COMMENTARY GATEWAY BEHAVIORS

By Fran Jewell

The latter part of April signals a time of transition on our local fisheries. Silver Creek, the Big Wood River, and the South Fork Boise River below Anderson Ranch remain closed and will re-open on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The lower Big Lost River is open all year, but it won’t be long before flows increase to “summer levels” and render the river unfishable for several months.

Steelhead season on the Salmon River is winding down (closing at the end of April), and fish are concentrating on spawning areas on the upper river around Stanley. While the fishing in local rivers wanes, our area stillwaters come into their own, providing a great change of pace and some outstanding fishing opportunities.

Magic Reservoir can yield some incredible fishing. Now is the time to check out areas like Myrtle Point, the Narrows, Hot Springs Landing, and the bay at the dam. Don’t forget your leech patterns and Clouser Minnows. You never know whether you’ll catch a rainbow, brown, or smallmouth on your Magic outings during the spring! In addition, Carey Lake, Little Wood Reservoir, and Fish Creek Reservoir all provide good fishing opportunities for the next two months.

The Big Lost River below Mackay Reservoir remains open to fishing, and flows are currently at just below 300 CFS, making wading challenging. Fluctuations in flows can make fishing unproductive, so check the USGS flow gauge before making the trip.

The Little Wood River between Carey and Richfield is fishable and is a good option for anglers who need to wet a line. Small streamers are the way to go here; olive, black, and brown woolly buggers or a small sparkle minnow are all you need.

Now is a great time to go through your gear in preparation for Opening Day on Silver Creek! Don’t neglect your fly lines, leaders, tippet, etc. Taking the time now to replace old or damaged gear will ensure that you don’t lose the brown trout of a lifetime during the Brown Drake hatch! Here at Picabo Angler new product is arriving daily. Give us a call or stop by the shop to check out what’s new, or to stock up on your favorite flies and gear.

Happy fishing, everyone!

What is a gateway behavior? It is any behavior that leads to more destructive behaviors and even aggression. What might seem like a simple or even cute dog behavior may, in fact, be leading to more very undesirable behaviors in the future. It can be very difficult for anyone to anticipate where a behavior might go—unless they have had years and years of experience with a multitude of dogs.

What becomes even more difficult is that, depending on the essence of the dog’s temperament, what would be a gateway behavior for one dog might not be for another dog. To understand this, many dogs are status seekers, and display behaviors that will say to other dogs, “I’m higher in social rank than you!” A status seeker may also attempt these behaviors with people. Some dogs will only attempt it with humans, or maybe even only with other dogs. Whew! That can be confusing for people to understand.

To add more confusion for us, many times status seekers are using these behaviors because they are fearful, not because they are truly dominant.

Examples of gateway behaviors that can lead to worse behaviors and even aggression include darting out the door, barking for treats or dinner, crowding you for attention, growling when you ask your dog to get off the furniture or bed, and even demanding you play with them by sticking a ball in your lap continuously. Anytime you feel disrespected or find yourself getting hurt by a dog pulling on the leash, this could be a gateway behavior.

Many times humans will begin allowing these behaviors, thinking they are cute, or enjoy them because their dog is so engaging and smart. I see dogs grabbing their owner’s clothing or nipping at them to get them to take them for a walk.

When we find ourselves not being able to say “No!” to our dog in a manner the dog understands, we are headed down a slippery slope.

Those gateway behaviors can lead to harder nipping that turns into a bite. They can lead the way to your dog deciding who comes in the house or on your property. First, it is the house, then the yard, then down the street. And now you are well on your way to a lawsuit or fines imposed by the local authorities.

PREVENTION is always the best approach! Teach your puppy or rescue to respect you by placing emotional boundaries, like sitting for a meal or sitting at the door to go out. This may seem so simple but for a dog, it has huge meaning. Don’t wait until you have a problem that needs to be undone and then changed. It is so much more difficult to make those changes and help the dog become a good member of our human society.

Fran Jewell is an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, NADOI Certified Instructor and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC in Sun Valley. For more information, visit positivepuppy.com or call 208-578-1565.