hi tough-guy, lookin’ for a little action?”

“Arrrrahahrrrraahrrrarrhhh….my mouwf is bigger than your mouwf! Ararrraaarrararragggh!”

“How about I take that toy off your jaw for a little bit?”

Real unaltered photographic evidence that the husky can be as ferocious as that bully of a Formosan dog!
Just look at those gums! 
Now, Mr. Wild Dingo, do you believe me?

This month’s masthead celebrates one of America’s favorite junk foods. I don’t think I would ever got the Husky to do a single thing without the magic of hot dogs. Marker training rules. Even for low drive dogs, like the Husky. Loki? He’ll do anything just for his marker word and some praise. For a hot dog, well, he’d probably rescue a baby from a burning building or land a 747 jet plane.  Juno? Well, she needs a little more motivation to come, heel or roll over. At least initially. And she cannot resist the hot dog. It doesn’t take long to ween her off the dogs and just get her working for praise, but initially, she needs them to learn a new thing that she’s afraid of. Which is about everything. She’s especially afraid of Mr. Wild Dingo.  Looks like he’ll be carrying those hot dogs for a long time!

Handsome patiently waits in the shade for his turn after Juno. He can’t help his good looks.

Loki’s a “dog-in-the-box”. Like a plug-n-play item for your home.
You basically just point at something and say something and he does something.

Weee! Mexican Formosan Jumping Bean flexing his muscle.

Loki asked me to include this shot because his toes are twinkling.
But don’t call him twinkle toes. I can’t be responsible for the consequences.

Loki as a puppy in Taiwan. Oh how I wish I had him at this age. Full of rascal-liness! 

Junie as a puppy sent to me a few months ago. She looks like Loki’s long lost cousin!

And  just today, Marie and Becky sent a photo of this little monster rescued (seriously “rescued” read her story) from Taiwan.

Meet Tai, from Taiwan. Just look at those ears and those long gangley legs! (We sometimes call Loki Mr. Bo Gangles.)   They scream Formosan Mountain dog! Marie and Becky write:

“We welcomed Tai into our home just over a week ago. She too is a rescue from Taiwan. She is about 4 months old and like most dogs from Taiwan she has a very special story! She was found with her mother and litter mate along with a bunch of other dogs on a fenced acre lot. All of them were covered in bugs and maggots. Tai and her brother were the only 2 out of 40 dogs that survived!

She is the smartest dog we have owned for years! Ever willful and likes to push you to the end but if you stand firm she is quick to back down! In the past week we have been asked so many times what kind of dog she is and people are just amazed by her story.

If you are ready to open your heart and home to one of these great animals go to Saving Great Animals. “

Marie and Becky: hang on to your hats. It’s gonna be a wild ride with this little bundle of joy. But I guarantee lots of rewards with these special dogs. Tai is GORGEOUS! Thanks for writing!

Ooo! An anniversary partay! Deliciousness!

It was Loki’s 1 year anniversary of coming to live with us yesterday. May 31, last year, we picked him up in San Francisco and drove him home. How time flies. So much has changed from being a demon dog who wouldn’t allow me to put on a collar or leash  to upgrading his label as an ”alligator on a leash”  to now “decently obedient with a hint nutty flavor.” Loki has taught me so much in the world of patience and teaching him how to be a confident, well-behaved dog. People who meet him today would never guess he was ever a naughty dog. His hint of nutty-naughty flavor is fine by me. I like ‘em naughty.

And yes, I am ONE of “those” people who dote on their dogs and have mini-celebrations for their achievements. But seriously, I think the achievement is all mine. And I’m not ashamed to claim it. There should be an award given to people who make it to one year with anxious alligators like Loki. In fact, I made sure I had my fair share of tri-tip and at least five or six of those mini celebration cup cakes to serve as my under acknowledged award.

In August of last year, I thought it would be a great idea to adopt Juno so she could help relieve some of his pent up energy. I’m embarrassed to admit, I was just like one of those ridiculous people on TV who have difficulty with one dog and think getting a second will solve the problem.

What Loki really needed was stability and a consistent environment. He needed me to learn how to be fair and consistent in how I responded to his naughty behavior. Looking back at the year, I made so many mistakes, but I made a ton of progress. I tried all sorts of training techniques (remember the hamster ball?) and finally settled on training with a combination marker/positive reward training for completely new behaviors he needs to learn and compulsion for aggressive behaviors or blatant disobedience, such as stuff he knows 100% how to do but refuses to do. This has proven to be the best method for him as it’s the most fair. For the most part, Loki needs very little compulsion as he’s able to carry out his commands just as I ask them. But it wasn’t like that in the beginning. He needed compulsion to stop the aggressive behaviors and I needed to learn how much compulsion. It was all trial and error, along with the help of professional trainers (online, published and in-person), but I found out he needs very little compulsion to do his job (low level to remind him to pay attention while working) and he has not warranted any large corrections for aggression since last year. But this is also because I am able to read his body and redirect his anxiety before it ever escalates.

He still barks with anxiety when we go to school but I give him 5 minutes of his own time to do his thing, sniff around, maybe play with the tug, and when he’s done, he’s ready to work. And work he does! He’s proving to be one of the better, calm, relaxed students in school (I can’t even believe I’m writing this), working really well when we’re both in the zone. Usually I can catch anxiety rising in him and I’m able to redirect it fairly quickly giving him a win. But sometimes I miss it and all it takes is one unfair correction and he can lose it. He’ll lose his confidence, stop working and become anxious and eventually naughty. But I learned it’s also pretty easy to bring him back to his zone. A few simple tricks for treats, praise, or maybe a tug toy reward and he’s all that again and ready to rock the training world.

Mmmmm...Tri-Tip celebration for Loki's Anniversary Dinner!

A few weeks ago, a training exercise went poorly in school and I believe Loki received an unfair correction from one of the junior trainers holding his leash. It wasn’t the best exercise to give a dog like Loki anyway (I believe not all dogs should or can be trained the same way), but I followed the instructions and without getting into details, at the end, from where I was standing, I felt he received unfair corrections. His anxiety went through the roof. I couldn’t blame him. I’d be pissed too if I thought I should be doing one thing because my master told me, but then received a correction for it. I thought for sure his training was over for the day. Instead, I took him out of the group, gave him some very simple commands with praise reward, then released his tug and played with him for a few minutes. We went back to the group and finished class with a mild level of anxiousness. There was a police defense dog demo and he remained calm and interested while he watched instead of the expected hyper anxiety he usually displays. The clinic owner called on us to demonstrate Loki’s down at a distance and off leash heel. I was almost convinced he wouldn’t do it given how earlier he wigged out, but he pulled out a beautiful off-leash down during his recall, then trotting to the heel position from 400 feet away. He really showed me he can come back to his confidence and made me proud.

It’s All Going Smooth, Like Buttah, Until…
In August last year, I couldn’t have Loki in class for 5 minutes, because he was loud and aggressive. Today, he is calm and confident on the training field, well, until this past Saturday, when we thought it would be a good idea to bring Juno to school with Loki.

Scott didn’t feel like his morning ride, and since he really needs to bond with Juno, he went to class with us to work with her. And we were kind of sick of her separation anxiety tantrums. Well, we got a reminder of Loki’s good ‘ole days. He whined, barked and was distracted the entire time by Juno and Scott. Like a kid with a temper tantrum, his intense pack drive became tunnel vision for him and he literally would not work.  At one point he broke a down-stay (which hasn’t done in months) and bolted straight for Juno who literally got ready to receive a Loki pounce. Sigh. So embarrassing. Still, like the ham that he is, he managed to demonstrate a great off leash heel at the end of class for the new people.

He’s definitely an anxious dog. He’s also quite dominant. The two are not the best ingredients for stability. But his anxiety is disappearing and that’s all that matters.

They're both behaved enough that we could leave the room and those plates would still remain untouched. Until we release them to eat.

At home, I train using marker training and prey drive training. The two are a little different but are mostly positive reward based training. Prey drive training can involve a little compulsion, especially involving the “out” of the toy, but for the most part it is positive reward based which he loves. Loki loves to use his noggin to learn new behaviors rather than be pushed into something using compulsion. I had been having trouble getting him to “down” during heel in the right direction (feet facing same direction as mine). Trainers had told me to use compulsion to get him to do it properly. But it only raised his anxiety. He already knew what “down” meant. “Down is down” and if his belly is on the ground, feet facing right, left or backwards, why should he get a correction for it if he’s already doing it? He’d get anxious, “talk back” and sometimes refuse to work if I tried using compulsion to teach him “down” when he already thought he knew it. He didn’t understand that I wanted his feet facing forward. So at home, I used marker training and his frustration only came from not getting the marker word or reward, not from getting a correction for something he didn’t understand how to do in the first place. He had to use his brain in order to figure out where to place his feet and belly during the down command, otherwise he got no reward. It took me one training session to get him to face in the proper direction on the down now and I no longer have any problems with it. The funny thing about marker training and Loki is that it isn’t the food that motivates him. I know this because once he learns a behavior he’ll simply do it because I ask it. The food is just a reinforcer to say “YES! That is exactly what I wanted you to do.” He really thrives on being right and doing the right behavior. When the training tools and toys come out, Loki knows its game time and he’s always ready to train and play.

Mmmm... delicious. I like Anniversary dinners mom! Even Juno, who's specialty is acting sullen, shows she doesn't disapprove of this dinner.

I didn’t know what I was getting into when I agreed to adopt a dog that the rescuer thought wouldn’t be adoptable. He was a “mouther” and “played too roughly.”  They weren’t wrong. On top of those things, his anxiety can and did make him aggressive. It did take much more than the average pet owner to understand what he needed. Loki would never have survived with a working couple with kids. He needed someone to spend time learning how to turn his negatives into positives. He also needed someone to read, research and figure out the best methods for teaching him good behavior. He gets to bite a lot, on his own tugs and bite pillows. He gets to play with them when he learns new behaviors as his reward. He also gets to play with them to relieve anxiety.  And guess what? His random mouthing behavior is gone.

Both Loki and Juno approve of Anniversary Celebrations

 At this point, people who meet Loki or read this blog may wonder why I still train him given how far he’s come. Most people would stop going to training and call it a success. He’s perfectly behaved in public, quiet and able to go into stores or wait outside patiently for me. He’s fairly well-behaved in the house, with the exception that it takes a few minutes to calm him down when guests arrive. But after that, he’s lovey-dovey with them. The reason I keep working him is because he loves and needs it. And he’s completely capable of being a working dog. I more than sense it. I see it in him when we train. His sharp Formosan brain surprises me every single day. He’s so intuitive and thinks several steps ahead of me. Don’t even get me to tell you the story about how he’d do his down command from a distance before I cued him because he’d read another cue from the trainer to cue me to cue Loki. He was the only dog who had caught onto that game. He’s super alert and he’s always after the win. And for some reason, I believe he is capable of being 100% without fail completely obedient and perfectly behaved without a leash. Because he got a late and rough start in life where people had failed him, it is taking a little longer. And it doesn’t help that I’m learning this training stuff along the way either. I still make mistakes. Thankfully, Loki is huge on the forgiveness factor. One thing’s for sure: Loki has taught me much more than I have ever taught him. Who knew a little Formosan Mountain Dog from Taiwan would teach me so much about giving a dog what he or she really needs?

Happy Anniversary Loki. We’re so proud and lucky to have you in our lives.

I couldn't help myself and let them have a mini white cupcake for celebration. Just this once.

Juno jumps the gun before I release her. Typical husky. Loki remains the faithful soldier and waits until I say he can eat.