Mindful Leadership

About Barking - Part 2

2012-01-25T06:29:00.001-08:00

Two major reasons why dogs bark are because they are under-, or over-stimulated.

Under-stimulation is boredom, in other words. The dog barks to solicit for attention and interaction. The simplest solution is to provide more stimulation, and typically it is exercise of the mental kind they are more in need of. Especially sensory sensitive dogs, often ones belonging to the herding group, can be under-stimulated on one paw if all they ever get are mindless physical activities, and over-stimulated on the other with the many sights and sounds in the environment, and in that case venturing to the park more often can make matters worse.

Exuberant excitement is expressed in barking and jumping - another common nuisance behavior. The dog is so happy that he can’t contain himself and releases his joy in dog typical ways. It is a common scenario when a pooch’s beloved and sorely missed person comes home from work. He hears the key in the lock and promptly freaks out in his crate, or mobs his person at the door.

Now, we’ve been told for years by both traditional and positive reinforcement trainers that we should not reward lack of impulse control or demand barking. We are told not to give in to our dog’s soliciting behavior; his signal that he wants something from us, because then we would reinforce that, and the dog would bark more, and be out-of-control more, and demand more, and may even become – quiver - dominant and challenge us for the steak we have for dinner that night. Okay, that stretch of thought typically only traditional trainers come up with.

In any case, I disagree. For starters, in a functioning relationship each member should be allowed to solicit for what they want. It doesn’t mean they always get it, but they should be able to ask and be acknowledged. And yes, I too prefer a polite gesture to a spit-loaded bark in the face, but that can be taught. In fact, in a good functioning relationship dogs are generally subtler and polite(r). As far as excitement goes, of course dogs should be allowed to get excited. Cesar Millan’s expectation of “calm submission” at all times and in every circumstance is unrealistic, unreasonable and impossible for any organism. Once again, some people demand more from dogs than what we highly-evolved humans are able to do. Have you ever been in a hockey arena or football stadium? So, a dog sometimes being jubilant is normal, and we should neither ignore nor subdue him, but channel the expressions into ones that are less annoying and more acceptable.

There is another problem with ignoring barking when it starts. Rarely does a dog stop right away just because a person doesn’t pay attention to it. To the contrary, he becomes frustrated because nobody listens and turns it up a few notches, and the now more intense vocalization most people find difficult to ignore. In real life, at one point the person does give it attention, perhaps negative one, but attention is attention and maintains behavior, and when that happens the dog learns that “crazing out” is the way to get noticed.

Confined dogs, for example when in a crate, can be especially noisy because there is added restraint frustration. Eager to get out, the pooch quickly charges up when no one opens the door, and he might bark himself into state of extreme agitation. A layperson will be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a minor, passing tantrum and true anxiety that intensifies out-of-control behavior at the moment, but can also contribute to secondary problems. And even if the dog has learned that the door only opens if he stops barking, being quiet is nothing but a trick and not authentic calmness. It is fake, and typically followed by an explosion of unwanted actions as soon as he is freed: bark-bark-whine-bark-bark → quiet tension → you open the crate door → dog pops out and begins to mouth, bark and jump. So, nothing is accomplished.

I suggest opening the crate door immediately and regardless what the dog does, and then direct him into a short, interactive game. You can toss a handful of small treats away from you and tell him to find them, send him to the toy box to fetch a ball and then play for a minute or two, teach him to target your hand or perform a few tricks he likes. That is structured attention right away, gets your dog out of the barking and into the thinking mode, and brings four-paws-to-the-floor in a positive way.

And if you’re of the swift sort and manage to open the crate door after two or three barks, or are able to at least quiet your dog till you reach it, then barking two or three times, followed by patiently waiting till you set him free, becomes a habit. Everyone should be able to tolerate a couple of barks. If you can’t stand any vocalization, don’t get a dog.

The same rules apply when a dog just can’t wait to get out the door to have some fun with you. He might sit quietly, staring at the door for it to open, and perhaps is even trained to let you exit first, but if it’s just a trained trick and he is internally charged up, he will pull the moment he steps on the driveway or sidewalk. Again, you gain nothing. Instead, wait for attention and offered eye contact before you open the door, give the let’s go command when you exit together, and engage your dog right away into a quick game of chase, or find the treats, or target, or whatever you like, and then continue the walk with not only a calmer dog, but also one who is likely more focused on you.

Giving attention and redirecting into a fun and acceptable behavior after 2-3 barks works regardless why the dog is yapping it up. It doesn’t matter if he greets you cheerfully at the door, or sees someone walking by the house. In that case a “Brutus, it’s just aunt Jenny get your ball” can move and keep the dog away from the window. In the beginning, you might have to guide him away, perhaps with a leash, but if you use the same words consistently you’ll eventually be able to direct him from the distance. And if you always redirect into the same activity, at one point the whole sequence of: person passing by, dog barking trice followed by getting a ball, will be automatic.

True, in a technical, operant conditioning sense we reinforce an unwanted behavior – barking - if we pay attention to it and if the dog gets what he wants, but from a relationship point of view I think we should do it anyway. Baby Signs® found that crying and tantrums decreased when what babies and toddlers’ tried to convey was understood. I feel that is the same with dogs. Their frustration outbursts won’t escalate if we respond to the initial bark, instead of snubbing them and their attempt to connect with us.

Barking occurs when a dog perceives an associated cue that announces a fun event and he can’t wait to get on with it. Going for walks turns Will’s crank, and she has learned that me drinking coffee and then using the bathroom happens every morning just before we head out. As soon as the toilette flushes, Will starts barking, impatiently wanting to go outside. Because it annoys me, I ask her in a down position after two barks, and she obeys that because it is well practiced. Down is incompatible with barking – at least with Will, which means that when she follows orders she shuts up as well. Then I fit her harness on, reinforcing the quiet, and open the door. It didn’t take long before Will stopped barking altogether, as if to avoid the extra delay the down position brought on.

Events that the dog connects with another that follows are predictors of fun stuff, but also unpleasantness and discomfort, and that can also trigger barking. For example, putting on a certain kind of shoes, or grabbing the car keys, are precursors to your leaving for work and can provoke barking, jumping and nipping with a dog who has separation anxiety.

I am not discussing outside run or fence barking, and barking at the end of a chain, because I believe that dogs should not be put in situations, often constantly, that cause stress, anxiety and frustration they then release in behaviors nobody wants. It is not the dogs' barking that is the problem here, but peoples' uncaring actions.

Restraint frustration is often the underlying issue why dogs bark at the end of their leash, or flip out when grabbed by the collar. Primarily the root is fear and anxiety, but sometimes it is because the pooch wants to socialize, greet and play, or herd and control, and you and the leash are holding him back. Which one it is can be difficult to discern for the layperson, and I recommend hiring an experienced and positive dog pro to help you sort things out. I will talk about leash reactivity sometime in the near future.

One more reason for barking I want to point out is that a sense of competition towards another animal, commonly referred to as jealousy, can also provoke barking, jumping or general pushiness. In its root it is anxiety. I wrote a blog post about Intraspecific Competition and how to approach it.

And dogs also bark when they are anxious, or ambiguous about a person, including one they live with.

I had canine clients who bark a whole lot because several, sometimes all of the above, reasons apply. They are mentally under-stimulated and demand bark, but also sensory over-stimulated and in a chronically low-level aroused state, caused by where they live, and/or by the activities their humans choose for them to participate in. In addition, often they were given attention to when in a full outburst, when their people couldn’t stand it any longer, but the attention was punitive which created anxiety, or at least ambiguity, and that always compounds the problem. Ceaseless barking sometimes goes on for years and is a well-established behavior, and therefore not an easy task to modify. But I believe that even with those tough cases improvement is possible, but there is no quick fix. Modification requires a lot from people: patience, consistency and sometimes lifestyle and routine changes, at least temporarily.

All About Barking - Part 1

2012-01-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last year in November I talked about why many dogs bark when the doorbell rings, and what to do about it. Of course, that is not the only reason why pooches yap it up.

Why do dogs bark? Because it is a normal part of their communication, that’s why. Anatomically, it is impossible for a dog to say: “Heya Bob, can you git over here and open that door? I gotta pee.”

Dogs’ vocalizations, for the longest time in our common history, came in handy. The watchdog let humans sleep restfully at night, and the guard dog deterred two- and four legged intruders from entering home turf. Barking benefitted us, and because we humans are so clever in manipulating environments to our liking, we selectively bred for that. Bred dogs that announce an unfamiliar noise or trespasser, announce that they found game, vermin or the scent of it, and vocally “tell” livestock animals where to go.

Nowadays, the behavior we once desired we don’t want any longer. Many of our modern dogs live in urban and suburban neighborhoods and are bombarded with sounds and motion all the time. Their endless announcing is bothersome at best, and a real problem at worst.

Dog owners and neighbors of dog owners want it stopped, and dog pros and manufacturers, sniffing easy money that can be made, eagerly produced a variety of ways to stop it - most unpleasant or painful for the dog, and typically unsuccessful. Unsuccessful, or counterproductive because constant sound and motion stimulation can make the dog irritable and permanently fired up, and punishing, intimidating or throwing something at him – making more noise - disquiets him even more.

The good news is that, like any other problem, excessive barking too can be modified in a dog friendly fashion.

Barking is dogs' default form of expression, some breeds more than others, and they do it for a variety of reasons, which I’ll discuss. All of them, or at least all I can think of, in this post and the next one.

One common motive is to be let outside, or back into the house. Because people like a housetrained dog, they initially obeyed the vocal request and opened the door, and each time that happened they reinforced the behavior they don’t want. The dog learns that barking works and will do it again, and soon not just when he has to potty, but whenever he is bored and wants your attention, check out a noise, or dig up the flowerbed. The catch is that, especially with a puppy or newly adopted dog, you don’t want to ignore the bark, because if he really has to go and nobody opens the door he’ll piddle on the rug, and thereby learns that there is an “appropriate” inside voiding spot.

There are two solutions to the dilemma: One is timing the dog and giving him ample opportunities to go outside. You decide, and before his bladder is so full that he can’t hold it any longer, you prompt your pooch to follow, then open the door and go out with him and mark “potty” when he does it, thereby putting it under command control. That is how we do it in our home.

The other is to hang bells at the door. A dog can’t say: “Heya Bob…”, but can learn to touch a set of bells with his nose or paw to signal that he wants the door opened. You might wonder what good that does? Instead of barking, he’ll now ring the bell nonstop, which is just as annoying, right? Wrong. You can’t remove the dog’s bark, or at least not without cruel surgery, but you can remove the bells and convey that you are temporarily unavailable. With consistency, you are teaching your dog an acceptable way to signal that gets him the desired result, but at the same puts you in control. Brilliant, eh – like we say in Canada. I wish I had thought of that, but the credit belongs to Suzanne Clothier who shared that, and many such wisdoms, at a seminar I attended a few years ago.

And, by the way, when you are available, it doesn’t matter why your dog wants to go out; if he really has to go pee, or wants catch a whiff of fresh air, bake in the sun, or play. You should open the door because he can’t and needs your help. Said that, I am not a fan of leaving a dog outside unsupervised for long, and also keep in mind that if he continuously pesters you, he might be bored and could benefit from mental and/or physical stimulation.

More about that, over-stimulation, excitement and anxiety in Part 2.

The Seven Taproot Behaviors

2012-01-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hello New Year. Welcome. I am excited. Yes, of course I intellectually comprehend that the difference between December 31 and January 01 is just a day, but I become all chipper with the beginning of each New Year nevertheless. I am thrilled about exploring new ideas and opportunities, meeting new people and dogs, having new experiences.

At the end of each old year I gift myself with a fancy “Windows to the World” calendar with beautiful photos of doors, bridges and windows from around the world taken by John and Debora Scalan, I'll delight in each day, each month.

Who knows what windows and doors will open in 2012 – for you and for me. I will surely keep my eyes peeled and stay alert. That is my nature, not a resolution, but like many people I have some. Although firmly stuck in my mind, experience tells me that most will likely slide in the ditch by the end of February, and that’s okay, because there aren’t any big-deal issues that I need to change. Thankfully, cause I hate pressure.

New Year’s Resolution has such a negative connotation, doesn’t it? It sounds coercive, and the ones we impose on ourselves are often indeed a slog; something that we ought to do but don’t really want to tackle at this point. No wonder a lot of folks conveniently ignore it early on in the year. After all, avoidance is a common side effect of compulsion.

So, how about a resolution that is fun? How about teaching the pooch new things? Training is, should be, quality time spent together, and as a bonus you get better behavior, less stress and an improved relationship. Tricks are great if your dog already knows all the basic stuff. If not, the New Year is the perfect opportunity to make up for what was missed. And yes, even an old dog can learn - new tricks and behaviors.

There are seven behaviors that, if the dog performs them reliably, make life with a pooch really easy and very pleasurable. I like to call them taproot behaviors - taproot as in: the main and deepest root of a plant. It was the fabulous Steve White I heard use that term in regards to dog training a couple of years ago, and he generously granted me written permission to use it too. That makes me happy, because I have not yet found a better analogy to illustrate what every dog should know.

Picture an upside down pyramid with seven poles vertically pointing downward, each one representing one behavior. In case you need a visual, check out Steve White’s graph at www.i2ik9.com/TAPROOT-plain.pdf. If you do, you will notice that he has five taproot behaviors: Attention in the middle, flanked by sit and down on each side, and then heel and come. I have seven - the middle pole, the longest, stands for unprompted attention like Steve White’s, the two next to it, name attention and come, are not quite as long and although still super important, not as much as offered attention. The behaviors next to those, the off-switch “all-done” and one position, either sit or down, are a little shorter still, and on each end we have the shortest ones: leave and give, again very important commands, but not quite as much as the all other ones. I believe I addressed all of them in detail in past posts, and because of their importance might do so again sometime in the future. Today, I want to stick with the taproot analogy.

Here is where it makes so much sense: like the taproot keeping the plant alive and healthy, the most important behaviors, when solidly established, keeps the relationship between you and your dog healthy and mutually gratifying. And like the roots that demand nutrients and water, those crucial behaviors you want in your dog require your attention, and must be nurtured and reinforced.

Although I believe, based on my experience, that my seven taproot behaviors are the most important ones, they are not set in stone, and of course there are others as well. You decide which are the principle ones for you, and it is you who best knows your dog and what to practice more - and what less because he might do them naturally. It is common sense that if you own a pooch who is innately very attentive and won’t leave you out of his sight, and is forever soliciting for interaction, that you should emphasize “all-done” more than name attention, and a position stay more than come.

Back to the taproots and how the analogy can help with training. The poles remind you that each time you practice one of the outside behaviors, you need to return to one on the inside. If you’re thinking with me, you understand that the behavior representing the middle pole needs the most work. In other words, the longer the pole, the more repetitions, the more effort and consideration you’d give it. It could look something like: attention-come-attention-sit or down-all done-name attention-come-attention -leave it- attention-give and so on. To stay on target, make yourself a taproot graph with the seven behavior poles, and then create a separate chart with horizontal and vertical lines to checkmark each behavior as you practice it.

Once you get into the swing of things, you likely won’t need the visual reminders any longer, and you can have some real fun and take the show on the road. Practice randomly wherever you go, and your dog will be attentive and listen anytime and anywhere. If you start now and stick to it all year long, by 2013 you will have the best mannered pooch ever. You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood.

Our Will knows all the basic stuff. Congratulations if your dog does too. Then your New Year Resolution, like mine, could be to teach new tricks. Because I am not very imaginative, I ordered a trick book I am determined to tackle. Here, another fun resolution: reading more books.

Twas a Good Year

2011-12-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe another year is almost over. I know, it is such cliché talk, but it’s true. Time flies. At least for us it does, perhaps because we are so busy. Although there are days I wish had more hours in it, I am thankful that everyone in our family has work; enough income to pay the bills with a little left over. In today’s world, that and health make any year a good one.

Of course, there were ups and downs. It is life. Losing our beloved Aussie Davie to cancer in March was a big blow that still sideswipes us periodically, especially when something strongly reminds us of her – a certain place, or a song that has a special meaning. Last week our favorite grocery store played Robbie William’s version of “The Things we Used to Do”, which was Davie and my Freestyle song we danced to. Happy-sad moment.

The highlight of the year was in August, when our daughter who lives 5000 km away came for a visit. We had a wonderful time exploring Cape Breton and traveling one of the most beautiful coastal highways in the world. Of course Will came along.

The remainder of the year was journeying a smooth path, spotted here and there with interesting dog-related information and products I want to share with you.

My favorite new walking tool is the Freedom Harness I discovered recently thanks to dog guru Pat Miller. I already mentioned it in my post "Tools of the Trade", and the more I use it, the more I like it. You can check it out at Wiggles, Wags and Whiskers.

Another product that really works is the Wysong Denta Treat Powder - I get mine at the Bark and Fitz in Halifax. It is an oral health- promoting supplement for canines and felines that is sprinkled on kibble. I skeptically started using it for our 10-year-old Will in September, and am amazed by the results. Her teeth are visibly cleaner, whiter and gums healthier.

The Lickety Stick caught my eye last month while shopping for dog food and training treats at Global Pets in Truro. If you picture a roll-on deodorant you get an idea how it functions, except instead of a pleasant smelling stink neutralizer it releases a natural tasty liquid the dog can lick. I can see it work nicely with polite leash manner training, but also to change a nervous dog’s mind about a hand reaching for him. Many of my consultations involve dogs that bite, and specifically hands. Dogs, it seems to me, are increasingly more suspicious of hands and I believe that is because the famous Dog Whisperer demonstrates that hands should pin and poke, not gently stroke and deliver a food treat or toy. Even though I like the Lickety Stick, I won't use it much, because it is made by PetSafe, the leading shock collar manufacturer, and that puts me in moral conflict; enough to stay away from their good products as well.

Those are the things that stuck out, but I also found a bunch of mention-worthy information. There are many websites that advance the gentle and dog friendly treatment of our hairy sidekicks, but two I especially liked: www.domesticatedmanners.com is based in the UK and has really good video clips, including one on how to desensitize a dog to a wear a muzzle, and one how to teach “drop it”.

The other, www.trulydogfriendly.com, is an international directory of, as the name implies, truly positive dog trainers. Unlike some other groups and associations that don’t always screen if everyone follows their mission statement, or are all-inclusive to begin with and accept anyone who can hold a leash regardless how aversive the method is they use, joining this one is by referral only. Yours truly made the cut, but is not yet listed because, I was told, the site is managed by volunteers and updating can be a tad slow. Understandable, but I hope they’re finding the time so that more and more dog owners can locate a truly positive dog pro in their area.

And of course there were books. There are always books. My favorite one this year was “Alex and Me” by Irene Pepperberg. It is actually not about dogs, but an African Grey Parrot, Alex, and Dr. Pepperberg, a scientist curious about bird brains. Alex stands for Avian Language Experiment. I loved the book because it is science-based and therefore the findings documented and verified, while at the same time it is written in a conversational and easy comprehendible style. Alex’ level of cognition astounded many, even critics, and because he was able to use English words proving what he was capable of was easier than it is for our dogs who can’t speak our language. I often wonder what they would tell us were they anatomically equipped to talk like we do, or Alex? I mean, their communication is quite clear, but still, it is not our own and we can never be 100 percent sure if what we think our dog thinks is accurate.

“The Scent of Desire” by Rachel Herz is also not about dogs, but about the sense of smell. I was surprised how intensely it impacts so many aspects of human life. How much more important must it be for dogs who have a much keener sense of smell than we do. Especially the chapter on pheromones was super interesting. It explained how they affect the selection of a genetically perfect mate to increase the chance of healthy offspring. How many female dogs are allowed to freely choose their mates these days?

A much anticipated book I just finished reading is BAT by Grisha Stewart. This one is about dogs, not bats. BAT stands for Behavior Adjustment Training, and is geared to help reactive dogs. In a nutshell, it teaches people how to use functional rewards, namely distance, to reinforce socially acceptable behaviors in the presence of a trigger. I love and apply the concept since I saw Suzanne Clothier demonstrate something very similar a few years ago. Grisha makes a reference to Suzanne Clothier and Ian Dunbar in the book’s appendix, and also to CAT – Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Kellie Snider’s Constructional Aggression Treatment, which also uses distance as functional reinforcement, but with the distinct difference that the trigger moves, not the dog.

Here you have it: a quick review of my rather good year. Perhaps one or the other item finds itself on your wish list, and if you’re not done Christmas shopping yet, maybe you just found the perfect gift for a loved one.

I leave you with my best wishes for a Merry Christmas, or whatever it is you are celebrating this time of year, and even-keel sailing in 2012.

All I Want for Christmas

2011-12-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

Is a puppy dog. That was the only thing I ever wanted when I was growing up – and never got because my parents didn’t want an animal in the house. In hindsight, it was good that they so stubbornly refused to give me what I longed for most. Good for the dog, at least. My family put the “dys” into functional, and life in our house would have been very stressful for any poor pooch.

Kids grow up and eventually make their own decisions, and as soon as the time was right mine was to finally make my wish come true and get meself a dog, and then another one, and…

So, these days I am as happy as a human can be, and the only reason why I am boring you with my miserable, dogless childhood is because “a puppy” is a repetitive plea on wish lists to Santa.

Profit-driven breeders and pet stores are well aware of that, and gear up production for the Holiday Season. What parent doesn’t love to see their offspring’s face light up as bright as the tree on Christmas morn’? What parent doesn’t want to fulfill their child’s dream? Because commerce plays on that, advertises and supplies the goods, every December many a youngster is given a leash, and a whelp at end of it.

Unlike folks whose priority is the bottom line, non-profit humane societies and rescue organizations put animals first and were, in the past, by and large against adopting dogs out shortly before Christmas. Their explanation was that: a) they didn’t want the animals in their care to be a last minute, emotional-based or spontaneous acquisition that might be regretted soon after, and b) they wanted to prevent that a dog, likely already somewhat stressed by the shelter environment, won’t be more so when exposed to all the commotion that is typically part of the festivities.

That position has changed a bit in recent years. With the Iams “Home 4 the Holidays” program and alluring tagline: “What better gift can there be during the Holiday Season than to save the life of an orphan”, more and more shelters join in with the goal to adopt out as many of their charges for Christmas as possible. Sounds like a noble enough move, doesn’t it? Well, I am not so sure. I know that I might be paddling against the current here, but whenever meeting a projected quota and dogs are in the same sentence, I become worried.

Since "Home 4 the Holidays" inception in 1999, 5.7 million families worldwide found a new family member, and this year’s goal is 1.5 million, with 3.790 shelters participating. Impressive numbers indeed, and reading them automatically evokes an image in our mind of a white picket fence family and a once lonesome, sweet dog who is now, cause adopted, eagerly fetching a ball or peacefully sleeping in his doggy bed by the fireplace. Except, do we have any evidence that confirms what we see with our mental eye? Do we actually know how many dogs are still in those homes after 6 months, 1 year, or 2? Is someone checking how many live inside and call that soft cushion to sleep on their own, are supplied quality food, are loved and cared for the way they should? Maybe there are follow-ups. I don’t know. If there are, I’d be interested in those numbers as well.

Of course, statistics that show how animals make out in a home long term are important regardless when in a year they are adopted out, but more than any other season the Christmas one takes advantage of people’s open hearts and warm, albeit perhaps vulnerable, emotions. In that sense, is the Iams campaign any different than the pet store’s front window and breeder’s website home page, both littered with darling cute puppies ready to go for December 25?

I get it. It feels good to believe that every homeless person will have turkey dinner, and every lonely dog a home, but life is not a Hallmark movie, and more not always merrier. My fear is that once new year reality hits, a good number of pets invited in from the cold by people who were sad, in a temporary fuzzy-giving mood, or wanted to make Christmas especially memorable for the kids, find themselves returned like undesired presents exchanged at the local mall. Or, when the new owners realize that the pooch means time and work, might not be house trained or has separation anxiety, are exiled to a solitary life in the yard or on a chain. People might opine that any home is better than no home, but I disagree. Some dogs are better off at a shelter where friendly volunteers take the time to walk and talk to them, and perhaps even allow playtime with compatible friends.

Said all that, I am not categorically against adopting before Christmas. Any effort that places an animal in need of a home into a good one, including during the month of December, is fabulous. If a family unanimously agreed to open their door and hearts to a dog all along, if the decision to choose a homeless one was well thought through, if the expectations are realistic, and if the pooch they all fall in love with is confident enough to handle a festivity-busier-than-normal new environment, it would be senseless to leave him lingering in a shelter cell longer than he has to.

But all those criteria have to be in place, otherwise "Home 4 the Holidays" is nothing more than clever PR for Iams, with little regard for the animals. The question I am pondering over is if participating shelters, during a busy adoption drive, are able to evaluate potential owners with the same scrutiny they apply at other times. If yes, then that is wonderful, and the campaign also is, and I am all for it.

Another thing that is wonderful, and has to do with Iams, is their Local Heroes Contest that was seeking life saving success stories. The competition was open to shelters and rescue organizations across Canada, and I can proudly say that our Nova Scotia Provincial SPCA in Dartmouth won for their palliative foster care program that places old animals, and those with compromised health, in loving foster homes. What I think about human scum who ditch their old or sick pooch is another topic, but I am glad our shelter was recognized with an award for their compassionate care for animals that otherwise would likely have to be euthanized.

And also wonderful is the Hallmark movie “A Dog Named Christmas”. If you have the chance, watch it, but for dog’s sake don’t let your children talk you into a family member you don’t want for the next decade or so. Taking responsibility for a pet is an adult decision – one of the rare mature ones I can give my parents’ credit for making.

Willkommen is 10

2011-11-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

Question! Is there such a thing as being too busy if someone loves every minute of it? Answer! Yes, if one forgets the dog’s birthday.

On November 15th Will turned 10, and we almost forgot. Almost because hubby remembered it late evening, and in reality we aren’t even sure if that is her exact birthday. Nobody knows cause Will was born feral. When she and the her litter were trapped in February 2002 they – the humane society people and veterinarian - estimated the pups age between 10-12 weeks, which puts whelping in November, and we chose the 15th cause it was a payday and allowed us to buy gifts, but what are the chances that we picked the correct date.

We got Will April 30th 2002. We were the 4th place she landed at, and her last chance. So, we could celebrate that day, too. A few of my friends who have rescue dogs celebrate the “got day”, not the birthday, but we don’t. I don’t know why, because I am really happy that we got Will. The extremely timid pauper pup turned into a fantastic dog. She is an easy keeper, is attentive -super attentive, heeds our requests and trusts me so completely that we can take her anywhere. She might not always agree with my choices, but she always wants to be with me, without being clingy, and without having separation anxiety, which means she can be left alone as well. The perfect companion, and confident, too. She transformed from flighty Willkommen to Willie the Conqueror.

Will is smart, subtle and sweet, and easy on the eye. Best of all, she is still active and healthy. And here we are, almost forgetting her birthday. But she didn’t mind. I mean, what could we get our diva what she doesn’t already have.

Love and affection? A lot.

Treats? Daily.

Home-cooked dinners? Yup.

Long walks? Twice a day.

Off leash outings? Regularly.

Her own photo blog post to celebrate her life? I highly doubt she cares, but here she’s got one anyway.

Happy Birthday ma Will – and hopefully there’ll be many more to come.

Every Time the Doorbell Rings

2011-11-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

The autumn leaves that paint the Canadian Maritimes into magical colors are gone, and the beaches are void of people and bugs. Sure signs that winter is approaching; a time of year that heralds in festivities that bring friends and family together. Aside from the traditional gatherings to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, when it gets colder outside, many people’s homes become warmer, and not just because the furnace is on. It is the sharing of food and rituals that brings about a cozy and peaceful feel – only disturbed by: Your dog’s crazed barking every time the doorbell rings. Right? I know because my dogs are like your dogs. Or rather were like your dogs, because we worked on it, and now they do something other than announce that somebody is at the door.

Dogs react to the doorbell because it has become their cue that something is about to happen at the entrance point of the house. In other words, there is a relevant consequence the dog has learned that follows that specific sound: someone entering. Depending on the dog, the anticipation of the predictable event the bell, or a knock, announces triggers either anxiety or excitement. Either way, the pooch erupts in annoying barks because both emotions increase arousal and decrease impulse control. The dog, at that point, is out of his mind; he has you tuned out, which means that you won’t be able to shut him with a “no”, “come” or “sit”.

What most frustrated owners do next is catch up with the canine and body block him away from the door, which seems rather clever in theory, but in reality the human ends up playing goalie in the entrance space, and the dog is becoming more and more skilled in dodging his person. If that sounds like it would irritate the human and arouse the dog even more, you are correct. It does, and what typically happens next is the owner grabbing the collar, which also doesn’t work because it adds restraint frustration, and the dog then totally flips out.

That is often the point when the dog trainer is called in, and depending on what philosophy she follows, might diagnose dominance and advise to exile the pooch into another room or outside, or sharply correct him into shutting up.

I deal with the issue differently. I teach my dog an alternate behavior.

The cue will always be the cue, meaning that the bell will ring when someone requests entrance into your home. That is impractical, or impossible, to change. What we can alter, however, is what meaning it has for the dog.

Some people have a hunch that changing the pooch’s mind might be the solution and hang a treat basket by the door, for guests to give the dog a cookie as soon as they enter. But that is another idea that sounds good on paper, but is ineffective in real life and can increase arousal because the dog is, in addition to being excited about the person, now also excited about the expected treat. Or, if he feels queasy about the visitor, the cookie creates conflict because he still doesn’t like the stranger at the door, but wants what she holds in her hand.

My goal is the opposite. I want the whole entrance space to be dog free when I open the door to let someone in. The sound of the doorbell ringing still has relevance, and my dog can still get excited about it – and probably will cause calm-submission doesn’t magically happen just because I wish it so, but it announces that good stuff will materialize elsewhere: in the kitchen or living room, and that it comes from me, not the person at the door.

Once your dog habitually moves to another room, you can deal with the visitor in a casually calm and relaxed fashion, which brings the pulse rate down in dog and person.

Sounds like exactly what you want, doesn’t it?

The first step to achieve that is to find something that really floats your dog’s boat. For many it is a human-food stuffed Kong, and there could be a couple readymade in the freezer at all times. When the bell rings and the barking begins, walk to the door and shout out that you’ll open in a second, then happily clip a leash on your dog’s flat collar or harness – no choke or prong collar cause it is not about correcting the badness out of the dog - lead him to the freezer and hand over the Kong. With the yummy treasure between his teeth take him to his favorite mat, and perhaps loop the leash around a bannister or heavy piece of furniture to keep him put while he munches away, and then you open the door. (Separately, using yummy treats, practice down stays on the mat a lot, so that it becomes a desired spot to be not just when company arrives.) Repeat, repeat, repeat. Only doing it conditions a new behavior. Maybe you can recruit neighborhood kids to legally push the bell and run away.

Provided you have found something your dog can’t resist, and provided that you consistently follow the same routine, in no time, perhaps even before the Christmas crowd arrives, the sound of the bell will be your dog’s cue to run to the freezer and then, with his loot in his mouth, to the mat. No leash no more required.

The Kong works with most dogs, but some are more obsessed about toys. That was the case with our Aussie Davie, who loved all her humans without reserve, but was equally passionate about biting strangers. I assume that was the reason she was surrendered at the tender age of 16 weeks. For Davie it was an Airdog football that did the trick. Within weeks after she landed in our home, instead of charging the door she ran to the doggie-drawer in the kitchen where we kept her beloved toy. It came out each time the bell rang, and disappeared as soon as the visitor left. Dogs can’t bark if they have their mouths full with Kong or ball. No, let me correct that, Davie still managed to, but it was muffled and not annoyingly high-pitched, and she was happy and not aggressive, because company coming meant a quick play session with us.

Self-evident, I hope, is that the guest should ignore the dog until he is calm. Greeting should only happen if both dog and person want to, and only after the owner gives a specific release command. I like “say hello”.

And just to be clear, don’t deprive your pooch of toys and treats, but what he values most, the very special prize, only appears as the consequence of the doorbell ringing, and is always retrieved from the same place so that it, not the entrance point of your house, is where he’ll run to.

So, that is how I deal with the maddeningly barking pooch charging the door. There is another way, equally clever and dog friendly, and effective provided you have the time and opportunity to build the desired mat behavior incrementally before the dog is confronted with the big deal event: a stranger entering the house. You would first teach and practice going to the mat. I like free shaping it, which means you start reinforcing your dog’s interest in the mat, and then gradually raise the bar until he lays on the mat, and after that you gradually increase duration and distance he stays in position on the mat. I’ll put up a post up in the near future how I teach a position down stay.

Once your dog can be prompted to go to the mat – I like the word “mat”, or you could use the German word “platz” if you have a German shepherd, combine the verbal cue with the doorbell ringing. The last step is to omit the verbal cue, and the dog will go on his mat whenever the bell rings. The sound has become his conditioned cue to lay on the mat, and stay there.

Command Clarity

2011-11-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

When you think tools, the things we use to direct our dogs into desired behaviors, don’t just think material leashes and collars. Tools are also commands; verbal and non-verbal cues your dog has learned to understand and will heed to.

In my career, I never met a dumb or stubborn dog. I am not kidding. I met many that are too anxious or wound up to learn‘n’listen, or fearfully avoid humans cause they experienced that they’re not always trustworthy. And I met many that seek a connection, want to pay attention, but are confused because their person isn’t making any sense. In other words, training failure happens not because the dog is a few marbles short, but because the human is unpredictable, inconsistent or imprecise, and the dog tunes him out.

Dogs are marvelous creatures. They share many of our emotions, and some of our cognizance. That part allows them to comprehend how human-specific communication signals, our words and gestures, correlate with actions and consequences. But their thinking brain isn’t as developed as ours, and that means that we have to be really clear when we teach. If we’re not, the dog quickly becomes confused and loses interest, and then gets the stupid or willful label.

First, you need to have clarity in your own mind what it is you actually want your dog to learn. My advice is to grab paper and pencil, sit yourselves down with a glass of wine – juice for the kids, and jog down what behaviors are important for you, and what corresponding cue you want to use. One word for one behavior. That is very important. What I often see is an owner who uses the same word for different actions, and expects the dog to sort out what he’s after at the moment and obey accurately. A common example is “come”, used for: return to me from a distance, but also follow me on a leash or let’s move together in one direction. Another one is “off”, used for: stop counter-surfing, stop jumping, and periodically also drop what’s in your mouth.

If you’re ambitious and want to teach many behaviors, come up with many words. Magnet your list on the refrigerator door, so that each family member can easily refer to it and training can be consistent.

If you train using a verbal/hand signal combination, don’t forget to use the hand signal or your dog might be confused. Only the brainiest pooches will respond correctly if you use either/or. All others can learn to, but you need to teach it.

Be equally clear what behavior you are after at the moment, cause that is the one you need to reinforce. That is especially important for the rookie learner and when you teach something new. For example: when you work on a position stay, reward the pooch when she is still in that position, and then release. So, if you think “duration down stay on a mat” and your dog complies, don’t call her to you and reward, because then you reinforce coming, not the duration down stay on a mat. Once your dog has mastered a word with the corresponding action, not before, you can chain several together and reward in the end. Another one is attention around distractions. If it’s attention you want, reinforce attention, regardless if your dog sits, stands or lies down. Once attention is solid, you can add whatever position you like her to be in to the mix.

Can you teach several commands concurrently? Or should one be reliable before you hop to the next? It depends on the dog. Bright and easily bored ones can benefit from being challenged with a variety, while slower learners might find it easier to proceed to a new command only after they grasped the previous one. In any case, even gifted pooches must revise old stuff periodically, but once a command/behavior combination is cemented into their memory, it can be surprisingly long lasting. Davie performed all her Rally O’ stuff after a year and more of not revising. She also remembered where the neighbor’s cat used to roam, and long after they moved still checked the spot.

When you teach, sandwich difficult tasks between easier ones, and always end on a high note. Your dog will remember that training and obeying is fun, and not a drag. And give the pooch a break. Recent studies suggest that dogs retain better if they have a resting period after the session. Like people, sleeping on in might be a good idea.

Another aspect folks are often unclear about is if it is okay to repeat a command. Unlike many of my colleagues, I find repeating acceptable, even advantageous, under certain circumstances. Ideally, a command should only be given when you have your dog’s attention, when she’s tuned in. Realistically, that doesn’t always happen, so in my world it is okay to remind the pooch what we just said, and for that matter, that we really mean it. Yes, it is allowed to crank up the firmness of your voice, but not volume. A herding dog client quizzed me on that not too long ago. He was concerned about repeating and his stern tone when he does, but felt he needed to with his young, still somewhat unripe Border collie who is sometimes slow to "down" because she wants to continue to work her sheep or turkeys. Of course, a herding dog who fails to drop on a dime moves even closer to the animals and might spook and scatter them, so it's important.

On that note, it is also okay to encourage the dog when she’s on the right track but a little nervous, uncertain and hesitant, but use your pleasant voice then, not the firm one. Let’s not forget that Chaser, the Border collie who comprehends 1022 words, needed about 40 repetitions in a row before she connected the dots.

Repeating is okay, machine-gun like orders without giving the dog time and opportunity to obey, is not. Imagine your partner asking you to do something, and releasing verbal diarrhea right after: “do it – do it – doit - doitdoitdoit…”. Annoying? You’d tune that person out real fast, right? Yeah! Back to the dog labeled dumb and stubborn. I have a 20 second rule, which means after that I’ll help my dog succeed.

When you give a command you know your dog knows - and make sure you know, don’t just assume that she understands that signal in the context you are using it - ensure that you are able to enforce it. If you can’t enforce it, don’t give it. And the person who gave the command is the one who does the enforcing. Even if you have better rapport with your dog than your teenager, hold back and don’t interfere.

Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas, coined the term Spoiled Cues, which means that if you say a word but won’t get the behavior, or the dog is reinforced for a different behavior than the one you aim for, the word becomes useless as an information and guidance tool.

For example: you might say heel while the dog pulls you to the fire hydrant. From the dog’s point of view, your heel-word becomes the cue to pull. Or you yell come while she runs in the opposite direction. If that happens often enough, come will be her cue to run away, and you become more and more frustrated and impatient, and your dog senses that and wonders what’s gotten into you, and is even less likely to want to be near you. In her mind, she does exactly what she learned to do when she hears you utter one word, or the other.

Spoiling also happens if the command brings about a negative emotion. If sit on walks is only requested in the context of a worrisome trigger (dog/man/child) approaching, then on walks “sit” becomes the dog’s cue that potential trouble is ahead. The word is spoiled, because it raises suspicion and anxiety. The dog might obey when you can enforce it, but reluctantly, and when she has the chance might refuse because it feels bad.

Training is educating the dog how our words and gestures are relevant to her life. If the pupil doesn’t learn, it is the teacher who has to figure out where the problems are and adjust accordingly. Using force makes as much sense as beating knowledge into a child. Some dogs might need more repetitions than others, or progress more slowly, but with patience every one has the potential and hardware to get it. The beauty is that when that happens, you can manipulate your dog’s behavior from the distance. The mental and emotional bond is what is keeping you connected, and material tools like leash and collar are only there because the law stipulates it.

Tools of the Trade

2011-10-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

When I say tools, I mean all things we use to manipulate our dogs’ actions. The obvious ones are tools that attach the dog to us, or vice versa in some cases, in a physical way: leashes, harnesses, and collars.

When I am out and about with Will, our favorite is to go au naturel: attached by nothing than the emotional bond between us. Like riding bare back how I imagine it. Like Ted and Merle, described in Ted Kerasote’s “Merle’s Door”. In reality, for many person/dog teams that is not always possible, either because owners haven’t done enough training and rely on a leash to keep the pooch out of trouble, or leash laws prohibit such freedoms.

In the olden days, what collar and leash to use was straightforward: mostly choke chain, prong or flat collar sometimes, and a six-foot leash. Done.

Nowadays, we have many choices. The traditional “you-do-or-else” devices are still available, together with the considerably new over-the-counter shock collar, but in addition we have collars in funky colors and fancy materials, collars with a loop that tightens only somewhat around the dog’s neck, and a number of harnesses with various functions. To select the right one can be an overwhelming task for a layperson.

If you're following my posts for a while you probably noticed that I don’t train with discomfort or pain, or the threat of it, and most everyone who comprehends and is committed to positive reinforcement methods agrees with me and opposes choke, shock and prong collars, like I do. A little bit a different story regarding halters that fit around the dog’s nose. They come under different brand names: Halti and Gentle Leader are probably the ones most people are familiar with, and are frequently recommended as an acceptable, dog-friendly tool by progressive trainers, humane societies and veterinarians.

In my opinion, these nose halters are anything but positive. Far from it, they irritate and agitate most pooches to no end. Dogs are stressed and anxious, forever paw their noses, or slide their head along the ground, person or furniture in an attempt to get that thing off. I recently got an email from a client who informed me that they started their spunky juvenile on the Ruff Love program, suggested by Susan Garrett, who is a renowned clicker trainer friends of mine, who I respect a lot, hold in high regard. The Gentle Leader, apparently part of it, caused the pooch to rub her face so much that is swelled in a couple of places, and they wanted to know what they could do to stop her from doing that. Perhaps you can guess what my answer was, and yes, my caring clients took it off and hopefully tossed it in the trash.

Dogs that don’t actively try to remove the nose harness might withdraw and shut down, seem depressed and lifeless. Some shake, urinate or hide as soon as they see that thing.

There are good reasons why dogs reject head halters with such intensity and persistency.

The nose is a very important and sensitive part of a dog’s body. A muzzle grab is a natural correction mom dog and superior elders give, likely because it is effective. One local trainer fitted a 10-week-old, nervous puppy with one with the explanation that it would decrease anxiety since the mother dog corrects that way. Huh? Imagine someone putting a device around a sensitive part of your body and drag you around – or string you up in the air. Would that make you less anxious?

Or allow someone to manipulate your head without telling you which way you should be turning. But be careful, cause a wrong move could leave you with a sore neck, even when you are not yanked. Yanking, though, happens a lot with dogs, which can cause spinal and soft tissue injuries. Yes, I know, the instructions explain how to use it properly, but in real life owners, and some trainers misuse it. I witnessed a high-profile one hang a dog reactive Border Collie on a Gentle Leader, and when I see dogs walked in neighborhoods and parks, I wonder who ever came up with the misnomer. A more appropriate name would have been: Nose Pawing-, Neck Twisting- or Vivacity Extinguishing Leader. Then again, euphemisms are used for anything that sounds nasty enough to make one feel bad.

In addition, the head halter allows the human to control the dog’s head. That is the whole idea behind it. Yet, that is where a lot of communication happens. Dogs use their nose to gather information, and face and head to tell “others” how they feel and what their intentions are. A pooch might want to lower or turn it to give appeasing signals to an oncoming dog or person, but is prevented to. Not being able to “speak” freely increases anxiety, especially in a dog who already might feel leery about certain stimuli. Ironically, it is often the reactive dog that is fitted with a head halter.

Because the sensation the nose halter produces comes very close to a natural correction, there is ample room to mess up your training. A perfect heel or sit, or offered attention, doesn’t change the feel and the dog might still perceive being corrected. Confusing? Yeah! In addition, a dog that’s irritated doesn’t learn very well. I am talking about the deliberate, concentrated learning that takes place in a class, and obedience practiced on walks. It’d be like you expected to focus on quantum physics in a scratchy wool sweater on naked skin.

When a dog is distressed about the head halter, he is conflicted about the walk as well, and by extension you. Maybe he waited all day for you to come home, and then he’s fitted with that thing that feels so unpleasant, and the entire walk becomes a punishment.

Fact is that most dogs hate the Gentle Leader, even when introduced to it carefully. They want to avoid it - and the hand that puts it on. Not good. Dogs should always have a positive association to a human hand, especially when it's close to where the teeth are.

In my line of work I meet many dogs that bite the hand that feeds them, and that is not normal. Observations with feral and stray dogs showed that they don't attack the ones they are bonded with or belong to. Let's not forget that dogs don't have hands, so the only way they relate to hands is how they experience them, like a child would relate to a dog's mouth - and dogs in general, depending on if she was licked or bitten. I am not saying that the Gentle Leader causes dogs to bite, but if hands, on a daily basis or several times a day, poke, jerk, pin, knuckle bite, scruff and/or force a contraption around the pooch's nose that feels so unpleasant, he wants it to stop. The bite, then, is defence, not dominance.

Fact is that some dogs reject a head halter more than a prong collar. Not that I am for prong collars. I don’t like any tool that leaves room for Joe and Jane Frontporch to mess up the pooch and the relationship they ought to have with him, and the prong collar does that - but also the head halter, no matter what brand. If it isn’t perceived as gentle by the dog, it isn’t gentle, and it annoys me that pros who are opposed to other forms of aversive tools continue to promote them.

When me and my Will venture somewhere that requires her to be leashed, I put on her blue body harness and clip on her heart studded, red six-foot soft Italian leather leash I bought in a boutique in Banff, Alberta. Will is a diva and walks in style, but I like the lightness of both. If we can’t go au naturel, I at least want a feel to it as close as possible.

If your dog is really overpowering you, check out body, not nose, harnesses that control the dog from the front. The Sense-Ation harness comes to mind, or the Freedom Harness I just discovered thanks to dog guru Pat Miller, and that I really like. For everyone else, a comfy flat collar or normal body harness, and a light leash kept loose is best, because you prevent restraint anxiety, keep your relationship intact, enhance learning, have physical control, and obey the law.

Separation Anxiety

2011-10-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Summertime ( yes, I know it is fall, but this post has been sitting around for awhile) is a happy time, at least for most people. Not so much for some pooches – the ones that suddenly find themselves homeless because traveling, or moving, is easier without a canine tagalong. Luckily, for every rotten person who surrenders, dumps, or simply leaves the pooch behind, there seems to be a kind one who looks for a family addition at places where the no longer wanted dogs end up: shelters, pounds and rescue organizations. Ironically, that too often happens during summer. Strategically planned, the new dog parents hope that with their presence they help the rookie acclimatize to her new digs enough that she won’t object to being left alone for several hours each day once the family slides back into their normal routine. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t, and the pooch, suddenly without her social group members, stresses out.

Separation anxiety is one of the toughest problem behaviors. A dog who panics when left alone might shred furniture, door frames and window sills, urinate and defecate throughout the house, and vocalizes – unendingly barks or howls, which is a big problem for the neighbor next door. Any or all of that is usually a deal breaker for people no matter how attached they are to the pooch, because it eats up a lot of cash and greatly impedes their lives. On top of it, there isn’t an easy solution. Popping her in a crate rarely works, because dogs with SA are even more anxious when they feel trapped, and in a desperate attempt to break out often end up with self-inflicted injuries. Staying home with the dog isn’t an option for most, and not all dogs are good candidates for doggie daycare.

As difficult as SA is for people, it’s not easy for the dog either. Imagine being so stressed, every day, that you scream, rip stuff up, and soil yourself. I bet you’d do everything possible to feel better. How can we make the dog feel better?

What’s been floating around for such a long time that most people have heard one version or another is to exit without acknowledging the dog, and doing the same upon return. Depending on the source, the recommendation is to ignore the dog completely anywhere between 5-20 minutes. I only agree with that advice somewhat, and here is why.

Precise information in a way a dog understands makes what happens next more predictable, and that can decrease anxiety, including separation angst. I am not talking about a soapy-voiced: “aw, so sorry the poor puppers has to stay all alone for so many hours but no worries mommy will be back…”, but a verbal, one or two word signal that conveys if she’s coming, or staying home. In a casual tone, but with conviction and confidence, give her a departure cue that tells her what’s up, and then leave without a fuss.

When you return, your dog is really excited to have you back, and that often starts before you enter your home, but when she hears the car, footsteps, or keys in the door. If you ignore her when she is so happy to see you, you increase her frustration and anxiety, and that is counterproductive. I recommend acknowledging a dog right away, but like when you exit, without making it a huge event. Calmly taking her for pee, or practicing a couple of tricks, is interaction without overstimulation. After the initial hello go about your business, and once she is less fixated with you invite her for a longer walk or playtime. A dog who knows that she gets a piece of her person as soon as she walks in the door is less stressed; below the surface tension doesn’t built.

No need to get too hung up on the perfect departure and arrival routine though, because what you do when you are home is more important. When you are together is the time you want to ignore the pooch once in a while, because if you cater to her every whim, constantly stroke and entertain her, you make yourself indispensable and will be sorely missed when you are out. Of course, be affectionate with your dog, interact with her and spend real quality time. In my house it is affection, affection, affection and no discipline, but we still have a balance, and each day there are times when I do my stuff, with the dogs allowed to hang around, but otherwise ignored. Just because your dog shadows you doesn’t mean you need to fawn over her nonstop.

The opposite pole to over-pampering, and which also creates or contributes to anxieties, is a home that feels unsafe; a home where humans are negligent, inconsistent, overbearing, erratic, angry, or put unrealistic demands and pressure on the dog. Suzanne Clothier, author of “Bones would Rain from the Sky” said at one of her seminars: “How dogs respond to dogs and people depends on how they know them”. I like to add places to that; places by extension. If the group the dog lives with feels safe, the place by association also is, and vice versa.

Another popular advice is leaving several times a day, but returning before the dog becomes anxious, which initially might only be a couple minutes, or even shorter. I like that approach, because the best way to help someone who is afraid is to reassure her that she is still safe and that care is available when needed. With many micro-exits and enters the dog experiences exactly that. If you return with the first whimper, she will increasingly feel more secure in her home environment and ability to communicate, and then can be left alone for increasingly longer periods.

In theory, that works. In reality, many dogs with SA are rescues and not a clean slate, so have already experienced that humans won’t return when they call for them. It might be difficult to convince them otherwise. In addition, most SA dogs have a heightened awareness of cues that precede their person’s departure, and panic long before the door closes behind them. Changing the routine can decrease that anticipatory agitation. For example: put on the pumps but don’t leave, grab the car keys but play ball, set the alarm clock and invite the pooch into bed to share snuggle time.

Leaving the radio or TV on during your absence can help, but only if the dog perceives it as a familiar safety cue. If one of your and your dog’s pastimes is to watch TV and share junk food, the radio on won’t be very effective, but if you are happiest while listening to your favorite music, then that can be a feel-good detail that takes the edge of your dog’s abandonment angst.

What about another pooch for companionship? That can help, or not, and sometimes backfires when anxiety spills over to the initially problem free dog. Plus, some dogs are only interested in their human and won’t accept a canine replacement.

Not all dogs’ SA expressions are severe. Some pant and pace, cry only a little. Others jump, mouth, claw or heel nip when you’re about to leave and the moment you re-enter, and that can be a deal breaker too because it hurts and rips clothes.

In any case, a dog who has separation anxiety needs a patient person to help her overcome it. It is not easy, but well worth it, cause needy poochies often bond deeply. The lack of confidence that causes anxiety often also makes a dog more attentive and obedient. A person willing to invest the effort is often rewarded with the perfect companion in the end.

Temperament Testing

2011-10-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Last month I wrote a post about what I look for in a breeder. This one discusses the natural follow-up question: What do I look for in a dog?

Well, exterior matters. Yes, I am that shallow, but honestly, who can claim that visual attraction doesn’t make it easier to clean up poop and barf or muddy paw prints on the duvet cover, dish out money for stuff the poochini absolutely must have, and go for a walky in pouring rain, freezing temperatures or in the middle of the night. Puppies are so darn cute on purpose. It’s a calculated move so that we fall in love, and care for them even when they’re baaaaad.

Personally, I prefer longer hair to shorter, and medium size dogs to giants and minis. Said that, there are exceptions: I have a great affinity for Newfs and Saints, and shorthaired heelers and Catahoulas – that is because I like the mottled and merled look.

As far as I am concerned, it is okay to value the facade, cause beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Dogs I find irresistibly gorgeous others snub, so in the end every look will find its lover.

Enough superficial talk. Truth is that more than looks, temperament matters. The funny thing is that I like sweet-natured and super friendly pooches, ones that are a bit on the shy, timid and submissive side, and ones that have a certain confident edge. The sweet ones because they are so easy to live with, the shy ones draw out my nurturing instinct, and the ones with attitude I like, hm, difficult to articulate why cause I don’t really know. I just do.

When I look for a pup for meself, I don’t assess consciously because I, blink, know when it’s the right one. That is the best explanation I can give. For layfolk, breeders, humane societies and rescue groups, testing for temperament is a great way to gain valuable information that can increase the odds that a pup finds her best possible human match.

The most common temp. test for puppies is probably the Volhard Aptitude Test. You can Google that if you like, but frankly I don’t like it much. Testing happens when the puppies are 49 days old because they are: “neurologically complete and not yet tainted by learning”. I have no problem with evaluating puppies at 7 weeks of age, but the reason Volhard gives doesn’t make sense to me. Does she mean that a puppy, regardless of breed, prior to the precise 49th day of life, is only governed by his genetic make-up, and only from day 50 onward will experience affect him? Maybe I am slow thinker, but I am not getting it.

What bothers me more though is Volhard’s emphasis to test for dominance and submission. For starters, dogs are innately deferent to humans, but aside from that, do you really believe that rolling a 7-week-old pup on his back, or lifting his front end off the ground, will provide predictable information if he’ll aggressively challenge you sometime in the future? Think about it: here is a pup suddenly separated from his mom and littermates (Volhard recommends that the pups are tested one at a time, and that both tester and testing area are unfamiliar), finds himself in a new setting and is handled by a complete stranger, and if he struggles when coerced on his back or lifted, he gets the “dominant” label. What you are really measuring is anxiety and fear, not dominance. The puppy who is most insecure might panic and do everything to get away, including bite.

According to experts, dominance toward dogs can’t accurately be determined at that age either. Mech, the ultimate authority on wolves, couldn’t in wolf pubs, and “The Domestic Dog” states that the relationship amongst dog littermates is highly unstable until they are about 11 weeks old. In studies, they found that today’s top pup is often tomorrow’s bottom one.

Another part of Volhard’s aptitude test I dislike is squeezing the webbing between the puppy’s toes to check for touch sensitivity and pain threshold to determine what kind of training is required. If you’ve followed my writings for a while, you may have noticed that I am one of those imbalanced, close-minded people who promote only one kind of training – motivational positive reinforcement. But for a balanced trainer who applies every method and uses every tool, including a variety of aversive ones, how a pup responds to pressure and pain is important information, cause a “dominant” dog who resists coercive handling AND is unimpressed and undeterred by an unpleasant consequence can present a challenge for these people. Since I don’t train with force and pain, testing what it takes to make a puppy whimper is not needed. In fact, the last thing I want is that the first learning experience (on day 49) a pup has in association with a stranger is tainted.

I don’t follow Volhard’s recommendations, but like her I evaluate each puppy separately. Testing doesn’t have to take place in an unfamiliar space, and I request the human caregiver to be present, because a very important trait I am checking for is social bonding and willingness to seek information from a human. Owner attention is the foundation of all training. Because I am a brand new person, I don’t expect the wee baby to instantly connect with me (although some do), follow me, or even “work for me” and retrieve a crumbled piece of paper I tossed, but he should connect with the caregiver: offer eye contact, check in, and follow the person he is familiar with – periodically, and especially when in conflict and confused.

A puppy that curiously investigates me right away, and only rarely checks in with the caregiver, indicates confidence. Conversely, one who is reluctant to approach me and seeks refuge with the familiar person is cautious. Neither is necessarily problematic. Unlike the word dominance that raises a red flag in people, confidence simply means that the pup is more outgoing and less prone to be fearful. Since most behavioral issues are rooted in fear and anxiety, and not dominance, confidence isn’t a bad thing. Caution isn’t either, but it means that the pup’s exposure to new situations needs to be done carefully, that’s all.

More troublesome is a pup who is neither curious in me, nor in the caregiver, but panics right away and wants to flee. That was the case with one in the last litter I assessed. She couldn’t be consoled or redirected, just wanted to get out of dodge. Furthermore, when we took her back to her littermates and mom, she didn’t seek closeness with them either, but stayed a distance away – hiding. That pup I was worried about, but I can tell you that she was adopted into the best possibly family.

Once a pup trusts me, I check what motivates him. Finding out what floats his boat is important info for motivational trainers, and owners who wanna be the alpha, cause whoever controls the resources is boss. Making access to whatever the dog wants contingent on behavior is the most effective and humane way to train, and the fasted route to authentic companionship with the human in the lead.

Anything is possible with a pup that is curious, motivated, eager to connect with his human and seeking information from her, so that is really all I need to know. But I also handle the pup - his body, head, face, ears, feet and tail, and if he rolls on his back voluntarily I will make note of that. There is nothing wrong with a dog that is authentically submissive, but I don’t force it. I do lean slightly over the pup though, because a) I am a natural leaner anyway, and b) most people are and will lean over a puppy. Handling and leaning lets me know if there is a problem zone that warrants extra attention, and maybe desensitizing or counterconditioning.

Because I check for motivation, I come equipped with food and toys. Once I found something the puppy really, really likes, I withhold it to assess frustration level, inhibition, determination and self-control.

Lastly, but most importantly, I always get the caregiver’s observations. They are with the puppies daily, and should be aware if one is particularly sound or motion sensitive, often seeks distance from others, or regularly possess over food and other stuff.

Although I don’t believe that 49-day-old puppies are uncorrupted by experiences during the imprinting period, what older dogs learned based on their interactions with people and dogs are much more deep-seated. A dog can have learned to be suspicious, guarded, aloof, reactive, fake-submissive or aggressive when those behaviors were reinforced. In addition, there are a variety of physical issues that influence behavior, but that evaluators might not be aware of or pay any attention to. The dog could be hungry, wormy, itchy, sore, or hormonally imbalanced. For example, progesterone has a calming, sedative effect, and a female shortly after being spayed can be more aggressive due to the progesterone drop.

So, a temp. test done with a stray or surrendered older dog might not reveal his authentic personality and true potential. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to assess anyway, and most shelters do, because it reveals tendencies and extreme expressions. Most shelters adopted Volhard, Emily Weiss, or Sue Sternberg’s way of testing.

Like the Puppy Aptitude test, Volhard emphasizes dominance and recommends putting a dog in a down position and then rolling him on his back. Although it’s not funny, her conclusion that “if he bites he is not the dog for you” made me grin. Who’da thought! She also says that if he runs away he is also not a dog for you. He is supposed to lick your face when you sit beside him and forgive you.

I also dislike Emily Weiss’ SAFER test. It is short, sets dogs up to fail, and some are euthanized for objecting having the webbing between their toes squeezed. Darn dogs who dare to struggle when pain is applied.

Emily Weiss, like Sue Sternberg, assesses for resource guarding. Sue Sternberg developed that test, and the Assess-A-Hand, a rubber, real looking hand on a stick that is used to push the food bowl away, or the dog’s face away from the food, or to pet the dog across his back while he eats. In other words, first the dog is offered high value food he typically doesn’t get, and then is taunted with the hand to evaluate how he reacts. That the pooch perhaps experienced neglect and hunger, had to fight to survive, and might be anxious because he is aware that other dogs, potential resource competitors, are in the vicinity, is typically not taken into account if he growls, snaps or bites the hand.

You might have guessed, I dislike that test as well. Aside from the fact that it sets dogs up to fail, passing it isn’t a clear indication that he would not defend resources other than food. He could not be hungry or not liking the food, he might be too stressed to eat or senses the tester’s confidence, doesn’t feel good, or is generally not that food motivated. Once in a home and moved from his favorite resting spot, or approached when he has a yummy bone dug from the compost, or confronted by a child and real hand, he could react. And the opposite often also is the case: a dog who growled in the shelter stops aggressing once he is relaxed in a home and experiences resource security; trusts that food is always available and not contested.

Said that, I do like to get an idea how a dog feels about resources, but add food to the bowl while the dog eats, instead of pushing him away. A person approaching is enough for an insecure dog to become tense, and that is really all I need to know: is my dog fearful to lose a resource when a person approaches, and if yes, I need to address it on that level – from the point of fear and insecurity, not dominance. By adding food, I at least won't make matters worse and confirm to him once more that people near his loot is bad news.

The point with any test is to determine as accurately as possible how a dog behaves in normal, every day life situations. That is really all one can do because one can never test for every possible eventuality. Regarding food, real life is casually talking and using the space where the dog eats, because the family getting ready in the morning while the pooch has his breakfast in the kitchen resembles what happens in many homes. Common sense dictates that other than that, a dog should be left to eat in peace. Supervising, and educating children when, and when not to pat the dog, is the parents’ job and part of good dog ownership.

Like with the pup, when I evaluate an older dog I want to know his level of interest in humans, and his willingness to follow them mentally. Is the dog curious about me? Offers eye contact and connects with his caregiver? If yes, is he clingy? Does he switch attention between me, and his familiar person? Or is he avoiding and ignoring us, fixating on the environment?

Like with the pup, I want to find out what motivates him, and then I withhold access to see to what length he goes to gain access. Does he back away a tad, look at me and submissively solicit? Is he pushy – if yes does he back off when I walk into his space? Is he persistent? Or does he lose interest quickly and walk away? Does he offer obedience behaviors he has in his repertoire? Does he look at the caregiver for information?

I handle the dog as much as I can safely, and without causing pain try to find something that annoys him, to find out to what length he goes to make me stop. And like leaning over a puppy because most people do that, I check how my adult feels when I grab his collar, cause most people will do that, too. That is real life.

And I try to rile him up to see what it takes for him to settle.

Again, like with the puppy, the best evaluation comes from the people who interact daily with the pooch. Ideally, there should be a log kept for each shelter dog, and every person who interacts with that dog should make entries right afterward.

How dogs act can depend on the person they are interacting with. Some behave differently with assertive humans or good handlers; know the difference between experts and rookies. A variety of people noting their experiences gives clearer information how the dog will act with someone who is less skilled, and writing it down might show a pattern of behaviors easily missed with just oral communication.

The goal of any testing is to find the perfect match between dog and the people he’s going to live with for the next decade or more. Because most people in North America live in urban and suburban settings, that is where shelter staff and volunteers should walk and observe.

How does the dog use his senses? Sniffs, listens, watches? Is he connecting to the handler around environmental distractions? Voluntarily, or with prompting? What do I have to do to get his attention when: there is a dog, cyclist, child playing?

Does the dog want to chase things in motion? If yes, can I redirect him? What does it take?

Is my dog easily startled, or trigger reactive - to dogs, kids, men? How? Avoiding, lunging, barking? What is the distance and time before my dog relaxes again?

When I test I keep each dog’s unique genetic make-up and individual past experiences in mind, and always aim to contribute to his welfare, instead of adding to his stress. I don’t want my puppy to learn that unfamiliar humans mean pressure and discomfort, and I don’t want to increase a shelter dog’s anxiety by provoking him until I get an unwanted reaction. Increased stress, decreased trust, and negative associations to a training type facility where assessments often take place, or people that do them, add extra hurdles the well-meaning family that adopts the pooch has to overcome.

How valuable of a future behavior predictor is a temperament test? Definitely not conclusive, because behavior is always dictated by a combination of nature, nurture and present environment – some say predominantly present environment, which of course is dynamic.

So, the purpose really is to find out if the dog is likely going to be a safe and enjoyable companion for his humans and society at large, and if there are issues, what it would likely take to modify them. It is not, and can’t be, a guaranty for life that the dog, in every conceivable situation, will never cause problems.

Summer Fun and Training Games

2011-09-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

Splish-Splash, we had a blast. Literally, cause we vacationed on Cape Breton Island this summer. In case you don’t know, Cape Breton, according to the Travel and Leisure Magazine, is the number one island in North America, and third in the world right behind Santorini in Greece, and Bali. Lucky us, we live only a 3-hour car trip away and can visit anytime we want. The mag’s accolades reminded us that we should, and decided to book a chalet at the Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort – and we were wowed. Our Red Chalet had ocean view and access, location allowed day-tripping in every direction, their seafood chowder was the best I ever had, and it gets better yet: Cabot Shores is dog friendly. Really dog friendly, not just dog accommodating, and that is priority for us because we never travel without our canine sidekick Will. Even the owners’ dog Cosmo was dog friendly.

Time flies when it’s good is an old adage, and now we’re back, summer is over, and I am hard at work like most people. But unlike many, I don’t perceive the daily trot as a drag. I’ll let you in on a secret: I love work more than vacation, and wish it could be like that for everyone. Humans have choices, and the power to at least aim for daily happiness. Dogs don’t. Their welfare is at our mercy, and therefore it is our duty to make choices that make their life rewarding, purposeful, and free of fear and anxiety. How to train is a big part of that, and I am not just talking about cute tricks, but obedience commands. Things that every dog should know.

I said it before and say it again: positive is not permissive. I like an obedient dog as much as the next person, but force and stern structure is against my nature, so when a friend introduced me to an “Obedience & Games” class in the late 90s I was hooked, and so was Davie, and I embraced playful methods ever since.

Coming when called was perhaps the first behavior taught in a fun way on a large scale. Logically, because it is crucial that a dog reliably returns on command, and that is most likely to happen when he actually wants to do that. Today, fun reliable recall classes are super popular and have sprouted up everywhere.

Next in importance are polite leash manners. Not pulling towards something the dog wants to investigate, just like returning to his person when there’s something interesting out there, isn’t natural. That is why it needs to be taught, and just like the recall, walking on a loose leash is also most reliable if the pooch actually wants to be next to his person. Make yourself attractive by changing directions often and abruptly, and playfully pitch your voice and clap your hands to entice your dog to follow. When he’s caught up and is happily attentive, reinforce - ideally with continuation of the game. Your dog will quickly learn that the best place to be is no more than 3-4 feet away from you.

In my world, communication doesn’t come through a leash in form of a correction, but through the person. By using voice and body, the pooch learns to pay attention to the owner, instead of relying on the leash. Once mastered, you’ll get the same desirable behavior on and off, because neither you, nor your dog, are leash dependent. Plus, the dog doesn’t form a negative association to it, and so it never triggers anxiety and resistance. That is especially important if your dog is a tad nervous about certain stimuli in the environment already. If he is worried about the “dangerous” man or child, and doesn’t trust the leash on top of that, chances are much higher that he will freak out and react in panic. Compare that to a dog where the leash is perceived as neutral, or better yet the cue for feeling safe and having controlled fun.

A game that forces you to get, and keep, your dog’s attention with verbal and hands-off non-verbal communication is balancing a golf ball on a spoon in your leash hand. Of course, the slightest tug causes the ball to bounce off. When that happened in class, it typically incited minor chaos cause every dog wanted to chase, which embarrassed the person who started it all by using the leash for communication, and she learned quickly to use her voice and body instead. At home, you can set up your own obstacle course to navigate, or booby trap our walking area with delightful distractions, for example with a ham sandwich.

Dog trainers are in reality teachers for humans. Think about it, a trainer typically sees the pooch an hour a week over the span of 8 weeks, the average course length. That means he is with the trainer for 8 hours and his person for 1.344, cause the person is also present during the 8 hours training class. Your guess who should do the educating. The owner just needs to know how.

One aspect that people have difficulty comprehending and remembering is that dogs, especially rookies, are context specific, which means that they perform an action only the way they learned it. To hone that in, I played “speed-sit” in my beginner class.

Sit is often the first position a dog learns, and is typically taught with the pooch sitting facing the person. As soon as I was certain that all dogs got it and connected the verbal command with butt on the ground, I asked the owners to see how many repetitions they could pack in a 2-minute span. So, the person gave the command, dog sat, and the moment he did person walked a couple of steps backwards, which naturally got the pooch up again, to be commanded right away back into a sit, and so on. As an incentive, there was a treat to be had for the winning sitter’s human, except I rarely got to hand it over because most people concentrated so intensely on winning that they forgot to count. Which was fine, because I didn’t really care how many times a dog sat in 2 minutes. What I was after was to teach that even if a dog hears the same word many times in a row, and correctly performs the corresponding behavior, he doesn’t necessarily understand the meaning of the word. To demonstrate that, right after the speed-sit was over I took each dog’s leash, asked the owner to turn around so that the dog was facing her back, and command the pooch once more into a sit. To everyone’s surprise, most dogs didn’t - because they knew sit in only one context: facing the person. Lesson learned: If you want your dog to listen to you anytime, anywhere and when you change positions, you need to teach it.

While many folks regret that summer is over for another year, the good times continue for me and Will. And it can be the same for you, or at least for your dog. That reliable obedience doesn’t have to be a struggle is an easy choice to make. And command games don’t have to be reserved for group classes. You can have fun everyday and anywhere. It sharpens your dog’s command responses, and strengthens your relationship with one another. Teaching tricks is good, and some trainers use that to liven up the class, but imagine if your dog would love doing behaviors that matter most in day-to-day life as much as performing tricks; if he’d enjoy being on the leash more than being off. It’s the canine equivalent of me loving work more than vacation. Your reward: a reliably obedient, and at the same time happy to be with you, pawed companion.

Got Puppy on your Mind?

2011-09-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admitted it to myself. I have puppy on my mind. No, not a specific pup. And not now. After a few months observing almost 10-year-old Will, we are certain that as far as she is concerned we have enough dog. She doesn’t enjoy the prolonged companionship of an adult one, and puppies go on her nerves. Will wants to be our only canine sidekick for a while, and what Will wants, Will gets. It’s always been that way.

While hubby Mike and our daughter Yana look before they leap – me not so much, although I am getting better at it. Life taught me that acting on impulse sometimes creates little fires that require extinguishing. Although in the end things always seem to turn out just the way they’re meant to, could I turn back time I might have made a few different choices. Moving forward, especially with something that affects me for a decade or more, I try to make decisions more rationally than emotionally – or at least equally as rationally. And that means that when the time is right, and we fall head over heels for a pup like we did with Davie, we’ll have a pup and not before.

My friend Ann recently remarked, while we were planning a heist to abduct a blue merle mini Aussie we met at the September 03 Mutt Show in Windsor, that no matter how many dachshunde she’d have, she still needed an Australian shepherd. I share that sentiment wholeheartedly. So an Aussie we’re aiming for, Mike and I, and although she is a future aspiration, it doesn’t hurt looking around some now, right? Keeping in the loop what’s out there.

While the public at large is bombarded with all kinds of dog-related info, some factual and much fictitious, what to look for in a breeder is trickling at best.

Recently, clients of mine asked for my help in rehoming their young dog. Nice humans with the best intentions to do things right. They investigated food and the dog was vetted. He lived inside, was crate trained and never chained. He had toys and social inclusion, playtime, walks and training and was loved. Nice dog too - friendly, motivated, obedient, attentive and smart. He also wanted to do things right. Great people. Great dog. So why the need to rehome? Because dog and humans were totally mismatched. The people wanted a low-key companion that more or less hangs out with them. The dog is a Border collie under a year old from working stock. What kind of breeder sells a Border collie to people that would be a wonderful home for an older golden retriever? One who only cares about the bottom line. That kind. Of course, when my clients contacted him with their concerns, before they hired me, he wasn’t available to offer any help.

Would you buy a puppy from someone who advertises: "Sell my puppies to anyone who opens their wallet. No references or qualifications needed. I do not care where my puppies end up, or how they are treated, so don’t bother calling me after you handed over the moolah."

I am sure if you were to survey the general public if dog breeders should breed for health and temperament, or looks and to make money, the majority would choose the former. It’s a no-brainer. In reality, and that’s the problem, unscrupulous breeders don’t advertise that they like money more than dogs, and so the majority has trouble distinguishing good from bad ones.

Health is straightforward. Either the pup’s bloodline has been screened and cleared of common congenital diseases, or it hasn’t, and a good breeder offers that information.

Temperament is a bit more vague. The above-mentioned Border collie has a wonderful, very breed-typical personality. High drive and high brain, intense stimulation seeking, determination, endurance, strength, or even a heightened awareness to motion, sounds and smells, or acting independently, aren’t in themselves bad attributes. They are only troublesome when such a dog ends up with incompatible humans.

There is one huge red flag though. Aggression. The kind where mother dog is indiscriminately reactive and tries to attack everybody and anybody who walks by or enters the property, has a bite history, needs to be muzzled when vet checked, can’t be walked in the neighborhood, go on a trail hike, or partake in activities like dog sports. It is a huge red flag if the puppy’s potential new owners cannot interact with mom dog because it is too dangerous, or if they don’t see her because she is put away in the kennel, crate or yard. If aggression is hereditary or not is debatable. Regardless, if the pups’ social imprinting period happens with an asocial mother, and in a place that breeds a dog who’s behavior isn’t sound, I walk away.

We have a breeder in mind for our next Aussie girl. Their dogs are fabulous. They excel in conformation, agility, obedience and Rally O’, but are foremost companions and go for walks, to beaches and dog parks. They are friendly and approachable. The breeders love their dogs, and don’t give them away when they age and become less “useful”. The seniors get to live where they always lived, and get to do things they still love and can do.

If you are like me and want a companion who lives in the house, where do you think the pups should be raised? Yup, in the house. Not the barn, kennel, garage or basement, but underfoot where people live, come and go, where the doorbell rings and where there are normal household sounds, like a vacuum cleaner. In the house, but not only the in house. I also want my pup, during her most impressionable first few weeks of life, to experience that there is an outside world; want her to experience what a collar, a leash and car-ride feels like. Of course, our fav local Aussie breeders take care of that as well. Their pups are also well started on potty and crate training.

Although we hope that when we are ready that they have a litter planned not too far in the future – they don’t have puppies all the time which is another sign of a good breeder, and trust us with one of their precious babies, I also love googling breeders for fun. I can pretty much tell on the home page if I like someone or not. The good ones' sites are more informative and less commercial, and make it clear right away that just because someone can afford a pup doesn’t mean they get one of theirs. Good breeders specify, right on their site, that potential buyers need to qualify, and have a link to a form anyone interested can fill out. The form typically has a section for references.

Good breeders often don’t have puppies readily available, but put approved homes on a waiting list. They provide a contract with a health and behavioral guaranty, are always willing to answer questions before and after the purchase, and in case the owner isn’t able to care for the dog any longer will take the pooch back – in fact stipulate that the dog must be returned to them.

One question I never ask right away is the price of the puppy. Not that I am rich and money doesn’t matter, but it is the least important aspect. Good breeding and money doesn’t rule each other out, but greed rules out good breeding.

Good breeders’ priority is the welfare of every single dog they own and produce. They have more expenses because they care, and typically deserve every penny they are asking. Bad breeders priority is the bottom line, and they don’t give a rat’s tail about what happens to their puppies. Let me be clear, every puppy has the right to live and a life, and many born in dubious places turn into wonderful companions, but some don't, or it is a long uphill path peppered with financial, emotional and mental hurdles – and possible heartaches.

I wish I could say that the mismatched Border collie is an isolated case, but it isn’t. Many of the people I see have problems with their dogs that began when they chose the wrong one for their lifestyle and the breeder didn’t attempt to educate and steer them to a different breed. Or they ended up with a pup who, because of deliberate mistakes made in breeding and rearing, lands on their doorsteps with issues. Wouldn’t it be great if more and more people would support good, knowledgeable and conscientious breeders with their hard-earned dollars? Doesn’t everyone – the dogs, the owners and the breeders, deserve that?

In some countries, breeding is strictly regulated. There are laws and inspectors that protect dogs and potential owners. Not the case anywhere here in North America. Here it is buyer beware.

To help the layperson separate wheat from chaff, I am offering a new, very affordable, service. You can find details on my webpage www.voice4dogs.com/dog-problems.html.

Look for: Got Puppy on your Mind?

Intraspecific Competition

2011-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

A major reason why owners ask for professional help is because their pooch is aggressive toward other dogs. The reason, and that might surprise you, is often not because they lacked socialization, but exactly the opposite. Dogs react to dogs because they know them.

Intraspecific competition occurs when individuals of one species live in the same environment and require the same resources for survival. That is, of course, the case with dogs. Despite breed variations, they are all dogs occupying the same ecological niche in our midst; relying on the same doggie must-haves - material goods like food, water, bones and toys, but also something less tangible, but of paramount importance all the same: A safe (from the dog’s point of view) place to live.

A 3-year feral dog study in Italy revealed many interesting behaviors that counter popular belief. One is that they guard and fight over possessions. Granted, guarding food, a bone or toy is something we can observe with our owned dogs, but that doesn’t mean it’s natural. It didn’t seem to be with these feral ones, because the only time they acted aggressively was when their home resting area was intruded on. Not the much larger roaming range, or nearby community garbage dump feeding site, just where they hung out and slept. Safe chilling space was what mattered most, not stuff in it, and it was only defended against other dogs, not humans. The observations suggest that dogs have an intrinsic, normal awareness that same species outsiders jeopardize the safe home base, and that gives us food for thought regarding our dogs.

When we invite a new pooch into our home, we expect the existing canine dweller to be as welcoming as we are and are miffed when he is less thrilled. We might be able to deal with a little bossiness, or sulky retreat, but not with growling, lunging and snapping. Out of our own fear we assign labels not only to his actions, but his personality. The expressions become who he is: aggressive, dominant, pathological. With a disapproving undertone we judge, incognizant that his behavior might be stemming from the innate feeling that the interloper is endangering his security.

Our incomprehension how the dog feels is surprising. After all, we too have a strong sense of territory, our safe space within the home boundary. When was the last time you invited a stranger for dinner and handed him the house keys afterwards? We have such an unwillingness to give up something we already own that behavioral economists have a term for it: loss aversion. People go ape when they whiff competition. Real or imagined, our survival instinct kicks in and we feel threatened. It is not any different with dogs, except when we call the cops, bang our chests, or fetch the shotgun they, lacking opposable thumbs and human language, lunge, bark or bite.

The Italian feral dogs’ “get lost” signals were highly ritualized: barking and charging only, no violent attacks and nobody got hurt. With our owned dogs we can see more intense expressions, and that doesn’t surprise me. For starters, the feral ones were successful with their displays and the intruders hit the road. So they never had to turn it up a notch.

Also, there was security in the group they belonged to. What I mean is that they cooperatively drove outsiders away. That working together is often amiss in our dogs’ realities. They are corrected and punished by the ruling pack-alpha for being “not nice”, or they are on their own when everyone else it at work.

If the person fails to provide a secure home base, the dog can develop a heightened sensitivity to anything new. Novel encounters already can be problematic for dogs, because they, by nature, thrive on predictability and routine – that is why we must socialize wisely, a topic for another post - but it can turn into a real issue if one feels insecure at the very same place that should be a refuge. He becomes inflexible and rigid, can never fully relax and always is under the surface agitated. Any novel encounter, any sound, jeopardizes predictability in his mind, and with it the little bit of safety he feels when nothing happens. He overreacts with seemingly out of context and out of control intensity.

It is not unusual for rescue dogs, having experienced losses, to become more competitive as they become more bonded in a new home. Living the good life, they increasingly have more to lose. At the same time, the residence dog might have his nose out of joint already with the arrival of the interloper, and if the rookie gets all the attention, or is a brute who hogs resources or pushily butts in, animosity builds quickly.

Whenever life worsens for a dog with the appearance of another; whenever he experiences physical pain or loses a possession, and keep in mind that social inclusion is a most valued one, the already natural sense that members of his own kind spell trouble is confirmed. The pooch develops an existential fear he associates with one dog in particular, or dogs in general, and the stage for future interdog aggression is set. One incident can have a long-lasting impact. And it doesn’t matter if the other dog just happened to be there, if it is correlation. In the dog’s mind it is cause and effect.

Our behavior influences our dog’s. We have the power to make things worse, but fortunately also better. If we want friendliness, including on home turf, we have to turn competition into cooperation, and the first impression is crucial because it lays the foundation for the relationship. To prevent an antagonistic one, the dogs should be on a loose leash and introduced keeping a distance that ensures that each one feels comfortable. They’re the ones who should choose when to move closer. Allow them to communicate freely, which means don’t manipulate their body, don’t correct their actions, and don’t force the relationship.

Powerlessness over one’s actions causes frustration and anxiety; choice and information decrease both. Proceeding at the dog’s comfort level is choice. Explaining to the dog how his world works in a way he understands is information. In the context of intraspecific competition it is, for example, making it clear to each dog whose turn for social attention and interaction, a much desired resource dogs often compete over, it is. Addressing the one you’re about to interact with by name, turning your body toward him, and then focusing only on him teaches that he doesn’t need to compete, and all others that butting in is pointless. When you’re about to disengage, tell him that with a trained word (Off-Switch post August 12/2010), and then switch your attention to the next dog. Yo-yo back and forth, so that no pooch feels left out and gets frustrated. Forget about superficial dominance rituals, like who should be fed first. It is fairness, and understanding what each dog needs to feel secure in his home, and then providing it, that eliminates competition.

Collaborating with humans is natural for dogs, cause they practiced it since some 14.000 years. Even so, I have witnessed competition directed at people, but it is not normal. Rather, it is learned. It is an artificially instilled anxiety when humans, in the name of misunderstood dominance, forcefully take things from a dog.

Dogs are inherently deferent to humans, and resources dogs and people have a common interest in, namely space and people food, are automatically under human control. I admit, with some dogs it doesn’t seem that way, but to clarify that we indeed are the ones with the bank account and big brain is rather easy and doesn’t require any force. Stuff that’s not important for people they shouldn't artificially challenge. Honestly, do you really want the bowl of Kibbles and Bits? Then why are you taking it away?

Dogs are inherently deferent to humans, but not so to dogs. All stuff is potentially up for grabs and contestable. In addition, other than being potential rivals, dogs are rather irrelevant for pooches that are cared for by humans. And what is irrelevant can be eliminated. I bet a bag of dried green tripe that when an old and feeble dog is attacked by one he lived with for many years that their relationship was always undermined by antagonism and suppressed anger.

If we want harmonious cohabitation, we have to make dogs relevant to each other. And keep in mind that competition doesn’t have to be played out aggressively. You can have a dog that withdraws, shuts down and gives up without a fight. The anxiety, albeit expressed in, for human criteria, more acceptable ways, is nevertheless felt and very real.

Task activities, like walks and games, make dogs relevant to one another and foster cooperation. Together is one key word, and rewarding is the other. Remember, life has to be better because the other dog is near.

Dogs and their Teeth

2011-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Bite inhibition refers to the degree of pressure a dog applies when she wraps her teeth around someone. Evidently that is über-important, because having mouth control, or lacking it, makes the difference between no teeth marks, a slight bruise, or injury.

The common belief is that bite inhibition is set in young puppy hood, and although it is true that littermates stop playing, and elders reprimand when the little brute is rough with her teeth, it doesn’t mean that from then on, for her whole life, in every situation, the level with which she bites is invariable.

I argue that bite inhibition isn’t a constant, and only partly determined by early experiences. The other two factors are inherent disposition and intent.

By disposition I mean that cautious born dogs are naturally more careful what they do with their teeth than confident ones hardwired to taking risks.

By intent I mean that mouth pressure is very much under the dog’s deliberate control. For instance, a bite directed at someone - person, dog or cat - the dog has no social bond with, or is not dependent on, can be less inhibited because there is no need to keep that someone around, or alive. Let me give you an example.

Not long ago a client called me because her 95-pound pooch injured a person quite seriously. The victim was the owner’s business associate and not a complete stranger to the dog, but also not someone who appeared to be of any relevance. The owner purposely tried to instill a neutral association to people in general, and had asked everyone but close friends and family to follow the Dog Whisperer’s advice: no touch, no talk, no eye contact. The expectation was that the pooch would learn to perceive humans at large as irrelevant encounters and leave them alone. That approach was only somewhat successful because he remained alert, and occasionally barked and growled at one person or another, but never bit until the aforementioned business partner raised his arm; inadvertently, talking with his hands to add clarity to something he verbally explained. In a flash, the dog lunged up and inflicting a wound that required a good number of stitches.

I confess that, unlike some trainers, I do mind when a dog bites me. I feel just like the next person: it’s not pleasant and can put me out of working order for a while, and because I am tad obsessed with my work that is a big deal. Knowing the level of damage that dog had caused, I requested that he be leash-managed (not leash-corrected) and muzzled when I arrived for our appointment in the client’s home. When I entered, he seemed under physical control, but was hyperacutely aware of my presence and growled at my every move. “Seemed under physical control” might give you a hint what happened next. The owner, annoyed with his dog's behavior, yanked on the leash, which riled him up more and he lunged forward, and the person lost control. At the same time the ill-fitted muzzle came off. I spare you the details how I felt when the dog charged in my direction, but thankfully I wasn’t emotionally unstable for long cause he was more interested in sniffing my backpack on the floor than getting rid of me.

The panicked, and at the same time angered by his dog’s resistance and disobedience, owner caught up quickly and, before I had a chance to tell him to let his pooch sniff, grabbed him by his collar to pull him away, and he, objecting to that interruption, swung around and seized his arm - but didn’t clamp down. Not even a tooth mark. He didn’t injure on purpose, because the owner is a social group member and important for his survival. He means something, and the business partner didn’t and could, from the dog’s point of view, be harmed. Inhibition with one, but not the other, is intent rather than something born with or acquired as a pup.

Deliberate reserve was also the case with an owner-surrendered German shepherd I once assessed at a humane society. Calm and relaxed when I entered his run, his mood shifted instantly when I reached for his collar to clip the leash on. He jumped, took hold of my leash arm and tensely held a position of: paws on my chest, arm in his mouth, while directly staring at me. Although there was very little pressure, it was unmistakably a warning for me to stop what I was doing, and he did not release until I lured him back to the ground with a treat in my other hand. Why he didn’t bite harder still mystifies me, but perhaps he never had to make a stronger, clearer point because people heeded to his subtlety. Despite the lack of injury he was, in my opinion, a dangerous dog.

The argument that it is the degree of damage that distinguishes a safe dog from one who isn’t doesn’t fly with me. A dog who warns a lot is a risk. Of course, one who only bites once but sends his target to the hospital or vet clinic is more hazardous, but in a society that finds growling unacceptable, a dog who only intimidates or gets into minor scraps, but all the time, isn’t tolerated. There is more. Dogs that attack often typically have a heightened sensitivity, a strong startle reflex, and an overreaction to a wide variety of stimuli. Easily set off, they can be a challenge for the layowner. When pressured, the arousal level goes up, bite inhibition down, and a more serious bite incident might be just around the corner. The realistic outcome for a biting dog, regardless of inhibition, often is euthanasia - or worse a lonely life in a run somewhere, being physically abused, or being passed on from place to place to place.

I haven’t met a dog yet who hasn’t got any control over his mouth to a certain degree. A naturally hard dog can be gentle when it matters, and a soft biter can clamp down hard when overwhelmed with a situation. Anytime a dog’s teeth connect with a human or inflict injury to another dog, the owner should seek professional help, but not with the goal to learn how to punish harder than the dog can bite, but how to create the kind of environment that makes her feel like she doesn’t have to.

Aggression is never the cause, but always the symptom. The symptom that something in the dog’s life isn’t working for her. To investigate what it is that isn’t working, and to find solutions how it works better, is my idea of professional help. The dog trainer’s role should be to coach owners how to create an environment that is harmonious and rewarding for every member in the social group. Yup, that takes effort. It is much easier to hand the pooch over to someone who “fixes” the symptoms, like we might bring the car to the mechanic or laptop to the computer geek, than to address and change the cause(s) for aggression. Fortunately for dogs more people than you might think are up for the task. Sometimes we hold owners to a low standard – and we shouldn’t. I expect a lot from my clients, and am rarely disappointed. When they have the “tools” - in quotation marks because I am talking about a philosophy and lifestyle choice rather than certain kinds of collars, they apply and implement them.

Although every dog has the potential to bite, and will in a perfect storm situation, a safe (in the dog’s mind) environment, combined with specific training that teaches her alternate to biting behaviors when she’s charged up, communication between dog and owner that works, and savvy management, are the best insurance that she won’t become a liability.

Totally Wound Up

2011-08-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

I read a lot. If you could peek into our home you’d see books everywhere, in every room of the house, including bathroom one, two and three. Plus I have a book in the car’s glove compartment just in case I arrive at my destination a few minutes early. If you’d call my behavior obsessive, you would be correct cause one identifying aspect of obsession is that the more you do it, the more you need to do it, and that certainly is true for me and reading.

Dogs can be obsessive too. A veterinarian friend and I discussed that once, and he said that dogs can’t be OCD, compulsive obsessive, because they miss the compulsive preoccupation of thinking impeding thoughts, but they can be obsessed with a certain action they repeat over and over again, to the point of exhaustion or self-mutilation.

Some dogs are neurotic because they have very poor welfare and endlessly spin, lick, or chew their own leg or tail. Humans drive dogs to insanity when they use them as breeding machines or completely neglect them, treat them erratically or cruelly punish.

Some dogs are wound up because they live with incompatible, albeit well-meaning people. They are task specialists with an intense drive to act on what they were selectively bred for. The Border collie comes to mind, who, in the wrong home and in lieu of sheep, fixates on a replacement activity, for example a ball, light flickers or shadows, and gets stuck in a behavior, like chasing or zoning in.

There is nothing wrong with a dog that’s super motivated, but the difference is that he is able to relax once his needs are fulfilled, compared to the obsessed one who remains zoned in, strung out and is chronically overwrought and antsy.

Dogs that are out-of-control wingy are a reality in my world. Not in my home thankfully, but many of my clients’ dogs are wound tight and spring loaded, and typically because they are anxious, overly stimulated, or not at all. The expressions are many: incessant barking, whining, destructiveness, excessive water consumption, restless pacing and panting, and pushy attention seeking. Another sign that a dog is too pumped is a hard mouth. With increased arousal level, the inhibition decreases, including bite inhibition.

Such a dog can be very taxing on people’s nerves - and irritating for other dogs as well, who either become anxious themselves, or attempt to control and correct the “crazy” one to change the situation.

Thanks to a popular TV show, under-stimulation is often blamed as the reason for unruliness, and thus many a frustrated owner cranks the physical exercise regime up in hopes it tuckers the pooch out. It’s true that if no purposeful activity is provided; if the working dog isn’t given a job, he is forever bored and stimulation seeking - and a nuisance, but just as frequently, in fact more often, the opposite is the root for obnoxious behaviors, including the inappropriate use of mouth and teeth.

Both “Stress in Dogs” by Martina Scholz and Clarissa von Reinhardt, and “Control Unleashed” by Leslie McDevitt, state that overly stimulated dogs are more reactive than under-stimulated ones, and based on my own experiences, I concur.

Unceasing exposure to sounds, sights or smells, always being patted, hugged or stroked, or constantly doing something, including fun stuff, is not natural. In “Shadow Syndromes”, John J. Ratey, M.D., explains that almost any excess – physical, mental or social, can overwhelm the cerebral cortex and drive an animal into the limbic, the emotional and reactive realm. And a survey conducted in Germany found that the less a dog rests, the lower his stress threshold. In other words, the more active, the more trigger reactive.

Over-stimulation often happens in a shelter environment, but also in the dog’s home or daycare, the off-leash park or training facility. The contemporary canine reflects our society in many ways, including that like us some rarely have a moment of silence, and that creates trouble especially with the ones that are by nature sensory sensitive to sound, motion and touch. Many dogs belonging to the herding group fall into that category, but also ones that arouse with hands-on-body, often young Labradors and boxers. They can wind up real fast, and if stimulation is perpetual never completely relax, startle easily and overreact with barking, charging and nipping to any unexpected trigger - even just a plastic bag dancing in the wind. For some dogs, life in an urban or suburban setting in itself can be too overwhelming.

Exercising an already overly stimulated dog more is circling the toilet bowl. Chances are that restlessness worsens, and on top, like with a human athlete, the dog builds more physical stamina. That means that unless he is pushed to exhaustion, every day, which can require a considerable amount of time and effort for some dogs and is therefore unrealistic for many owners, he will become physically more capable, not more tired.

If your dog only behaves cause he’s exhausted, his manners won’t last long and vanish altogether if time constraints or physical limitations prevent you from running him till his tongue hangs to the ground. Your well-intended efforts might backfire and the pooch will endlessly demand more of the same, and if he gets it, become more addicted and more demanding. Plus, there is a risk that he develops a chronically heightened state of sensory awareness and reactivity to environmental stimuli.

The Catch 22 is that if you’d eliminate the activity your dog is obsessed with cold turkey, without replacing it with something else, he’ll go bonkers, and likely you with him.

So what is the solution? Incrementally swapping mindless exercise with mental stimulation is one. Fun and positive obedience training - and I emphasize force-free cause pressure drives frustration and that's counterproductive to relaxation - learning tricks, interactive toys that compels the pooch to use his noggin to get his food, and yes, prolonged walks interspersed with calming nose games, obedience and, like walks with a friend, quiet time to commute with nature and enjoy each others company in stillness.

Annoying behaviors aren’t always obsessions, and not all obsessions are bad. My reading one enhances my life. It’s an asset because I learn a lot and don’t drive anybody batty. A dog’s can be an asset too, like a Border collie’s herding addiction that helps the human shepherd. But in an average pet home high drive and sensory sensitivity can be problematic. It has nothing to do with a dog being bad or dominant, but causes owners to lose their cool nevertheless. And a very driven dog’s needs are typically not solved with a meaningful walk, tricks or a few obedience commands alone. Dog sports, like Disc, Agility, Freestyle Dance, or the new sport from Germany called Treibball (here's a link for a great youtube clip http://youtu.be/qFpH_WLC4qs + you can google Treibball to find more) can be very satisfying, structured activities. Structure is crucial, because not only will your dog have a sense that he is working, but he also knows that he is working for you, that you control the drive. For example: throw a ball or Frisbee, but not a stick, because sticks can be found everywhere and allow nonstop pestering by pushing it against a person’s leg.

Provide a variety of activities so that the pooch isn’t fixated on just one and, also crucial, teach an off-switch command that conveys that the interaction is over for now.

Unfortunately there isn’t a one-fits-all guideline, and finding the golden balance between mental and physical stimulation, orchestrated tasks and opportunities to rest, can take some dabbling. But it is worth it, cause in the end you can have a dog who is busy but still focused and centered, and best of all, able to chill out – alone and with you.

Sensible Refeering

2011-08-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Follow that thought process with me, will you? Imagine one of your relatives adopted an uncoordinated human toddler three times your size. I know, hard to imagine, but go with it anyway. The giant darling, cause he’s young and hasn’t learned manners yet, bounces on you nonstop, and gets a kick out of pulling your hair and ears. Furthermore, the proud new parents didn’t ask you if it was okay to visit, and don’t interfere when their new addition uses you as a trampoline, cause he’s just so adorable. How would you feel? And what would you do?

That was the position a client’s small terrier found himself in recently when he was presented with his person brother’s eight-week-old, and very exuberant, Labrador retriever. The adult pooch, cause he is the adult, was expected to accept and be nice to his lively new canine cousin, but naturally felt overwhelmed and besieged, and growled in hopes the youngster would keep a polite distance and tone down a bit. Didn’t work, so he growled more intensely, and barked and air snapped, and when that didn’t work, he offensively lunged forward from an increasingly greater distance, was subsequently labeled aggressive and that’s when I was called to help.

That dogs sort their quarrels out for themselves is a common believe the owners of the terrier and Lab shared, but I don't. I mean, I am all for allowing an older dog to correct a puppy or rude juvenile. In fact, in my opinion ideally every puppy socialization class should include a couple of savvy canine overseers that mingle during free play, and split too over-the-top interactions or lecture a pup that’s out of line, but only, in fairness to the adult, if he is not overwhelmed with the task. And a big job it is, because the puppies in our society come in all shapes, sizes and with various breed specific behaviors and backgrounds. Not too long ago I met a brawny pup whose tail was accidentally stepped on. The person moved as soon as he realized why the babe was squealing, but it took a few seconds. It really must have hurt, yet the moment the foot was off the tail he was right back to his obnoxious little self. It’d be difficult for a dog, or human for that matter, to successfully correct a pup with such a high pain threshold.

Our puppies are selectively bred and manipulated by people and have a wide range of personalities. Not all stayed with their mothers and littermates long enough and hence missed early, but crucial, lessons. Some dogs, even young ones, are hard to impress. All of that makes dogs raising dogs more complicated than it would be in nature, where size, temperament and environment is fairly homogeneous.

A reprimand is warranted when the pup or adolescent is too boisterous or too determined, and successful when he settles some and approaches in a more polite, self-restrained fashion - immediately and in the future. When that doesn't happen, humans need to step up.

It is time to referee when the older dog gives back off signals to no avail; if he is tense, growls, darts a hard-eyed warning stare, exposes his pearly whites or air snaps, and the juvenile isn’t getting it but relentlessly continues to test boundaries, doesn’t tone it down and continues to space-pushily demand interaction. You should also intervene when you get a pleading look for help, when one dog physically tries to get away, or mentally shuts down.

Just to clarify, we are not talking about aggression here, but incompatibilities in energy or size that makes it impossible for the teacher to reign in the student. Don’t wait for a bloodbath and keep an astute eye on dog-dog interactions until you know for certain that everyone is comfortable and appropriate with one another.

Refereeing doesn't mean correcting or punishing, but ensuring that fair play rules are followed. Keep that in mind when you take charge. It is important that the person doesn’t take sides, but acts in a way that is in all dogs’ interest. Simplified, it is creating distance. Applied, that can mean leashing the obnoxious one; temporarily removing one dog or the other, or redirecting both into doing something else, for example chewing a stuffed Kong or going for a walk together, which is one of my favorite activities to settle things and form a bond.

Expecting our dogs to always harmonize with one another, or settle their disputes peacefully, is expecting something we intelligent humans often have trouble with. Dogs do to, especially the ones that live in our midst. Sometimes they will work things out, and sometimes they won’t, or at least not in a way that is acceptable for people, and then they need help.

The responsibility to create a stress-free environment and raise a well-behaved pooch always lies with the people. The right dog can be a great helper, but it is false to assume that dogs, just because they are dogs, wish to interfere. When one is bullied and becomes anxious and reactive, or retreats from where the action is, and the humans are but useless bystanders, one dog becomes increasingly more frustrated and the other increasingly more intrepid. So don’t be an onlooker, but a leader and set the rules for appropriate interactions for all dogs, and then enforce them. Not by punishing, but by creating space and refuge zones for one, and by managing and redirecting the other.

Puppy License

2011-07-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

A wee pup, until about 16 weeks of age or so, comes with a license to kill. Well, not exactly, but she does have a natural permit to explore and test behaviors without getting hurt. No socially normal adult dog attacks or injures a pup regardless what she does, and regardless if she belongs to his intimate social group or is a chance encounter on a walk or at the park. Puppy license, though, does not mean that a rude youngster couldn’t receive a lesson in manners from an older pooch.

World-renowned Norwegian dog expert Turid Rugaas - you might recognize the name when you think calming signals - said at a seminar I attended almost 10 years ago that if dogs raise dogs they get it right. Like humans, some are more lenient and others stricter; some don’t correct even if a pup is hanging of their ear or lip, while others have narrowly drawn lines and swiftly reprimand the little brat if she oversteps it, but still won’t correct so harshly that it inhibits learning, stifles curiosity or creates anxiety.

The first who teaches important life lessons is mom-dog. When the brood is about 4 weeks old, when they become more mobile and a pestering mob, she dishes out consequences for obnoxiousness that can range from walking away and temporarily denying a basic need: food, to applying mouth threats and inhibited bites: the corrector’s mouth briefly taking hold of the correctee’s snout. Bruce Fogle says that it is imprinting deference and feels that if those early lessons are missed, the dog can be nearly impossible to train. The muzzle grab can be combined with a rigid body, or preceded by warnings: a hard stare and growls.

So, Cesar Millan is correct that the mother dog is crucial. But that’s where it stops. He is barking a false tune when he advices that we must continue to be a pretend mother dog when the pup joins us. Why? Because humans naturally get it wrong when they get physical. Humans aren’t dogs. They correct at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons, are generally too overbearing and not fast or accurate enough. It takes a certain amount of skill to nose correct an out-of-control dog properly. That’s why Millan pins, I assume, but I argue that that is not a natural correction (more a little later).

Even if a person can pull off a proper muzzle grab correction, it puts the hand provokingly close to a dog’s teeth, and the last thing I want my pup to learn is how to successfully dodge or fight a hand around his mouth. To the contrary, I want her to learn that a hand in and around her snout is always a good thing. That makes it much easier if you have to take something out of it, or if the veterinarian is doing his health check.

Dogs are most balanced when mother’s corrections were less aggressive and the pup extensively groomed afterwards. Humans typically get that wrong as well. They don’t groom, but continue to nag and be upset, or at best ignore the pup and withhold social acceptance for a too long period of time. Granted, Millan, so hyped on what the mother dog does, leaves emotions out of the equation, but still only applies the correction portion, not the extensive making up part that follows in nature.

Plus, how is a puppy ever to understand how we humans function as a species if we crudely, klutzily pretend that we’re a dog.

The warning stare, growls and the muzzle grab are normal canine ways to lecture a pup, juvenile and generally younger, lower ranking dog that is too close, too rude or too wound up. They are meant to teach self-control, teach a pup to tone it down a bit or be space polite. That’s all.

In my opinion, pinning falls outside the “for educational purposes” realm. Yes, some mother dogs pin, but I would question if she was anxious or stimulatory overwhelmed, or if the pup was temperamentally straddling the extreme pole of exuberance, determination and confidence. Pinning is ritualized aggression and signals that the pinner is stressed, frustrated, and needs help; needs a human to referee – the topic of my next post.

In addition to it being aggression, it is also ineffective, even harmful. I met plenty of dogs that were nailed as puppies, by dogs or humans, and despite of it, or possibly because of it, offensively attacked once they reached adolescence.

Another thing that just won’t go away is the belief that grabbing and shaking a puppy’s scruff is how a mother dog punishes her offspring. No, she doesn’t. In nature, she might carry her itty-bitty babies by the scruff, but only when she has to move them, if she needs to find a safer place. It is a nurturing behavior, not a punitive one. In fact, neck grabbing and shaking is how dogs kill smaller animals. Imagine the message you’re sending your pup if you grab her by the scruff, and imagine what it does to her little brain if you shake her head.

When you get your pup, ideally not before she is 8-10 weeks old, she should have experienced appropriate early lessons taught by her mother, and you should continue to provide opportunities for her to meet healthy and socially normal adults. Of course, a puppy also needs to play with littermates, and later on with compatible youngsters, but siblings and same-age friends can’t make up for what elders teach. So you see why it is important to investigate how long your pup was with her natural mother, and how she was treated? A good breeder has that information, the pet store doesn’t - and a lousy breeder doesn’t know and doesn’t care. I recently had a client whose breeder removed mom-dog from her litter when they were 4 weeks old with the explanation, according to my client, that since she can’t nurse anymore what other use does she have.

Your role, when your puppy arrives, is not to morph into another mother dog. People don’t get it right. They don’t heed to the puppy license, unjustly pin or scruff-shake for the slightest infractions or mistakes that are not the pup’s fault. Humans often do stifle curiosity and confidence, and create a dog that is suspicious, skittish and anxious.

I, as a human, stay away from getting physical, but do follow mom-dog’s lead in one aspect: denying a rude pup something she wants. Not food, but social attention and inclusion, another crucially important resource. Dr. Ian Dunbar recommends stepping out of the pup’s playpen with the word “bully”. Even very briefly withholding social attention - the pup should get another chance to play “nicely” right away - has a great impact and will teach an uninhibited one self-control quickly. I love it, and you can do that at home and leave corrections to a wise “grey muzzle”. Hopefully you know one. If you do, trust him in his judgment and execution, even if the puppy yelps. Likely she deserved it. Like Turid Rugaas says, dogs know best, provided they are socially normal.

Disposition: Busy and Bossy

2011-07-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

If I ever strike it money rich, chances are that my days would unfold pretty much the same way they do now. I love my job, and every day I meet new or existing clients is a good day. Within that realm though there are good appointments, better ones, and some that are absolutely fabulous. Which is which I can typically predict when someone first contacts me.

I love all dogs, really, I do. But my favorites, my heart dogs, belong to the herding group. Whenever someone is seeking my help with their collie, or Aussie, or heeler, or Spanish water dog, or Corgi, or Sheltie, German and Belgian shepherd, it foretells, with almost 100% certainty, a fantastic consultation.

No exception to that rule with recent clients. I was the second pro they hired, which is not unusual cause I am not cheap and barely advertise, so sometimes folks find me after the other trainer failed to improve the dog’s behavior, or even made it worse. Without elaborating why this particular one didn’t work out, a comment he made totally bewildered me. He said, according to my clients, that training doesn’t work with an Australian shepherd.

What? Trust me, not true. Not at all true. To the contrary: done right, Aussies are a pleasure to train. That is why I have a fabulous day whenever they are my ruff customers.

Okay, I grant that my affinity for herding dogs not everyone shares, and I know that they can be a challeging.

As a group, they were and are bred to organize or move sheep, cattle, geese, goats or pigs, and although fervently ready to obey the ultimate boss, their person, they are also not opposed to taking command. Human and canine shepherd are a team, collaborators in bossing other animals around. From the dog’s point of view, they are playmates with the human setting the rules of the game. Person and dog are in it together, all de live long day cooperate in organizing chaos-in-motion, telling animals that are often physically bigger and stronger where to go, and when.

What traits a successful herding dog must possess is evident: Endurance, intelligence, determination, an intense motivation to work with his person but an equally strong drive to control. Herding dogs are brainy, busy and bossy beings, and much tougher than their little bodies suggest, which means that they withstand physical force. A dog able to pressure animals that have horns and can kick won’t be impressed with a flimsy correction, and loses interest in an owner who comes down hard.

Someone who is controller instead of collaborator, overpowers instead of outsmarts, and believes that an hour-long leash walk sandwiched between the office and taking the kids to piano practice is enough stimulation, is ill-matched with a herding dog - any herding dog, but Australian shepherds have an extra quirk I love so much, but can present an additional hurdle for a stern Type A human personality.

Even when on the job, an Aussie likes to put his own spin on things. They are masters in self-amusement. I would have given a month pay for being able to enter Davie’s brain when she, unprompted, charged straight into a flock of perfectly organized sheep. Out of boredom, grinning I swear, she scattered them, just to round them up again. Our herding clinic instructor called it Aussie-bowling, cause only Aussies do it.

They are not willful, but often lack the seriousness of other herding breeds, are the jesters of them all, are creatively obedient. When teamed with a person who doesn’t have a sense of humor, the relationship easily slides in the ditch, and incompatible teams are more common than one might think cause Aussies are darn good looking. If you take one for a stroll you’ll magnetically attract the attention of passersby. People stare, inquire, google, and then get one. All kinds of people, including the dog inexperienced, mentally and physically retired, and busy-with-other-stuff ones.

So, what can one do with a bossy and busy canine joker when there are no sheep to be organized, and when time is limited?

Any kind of dog sport will do. All herding breeds are excellent candidates for agility, Rally O’ and Freestyle dance, but there are other, less obvious activities that can help to turn an initially mismatched relationship into a mutually rewarding one.

For example people gathering. If there are several members in your family, have your pooch wake each one in the morning, and maybe even teach him to usher the individual to the breakfast table.

Instead of shouting for your partner or child, let your four-pawed Pan relay information with a note tied to his collar.

On off leash walks, spread out on purpose and allow your herder to regroup everyone. Herding humans isn’t the problem, nipping them is, but with a little training your pooch will learn space balance.

Herding dogs love toys. Scatter his stuff throughout the house and make it his task to collect them all, placing them on a mat, or in his toy box. Every Aussie or collie loves to chase after a ball. I swear our Davie was born with one in her mouth, and she fetched and released into our hands at 18 weeks of age, without any training. Your Border collie might not bring the ball all the way in, but likely tosses it in your direction and instantly runs out to where he expects it to land again.

Job creation is paramount for your herding dog, and equally important is, while keeping the Aussie’s comic nature in mind, that he understands that a task is something you facilitate, and not sporadic, self-generated entertainment. That is what commands are for. Don’t just throw the ball, tell him to “fetch” it. Don’t just let him trudge behind you, tell him “let’s go”. If you have a mailbox at the end of your driveway, send your pooch ahead with a “mail” command and then have him carry it in the house.

On hikes, teach him to “jump” over logs or across a brook, “balance” on a sidewalk curb, “up” on a park bench and “weave” around trees that stand close together. Davie learned to “pick” her own Saskatoon berries when they were in season. None of that takes a lot of extra time, but increases attention, obedience and the bond between you, and challenges your dog’s mind and body, important for most any dog, but vital for the innately busy ones.

Herding dogs are sometimes labeled dominant, hyper, stubborn and, wow, even untrainable. Nonsense! They are just inexhaustibly looking for a job, and seeking information from their person how to do it properly. When they get that, the inherently controlling pooch doesn’t get out-of-control, and his intense drive won’t turn into obsession or aggression.

Reflections on the Park Day

2011-07-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

It’s a couple of days after our “dog watching with Silvia” event, and like I thought, it was a lot of fun. The weather could not have been better, warm and sunny, and the park was populated with dogs of all sizes. On the small end a few pugs, a mini-dachshund, and a few terrier crosses, who all mingled with many larger ones: a couple of boxers, a German shepherd, several retrievers, a Bernese mountain dog, a standard poodle, quite a few mutts – likely shepherd something mixes, and three Amstaffs. There was a confident, fabulous puppy, maybe toller in her, who behaved like she’s done off-leash parks forever. Likely partly genetics, probably nicely raised wherever she was bred, but it also appears that she has a great canine role model. She arrived with two humans and a larger adult male, black with a white chest and socks, who was also very confident, had a lot of presence, but was super savvy and appropriate with every dog he encountered. He sniffed canine newcomers’ head and face first, then genitals and butt, but often refused to be checked out in turn and walked away. Most dogs he ignored after that, but when one shared his jerky play style, he interacted for a bit, pausing frequently and heeding to the other dog’s stop signals instantly. He let his puppy do her thing, but at the same time was very aware of his surroundings and split when other dogs were a tad too exuberant. The only one he attempted to bark away was a male greyhound who came muzzled. He, the hound, was yelled at from the front by the black dog, and mounted at the rear by an otherwise very laid back golden retriever. Both dogs, without any of us humans having any indication other than the muzzle, knew right away that this dog meant trouble, and indeed the hound terrorized every small dog in the park, including the puppy. The owner had no recall, no control, and didn’t leash him even after repeated attacks, obviously thinking that having her dog muzzled was good enough since he couldn’t bite and do “real” damage. Finally, perhaps because she picked up on the dirty looks she received from the owners whose dogs ran away screaming in fright, leashed him and left. I hope she won’t return until she’s worked through the dog’s predatory issues with the help of a professional.

But that was the only conflict between big dogs and small ones; the only conflict period. All other dogs either played with or ignored one another, no dog chased or was rough with the children who were there, and no dog seemed to guard toys, sticks or food.

And there were many toys. In fact, one thing that stuck out for me was that all the “bully” owners had a Frisbee and interspersed letting their pooches socialize with playing fetch. That was fantastic, cause it prevented that any of these very energetic and boisterous boxers, young Labradors, and Amstaffs pestered another pooch out of boredom.

What I also really liked was that every dog had a normal buckle collar on. No chokes, prongs or shock collars from what I saw, and almost every dog responded happily and instantly to their person’s request to return, follow, or hang close. So, to my surprise it was almost positive all the way.

Almost. There was one mid-size brown dog, maybe a Lab or hound mix, who charged up quickly, and whose behavior with other dogs was out-of-control. He didn’t respond when called, and was also the only dog I observed who was corrected and physically, Millan style, forced into a certain position as soon as his owners got physical control back. Other than correcting him, they didn’t seem to do much else - didn’t walk much, didn’t play, didn’t seem to have a toy or treats, so it appears that they expected perfect manners, calm submission, and mindless obedience around many distractions without giving anything in return.

The Seaview park morning was followed with six half-hour, one-on-one guided dog walks, and that was a lot of fun too. I finally got to meet pooches whose people I’ve known for some time.

The first one was a brilliant Spanish water dog, locally bred in Nova Scotia, who I saw first when she was five weeks old. She is two now and very beautiful, and motivated, alert and intense, like a good SWD should be.

The next one was the goofiest looking golden doodle, and on top he is a really, really nice boy – and a rescue. It was wonderful to see how many people open their homes and hearts to second chance dogs. This particular one needs a little confidence, that's all, and maybe I'll suggest for him to join our tracking group later this year. Tracking was the best confidence builder for our Will.

My next client also had one rescue, a pure, older Cairn terrier, and another two-year-old Cairn she acquired as a pup. That one was a bit livelier, clever and spirited, and as a result easily bored. Determined to get the most out of his off-leash time, he wasn’t always convinced that following his person faithfully or obeying a recall command would yield ultimate entertainment. But we managed to find a motivator he liked enough to come when called, readily and exuberantly. Exaggerated, prolonged attention and interaction did the job, and he quickly liked it so much that he lagged behind for a different reason: not to find stimulation elsewhere, but to prompt us to call him so fun with his person could continue.

The last new dog was a Border collie cross, again a rescue. Sweet with me and so willing to work and please, she was a bit reactive with dogs and fast moving humans. Typical for collies, as long as we kept a comfortable for her distance, she was agreeable to be redirected, so I am sure that in time she’ll be fine, especially since she lucked out and found an owner who is very caring and committed and not giving up.

The remaining dogs I already knew and worked with before. One is the sweetest ever Portuguese water dog; a two-year-old female, also locally bred and on the smaller side. That is something I noticed – almost every Portie I saw was smaller than usual. Maybe from the same breeder? Maybe it’s the new flavor for Porties? In any case, this one’s only misbehavior is that she’s a little too excitable at times, and spring loaded then. The jumping, the lack of self-control, is annoying and will take a little patience to change, but she is smart and motivated, so I am sure she’ll be perfect in no-time.

The last two dogs for the day were two Cavaliers, females, adults, one insecure, the other a bossy bitch, and I mean that in a nice way. Very much in control of herself she gave most dogs “The Look” I typically only see female herding dogs use. Without meaning to trivialize her behavior, cause I believe that a lap dog should be treated like any other one and commend the owner for her commitment to teach her girls manners, it was rather amusing when she kept a boxer in line with her eyes only. We watched him straining on his leash to say hello to a small terrier just a moment prior, and when he saw the Cavs he drifted towards them, but quickly changed his mind when he picked up the hairy stare the bossy one darted. He curved out, put his owner between him and us, and inconspicuously moseyed on. The problem behavior I was there for, the barking and lunging, was easily explained. Based on what I observed, most dogs heeded her “mind your own business” signals like the boxer did, so that is what she experiences and expects, and if a dog doesn’t she becomes frustrated and turns communication up a notch. We saw that with a couple of block-headed pooches who insisted on greeting. Keeping them out of her space will curb the barking and lunging, I am sure.

So, that was my day at two parks – one off-leash and one multi-use. It was a long and busy day, and yet I was not as tired at the end of it as I anticipated. I get to this twice more before August, and am really looking forward to it. And because I am slowly figuring out my new I-phone, maybe I’ll have some visual footage the next time I post more park observations.

Dog Play

2011-06-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Throughout this summer, to give back a little to the community that accepted and supported me for the last 4 years, I’m offering free of charge dog communication events. I live on Canada’s East Coast, so it’ll be like “whale watching with Angus”, only “dog watching with Silvia”.

The three sessions will take place at two popular off-leash parks, because unrestrained dogs, for better or worse, do what dogs do, which we will observe and I will interpret. We’ll probably see a lot play soliciting and play pausing signals, meant to prevent that the interaction escalates into something different. We’ll be watching bold, exuberant dogs and cautious ones; dogs wanting to play with everyone, others who are selective, and some who aren’t interested at all in connecting with their own species.

Not wanting to play with other dogs? Aren’t they all developmentally stunted wolves? At the core juveniles, whose highlight of the day should be a trip to the off-leash park? Simple answer: No. Dogs, like every other organism, go through all physical and mental growth stages, from puppy hood to old age, and everything in between.

True is that most canids are social by nature, and observations with feral and stray dogs suggest that they seek same-species companionship, but is that by choice, or necessity in lieu of a human friend? The question is: is a canine pal essential for a dog's welfare, or can a person adequately take its place? In my opinion, it depends.

There are dogs who never really graduate out of the sandbox, thrive being with other dogs and love playing till a ripe old age. On the opposite end are ones who exclusively want to hang out with humans. Often at a very young age they snub other dogs, consider them nuisance, not pal. I see that periodically with people friendly golden retrievers, velcro-type toys, and workaholic herding dogs - like the 6 months old Border collie I watched the other day, who was on the job with his human and the Frisbee and completely blocked out the juvenile Lab cross who tried every play soliciting behavior in his repertoire to buddy up.

But most dogs fall somewhere in the middle and benefit from having at least one canine friend. Typically, they gravitate to ones belonging to the same breed or group, because they share similar play styles and understand each other best. Like seeks like and meshes together.

Such was the case with two adult mastiffs I was hired to observe because the owner, who had just acquired the second one, wanted to be certain that their open-mouth wrestling, body checking and neck biting were friendly, not antagonistic, displays. Their interactions indeed appeared raucous, with fully exposed teeth and some vociferous growling, but it was play. How can I be so sure that it was? Because what looked and sounded intense was in fact very inhibited. Nobody got injured, and as soon as one yelped because her sensitive ear was caught, the other let off without leaving a scrap. He also let go when she rolled on her back and stopped wagging her tail. Without needing human interference, he understood that she needed a break and called it off and both, paws touching, settled beside one another, seeking closeness in play and rest.

True, proper play should be loose and fluid, and ideally excludes neck biting and collar grabbing. It should be a back and forth interaction, with one dog winning, then the other. But because of selective breeding and human manipulation, what kinda fun dogs enjoy can vary greatly, and stiff-bodies, jerked movements, and rougher contacts can fall in the normal category as long as all are willing participants. One of my friends, Adina MacRae, said it brilliantly: “Play behaviors are normal when all parties involved agree that they are”.

So, it’s okay if one dog is always the chaser and the other the chasee, as long as dog rules of play are followed: bows or toy teasing to initiate, pauses for a brief time out before things become too heated, and listening to back off signals. Nobody getting hurt even when the romping is fast and furious is an important indicator, because a playing dog has self-control. Arguably the single best sign that play isn’t turning serious is if the dog is still aware of her surroundings, including, in fact especially, the owner.

That was always the rule for my dogs. Regardless how much fun everyone had, if they were too pumped to pay attention when I called them, I cut in reminding them that I still exist, and then released back into play with a specific command - provided that everyone wanted to continue. If one dog avoided and turned away with a low tail, or anxiously had her hackles up, or tried to hump, I redirected mine into doing something else pleasurable.

Super social and goofy dogs, ones a tad more reserved and selective in the companionship they keep, and still others who tell every pooch who comes near them to get lost, I am sure me and my dog watching group will observe plenty. Perhaps we luck out and see wise, confident dogs with a lot of presence who keep an eye on the ongoings and gently split about to get out-of-control interactions, and maybe we’ll meet dogs born with a badge on their chest who impatiently order others around, even if there is no need.

What I am not so keen on, but we’ll likely see anyway, are owners grouped together yapping away, completely clueless what their dogs are up to.

Hopefully we won’t encounter disturbing stuff: a real fight, or a dog wanting nothing more than to get out-o’-there, like the young Leonberger we saw on our last excursion to the park. She was so afraid that she, ad infinitum, ran to the exit gate, just to be forced, with choke chain and leash, back in the group. Of course, flooding and not giving a rat’s tail how the dog feels is demonstrated on TV all the time, and my hunch is that’s where her owner learned how to deal with a dog's fears.

But even though coming across stupid owners is a possibility, I am really looking forward to the events. Offering them as a little thank you is only half the truth; the other is that I love watching dogs in their natural environment, which in our society are people’s homes, trails, and parks. I am doing myself a favor as much as anybody who will join me. If you live in my ‘hood, I hope to see you there. If you don’t, equip yourself with pen and paper and venture to an off-leash area near you, without your dog unless she's off leash ready and comes when called, and watch and learn. I highly recommend it.

The Top Dog is the Dog on Top – Of Furniture?

2011-06-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago I attended an aggression seminar offered through Calgary’s continued education program. Our instructor was an ex-cop, and obedience trainer with a couple of decades experience. Not particularly harsh or unreasonable, he was traditional, Koehler-style, and like many others also accepted the dominance-hierarchy theory as truth. “The top dog is the dog on top”, he said and pointed out that height seeking - a dog who wants to be above or on the same level as his human, indicates dominance. Hence, he advised that ideally no dog should have bed and sofa access, and especially not the one who shows dominance in other ways, like being reactive or “generally disobedient”.

Not much has changed since. There are numerous articles and books, written by renowned dog experts and behaviorists, that explain why dominance is rarely the root of behavioral problems, but despite that many layowners and trainers still believe that a dog’s place is on the floor, spatially below the person. But here is the problem: in real life the mental “where the dog should be” often doesn’t transfer into according and consistently enforced rules, and that is because snuggling up with the beloved hairy sidekick is very pleasing for the human.

In the olden days, while the master found pleasure in the arms of his mistress, the dog kept the lady of the palace warm at night, and attracted her fleas and lice during the day. Not only was he tolerated on the lap and in bed, but wanted there. Nowadays, we can buy blankets to keep us warm, and most of us aren’t pest infested, and perhaps the whole flea and lice thingy is a myth anyway, but the fact is that people’s longing to cozy up with someone alive is innate. Today, our homes are warmer, but our society colder. The modern human lives in a fast-paced and anonymous world, but is still touchy-feely needy and seeks an outlet, and that’s where the dog comes in; he slipped into the role of preferred soul companion, confidant, lean-on, and receiver of all those velvety emotions. And because we have so many different breeds these days, not just the traditional lap toy poochini can be found sprawled on the sofa and hogging the pillow, but dogs of all sizes.

Concurrently, resurrected “discipline over affection” and “dogs are inherently status seeking” assertions are hard to miss, and that causes conflict in many owners. On one hand, they wanna cuddle; on the other, they worry that by doing so they’re bringing out the alpha wolf in the contemporary canine.

Indeed, that is the sentiment I often hear from my clients. When I ask during a consultation where the dog sleeps, intended to find out what degree of social inclusion he enjoys, I regularly get a sheepish, apologetic or defying confession that he’s on the bed. And equally regularly my clients are surprised and relieved when I tell them that it’s okay.

Yes, some dogs can be space possessive, but most want to be on furniture because it’s soft and comfy, and smells more than any other place like their beloved person, which offers security to an insecure dog, especially when he’s home alone. Truth is that most dogs aren’t dominating us, but are needy for our help and support, much like a human dependant.

Our Will sleeps beside me on her own bed at night, and chills out in different rooms throughout the house during the day, but when we visit friends, when she is away from the safety of her home, she glues herself next to me on the couch.

Neediness was also the motivation of our recent German shepherd house guest. Responsive and obedient on and off the leash, moving out of the way when asked, not confrontational over anything, sleeping on top of hubby Mike during a thunderstorm and hiding behind me when he heard rustling in the bushes and didn’t know what it was, he is a big baby, not a dominant alpha. We had him for about two weeks, and during the first there wasn’t a moment he was physically away from us. By week two, when he felt more confident with his new surroundings and routine, he often settled with Will in another room – and on the floor.

A dog on furniture is not a problem; one who guards and defends space, is.

If our 40-pound Aussie Davie, who had a personality that covered Mike’s mattress completely, would not have moved her toenail when he climbed into bed, but snarled at him instead, then we would have had a problem warranting action.

Prohibiting access is intuitive and what most trainers recommend with a space guarder, but it is a superficial solution and rarely successful, because it doesn’t take into account that a dog confident enough to contest one resource typically does so with anything that’s important to him: the yard, entrance to your home, where his food dish is, or the space around you or himself. The aggressive behaviors aren’t expressed on bed and sofa anymore only because the dog isn’t there, but continued in different contexts.

My way, counterintuitive but effective, is to provide social inclusion and resources freely, but to make them contingent on the dog’s relaxed, attentive and polite behavior. Resource control, not prohibition, changes a dog's attitude, even with the rare social ladder climber, and then you can snuggle all you want, like we do, and never have an alpha problem.

Don't Punish the Growl

2011-06-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

The beginning of gardening season tends to draw people out of their homes and we realized, once again, that the houses around ours are indeed occupied. Thus, I had a pleasant chat with our neighbor’s daughter recently who is parent to an 18-month-old daughter of her own, and a senior rescue mutt named Hannah. Always interested in other people’s dogs I casually inquired how Hannah was doing, and my neighbor stated that she is great, but occasionally growls at the now more mobile baby. She right away followed that statement by saying that she isn’t too concerned and feels that Hannah doesn’t want to injure the toddler, only communicates to the adults that she has had enough of small, uncoordinated hands reaching for her. How is it, I wondered, that some people understand that a dog’s growl means that she needs help, while others envision a looming blood bath?

Many people, possibly the majority, are certain that a growl is a sure-tell sign that the dog is dominant and dangerous, and without a doubt will harm someone. And out of that fear we humans, at the core prey not predator, quell the growl and expect our dog, for an entire lifetime, no matter what circumstance, only speak pleasantly. How realistic is that, eh? It’s not – not possible for any animal.

Steve White and Suzanne Clothier, two of my favorite dog gurus, argue that a growl is communication like any other one, and always coveys that distance is sought. And they are not the only ones. Many high profile, world-renowned behaviorists agree that with a growl the still self-controlled dog is sending information that the present situation isn’t working for her, and that she needs help. The dog’s intent with a growl is to prevent a bite. It’s a good thing, cause it gives you an opening to get the queasy feeling pooch out of the situation before she becomes undone.

I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t do anything about your dog’s growling, snarling, tensing or snapping, just that subduing her is barking up the wrong tree. Labeling a dog bad and dominant, without further investigation what drives the behavior, what the root cause for the tension is, creates more problems in the long run because your dog’s mind about the worrisome stimulus isn’t changed, just the expressions suppressed.

When your dog acts out, you need to deal with the pressing moment and get her out of the situation that elicited the warning, but after that you gotta focus on what really needs your attention: the underlying issues that prompted the growls. Likely, that requires the help of an experienced, positive behavior expert, because the reasons could be many and the solutions as well. So, don’t leave the matter alone, but address in a way that is productive, and responding with an assertive correction, despite its popularity, isn’t it.

That is also true for dogs that are indeed confident and aggressive. In fact, I opine that a growl is never a submissive signal. The dog could, instead of growling, surrender and walk away. In all fairness, humans often prevent that; restrain and corner the dog, not giving her the option to depart. Even then, even if growling is the dog’s plan B, it reflects a certain willingness to be confrontational. When we adopted our feral born Will she panicked about everything that had to do with humans, yet never growled. She involuntary voided, drooled excessively, stress-panted and expressed her anal sacs, but didn’t growl, never warned us to back off.

It is understandable that you’re upset when your canine sidekick, who ought to follow and obey, challenges the hand that feeds her, but forcefully crushing that part of natural, albeit undesired by us, communication backfires in a big way.

I always wonder why intelligent people believe that adding their own aggression to an already tense situation somehow diffuses it and makes it all better for the future? Believe me, it doesn’t. It creates more resistance that, provided the handler is able to physically impress the dog, might not be overtly expressed anymore, but will boil under the surface instead. Steve White calls it “removing the ticker from the time bomb”. Now you have a dog who still feels the same about you, your kids, your guests, strangers or other dogs, but doesn’t warn you anymore that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Whenever I hear: “Suddenly she lost it” and “Bit out of the blue”, I have an idea what happened in that dog’s past. And make no mistake. A dog confident enough will explode eventually and bite you or someone else, someone weaker.

I know: dogs that warn are scary. It all sounds the same for untrained human ears, but the fact is that dogs growl for different reasons in various degrees. The one constant is that it is always a sign that she is confronted with a situation she can’t handle and that forces her to act according to what worked in the past and her abilities as a species. A dog can’t use human words, can’t say: “You (it, that) makes me nervous”, “Food is scarce and I’m hungry”, or “Boy, did you startle me”, so she growls.

Remember that you want that warning, but recognize that there is an underlying problem that needs your attention. Investigate what it is and then deal with it constructively. And don’t worry that, if you miss to respond with a punitive action of your own, you will be rewarding the dog for a behavior you don’t desire. Don’t think in terms of operant conditioning, of what you’d be reinforcing, but what your dog needs from you that eliminates tension and anxiety, and with it the need to growl.

Displacement Behaviors

2011-05-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

In “Dog Language”, Danish evolutionary biologist and ethologist Roger Abrantes writes that dogs only share 50-80% of wolf-communication in true or modified form. I read that years ago, and was happy that a scientist of international caliber pointed out that dogs’, because they live in different conditions, aren’t like wolves’. Every time that happens it counters the popular perception that our common house-canis is in its essence but a status seeking competitor we better be wary of.

To clarify, dogs’ communication is not inferior to wolves’; it is not that they lack language skills, only dropped some signals and developed others because the environment they live in demanded it. Trust me, dog-speak is not mumbled because they live in the midst of humans, like some dog-pros suggest. To the contrary, they talk very clearly with us, and because they have learned that our hands can provide and attack, bring pleasure and hurt, their lingo includes a variety of signals intended to pacify. Expressions of active and passive submission, appeasement and displacement I see a whole lot more than assertive growls and snarls. Dogs, by nature, defer to us. In relation to humans they are prey, not predator.

Most everyone has, at least rudimentarily, an idea what a dog who pleads for kindness looks like. Even non-dog-owning people understand groveling and rolling on the back, tail up the belly, whining and dribbling urine.

A different story when it comes to displacement behaviors, which, by the way, can be observed in all animals. Simplified, they are species-normal actions expressed out of context to temporarily reduce anxiety, unease, uncertainty. The pooch feels confused or pressured, needs more time or information, or simply is bored. Not necessarily proof that he was trained with corrections and fears to make a mistake, it could also be that.

Two very common signals are sniffing and scratching. Of course, dogs sniff because they’re trailing a scent or reading the “Taily News”, but if I see mine put her nose into the bush the moment neighbor’s Brutus struts down his driveway, I know that she is a bit worried and hopes that old Brut won’t, la-la-la-la-la, perceive her as someone worth paying attention to.

Certainly, a dog also scratches an itch, but when I see one during an obedience trial eagerly run for the dumbbell, but stop on the way back to scratch himself, my hunch is that he’s concerned about an, at least at times, irritable handler and my advice for him is to be less overpowering and more inviting.

A play bow, the front down, butt up mega signal that friendly interaction is sought, can also be a displacement one. Not long ago I worked with two rescues who both exhibited it in different contexts: one in front of a treat she was leash-prevented to access. Without receiving any information from me, she had no clue what to do to get the loot and bowed, an action that might have, in the past and other situations, resulted in favorable outcomes - from her point of view. It became a habit. But maybe it was her launching position; her trying to gain momentum.

The other dog, a powerful male I assessed, bowed outside a run that contained a litter of puppies, and we knew it wasn’t play because he tried to attack (the puppies weren’t harmed in any way) a few hours prior. When he saw them the second time, unlike before, they were sleeping and that detail change, from animation to stillness, threw him enough of a curveball to trigger a different behavior: bowing instead of lunging.

Described in “The Domestic Dog”, biologist Ray Coppinger observed a group of Border collies who were presented with chickens sedated just enough that they stood still when the herders stared at them. Border collies give eye in anticipation of movement, and when what they expected, the birds scattering, didn’t manifest they had a problem they didn’t know how to solve. They stopped holding eye and, in frustration, resorted to a variety of displacement behaviors, including the play bow. At first suggestion that the chickens were about to move they locked on again, resumed giving eye, like the male dog lunged for the pups again the moment one awoke and became animated.

Which displacement signals a dog gives varies and depends on circumstance, personality, and what led to desired results in the past, but it can be anything that is part of his behavioral repertoire, including digging, self-grooming and rolling over.

When insecure of all novel situations husky Chinook went belly up as soon as I tried to teach her something new, it wasn’t an attempt to appease me, but to create a pause in our interaction. I ignored the behavior and her, and she popped up a few seconds later and did exactly what I had asked for. Sadly, Chinook’s owner interpreted her action as willfulness, but fortunately I could convince her that her mild, lovely pooch did want to please me, just needed a little more time to figure out how; concerned that I might not be safe if she’d get it wrong, and that is likely based on traditional training methods she once experienced.

Such misinterpretations humans make are common, because the average dog’s bilingual skills are much better than his person’s. One of the most misunderstood behaviors is mounting. Labeled as a dominant or sexual behavior it is typically neither, but exhibited by a dog in conflict; one presented with a person, dog or situation that makes him nervous but he feels powerless to do anything about. Mounting is a not so subtle effort by the dog to control or change a situation that’s not working for him - at the moment or generally, and it can be directed at the perceived “problem”, or redirected like a redirected bite – meant for one but directed at the other.

A displacement behavior always reflects a dog’s emotional state; signals that he is indecisive, needs more information, is buying time to contemplate his next move, would rather not deal with the dilemma altogether, is overwhelmed or utterly bored. If your dog intersperses an action with a behavior that is only normal in a different context, ask yourself why. Your best response is as multifaceted as the dog’s reason. If he is just confused, it is worthwhile to wait 20-30 seconds to see if he comes up with his own perfect solution, like husky Chinook and the rescue dog who bowed in front of a food treat. Problem solving builds brainpower and confidence and we want to foster both. If he is truly concerned, help him, and if he worries a lot, proactively avoid situations that create unease, for example change training facilities and build confidence in an environment he feels less overwhelmed in. If he is chronically mounting, chances are his living arrangement, or part of it, isn’t working for him and changes might have to be made there.

Setting the pooch up for success prevents that the displacement behavior turns into a problem behavior. If it is regularly reinforced, it can become an obsession; if reinforced by the person, a habitual but annoying attention getter that is, like all addictions, difficult to undo.

What's in a Name

2011-05-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

For me, one of the highlights of acquiring, adopting, or fostering a dog is naming him, or her. A name is not meaningless, as some trainers state, but mirrors the owner’s personality and often reflects his purpose for having a dog; his expectations and the relationship he is aiming for.

The dog’s name gives me a hint if the owner might be needy or overprotective, soft and mellow, ego-driven and on a power trip, demands mindless obedience or has a sense of humor. Typically I am right on the mark: Rottweilers Ruger and Dillinger had somewhat shady owners; Angel, the sweet pit bull blossomed under the gentle care of her loving foster mother; Romeo, a standard poodle belonged to a perfectly done up and cosmetically enhanced single female; the intact German shepherd Butler to a type A law enforcement officer, and beagle Wontlisten’s tousled person couldn’t care less about obedience, just wanted the food resource guarding to stop.

To make it unequivocally clear, taking mental name notes doesn’t mean that I compromise how I treat someone, or the methods I apply. I never judge a person before I meet him, or afterwards for that matter, cause I neither walk in their shoes nor can I help a dog if I’m disparaging with her human. I treat the name as an important piece of information that helps me to angle the consultation a certain way, so that I am the best communicator I can be, so that the dog’s person is more likely than not following my advice. That’s all.

For the dog, a name isn’t meaningless either. True, the combination of letters is, but the sound should have relevance: it ought to be her cue to pay attention. It’s her instant on-switch. You say your dog’s name and she should flip around and look at you inquisitively, like the canine version of: “Heard ya! What do want me to do?”

Attention is the foundation for anything else you want to do with your dog. When you have it, behaviors can be learned in a flash, if you don’t, obedience training is lagging and a drag. In addition, while your dog is connected to you she can’t focus on another stimulus at the same time, and that can keep her out of trouble.

Instant name attention is crucial in day-to-day life. It serves both as a cue for your dog that what you are about to do involves her somehow, and as a signal to reconnect with you. In both cases, action always follows, and it has to be rewarding quality time.

If the dog associates her name with discomfort, she is less likely to respond consistently and readily. That doesn’t change even if you sometimes reward. Ambiguity creates apprehensive, not eager, performances.

Fun interaction as the consequence for instant response guarantees that the name is not just a conditioned default attention getter, but that your dog stays connected instead of checking out after a quick glimpse in your direction.

Action always follows for another reason: a dog whose name is called, but is then left in limbo because nothing happens, learns to ignore it – and by extension you.

There is nothing more annoying than someone saying your name again and again, interrupting you at whatever you are doing, just to ignore you as soon as you look up. Even if that person were to hand over a piece of chocolate each time, but without giving you further information, you’d likely be infuriated despite the treat. You can test that with your favorite person if you like. Trust me, your dog feels similarly and will tune you out if you are nothing more than irritating white noise.

If you have a young puppy, teaching name attention is easy. A pup, although not entirely a clean slate because behaviors are partly genetic, and partly imprinted by the environment she lived in before you got her, is needy and therefore naturally attaching herself to the mighty one who owns all assets. She also feels neutral about the name you have chosen for her; not yet ambiguous, worried or uninterested. To switch it from neutral to rewarding, say it often and reinforce with fun interaction. You’re on a roll if your dog, during a game of puppy piñata, stops searching for the handful of treats you tossed out and instantly pays attention to you as soon as you call her by name.

If you are someone who rather gives an older dog a second chance, test how she feels about the name she came with. If she doesn’t respond to it, or if she averts her eyes or head, change it. For that matter, also test her with other common commands, for example the recall one “come”. If she does anything else but enthusiastically run to you, change that also.

Paying attention to her name should be the first thing you teach your puppy, or older new family member. Every considerably intelligent dog, regardless of age, can learn a new name in no time. Our Will was nameless for her first ten weeks or so of life, became Trisha after she was humanely trapped, then Sadie a couple of weeks later in her foster home, and was renamed Willkommen by us. Three different names in five months and she responded to the one we gave her within ½ hour.

You’d teach it the same way you teach the pup: make yourself interesting, possibly having the dog leashed when you practice so that she can’t walk away, say her new name and entice her to look at you, and the moment she does exaggerate your happiness and follow up with a big deal interaction, which you can name as well. Putting a word to the action will become commands you use to communicate to your dog what will happen next.

Saying a dog’s name is the best, kindest and most natural way to get her attention. We are humans with human habits. We don’t poke or electrically stimulate someone we want to connect with, but use his or her name, and that is what we should teach and apply with our dogs as well.

Give

2011-05-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Traditional training teaches five commands at the beginner level. Sit is one. Almost every dog I meet sits when told, or offers it for a reward cause it is, universally, possibly the most practiced behavior.

Come is another, although many dogs I meet don’t always return to their person when called, even when it’s been trained. The others are: heel for not pulling, down and stand. On their own, some owners teach “off”, intended to eliminate jumping, counter surfing and hogging the furniture, and just about everyone uses the unspecific exclamation “no” to tell the pooch he’d better knock whatever it is he’s doing off.

Abovementioned are the behaviors the general dog-owning public considers must haves, and they believe and expect that they can be mastered in an 8-week course and then guaranty a mannerly dog for life. Newsflash: it’s a delusion.

I have must-have behaviors too, but except for the recall “come”, and one position, either sit or down, mine are different ones. In my opinion, what a pup or newly adopted dog should learn first are: offer eye contact attention, respond to his name, entertain himself when given the “all-done” command, shift his focus from an environmental stimulus to his person when told to “leave” it, and release whatever he’s got between his teeth when told to “give”.

The benefits of those foundation behaviors are obvious: you get your dog’s attention when you need it; he stops pestering you when you’ve had enough; you have off-leash control if your dog reliably leaves this or that on command, checks in with you and comes on recall.

Why give is so important is also obvious. A dog who releases on command, voluntarily, whatever he has in his mouth won’t eat or destroy it, and won’t aggress over it. It keeps him from getting sick, your possessions intact, and makes a game of fetch or tug much more pleasurable.

As with any behavior, voluntarily only happens if taught without force, cause force fosters resentment and competition, and with that comes confrontation, suspicion and guarding. Now, some say that you never get reliable obedience unless you convince your dog that you can make him – in fact just today I read guidelines from another trainer who uses leather gloves as part of her tools when she teaches “give”, but I argue that you get more reliable obedience from a dog when it is more rewarding for him to listen to you than not.

Teaching Rover to release voluntarily is easy. The exercise most people are probably familiar with is the trade-up game. Prerequisite is that you know what your dog likes. What, and how passionately, because for the exercise you need to have a number of material resources handy, staggered from low-valued to higher-valued. The leather-glove trainer starts with the highest valued bone, and that’s why she needs to protect her hands cause the dog might bite when she forces it out of his mouth.

My advice is the opposite: to begin with something the pooch is interested in, but that’s not all too important. Let him have it for a bit, and then wave an item in front of his nose he cares a little more about. Chances are Fangs drops what’s in his jaws to grab the better thing, and that is a good time to combine the give command with the behavior. Repeat that several times, always trading up, and end the game with giving him something of high value he can keep. In other words, hand him the last resource, then tell him “all-done”, check out and leave him in peace with his booty. Repeat often, daily, several times a day, whenever you have a minute or two. You are instilling resource security, and once your dog has that he won’t object if you have to take something away from him without trading it in for something else.

If toys float his boat, a variation is to pretend that you have an incredibly good time with one his other toys. Let’s say your dog has a ball or Frisbee he doesn’t want to give up. Have an identical one ready, or a squeakier one, or a new one, and seemingly mesmerized toss it in the air, talk to it if you must, or sniff it, all the while ignoring the pooch. I bet he’ll join you in a flash to get in on your game, and will drop whatever he has to make room in his mouth for your, at that time much more desired, toy.

Another way to teach "give" without force, especially if you eventually want to tug with your dog, is chase‘n’catch. Many dogs resist releasing the tug toy, something prey-like they have in their mouth, and if the human insists and pulls back, or tries to pry the mouth open, the interaction becomes competitive. Depending on personality, the dog either finds that super rewarding or, if he feels powerful enough, seriously challenges you. Tug getting out of control doesn’t happen if the dog learns that catch’n’give leads to more chase’n’catch.

The game begins with you dragging a long toy, or a toy attached to a light rope, behind you. Almost every dog’s interest is instantly keened when something is in motion, and he’ll be highly motivated to catch it. As soon as he is about to lay his teeth on it, say take it, stop moving and toss a treat out. In all likelihood, especially if you have something super yummy, your dog will let go of the toy to snatch the bait. When he does, you again combine behavior with a “give” command, then run away again dragging the toy behind you. Releasing the toy becomes doubly rewarding for your dog because he gets a piece of delectable food and a continuation of a prey-chase game, and that’ll motivate him to release again when asked. Grabbing and giving happens in fast, repetitive successions until your dog understands and obeys the take and give commands. You can test that by dangling the toy in front of his face - he should not grab it until told so. If he does, don’t jerk the toy up, because it increases arousal and entices him to jump. Let him have it, but disconnect from the action and ignore him completely. The fun with you stops abruptly and entirely, and life becomes boring for your dog if he doesn’t play by your rules. As soon as he drops the toy, reward, pick it up and start playing again.

Once giving on command is a habit, you don’t need the treat distraction any longer. Continuation of the game is the sole reinforcement.

Releasing a treasure into the boss’s hands requires a certain amount of trust. That has to be established by you, and fun, rewarding training is the way to do it. Once your dog is convinced that whatever he possesses is safe with you, he’ll bring and give it up instead of running away from you, including something he finds or catches on his own.

Leave It!

2011-04-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

“Leave” is one of my foundation commands. Every dog should know it, and I point that out to every owner I meet professionally. Some proudly tell me that their pooch already understands the word, but when I dig a little deeper I find that in most cases “leave” stands for: “Sit and don’t touch your dinner till I release you” and “Drop that thing you have between your teeth”. With the latter, “leave” actually means “give” cause the dog already snatched it, and that inconsistency can be confusing for your frontal lobe challenged canine companion. Even the brightest pooch is neither a mind reader, nor does he understand that with one word you expect two different behaviors. This post is about leave; followed with one about give - in a week or so.

Using a cue word to teach food bowl manners is great, but imagine you could tell your dog to leave not just his chow, but anything he focuses on with whatever sense, anything he is interested in at any given moment, and BEFORE he chases or grabs it: Wildlife, poopsicles, a cyclists, a roaming dog, the neighbor’s cat and visitors entering your home. The piece of Easter ham accidentally dropped could make it safely back onto Uncle Bob’s plate, instead of Rover’s gullet.

Possible? Yes! Not just possible, but fairly easy to teach. Precision and generalization are the keys to success. Precision means that “leave” communicates only one thing: don’t focus with your eyes, nose or ears on whatever caught your attention, connect back to me, and wait for what I tell you to do next.

Step one happens in your home, with the dog leashed. Take a handful of small, yummy treats, step on the leash and toss one out. Say “leave” in a firm voice, not gruff and regimentally intimidating, but don’t plead: tell. Then do nothing. Most dogs will pull or lunge for the booty, but your foot on the leash prevents him from reaching it. Don’t say a word and don’t tug on the leash. That is why standing on it is better than holding it. Reflexively people jerk back when the dog strains forward, and we don’t want to give any information through the leash. Your dog needs to self-learn, to figure out that intense fixation, pulling and lunging is pointless and will not get him what he wants.

Whenever a behavior doesn’t receive a feedback, an organism will try another one, and if your dog has even just somewhat of a relationship with you, chances are he’ll look at you for help, information, an explanation. That checking in, connecting to you, is exactly what you are after, and the moment your dog does, reward – either with what he wants, or something else he finds pleasurable.

It is very important that you add a word to your reward. If you give him a treat from your hand you could use “take”, if you release him to the one you tossed say: “find”. The added word conditions your dog that eye contact alone isn’t enough, but that he must stay connected and wait for further instructions.

If you don’t follow offered attention with a word that redirects your dog away from the stimulus, and a brief interaction that replaces the behavior that he wanted to do, you leave him in a mental vacuum and he returns to the last behavior; fixates on the Easter ham, dog, or person, again.

Your dog will catch on in no time that only after he shifts his focus from whatever back to you when he hears “leave” he gets what he wants, or something even better. Once he made the connection between the cue word and food, generalize to other stimuli. You know when your dog is ready when you toss a piece of aforementioned ham and he won’t even look at it, like: “Yeah, I know what happens. You say leave and I look at you and then I’ll get it.” So, when your dog skips the eyeballing the loot behavior and smartly thinks there’s a shortcut to a reward, throw him a curveball and add something new to the game, for example a toy.

Then build on that. At one point you could have a piece of cheese, a bone, the ham, a tug toy, the leash that signals a walk and the ball handy, and your pooch looks at one thing, and you say leave and he checks in with you, and you release him to whatever you decide. Leave the ham but “find” the cheese. Leave the ball but “take” a piece of ham I give you from my hand, leave your bone but “fetch” ball, leave the tug toy – great, now we play for some 20-30 seconds or leave the tug toy and let’s go for a “walk”. You decide.

It is important that you vary your rewards. Don’t be so predictable. In real life a dog can’t always get what he wants. Releasing him to chase the cyclist or deer isn’t an option. In addition, a dog whose expectations manifest every time loses attention and simply goes through the motions, or becomes demanding and mighty frustrated if it, at one point, doesn’t.

Step by step, broaden your dog’s understanding that “leave” can be commanded anytime, anywhere, and in association to anything he focuses on. Add a person to the exercise, the cat, another dog and so on. Venture outside and practice around all kinds of environmental stimuli. Make sure you always get eye contact, and make sure it is offered and not prompted. If your dog looks at you, you have his attention, and only if he is attentive, he’ll be able to obey what follows “leave”, for example: “come” or “take”; “greet” or “play” if what you told him to leave turns out to be a friendly dog he can romp with, or a nice neighbor he can say hello to.

Your dog should NOT greet or sniff anybody outside his intimidate social group unless he has checked in with you first, and received a specific release command. There are always people and dogs who do not want meet your pooch, lovely and friendly as he is, so approaching a stranger should not be under his control, but yours.

If your social butterfly is not allowed to get up close and personal, reinforce his connecting with you with a game. Especially in that context be very engaging and throw a ball or stick for him to “fetch”, or toss a handful of small treat for him to “find”, or play catch-me-if-you-can and invite him to chase you with a “hurry” command, which, once conditioned, will serve as a nice cue anytime you want your dog to follow you speedily.

Ensure that when your pooch chooses to connect with you to a million interesting things that it is super rewarding for him. A dull good dog and pat on the head won’t cut it. Especially in the learning phase exaggerate your happiness and interaction, and your reward is that you get reliable offered, prolonged and voluntary, instead of prompted, coerced or bribed, attention. Your dog wants to be “on you” and that want to follow your lead is the foundation to everything else you do with him, and the only trail to authentic companionship.

Easy to train doesn’t mean fast success, but the effort and time invested is well worth it and obvious. With a reliable “leave” you control access to a resource from the distance, when you can’t body block, when your dog is off the leash. Resource access control is how a superior animal demonstrates that he is superior. A possession is rarely disputed amongst dogs (and wolves and people), but superior social members deny, withhold or permit access to it.

“Leave” puts the whole environment under your control, and you decide what your dog should be doing next. He still gets to have fun, play and socialize, but it happens on your terms, not his. It keeps your pooch out of trouble, conditions self-control, and strengthens the bond to you because you’re the one who makes all fun stuff happen.

Breeds, Pit Bulls, Aggression and BSL

2011-04-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago a woman in Yarmouth, a town in the province I presently reside in, was mauled by a dog. Badly mauled. So badly that she had to be airlifted to the province’s capital hospital. The dog who did the mauling was, according to media reports, a pit bull type. Often the media jumps to premature conclusions whenever a dog inflicts newsworthy injuries, but it appears that in this incident it was indeed a, what’s broadly understood, pit bull. I say broadly, cause while some dog insiders differentiate between the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Bull Terrier, the general public tends to lump every stocky-built, thick-muscled and block-headed dog into the pit bull category, and in this post for reasons of simplification, I’ll do the same.

As expected, because that always happens when a pit bull attacks, the evolutionary cream of the crop connects da brain cells what to do about that breed in particular, and other dangerous ones in general. Which brings up the question, one I am periodically asked, if there are breeds inherently aggressive and dangerous.

I am professionally involved with dogs since 1995, met and handled many. Name the breed and chances are that I worked with at least a few members of it - fewer rare and tiny ones, but plenty of popular purebreds, mutts and pit bulls. The two humane societies I volunteered for had a mandatory assessment policy for every incoming pit, Rottweiler and German shepherd, exactly because of the perception and hyper-fixation the public has with these dogs. One shelter had several volunteer assessors, for the other one I did most of the temperament evaluations.

A common comment I get from people I meet socially and professionally is that I must get bitten a lot, considering my line of work and all. The answer is no. I am not, actually, mainly because I comprehend and heed dogs’ subtler communication. Only 6 dogs throughout my career drew blood, and none of the bites warranted a trip to the hospital. They were:

1 Pomeranian

2 Lhasa Apsos

1 teacup poodle

1 Australian shepherd

1 Malamute

After some time, I was able to work safely with every dog but the Pomeranian. No, I am not kidding. Of course, I could have overpowered him physically, but that is not my style. Fueling aggression with aggression doesn’t change how the dog feels about life.

Several other dogs are firmly stuck in my memory because they made me feel very uneasy, but either were managed well and didn’t have the chance to bite, or were self-controlled and didn’t follow through when I responded “appropriately” to their warnings, or I was able to redirect with a motivator that was higher valued than biting me. They were:

1 Malinois

1 Tervuren

1 Maremma

1 Shar Pei

1 Wheaten terrier

2 Rottweilers

3 German shepherds

1 Newfoundland dog

1 shepherd/Lab cross

1 shepherd with whatever cross

1 Cocker spaniel

1 golden retriever

2 beagle crosses

1 Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever

1 husky/shepherd cross

2 Border collies

1 Australian shepherd

5 pit bulls

1 Greyhound

1 Tibetan mastiff

1 Akita

After spending some time with the dog, I was comfortable with: one of the Rottis, one of the German shepherds, the Cocker spaniel, the toller, the Aussie, one of the Border collies, the Wheaten, the golden, the Greyhound, the Terv, one of the beagle crosses, two of the pit bulls, the shepherd with whatever cross, and the Akita.

So, quantitatively more iffy shepherds and pits than any other breed, but keep in mind that proportionally I meet many more pit bulls and shepherds than Tibetan mastiffs or Shar Peis.

Let’s turn this around and focus on the opposite. Dogs fascinate me and I enjoy working with all of them, regardless of breed, but sometimes I meet one who stands out and I fall in love with. In love, for me, means that the pooch is so amazing that someone needs to tie my hands or I’d stuff him in my pocket on the way out. Naturally, in love happens a lot with dogs I have an affinity for: the herders, shepherds and giants, but I there are also a few others that breed-wise aren't necessarily my type to own, but individually made such an impression that I wished I could have. Rufus, the pit bull/Chow cross who belongs to a friend; Frosty Boy, the Greyhound right off the tracks we fostered; Jude, the biggest and sweetest Rottweiler-with-a-tail I had the privilege to work with at one of the humane societies, and two pit bulls whose names I forgotten because I met them only once, and that a few years ago.

These two pits were especially sweet and trustworthy, but truth is that most I meet I like a lot, because they are friendly with humans and very gentle; so soft-mouthed that I rarely feel teeth when they take a treat. That, by the way, includes many I assessed at the shelters and I knew were raised by, or at one time lived with, well, let’s call them shady characters.

If that is so, then why do we have a problem big enough that some jurisdictions across North America and parts of Europe already ban them, and many others are contemplating it?

Dogs, especially selectively bred ones, can have genetic, hardwired behavioral traits that are sometimes profound and deep-rooted. For example:

Herding dogs and sight hounds can be motion sensitive and react to anything that moves;

Field dogs hyper-stimulated by the environment and pumped when outside even without additional triggers present;

Small and midsize dogs used to confront or control feisty animals of different species can be quite tenacious;

Scent hounds governed by their schnoz –

And dogs bred for fighting can be hyper-aware of, and reactive to whatever animal they’ve been bred to fight.

Predisposition means genetic propensity. For the behavior to surface it needs the corresponding environment, but even then it doesn’t automatically spell trouble. Breed specific drives are an asset when channeled properly. That’s why people bred dogs in the first place: to establish behavioral characteristics exploitable for human purposes.

The pit bull’s purpose, traditionally, was (and we sadly still have dog fights everywhere in North America) to come out on top when fighting another dog, thereby making his owner a ton of money. The best, the winners, not only live to see another day but also procreate to bring forth more potential winners, much like people breed the best race horses, working Border collies, pointers and so on.

What traits do people want in a fighting dog? Strength, determination, persistence, courage, endurance, lack of inhibition, pain insensitivity, and a willingness to confront, and pit bulls can possess all of those. In addition, because they work with humans and against dogs, they are human-oriented, loyal and highly motivated to please their owner. None of these hardwired behaviors are bad ones, unless the dog ends up with an aggressive human. Then, taking his person's lead, his powerful predispositions can become disastrous to others.

And here comes the really bad news for pit bulls. Because they sport an intimidating exterior and a bad reputation, they are more attractive to human aggressive humans than a lolling retriever is, and that’s why they are in news more often than goldens.

In May, the town where the horrific attack happened plans for a public hearing to discuss dog issues and a new dog bylaw. I’d be all for legislative changes if it were centered on the real causes why dogs attack, all dogs, not just pit bulls. In essence, it is dog welfare, or rather the lack thereof, that should be addressed. Presently our lawmakers consider food, however substandard, a doghouse, and a heated water dish at the end of a chain good enough. Not only the laws thinks it good enough, but many people do as well, and that’s why my dog welfare bylaw would include mandatory education, a “Behavior and Dog Requirement 101" weekend course for every new dog owner, and everyone cited for bylaw violations. A dog welfare bylaw must guarantee that every dog has social acceptance and inclusion, training and, specific to breed and individual, mental and physical stimulation. A dog whose welfare is good might not be perfect, but won’t escalate into the blood-orgy, rip-fest aggression that happened in Yarmouth.

The dog welfare bylaw must absolutely stipulate who is allowed to breed and sell dogs, and have a provision that a dog whose owner fails to manage him properly, misjudges situations and endangers others, could be seized and placed with humans better equipped.

Obviously, such legislation has to allow, no demand, that charges-with-bite are laid against anybody who intentionally fosters aggression directed against other dogs or humans. Scum who deliberately, sometimes successfully, turn a dog into an alive weapon; a booby trap for house and property, ought to be charged with weapon offences, and should lose their right to own a dog. Ever. Period.

Although such a bylaw would take care of the dog problem at its core, it’s unlikely that it’ll be discussed, let alone implemented. Not here; pretty much not anywhere. I am betting my best leather leash that the upcoming talks will hub around BSL – breed specific legislation that scapegoats the dog and deflects from incompetent humans; picks the easiest solution to pacify public outcry, even if it’s a superficial one.

When people ask me if I am for or against BSL, I answer against with a “but” attached. Against, because it is so wrong to punish responsible “bully” owners and their wonderful representatives of the breed, and there are many of them. Good dogs and good people would suffer, while bad people and their made vicious dogs flourish underground, cause 100% enforcement is unlikely. In addition, the argument can be made that mean people simply choose another breed they’ll make mean, and that our lawmakers, not long after one breed is banned, would sit around the table again scratching their heads what could be done about the dangerous dog problem. Plausible, right?

Right in theory, cause the reality is, and that’s where my “but” comes in, that an aggressive pit bull is more powerful, more unstoppable, and more uninhibited than many other breeds. Reality also is that well-meaning, good-hearted folks can underestimate and misjudge the pit’s power, and the dog becomes a liability because of that. I base that opinion on more than 15 years of training, assessing, consulting and field research. Trust me, I much rather deal with a let-loose basset than a let-loose pit bull. I wasn’t too concerned when our neighbor’s undersocialized and always penned-up Labrador escaped once and charged at Will. I could stop him. I am also able to stop the dog-aggressive shepherd mix at the end of the street. Would our other neighbor’s pit bull exhibit the same behaviors, I’d be much more worried and alert.

Dog welfare legislation is too complicated a task for the self-proclaimed intelligent masterpiece, and that’s why I think that sooner or later pit bulls will be banned in more places than they are permitted. Unjustified as it is, perhaps they need to be. Because we’re not creating laws that prohibit negligent, useless and ham-fisted people from breeding and owning dogs; because we don’t expect, legislate and enforce that each dog lives in an environment that doesn’t make him dangerously anxious, aggressive, panicked, vicious or insane, we have to get rid of the breeds capable of inflicting the most damage.

The Smartest Dogs

2011-04-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Will is probably the smartest pooch that ever crossed our doorstep. I admit that I am bias, but there are so many actions I witnessed her do, too many to line up in this post, that confirm to me that she is special. Once, at the dog park, her buddy Kiwi had a stick she badly wanted. Kiwi was still a pup then, weaker and submissive, but nevertheless Will heeded the golden rule that possession equals ownership and did not force it from her. Instead, she walked a few feet away and sniffed the ground so intensely that Kiwi joined in, dropping the stick in the process, which Will instantly ran to and snatched. Another time she took ingenuity a step further: swimming side by side with another dog, she raised her paw and dunked his head under water to make him release the stick he was retrieving back to shore. Again, she grabbed it the moment her friend let go of it, swam to shore and placed it right in front of my feet – grinning I swear.

In my line of work I frequently hear tales of canine tricksters that hoodwink to get what they want. A common one is the pooch barking out the window at nothing to entice his canine cohabitant off the sofa, so he can hog the cushiest spot himself. Anecdotal evidence regarded with skepticism by science purists, but I believe because I meet many dogs with exceptionally connected brain cells – and lately more often than I used to.

It appears that dogs are smarter these days, and not just the intelligent poodles, collies and shepherds. Pure-blooded ones of all breeds, and mutts, are in Dr. Phil’s words plugged in. They are attentive, coiled for action, and learn in a flash. Perhaps, I pondered, this is an evolutionary result of humans beginning to perceive dogs differently? Not like brawny, status-challenging predators, but more… here it goes, what heresy, anthropomorphically?

What shouldn’t surprise anybody is that the smarted dogs have smart owners who understand and take an interest in their dog, and invest the time and effort it takes to achieve whatever they’re aiming for. Think about David Hartwig and his amazing Australian Cattle Dog Skidboot. Labeled by his previous owner as a problem, David saw the potential in the handsome heeler and took trick training to the 11th degree. As amazing as their acts were, Skidboot was also David’s steady companion and working partner.

And there is Bama, a search and rescue trained Labrador retriever who demonstrated incredible self-thinking. I first read about Bama in 2008, in the Fall issue of Animal Behavior. The article by Gary Wilkes discussed false positives in tracking dogs, which is when the dog indicates without actually having found anybody - fibbing so to say. That is more common than one might think, because dogs are reinforced when they locate a lost person, and if that takes too long during a difficult search they can become frustrated and signal anyway to elicit the beloved ball, or whatever else their reward is for a job done as expected. Of course, false positives are undesired. In life or death search operations the dog has to be reliable. Bama’s owner, Theresa McPherson, had a brilliant idea how to solve that problem, and it involved teaching her a new "word".

Bama already knew two signals to discriminate between having found the person alive or dead. Alive was a bark, and someone dead she marked with a quiet lay down by her handler’s feet. The new signal she was about to learn was to touch a stick on her owner’s belt to indicate that she hadn’t found anybody yet, and for which she was also rewarded. That allowed Bama to return frequently to McPherson and inform her on the status of the search, and because she was reinforced for reporting correctly, and not just for finding someone, the frustration stopped and with it the false positives.

Bama’s own brilliance became evident when, during a training exercise, she was confronted with a dilemma. Her task was to locate the scent of a dead person that was planted in a building. Bama obligingly searched, found and returned, but then apparently made a profound mistake. She lay by McPherson’s feet and barked, conflictingly telling her that she found someone who's dead and alive. Naturally, that is impossible and had McPherson puzzled, but she followed her dog to the building anyway and, through an open window, heard people talking outside. The clever Lab, when she found the dead person’s scent, obviously heard or smelled the alive humans too and accurately informed her owner that she found the dead one, but also alive ones. Reporting correctly required that she combined two separate signals into a compound word – and that’s remarkable.

The newest member of the “gifted canine club” has got to be Chaser, and if you google “Border Collie Chaser” you find a whole bunch of articles and video clips. The gist of it is that Chaser comprehends 1,022 proper nouns and 3 verbs. No kidding, and verified that it is not a Clever Hans type hoax. Chaser’s human, 82-year-old retired psychologist John W. Pilley, accomplished that by showing her an object and repeating the name up to 40 times. During daily sessions the collie learned 1-2 new words, and recapped the already known ones. Aside from the unbelievable vocabulary Chaser accumulated, how Pilley taught caught my attention.

The continuous repetition of commands, both in the learning phase and after a dog connects a certain word with a behavior or object, is a big no-no with the dog-training crowd. Immediate, one-command obedience is the mantra, and command repetition during the exercise almost blasphemous. But maybe we need to rethink that, now that Pilley demonstrated that this is exactly the way to teach a dog to comprehend many, many words.

Talking with your dog is okay? More than that, essential if you want a really smart pooch? I am strongly leaning toward it. Not ceaseless chatter; not flooding with non-stop and meaningless acoustic sound, but teaching precise verbal information the dog can use as tools to succeed; words humans use and you need to repeat patiently until the dog gets it. How many repetitions it takes depends on the dog. 40 with Chaser the Border collie; likely a few more if you own a beagle or Saint Bernard.

I never counted how many words my dogs comprehend, and never scientifically tested if they, indeed, understand the spoken word or are just excellent readers of my micro-expressions. But I am certain their intelligence goes beyond prompted actions. I believe that to be true for all dogs. If they were but cute stimulus-response machines, many of us wouldn’t love them the way we do. And if we recognize and foster cognizance some, like Bama who created a new word, and Chaser who is able to pick out an unknown object by distinguishing it from all the familiar ones, leap to a level science is just beginning to explore.

Tug - Part Two

2011-03-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

In my last post I yapped about the ills that often arise when people tug with their dogs. If not the cause for permanent hyper-arousal, mouthing, competition and even aggression, it is often a major contributor, and that statement is based on my professional experiences. For most of my career I circled in like-minded company. Neither people I learned from, nor my friends, including a few agility buffs, were tuggers. That changed a few years ago when, as a result of our move across country, I connected with a number of new colleagues who do tug - and have a wonderful cooperative relationship with their well-behaved, well-rounded canine sidekicks. Especially Adina MacRae jogged my brain and got me to rethink.

So, why is it that dogs with similar backgrounds can play the same game, with the same intensity, and some turn out better than okay, while others develop a number of nuisance behaviors problematic enough that their owners seek professional help?

A fundamental difference is that my tugging friends entertain their dogs with a variety of physically and mentally stimulating activities. Tracking and other nose games, herding, fetch, agility, learning tricks, hanging out together, going for a walk, and obedience are some of the things their dogs are, at least equally to tug, motivated by - and yours should be, too. If your pooch is fixated on the toy, and only interested in tugging, eliminate it, get him keened on a number of fun activities you do together, and then introduce the toy again. Hopefully it won’t be most sought after interaction any longer, just one of many he likes.

Another thing that all pro-tuggers have in common is that their dogs know and obey commands. The ones particularly important in relation to tug are: tug, give and settle.

“Settle” means that the dog, after you convey that you are done attending to him, is able to chill. My command word is “all-done”, not settle, and serves as general information that I am about to return to human-only stuff.

If the pooch stays aroused and scans the environment who he could pester next, don’t tug, or interrupt the game often with calmer activities, for example finding the toy you hid while he obeyed a down-stay position.

“Give” and “tug” put the game under your control, and that is a crucial, possibly the most important aspect of playing tug the right way.

“Tug” starts the interaction, and it should never start without that command.

With “give”, your dog must instantly release the toy, and not re-grab unless prompted with another “tug”. Lay-tuggers rarely have a give command that actually works, and pro-tuggers characteristically have a solid one in all kinds of situations.

The dog should never snatch for the toy unless he gets verbal permission. You should be able to dangle a leash, the toy, or a rope in front of your dog’s nose without him grabbing it, and you should be able to run without your dog hanging on to your pants legs, or even the toy you’re dragging behind you.

To recap: the word “tug” serves as a clear invitation that the game begins; “give” interrupts it and you absolutely can, in fact should, reward your dog with continued play, and “settle” or “all-done”, whatever word you like better, ends it and the dog is expected to chill and leave you, and others, in peace. Those are the rules, and my tugging colleagues have them and most of my clients, well, don’t, and that’s why they have wild dogs and my friends good dogs. That is not to say that theirs don’t get quite excited during play. There is nothing wrong with that. It is unrealistic to expect that a living, feeling being is always in the same, calm mood. That is not natural, so be prepared to hear some fierce growls coming from your little darling, but as long as tug is cooperative play and not a power struggle, the growls are happy sounds and not warnings.

If played by those rules, it doesn’t matter who ends up with the toy. No, your dog won’t transform into the alpha if he gets to keep it after you disengage, but he will be dominant, at least in that context, if the game is a competition over the toy and he always comes out on top. Dogs should be more driven to interact with you than possessing a toy, and then who wins in the end is irrelevant.

Even with rules, tug is still not my favorite, first choice activity with a dog. I like to channel his mouth in a work-oriented way – retrieve, carry things, open things, but I can also, now, appreciate its usefulness for certain dogs, in certain circumstances:

~ You can redirect a leash, sleeve, and pant-leg grabbing puppy to have an appropriate object between his teeth.

~ Agility and flyball aficionados energize their dogs with a tug toy before a run, and distract them from darting into the crowd after.

~ Tug is great to train a dog who rudely, or very exuberantly uses his arms and paws naturally, boxers come to mind, to use their mouth more.

~ It can be a great distraction for the canine worrier who reacts to environmental triggers, for example other people or dogs. The tugging dog’s focus is with you, and while the environment is still on his radar, it is not a big deal.

~ Every playful interaction with the owner increases the bond, and raises confidence and security, and thereby helps a timid and shutdown pooch come out of his shell.

If you must tug, if you can’t help yourself, at least do it right. Done wrong, you foster instinctive, competitive mouth games your dog inherently is already good at. When you bring rules into it, you teach obedience and train the thinking brain. Not from the top down, but as a collaborator. You convey that you are a wonderful playmate as long as he keeps his senses and stays responsive while excited. And that’s a good thing.

Tug - Part One

2011-03-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

People can call me opinionated, but I am not close-minded.

A little more than a year ago I published a post about the popular, and controversial, dog-human activity tug. I am against tugging, and the reasons why I explained then, and again today. Said that I, well, let’s say broadened my mind a bit on that topic. The “no tug ever” changed to “no tug, but”, and that was catalyzed by discussions I had with sublime local trainer Adina MacRae and video clips Rob Van Tassel, another superb local trainer, made and generously forwarded.

So, here is the revised post against tug, which will be followed with a pro-tug with rules post I’ll publish in a week or so.

There are two chief reasons why frustrated, sometimes desperate, dog owners ask for my help. Anxiety/fear is one, and aggression the other. The latter is typically owner-diagnosed, spoken in the same sentence as dominance, and solely based on popular media information. Thus, I always take a layperson’s behavior evaluation with a grain of salt. Reality is that most dogs aren’t hostile and ambitious challengers for the pack’s head honcho position, but misbehave because they are pumped and outta control. Both can involve the inappropriate and hurtful use of teeth, but the motivation is different. Compared to the truly aggressive dog who aims to change a situation: wants distance to or get rid of a real or perceived threat, the boisterous pooch misbehaves because he is emotionally over-aroused. Contrary to needing more space, or eliminating an opponent, he’s seeking interaction.

Whenever I meet a dog with behavioral issues, I investigate where his humans blundered. With out-of-control ones, I found a common denominator: the dog playing tug-of-war, and other contact sports, with his humans.

Many dog pros of all fields of thought and method: compulsion, positive reinforcement, and trainers that straddle the middle, warn against it. Interestingly, it is the opposite with the public. Especially male owners love rough physical contests with their dog, and sometimes it is the primary way they entertain him. Some quit when the juvenile becomes more and more brutish and unruly, but others don’t see the correlation between training the mouth and the dog using it, and are perplexed when I point it out.

Dogs love mouth games. Holding on and pulling with teeth is how a pup interacts with his littermates and buddies. It is inherent, programmed into the beast, fun. When a person initiates tug, he is teaching the pup that such peer games are okay to play with humans also. Because it is so natural, the dog learns that eagerly and quickly, and henceforth instigates it whenever he is bored, with whoever is nearest. After all, that is how he’d relate with a canine friend.

And it doesn’t have to be a rope or appropriate toy, either. He’ll tug with whatever is available: a stick he finds and shoves against a person’s legs, the ball or Frisbee he doesn’t let go of during fetch, pants, a sleeve or flowing coat, and especially the leash will do nicely. Furthermore, any person will do. Particularly the ones closest to his size, children, are targets. Children are especially rewarding for another reason: they become very animated when a dog’s teeth latch onto them, make high-pitched sounds, resist, maybe run, or flail their arms, all of which is a lot of fun for the dog and charges him up more.

The man of the house might be able to physically overpower rowdy Rover, but his child, or female partner can’t, and so Rover treats them like he would another dog of same, or weaker, size and strength. On walks, he grabs the leash and happily play-growling pulls back, which puts the person in a dilemma cause she can’t just let go of it, but when she holds on there is automatically resistance, and that’s a tug game, and that reinforces the leash grabbing. The leash, like a rope or tug toy, can become a cue that turns the dog on the moment he sees it. Eventually he is labeled bad, hyper, disobedient, aggressive and dominant - unjustly so cause often he’s none of it. He’s a dog playing fun dog games with people who invited him to do so at one point.

Said that, ongoing physical contests train and foster competitiveness, and there is a risk that some dogs, indeed, become aggressive.

Play is injury free practice for real life. Humans play sports to test their strength, and to gain or establish superiority over other humans, at least for the moment. Dogs play with other dogs to test and boost their strength and agility to increase the chance that they, if there is a dispute over a resource, come out on top. Even a dog who self-handicaps when he interacts with a physically weaker friend, might do so to practice in a safe context how to get out of a future compromising situation.

The relationship your dog has with you, and all humans in your family, should be cooperative, never competitive with daily battles to determine who is the strongest. With each physical game, your dog becomes brawnier and mouthier, and possibly permanently pumped and ready for action. Like chronically adrenalized humans, they too have the tendency to be aggressive outside of play.

In addition to aggression, tug can train inattentiveness. When the person has had enough and disengages, he leaves the dog physiologically aroused with no release. The still pumped pooch will scan the environment for another outlet and if he finds it, maybe in form of another dog, he learns that the environment fulfills his needs, and that tuning the owner out is rewarding. Roughhousing with another dog is hard to top with pretty much anything a person can offer, and next time when both are out and about, the dog’s focus is not with his human, but his surroundings. If he finds entertainment there again, owner inattention and independence quickly become a habit. Plus he always anticipates canine playtime, which not only raises arousal even more, but if it doesn’t manifest leads to frustration with barking and lunging on the leash, or the pestering of every dog in the park, oblivious to its back off signals.

One of my early teachers said something that is still stuck in my mind: “Don’t teach what you don’t want in any other context.” A tugging dog practices the use of mouth and teeth in a competitive way. Practices holding on to something that wriggles in his mouth. Is building jaw strength by not letting go. Skills he might need to survive amongst dogs, and that is debatable, but certainly not for a life in the midst of humans.

Stay tuned to Part Two, when I’ll discuss how you can not only enjoy tugging with your dog, but when it can actually be beneficial.

Changed Pack Dynamics

2011-03-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

The only fault dogs have is that they never live as long as we would want them to. When they pass away, they take a chunk of our hearts with them and cause a kind of sorrow everyone who ever loved a dog understands, but that is incomprehensible to non-dog people.

Last week, an era ended in our family when our Australian shepherd Davie decided that her cancer-filled and arthritic body wouldn’t do any longer. I say decided, because the morning of her death I asked her if she wanted to see her brother Baywolf, our Newfy who died in 2003, and she looked at me, and then blinked with one eye the moment I finished my question. Baywolf and Davie were tight, and we often still mention his name, so both “brother” and “Baywolf” were words Davie comprehended. Although I very strongly felt his presence that day, as I do from time to time, maybe I am just imagining how it all unfolded because my emotions were in overdrive. I don’t really care. Believing that they are together again; picturing Davie happily hanging off his lip as she did when she was an obnoxious puppy, is very comforting for us, and that’s all that matters.

Davie walked into our lives suddenly and unannounced, but dreamt up and therefore somewhat expected, as a 16-week-old pup in need of a place to live because her owners were overwhelmed with her exuberant confidence. The facts that she limped when we got her, and that she was a tad reactive and wanted to bite, caused me to think that the real reason her humans were giving her up might have been that their, at the time 18-month-old son, roughed her up and she snapped in defense.

In any case, Davie was their loss and our gain and turned into a motherly, fun-loving, biddable and so obedient companion. She was easy on the eye, too. Something very special about her many people fell in love with. And she was my defining who, despite her behavioral problems, was the first of ours trained and treated completely positively. Davie didn’t even know the word “no”.

Now she’s gone. When Davie was diagnosed with late stage lymphoma a few weeks ago we realized that one of our saddest days was approaching fast. The last week of her life she would often stop on the little walks we took around our property, not because she was out of breath or fatigued, but to look around, gaze into the distance as if to absorb the place she so enjoyed. And often she startled out of a deep sleep and looked at us for a moment as if she was surprised that we were there, and methinks that her essence was transitioning and already spending time away from her body.

The day before she died she dug up her most favorite toy: the Airdog Football, and tossed it at us soliciting for play, something she hadn’t done for weeks. We played until she didn’t want to any longer, and after that she deteriorated almost by the hour. For both Mike and I, preventing suffering is priority. We believe in euthanasia, and although I was pretty sure that Davie was ready to leave her sick body, I wasn’t 100% certain, and that’s why I asked her, and she answered with a blink. I thanked her for letting me know, called Mike to leave work and the vet to come to our home, and then thought of something we could do to make her last few hours enjoyable ones. The day Baywolf died, we all shared a beer at nine in the morning. Bay loved to split a bottle of Guinness with Mike every so often – male bonding, and that’s what we did. Davie liked food and always loved to supervise us whenever we prepared some, so for two hours I sat on the living room floor with her and Will and cut up dried green tripe. Many pieces landed her way, which she was really excited about and gobbled up with gusto. Then she died so peacefully on her favorite bed; no resistance, no gasping, which is to us is another sign that her spirit said “that’ll have to do for this round”.

As a dog ages, there are many lasts. The last time she chased a squirrel, the last time she jumped easily in the car, the last time she initiated play with another dog. And there are firsts, like the first time I took Will to help me with my work, and not Davie. Then suddenly there is one last, and many firsts: The last hug and kiss; the first walk without a dog on the other side, the first time nobody hogging the bed, the first time homecoming is not greeted with crazy barks and an excitedly swinging, bobby-tailed butt.

A dog with that much presence leaves a huge void felt not just by humans, but also other animals left behind. A change in pack dynamics takes place. With pack I don’t mean the commonly understood dominance pack, but family. The fact is that we are not isolated entities occupying the same space, but a bonded social group sharing life’s journey for a while, and when one member disappears, it has an impact.

Our biggest concern was Will, who never lived without another dog and lost her steady, magnetic focal point companion she took directions from for most of her life. Not that Will doesn’t pay attention to our cues, but following another dog is natural and easier for most dogs, and even more so for her because she was feral born and not imprinted by humans. She, I am sure, still perceives some of our behaviors as strange and alien.

I tried to prepare Will by taking only her on a few consultations and she did great, even showed some of Davie’s characteristics, namely the level of obedience went up few notches. Will always listened to us nicely, but never as unquestioningly as Davie. It is not that she has to behave like her, has to fill her shoes - our dogs are allowed their identity – but the changes pleased me. Who knows, if Will keeps it up maybe we’ll take Adina MacRae’s agility foundation course together. I think we both could have fun.

Of course, despite my efforts I fully expected that Davie’s death would confuse Will, and that she’d be searching for her. Indeed, for the first couple of days Will asked to be let out often, sniffed where Davie walked and voided, and then peed small amounts at various places, perhaps to leave scent markers in case she was merely lost.

Will also became hyper vigilant to sounds and motion – not reactive, just alert and hesitant. I’ll make sure, for the next little while, that I give her more information when she is concerned about something she hears or sees. Bus, person, dog, car are all words Will knows and I can use to convey that what she senses is familiar, and by telling her what she can do about it: forward, over, behind, say hello, come, I give her a command she understands and has experienced in the past, again and again, is a roadmap to safety.

All in all, Will is coping better with the changed dynamics than we anticipated. She goes through her daily routine, didn’t fall to pieces with new events like visiting a car dealership or being left all by herself in the house for a few hours, and enjoys the things she’s always enjoyed: that is going for walks. Such are the blessings of a dog who trusts and feels secure where and with whom she lives. Neither the move across country, nor suddenly being the solo dog, had much of a lasting effect. Perhaps the fact that Will came to a rather substantial inheritance of several Original Beef Chews, a couple of tartar busters, the Nina Ottosson Tornado toy, and a few bags of Northern Biscuit cookies helped some. Plus, she now has lone rights to the back seat of the car; the preferred spot on road trips Will vacated whenever Davie told her to. Will moved without ever arguing, even as Davie became increasingly weaker. So much for the pack leader having to be the physically strongest.

I always marveled at how bonded the girls were. They played with each other, slept in close proximity, synchronized activities, and never fought, but let's face it: Davie was a bossy and controlling Aussie, and Will maybe more inhibited than we realized.

Time will tell, but I think she will be more than okay; think she will be happy with human only companionship. I mean, there isn’t really an option. One just can’t replace one dog with another, a stranger with one she was bonded with for 9 years. And Will is finicky anyway; there are only certain foods she likes, and certain people, and certain dogs, and she easily gets annoyed with goofy adolescents, so unless we come across the perfect adult match, adding a new dog won’t improve her life, or ours.

Believing that Davie is fancy-free roaming with Baywolf was only one thing that was comforting the day she died; the other that she has 12 wonderful years with us. I became acutely aware why I am doing what I am doing professionally and will continue to do it until every dog is treated kindly, humanely, compassionately. The life Davie had, every dog deserves. One either does right by a dog, or not. Black or white. There is no grey zone for the dog.

Life will go on because that is what life does, and the three of us will miss Davie but also find our groove together. I am innately someone who embraces life; consciously chooses to dissolve in my work and not in my drama. On blue days, I take inspiration from Davie who relished in every waking moment and boldly turned every novel experience into a “good time”.

I want to end this post reminiscing about one of those good times we had together. Davie was 7 and in her prime, and we spent the weekend on a ranch in Alberta learning how to control sheep. Davie had never seen sheep before, yet was inquisitively trying to figure out what our purpose was for being there, and after passively observing the instructor’s outstanding Border collie to learn more, she enthusiastically joined in and couldn’t be stopped.

Davie showed us how to live life to the fullest, and that is her ever-lasting gift, imprinted in our souls forever.

Warning Sounds and Non-Reward Marking

2011-02-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

In my last post I discussed reward marking. How telling your dog with sound, word or body that what he does at the moment will be reinforced can expedite training success.

Do we have an opposite to that? An equally helpful… non-reward marker? The good news is that, indeed, we do. The bad news, that it is not as simple as merely vocalizing disapproval with our dog’s action.

Expressing disagreement with someone’s actions is a deep-seated behavior, and the human choice word in English is “no”. I have a T-shirt with a print of a smiling, goofy looking, tongue-lolling-out dog, with its voice bubble saying: “Hi, my name is No-No Bad Dog. What’s yours?” Sadly that comes close to what I hear regularly in my line of work: many “nos” and a lot of very popular “tssts”. Articulations meant to warn the pooch that his behavior will surely be disciplined, corrected, punished – you choose your word cause it is all the same, so he’d better knock it off. NOW.

Even though the “no” and “tsst” are clearly indicating that unruly Rover is certainly NOT getting a reward, they are not considered NRMs, non-reward markers, precisely because the intent is to threaten the dog with a punitive consequence. Unlike NRMs, such warning sounds, other than perhaps giving the owner the illusion that he’s the pack’s leader, are useless. Useless, because typically an action that impresses the dog does not follow the warning, and if there is no consequence the dog doesn't change his behavior, learns to ignore the warning, and eventually will tune you out. The fact that most people “no” or “tsst” all the time, day in and day out, for the same misbehaviors, for the lifetime of the dog, is evidence that they’re ineffectively nagging.

Warnings do work when backed up with something that hurts or frightens the dog in a big way. Then, indeed, a verbal sound or shock collar tone might be all it takes to remind him to toe the line. But aversive consequences intense enough that it stops an unwanted action permanently is abuse, and has fallouts most owners don’t bargain for. The dog avoids the misbehavior, and by extension you and where he lives, or where the punishment took place. Your companionship is in the ditch; your dog resists you, might attack you, or if too intimidated redirect aggression against someone weaker. A dog who fears the power of hands, who feels conflicted and uncertain when his person approaches him, reaches and touches him, or whenever he opens his mouth cause it announces possible imminent pain, will not want to be a human’s faithful friend and working partner, and the owner is missing out on something beautiful he could have had.

The purpose of a NRM is not to warn the dog that something unpleasant will happen, but like the reward marker is meant to strengthen your relationship. It does that by giving the dog clarity with a precise piece of sound information, many trainers like “oops”, that tells him that what he is doing at the moment will not yield a payoff and he’d better think of an alternate behavior to gain access to the resource he is after. So, the fundamental difference between “no” or “tsst” and “oops” is that the end result is not a punishment, but a reward, and with the NRM you’re helping your dog get it.

The Law of Operant Conditioning states that any behavior ignored will become extinct, so couldn’t we just ignore the dog’s unwanted behavior and wait till he comes up with the right one on his own? Patiently let him self-learn what pleases us; what causes us to release the resource he wants and we have control over? We could, and in fact some trainers argue that ignoring is better than non-reward marking, but in my opinion, a clear directional when the dog needs it can decrease frustration and increase attention. To understand when your dog really needs information and then give it, or when self-learning is better, can be a bit tricky and takes practice, but is the fine nuance between good, and fabulous dog training.

Ideally, be attuned to your pooch and apply both, with the caveat not to overuse reward and non-reward marking. Micromanaging can lead to a dog who becomes perpetually dependent on some sort of sound that tells him how to function; he operates purely mechanically and might disconnect from you.

In addition, non-stop noise is annoying. A friend and colleague shared with me a story she heard at a lecture with Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Kathy Sdao. During a training session with dolphins, in which she used a NRM as information, one of the aquatic mammals became so irritated that he threw the speaker out of the water. He knew exactly where the constant clatter came from, and so does your dog, and you never want to be perceived as an irritant to be avoided or get rid of.

If the dolphin was that frustrated with simply getting information, can you imagine the impact constant warning sounds have on an animal? If you decide to give non-reward marking a go, ensure that you don’t use a word that was a threat in the past your dog has learned to ignore or fear. That word is spoiled and you need a new one. “Ah” works for me, but if you used “ah”, or a sound close in tone as a warning before, try “oops”, or “oh-oh”, or whatever falls naturally on your tongue. It doesn’t matter what you say, important is how your dog perceives it. How he should perceive an NRM is: “Mom says I’m barking up the wrong tree – better do something else to secure the loot.”

Trainer and author Gail Fisher, who calls the NRM Lost Opportunity Marker or LOM, uses a visual signal. She turns her head. Averting the head is also part of a dog’s natural communication and signals that he’d rather not deal with the situation; that he is worried, or not granting audience. Although I really like the subtleness of body language, the head turn obviously only works if the dog is watching you while being baaad. And I see another problem. Because it is dog-speak and expresses avoidance, I wonder how he’d perceive my head turn? Disengagement, displeasure, disinterest in further interactions? If that is the case, the LOM changes from informative to aversive – back to a warning. Even though no real punishment ever follows, but a reward once the dog changes his behavior, a sensitive pooch, for example one who was treated harshly and is shell-shocked, or a very timid one like our Will, could lose the courage to work and connect with that person right away. For that reason, I rather stick to my neutral “ah”, and if I want to add a visual signal I shake my head, cause that is not natural to dogs and my intention can’t be misconstrued.

After you tell your dog with an NRM that he’s strutting the wrong trail, should you use a command that tells him what he should be doing instead?

Gail Fisher gives the dog a second chance right away and cues the desired behavior. She explained that she does so because she aims for immediate command response, but also because she wants to keep the dog in the game; prevent that he gives up if he feels that the window of opportunity to earn the reward closes for good.

For the most part, I like to give my dog some 20-30 seconds to think of a way to get the booty, thereby combining information with self-learning.

You can play around with cuing or waiting, verbal or visual, as long as you remember the two fixed and crucial aspects: the information you give your dog should never be threatening but assisting, and your dog’s next best behavior has to be reinforced, rewarded, and ideally with what he wants at the moment. Then the NRM becomes one more tool that helps make you and your dog an awesome team.

Clicker and Reward Marking

2011-02-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

If you’ve been following my posts, you might have noticed that I believe that positive reinforcement done right, combined with non-punitive, brainy leadership is the fasted way to a reliably well-behaved dog – regardless of dog or problem behaviors. I don’t compromise on that, and luckily don’t have to even when my clients want to pursue group training I don’t offer anymore, cause in my neck of the woods are several like-minded trainers whose philosophy latch hand-in-paw with mine - and if you want to know who they are, email me.

Most of them are clicker trainers, and the common believe is that we all are; that positive reinforcement is synonymous with clicker training. But that is not so. There are some who apply the method without the clicker. I am one of them.

On that note, one could assume that, because the clicker concept in itself is incompatible with punishments, that all clicker trainers apply the reward-based method exclusively, but that is also not so. Some are incorporating the trendy gadget more as a calculated PR move than authentically shifting away from compulsion and correction training – so something to be aware of.

In case you have no clue what I am talking about, let me explain the clicker briefly. It is a small sound making device that marks the exact moment when the dog performs a desirable behavior, which gives the person a few seconds to hand over the real reward, which, with clicker trainers, is often a food treat. In other words, the clicker is a communication tool, with the sound clarifying to the dog that she’ll be paid for the brilliant thing she just did.

Why is reward marking with a clicker important for the layowner? Or is it? Should he even pay attention to such a technical detail?

In my opinion, reward marking is über-handy when shaping a new fancy trick, capturing a funky body movement, and in the beginning stages of teaching a new task. It can really speed things up, because the dog is not ambiguous what the bulls-eye action is. That is especially true if a frisky dog switches from one behavior to another quickly, or if the human is a tad slow in handing over the paycheck. So, a clicker makes a lot of sense if the correct moment is important but fleeting, cause it helps the dog to understand what exactly it is you are after.

A clicker can also be helpful for an owner eager to change from the traditional choke and jerk training method to positive reinforcement. Habitually used to notice the mistakes a dog makes so he can correct them, a clicker forces him to shift his focus to what his pooch is doing correctly which, of course, is the idea behind positive reinforcement training: teaching the dog a repertoire of behaviors that please us she can use to elicit what pleases her.

But in day-to-day life, or whenever you want prolonged connection and behavior duration, the clicker can actually present a hurdle.

For example, what I regularly see is an owner sending the pooch to her mat with the intent that she chills for a bit. The dog typically complies and lies on the mat alright, but instead of relaxing, tensely expects to be clicked and rewarded and, because she’s learned that the sound ends the exercise, self-releases right after. Not every trainer teaches that the click signals the end of the exercise, many of my friends don’t, but others do, and when they do, position duration stays with a dog who anticipates instant gratification can become difficult. If the click doesn’t manifest when expected, the dog becomes frustrated and fidgety, barky or whiny, and if it does, it is the dog’s cue that she can leave the mat and do what she wants, which often is returning to the behavior the owner sent her to the mat for in the first place.

We have similar problems regarding coming when called and eye contact. The recalled dog typically returns to her person, but doesn’t hang close for long and splits as soon as she’s received the click‘n’cookie, and rather than prolonged eye contact and true connection, the owner gets an automated quick glimpse. Eye contact attention is such a natural behavior for dogs that can so easily be fostered, that it is a shame to teach it as a trick, an artificial exercise.

I am also not convinced that a clicker is particularly useful in behavior modification. Here is my thing: if my imaginary three-year-old child is hyped to watch her favorite TV show, and I tell her to do something else first, and she does, and then I click her, fetch cookies and milk and then turn on the TV, would that decrease her anxiety, or would she be annoyed with the delay? Following that thought, if my fearful of dogs pooch stays calm and attentive to me when she sees another dog, the sensible and effective reward is to increase the distance to the other dog immediately, not to click, treat and then walk away.

Because kids are humans, it is easy for us to get what they want; with dogs that can be a little harder to figure out, especially for the more inexperienced rookie owner. There is a risk that the beginner clickerer focuses too much on the device, and not enough on what the dog’s motivators are. Yet, taking the time and interest to find out what drives the dog pays off, cause if she associates her person as the facilitator, her bond and connection increases, and with it obedience. The best behaved dogs are the ones whose individual and species-specific needs are understood and met.

Dogs, by virtue of their species, are very attuned to us and expert readers of our body and verbal communication signals. Dog owners, since forever, inadvertently or deliberately convey with a “good dog”, or a nod, when they’re pleased with their pooch’s behavior. The problem that delays training success is that many people stop with the praise, believing that to be good enough a reward. But if you follow it with a for your dog desirable consequence, your verbal “attaboy” or “yes”, your smile and gooey way you look at her, becomes a natural reward marker.

Clicker proponents argue that consistency is lost when we use our self to tell our dog that exactly this or that is what we want to see again, and yes, that is possible. And yes again, consistency is crucial in scientific studies, and important in our relationship with dogs and really anything we do in life, but I doubt that when I tell my dog with emotion, words and gestures how happy I am with her performance, that I adversely impact her future behavior. In addition, non-clicker reward marking might not be inconsistent at all. We all have an intrinsic and subconscious, yet habitual way in which we express ourselves that our dogs are, or at least should be, able to interpret.

A clicker-conditioned dog doesn’t have to observe the owner. I want my dogs to observe me. Our dogs connect the dots between their behavior, our human-typical responses, and what happens next. If we involve ourselves in a positive way, they’ll be wanting more of us. It is that voluntary, deeper connection I want to foster, and not an artificial approval signal.

Before clicker aficionados jump me, if you are successful with it, of course continue. If you and your dog are a team, and everything is cool, don’t change. And if you are looking for trainer, don’t rule her out because she clicks.

But if you feel that you and your pooch are stuck somewhere, it is not because you’re not correcting enough, or because she is dumb, defiant or dominant, but perhaps because she is on autopilot like a Skinner rat, and you might wanna rethink some aspects how you relate with her.

And you owners who embrace positive reinforcement but not the clicker, don’t worry that you're doing things wrong. Think KISS and Keep It Simple, Stupid. Use your voice and body to tell her how brilliant she is, and how happy you are that you partnered up; but do tell, and reinforce the desired actions with something she really wants, and you’ll be applying the reward marking concept very effectively.

Maybe, by promoting the clicker as one of the wonderful tools available to us, instead of the only or best one, more people might embrace positive reinforcement as the sole way to raise, teach and live with their canine companion.

Voice-4-Dogs Group and Beating Winter Boredom

2011-02-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

I am one of those lucky people who live their passion, and believe me, I am grateful. Each morning I release a non-denominational thank you into the universe for being able to create a life I love.

When I work with dogs, I never have a bad day. Dogs enthrall me, even when their behaviors are challenging. I also take pleasure working with their humans. They, at least most of them, are genuinely devoted to their pooch and want to include and enjoy him as a member of the family. My job is to help them achieve that.

Typically I meet with dog and his social group in their home, sort out what underlies the behaviors that are problematic, and then counsel how to improve and change them. A little like the guy on TV, except my method is opposite to his. I whisper. And I listen to what the dog needs, cause when the situation works for the dog he’s happy, and happy dogs make their owners happy. Anyway, what I really want to talk about in this post is my on-line group, a question one member posted recently, and the feedback she received.

As any therapist will attest, and above-mentioned TV guy now concedes, there are no quick fix solutions for deep-seated problems and relationship hiccups. Knowing that, I want to stay in touch with my clients after a consultation to offer continuous support. Once I evaluated dog and situation, effective support can happen in many ways, one of which is via computer. For that reason I created, a few years ago, a clients’ exclusive, by invitation only, on-line group. It’s a win-win venue: my clients get free-of-charge help, and I can stay connected without investing more time than I have. My vision is that it evolves into a forum where every person who ever booked a consultation with me joins, finds it welcoming, and uses it to have questions answered and concerns addressed, or yap about their successes, or start a discussion about a dog-related topic that interests them, or maybe feel less alone when they realize that others have dog issues, too.

I want it to be a place where everyone feels respected and respects others, where they look for valuable information, or sometimes just for confirmation that sticking to positive reinforcement is the right thing to do. That is important in an environment flooded with autocratic and punitive advice. Some of my clients feel downright pressured to defend their method against friends and neighbors that, although meaning to he helpful, suggest that all their dog needs is a good whack with the garden hose across the snout.

We’re getting there. A number of my clients joined up, and even if not actively participating, read the discussions and then email me privately, but several others are quite active and share their thoughts and insights.

Normally I don’t blog about stuff that’s happening in the group, but one member posted a question recently I think will resonate with many owners who, like her and I, are not winter outdoorsy enthusiasts, but are owned by an industrious canine used to a certain level of entertainment.

I’d be perfectly fine caved in between December and April with good books, my laptop, fatty dairy foods and Mexican hot chocolate, but, especially Will whose favorite pastime is going for long hikes that include trailing, is not agreeable to that. So, like in any good relationship, we compromise. The winter common ground that works for all of us is spending about an hour outside, and increasing fun activities inside.

And that’s what the group member was inquiring about: what to do with her, what else, Border collie on days when walks are rather short.

Of course, if she’d be really keen, she could teach him 1,022 proper nouns and a little grammar, like John W. Pilley did with his dog Chaser (http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/01/18/science/1248069571561/a-dog-nouns-and-verbs.html).

Considering that 82-year-old Mr. Pilley, a retired psychologist, still spends 4-5 hours each day working with Chaser, a more realistic variation that probably works better for most owners is to teach the pooch the names of the toys in her toy box. Your dog has a toy box, right? If she brings the correct one, you play with her for a little bit, if not, you send her back to try again. A notch up is to teach her to clean up at end of your interaction together; to bring all toys back to the box.

You can also hide a toy somewhere in the house for your dog to find. That’s what a member who commented did to entertain her frisky terrier cross. She asked her dog into a sit stay, and yes, practicing position stays is a nice side effect of find-games, and hid the toy in another room. In the beginning, she said, at a fairly obvious place, which is key, cause if the task is too difficult the dog loses interest and disengages, or becomes frustrated and acts frantically, instead of methodically. In typical terrier fashion her dog progressed quickly, and soon even tracked her person’s position by sound, which induced her to incorporate double backing and diversions into the game to keep it challenging enough. That’s one of the reasons why I am fascinated by dogs – they are teaching as much as they are learning.

The terrier owner would always accompany her pooch after she released her to search for the toy, in case she needed little hints. That is also something we do. When I hide Davie and Will’s ball or treats, I give them cues similar to the hot-and-cold ones young children might get. “Wrong”, when they are off course, educes eye contact, and when I have their attention I signal with my hand, arm and eyes in which direction they should be heading. Although they don't comprehend left and right, they do know the verbal cues forward, over and halt, which I apply if they're really lost. As they zone in, I staccato-like repeat find-find-find in a higher pitched voice, which keeps them nosing in that area until they find the loot.

Finding hidden objects seems to be the common theme for indoor fun. World-renowned behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar plays scent games with his dogs, explained in Cesar Millan’s newest book “Cesar’s Rules”. No need to run out to buy a copy though. In my opinion, there isn’t much in it that’ll better behavior and strengthen the human/dog relationship. But Dunbar’s section in the book is great. He says that it is important, when you start up, to let the dog find something he is motivated by. Then, once he is hooked on the game, one can incorporate other scents the dog feels indifferent about. But first the game has to make sense for him.

Another thing that Dunbar said is to be careful not to overload on the scent, to prevent that it lingers everywhere and confuses the dog. That means that if you plant a Kong, you might not want to stuff it with last week’s leftover fish scraps. But I wouldn’t use kibble either. I am all for the “work-for-meals” program, but also believe that food is a basic need a dog has a right to. So, at least half of his daily amount should be free. My recommendation is to fill Kongs and other interactive toys with delectable, nutritious treats, including good-for-the-dog human food, and then deduct that from his kibble ration to avoid that Fido becomes pudgy.

Food is a great motivator for most dogs, and for some more desired than toys. That’s the case with another group member who replied. She hands her pooch a stuffed Kong each day, but, to make it more challenging and entertaining, ties it tightly into an old T-shirt. A variation of that is tying small treats into the clothy shell of a squeaky the dog massacred, and then hiding it. Or you could put a cookie underneath a cup towel and see if your dog can figure out where it is. Do it right in front of her. You might be surprised that she has no clue where the booty is, even if she watched you place it under the towel a second ago. Neither one mine figured it out - and gave me a rare moment when I felt intellectually superior to them.

That food-driven dog, although not interested in toys, is motivated by social closeness, which means that the humans in her family are a reward in their own right. That is fabulous - being with her people should be high on every dog’s wish list. During an off-leash outing, the owner periodically sidesteps off the path and plays people search. Interestingly, our first tracking instructor starts rookie dogs on people as well, not objects or scents, because finding the owner drives dogs most, sets them up for success, and gets them keened on the game. Tracking was what tired our ever-ready Davie out more than herding, and Will, an incredible scout, still loves it more than any other activity. As a variant, I often let a mitten fall, carry on walking for some 40-50 feet, alert Will and ask her to find it. Regardless how absorbed she is in animal tracks or whiffs in the environment, a high-pitched “oh-oh”, short for: oh-oh-I-am-such-a-fool-and-lost-something-again, never fails to veer her focus instantaneously to me, and then I show her the other mitten, name it, and she darts off in an attempt to locate the lost one. So you see, one way to make shortened outside time more tiring is to make it more meaningful and stimulating. On that note, we do follow animal tracks in the snow as well; the three of us explore where they lead us, see where the bunny lives.

That same dog still, the one who receives a Kong tied in a towel and whose person plays people search, is 10 years old and was adopted from the Metro SPCA. Seemingly not treated kindly by her previous humans, she really lucked out with her present family. Not only does she have caring and committed adult persons, but also kids that take an interest in her, practice obedience commands and teach her new tricks. Teaching tricks is a wonderful way for children to interact with a dog. It is a calm, brainy activity, yet stimulating and tiring, and the dog learns playfully that young humans are in charge, too. The on-line stores www.dogwise.com and www.mungosbooks.com have a great selection of tricks books, some specifically targeted to children.

Not so brainy a game is “chase and catch prey”, something another group member came up with to busy her young Australian shepherd.

Australian shepherds are dogs that I wouldn’t categorize as the couch potato kind. They are clever and full of zip, especially when they are young, but for a long, long time into adulthood as well. And they’re not of the aloof kind either; not disconnected from their humans happily amusing themselves. They don’t exist well in the periphery of their human’s life, but, on the contrary, perpetually seek to take center stage. That group member’s pup was no exception, and when boredom became unbearable she would shove a toy underneath a piece of furniture and scratch, paw and bark at it, desperately trying to get her person’s attention. Luckily, her owner interpreted the nuisance behavior accurately and didn’t scold, but played with her.

Instead of hiding the toy, she tied it at the end of a long, light rope and dragged it, encouraging the pooch to chase and pounce, and letting her catch it every so often. I like it. Chase ‘n’ catch is physical and instinctual, yet structures and channels that natural drive and puts it under human control. The dog gets to do something very satisfying, but at the same time learns to release what’s between her teeth into her person’s hand - and she learns that willingly and eagerly because only giving it up will continue the interaction. Because there is an actual object to be caught, it is not mindless like the idiotic laser chase that often turns a dog into a light addict who obsessively fixates and attacks anything that flickers, including the TV and light sparkling through blinds.

Besides the toy, this owner also dragged an empty water bottle tied in a sports sock. She said that her Aussie liked to crunch plastic, and the sock made the noise tolerable for human ears. Plus I’d worry about splitting plastic injuring the dog’s gums, so tied in a sock prevents that, too.

More by chance than intent, she did once discover something that kept her young Australian self-entertained for about an hour. It was a lemon that fell out of the fridge that mesmerized the cavorting canine enough that she forgot to pester her human for a while. Brilliant. A lemon is cheap, soft so won’t mark furniture, and a dog likely won’t eat it. Just in case, I’d still get an organic one.

Methinks the reason why the lemon worked was because it was a completely novel item, and it came from the typically forbidden human food storage place, which made it doubly interesting for the dog to explore, and possibly walk away with. Temple Grandin, in “Animals Make us Human”, explains that one new toy or stimulus each day activates an animal’s seeking system, decreases anxiety and increases wellbeing. A new stimulus a day doesn’t mean you have to buy a new toy every day. You could rotate the ones you already have, “accidentally” drop a lemon, or sneak one surprise treat somewhere in your dog’s toy box.

When a dog gives me signals that she is bored, I much rather interact with her right away, instead of waiting until she is a total pain in the you know where. Often a few minutes of quality interaction will do, and I hope you found a few useful ideas here. Even though almost every North American groundhog predicted an early spring, I am sure there’ll be a few weeks of winter left for you and your hairy sidekick to have some inside fun.

How to Prevent That Your Dog Gets Lost

2011-01-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

Sparked by two lost dogs whose owners reached out, a few of my friends, realizing that there is very little, easy accessible information available, recently formed a Lost Dog Networking Group. It is an open group and you can find it at NSLDN@groups.facebook.com. Unfortunately, the group is growing at an incredible pace, even spreading to other provinces, and I say unfortunately because the reason that it grows so fast is because so many dogs bolt or wander away, and don’t find their way back home. Their owners now have a wonderful resource they can approach, and that is great, but ideally dogs shouldn't be lost in the first place.

Below tips hopefully prevent that you find yourself needing help to reunite with your canine companion.

- Walk your dog in your neighborhood, daily, and take different routes. Your dog should be very familiar with his surroundings and, from any direction, know where his home is. Put “find home” on command and test your dog. Make going home when you’re heading back a tracking game and let him lead you, and, by the way, do the same if you frequently visit parks and trails. Instead of "finding home", have your dog find the car in the parking lot. If something were to scare him, chances are he'll "flee" to the car and wait for you.

- If you own a wanderer, introduce yourself and your dog to your neighbors. Bring them a bottle of wine and attach a card to it with your phone number and instructions what do to if they spot Spot. Our very amiable Newf Baywolf, who rarely missed an opportunity to go socializing, was gone on rare occasions, but never lost, because our neighbors knew and enjoyed him, and knew us, and either brought him home or called. Having a collar and tag on your dog is a given, but if your neighbors know that your dog is friendly, and that you are too, they'll likely be more accommodating and helpful.

- If your dog has testicles, be extra careful of open doors and yard gate latches. I don’t share the popular opinion that everything on four paws needs to be neutered, but the fact is that intact dogs tend to have itchy feet – and a nose for a ready-to-mate girl dog.

- Be also extra careful with a new dog. DO NOT let your newly adopted dog off the leash the next day. He doesn’t know you yet, and has not formed a grateful bond to you in 24 hours just because you rescued him and gave him one bowl of kibble. From your dog’s point of view, you might be nothing more than just another transitory pit-stop, and he has no reason to stay put or listen to you. Social belonging isn’t automatic – it comes with time. You also know nothing about the dog. You don’t know what drives him and scares him; what he does when an environmental stimulus motivates him, or which way and how far he’ll run when something spooks him. Invest in a 30-50 tracking leash that allows you to find out more about your new pooch, and practice a really reliable recall, and then give him free reign.

- Don’t take your dog off the leash if she is skittish and timid – no, not even at the dog park. When we lived in Calgary, within a span of a few weeks, three dogs were lost in a popular park we regularly visited. One was scared by a train whistle and ran away, and two were bullied by a couple of out-of-control dogs. Two dogs were eventually found, one was never to be heard of again. All three dogs were described by their owners as timid and skittish by nature, and one was just adopted from an animal shelter a few days prior.

- Train a solid down position stay away from every entrance door, including the yard gate, and practice with the doors opening and staying open. Your dog should not exit the house, or leave his property, without a specific command, and only with his person. Condition that by practicing whenever you have a minute or two, at different times of the day, and always combine a specific word with your exiting the entrance points together. It’s doable. Really, it is. It just takes time and patience. If you are really ambitious, the door opening could become your dog’s cue to run to the toy box, or his crate, instead of outside.

- When you are out, your dog should be in. In the house, or at least in a secure and comfortable dog run, with a warm shelter to retreat to, and toys, and water. Treat a dog run as an outside home, used only when you are not home, and never as a place that isolates, segregates your dog. When you are home, your dog should be with you. I don’t care how many acres you own, your dog should never be roaming unsupervised, cause then roaming unsupervised becomes a habit. Trail your home range together, check the boundaries together, and you establish a solid social bond that increases the chance that your dog wants to stay on home turf voluntarily.

- Build a real fence, if you must, not an invisible one. I met numerous dogs who were so motivated by an environmental stimulus that they took the shock, and escaped the shock collar fence - and got into trouble, or lost. A dog trainer friend and rescuer wrote a fabulous blog post on shock collar confinement you can read at http://blog.gmds.ca. Dogs also escape when the battery goes dead and the warning beep doesn’t happen, and when the owner forgets to put the shock collar on the dog first thing in the morning. If you rely on a tool to keep your dog put, you’re dog will go when you don’t have the tool. Plus, in my opinion and based on my experiences, shocking a dog changes who he is, and the relationship with you, and by extension the place where he lives.

- You, your home, and property should always be perceived as a safe place; a refuge where never anything bad happens. Never. No shocking. No harsh training. No punishments. Escape is extreme avoidance, and I periodically meet dogs who feel, at least, ambiguous about their home base, and the people who live there. If you are, in your dog’s mind, a 100% predictably safe place to seek shelter with, he is more likely to stay put, or run to you, not away from you, when frightened.

Said all that, accidents happen. Even with all precautions taken, even with the nicest owners, and the best home, a dog might spook and bolt, or is enticed by a scent, sight or sound he'll curiously investigate, and then becomes disoriented and gets lost. In that case, it is critical that you get a sighting. You gotta know where your dog is before you have a chance to reunite with him. How to go about it is exactly the kind of information the Lost Dog Network can help you with, and is also available at www.lostdogsearch.com.

When you have a sighting, you need to be very careful that you don’t frighten your dog into bolting again, cause then you have to start from scratch. You might assume that your dog is as happy to see you as you are to see him, but that is not necessarily so. He could be confused, scared, panicked, suspicious, hurt or sore, and in that frame of mind is very sensitive to the slightest trigger, including you. He will continue to run away if someone, even you, is encroaching into his flight zone. The threshold how far you can safely approach is easy to determine. If your dog has you on his radar, but doesn’t increase the distance, you are good. Don’t try to get closer, but entice your dog to come to you. Say familiar words that elicit a positive emotion. Familiarity alone doesn't cut it; what you say has to feel good to your dog. Stuff like: “Wanna go for a car ride?” or “Wanna play with… (fill in the name if he has a favorite dog friend)”, are examples. Speak with your calm and casual voice, not a panicked one. Breath normally and keep your body loose, and don’t fixate on your dog or he’ll feel targeted and might, yup, run.

I know that is tough to do for an emotionally devastated owner, who, maybe after days of searching, finally sees his dog. But it is said that humans have a cerebral cortex that can overrule emotions, and convincing a confused dog to trust is a good time to apply that skill. Remember, one wrong step can cause him to bolt again, and then you have once more no idea where he is.

Other than familiar words and gestures, have your dog's favorite toy or blanket with you to trigger memory. And leave food, small pieces of delectable people food, and your smell, stinky socks, and retreat, so increase the distance to give your dog enough space to safely sniff and eat. Repeat leaving and retreating as often as you need to, and slowly, patiently, you'll trigger his curiosity and reestablish trust.

Any of the above can trigger your dog’s memory, and make him feel secure with you again, and then he’ll come to you, and you are reunited – a happy-end story everyone wants to see, and keeps the people with the Lost Dog Network motivated and in the game.

How a Dog is Raised and the Probability of Future Behavioral Problems

2011-01-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

In “Early experience and the development of behavior” James Serpell and J.A. Jagoe show the relationship between problem behaviors in dogs and where they were raised.

Aggression was significantly more prevalent in dogs bought at a pet store, followed by:

Found – as a stray and kept.

Breeder – as in large breeder with pups raised in a kennel environment.

Shelter

Lowest in dogs bred in a home environment, including by a friend and family member.

Regarding social fears, the highest rate was again in dogs acquired from a pet store, followed by:

Shelter

Found and large kennel Breeder ranked about the same

Lowest again when bred in a home environment.

The authors didn’t elaborate on aggression and social fears, so we don’t know if the dogs threatened, bit, resource guarded or what. And of course, social fears can also be the root of aggressive displays, and the fact that they separated the two leads me to believe that it was timidness and nervousness they were referring to.

Can’t say that I am surprised by these findings. No pet should ever be purchased in a pet store, and I have a peeve with large kennel breeders, who have 2,3,4 or more litters going at the same time, year around. Even if the dogs and puppies live in a house, and not in a barn or outside kennels, the environment is stressful, and there isn't enough time in a day to give each pup the care she needs to turn into a well-rounded adult.

Shelter dogs having a higher rate of social fears is what I experience as well. I work(ed) with many rescue dogs, and rarely me(e)t one who is not on some level anxious or insecure. But don’t stop adopting, cause in almost all cases that can be fixed, and you end up with a wonderful companion.

The second highest aggression rate in found dogs could be explained with that they might have been ditched in the first place because they were aggressive.

That the lowest occurrences for both aggression and social fears were seen in dogs that were lovingly bred in someone’s home is food for thought, cause it, of course, includes people condescendingly trashed by many as back yard breeders.

I've never seen anything wrong with someone who has a really nice dog or two and wants to pass on the great genes, often keeping a pup for himself and finding homes for the others in their friend and relative circle, or even, arrgh, advertising it on-line. And I am so against on-line dog shopping. I really am. But there are exceptions and sometimes a lovingly raised pup can be found there. Doing the proper research are the key words here.

If I’d be shopping for a pup, I would not rule these people out. I would also not rule out breeders who have a more commercial business going, but would most certainly shop locally so I can see with my own eyes how the puppies are raised, and how their parents live.

But my heart is really with dogs looking for a second chance. I am a sucker for dogs who have social fears, cause there’s nothing more rewarding than when they overcome them and trust again.

Animal Control, Humane Societies and the No-Kill Movement

2011-01-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

In another time, at another place, I was a little deeper involved in shelter politics than I am now. Time is one reason, but ego-driven managers, useless boards, nonsensical actions, and rules and regulations that don’t always prioritize animal welfare, distracted me from doing what I do best – working with dogs. So here and now, I give advice or assess a dog when asked, but other than that live happily in my tralalala world, distanced from the internal dramas and conflicts of the rescue circuit.

Not being involved doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I often ponder about the plight of animals nobody wants. A little while ago I read a couple of blog posts that caught my interest, plus I had private conversations about local dog politics, and as a result felt compelled to voice my opinions on homeless dogs and the institutions that deal with them, and what I think should and could happen, but not necessarily does happen, at least not everywhere.

I’d like to see Animal Control and Humane Societies under provincial, not municipal jurisdiction. That would streamline bylaws, resources and training, assessment and adoption guidelines, and offer consistency for people - and dogs if they have to be moved from one shelter to another.

Rules and regulations must ensure public safety, but the focus should be the animal. Child Social Services is about kids, health care about sick people, and animal stuff about animals. Lawmakers typically consult with experts before making decisions, and the same should be the case regarding dogs. Dog bylaws must be based on facts about dogs, and not public paranoia fueled by a media that sensationalizes isolated incidents.

A few years ago in Calgary, during a radio interview, someone and it might have been Bill Bruce but I am not sure, explained the different roles Animal Control and a humane society have in the community. AC protects people from animals and the HS animals from people. I quite liked that. It is clear, and a simple policy to implement. Unambiguity means that no pooch falls through the cracks. AC’s duty, then, would be to seize reported aggressive dogs that are owned, but also, in my opinion, gather up roaming strays for safekeeping and behavior-assessing. I like to see dogs kept for 10 days unless an escapee is claimed, at which point AC should check if the owner is capable of caring for his pooch properly. 72 hours is too short. One often doesn’t get an accurate personality evaluation in the first 72 hours cause the dog is too afraid, confused, stressed, hungry, or sore. Plus, a stray’s person might be out of town, unaware that his dog is missing and therefore unable to retrieve him within 3 days.

Humane societies would cover all dogs that can’t stay in their present homes because they are either mistreated, or unwanted. I believe that there should be at least one open admission shelter within a certain radius and populous; a place where no animal is denied entrance. Yes, that does enable callous people to dump the dog they messed up. Yes, it does provide an easy copout for immature and irresponsible humans whose lifelong companion doesn’t fit their lifestyle any longer. But the sad truth is that someone who wants to get rid of his dog, will. If the pooch can’t be surrendered, he might be ditched in a rural area, chained, shot or beaten, or passed on to a naïve softy who has the best intentions, but lacks awareness that a neglected or mistreated dog can come with emotional baggage, expressed in problem behaviors. The dogs, almost all of them, can get better and some people are committed to their new canine, and financially able to afford professional help, but others continue the cycle and get rid of the dog.

Suffering is a constant in many dogs’ lives, happens in many places, and often in people’s homes. To ease suffering, open admission is unavoidable.

AC and HU have different, but equally important roles in a civilized society, and both entities should receive public funding. No third parties. No tenders. Methinks it is easier to work together if there isn’t a juicy contract to vie for.

I get it: Non-profit and transparent government funded institutions that are managed by animal experts that deeply care is wishful thinking. Coming up with more money, when there are so many demands already, is a doozy for our politicians. No question, caring for the sick and poor, keeping roads and other infrastructure in decent shape, and educating our youngsters are paramount responsibilities. There is other important stuff, like building impressive structures and arenas, subsidizing for profit companies, and financing decades-long studies to scientifically prove common-sense knowledge.

And let’s not forget that the business of governing is not cheap. Our elected politicians need to be paid, and their expenses need to be paid, too, and their retirement has to be taken care of. They also need money to hire consultants that tell them how to govern better, pay committees of consultants for the same reason, travel to fancy places to see how others govern, travel to fancy places to conference how to govern better together, and travel to fancy places to make plans to meet somewhere else to discuss how to govern better. I am not kidding myself that compassionate animal welfare is anywhere remotely on the agenda of governments any time soon. But it should be. Cause people dedicated to improve the lives of animals in need should be able to focus on exactly that, and not be consumed with fundraising enough dough to stay afloat for another month.

With humane societies funded, the various rescue groups orbiting the big shelters would likely see more donations coming their way, and everyone could work TOGETHER – tralalalala.

Specialized rescue organizations are the best fit for specific dogs, and more money for them means that they are in a better position to help AC and HU when such a dog is seized, found or surrendered. Ideally, every pure bred dog should go to pure breed rescue, and I like breeders involved in that - and many good ones are.

But even without government funding, I wish people with a common goal, even if their personalities clash, could get over their antagonistic relationships and cooperate. Dogs don’t care who did what to whom 5 years ago. All they want is food, water, shelter and to feel safe, and they rely on humans to supply those things.

Enough wishful thinking, let’s talk about the reality I see. Presently, only a small percentage of all monies donated goes to animals, and many organizations, including humane societies, compete for the little that’s available, and that makes good PR a critical aspect. The PR buzz word for the last several years is No-Kill.

No-Kill shelters reject euthanasia unless an animal is too sick, or too aggressive to be adopted; aim, as far as I know, for a below 10% euthanasia rate. It is popular with the public, where donations come from, cause people hate when cute furry things die an untimely death; pity the down-trodden, sad-eyed dog and want for him to have chance in life – with someone else.

Okay, now is a good time to state unequivocally that I believe that no animal that can be treated and rehabilitated should be killed. Not one. My wish is for every dog (and cat, ferret, iguana, bird….) to feel safe and cared for, in a home or sanctuary. Is any euthanasia rate acceptable? No. Is the No-Kill movement the solution? I don’t think so.

As long as we have more animals produced than people wanting one, and as long as we don't have laws with teeth that ensure that dogs don't develop problems the average person can't live with, we have more needing help than available spots. And whenever that happens, shelters are between a rock and a hard place.

Dog: “My person doesn’t want me anymore. He frightens me when he gets angry with me. Can you help?”

Shelter staff: “No, sorry buddy. We would only have to euthanize you, and that would mess up our No-Kill statistics, and that would affect our donations.”

If I'd have a junk of money to get rid of, euthanasia statistics is the last thing I am interested in.

What matters most to me is that each and every animal that enters an organization’s door is treated with the utmost compassion, and consideration to what is in that dog’s best interest given the circumstances.

If the shelter claims No-Kill status, I wanna know how many dogs they turned away to, possibly, die elsewhere?

Do they have hard to adopt dogs wasting in kennels for months?

What are their adoption criteria? Are new owners carefully selected, or does quantity overrule quality?

Is anybody checking if the pooch is still with the adopter after a few months? A couple of years? How is he kept? What’s his quality of life? Remember, No-Kill doesn’t mean No-Suffering. Every adopted dog should get at least one follow-up check, and if he can't be traced, should be added as “euthanized” to the statistics.

Of course, quantity doesn't exclude quality. There are fabulous shelters that do both. They typically have progressive programs, public-accommodating opening hours and adoption guidelines, and knowledgeable staff that matches the dog with a compatible human.

If a shelter has a higher euthanasia rate I wanna know why.

Were dogs killed because they failed a small aspect of an unrealistic, only minutes long, temperament test that sets dogs up to fail?

Were they euthanized because the shelter doesn't have a training program and follow-up care for dogs with issues?

Are managers and staff incompetent, careless and rude, thereby driving the public away and creating bad PR?

Or do they have a large intake of dogs that are in bad shape?

Are they located in an area that provides very little resources?

How are the animals euthanized? Sedated and overdosed while someone caresses and talks to them? Or cruelly mass-gassed?

There are other aspects that determine if I support someone, or not.

A biggy for me is if animals are sold to a research facility. In my books, every dog has the same value. I don’t care if he is a pedigreed, once pampered surrender, or a flea-ridden mongrel trapped at one of Canada’s many rural garbage dumps. Every dog feels fear and pain, confusion, anxiety and panic, and the thought and knowledge that some are deliberately sentenced, for life, to experience any or all of the above, by the very same people who are suppose to speak on their behalf, is heartbreaking.

I also want to know where the dogs are spayed and castrated. The shelter I used to volunteer for sent dogs to a teaching college, and some came back with pretty severe behavioral, and occasionally physical, issues they didn’t have before. The dogs couldn’t tell us in words what had happened there, but their behavior indicated that it was traumatic. Based on that, the shelter stopped to supply the college with animals, even though it meant an additional financial burden. That’s compassion.

And I want to know, if the shelter has a training program, who works with the dogs. Shelters rely heavily on unpaid helpers, and there is nothing wrong with delegating daily dog training duties to volunteers. It can be a win-win-win if dogs receive mental and physical stimulation and learn manners that make them more adoptable, the new owners get a pooch who knows foundation commands they can build on, and people interested in dogs are given ample opportunities to learn more about their behavior.

It is a lose-lose-win if intimidation, force and pain increase fear and anxiety in the, due to past and present living environments, already stressed and confused dog. Dogs and future owners lose; the ones who win are upcoming shock collar trainers who get to practice their zapping skills, beginner handlers who become more proficient in pinning and punishing, and seasoned trainers who often drum up business through pro bono shelter work.

So, training yes, but the method has to be in place. Training guidelines have to be set by the shelter, and all volunteers must observe them.

In an ideal world every dog would have a place to live that is safe, and where his species and breed specific, and individual, needs are met. That place could very well be a sanctuary, where people care for dogs' physical needs, and compatible dog buddies provide social interactions. But it can’t be a cage or a solitary life on a chain, dog run or fenced yard.

We don’t live in an ideal world. Animal welfare organizations often don’t have enough resources cause governments on all levels don’t care, and wealthy philanthropists like to support causes that generate more recognition and media applause.

There aren’t enough sanctuaries for dogs that don't fit into society, and if the right person for an unwanted one isn't available, euthanasia becomes the most humane option. To prevent that dogs live the miserable life of permanent restraint, isolation or harsh treatment, shelters kill him. And if that is their motivation, they shouldn’t be judged.

I wish that nobody would get his pup from a pet store, pet broker or large-scale breeder, but I have nothing against people who purchase a blue-blooded pooch from a conscientious one. Really, I don’t. To the contrary, it benefits all parties when the person has a clear understanding what he desires in a dog, and where his personal limitations are. Owning an expensive pure-bred is okay, but then judging a shelter’s euthanasia rate, and withholding donations because it doesn’t match his perfect world, is not.

A life free of fear, stress and pain means more to a dog than the length of it. I am certain of that. Because it is important for them, it is priority for me. If you feel the same, ask a whole lot of questions before you hand over your hard-earned dollars. Look for an organization that treats each animal kindly - maybe for the first time, on the last day of his life.

Countdown the Ten Best Expert Tips

2010-12-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

Like seeks like, and hence all my friends are in one way or another involved with dogs. No surprise that having dinner with them is a favorite pastime that fills not just my tummy, but also soul and brain. Soul and brain cause passionate dog people never tire talking shop, and that isn’t just mentally stimulating, but also makes us more proficient. You might expect that someone like me, who proclaims expertise and advices others, already knows all there is to know about dogs, but I confess that every time I am conferencing with other brainy dog folks I walk away with a new insight, or am reminded of something that slipped my mind, but is worth paying attention to.

As much as humans love to lay claim to unique, inborn talents and boast with original, groundbreaking ideas, the best pooch-professionals, including world-renowned authorities I met and learned from, continue to learn from dogs - and their colleagues. They go to seminars even if they give them, read what others in the field have to say and observe what they are doing, exchange thoughts and ideas, test and sometimes modify them, and then pass combined wisdom along to peers and clients - thereby making the world a better one for dogs and their owners.

For year’s end, I want to share with you 10 bite size tips – some original, others I picked up at a seminar, lecture, book, article or through networking dinners with friends.

Each one is specifically chosen, because it is easy to apply, yields great benefits and yet, I hardly ever see a lay owner do it.

10. Sandwich difficult exercises between easier ones. Especially sensitive and scatter-brained dogs can feel overwhelmed when training becomes increasingly more difficult, falter under pressure or mentally check out. Start with fun stuff, and end on a high note, and your pooch will forever be keen to learn more.

9. The more you do it, the better you get. Practice behaviors that are important to you whenever you have a minute or two, and in a variety of contexts. A dog trained 20-minutes each day learns to obey 20-minutes each day.

8. Toss a treat out for your dog to find – also outside. Encourage her to find it, make it a game , a fun interaction, maybe even help her, and you become the primary reinforcement, not the treat. It keeps your dog connected to you, and if you incorporate other objects into your fun interactions, you don’t become dependent on food rewards.

7. Be boring and inattentive after you released your dog from a practice session. Traditional correction training does the opposite: praise or play follows the dismissal, and the dog learns that training is a drag, and being released is pleasurable. If you aim for voluntary compliance that is a big hurdle, cause voluntary only happens when working with you is more rewarding than not working. To be very clear, withhold attention only for a little while; locking the dog in his crate for hours on end and depriving him of social contact in the name of performance is, in my opinion, abuse.

6. Use your body consciously. Move forward if you want your dog to stay and walk away when you call your dog. Running toward a dog is your invitation to playing chase, and she’ll tear in the opposite direction. Walk away from your dog, not toward her, if you want her to follow.

5. If your dog has a, well, strong developed sense of ownership over toys, have an identical one when you venture to the dog park. If a rude pooch snatches her beloved ball, prove how good of a provider you are when you dig up the replacement. It keeps your dog’s focus on you, and possibly prevents a fight.

4. Whenever someone comes head-on towards you, politely leash-guide your dog to the side and verbally cue, we like “over”, the behavior. Consistently applied, your dog will soon mannerly move “over” on command – on and off the leash, which potentially makes a situation less confrontational for the other dog, puts cynophobic people at ease, and creates passing space for cyclists and joggers.

3. Clip a leash on your dog until you have off-leash control. Yes, even in the house. Trust me, leash-controlling until your dog settles is way more productive than playing goalie with her at the door when the bell rings. Leashing does not mean jerking and correcting – it means keeping the pooch out of trouble until desired behaviors are reliable off the leash.

2. Combine a verbal “take-it” with releasing anything you give your dog he takes with his teeth. Treats, his ball, or the tug toy. Once the cue is conditioned, your dog will only take something out of somebody’s hand when commanded to, which prevents impatient and rough grabbing and snatching.

1. My number one, must have, behavior is voluntary connection. If you have your dog’s attention, you can teach anything else in a heartbeat. If you don’t have it, nothing you do has much of an impact.

Your dog offering eye contact should precede access to anything your dog wants. Attention before he gets his food, before you open the door, before you clip on the leash – or off at the park. When your dog understands that you’re her lifeline, connecting with you becomes a habit.

When I reflect on 2010, many joyous moments flash into my mind, and most include a dog or two. It was a good year and I wish it was one for you, too. May you and yours be blessed with peace, health and prosperity in 2011.

The Christmas Doggie Toy Box

2010-11-30T07:18:00.000-08:00

All dogs should have a well-stocked toy box. Well, maybe not all. The ones that have a real job and daily mental and physical stimulation can contently live without it. However, most dogs in our society own a person who’s predominantly involved in human-only activities, which leaves the pooch on the sidelines, and that can lead to a variety of problem behaviors. Dogs that act out often do so to generate stimulation in a deprived environment, and a designated, always accessible – and that part is important, activity center counters boredom; offers mental stimulation.

Size, shape and contents of a proper toy box depend on the dog. Terrier types often like a deep basket filled with many things and a daily surprise they can dig up, for example a few special treats hidden underneath all the stuff or layered in between. Tons of stuff doesn’t mean it'll cost you tons of money. Provided your dog doesn’t swallow cloth, clean rags, holy socks or worn t-shirts, collected from friends and family, work wonderfully.

Very industrious dogs could find several stuffed Kongs in their play corner. In fact, most of their daily food ration might be served that way. I also like to put a few especially smelly treats in toilet paper rolls, fold the ends in to keep them in place and, again only if the pooch doesn’t swallow cardboard, hide them all through the house. That purposeful nose-work challenges even the busiest sniffer, and nicely tires her out.

Large, powerful dogs are often relentless chewers, so their toy box should include a variety of items that fulfill that need. Every good pet store offers advice what is delectable - and longer lasting with ambitious masticators. Bark and Fitz, and Global Pets are examples of a good pet store, and for dog’s sake, I never shop somewhere that actually sells animals, even if I could safe a coin.

Because the idea is to create self-reliant fun, anything in the box should be safe for the dog to have unsupervised. Said that, the wise owner does observe at first, and every time a novel item is added. You want to ensure that she doesn’t gulp down an antler chew, tied in two old cup towels, in one piece.

Does an always-accessible activity basket take the fun out of holiday gift giving? After all, the majority of owners include their furry family member into the Christmas Season, and we certainly belong to the majority in that regard. I say no to that question, and am sure that our dogs agree. With a little ingenuity one can find the perfect present even for the most indulged canine. I googled a bit and found a few things my pooches likely have on their Santi Paws wish list, and yours might be pleased with as well.

Nina Ottosson interactive dog toys are a hit with every dog, regardless of age, size, physical or mental abilities. You can check them out at www.interactivedoggames.com, and many pet boutiques, locally and on line, carry a variety. Don’t snitch it to Davie and Will, but I bought a “Tornado” at www.houndsaroundtown.com they get to gently unwrap on Christmas Morn. Your dog might even make it into the brainy-dog hall of fame, but keep in mind that games are for fun first, not competition.

Or how about home-baked cookies the little darling can sniff for under the Christmas tree. I found a great recipe at www.bullwrinkle.com I modified a little, cause I’m a health geek and white flour doesn’t enter my dogs’ tummies. Here it goes: 16 oz. raw liver finely processed – and you can substitute that with sardines or peanut butter, 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 8 oz. oat flakes, 3 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in app. 1 cup of warm water, 2 beaten eggs. Combine all ingredients, and for extra nutritional value I toss a handful of dried parsley in it, and add enough water to form a slightly sticky dough. Roll out on baking paper to about ½” thickness, cut out cookies in whatever shape you like, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can fancy it up with bone or fire hydrant shaped cookie cutters, and you can find those at many places, for example at www.thecookiecuttershop.com. Our girls wish they had cat and veterinarian shaped ones, too.

Often overlooked are gifts that make the dog feel better. I found paw pads at www.pupgearcorporation.com our 12-year-old, arthritic Davie might find in her stocking this year. Our house is all matted out, but she still likes to travel with us and those pads might keep her from sliding on other people’s hard wood floors.

A gift that keeps on giving is a book. Not entirely for the dog, but indirectly because understanding canines makes you a better parent to yours. Dogwise.com is an on-line dog bookstore and has many great reads. Too many to list here, but two of my favorite authors are Suzanne Clothier and Patricia McConnell. I also like Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, and each year, the beginning of December, I dig up my copy of “Certain Poor Shepherds”. We sit on the floor, the dogs snuggled close, with me reading the doggie Christmas story to them. Of course they don’t comprehend the words, but they understand the warmth and peace I feel when we’re all enveloped in a special kind of quality time that does not always come about during busier times of the year.

And that’s really it, isn’t it? To give of oneself to loved ones – canine or human. So, it doesn’t matter if you shop for an interactive dog game, sign your pooch up for a fun group class, buy something that makes her feel better, or order a “how to teach tricks” book for your frisky dog - and actually use it.

With that, I wish you all a Peaceful Christmas, Hanukkah and Winter Solstice.

Polite Leash Manners

2010-11-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

My dogs are gifted! They understand English, German and words spelled. Gassi, walky and w-a-l-k elicit the same annoyingly happy barks, because our walks are the highlight of our day. Davie and Will sniff, pee at strategically important spots and, if lucky, find deer poop to eat, or something slimy to roll in. I love watching the girls having fun, interacting with them, chatting with a neighbor, or just letting my mind wander.

I wish every dog owner could experience the mental, physical and emotional benefits that come with sauntering with a canine sidekick. Alas, many don’t, and more often than not it isn’t human laziness, but because the stroll becomes a drag when 95-pound Brutus acts like a sled-dog team all by himself.

Pulling is such a common problem because outdoors our interests diverge. Dogs’ senses pick up stimuli we miss or aren’t interested in, and naturally want to investigate the enticing whiffs, underground rodent sounds and rustling in the bushes, or whatever it is that catches their eye in the distance. From the dog’s point of view, his person lacks sense-itivity and speed; either densely heads in the “wrong” direction, or is boringly slow. Staying in proximity to bonded social group members is normal for dogs; always moving right beside or behind a person is not. In fact, world- renowned trainer, behavior expert and author Suzanne Clothier states that a dog’s natural range in relation to his social group members is about 10 feet, which means he’s inclined to pull on a standard 4 or 6 foot one - and with every step he succeeds he is powerfully reinforced for it. Pulling works, even if his person is frustrated at the loop end of the leash. And because it pays, he’ll do it again and again, and in no time it is a habit. A learned behavior cause it is positively reinforced by his human.

Pulling is a big issue, and many owners are willing to hand over a good chunk of money for anything that curbs the behavior. Consequently, there are plenty of “New and Improved” collars and harnesses on the market that promise exactly that. They are typically something that is placed high on the dog’s neck, constricts when he pulls, or sits uncomfortably around his muzzle. Regardless of type and brand, these control apparatuses have two things in common: they never improve voluntary attention and the relationship, and rarely work. Either Brutus still pulls, now coughing and gagging, or he forever rubs and paws his snout to get the contraption off, or the collar becomes the crutch he and you rely on his whole life. The dog is not obedient to you, but the collar. He is collar wise, and when it comes off the leash manners disappear with it. Collar wise and leash dependent, cause dogs coerced with a taut leash to remain in position in reality rarely learn to walk politely on a loose, or no, leash.

When me and my dogs are out and about, I want them to want to be with me. I don’t walk my dogs, or they walk me, but all of us enjoy quality time spent together. That kind of companionship is also what most of my clients envision. The good news is that it is achievable; the bad news that it’ll take effort and time.

Everything is easier with a brand new puppy who hasn’t yet learned that pulling works. Puppies, who know nothing, typically follow whoever they think can explain their world to them, and if that is you – it should be you, the pup will toddle behind anywhere you go. All you need to do is foster that, capture and cue the behavior, and make being within a 3 feet range the best game ever. Reward it with a chase game, or animatedly and abruptly change directions, or toss a treat out, or magically make a ball appear. Play “follow the leader” often in your home and yard, and wherever it is safe for your pup to be off his leash. Being close and attentive to you becomes a habit and then, when you clip a 6-foot leash on, you have loose leash walking.

This is also a cool game for juveniles and adults, but convincing a newly adopted pooch that the best place is near his person will likely take awhile.

If your dog pulls, the worst thing you can possibly do is following him. Don’t take one step into the direction he’s trying to schlep you, and ideally he should not be able to take one step either. Bend your knees, visualize your spine rooting into the ground, keep your elbows close to your body, and stand still. Do not pull or correct your dog back to you, because you’ll generate resistance and then he’ll want to be even less by your side.

Stand still and do nothing else but prevent your dog from moving on a tight leash. He has to figure out how the walk continues, and the only way that happens is when he connects with you and creates a slack in the leash. In other words, you control the motivator (the desire to be moving generally, and moving toward a destination specifically), and reinforce (with continuation of the walk), when, and only as long as, the dog offers (unprompted and not coerced) what you want, which is polite leash manners.

I often hear the advice to back track away from where the pooch is heading as a form of punishment for pulling. By and large this proves ineffective, cause most often the dog doesn’t care in which direction he is going. As long as he is in motion he finds it rewarding. If you own anything shepherdy, your backing up can even be counterproductive, because it is his cue to circle around you - a super reward for any good herder and he gets it for pulling. Only if a dog really wants to march that-a-way, and not any other way, turning the opposite way might work.

I admit, the process can be tedious, but the result will please you. Once Brutus connects the dots between behavior and consequence, and because you don’t depend on a certain collar, leash, correction or verbal command, his leash manners are solid and reliable on and off the leash.

With a rookie you can speed things up by choosing areas that allow you to box him in some. For example, you could walk along a fence on one side and have a friend on the other, and maybe even another in front of the dog. That is orchestrating success, and success builds more success.

Don’t forget to reward when your dog gets it right, even if you help him. Reward generously so that he learns that the best place is to be with you. Incrementally give him more room and, initially, up the prize whenever he chooses you over a million interesting things in the environment. Yes, continuation of the walk is a reward in its own right, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t periodically surprise your orderly and attentive buddy with something extra, and I’d like to point out that “extra” is not indiscriminately shoving treats into his mouth. That, in fact, is the most boring way to reward a dog.

Davie and Will’s favorite walking reward is when I animatedly change directions and pace and they get to chase me. Almost every dog loves that. You can toss a food treat for your dog to find, point out rabbit tracks you follow together, release him to examine a delightfully smelly pole, ask him to target a stick, jump on a bench, practice commands, teach him to leap across a creek or weave through a set of trees that are closely together. In Alberta, I taught my dogs how to pick Saskatoon berries as a reward for their voluntary attention. You see, the possibilities to make a walk meaningful are endless. I don’t make fun happen nonstop, but am full of creativity and surprises, including food, throughout the walk.

Wait the pulling dog out; withhold your attention and don’t move until he has figured out that only if he creates a slack in the leash the walk continues. Whenever, and as long as, he is walking politely with you, express how happy you are, and especially let him know when you’re about to change directions, halt, or cross the road. Your dog isn’t a mind reader, so give him the information he needs to be an obedient dog - not through the leash, but with your voice and body. Initially that might require some conscious awareness, cause leash-pulling back a forward strutting dog, and keeping a tight leash constantly, is very ingrained in people. Many owners pop habitually, even after they switched from a choker chain to the buckle collar.

A good way to overcome that is to balance a golf ball on a tablespoon with the leash hand. I played that in the puppies and beginner group classes I instructed in Calgary with great success. Of course, every time the person tugs or tightens the leash, the ball falls off and reminds him quickly that he’s on the road to leash dependency. Adults love the game, and kids eagerly want to participate in that kind of training practice. They take an interest in working with their dog, and learn to be in charge without being physical. Like the recall games (blog post archives “The Failsafe Recall” June/2010), dog training becomes a fun family affair, and the dog bonds and listens to every member.

Of course, dogs love the game, too. Until the owner is trained properly and communicates with body and voice, golf balls will bounce all over place, which excites especially herding dogs and retrievers, and opens ample opportunities to incorporate “leave” and “settle” into loose-leash exercises. Three desired behaviors practiced in one sweep with everyone having a good time is my idea of dog training.

Don’t ignore your dog when he politely walks next to you, offers attention and seeks group activity. But do ignore him when he pulls toward something or someone. If he has a destination, but can’t wait for you, he shouldn’t get there. Halt instantly, don’t give any information, and only carry on after he connects back to you and creates the loose leash. Once your dog experiences the consistency that only a slack in the leash allows him to move and investigate, loose-leash walking, not pulling, becomes the habit. Your walk together can be the highlight of your day, like it is for us.

Now I just have to work on that annoying pre-walk barking. The other day I tried rephrasing to avoid that Will and Davie “go off” on the familiar cues, and asked hubby Mike if he’d like to join us with: “Wanna go for a pleasurable journey on foot to the w-o-o-d-l-o-t”? Both dogs’ eruption in excited yips reminded me that they also know the word “go”, even when part of a sentence. Gifted they are.

The Botched Alpha Walk

2010-11-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

If Cesar Millan were to observe me walking my dogs in certain areas, I am sure he’d have a few things to say that include the words dominance and controlling the walk.

Typically, Davie and Will are great on the six-foot, and more often than not they’re off the leash anyway, but there are places where, I admit, they pull.

One of them is Kiwanis Park, an on-leash, about a mile-long groomed loop around a man-made lake in the small town closest to where we live. We’re there on average about once a week, whenever the girls accompany me running errands.

Because of the lake, and people feeding fowl year around, there are many ducks. Many, many ducks. But that is not the reason why Davie and Will love that park. Call me a party pooper, but I don’t permit chasing birds, rolling in their shit or eating it. That makes ducks inconsequential for my dogs, and as a result they are completely ignoring them. What interests Will and Davie way more are the many dogs that travel the path daily – or rather what they leave behind. Since mine haunt the place only every few days, there is much social catching up to do. Every couple of feet there is interesting pee-mail needing to be read, and responded to. Both my girls mark, with Will lifting her leg at especially important spots; she can squirt urine drops as high as many boy dogs.

Marking isn't the problem, but that Davie and Will are not always interested in the same literature. Hence one pulls this way and the other one that, with me standing in the middle with outstretched arms looking like I have a capital LT (Loser Trainer) tattooed on my forehead.

So, why do I let them pull? Well, Kiwanis Park is for my dogs what a library is for me. If someone were to take me to my favorite one, but tell me that I CAN’T read anything; that I can’t pick up a book because there is not enough time, or because he is bored, disinterest or impatient, I would be pretty frustrated and question why he took me to the bookstore in the first place.

When my dogs are at the end of the leash, it is because they can’t wait to sniff the news and forward their comments. Not because they are dominant. Believe it or not, they don’t challenge me for my steak dinner in the evening, because they walked ahead of me in the morning. Walking in front, even pulling, is not an indicator that the dog thinks he is the alpha.

In “Evolution of Working Dogs”, Raymond Coppinger and Richard Schneider write that in a racing sled-dog team the wheel dogs, the two that are placed right in front of the sled, are the physically strongest because they have to draw the sled away from obstacles.

The dogs in front of everyone are the lead dogs and set the pace, and are chosen not for strength, but because they are attuned to the other dogs and adjust speed to their capabilities, and because they are willing to take directions from the driver. That means that the leaders of the pack are that because they are responsive, and not because they establish dominance over the rest of the team. (Similar case with tracking dogs.)

Coppinger and Schneider also state that racing is not purpose driven for the dogs. The activity is natural, ingrained and rewarding in itself – so does not need a reinforcement at the end. They call it non-functional behavior and compare it to play, and in play dominance is not an issue.

So I was musing what happens when I am out and about with my dogs. Are our walks purpose driven or non-functional play? Purpose driven is if a dog is food or mate seeking, or boundary patrolling, and none of that typically takes place when human and dog are strolling together. The walk, more often than not, is a reward in it’s own right; a play-like activity, and dominance then is completely unrelated.

A dog that pulls doesn’t have alpha ambitions. It is also not necessarily disregard for the owner, but often just anticipatory excitement, like a child pulling his parent into the ice cream parlor. The child’s excitement alone does not denote that he’s a brat, but he would be classified as such if he throws a tantrum, hits his brother, and won’t listen to his parents.

If my dogs step over when asked, leave others alone on command, come when called when they are off the leash, and don’t chase joggers and cyclists, they are neither disrespectful nor dominant just because they walk ahead of me, occasionally with a taut leash. I can let Will and Davie do their thing at Kiwanis Park because they voluntary connect and listen to me, and the not so nice leash walks will not undo what we have together. As a nice side effect, even though we never cover much ground because it takes us quadruple the time to do the loop than if we’d walk at normal speed, they are so mentally stimulated that they’re tired for the rest of the day.

Said all that, polite leash manners are something every owner should aim for. Usually you’ll see me walk my dogs with the leash loosely looped over one finger. They are still often ahead of me, but not pulling, and obey a heel command when it is important for me that they are right by my side. But mostly heeling is not necessary, and so keeping a slack, loose leash my golden rule - and on top of the desired behavior list with most dog owners. How to get there is the topic of the next post.

Back Off!

2010-10-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

The last two months I published a couple of posts that addressed resources. One is called “The Hedonic Canine”, and the other “A Lesson in Resource Control”, and you can find them in the archive under August 2010 and September 2010. I talked about our pooches being pleasure-seeking animals that understand the value of possessions. Clever the owner who teaches the new furry family member that resources never run out, but that they are also under the control of people and that one must ask nicely to gain access. Starting puppies on the right paw is the easiest way to an adult dog who’s relaxed around stuff that matters to him. But what if a second chance rescue comes with deep-seated resource insecurity? What does one do with a dog who is convinced that a human near his valuables is bad news? What does one do with a dog who says: Back Off!

Resource guarding is a major reason why humane societies won’t adopt a dog out, even if he is great in every other way. Their unwillingness is understandable, because a possession-aggressive dog can inflict nasty injuries. There is the liability issue, but also a moral obligation to keep people safe, and for that reason most shelters’ temperament evaluation includes a food test. The dog is leashed and released to a dish with highly desirable canned food. As he gobbles it up, a person sticks a rubber hand, called an Assess-A-Hand, into the food, pets the dog, or moves the food bowl. A second person observes and evaluates the dog’s reaction on a scale from best – he’s surrendering the food, to worst – he’s attacking the person who operates the Assess-A-Hand, with a wide variety of behaviors in between: noticing the hand but not being bothered, eating faster, blocking the bowl, tension, growl but no bite, air snap, biting the hand, one bite and release, and repetitive bites.

Some shelters have zero tolerance for any level of resource guarding and proceed with euthanasia when the dog is tense, or blocks. More progressive ones, and our Metro SPCA belongs to them, recognize the problem but, depending on dog and intensity, are willing to work with him.

I am happy about that cause even though resource aggression is one of the more serious behavioral problems, it is also one that in most cases, if done right, can be permanently solved in a considerably short time.

A inherently flighty, commonly called submissive dog, surrenders a contested item or space. A confident one confronts anyone he perceives as a threat, real or imagined doesn’t matter. But just because a dog is determined to defend what he thinks is his doesn’t mean that the behavior isn’t rooted in fear. Both cautious and confident animals can have fears - the difference is how it is expressed. With resource guarding the fear is losing something important, and that is almost always based on experience. Food is a basic need every animal instinctively knows he needs for survival, and when it is taken away in the name of dominance, resource insecurity is instilled. The same happens if a dog has to compete for a limited supply of resources, which is not only food but anything he finds pleasurable and valuable. If he succeeds periodically, even just once, in keeping a rival at bay with aggressive displays, the behavior is powerfully reinforced. Aggression when in possession of a resource worked for the dog and he will do it again; aggression becomes his first line of action when someone approaches.

Whatever is considered valuable enough to defend depends on the dog. Often it is food, but it also could be a toy, bone, stick or garbage, a certain space like a crate or bed, the area where he is fed, or a sniffing spot at the dog park. You, the owner, could be regarded as possession, or any other family member, two- and four-legged ones. In fact, a dog who guards food during the Assess-A-Hand evaluation typically also defends other things, and just because one passes the test doesn’t mean that he won’t aggress when he has something that might be more important to him. That is why eliminating whatever a dog guards is not a practical solution, because he can always find something else, and you never know what it is. Unless the root of the problem is addressed, the dog remains unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

When I work with dogs, or write about them, I never add a disclaimer. Me thinks that demonstrating or advising something the lay owner can’t safely apply is a waste of time. It’d be like a Martha Stewart recipe that is too dangerous to be whipped up in your own kitchen. But never always has an exception, and mine is resource guarding, because it can lead to nasty bites when people misjudge the situation. For that reason, anyone who owns a possession aggressive dog should always, always consult with an experienced, but positive professional. Thus, the purpose for this post is not self-help advice, but hopefully prevent that things get messed up even more in the interim.

The popular response to a guarding, snarling dog is pinning and punishing him, removing the loot, or forcing him away from it. Although intuitive, all of the above is counterproductive because it confirms what the dog already feels: that he better be suspicious and worried about people around stuff he needs and wants. Even if you are assertive and strong enough to dominate your dog, success is typically temporary. The physically overpowered, but still insecure dog will retaliate sooner or later, against you or a weaker family member, and often with increased intensity.

Counterintuitive, but way more effective is to infuse resource security, because you are addressing the root of the problem. Once the fear is gone, the aggression also is.

Deprivation fosters anxiety and competition for the little that is available, so make sure that your dog lives in the land of plenty. Provide freely and offer many opportunities for him to “earn” stuff.

Once you allowed access to a resource, let him eat, chew and rest in peace. The last thing I want is someone pawing my chocolate cake I was looking forward to the whole day. Your dog feels the same.

Whenever he is unperturbed when you’re in the vicinity, add something extra yummy to what he already has. Yes, it sounds like overkill to toss a piece of cheese to a bone gnawing dog, but if you, the provider, is bringing more goods, your dog begins to anticipate your appearance happily, not suspiciously. He is changing his mind and that is what we’re after.

Another disclaimer here and why expert help is imperative. It is critical that you comprehend subtle signals; know when your dog becomes tense and his mind shifts, because you want to reinforce the desired behavior. In addition, understanding finer body language allows you to gauge distance accurately, and that will keep you safe during the retraining phase.

If you miss the point and your dog snarls or snaps, you’re in a Catch 22. If you back off, you reinforce intimidating aggression. If you encroach closer you take the conflict to the next level and that places you in danger to get bitten – and then, guaranteed, you will back off and thereby reinforce your dog for biting. My recommendation is to stay where you’re at, casually with a fluid body and relaxed breathing, until your pooch loosens up, and then you increase the distance. That way you are reinforcing relaxation with what he wants most: you getting lost. Another disclaimer. Only stay put when it is safe to do so. If your dog turns it up a notch cause you’re not leaving, calmly, while facing him, retreat. Don’t push it, and don’t worry what you are reinforcing at that moment. Your safety is priority.

Human and dog rules state that possession is 90% ownership. Once you have given your dog something, it is his. If you don’t want him to have it, control access with a leash or a well-practiced verbal “leave” command. Every dog should, and can learn to release something on command, or move on request, but that takes trust, training and is force free. Your positive dog expert can help you with that as well, and might have more ideas up his/her sleeve that changes your dog’s mind about people near his loot, and consequently his behavior - reliably and regardless how important something is to him.

Are Dogs Pack Animals?

2010-10-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Most everyone seems to think so, and an entire dog training methology is based on the believe that dogs live in hierarchical packs, with each aiming for alpha leadership. It is so ingrained, even with the non-dog owning public, that folks don’t realize that it is just a hypothesis, not truth. A seemingly no-brainer theory that, when questioned and investigated deeper, might actually turn out to be false.

Every species is unique in their behavior. That is how we tell them apart even if their anatomy is closely related. As such, humans and chimps are clearly different species, with a common ancestor, but only some common, primate behaviors. The same is true for dogs and wolves.

Behavioral variations happen when animals adjust to different environmental demands. Adapting to one’s Umwelt, the milieu she lives in, is evolutionary success. The big divergence regarding wolves and dogs is that dogs live on human waste, and non-captive wolves kill prey. Food seeking is a primal drive, and that makes that difference a profound one, because it means that wolves depend on one another for survival, and dogs don’t. They depend on humans.

Wolves are stronger in numbers, because they are not skilled enough to bring down large prey alone. In addition to cooperative hunting, wolves also benefit from pack support when raising their young. Wild wolves procreate only a small number of precious puppies once a year, and their survival is crucial for the species. Being cared for by a group increases the pups’ chance to reach maturity and contribute in the hunt, or procreate themselves.

The sole purpose of a pack is to thrive better as a group than an individual. That is clearly the case with wolves in their natural habitat. It takes a pack to raise a pup, and because nobody feeds them, they have to work together to kill big game for sustenance.

Dogs’, by nature, hang out where humans are. Not just the ones who claim a food bowl and leash, occupy the passenger’s seat in the car and sleep on our bed. In fact, most of our world’s dogs are feral born and strays, but still choose to live in the vicinity of humans because, since the dawn of agriculture and early settlements, that’s where their food is. Yes, occasionally one eats a rodent, but almost always when dogs kill it is either with the intent to eliminate and typically a controlled shake without a drop of blood spilled, or a hyper-aroused, out-of-control frenzied blood orgy; a rip fest that can leave many animals dead, but that are not consumed.

As a species dogs forage on what we dump, and forming a pack doesn’t make ecological sense for scavengers, especially if there is a limited supply of resources. Dogs also don’t rely on group cooperation to propel the species. As any rescue organization will attest, puppies are plentifully produced. A female dog comes into heat younger than a wolf, and more often. She can accept several suitors, even during one heat, and typically cares for her brood alone. Male dogs conveniently move on after mating; are the canine version of deadbeat dads.

Dogs don’t need a pack to thrive, but that does not mean they can’t enjoy inter-canine affiliations, or belong to a loose and transitory group when circumstances dictate or favor it, but they rarely depend on one another for survival.

Why does it matter to us if dogs are natural pack animals or not? Because it impacts their behavior and our life with them, that’s why.

Alike humans, dogs infest every corner of this planet to scavenge on waste we leave, or leftovers we kindly share. When resources are scarce, real or imagined, every other dog becomes a natural opponent. That means that dogs, inherently, drift toward competition regarding their own kind, not cooperation.

Indeed, a majority of my clients hire me because their dog aggresses against other dogs, and that interestingly is also the case with ones that were socialized properly. I pondered for some time why dogs that socially know other dogs well would proactively aggress, and came to the conclusion that it is because they have experienced dogs as resource competitors. For these dogs, more socializing in the usual way is not the solution. Quite to the contrary, it often overwhelms the dog, increases anxiety and makes matters worse.

Based on my experience, the awareness that inter-dog aggression could be the nature of the beast, not the pathology of a bad dog, makes many owners almost instantly more compassionate and patient, which allows them to approach the problem cognitively, and that leads to an improved relationship between dog and owner, which by itself can take the edge off aggression.

Regarding humans, strays are not connected to specific people, so no pack behavior there either. Hanging out in proximity does not make a pack - there has to be somewhat of a connection, which happens when we invite a dog into our home. The leash, house, fenced yard and crate eliminate her choices, and she becomes solely dependant on her person(s). The closest to what could be called pack belonging.

Does that mean that our canine companion needs a pack leader? Well, she certainly needs someone who explains how her world works; how she can belong, stay safe and access resources. How she can thrive through cooperation. And that someone has to be the human. The onus is on you, but an existing canine co-dweller who knows the ropes can certainly function as a great helper.

As far as humans are concerned, a dog, owned or not, is not a status-seeking opponent always vigilant for her chance to topple us, because directly, or indirectly, people supplied food since some 14.000 years, and people’s hands are able to hurt and harm. Dogs inherently know this, and that makes them, as a species, deferent to us.

If we translate pack leader into physical dominance displays and confrontational resource disputes, we create competition where there naturally isn’t one, and we run the danger that our dog becomes anxious, resentful and confrontational. Calling a human/dog group a pack, social unit, team or family is just semantics. What matters is that every owned dog has a person who educates, not dominates, so that she can thrive in the group she’s forced to live with.

Positive Punishment and Negative Reinforcement

2010-09-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting article (www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html) by Jean Donaldson that talks about the divisive opinions amongst dog professionals. Indeed, the inside joke goes that the only thing a room full of dog trainers can agree on is that everyone else doesn’t know what they are talking about.

I don’t envy lay owners who get passionate, but conflicting advice how to best raise, train and live with their dog. On one end of the spectrum are the positive reinforcement advocates, on the other positive punishment and negative reinforcement trainers who choose pain and discomfort to stop “bad” behaviors, and to elicit desired ones.

In operant conditioning, positive means to add something and punishment that the behavior decreases. In regards to dogs you see that on TV all the time. The dog growls and is pinned with the goal that pinning stops the dog from growling next time he encounters the trigger that evoked it. Sometimes it works, and often it doesn’t: the dog either growls again, which proves that pinning is pointless for this dog, or he stops growling and bites right away, because he still doesn’t feel any differently about the trigger, just his warning communication signal is oppressed.

So, behaviorally positive punishment is only positive punishment when the behavior actually disappears. If your dog still pulls despite choke collar corrections, or barks on a prong collar, you’re not effective and all you do is nag, and as an unwanted consequence your dog tunes you out.

Negative, in scientific terms, means to take something away and reinforcement that the behavior increases. It is, for example, Koehler’s famous ear pinch to convince the rookie retriever that holding a dumbbell is a good idea. Handler pinches the dog’s ear, which hurts and he opens his mouth, dumbbell is shoved in and the pinching stops. In case you’re not thinking with me, the pain ceasing is the negative and the dog holding the dumbbell on command and for longer periods of time is the increased behavior.

Ear pinching is still done today, but the negative reinforcement tool of choice these days is the shock collar, and its many nicer sounding guises like remote training device, or e-collar. In essence, the dog is fitted with the collar, the handler holds the transmitter and turns on the juice, and makes it die away when he gets immediate and precision accuracy performance. Dogs learn very quickly to come as speedily as their legs allow, or drop into a down anywhere, anytime and around distractions. Shock collar trained dogs’ performances look amazingly impressive, and many owners want that for themselves, and because of that it is a very lucrative business. Anybody can jump on the bandwagon and buy a shock collar training franchise, take a several weeks’ course, and henceforth use that nifty device to teach dogs of all sizes, and puppies, basic obedience, or jolt an unruly pooch into toeing the line.

No problem as long as the dog behaves, right? Wrong! The old adage that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, is spot-on regarding dogs and training. The fallout punitive methods and shocks create are well documented. For example, Murray Sidman’s 1989 book, “Coercion and its Fallout”, refers to studies that showed that shocked rats will be aggressive when a second one is placed in the same box. And not ritualized status aggression or momentary dominance over a resource, but violent attacks followed through to a kill. Furthermore, punished animals did not only redirect aggressively, but were seeking opportunities to be aggressive.

A one-year-long study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania found that aversive and intimidating methods, including the stare down, scruff shake and pinning, do little to correct behavior, but elicit aggression in dogs.

Studies with baboons showed that corrections by a higher ranking member did not create better behaved baboons, but ones that passed on the aggression to even lower ranking monkeys.

A study with Belgian military dogs showed that they performed worse on obedience tasks if their handlers used punishments instead of rewards.

Steve White, K9 cop with 30 years experience, stated in a seminar I attended that tracking dogs have much fewer false positives when trained without punishments.

And a study done by the Departments of Ethology and Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals in Utrecht, Netherlands, showed that shock collar trained German shepherds are more stressed on the training grounds, and the park.

Those findings are congruent with my experiences and don’t surprise me a bit. Negative reinforcement gives the dog only momentary relief when the discomfort ceases, cause the shocks will happen again. They are experienced and anticipated with every training session, and by conditioning cues: the collar, the handler, the training facility, or whatever details, in the dog’s mind, predict the zaps. And that creates anxiety, which will be expressed, because not releasing pressure is biologically impossible.

Not all dogs I see who have gone through that totalitarian style of training, aggress; only some do. But I have yet to meet one who is relaxed, voluntarily attentive, motivated, keen to learn new things, placid, and generally well behaved when not under surveillance. What I see instead are dogs who have a very low stress threshold, are hyperactive, hyper alert and trigger sensitive to stimuli, and express that with barking, mounting, pacing, chasing, avoidance, and/or destructive behaviors, and if those are repressed with more of the same punishments, neurotic behaviors such as obsessive spinning or self-mutilation.

Today’s shock collar trainers claim to be dog friendly and humane, gentle even, and compare the shock with a tap on the shoulder. If that were the case, one would not get the results one can watch on video clips. No dog, no animal, obeys mindlessly and with a yes-master precision, often against his nature, unless they are driven to obtain a much-desired super reward, or to avoid and stop something very unpleasant, and my bet is with the latter.

People sell what is profitable: alcohol to teenagers, substandard food, overpriced medication to the sick, and shock collars for dogs. That is just the way it is, and I get that. Who can blame the trainers who want a piece of a popular pie, or retail stores that sell that stuff? And I certainly don’t expect lay owners to waddle through behavioral laws, studies and their results.

But I do expect influencers like veterinarians, humane societies and dog associations to take an unequivocal stand with a policy against positive punishment and negative reinforcement. Many do, for example the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. But others, who comprehend the damage intimidation, force and deliberately inflicted pain causes, or at least should, don’t and continue to support it, and that is really disappointing.

A Lesson in Resource Control

2010-09-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

Will was born feral and raised by dogs, and as Turid Rugaas once said at a seminar: “If dogs raise dogs they get it right”. True enough, Will is very dog savvy, which isn't necessarily the same as dog friendly, but you can bet that her actions are always bang-on. Even so, in public places I don’t allow her to act on her own, because humans often misinterpret a dog who teaches another a valuable lesson with attacking, and good ownership is managing dog and environment in a way that keeps everyone happy.

A different situation in my own living room. I know that Will is accurate and never harms, so when she explains something to a dog, I watch, listen and learn.

The lesson in resource control took place in 2006. At the time Will was 5, and we fostered a 3-month-old Spanish water dog we named Reggae. If you google the breed profile you’ll find out that the SWD’s place of origin is Andalusia, a beautiful region in Southern Spain, where they are predominantly used as herding dogs for sheep, cattle, goats, pigs and even geese. Now, any medium size dog able to boss goats, pigs and geese around has to be tenacious, feisty, courageous and clever, and Reggae was all of that – and very cute. She was nearly the cutest pup, but also one of the most confident ones I ever met. Despite her tender age she seriously tested the boundaries with our seasoned residence dogs, Davie and Will. And it was Will who put, a least temporarily, a stop to it.

Will doesn’t like cow hoofs. In fact, she couldn’t care less about toys and chews other than her hard-rubber red ball that flies far and bounces high, real beef marrowbones, or a chicken-stuffed Kong. So the hoof in the middle of the living room meant nothing to her – but a whole lot to Reggae.

On that particular afternoon she, a busy and easily bored pup with nothing to do, eyeballed it, which did not escape Will’s awareness. Immediately Will got up and placed herself not between Reggae and hoof, but lay down on the opposite side. I guesstimate that each dog was about 3 feet in distance to the hoof. Whenever Reggae attempted to close in, prancing stiffly with a raised body and high tail, Will warned her with a low growl and hard stare not to, and Reggae backed away. That carried on for a little while, with Reggae persisting; first confidently, but eventually lowering her posturing and becoming more fluid, lips drawn a bit and play-bowing. It still didn’t impress Will much. Finally Reggae whined and whimpered, and obnoxiously rolled around in front of the hoof, pawing into Will’s direction with a stupid grin on her face, tongue hanging out. She tried every lowly and submissive puppy behavior she had up her sleeve; wooing Will sweetly in letting her have the prized, contested cow hoof.

That convinced Will that she made the point that who has seniority ought to be treated respectfully and walked away, not wasting another second on that hoof or Reggae. Once Will surrendered the loot to her, she left her in peace to enjoy it.

Smart and dog savvy Will, unlike some owners, acted like an authentic leader, instead of a bully. Bullies take things away forcefully; high status members control access to resources. Human, and canine social rules state that possession is 90% ownership. He who violates that is called a thief. Stealing from another person is against the law, and should be against the moral law regarding dogs. Typically, owners do not manage dog and resources very well, but, in the name of alpha-ism, take away something the pooch snatched, or even was given to a couple of minutes prior. That has profound consequences: it promotes suspicion, confusion and anxiety, and confident dogs are pushed into aggressive resource guarding.

Will’s access control behavior was very interesting to observe, but also surprised me. At the time I was under the impression that such dominance displays take place between two animals who want the same resource at the same time, with the same intensity. That was clearly not the case here. Will did not at all desire that hoof, but obviously recognized Reggae’s competitive and determined nature, and attempted to clarify who’s in charge when she had the chance; when Reggae was still young enough.

Both Will and Davie continued to help us with our beautiful Spaniard who we had for 7 more months. Will, in addition to teaching Reggae to say “pleeeeze”, also educated her in appropriate play behavior, while Davie showered her with attention, mothered and groomed her, and helped her through separation anxiety. Hubby Mike and I taught her the meaning of commands, self-restraint and attention – all alternatives to her aggressive displays. In the end, the cute, but problem-ridden pup became a loyal and beloved companion for a wonderful family, who continued to challenge her mind and body in a positive way.

Back to: Dog School

2010-09-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

On their very first day of school German students receive an about foot long, colorful cardboard cone filled with candies to sweeten the entrance into a somber existence that would last, according to my parents, till the day one retires. Indeed, way back when formal learning could be a dreadful time for kids, and it was not any different for dogs. Obedience training rarely began before the pup was about 8 months old, so that the harsh treatment wouldn’t damage him for life.

For most youngsters things have changed; corporal punishment and the rather humorless approach to teaching is not trendy these days. For our rookie pooches alternatives also exist, but are not nearly as universally available, which means that it’s up to the owner to do a little investigating.

And don’t be shy about it. Dog school is not publicly funded. You are paying for group classes out of your own pocket, and that gives you the right to expect certain standards from the instructor.

Competence is obvious. Learning from someone who knows little more than you is senseless. One measure of competence is experience, but it is not the only, or even the best, gauge. Being in business for 20 years can mean ongoing learning, or doing the same thing for 20 years. Dog training has progressed greatly, and someone stuck in a method from 50 years ago might not be as qualified as someone 5 years in, but who is well versed in behavior and learning theories, and open-minded to learn more - from dogs and people.

The method used should never be ambiguous or kept a secret; revealed after you paid. Good training facilities have nothing to conceal, and you should be allowed to observe a session before you sign a no-refund contract. When there, pay attention if the trainer is positive with dogs and all humans. One who treats you and your dog kindly, but yells at her staff creates a tense atmosphere and that hinders learning. Watch what the dogs tell you. Are they relaxed, attentive and enthusiastic? Watch for open mouths and fluid bodies, and where they move – toward the handler, or out the door if given the chance.

Especially for puppies and beginners the priority should be to instill the want to learn. New owners should be given the know-how to raise a well-rounded companion in day-to-day life.

Inquire if you'll have the same instructor for the duration of the course. Although it is not unusual for one trainer to fill in for another, having 3 different instructors within 8 weeks can be confusing for owners, even if they all apply the same method. Consistency is vital for beginner learners – humans and dogs.

An expert instructor is able to accurately assess if behavior is abnormal and will point this out to you. Frankness does not mean putting a judgment label on your dog or the breed you own, belittle you, or expose your dog’s challenges as a bad example in class. I’ve seen it all, and yes, even with positive reinforcement trainers. Humiliation in people school is called bullying. If it happens in dog school, it is bullying too.

And it is a football-field-size red flag if you feel intimidated by your instructor. If you feel queasy in her presence, imagine how your dog feels. Time spend together has to feel good, because it is meant to strengthen the bond, the relationship and increase cooperation. Anything that stresses or worries you, or your dog, does the opposite and is counterproductive to the sole reason why you’re there.

If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right. Give up on that instructor, but never give up on your dog and training.

Said that, training does not have to happen in a facility. It is a misconception that group class participation guarantees model canine behavior for life.

Like a child who can excel in school but still be socially awkward, or inappropriate, a dog, even an obedience titled one, can be dysfunctional in real life situations.

If your dog succeeds in obedience class or dog sport, but you are still having behavioral issues, taking yet another class likely won’t do you any good. You need to deal with the problems where the problems are, and good group trainers are connected to likeminded good private trainers and will refer you.

At least, for these top technical performers more group training won’t do any harm.

But for the stressed and traumatized dog, often coming from rescue, even the friendliest, most positive and conscientious class can be too overwhelming and increase anxiety and resulting expressions, including aggression.

What those pooches need, first and foremost, is a low-key environment where they can decompress, learn to trust again and feel safe. Progressive humane societies often make it mandatory for new adopters to attend a group class, and yes, rescue dogs have a lot to learn, including basic commands, but it can’t be rushed. Success in class only happens if the dog is relaxed enough to learn.

“The Imperial Animal” writes that humans are the only species where the young don’t learn through play, and we are projecting that to our dogs as well. German kids still get their candy cone, many children look forward to recess more than study time, and dog classes intersperse command training with games and tricks to liven things up.

Ideally, there should be no dichotomy between learning and play. For best results, it should be one and the same; learning rewarding in it’s own right. A lofty goal indeed, but at least for our dogs there are facilities in every town and city that strive for exactly that. The clever owner locates one for his dog.

What If You Are Not Calm-Assertive?

2010-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Cesar Millan, National Geographic’s famous dog trainer, is touring major Canadian cities to tell people how to become calm-assertive. I’ll bet that tickets to his events sold out in a flash, cause many people want to know exactly that. I know that, because my inbox is regularly peppered with “Dog Whisperer” lingo, like red zone, submissive, pack leader and yes, often the question: “Can you help me to become calm-assertive”? Canadian owners will be thrilled having the chance to hear the real pop-psych for dogs explain them how. If I’d ever meet Cesar Millan, I have a question of my own. What if you are NOT calm-assertive?

Even though Millan claims that everyone must, and can be calm-assertive, in reality most lay owners fall short. Someone who is by nature hesitant, softhearted, a bit unsure, cautious or sensitive, and whose body language reflected that for all her life, cannot switch suddenly and assume a different persona on a dime, even if she visualizes being some strong-minded celebrity.

And faking it for 10 or 15 years, or however long the dog lives, is just not functional – and counterproductive. Imagine you observing someone you live with acting a certain way all day long, and the moment he addresses you he becomes this mock alpha. Would that confuse you? Maybe make you a tad anxious and suspicious?

Never mind the physical aspect. Just recently I had an inquiry from a couple who were convinced that their 16-week-old pup was striving for pack leadership. They wanted my help to demote him a few pegs, cause the lady of the house was already afraid of him, and hubby not very successful. They described this pup, a giant breed who’ll eventually weigh around 150 pounds, as a born 10 on the alpha scale and wanted me to bring him down to an 8. Aside from the fact that their diagnosis was probably inaccurate, it mystifies me why they thought that would do them any good. A male adult livestock guardian dog with big teeth who’s an 8 is still a huge problem, especially if his people set the stage for, or were feeding, a confrontational relationship.

The average owner failing the corporeal aspect of the calm-assertive mantra is typical.

Corrections look so easy when applied by a professional skilled in applying corrections. Things done by experts always look easy, no matter what the field. Dog training isn’t an exception. If one practices for twenty years, one gets very good at it. A punitive dog trainer with decades of experience manhandling dogs is very proficient. That doesn’t mean that you, your grandpappy, or your 10-year-old can mimic that.

I mean, who can do the left-turn leg-thrust while jogging? How do you pin a struggling Great Dane till he capitulates if you’re 5’5”? Or lift him off the floor on his choker?

Millan, and other experienced handlers look good cause wrangling dogs is what they’ve been doing for many years. They are physically skilled to overcome any dog – and don’t mind getting bitten in the process. Chances are you do mind. In fact, for most people a bite is a deal breaker and gets the dog a one-way trip to the veterinarian.

Life’s reality is not someone blustering about with a straight backbone saying “Ssht”. It is normal for people to periodically be tense, frazzled, tired, or anxious. Dogs live in neighborhoods where they are liked by some and feared by others, and looked at even if you tell someone not to. Dogs live in our midst, and naturally experience the colorful palette of people’s personalities, and that is what they should habituate to.

So, quit stressing out if you can’t pull it off like Millan or the punitive trainer near you. Luckily, and unlike a dog who can neither choose how he is treated, nor can he express anything but what he feels, humans have alternatives.

One could, for example, be calm-cognizant. You all have a cerebral cortex, right? So, use that. Rationalize that people and dogs are individuals and learn at different paces. Learn about behavior, communication, positive reinforcement and reframing, conditioning and counter-conditioning, desensitizing and habituation….

And calm-compassionate. Compassion is a human thing, too. It's seeing the world from someone else’s point of view, and offering refuge and safety if that someone is anxious or frightened. It's releasing pressure with the overwhelmed dog, pushing a little less and progressing at the his comfort level, even if it takes time.

How about calm-confident. Cognizance combined with compassion leads to success and success builds confidence. Automatically, without the person having to pretend anything. Failure destroys confidence, so manage and orchestrate situations that set you and your dog up for success.

Static assertive, strong, and physically skilled humans don’t represent the real world. Dogs live with young and old people; physically and emotionally stronger and weaker ones; people who have good and bad days, and not with a charismatic male whose aptitude is to fearlessly overpower dogs.

Your dog understands that. So be yourself when you interact with him cause that is what you do best. But know how to manage space and control resources, how to teach without errors and how to get voluntary attention, and offer safety, and you will still be the leader in your dog’s eyes, even if you can’t knuckle-bite as effectively as Cesar Millan.

The Hedonic Canine

2010-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Definition of hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure is the motive for action. Historically and presently “What is in it for me?” is the tune many humans sing. Do dogs yap the same notes? You bet. I hate to bust your bubble about unconditional love, but all life intrinsically seeks to fulfill its own basic needs first and foremost, and the highly evolved dog is, in addition, actively questing mental and physical stimulation to satisfy senses and instincts. Dogs have wants they pursue. I argue that most dogs are little furry hedonists. Now, before you view your dog in an unfavorable light; before you’re sad and disillusioned because your only true and honest friend turned out to be yet another manipulative opportunist, consider this: the knowledge that dogs seek pleasure is the fasted way to a well-mannered, attentive and obedient one.

Ask yourself the following question. What makes your boss the boss? Why are you working for her? Likely not because she smacks the common workforce across the head every time they make a mistake, but because she controls what you want: Moolah. So you can buy stuff that gives you pleasure. Your boss is the superior because she controls the resources. Your boss pays you. She also controls time and space; tells you when to show up and where to sit, but key is that she hands over, at the end of each month, what you need and want most. Nothing else needs to be done to make you faithfully waste a good chunk of your life in the office.

Dogs don’t care about money, a fancy boy-toy magnet car, or jewels. They want dog typical stuff: being let outside or in, a favorite toy or people food, off-leash freedom to investigate pee-mail, and find interesting stuff like deer poop or where the squirrel lives, playtime with dog friends, snuggling on the sofa or bed with you, a car ride….

You get the gist – it is not low quality kibble, water and an insulated dog house outside. It is much more than that.

Once you understand what drives your dog, teach him a bunch of behaviors you like. And then make what he wants contingent on what you want, and voila! - A dog who looks for behaviors he can offer that get him access to what his canine heart desires. A dog who has learned that the fasted way to please himself is to please you.

Resource control is not the same as the Nothing in Life is Free concept, and it certainly has nothing to do with depriving the dog of food, toys and affection. Something of high value that rarely manifests becomes a big deal for the dog, and big deal stuff is guarded and defended against anybody the dog feels suspicious of. Deprivation creates stress, tension and resource guarding.

A dog who lives in paradise AND is aware that he is on a payroll is not a contradiction. You marry the two by controlling the resource the dog wants at the moment. That is the key. Knowing what the dog wants not that morning, or tomorrow, but right now, and that should be under your control, and he should only be given access to it if he behaves the way you want at that moment. There are many moments in a day, and many opportunities for a dog to work for you and earn what he’s laid his eyes on.

If your boss is a cranky micromanager, you’ll probably look for another job, regardless how high up on the social ladder she is. If she is a bully and you fear her, you probably won’t perform better, but perhaps be sick more often to avoid having to go to work. You’d also feel resentment, regardless if she’s the office alpha. A boss who is resented is always in danger that her workforce screws her behind her back.

But if she is a benevolent and motivational leader, allows some autonomy and shares the pie – maybe not in equal pieces but enough to keep you happy and wanting more, you stay loyal to the company and give your best.

Behavioral laws are universal to all species. Your dog does not have the choice to look for a new owner if he resents how he is treated, but he can resent you, lack in performance, and some do escape or retaliate with aggression.

On the other hand, if you get resource control right, you have your dog’s number; his mind and his body. Voluntarily compliance. It is humane, positive and effective – and according to hedonism, natural.

Now that this is covered, I let you in on a secret. It’s not only about stuff. I bet my best leather leash that Davie would not pack up her food dish and move in next-door cause the neighbor has the better ball. She sticks with us cause we are cool together, have an awesome relationship, mesh. If you want to call it unconditional love, go right ahead. I do.

The Off-Switch Command

2010-08-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

If you are blessed with a young sporting dog, or one belonging to any of the herding breeds, or a certain type of terrier, you might be wondering if your canine companion ever shuts off. Some dogs have a never-ending supply of energy and are easily bored. That’s not the same as being hyper and inattentive. The busy pooch is quite focused: not leaving you out of his sight, observing, staring, wanting a job, begging for interaction - in short, forever bugging someone to engage him in something useful.

Dogs like that are a lot of fun. They are plugged in, easily guided and ready for anything, anytime. Whatever dog sport or activity the owner likes to pursue, the always on the go canine is up for it.

The flipside is that such an industrious dog can be very annoying. Even the most energetic owner, who incorporates her pooch in many activities and creates work projects, needs dog-free time every so often and becomes frustrated with her underfoot and demanding, hairy sidekick.

As usual, it is not the dog’s fault that he’s persistently pestering. Most people signal when they’re ready to interact with the dog. I like to use the dog’s name. When I say Will and Davie, I get instantaneous attention, cause both know that what follows involves them somehow. Ideally, when you call your dog, he should stop whatever he is doing, check in with you, and wait for a command that tells him what you want next. The dog’s name is the perfect on-switch, and the eager to work pooch is happy to be switched on and keeps going, and going, and going, because he is not switched off.

Dogs are clever, but not mind readers. At one point, the person decides that she’s got other things to do and walks away – and the dog has no clue what just happened. And because the interaction was so rewarding, he paws at his person, whines or barks in her face. That, typically, elicits a reaction from the person and that is reinforcing for the dog, which means that he will paw and bark in the future to keep the attention going, often turning it up a notch in frustration if his owner doesn’t respond right away, which in turn frustrates the human and she reacts, and so on. It has nothing to do with dominance – just plain learned behavior based on experience, combined with a lack of vital information.

When you return to your human-only activity, you have to tell your dog that.

Whenever I am done with playing, or a training session, which in my house is the same thing, I inform my dogs with a command. Mine is a verbal “All-done”, combined with a distinct hand signal, and I completely ignore the little sweethearts thereafter, even if they persist and check if I really meant it. An especially narky pooch can be put in a time out, all others are allowed to hang out or occupy themselves with their toys.

Once your dog realizes that you do mean it; that “All-done” signals downtime, he’ll quit hassling you. The off-switch command comes in handy if you are tired or busy, and in training class between exercises. With your dog in a signaled "you're on your own", you can pay attention to the instructor.

And there might be another aspect that makes the “All-done” cue an important one. John J. Ratey, M.D. and Catherine Johnson, Ph.D., explain in their book “Shadow Syndromes”, that an autistic child perceives a parent who shifts her gaze from the child to something else, as completely disconnecting. What is a normal thing to do for humans, looking at something else and then back at the person, makes an autistic child feel totally abandoned. And I wonder if dogs might feel the same. With the off-switch cue you’d then not only prevent extinction frustration, but can also assure a needy pooch that you are not disconnecting; not checking out, but that the interaction just stops for now.

“All-done” brings about a disappointed expression in Davie’s face. She knows that a play session is over. I don’t like it when she is disappointed, but like it less to be cranky with her because she pesters me for ball throw number 501. Davie might not like the off-switch much, but she understands it. She wouldn’t understand her human’s impatience or frustration. And there is nothing wrong with sweetening quiet time with a stuffed Kong or a chewy.

Synchronized Group Behavior and Other Stuff

2010-07-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

The upcoming communication seminar called for me to finally organize all my dog photos – mine, and many friends and clients sent me over the years.

I was surprised how often they show dogs in the same picture doing the same thing.

Animals in a social group orient their actions to one another – one yawns, eats, stretches, lays down, barks, focuses in a certain direction, and the other(s) follow suit. It happens with dogs that cohabitate, but also ones that are just on a task together.

Real bonded group members also synchronize subconsciously, not one after the other, but at the exact same time lift a paw, speed or slow the pace, pee, open or close the mouth, change directions, tail wag or are still.

We want our dogs to have a strong sense of social belonging, so that they orient and synchronize their actions to us, and that’s why they should:

Sleep where we sleep;

Eat where and when we eat;

Be quietly in close proximity when we work on the computer or watch TV;

Be active when we initiate activity or a walk;

Be part of family outings.

The less the dog experiences those group activities, the less she will coordinate her actions to ours, and the less she will respond to us voluntarily, especially in conflict situations. Group orientation and synchronicity cannot be forced and commanded, but comes naturally when members are truly bonded and/or on task together. Next time you are out and about with your pooch, check if she follows your actions without you giving her any verbal cues.

While I was at it, and because I had a summer lull in the tide, I sorted through notes and scribbles I take whenever I read, see or hear something interesting, or when a thought or idea takes shape in my mind.

This is something I wrote down in 05, right after a herding workshop.

Things I learned:

Dogs learn by observation – even older ones.

Follow through when you say something – or don’t say it.

Find what really floats your dog’s boat and get the best responses and performances.

Sheep are smart – but not as smart as a rookie Australian shepherd.

She who controls space is in charge.

And that is from November 09. Whenever I drive to and from clients I listen to CBC Radio one. One of my favorite programs is Quirks and Quarks, and last November they had a segment on what the brain does when an organism is in fight/flight mode. We already know what the rest of the body does: stress hormones are released, the heart rate goes up, glucose is pumped into muscles, digestion and rational thinking seizes temporarily, pupils dilate and whatnot.

What scientists discovered was that in the brain, when the body is in fight/flight mode, the centers for habit are activated, which means that whatever behaviors happen at that moment can quickly become compulsive. Evolutionary that makes total sense. An animal who subconsciously “remembers” how it got itself out of a tough spot has a greater chance of survival.

What does that mean regarding dogs? Well, maybe that every time a dog feels threatened and behaves in a way humans don’t like, but gets a response that decreases his fear and anxiety, his brain memorizes what actions took the pressure off. And each time that happens, the habit of behaving “badly” is strengthened in the brain.

Another reason to manage an emotional dog’s environment in a way that keeps her below threshold, below fight/flight mode, or at least teach and ensure that the behavior she exhibits at that moment is an acceptable one, for example controlled retreat.

Last but not least, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Blockbuster, the DVD rental place, permits dogs inside. I don’t have time to watch movies very often, but this weekend I do. I like independent stuff, so I got two German ones: The White Ribbon and North Face, and a horror/thriller in English called: The Children.

Today, when we walked in, we saw a sign at the door that said not to leave dogs in the car, but to bring them inside instead, provided they are well behaved, of course. I wondered if it was just for the summer so people wouldn’t leave their pooch in the hot vehicle. But no. New policy. Blockbuster is now pet friendly. At least the one in Truro, Nova Scotia, is.

Complex Dog Communication

2010-07-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Communication is part of every interaction and always a continuous feedback between all parties. One organism sends out a message with the intent to get a response, which, when it comes, it will act on or answer back to, which elicits another response, and so on. Effective communication depends both on the receiver understanding the signals and then corresponding accurately.

Pretty straightforward concept to understand, isn’t it? Indeed it is, and yet many humans seem to have difficulties. There are communication gaps between neighbors and nations, genders and generations – and species, like humans and dogs. Miscommunication is common and happens easily, often unintentionally, but the consequences are profound: passing conflict situations and permanent problem behaviors. A dog who is misunderstood is tense and anxious. If your responses to his signals don’t make sense, he’ll check out; ignore you and act on his own terms. Those are typically the dogs labeled stubborn or dumb.

Methinks that the reason why humans have communication problems is because we love telling others what to do much more than listening to what they’re trying to say.

But even if someone takes an interest in learning canine communication signals, and the dog speaks clearly because he was bred conscientiously and given opportunities to learn his own language, it can still be "Greek" to the average dog owner. That is because our companion dogs live in a complex world that requires complex communication. Signals that look the same can mean different things, depending on the situation. Communication is context specific and dynamic.

Let me illustrate: Our Davie is an exclusive to her social group kinda dog. More often then not, when she averts her head, which would be interpreted by most as an appeasing, submissive signal, what she really says is that she is not granting audience and wishes to be left alone. Turning her head is a very polite, but confident, “get lost” message.

Our Newf Baywolf’s rolling on his back was also not submission, but an active and confident attempt to solicit a tummy rub.

One behavior often misinterpreted is the play bow; the front half of the dog lowered with the butt up in the air. As the term implies, it is an invitation for a romp, but can also signal the opposite: a dog wishing a pause during play if things get a little heated.

A play bow can be just a long stretch, or used by the dog to buy time to assess a novel or uncertain situation he feels conflicted about.

Marking is communication. For scent-oriented dogs, leaving small amounts of smelly body fluid at many strategically important places is imperative. Both males and females do it; neutered or not, and some girls even lift a leg. Urine marking claims real estate, but also adds familiarity to an unfamiliar place or situation and thereby relieves anxiety. A dog might pee to entice another to mark on top, so that more information about the newcomer can be gained without having to get to close to him physically - like the canine version of a phone call or Facebook message. A wolf mating couple announces their union by marking together, and bonded dogs often pee simultaneously. Not one after the other, but at the exact same time. Bonded social group members synchronize their actions.

Mounting is rarely sexual and usually also not status seeking, but the attempt to control and change a situation the dog is annoyed or concerned about. It implies anxiety about a situation without a plan to solve it. Mounting can be either be directed against the perceived problem dog, or redirected against the one who happens to be closest, much like a redirected bite.

Next time your dog yawns, try to determine the motivation. Is he a tad worried and tries to pacify you or another, or submissively seeks acceptance? A yawn after a nap likely has dual purpose; taking in more oxygen to get ready for action, and signaling the other group members to join in. But maybe your pooch is just tired, and the yawn is nothing more than an involuntary body function.

Knowing the fine nuances of your dog’s body language allows you to respond accurately, and that has a powerful effect. Your dog will feel understood and almost immediately feel less anxious and be more attentive.

If you are keen to learn more, and are in Nova Scotia, mark September 18 and 19 on your calendar. Adina MacRae and I will be talking about body language and dog play. It is an one-day, people-only event. In the morning we will be at Happy Hounds on Barrington to analyze a bunch of photos and video footage - all our own material, which means we know the context. In the afternoon we’re all heading to Seaview Park for guided field observation. Because of the field trip, we want a small group and space is very limited to 20 people each day.

For more info and to register, email: seminarswithsilvia@gmail.com