Personal Space

Recently, I came across a fantastic blog discussing personal space in dogs and why, unfortunately, it is considered aggression, when a dog fairly defends themselves against rude behavior from another dog. Let's face it, we as people want our dogs to behave, yet when we take them places such as a training class, the dog park or the pet store, some of us let them bounce around like a bouncy ball and get into any and every dogs' face. Why is this okay? The simple answer is that it's NOT. Although we should strive to socialize our dogs to their best interest and make sure that interactions among them are positive, we cannot expect our pets to be alright with any and every dog, just as we are not alright with every person we meet. Unless we are saints we cannot expect our dogs to be.

Not only does this go for dog on dog interaction but people and dog interaction as well. Being an owner of a service animal, I often run into the issue of people always wanting to come up and pet my working animal. Of course, if the question is asked and I feel that I have time and want to educate, I may say yes, but some people simply reach out and pet my dog. I see this happen not only when I'm out with my service dog but just about everywhere with ordinary house pets. The main point here is, if the animal does not know you, there is no good reason to swarm them and hug all over them. Imagine you're out shopping at the mall and a strange person comes up and just gives you a big hug and won't let go. They then go on to stroke your hair and go on and on about how cute you are. A little concerned? You should be. It isn't any different for our dogs. While many dogs are well socialized and friendly, many do not enjoy being crowded and a certain amount of space should be given.

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said." -Peter Drucker

Many dogs communicate how comfortable they are or not by using body language. Vocalizations seem to happen more frequently the closer their space is invaded. An example could be someone you do not know coming closer and you try to subtle let them know you're not comfortable by moving away. If they continue to proceed you avoid eye contact or try to avoid any and all interaction. If they continue to invade eventually you will be forced to speak your mind, often harshly, and say "hey, please, give me some space." A growl used by a dog in that situation is completely fair and often punished. Punishing this behavior is not only unfair but it also teaches the dog that other dogs can be associated with unpleasant reactions from, you, the owner. Another downfall of punishing this normal behavior is that often than not, if their space is invaded a dog will try snapping or biting to voice their opinion instead of using a nicer approach, such as growling, at first. If someone told you that you could not tell someone to get out of your personal space, you would only learn to result to pushing or shoving someone away. Often, dogs will do everything they can before they have to make the trivial choice of snapping or biting. A general order of this may be practicing avoidance, moving away, growling and finally a physical altercation to truly get the point across, which has been previously ignored.

So, the next time your dog growls if another dog is too close, consider how that other dog is acting. Is that a dog your dog knows? Is that strange dog interfering with your dog while he or she is busy going to the bathroom, playing or eating? Is the other dog showing stiff signs or sniffing your dogs' rear end consistently? It is important to understand that although your dog shouldn't be out picking fights or altercations either, they have the right to defend themselves and communicate their discomfort. Not only that, but, please, be sure that your dog is not acting rudely either. Your dog should interact with others in a friendly manner and accept when another dog tells them "enough is enough."

You have a right to communicate how you feel; your dog should be permitted to do the same!

Focus

Let's say you're trying to get someone to listen to something very important you have to tell them. How do you this? Do you act incredibly boring? Do you show no passion for the topic you are discussing? Do you want to keep the other person's attention? These are the same questions we must ask ourselves when we are training our dogs. They are not innately focused on us. There are many things a dog finds interesting that may be much better than what you're trying to show him. The environment is interesting, other dogs are distracting, and other people may be more exciting than you are.

We return somewhat to my first blog post about motivation. In order to achieve focus and keep the attention of your dog you have to be exciting and find what motivates them. I always tell people, it doesn't matter how stupid you look or how weird others may perceive you. If you are getting the attention of your dog then you've accomplished something. There we return to our blog about success as well. It all ties in together. Focus can be achieved by food rewards, praise, toys and verbal cues. Focus is NOT achieved by yelling or fussing at the dog. This makes the dog find you very unappealing. Other ways to reduce focus include leash pops or jerks as well as just monotonously rewarding the dog or using a boring voice.

Dogs enjoy when we are engaged in an activity WITH them. If we show no interest in the activity, how can we expect our dogs to do any differently?

Eye contact is a big indicator for me. Many people still go by the judgment that if you look into a dogs eyes, you are "challenging" the dog. It really depends. Think about how others look at you and how you look at other people. Stares can be harsh or soft. If your dog is giving you attention through his eyes, it doesn't mean he's challenging you and you should stare back with intensity. It may just mean that you are incredibly interesting and that the dog is waiting for what is coming next. In any case, one can always give short bits of eye contact to show the dog that you as well are still engaged in the interaction.

Recalls from our recent discussion can play into focus as well. If given a cue when coming back such as a nose "touch" the dog is able to focus on a specific body part they must come into contact with in order for the behavior to take place and a reward to be given.

"Clarity affords focus." -Thomas Leonard

Focus creates not only clarity but understanding. One cannot understand without focusing one's attention on what is important at that point in time. Therefore, it is important to remember that when training your dog, not only does the dog need focus through a good motivator, but they deserve your focus. Turn everything off. Don't be distracted and give your dog 110% of your attention. Respect goes both ways and focus for the other creatures creates that respect.

So, next time you get ready to start a training session with your dog, turn off the tv and the music, put your food away, get out the rewards, go to a quiet area of the house where you won't be bothered by other people or other dogs in the house. This is YOUR time you the two of you.

Enjoy each and every moment.

Patience

A trend I've noticed in the world of dog ownership, lately, is the inability to be patient. Whether it's teaching a new behavior or wanting to extinguish a behavior, owners want it NOW! It's all about quick fixes and fast learning, yet no one really seems to understand the underlying issue. No one seems to want to take the time to actually find a solution and change their dogs' way of thinking or how they view the world. Instead, people want the easy way out and their questions all have to have an answer. Unfortunately, I hate to break it to many, but that's just not how dog training works.

Often than not, quick fixes are applied but what really happens is that the behavior is not changed, simply hidden. By suppressing our dogs' natural instincts or the behaviors they have learned (whether we like them or not), we are not teaching them how to react in a different but to just not react at all. Learned helplessness and other issues could fall under these categories. Instead of "fixing" the problem by telling our dogs they cannot act, why not give them an alternative behavior to perform? Don't want your dog to creep at the startline at an agility trial? Teach the dog an alternative behavior. Don't want your dog barking at the door bell? Teach the dog to run and grab a toy any time the door bell is rung. (It's hard to bark when something is in your mouth!) A variety of behaviors can be solved by teaching the dog something else. A basic way to start is to realize that if you have a puppy and that puppy is chewing on something inappropriate, don't just tell the puppy he cannot chew. Instead, hand him a toy or a chew and occupy him with something good. I consider this a "this not that" kind of behavior. If you stop doing what you're not supposed to, I will show you how to do something else that's much more fun and better, too!

Not only do quick fixes only mask a behavior, but often than not, the behavior returns in full force. Many dogs learn that if they are reprimanded for doing something in front of their owners, they'll just go do it somewhere else. Dogs don't always understand why we want or do not want them to do something. It's about letting them make the choice and teaching them to see that what we want them to do is fun. That is how behaviors are built and perfected. Same goes for learning a trick. Sure, you can teach any aged dog any trick, but if you never practice it the behavior will disintegrate. A very smart trainer once mentioned that behaviors are always doing one of two things. They are either building up or breaking down. It's up to YOU which one you'll let happen.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the end though, it all boils down to patience. Patience in teaching a new behavior or working on one that your dog once knew and is starting to forget. As an owner, you are your dogs' teacher. Teachers work very hard and needless to say need to do their best in order to make sure their students are learning in a way that makes sense to them. It takes not only support but also a large amount of encouragement. Dogs are no different in this aspect, in my opinion. They deserve our time, dedication, encouragement and patience. We cannot expect dogs to do something we couldn't do in a day. Learning takes time and practice. I am a firm believer in treating dogs the way we would like to be treated. Such is the golden rule and I do believe it applies to our animals.

Give your dog your patience and I guarantee, the rewards are enormous!

Is Your Dog Trained? (Guest Blog)

Today we have a guest blog by a good friend of mine. I asked her to write about something she felt was very important to her and that I would then share it here. Huge thanks to her for taking time out of her schedule to do this. I hope you guys enjoy and I'll be back to write a new blog tomorrow!

Previously, Marcella discussed what it means to be successful in dog training.  There are many people who have achieved some level of success at teaching their dogs to respond to various cues.  However, I think everyone who trains dogs and anyone who owns a dog will say that believing your dog to be ‘trained’ and actually having a trained dog are two very different things.

It is my belief that owning a dog is about forming a bond with that dog.  Dogs have been purposely bred by humans for thousands of years to work WITH us.  Training is one way that we can build a bond with our dogs that makes the relationship we have much more fulfilling.  I cannot tell you how many sad examples of dog/human relationships that I encounter as a dog trainer.  The most shocking thing about many of these relationships is the fact that the owners will often claim that their dog is ‘trained’.  When I ask what they mean by trained the response is almost universal.  “Well, he’ll do anything for a cookie.”  HUH?  Is that what people think training is?  Have we let cookies become the glue that holds us together?

“I read the Odyssey because it was the story of a man who returned home after being absent for more than twenty years and was recognized only by his dog.” -Guillermo Cabrera Infante

It is a sad fact that many people have turned their back on positive reinforcement methods because they are not being taught properly.  Certainly, if I had to bribe my dog with a cookie or treat every time I asked him to perform a behavior it would get tiresome and certainly would not yield the type of results that make Ritter a success on the Frisbee field and Emma a success at Rally Obedience (as you are not allowed to use treats during either competition).  Yet both of these dogs AND my new Rottweiler pup, Cinna, are being trained using positive reinforcement (including treats, toys and praise as well as environmental rewards).  (For more information on how to motivate your dog using these tools see the previous blog here.)

To make positive reinforcement effective, owners need to learn HOW to use their motivator properly.  It’s not about BRIBING the dog, it’s about PAYING the dog.  The sad thing is, this is not a hard concept to teach.  I begin many times with someone who isn’t even enrolled in class.  Maybe they are standing at the check-out counter trying desperately to get their dog to sit for a cookie.  Of course, the dog is doing everything BUT sit including jumping on the next person in line, sniffing my dog’s butt, barking incessantly and trying to tow their poor owner out the door into the parking lot.  Inevitably, the owner turns to me and says, “he knows this, he’s just being stubborn” or “I don’t understand, he does it all the time at home”.  The simple fact is, this owner only THINKS their dog is trained to sit.  They believe this because the dog will sit 100% of the time when she is holding a cookie and standing in her kitchen and nothing else is going on around the dog.  Sitting is easy when there’s nothing better to do.

Calmly, I take the leash, move the dog away from the various distractions at the register and wait until the dog looks at me.  When the dog happens to glance up at my face (perhaps wondering why some stranger has his leash) I whip my hand around from behind my back and pop a treat in that dog’s mouth.  NOW I have his attention.  The first behavior was an accident but now he’s curious.  How do I get another magical treat?  He looks at me again, again the treat appears.  Usually, it only takes five to ten repetitions before I have a dog that is staring at me and ignoring everything else going on around it.  Now for the sit.  Without saying a word, I take one step towards the dog while looking into his eyes.  Usually, this is all it takes.  As soon as his butt hits the floor, the magical treat appears.  NOW the dog is learning and engaged.  

The important thing here is that the dog does not see the treat until AFTER the behavior is performed.  This is the beginning of using positive reinforcement the RIGHT way.  If your dog is conditioned to offer behaviors without the promise of a treat you won’t have to constantly wave treats in front of your dog’s nose to get a behavior.  So, stop THINKING your dog is trained and go train your dog!

 

 

 Left to right: Vengeance, Shimmer, Emma, Ritter and Cinna

A note about the author of this guest blog:

Meghan McMillan is a PetSmart trainer and has been working with dogs for several years. She competes in canine frisbee, has done therapy dog work and is working on getting into the obedience and agility rings. Thank you, Meghan, for taking time to address this topic.

Success

What does it mean to be successful in dog training? I certainly think we all measure success in different ways. For some it may mean keeping a dog under threshold. This means, making sure the dog is mentally still able and willing to learn. If one goes above threshold with a dog, the dog will often refuse food and be in the sense "so far gone" that learning at that point is impossible. This is why techniques, such as flooding, often do not work. Flooding a dog would be like putting a dog near a bunch of fireworks even if that dog was deathly afraid. Why do psychologists know that putting a person with arachnophobia into a room full of spiders wouldn't work? Because they are above threshold and too far gone. Some would say they could see success if the dog is able to focus on a place with distractions. Others would measure success by the amount of tricks their dog knows. The main point is that we all view success differently. How we get there, is another matter entirely. A huge phrase often used in dog training is "set your dog up for success, not failure". Learning becomes much easier and more fun when the dog accomplishes something and is rewarded for it. How would a person react if they were constantly set up to fail? Just like people, a dog would simply shut down and refuse to continue trying. One can only take so much failure. Generally speaking, one wants to make sure a dog doesn't fail more than twice. Why? After that it becomes a behavior chain and the failure is rehearsed. If the dog fails, a smart thing to do would be to go back one step and have the dog succeed again. If your dog is unable to perform a behavior then clearly they do not understand it as well as you think they do.

Let's begin with shaping a behavior. What does it mean to shape a behavior and how do you start? Shaping a behavior begins by building the dog up slowly until the dog learns what it is you truly want. We can use the 101 games with a box example. Say you are trying to teach a dog to climb into said box. You cannot simple expect the dog to climb in the box right away. Why? The dog has absolutely no idea what you want from her. Many of you have probably heard of clicker training and there are various books out there that encompass the basics as well as some that further your understanding and help you shape more complex behaviors.

In the scenario above, we would start with a clicker and treats. You, as the trainer, must come up with criteria. What behavior does the dog perform that will give her a click and treat? Could it be sniffing the box? Looking at the box? Nudging the box? It is up to you, but whatever criteria you pick, be fair and stick to it. Success begins in small steps and starts with a small behavior. In the end, we want our dog getting into the box, but right now, we just want the dog to understand that the box has something to do with what we want her to perform. Depending on how quickly she learns, you may have to click and treat for only 10 sniffs or more. But, the main thing to remember is dogs learn at different paces. Some will pick up the beginning behavior quickly and get stuck later on while others may understand that sniffing the box gets a cookie but then they aren't sure where to go from there. After the dog understands that sniffing the box yields a cookie the criteria is increased to something such as pawing the box. This continues and goes on until the dog puts one paw in, two and finally the end behavior is achieved. The main thing we have to understand is that each step is success. The reason we break this end behavior up into many steps is to achieve success and teach the dog that learning and attempting different things is fun. The dog is allowed to think and make choices for herself. Choices that meet the criteria are rewarded while choices that do not are simply ignored.

"Action is the foundational key to all success." -Pablo Picasso

No matter what level in training a dog is at or what we as dog owners want to accomplish, each and every dog can have success and we as trainers should recognize it. If your dog has trouble focusing in a distracting environment, simply a trip to the pet store without pulling and yanking you everywhere should be considered success. If your dog is a constant jumper and you have a get together and the dog remembers to keep all paws on the ground then that is a very big deal. It's important not only to praise the big achievements but the small ones as well. No one likes to learn when they are reprimanded for every little thing they do wrong. Dogs are living beings and they will absolutely make mistakes. We as people make mistakes but receive encouragement and this keeps us going.

Today is the start of a brand new year. 2013 has a whole lot in store and I encourage each and every person that reads this blog post to make one goal for themselves and their dogs. How will you achieve this goal? What steps will it take to get there? Why is this something you want to accomplish? Think of the answers for these questions and remember to be kind to yourself and your dog. Each step you take to better your relationship through positive training is a step in the right direction. Not only does your dog deserve to be praised for it but you should see it as an accomplishment for yourself as well.

I am a huge believer in clicker training and that success stems from positive reinforcement. Behaviors are increased through praise and reward. There are many clicker training books out there helpful to not only the novice but also those people that have been training for a while. We can all learn something as we are constantly discovering something new about dogs. Some clicker training and dog behavior books that I recommend (including some I've read myself) are...

"Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor
"Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs" by Karen Pryor
"The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson

Clicker training is a great way to begin paving the path to success. Not only is it simply for the dog to understand but it is a fantastic way to truly experience how a dog learns and how behaviors are established.

So, will you CLICK with your dog?