Wags & Wiggles Interview Series: Lysa Knight Goguen

A NEW fun little series: Wags & Wiggles - Interviews! My first victim: Co-Owner of Wags & Wiggles Tustin, Lysa Knight Goguen!

RH - Romi Hirayama
LKG - Lysa Knight Goguen




Name: Lysa Knight Goguen
Occupation: Co-Owner of Wags & Wiggles Part Deux
Hometown: Naperville, IL
Current Location: Corona, CA
Current Dogs: Guinness - 12.5 year old Yellow Lab, Mischief - 5 year old Black Lab, Mayhem - 2 year old Black Lab, Fury - 1 year old Black Lab





RH: If you had to choose 3 words to describe each of your dogs what would they be?
LKG: Guiness - Goofy, Hungry, Deaf!, Mischief - Smart, Rockstar, Daddys Girl, Mayhem - Lover, Sweet, Fast, Fury - Selfish, Adorable, Mommas Girl

RH: What breed of dog would you love to own? 
LKG: Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael)

RH: When you were a little girl, what did you want to be?
LKG: A Hairdresser!

RH: What is your guilty pleasure?
LKG: Chocolate!

RH: What is your favorite vacation spot?
LKG: Cabo San Lucas!

RH: What are the first 5 tricks you train a new puppy?
LKG: Name Game, Hand Touch, Sit, Come, High Five

RH: Is there any specific reason why you teach these tricks first?
LKG: The first 4 are important to any dog to understand to do what humans expect of them. Which is respond, come to me and be still. The fifth one is because all dogs should know tricks! Its fun for the dog and fun for the human!

RH: When did you know that working with dogs was what you wanted to do for a living?
LKG: When I got Guinness at 8 weeks, I had started a training class with Laurie when she just opened Wags & Wiggles in RSM. I enjoyed it so much, that when I saw a "help wanted" sign, I knew I had to be a part of her team. During that time, Laurie had me helping her with obedience classes and working in the daycare. How I knew I wanted to do this for a living was after I completed my Masters program, a work project took me away from working at Wags part-time and I was miserable. I realized that life is too short and that happiness does matter. Therefore, I quit my corporate america job, masters degree in my pocket and went to train dogs full-time!

RH: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
LKG: I have to pick one thing?! (thinking long and hard!)...Seeing the difference I can make in a dogs life - For example, improving communication between him and his owner. Improving his quality of life. Giving him a place to run and have fun safely.

RH: Has becoming a co-owner of a dog-related business changed your life? 
LKG: I have grown so much in the last 5 years than I thought was possible! In terms of maturity, ability to handle all kinds of situations; emloyees to customer relations. I'm ten times the person I was 5 years ago!

RH: What fun things do you do with your dogs?
LKG: Agility, Dock Diving, Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Lure Coursing. Really anything and anywhere that will allow me to bring my dogs, I will go! 

RH: What is one of the most naughty things one of your dogs have done? 
LKG: Mischief learned how to open the kitchen cabinets and figured out how to take everything out and as a result, we now have child locks on our cabinets!

RH: Give one experience when you dogs have made you proud. 
LKG: They make me proud everyday because they make me a better person. The most recent event would be Mischief winning Grand Prix in Agility because I never thought we could achieve such a goal!

RH: What do you do outside of your dog passion? 
LKG: NOTHING! My whole life revolves around dogs! Call me the Crazy Dog Lady!

RH: What is the best training advice you could give?
LKG: Don't get frustrated with your dog!

RH: What made you become the crazy Lab lady?
LKG: It was an accident! I have had a German Shepherd Dog, Shetland Sheepdog, American Eskimo, and Schnauzer. Guinness was my first dog as an adult. And I just loved the silly way about him. Strong work ethic yet, cheeky and independent. And now i'm stuck! I do love all breeds though.

RH: I know you mentioned you do dog sports with your dogs, what are some of their accomplishments?
LKG: Mischiefs first ever Noseworks Trial, she received her NW1 Title with Top Overall. Guinness - whenever he finished an agility course without dropping a bar! Mischief - Being able to be competitive at National level Agility competitions. With all my dogs that they are happy to play the game with me!

RH: What is most rewarding about training dogs?
LKG: Watching the difference in their understanding of what we want from them. Thereby changing their response to us.

RH: What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at Wags?
LKG: So while teaching an agility class of 8 people., I was dragging a tunnel to move it from one place to the next. I tripped and went flying across the room and landed on my face. They all gasped and all I could do was laugh!

RH: What non-dog activities do you enjoy?
LKG: Artsy Craftsy Stuff, like scrapbooking, amateur knitting, 4 wheeling with my hubby! But when it comes down to it, everything circles back to being dog related.

RH: Any Last words?
LKG: All I can say is I have the best job in the world. The best family and the best dogs a girl could ever ask for! I wouldn't have it any other way!

Big thanks to Lysa for taking the time to do this interview with me! Thanks for tuning in!  Check back soon for my next interview victim :)

-Romi

No Pain, No Gain....?? Not in our Book...

Force Free Dog Training - No Choke, No Prong, No Pain!- original article by Niki Tudge and Angelica Steinker

Effective training procedures lay the foundation for an animal’s healthy socialization, capacity for learning and will help prevent behavior problems. Since a wide variety of equipment and tools are commonly used when training pets and in their daily activities, the pet-owning public needs to be aware of the potential problems and dangers some equipment may pose.

Specifically, the use of collars and leads that are intended to apply constriction, pressure, pain or force around a dog’s neck (such as ‘choke chains’ and ‘prong collars’) should be avoided. Consistent with their commitment to ‘force-free’ training and pet care methods, the Pet Professional Guild, the Association of Force Free Dog Training and Pet Care Professionals (PPG), does not support the use of choke and prong collars and, rather, recommends the use of flat buckle collars, head halters, harnesses and other
types of control equipment that are safer for the animal and the handler.

As more research accumulates on the hazards of choke and prong collars and more data is compiled documenting the damage these types of collars can cause distinguished veterinarians world-wide are joining the discussion and are calling for professional dog trainers to commit to eliminating choke and prong collars from their training programs. Niki Tudge, founder and president of the PPG, states “training should be conducted in a manner that encourages animals to enjoy training and become more confident and well-adjusted pets.” According to Dr. Soraya V. Juarbe-Diaz, “mistakes are inherent in any type of learning -- if I continually frighten or hurt my students when they get something wrong, eventually they will be afraid to try anything new and will not want to learn from me any longer. What most surprises me about the use of collars that choke (i.e. tighten around the neck so it is painful to swallow, difficult to breathe and could damage the tissue underlying the collar) is that people think it is OK to use them in animals, whereas they would recoil in horror if teachers in schools were to use them in human pupils. We use force, pain and fear to train animals because we can get away with it, in spite of sufficient scientific data in both humans and dogs that such methods are damaging and produce short term cessation of behaviors at the expense of durable learning and the desire to learn more in the future. You can go with so-called tradition or you can follow the ever expanding body of evidence in canine cognition that supports teaching methods that encourage a calm, unafraid and enthusiastic canine companion."

Psychological and Behavioral Effects

"Using punishment to stop behaviors is not new. Notice I say ‘stop’ rather than ‘teach’ – I can stop any behavior, but I am more interested in teaching my students, animal or human, to choose the behavior I want them to perform because they can trust me, because I do not hurt them and they are safe with me, and because the outcome is something they enjoy.”
- Dr. Soraya V. Juarbe-Diaz. DVM, DACVB, CAAB

 “Choke chains, prong collars and other devices like it are intended to cause pain or discomfort. They operate on the principle of making the dog experience pain when they perform some unacceptable behavior. Any kind of training operating on this principle
suffers from various pitfalls.”
- James O’Heare., Professional Animal Behavior Consultant.


Notable veterinarian, Dr. Karen Overall, VMD, PhD, Diplomate ACVB offers the following guidance;
“Prong collars are subject to all of the same criticisms as are chokers. Furthermore, they can do incredible damage to the dog’s neck since they can become imbedded in the skin if the dog learns to over-ride them. Most dogs learn to over-ride these collars and people who use them often voluntarily comment that they need to use some degree of pain to control their animals under some circumstances. These collars, if sharpened - as is often the case, are intended to employ pain to encourage the dog to attend to the person. If left unsharpened, these collars are intended to provide more uniform pressure than a choke collar. Oddly, prong collars were intended to be a safer improvement over choke collars. That’s not how it has worked. For aggressive dogs, this the uniform pressure response - especially if accompanied by pain - can worsen their aggression, and for dominantly aggressive dogs, this response can not only worsen their aggression, but endanger the
client.”

Choke or prong collars are not recommended “as they can easily injure the delicate butterflyshaped thyroid gland that sits just below the larynx and in front of the trachea. These collars can also injure the salivary glands and salivary lymph nodes on the side of the face underneath both ears.”
- Dr. Jean Dodds. Respected veterinarian and thyroid expert.

While precise data is not yet complete, there are many documented cases of injuries to dogs caused by the use of choke/prong collars. These injuries include, but are not limited to, soft tissue damage, eye problems, strangulation (in some cases leading to death), tracheal/esophageal damage and neurological problems. Many vets have treated such injuries and are aware of resulting deaths.

From a strictly physical perspective, Jim Casey, Mechanical Engineer, explains that, “A dog can pull against its leash/collar with more force than its own weight and can exert even more force if it gets a running start before it reaches the end of its leash. Considering a typical flat collar, an 80 pound dog can cause a contact force of approximately 5 pounds per square inch (psi) to be exerted on its neck. This force increases to 32 psi if a typical nylon choke collar is used and to an incredible 579 psi per prong if a typical prong collar is used. This represents over 100 times the force exerted on the dog’s neck compared to a typical flat collar greatly increasing the possibility of damage or injury to the dog. For this very reason, many countries with a progressive approach to pet safety and health, such as Austria and Switzerland, have already
banned prong collars.

Were people to understand more about how dogs communicate and how these collars work, they would appreciate that responses other than pain and pressure are more desirable for changing an animal’s behavior. These collars are no substitute for early
intervention and the treatment of problem behaviors. For every situation which clients claim control is provided by a prong collar, a head collar is the better, safer and more humane choice, although it requires some investment of time to use correctly. Some dogs
are fitted with prong or spike collars because they make the dog look ‘tough’. The problem, here, does not lie with the dog.

"These devices (choke and prong collars), when they work, do so to the degree that
they hurt. With the advent of modern methods and tools they are irrelevant.”
    - Jean Donaldson, Bestselling author and dog behaviorist

Wags & Wiggles staff come home with Wins at USDAA Agility Western Regionals!

Laurie Zurborg - Founder, Romi Hirayama - Tustin Facility Manager, Nicole Wakida - Tustin Trainer, & Tammy Wilson - RSM Trainer all headed to Prunedale, CA to compete in the USDAA Agility Western Regional Championship 08/31/12-09/04/12.

If you aren't familiar with USDAA, you can find out more information here: http://usdaa.com/ .   The Regional events are a lot of fun!  They are also important as you can earn Byes into different rounds.  This regional event was held by The Bay Team.  They hosted an amazing show!  Everything ran smoothly and in a timely manner.  They really did an AWESOME job!

Laurie Zurborg & Gumbo had a rare situation in Performance Speed Jumping Finals....Gumbo tied for 1st place!  When there is a tie, they do what is called a "run-off".  Both dogs get to run the same course again and whichever dog gets the faster time, gets 1st place.  In this case, Gumbo gave it his all and WON Performance Speed Jumping Finals!!!  Watch Gumbo's Blazing fast run with Laurie below!

That's not all for Laurie....Laurie & her young Border Collie Gem also made a mark at the Regional!  3 year old baby girl Gem showed her heart and placed 3rd in Grand Prix Finals in the 22" Class.  The 22" Class is a VERY competitive height and little Gemmie gave it her all!  The weekend before, Laurie & Gem also earned the ADCH (Agility Dog Champion) Title in USDAA!  Watch Gem's amazing run with Laurie below!

                                     

I was quite surprised with my little girl Wink. (2 1/2 year old Norrbottenspets).  She placed 2nd in the Performance Grand Prix Local Qualifier!  I was shocked and SO happy!  We rarely ever make placements, even if she runs clean.  So this was a big deal for us!  I was happy that she ran clean, but then overjoyed when I saw she got 2nd! Watch Winks run with Romi below!

                                    

Nicole Wakida had an amazing weekend with her 4 year old Cavalier, Ruby.  They placed 2nd in Performance Speed Jumping Finals AND Performance Grand Prix Finals! WOW!  Ruby really gave it her all and it showed!  Watch Ruby's runs with Nicole below!

Rubys Performance Speed Jumping

Rubys Performance Grand Prix

One of the really fun things about USDAA is their tournament classes.  I love doing the TEAM events.  If your dog is running in Championship, there are 3 dogs to each team.  If your dog is running in Performance, there are 2 dogs to each team.  Each dog runs the 5 standard and non-standard classes.  These classes include: Standard, Jumpers, Gamblers, Snooker & Pairs.  You accumulate points as a Team and place based on which team has the highest points.  You can choose your teammates and even make up a team name!   At this Regional, Me & Twister the Mini Eskimo were teamed up with Nicole & Cobalt the Mini Aussie and Tammy & her young BC, Nick.  Our team name was "Naughty, Naughtier, & Naughtiest!" My favorite part of TEAM is doing the relay course.  This run is also worth the most points and all dogs run the same course but different parts of it!  Usually they run it last and everyone is watching and cheering!   Watch below for Cobalt, Twister & Nicks Relay Run!

Huge Congrats to everyone!!!

Introducing 2 new members of the Wags Family!

Introducing 2 new members of the Wags Family!  Laurie & I picked up our new Border Collie puppies on Friday the 13th!  They are 9 weeks old now and a ton of fun! 

Eyespy Got Caught Speeding - "Ticket" - Owned by Laurie Zurborg

Eyespy Transmission of Power - "Clutch" - Owned by Romi Hirayama

Ticket & Clutch

A short clip of the boys reunited after being a part for 1 week!

-Romi

Saying Goodbye To The Queen, Foster

When Dave and I got married back in 1997, I only had cats.  The deal was I could get a dog when we got a house.  So we got married, bought a house a week later, and the day we moved in I dragged him down to the pound.  We got there 20 minutes before they closed and I was coming home with a dog no matter what.  Foster, a speckled face beauty, grabbed my heart and we signed the papers.

The first night home from the shelter, I gave Foster a big bed, a bunch of toys, and a rawhide.  At some point I thought I should take the bone away from her and she bit my hand, breaking skin.  I was mad of course, I gave her that bone.  That was her first lesson for me.  I needed to become an expert in resource guarding and living with biting dogs.  So I did.

The next challenge we faced was Foster being left alone.  At the time I worked at an engineering firm, 8 hours a day.  Foster was stressed out at home.  She chewed through the drywall to get out and would meet us in the garage wagging her tail.  So we decided to enroll in a group obedience class where they put her on a choke chain and told me to yank her.  Food was not allowed.  Well I failed that class.  I snuck treats in my pocket and wouldn't yank the leash.  So we decided to increase her exercise.  I read somewhere to have her run next to my bike.  So I put her on a leash and off we went in the neighborhood.  We didn't get far.  A few houses down a woman came out of her house with 2 boston terriers barking at Foster.  Foster could never let that go.  So she cut in front of my bike, knocked me down, and I had lots of bleeding wounds.

Dave then decided that maybe off leash hikes in the canyon was what she needed.  The first time we took off the leash, she darted into a huge field of grass, and would not come back.  She ran for probably a 1/2 hr straight and the only way we kept up with her was to seeing her "boinging" in the high grass chasing varmints.

Then there was an "incident" with some kids on skateboards.  She ran out of the garage and chased them for a long time, nipping at their heels.  The kids got tired before she did and luckily nothing happened once she caught up to them.  However I was mortified.  Why did she do such naughty things?

I so loved this dog but I was reaching my wits end.  So I approached Dave and asked if I could quit my job and find some line of work that Foster could come to work.  Dave said yes and if you know Dave, that was a miracle.  I had the animal background from working at vets and doing some dog training for a local trainer. We found a dog daycare in LA to go see first since there were none in the OC.  6 weeks later, Wags & Wiggles was open. 

That did not end my challenges and love affair with Foster.  She was Wags & Wiggles first interview dog.  Clients would come with their adorable puppies and Foster would meet/greet.  Foster was a terrible interview dog.  She would immediately want to snark and put puppies in their place, not ideal.  Her separation anxiety of course would come out whenever I left the play yard to visit with clients.  Yeah, that was Foster having a screaming meltdown. 

Then I discovered clicker training and WOW was Foster good at that.  She was so smart.  A couple clicks and some food and she would do ANYTHING!  Punishment never worked for her or for me.  She would just get mad and take a bite or she would get afraid.  Clicker training really helped me see that what she needed to be a good dog was learning what TO DO and earning rewards for doing the right thing.

Yes, she still snuck into the dirty laundry hamper and chewed the pockets out of my favorite jackets.  She would still get mad if she was crate too long.  And yes, she would still take off chasing things when given the chance.  She just wanted to keep me on my toes.

So the good things about Foster.  She loved everyone!  She would wag her tail and cry for people to pet her.  She always wanted to be with me.  She was a great cuddler in bed, as long as she was in the mood.  She was willing to learn anything as long as it was fun.  She kept my dog pack in line for 17 years.  We always played a fun game and get your feet.  We would pretend to grab her feet and she would bark with delight and pull them away.  The afternoon we put Foster to rest, my mom and husband were there.  Dave caressed her foot, and she pulled it back.  Foster wagged her tail for my mom as her last official act in this world.  Geez I miss her. 

Here is a video of Foster's last playful moment.  This was 1 week before she passed away and she got her mojo up to flirt with my friend's boy dog.  She was queen to the end.  So we had to say goodbye to Foster, who started the Wags & Wiggles craze.  I owe her a lot.

Laurie Zurborg, CPDT, Founder

Wags & Wiggles Dog Daycare & Training Facilities

Five Friendly Faces You Can't Wait To Meet

Wags & Wiggles works closely with several rescue organizations.  However, Laurie Zurborg, Founder of W&W is also on the board of directors for Aussie Rescue So Cal, Inc (a non-profit rescue for Australian Shepherds).  We are just been swamped with rescues lately.  W&W is dedicated to providing love, training, and rehab for all it's rescues until new loving homes are found.  Here are Five Friendly Faces You Can't Wait to Meet!



Ozzie/Harry



Ozzie & Harry, 9 years young, littermates. Both males/neutered, purebred aussies. Ozzie is the black tri and Harry is the red tri. Their previous owner abandoned them at the OC Shelter because he was moving. They are super friendly with all dogs, people & cats. They don't bark and are the most perfect aussies you will find. They are housebroken, extremely loving, pretty mellow, and are happy to lay in the sun for hours.  If you are home though they will never leave your side.  They are currently in the Wags & Wiggles Board/Train Program and on a Weight Loss Plan. They can be placed together or separate (they really will do okay apart).  Both dogs have had a full medical checkup including bloodwork and both are very healthy.  They have already lost quite a bit of weight and are ready for their new home.  These dogs are the most low maintenance friends you could ever want.  Contact Laurie at laurie@wagsandwiggles.com.  Here is their video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em9-kqMONsQ



Gunnar



Gunnar, he's 1 1/2 yrs old, average size & coat, black/white purebred papered Aussie with no tail. He's male/neutered, housebroken, crate trained, and a complete love! He's very friendly, moderate activity level, friendly with people and dogs. His previous family turned him into rescue because their child was allergic to Gunnar. Gunnar has a great temperament and is a staff favorite. Contact Laurie is Orange County at laurie@wagsandwiggles.com. Please check out his video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Az8KEQp8CE&feature=channel



Sadie



"SADIE" is a 5 yrs old, blue merle spayed female, purebred Australian Shepherd.  She is small around 35 lbs with a thick coat.  Sadie is active, friendly with dogs, reserved with new people but friendly.  She is a quick learner and has had substantial training.  Sadie prefers to be the center of the family's life and would like an active adult home that can spend a lot of time with her.  She may prefer to have another dog in the house too but it's not a requirement.  Sadie was turned into rescue for nipping at children and Sadie should NOT live with children.  Sadie has a big personality and is ready to meet you.  Contact laurie@wagsandwiggles.com.  See Sadie's Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONwpP9j0jCk&feature=channel

  

Name Coming Soon

"No Name Yet", Don't Worry he'll have a name soon.  This fantastic boy was just bailed from the OC Shelter.  He came in as a stray with no owner and no name. He was out of time so W&W came to the rescue to save his life.  He's approximately 1 1/2 yrs old, a purebred black tri male aussie with a high energy level.  He appears to be a friendly happy boy that needs some training and guidance to curb his enthusiasm.  He's currently getting neutered and then will be transferred to Wags & Wiggles.  Contact laurie@wagsandwiggles.com.





When War Begins In Your Household

 Apparently a War has been brewing in my dog pack.  At the end of particularly stressful day, I took my pack for an off leash hike on my property.  I was sharing a great bottle of wine with a great friend.  Then a vicious dog fight breaks out in my pack.  My two lead male dogs, Gumbo and Savior, had waged war.  Both locked on, screaming, blood, the works.  It was terrible.  All the other dogs ran and hid.  It took me a long time to separate them and truthfully if it had been anybody but me breaking it up I think my older male may have lost his life.  Thankfully the punctures they delivered to each other did not need anything but antibiotics.

My husband came running, I'm laying in the rocks with bloody knees hanging onto them to keep them from going at it again.  There is no manual or website you can look at to prepare yourself to separate this kind of fight.  You do whatever you can.  I was only armed with one leash and 2 glasses of wine.  Not exactly what you would hope for to stop a War.  These 2 dogs have never fought before and have lived together their entire lives.

So what now.  The first thing is to take a critical look at how the war began.  My dogs got into a fight over a gopher hole.  They were both digging in it.  My 8 yr old Catahoula Gumbo is a huge resource guarder.  He guards his bed, food, car, crate, toys, and now I can add gopher holes to the list.  Savior, my 13 yr old Aussie, is kind of grumpy.  He growls at dogs for really no reason sometimes and needs his space.  So there was possibly some tension brewing.  The main stressor in the pack though is my pack leader is dying.  Foster,  my 17yr old dog, who founded Wags & Wiggles is passing from old age.  Maybe this week, maybe next month.  We don't know when but the pack is on edge. 

My focus now is what do I do to keep this from happening again.  Make a list of all known contributing factors:

• relationship issues
• guarding behavior
• pack instability
• excitability over wildlife
• we recently moved our home

Next, consider some immediate lifestyle changes:

• Gumbo and Savior are going to be completely separate for at least 2 weeks.  I have several locations in the house to separate dogs.  Both dogs get time with the other pack members.  Both dogs get alone time with me. 
• Gain mental control over the pack.  No more racing out the back door like lunatics, no more crappy recalls on pack walks, and insist on calm behavior in the house.  This means going back to treat training several times a day and an absolute must on pack walks. 
• No guarding behavior, period.  No minor growls over bed possession or crate selection or toy play.  The offender gets an immediate down stay or sent out of the room for guarding behavior.
• All pack members are wearing collars at all times for maximum control.  Gumbo and Savior are on leash during any space transfer times.

Examine trouble areas in your dog's responses to your verbal cues.  Gumbo is on recall rehab.  25 recalls for food treats, every single day.  Just 2 days in and I'm expressed with his rehab so far.  Check out my recall tips later in the newsletter.

So one week in and I can finally tell that harmony is coming back to the household.  We are still very careful in our management.  The house is more pleasant with more rules.  We had all these rules at the old house, but with more space we got lax.  So when you move, take your rules with you! Next month, I will write about how I conditioned the dogs to be back in the same space together. 

Laurie Zurborg, CPDT-KA, Founder
Wags & Wiggles