The Seven Taproot Behaviors

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.

Totally Wound Up

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

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

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.

Reflections on the Park Day

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.

What's in a Name

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

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.

Breeds, Pit Bulls, Aggression and BSL

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

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.

Warning Sounds and Non-Reward Marking

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.

A Lesson in Resource Control

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.

Dog Behavior and the Personal Filter

The actions of others, dogs, people or whatever species, is always evaluated through one’s own filter; one’s personal emotions and experiences.

We assess our dogs’ actions based on fear and insecurity or confidence, social pressures and popular trends, knowledge or the lack of it, and expectations – regardless if they are realistic or not.

Take begging, for example. A person concerned about losing his cherished status bans the pooch from the kitchen, because he believes that whenever she eyeballs the aroma-rich people food she is contemplating to challenge for it aggressively. Others, like me, see it as an offered attention behavior, and that of an animal that feels subordinate, not equal or even superior. I’ll discuss that topic some more in my next post and you’ll see what I mean.

Not coming when called can be interpreted as:

She didn’t hear me;

She is too distracted and has tuned me out;

She is defiant;

She is overwhelmed by a stimulus and out-of-her mind startled or afraid;

She is dominant, aggressive and red-zone;

We haven’t trained the come command yet, or need more practice;

I am calling with a harsh voice that makes her nervous;

I corrected her in the past for coming and she is nervous;

I spoiled the command by not enforcing it in the past, with the result that she learned that there is an option, or is operant conditioned to NOT coming.

What I say and my body language are not cohesive and she is confused.

The filtering depends on the personality of the human, not the dog. The dog simply acts based on any of the above reasons. The problem is that as soon as we label the dog instead of the action, we see only the label: stubborn, aggressive or dumb. The risk is that once a dog is labeled as such, it becomes her identity and people generalize it to all her behaviors. And with it they give themselves justification to apply punitive consequences. After all, the dog deserves it, right?

That impacts the relationship, and not in good way, and problem behaviors often escalate.

The personal filter has an especially profound influence when it comes to aggression.

If we fear teeth, then growling has a much deeper impact than if we are confident that we have things under control, or if we are knowledgeable enough to understand that a growl is a natural part of dogs’ communication and a warning – intended to avoid injury, not cause it.

Someone who was bitten by a German shepherd will be more frightened by a German shepherd’s growl than that of a golden retriever, even if the retriever is very tense and still. Society fears pit bulls and loves Labradors, and so we act differently around a pit bull, which can instill suspicion or nervousness in her, which increases the likelihood for her to react. In addition, the breed society hates becomes an attractive one for people that hate society. Thugs see the world through their filter also; raise and keep their dogs according to it.

Again, that has nothing to do with the dog, and everything to do with human character.

It is not the dog’s problem, nor is he capable to change how we feel. The onus is on the person. Even Millan got that figured out when he says that he trains people – yet he continues to correct the dog.

I get it. Some people are more emotional and less informed than others. That is normal, and it is difficult to ignore how one feels about something or someone.

Difficult perhaps, but not impossible. It really doesn’t take hyper-rational brainpower to evaluate a dog’s behavior factually, just some willingness to learn and a little self-awareness. And it is well worth it cause clearing the view allows falling in love with the dog again, and settling ones subjective fears and insecurities. That makes for much more successful problem behavior solving, and that opens the door to an authentic companion relationship; a partnership between two species sharing a life together for a while. And that is what dogs deserve – and their humans.

Suzanne Clothier Seminar in Guelph

I just returned from a trip to Guelph to see world-renowned behavior expert and author Suzanne Clothier (www.flyingdogpress.com).

I am sure that the future will reveal what the purpose was, cause right now I don’t know. To be clear, I am not saying that the 4 days was totally circling the toilet bowl. I mean, listening to Suzanne Clothier and watching her work makes any dog person, and I don’t care who you are, a better one. The topics for my May 01 seminar are set, but what was discussed in Guelph ties in nicely with it, and I will share new insights and known stuff I was reminded of, with the people who’ll attend.

I had some “aha” moments, and but most of what was addressed I already apply. And surprisingly, there were points I don’t agree with, and others I still have to mull over a bit longer. That didn’t happen at Suzanne’s Victoria/BC seminar in 06. That time her word was gospel to me. It was the first and only seminar or workshop I attended where I agreed with everything said and done. Not this time.

This one was interesting, but not fabulous. I cry over the 1.200 bucks it cost me and imagine how many books and DVDs I could have bought. Holy Smokes Ontario is expensive. And so unfriendly. At least TO, the - ah – center of the universe. I will never rent a car from Budget ever again, even though they gave me a Hyundai Santa Fe, which I really liked. We are Honda people, but maybe will check into a Hyundai for our next car.

I will also not stay at the Airport Holiday Inn again. The room was nice, and the check-in person. But the check-out one was very snotty, and the airport-shuttle bus driver pointed with his head that he was ready to leave. No “I’m ready to leave, Mam”. Not even nodding. He pointed, not invitingly with his arm or hand, but his head. And I had to carry my own suitcase from the lobby to the shuttle. That guy would not be working for me for long.

The only good thing in Toronto was that I had a chance to see friends and have lunch with them – and got to meet their all-around beautiful Bouvier for the first time.

People in Guelph were friendlier. The Days Inn Hotel was great, too. The most comfortable hotel bed I slept in.

Being one of 60 or so seminar participants made me feel very uneasy. I knew about myself that I love being in front of a group of strangers much more than being part of one, but the level of discomfort I felt surprised me. As a result, I was not my usual self and experienced first-hand how insecurity inhibits performance when I had an opportunity to work with a people-shy border collie. Here I was, already tense but not afraid of the rather mild dog, ready to do what feels natural to me, but I had to follow someone else’s guidance, which made me even more rigid.

I’m already sympathetic to emotions that arise when one is asked to perform in perceived distressing situations, but having felt it, I now have an even better understanding and compassion for the dogs I work with - and their owners.

Physical discomfort creates stress as well, and that was discussed and is also on my May 01 seminar’s agenda. Suzanne Clothier swears by a product called System Saver (www.biotrope.net). The company makes the natural anti-inflammatory for horses, dogs and humans, and according to the folks in Guelph it is the best thing for arthritis related problems and geriatric animals. I ordered some for Davie, and some for Mike and I. I will keep you posted.

So, lets summarize: I had an interesting lesson in self-finding and self-improvement; I had a chance to drive a cheaper to purchase than Honda car I actually like; I got info about an affordable supplement that might help Davie’s arthritis and get rid of that twitch in my shoulder; I learned a couple of new things and remembered what I should emphasize more. I guess I got my answer what the purpose of my trip to Guelph was. Had it just not been that darn expensive.

Look At That - Look At Me

The Department of Ethology in Budapest Hungary, http://familydogproject.elte.hu/index.html

conducts very interesting dog behavior research projects for quite a few years now. Those are real scientific studies done by real behavioral scientists, and although their focus is the family dog, they also study wolves, as control groups, to find out if and how dogs and wolves behaviorally differ. One profound distinction they discovered is that it is natural for dogs to look humans in the eye, and for wolves it isn’t.

It is wonderful to get a scientific confirmation for what many of us positive dog pros knew all along: It is normal for dogs to offer and receive eye contact.

Dogs are domesticated, which means that humans are an accepted part of dogs’ natural environment. And that is true even for the ones not reared by humans - the Budapest scientists studied that as well. People and dogs, cause we shared the same environment for such a long time, evolved together and there are quite a few social similarities. The way we use our eyes it one of them. We can try to kill someone with a laser look, but mostly we pay polite attention to the one we interact with.

So, eye contact is not something people should have to teach dogs. But alas, thanks to the still popular misperception that a dog looking at a person challenges for alpha status, in reality many dogs neither offer that natural form of communication, nor are they able to accept it. Dogs with problem behaviors always get worse as soon as someone looks at them; as soon as they feel paid attention to.

And that’s a shame, cause offered eye contact equals attention, and who wouldn’t want that. A dog encouraged to speak with her eyes willingly connects to the owner to ask for permission or help, which gives the owner control and the dog a copout during a conflict situation. That is what we should foster.

A dog who always averts her eyes is afraid because she was corrected in the past for looking, and one who appears aloof likely has unlearned to look because it was ignored. If the person does not acknowledge eye connection, the dog learns to look to the environment for informational cues.

In both cases it is up to the person to re-teach what should be natural; that “talking” with the eyes is desired and asking for help an option.

Initially you can prompt your dog by saying her name, or even using a treat lure you hold between your eyes. Your dog’s eyes will follow the lure, and she’ll automatically look at you, which you then reward with the treat. Incrementally move your fingers away from your eyes. Most dog quickly understand that it is eye contact you are after, and once she does ask for offered, the emphasis is on offered, connection before you give access to any resource she wants, including her food, a walk, being let outside, allowed off the leash and so on.

Eye contact is attention, and attention will become a default behavior and with it off-leash obedience is much more reliable. Although some dogs signal with a twitch of an ear that they’re with you, prolonged eye contact is an unambiguous sign of deep connection. Once your dog has learned that eye contact is a successful way to communicate with you, she will also do it when he is nervous of something. Eye contact becomes a signal for you to take action before she reactively lunges and barks. Eye contact as a coping skill decreases stress and fear, and the resulting unwanted emotional outbursts.

Every dog should be desensitized to accept eye contact from strangers, cause strangers will look at your dog even if you tell them not to. The advice some trainers give to tell all strangers to ignore your pit bull at the end of your leash is not realistic. Especially the fearful of canine teeth person will look - guaranteed. And if you have a cute, but shy dog, people will look also trying to make friends. It’s difficult enough to get them not to pat uninvited.

Needless to say, never, ever punish your dog when she looks at you. Not even if she gives you the hairy eyeball. If your dog throws you a hard, intimidating warning look you have a deeper-seated relationship issue that you won’t solve by confrontationally staring her down.

My goal with my dogs is for them to signal with their eyes when they want something, when they are worried or confused about something, and that they heard me.

When your dog looks at you, you have her attention, and only if you have her attention giving her a command makes any sense. If your dog is not paying attention, she has you tuned out and is unlikely able to obey.

From now on, encourage, acknowledge and reinforce eye contact. Especially when presented with stimuli. To withhold the environment from a dog is as unrealistic as telling every person not to look at her. Dogs, people, cats, cars and squirrels do exist, and it is normal for every species to observe cohabitants. The important goal is to have a dog who periodically and voluntarily checks in with you, the owner, her lifeline. So “look at that” is okay, but “look at me” is what should be reinforced with a game, or a treat, or a whole lot of loving attention. Then maybe some day you, like us, will rarely use the come command anymore, cause your dog is “with you” the matter what, and you know she is cause she looks at you.

The Social Aspects of Fear Reactivity

Social mammals are very sensitive to fear signals of the same species. It is a necessary for survival thing, because it makes others in the group aware of potential danger and allows time to flee or fight.

Imagine how it would affect you if you’d hear someone’s scream. It right away raises the level of tension and alertness, hormonal changes take place, the heart is racing and fear sets in. You’d likely be more receptive to the scream than the calm energy of a companion you might be walking with. And that is intensified if you don't have any information what is happening; why the person screams.

Dogs are no exception. Many hear fear and stress signals of their own kind all the time – in a shelter, from neighborhood dogs, in a multi dog household or from punished dogs in a punitive training facility. In addition to being sensitive to same species' fear signals, dogs, because their lives are so intertwined with humans’ since thousands of years, are also receptive to our tensions, fears and stresses.

A dog might not be fearful genetically, but when surrounded and exposed to dogs and people that are, becomes stressed as well and, at that point, is less likely to pick up safety signals that are given by more grounded members. One has to have a very strong sense of safety and confidence to overcome that.

Studies showed that problem children do best when integrated into a group with socially apt and non-aggressive children. Not only do they learn from them, but they are also forced to change their own behavior in order to be accepted and fit in, and social acceptance is a profound need for all social animals. There is no reason to believe that this would be any different with dogs. Of course, and understandably so, neither parents of good kids, nor owners of non-aggressive dogs want the “bad” ones in their midst, and that makes integration and behavior modification more difficult.

What one can do is to expose the problem dog where relaxed dogs are, but in a distance far enough that allows him to observe without getting stressed. That instills safety and trust and then the distance can be decreased bit by bit.

What happens in reality though is often the opposite. The owner signs the dog up for a growl class where all dogs have issues and most humans are tense also, or brings him to the dog park hoping that “socializing”, or maybe even an older and meaner dog teaching him a lesson, will do the job. That leads to even more arousal, aggression, distrust, fear, stress, resistance and suspicion.

If dogs are too reactive to handle a normal class, they should also not be in any other group class or group setting. If we muzzle the dog, he is only physically safe for others, not emotionally safe within himself.

Most reactive behaviors are rooted in fear and distrust in human leadership. With second-hand dogs that could be based on life experience, and not necessarily on mistakes the present owner makes. When we drag such a dog to the dog park, into a class or aggressive seminar, with an aggressive, corrective and intimidating instructor or other reactive dogs, we hand our dog over and send following messages:

I don’t hear your fears. I don’t care that you are stressed. I can force you to do things you don’t want or can't do. I can force you to look at me and I expect you trust me even though I just completely disregarded your fear and forced you.

If you are tense and grip the leash you convey that you are also stressed. If you have the dog on a nose harness, you take away his ability to communicate and with it the last bit of control that could decrease stress.

It is important to, as our dog's leader, to lead by example – in the home and outside. When our dog reacts out of fear, it is crucial to remain calm, confident and centered. That does not mean to trivialize the problem, but it is up to the human(s) to set the stage for a different behavior, instead of letting the dog take the lead and return aggression with aggression, become tense when he does, make fast and loud noises and erratic hand movements. The dog can’t be in control if the human in charge is out if control.

Temple Grandin, in her book “Animals in Translation”, describes a study that showed that once monkeys had fears, it lingered and was contagious. Dogs that have strong and specific fears might need a long time before they feel safe. Because is lingers, and especially with rescue dogs that are newly adopted and don't have a trusted relationship with their people yet, it is important that the dog is not exposed to those triggers before it exists, he feels safe with them and has learned some coping skills. If he is exposed too soon, the fear resurfaces or intensifies.

Counter conditioning changes the association to the trigger and can work, but not always does. A dog who has a strong fear to something could have formed associations to all environmental details involved with it – the place, sounds, people, dogs, even the feel of the surface he was standing on. It doesn’t matter if a detail had something to do with the negative or traumatic experience or not. Any associated detail can trigger the fear reaction in a different context. With Will, it was any indoor training facility that shut her down.

The opposite is also true. Once an environment becomes a good and safe experience, all perceived details instill safety in different contexts. That is why it is so important that a dog feels safe with his owners.