Why We (Usually) Can't Use Sex To Motivate Dogs

I really just used that title because it made me giggle, though it is true. I could tell you a story about working on a pig farm and a discussion on power tools and breeding pigs, but I'll leave it to your imagination (nobody was hurt).
I'm going to let you in on yet another dog trainer secret. I keep doing this because I really want what's best for your dog; you being educated is really great for your dog. Us dog trainers have a pretty good handle on motivators and how to use them to teach dogs. Really good dog trainers even know what motivates their human clients!

First, some basics about motivators. Every living thing has motivators- things that provide a reason or stimulus to do something. There are three basic elements of life that are important to all animals (even people): food, sex, and fear. There are pros and cons to each one:

Food: fast, fun, easy, allows quick learning in different situations, BUT you do have to learn how to fade out the food rewards and still have a strong behavior.
Sex: very motivating, fun, BUT it is not ideal for achieving quick learning, quick repetitions AND it requires another animal.
Fear: Changes behavior quickly, BUT the animal tends to over-generalize and have trouble learning distinctions when in a fearful state. Studies have also shown lingering effects of punishment based techniques (see resources).

It should come to no surprise to you to hear that I prefer to use food as a primary motivator and reinforcer in training, at least initially. I always teach my clients about fading food rewards, which you can read about in another post coming soon. To train your own dog, you have to understand what motivates him. Food is a solid motivator for all animals since they need it to survive. The only times a dog doesn't want food are when he is already full or is over-threshold and is going into fight/flight mode. When initially training a new behavior or cue, food is a wonderful way to keep your dog engaged, get quick repetitions (as long as you keep treats small), and keep the training enjoyable for you both.
Some dogs are differently motivated from the start; my buddy Darwin loves nothing in life more than his frisbee:

Catching a frisbee: 

Holding a frisbee: 

 Even when the snow is up to his belly: 

I have known dogs who like attention more than food, or the reward of running with another dog more than food. Motivators will not only vary by dog, but by situation. When a dog is in high-energy exercise like running an agility course, he may not want to stop to eat a treat (it's physiological), but will gladly play tug or fetch with his handler for a minute. It keeps him excited for the agility course and is a reward- perfect motivation! When a dog is in his home with minimal distractions, his own dry food or petting and attention from his humans may be sufficient to drive him. In class, with other dogs, smells and sounds, his humans will likely need a more tasty treat to keep their dog engaged and motivated while learning. When a dog is overstimulated and stressed, food will not be high on their priority list. If they are fight/flight mode, digestion is shut down and they will not stop if you toss a steak in front of them. Humans are the same way- if you are trying to escape a burning building, you probably will not stop to grab a slice of pizza from the fridge because food is literally the last thing on your mind. A good trainer will know this and actually wants to keep a dog from feeling this stressed while training, and in every day life. I'm not saying dogs have to have perfect lives where everything is handed to them, but the things that really upset them and make them freeze, growl, bark, bite- those should really be removed and reintroduced properly (read: gradually with the help of a certified trainer). A dog who is scared is not going to learn anything good; I know I keep saying this but only because it's so true. We want the best schools for our kids because it's the best environment, right? Free of undue stress, filled with teachers who want them to succeed, even if they learn differently than other students, right? Why not get the best for your dog? If you are enlisting the help of a trainer who lets your dog get into that stressful state time and time again, especially if they are adding in any coercive method, they are not really helping your dog. They are scaring or hurting your dog, no matter how it is sugar-coated or how many different ways they come up with to describe a shock, choke, or prong collar, it's still something that is meant to be uncomfortable to dogs. For more on reinforcers check out my post from a little while back.

Want to know more about motivators and why they make a difference to dogs? Check out the resources I read for this article!

Resources:

Excel-Erated Learning: Explaining in Plain English How Dogs Learn and How Best to Teach Them, By Pamela Reid

http://www.animalsandsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/279-285-A-Fresh-Look-at-the-Wolf-Pack-Theory-of-Companion-Animal-Dog-Social-Behavior.pdf

http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(08)00371-7/fulltext

http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(11)00087-6/abstract

Like a Pack of Wild Dogs

Actually, the dog on your sofa or floor is not a wild dog or a wolf and has not been for somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 years. That isn't to say that today's dogs are not pack animals- they are in fact, quite well suited to live in a family group.
I prefer the term family instead of pack, because when we start tossing around the word 'pack', somebody inevitably feels the need to talk about a 'pack leader'. Then they tend to jump to the need to "establish dominance" or "assert dominance". The problem with those terms is that the come from observations on captive wolves from the 1940's. There are a few fallacies here, so I'll briefly put it in human terms to highlight the important ones.
Think about how human behavior was understood in the 1940's, how well understood were human psychological issues and human development compared to today? (Take a look here) They were starting to turn away from old traditions that we would pretty much consider barbaric or torturous today and look into science- starting. 
Now, if we didn't even understand our own brains, how could we assume to understand those of dogs, especially wolves who were in a situation very different from a family/pack in the wild? How could we assume to think that those wolves in captivity, living in what was quite different from a wild pack of wolves and were thousands of years different genetically from our own dogs, could be accurately compared to our pets at home? We were wrong. It's ok though, everyone makes mistakes, right?
The problem is that these beliefs are still haunting us and our dogs today. It's right under our noses at the vet clinic or the groomer who roughly handles dogs in an effort to be efficient, though they do have the dog's best interest at heart. We even see it in the hands of some dog trainers, who believe that coercion is the best way to train a dog.
It is true that wolves and dogs are social animals, just like people are social animals. It's true that there is a need for some balance within any social group of animals, it's just not as serious and intense as the 'alpha' folks would have you believe. The fact is that even in packs of wolves or in groups of animals put together in captivity (as long as they are grouped well), there shouldn't be frequent violent displays or pain inflicted regularly. In groups of wolves, just as many familial groups of animals, there is a general acceptance of those in the family and a general (at least initial) apprehension towards outsiders. Simply from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense to be suspect of someone new wandering into your pack- if they are a good fit personality-wise, it's still another mouth to feed. This could explain some of the more severe aggressive displays we observe at times, but there's more.
Within all social groups, there needs to be communication for everyone to get along. Good communication includes signals on what is ok and not ok, what the animal intends to do, and even random movements at times (after all, animals are not machines!) Good communication is clear, precise and effectively gets the message across, right?
Right, it gets the message across with minimal effort on the part of the animal(s) communicating. Now, this is where those who believe in alpha rolls and other threat displays are put in a funny place. As a pack animal, living in the wild, why would a wolf use any more energy than necessary in a social situation? They don't; it wouldn't make sense. Energy is conserved and used when necessary, not just to prove they are bog and strong. They use exactly what the situation dictates, so in the wild and even in domesticated dogs, you will see a lot more subtle forms of communication in the majority of situations. Using something dramatic is usually not necessary, except in an extreme circumstance; so using an alpha roll or a shock on a dog who simply did not know that he wasn't supposed to pull on leash is certainly an overreaction. Redirecting with a u-turn for pulling is a lot easier and less dramatic. Using an alpha roll on a dog who is just confused will only confuse it more and can lead to fear-based aggression.
Dogs and wolves do utilize a hierarchy in social settings, but it is more fluid than many humans tend to think; many aspects of behavior are situational and are not the only way differences are sorted out.
So many trainers out there use more forceful (or intentionally painful and life-threatening) techniques in a misguided effort to dissuade dogs from trying to establish 'dominance' over us. This is another one that baffles me. Again in human terms, how many of us out there really want to be a president or world leader, or even a mayor? I can't tell you exact numbers, but I guarantee that every person you see walking down the street wants to be in charge of every other person walking down the street. We are not all built that way. Dogs are the same, wolves are the same, all animals are the same- we don't all want to be in charge. Most of the time when I see a dog that another trainer describes as 'dominant', it's either an adolescent who simply does not have manners or a grasp on basic cues or a dog who is so terrified that it is reacting defensively to everything as if it's a threat. With both, the problem can be solved with simply teaching basic cues, impulse control and by the human(s) being consistent in their expectations and training. This can all be done without inflicting pain, by the way.
Since we are not dogs and we can't possibly perceive everything as a dog does, we should not go around tossing in phrases like 'dominance', 'pack leader', or 'alpha' because we only know them in human terms, not canine. This and our ignorance to much of the subtle body language of dogs and wolves put us in a dangerous place when we try treating our dogs like wolves. Worse, it puts our dogs in dangerous situations when they are treated like something they are not- they are not wolves and they are not humans; simply dogs. Let's learn more about them and treat them accordingly, doesn't the pup keeping your feet warm deserve that?



Aggression in Dogs; Practical Management, Prevention & Behavior Modification by Brenda Aloff Pages 30-33

https://vimeo.com/19472436 (NOVA documentary on canine understanding of people, compared to other animals; differences between dogs and wolves

http://www.anchorholdfilms.com/ (short Documentary on the fallacies of punishment training and "alpha" fallacies)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3143860/ (NIH study on Clinical Psychology in the United States between 1940 and 2010)

Doggie Outtakes; Whispering Dogs Part 2

This week, I want to see if you paid attention to the last post. It's like a little quiz, with pretty pictures of cute pups and a great sense of pride if you answer the questions correctly.
So, last week time (was it three weeks now or a full month?!) I wrote about how dogs have basically three levels of communicating: whispering, talking, and yelling.
Here's a recap of the things you want to look for at each level:

Whispering: lip lick, short stare, slight head turn, scratching frequently or out of context (like in the middle of play), sniffing the ground out of context (in the middle of play or when meeting someone), leaning away, looking away, low tail, yawning, moving slowly

Talking: hyper-vigilant (looking around quickly), excessive yawning, panting when it's not hot, freezing in position, moving away, "whale eye" (looking so far in one direction that you see the whites of the dog's eyes), sudden loss of appetite, tucked tail, curved spine, dilated pupils, shaking/trembling, shaking off (this is a displacement behavior that we see frequently in play)

Yelling: lip lift, closed mouth, showing teeth, snarling, growling, barking, lunging, biting 

Now, I have some outtakes from graduation photos. I love keeping these to look for little body language cues. In reality, the time from the first shot as dogs get lined up and that final shot where three out of four dogs are lined up for a half decent picture is three to five minutes. I probably get 30 pictures in this time, and each one can capture at least one different signal from each dog. Most of the time these dogs are just excited and want to play, but you still see the displacement and calming signals. My goal in training, especially in group class, is to keep everyone under threshold. That means you won't get the chance to see much "yelling" in these pictures. I'll work on that for next time. 

First up, who in this picture is nervous, who is excited and who is blurring the line between healthy interest and play and over-the-top play?

The lab-pit mix on the left has her ears pinned back, probably because she just wants to go play with her big brother next to her and mom is asking her to hold still. 

The big mixed breed in the middle there is very uneasy with the dog all the way on the right. He is turning away, looking away and has a little paw lift going on. All of this tells the other dog that he is no threat and really doesn't want to do anything. 

The pit mix on the right really wants to go investigate the other dogs. She is very sweet, but her normal play level would be way too much for the arthritic big guy next to her. Her weight is to the left- in the direction of the other two dogs. She wants to go check them out and her human mom is blocking her. 

What do you think of this guy? Happy? Sad? Mad? Scared? A little warm?

You may have to turn up the brightness on your computer, but look at Howie's eyes- he's squinting. It's not because it's bright out, but because he's uncomfortable with the fact that I had been taking his picture for a couple minutes at this point and he thinks the camera is scary. 

Here is the first picture I took of him, about 35 seconds before the above picture:

By the time I got that second picture, he was squinting and turning his head away from me, whereas here he is looking right at the camera. His ears are pinned back because he doesn't like the sound the camera makes when it takes the picture in addition to the big, scary lens.

Contrast that with Gracie, who doesn't really care that I'm taking pictures. Her face is relaxed with the exception of her panting because it was about 80 degrees out on graduation day.

Next, is everybody alright with what's going on in this picture?

The chocolate lab on the left is watching the other dogs, because she wants to play.

The doberman in the middle is in the middle shaking off- she really wants to play with the lab but we told her she has to wait util class is over. This is the human equivalent of an exasperated sigh. 

The little schnauzer on the right is really not sure about all this movement. She has a history of reactivity and the fact that she is at such a low stress level around two other dogs and four people who aren't mom is really good. She is still unsure- leaning away and looking away from the other dogs. I intentionally put her on the end next to the doberman for the picture because I knew the lab would be too excited to be next to her.

So they are all ok, because they are communicating well with each other and I won't make them maintain that close proximity too much longer! 

Look close, how has the dynamic changed from the previous picture?

The doberman in the middle wants to play with everyone with the full exuberance of a 1 year old pup, but the schnauzer is standing her ground as well as she can. She's got extra confidence because mom is there, so her weight is evenly distributed on all four legs, indicating that she doesn't want to back down.
The lab on the left is in the middle of a lip lick as a way to diffuse the tension of the two dogs next to her and is probably wondering why she can't bum rush the other dogs to play. 

Ok, I tricked you. Those last two pictures were switched in reality. There was a moment after this last picture where everybody needed to refocus on their owner and then be asked to sit down. Everything worked out just fine and they finally relaxed for a decent graduation picture. This happened because the dogs were all communicating and their owners were paying attention to them! 



Last one, I promise. The two dogs you can see, the Labrador and the Wheaten Terrier, how are they feeling about this situation?

The dog you can't see (because she is blocked by one of her humans) is jumping up to get a treat. 
The Wheaten Terrier in the middle really wants to play with the lab but his mom is trying to hold him still so he's not fighting it too much.
The Lab is trying to go smell the terrier but his dad is adjusting his harness and he is holding still. 
If you look at both dogs, you will see they both have weight evenly distributed on all four legs and they are panting with open mouths. It was really hot by this point in the day- graduation for the noon class was about 1:00pm and it was one of those oppressively hot days. 

Now go out and watch your dog! Watch your dog play with a doggie friend! Take notes and learn about your dog so you can be a better human companion! 

Whispering Dogs

There's talk of dog whisperers and horse whisperers and ghost whisperers- wait, that last one I'm not so sure about. Anyway, people can call themselves whatever they want, but it's actually more important to hear a dog whisper than whisper to a dog. How does one listen to a dog? It actually has much more to do with observing than listening, though your ears will come in handy.Dogs are always communicating with us and we are often too ignorant to realize it because they communicate mostly in tiny signals. It's not entirely our fault that we are ignorant to these tiny things; they are tiny and fleeting and generally below our eye level. The thing is, we owe it to our dogs to try a bit harder. This guy summed it up nicely:

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”

—Josh Billings 

It's usually those little things that tell us what our dog is feeling and thinking. By understanding these little things, we can actually be better people for our dogs. Imagine, knowing the instant your dog is bothered by the toddler grabbing his tail (ok that one is pretty obvious), by the heavy-handed petting by crazy aunt Myrtle, or that the new puppy is just too much for your 13 year old dog to have patience for. When we see and understand these things, we can get our dog out of situations before anything bad happens and we can be much more successful with training and behavior modification. If you can't tell when your dog is going over threshold when working with a scary stimulus, how can you be sure you are doing behavior modification correctly? If you can't see that your pup is getting more and more agitated in class, how can you expect them to focus on you or learn anything?

I'll put this in more human terms to demonstrate the escalation of behaviors. In a way, dogs have three basic levels of talking to us- whispering, talking, and yelling. 

Whispering is the first signal they are uneasy about something and they will try to whisper until they feel they are not being heard. Whispers are little body language signals which a dog exhibits to express their discomfort. A lot of whispers are actually displacement behaviors and calming behaviors, which are used by dogs in an attempt to diffuse stressful situations and communicate that they are not a threat to that scary stimulus. 

If their whispering is ignored, dogs will try talking, which are signals that are a little more obvious (at least to the dog). Dogs will usually still offer displacement and calming signals at this point, but will probably offer more stress reactions to let you know that they want out of the situation. 

When those two are ignored and the dog feels under severe stress or pressure, they start yelling. As people, we tend to wait until our dog is yelling to do anything. Dogs will no longer offer displacement or calming behaviors at this point, because they see it as pointless- they have been trying those for so long and they have been ignored so they need to protect themselves at this point. The yelling is actually what we people are great at seeing, but by then your dog is at or way over threshold and might as well be having a panic attack. 

This is where people who use shock collars make their money- a dog who is way over threshold cannot be lured back with treat or toy and can't be called back with commands, just as you would not be talked out of a panic attack by someone saying "oh, it's ok, just calm down- have a cookie." That's not how the brain works. By the time a dog is that upset, they are in fight or flight mode and digestion is the last thing (literally) on their mind. Then, someone comes in with a coercive method like a physical correction. Aside from removing the dog from the situation, something like this will unfortunately be the only way to get their attention in that situation, because pain or discomfort is the only thing that will register with the part of their brain that has taken over. The problem with this method lies in the fallout- a dog is unsure of kids on bicycles, then one day one gets way too close and the next thing that pup knows, she is getting yanked around by the neck or shocked. Why on earth would she ever begin to like kids or bicycles?! That only reinforces her beliefs that kids and bicycles are dangerous. A much better method is to first know when a dog is showing little signs of stress and help them cope at that level, then gradually add in higher level stressors as long as they stay under threshold. Ideally, this is done under the instruction of a professional trainer or behaviorist. Here are a few examples of each:

Whispering: lip lick, short stare, slight head turn, scratching frequently or out of context (like in the middle of play), sniffing the ground out of context (in the middle of play or when meeting someone), leaning away, looking away, low tail, yawning, moving slowly

Talking: hyper-vigilant (looking around quickly), excessive yawning, panting when it's not hot, freezing in position, moving away, "whale eye" (looking so far in one direction that you see the whites of the dog's eyes), sudden loss of appetite, tucked tail, curved spine, dilated pupils, shaking/trembling, shaking off (this is a displacement behavior that we see frequently in play)

Yelling: lip lift, closed mouth, showing teeth snarling, growling, barking, lunging, biting 

Look back over those signals. There are a lot of them, and that's just the ones we humans can easily perceive. Dogs will always use these signals before they do something like biting. The only times they don't are when they are consistently ignored or punished for whispering or talking; then they go to just yelling all the time. This is how we get dogs who seem to bit out of nowhere, or dogs who "seem fine" and then "suddenly bite". Short of a chemical imbalance, it is quite rare for a dog to go from "fine" to biting. 

Usually, a dog who is just not reacting visibly is what most people see as "fine". A small dog who is very still and looking away from a big, scary dog is just "fine", right? Wrong. They are uneasy and trying to say so as politely as possible. If you don't give them some distance from that big scary dog, they will start talking louder and yelling. 

I hope this gives you some insight into your dog and can help you to be a better dog owner. Don't you want to be the best possible person for a face like this?

Resources and recommended reading on this topic. 

I have included so many resources on this one because I believe that understanding your dog is the most important part of owning a dog (short of feeding and medical care, that is).

Interview w/Pam Dennison on reactivity

http://www.dogcastradio.com/flashplayer.php?episode=155On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals, Turid RugaasCalming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You – DVD – Turid RugaasThe Other End of the Leash – Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs, Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.Stress in Dogs, Martina Scholz and Clarissa von ReinhardtThe Language of Dogs – Understanding Canine Body Language and Other Signals- DVD’s – Sarah Kalnajs

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Double Trouble, or Why You May Not Want Sibling Pups

I want this post to serve as an educational one, and a warning all at once. I like to multi-task. I want to tell you about the dangers of getting two puppies from the same litter.
One of the services I provide for my clients is new dog counseling. We discuss lifestyle, including hours spent out of the home, outdoor activities, number of people living in the home, visitors, other pets, and the list goes on. We discuss whether they want to adopt/rescue or buy from a reputable breeder. Let me say that I'm all about adopting from a shelter or going through a rescue organization, but if someone really wants a specific breed and wants a puppy, I don't see anything wrong with buying from a good breeder. We'll get into this in another post, but I wanted to put it out there- I don't think that opting for a breeder is in itself a bad thing. Plenty of breeders work hard to improve their breed and do extensive background checks on potential owners to ensure the well-being of their pups.
Anyway- I try to figure out a good balance between what people want in a dog, what they can realistically give to the dog, and what the dog will need from them. We then work to get the new pup (or adopted older pup or senior citizen pup) acclimated to the new home, address any behavior issues and start on basic training commands. It's really rewarding to help put the pieces together and see new relationships develop when I do this, I know I'm setting them all up for a great life together.
Except...
When folks want to throw a big wrench into it.
By getting two litter mates.
I know it's tempting- they are cute, they are siblings, and they'll keep each other company so it'll be a little easier for the humans, right?
Almost. It's so almost true that I want to believe it. They are adorable, they will probably love living together, but the humans in these cases have a lot more on their plate than they expect.
Ask anyone who has twin children- it's double the work, especially at the beginning. With dogs, it's the same but for slightly different reasons.
Sibling pups can have a handful of issues:

Bonding

They can bond so well with each other that they all but ignore the people in their family (or any other pets, for that matter). This becomes especially troublesome when you are working on things like recall and leash walking, and your dog really doesn't care what you say. It makes sense that they would bond better with each other- they've already been acquainted for quite some time once you get them so you are fighting an uphill battle to get them to care about you.

Bullying

Pups who are siblings can sometimes exhibit more bullying tendencies- one to the other, or by them ganging up on another pet. This is based largely on my experience and that of other canine professionals, so it may not be as widespread, but it's out there. It may be that one pup was protected by other litter mates before going to their new home and now the 'bully' pup has the freedom to be a jerk all the time. As siblings who do everything together, bullying of another dog (or even a person) is worse when there are two dogs doing it. 

Health 

Genetically, siblings will have a lot in common. This means they will be similarly adorable and will grow to be about the same size. It also means that if there are any genetic health issues or deformities, you'll get it times two. Anything as simple as sensitivities to food, allergies to things like cancer or heart defects are generally shared between litter mates. It could mean double the cost of special food or vet bills and /or double heartache if they both pass away at the same time, or early in life. 

Temperament

The other thing that is passed on in DNA (to some extent) is temperament. Any behaviors from severe aggression to extreme timidness are sculpted by genetics and the early environment- which is just about identical for canine siblings. Organizations that train guide dogs have discovered that there can be a tendency for one of the pups to develop a more shy or submissive personality and for the other to be more outgoing- any good guide dog group won't send two puppies to a home to be raised together. 

BUT

Just because someone gets litter mates, it does not automatically mean any or all of the above issues will ever present themselves, or at least not at a level that it affects daily life. I have known plenty of litter mates who have done great- fantastic through all training, no bullying of anyone and live long healthy lives. The thing is, their humans have been people who were really committed to their dogs. They made (or had) time to commit to working with the dogs a LOT. They also seemed to be dogs who were pretty good temperament-wise anyway, so that's a plus. So, to ensure success with litter mates, and to ensure that they don't take over everything, there are some simple steps to take. 

1. Look at breeds- some breeds will be more difficult in pairs- sight/scent hounds who are siblings can be much more work than say, retrievers. Hounds tend to work more independently of their people and are bred to have what I call "doggie ADHD". They are bred to be on the lookout for things and it is very strongly ingrained in them. Retrievers are similarly bred to know their environment and seek out things, but they are meant to work closely with a person (or people). By trying to find a breed that is more inclined to work closely with a person, your odds of success are higher and your work won't be as hard.

2. If you want to ensure success with two pups from the same litter, the first step is to find a fantastic breeder. It will likely be an uphill battle to get two pups from a good breeder, because they are aware of all the things I have mentioned and want the best for their pups. If you can prove yourself worthy, they'll probably let it happen though. By choosing a great breeder, you can significantly diminish or eliminate the chances of serious health problems or temperament problems, so your job is just a bit easier still.

3. This one is really important, and if I weren't listing chronologically it would be first because this can make or break any dog pair's success in a home with people. The dogs need time away from each other. This means crating separately and spending time with their people individually. This needs to be done just about every day. I'm talking about walks with you and one dog, training on cues with one dog and the other dog being in another room; outings to meet other doggie friends individually. They need to be able to develop socially as individuals to be successful as with people. All obedience training needs to be done with both dogs; each individually and then together so that the behavior can be generalized and proofed. This one is not always easy; I'm not gonna lie. Raising a dog takes time, money, and effort. Raising two dogs takes at least twice that much. 

4. Lower your expectations when they are together. Until you have done many months or years worth of work, the dogs will still be very easily distracted by one another. That's why you need to develop proficiency with one dog before working two (or more) dogs together. 

Any of you out there have sibling pups?

Links & Resources: 

The New Knowledge of Dog Behavior, by Clarence Pfaffenberger  (actually originally published in 1963; presents information on puppy development and offered at the time a brand new perspective on puppy temperament testing. This is how Guide Dogs for the Blind figured it out!)

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_1/features/Problems-Adopting-Two-Puppies-At-Once_16190-1.html?pg=3

http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/adopting-out-two-dogs-littermates-too-bonded-to-separate

http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/adopting-littermates-dont

My (Other) Favorite Cue to Teach Dogs

Aside from the general "my dog never listens outside of our house/yard", one of my most common complaints from clients is that their puppy (or adult dog, in some cases) mouths, bites and/or nips. This is most common in puppies and herding breeds. I see a lot of Labradors who do it too.
That doesn't really matter, though. What is important is that the vast majority of these dogs are not "dominant" or "aggressive" in any way. They are usually trying to interact in hopes of play or simply to get their owner's attention.
In addition to management tips and redirection, one of the things I love to teach mouthy dogs is the Touch cue (it's also called Targeting). This cue simply teaches a dog to gently touch his or her nose to a person's hand. I'll put the training handout at the bottom here so you can teach it to your dog, too! This cue is great for dogs who like to grab hands with their mouths because it teaches them an appropriate way to interact with hands.
You know what's better than that? It it so much more flexible than that. You can teach your dog to Target with different parts of their body, like legs (yup- all four of them), paws, hips, tail or ears. You can also teach your dog to target anything at all! People, walls, toys, wall switches, etc. The list goes on.

But that's not all! In shy dogs, this can boost confidence. In dogs who have lost a limb or have vision deficiencies on one side, it can help with body awareness. Using targeting, you can teach your dog to open and close doors, turn lights off and on. In dog sports like Agility, Canine Freestyle and Rally, it teaches them to target contact zones on obstacles and lateral movement. It can be used to teach all kinds of "party tricks". It can even be used as an emergency recall!

Without further ado, here are instructions for the Touch (or Targeting) cue:

TOUCH

Purpose for touch:  Touch teaches your dog to interact nicely with hands, which is very helpful if you have a 'nippy' puppy! It's also a great confidence booster and a first building block in many dog sports. 

Hand signal/ visual cue: Place your hand near your dog's face, palm open 

Voice command/ verbal cue:  'Touch'

Behavior Pyramid:

Start with your dog sitting or standing and hold your hand, palm open, in front of your dog's nose (3-5 inches away)  with your fingers pointed toward the wall. 

Wait.

Seriously, don't move your hand and don't say anything. 

Your dog WILL move to touch your hand with their nose. 

As soon as they do, say “touch”, CT

Repeat. 

As your dog gets better with this, try putting your hand in different positions. 

Mistakes your dog may make:

Approaching your hand with an open mouth:

Move your hand away, saying “oops”, then offer your hand again

Dog shies away from your hand:

Reward any movement towards your hand. As your dog gets better, wait until they touch your hand, even if it's brief. 

Building the behavior:

As your dog improves this skill, remember to add in your random reinforcement schedule- only giving food rewards intermittently without a pattern. In addition, you can give food rewards for the best, quickest responses. 

Try having your dog target other things (the wall, a toy, a specific toy, a door, etc.)

Now, go out to your living room and start having fun with your dog! 

Calm Submissive State, My A%#.

My blood pressure has been rising almost exponentially lately whenever I hear about other trainers who look down on or dismiss the effectiveness of reward based training. These trainers are always spouting someone else's mantra about your dog needing to be in a "calm, submissive state". They are even right here-gasp-in my hometown. They are claiming that there is a limit to what you can do with reward based training or that after a certain age, you simply need to switch to using compulsion-based methods to get results.

I'm calling shenanigans.


Think about it in human terms, if it helps. If you are relaxed, laying on the couch reading a book, that's a "calm state" right? If someone bursts through your front door and begins to threaten you and your family, you'll switch to being in (some degree of) a frightened or submissive state. Are you still as relaxed as you were when you were relaxing on the couch reading your book?
Doubtful.
 My point is that it is physiologically impossible to be both calm and submissive at the same time. This is true across species. When you are calm, your heart rate is at a normal, low rate and your respiration rate is even and relatively low. Muscles are relaxed and your body posture will reflect that. On the other hand, when you are feeling submissive your body will reflect that you are unsure and on edge. Your heart rate and respiration rate will be (even slightly) elevated. Say you are in this unsure, submissive state and you are then given a random, unrelated written exam or multiple choice test...in Japanese (it's a notoriously difficult language to learn). How well are you going to do? Will you be able to focus and learn new things while in this environment? Will you retain it? Will you want to learn more from this person?
A dog who is calm is comfortable, relaxed, serene, tranquil and safe.
A dog who is submissive is unsure, anxious, meek and passive.
The two cannot exist together in the same animal at the same time.

Quick history lesson:
Compulsion based methods have been used widely since the first days of dog training in the early 1900's (military dogs during WWI) and back then, we honestly didn't know any better. Things like alpha rolls, scruff shakes, choking, etc were originally used because it was a fast effective way to get a dog's attention and slow them down to give the human the advantage.
Unfortunately, these are still fast, effective ways to get most dogs to stop demonstrating any given behavior. They are not resolutions to behavioral problems, and the dog does not suddenly respect the trainer/handler who is using these methods. The dog is likely shutting down because they are mentally overwhelmed and literally cannot respond any more (we call this "flooding")and has stopped fighting back because they feel their survival is at risk (this may or may not be rational). The dog is learning to distrust that person. Over time, dogs stop doing just about anything (even new behaviors) that may get them in trouble. This is called "learned helplessness"; the dog has learned that they can have no impact on their environment so they stop trying.
Back when dogs were first trained to do work and these methods were implemented, it was believed that any dog who did not respond well to training was simply not capable of being trained.
Using these methods, training cannot start until the dog is over 6 months of age. Ever wonder why? First of all, the physical force could do serious damage to young puppies, that's pretty obvious. The other thing is that this is after dogs have grown out of their Fear Imprint period in development and they have an understanding of what things are good and what things are bad in life.
Sure, go ahead and slap a prong collar on him- that won't be at all confusing.

What I'm trying to explain is that these 'trainers' who go on about a "calm, submissive" dog are so full of it I'm waiting for them to explode. The terms are made up. Their methods are antiquated at best and abusive at worst. Most of them don't even have an actual education beyond attending a few seminars on these methods. They have no real knowledge of Behavior, Cognition, Development or Learning Theory and they wield tools meant to cause harm.

You know why positive based training methods started being used and how clicker training developed? Marine mammals- you can't really punish a whale or a dolphin. They swim away and don't want to interact with you if you are a big jerkface. We had to come up with a way to motivate them to want to hang around and interact. Yeah, yeah that initially involves food rewards. Big deal. We ALL like rewards and food is something we can provide easily to animals when we train. Then we fade it out. Check out my post on bribery here to learn a little more about proper use of food in training.  What's wrong with that?! I'm not saying your dog gets 3 Big Macs every day, his own meals can be the reward if you're worried about weight gain. Food is a different topic entirely anyway, so I'll stop with that here.

I was recently watching a video another trainer in my area has on their website of a "before and after" of a dog who is trained using a prong collar. The "before" is a brief moment of the dog on camera reacting to another dog. The "before" dog is a dog who is excited, pulling on leash, jumping and doing a bit of barking. The tail is up a little higher than it would be for normal friendly play, and she appears to be switching between a play bow and a prey bow, so I would agree that there is some degree of over-stimulation at play and potential for trouble. The dog is not displaying outright aggression and appears to have a generally loose body (no tension, no crouching) which indicates that aggression is likely not going to be her first response. This does not mean that it is out of the realm of possibility, given her arousal level, so I would agree that this dog does need help coping with the stimulus. The "after" is after the trainer and owner have worked a few times with the prong collar on the dog so the dog understands the pressure placed on her by the collar. The dog after the prong collar training could be a different dog, and I don't mean that in a good way. She is nervous, anxious and unsure about everything. Her tail is low and almost tucked, she is completely avoiding eye contact with the other dog and is panting in an environment where the people are wearing pants and jackets. She is stressed out.
But she's submissive as she can be.
You know what she's not?
Calm.
She's not "calm, submissive" because that DOESN'T EXIST.


Would you be calm if you had this around your neck?

With reward based training, I'm not going to try to change your dog's state or your state- I'm going to give you both tools to communicate and cope with challenges you will face in life together. With reward based training, the goal is to strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Pain and force are not the way to strengthen any relationship, and neither is bribery; which is why I don't use either. It's also why any trainer with an education in canine behavior, cognition and learning won't use them if they want results without dangerous side effects. I also don't just teach cute tricks to dogs using food rewards. I teach owners to communicate effectively with their dog; how to read their dog's body language so they understand their dog. I teach basic commands to help build a bond and use fun games to ensure both canine and human are having fun and thinking. You can have fun and still learn at the same time, you know. Ask a first grader about school this week. Do they have any fun during the day? Do they learn anything? Odds are, if they get to do both they are looking forward to the rest of the school year and the rest of their education in school. Why not set up a similar learning environment for your dog?


Resources:
Excel-Erated Learning by Pamela Reid, PhD (Flooding- pgs 115-116; Learned Helplessness pages 98-99)
Canine Body Language; A Photographic Guide by Brenda Aloff
Reaching the Animal Mind by Karen Pryor (chapter on Fear, pages 115-132)
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-25147640 (article on first recorded use of Military dogs in WWI)
Animal Behavior College Dog Trainer's Curriculum (Use of Military Dogs: pages 4-6)

Vicious Attack Dogs

 At just 6 months, baby boy was pulling Roxie in for big kisses. 

My post this week is actually not entirely my own, though the picture above is. I'm not going to plagiarize anyone, I'm just going to share an article that really hit home with me.
This is an article about pit bulls, and how they are individuals. Each individual pit-type or bully-breed is not a representative of the entire breed, for better or worse. What people forget so often is that this is true for ALL dog breeds. Each individual dog is just that- an individual with their own story and characteristics; but not a representative for the entire breed or the population of dogs as a whole.

http://www.esquire.com/features/american-dog-0814

After reading this article I can assure you that Roxie is curled up on the couch with us, as she is welcome to do for the rest of her life. Tomorrow, she and our son will play fetch and tug together and they will inevitably share some snacks. We will take her for a walk and we will get strange looks, and some people will quickly run back into their houses. We have lived like this with Roxie for the past six years and it makes me furious and sad every time. She is a good dog. She loves people. I know she does not like many other dogs, so we are extremely cautious and courteous when we encounter any other canines.

After working as a vet tech and a trainer for the past 10 years, I have been bitten. I have been almost bitten. The times that weren't cats or hamsters were dogs. Usually Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Dachschunds, or Chihuahuas. I'm not saying these guys are inherently dangerous breeds, but I am saying that no breed is- each dog is an individual with their own traits.

Choose Your Friends (and Dog Trainer) Carefully

I've been doing some thinking and reading lately, and there's something I really need to get off my chest, so bear with my rambling.
I train dogs. I help with behavior modification, problem solving and simple obedience training. I don't call myself a 'dog whisperer', behaviorist, or someone who strives for 'fast, effective results'. I also do not 'guarantee training results'.
If I spent my time speaking softly to dogs, I suppose I could call myself a 'whisperer' but that's not what I do and honestly I think it sounds weird.
I do not consider myself a behaviorist because I do not (yet) have a Master's degree or a PhD. To call myself a behaviorist, I need a lot more knowledge and a lot more experience; I'm just not there yet.
I never, ever, ever, never promise fast and effective results from training. Unless the only problem you have is a stinky dog (the resolution for which is a good bath), odds are there isn't a quick fix. It's simple to teach behaviors using just about any type of training, but it's the generalizing and proofing that takes time. By the way, generalizing and proofing need to be done with any type of training, which is why it's not accurate to offer fast, effective result.
I don't guarantee training results. Not because I don't believe in my work or my methods, but because training requires lifetime maintenance. I cannot guarantee that you, the owner will keep up with training after our lessons are done. I certainly hope you will, though.

Enough about me. I want to talk about you. You and your dog. Your dog who chews up everything, who only listens when you have treats in your hand, who forgets everything you have worked so hard to train as soon as you open the freaking front door. I've been there myself. I've been there with clients and the best part of my day is when a client says "I can't believe he's listening! I never thought that would happen!" The second best part of my day is knowing I helped them achieve that without harming their dog or their relationship with their dog. I want you and your dog to get to that point even if I never get to meet you, even if another trainer is the one who gets to share that moment with you- I want you and your dog to have that because it's a great feeling.

Now, to pick a trainer...
It's tough to choose a trainer for your four legged family member. I've had to do it and luckily I got a great one on my first try. The first place you can turn to is your veterinarian. I spend a lot of time and money getting to know veterinarians and letting them get to know me. I offer free education sessions for staff members at vet clinics as well as puppy folders with information on development and early training tricks. I answer all questions they ask me, and I thank them for their referrals. I want them to know they can rely on me and trust me with all of their clients. Next, I do the same with groomers and breeders. My point is this- a good trainer, who cares about their clients, community and reputation will do this, and the names you (usually) get from other pet professionals are the folks who are putting out some effort.

You have a name from your veterinarian, now what? Seriously? You have an internet connection and the name of a stranger who you may invite into your home? Google it! Do they have a website? Email address? Phone number? Education? Credentials? Are they listed in the search of any organization devoted to training? If a trainer has an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree, especially in animal behavior it's typically a good sign that they will have a solid understanding of canine behavior and development. Specifically, I tell people to look for someone who has any or all of the following designations after their name: CPDT-KA, CPDT-KSA, IAABC, CBCC-KA, APDT, ACAAB, CAAB. Now, these aren't the only designations you may see, just the more common ones and the ones more frequently associated with reward based trainers. For a full list of any letters you may see after a trainer's name, check out this post from the APDT.

You can click on each of those up there for their own websites, but I'll give a quick run-down:

CPDT-KA, CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA:
These are all designations granted by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers to those who have passed a standardized test that they are only allowed to sit for after approval by the Certification Council. In order to apply to sit for the test, an individual needs references from a veterinarian, a client, and a colleague in the training field. They also need at least 300 documented hours of work as the lead trainer in the three years leading up to them taking the test. Oh, and the ones with the -KSA have taken it a step further and have passed a knowledge and skills assessment, which means they take the same test, then provide video showing their capabilities working with dogs and people. The video proves that they can help train new behaviors, adjust to individuals and that they don't utilize force or any type of coercion.

IAABC:
The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants has different levels of membership, depending on skill level and experience. The Associate Certified Membership means that the individual has at least 300 hours experience in behavior consulting and 150 hours minimum of coursework (in these areas). The Certified Membership requires 500 hours of consulting and 400 hours of coursework at a minimum. 

APDT:
The Association of Professional Dog Trainers is a professional organization for trainers who are devoted to positive methods and continuing education. The only requirement is that you pay the annual dues, but this means that the trainer is at least putting forth the effort to train in a better way than we did 15 years ago.

ACAAB, CAAB:
The Animal Behavior Society is a professional certification organization that has two levels of certification. The Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist must hold a Master's degree from an accredited college or university in a biological or behavioral science with an emphasis in animal behavior, and have completed a research based thesis. They also need to have two years experience in applied animal behavior. The Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist must have a doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a biological or behavioral science with an emphasis on animal behavior, including five years of professional experience, or a doctorate from an accredited college or university in veterinary medicine plus two years in a university-approved residency in animal behavior and three additional years of professional experience in applied animal behavior.

I know I keep harping on the reward based training and positive reinforcement training, but only because it's really important. I'll go into more detail in a later post, but for now feel free to read the ASVAB's position on punishment in training. In short, compulsion based training methods frequently do more harm than good and can quickly deteriorate a human-canine bond. Trainers who give up on reward based training either don't understand what they are doing, don't understand animal behavior, or are simply too lazy to follow it through. Reward based training does take more time. It does take more work. Results cannot be guaranteed unless pet parents keep up the work over time (and really, this is true for any type of training).

Above all, if you don't like the trainer- don't use them! If you meet with me for a consult and you don't like my personality, that's fine. Odds are I can tell and I really prefer not to work with people who don't want to work with me anyway. It seems like a waste of both our time and a waste of your money. Remember- it's your money and your time, and it should be money and time well spent.

Today's lesson:
Be sure to research your trainer, ask questions, ask for references, and ask about methods.