Free Shaping

Today's post doesn't really put an emphasis on dogs but that's quite alright. This is because a recent phrase that stuck to me after reading Jean Donaldson's "The Culture Clash". She mentions that all creatures are subject to the laws of learning and that learning happens very similarly in different species.

Aside from dogs, a big passion of mine has always been any kind of animal, but especially the small fuzzy ones. Rodents are very social creatures and when given the chance are able to learn various behaviors. While I did not know about clicker training or shaping behaviors when I had my own guinea pigs in the past, I did use positive reinforcement to teach them simple behaviors. With what I know now, I feel that the possibilities are nearly endless and I'm excited to embark on this new endeavor.

Piglet is a guinea pig that belongs to a friend. She was dumped at the local pet store and although my friend was only considering fostering her, the story continued on and Piglet ended up with a great home here in Houston. Often than not, I consider myself her secondary caretaker should anything ever happen to my dear friend. Regardless, with the new Dogs Speak Dog Training business building up and my passion for behavior and communication growing, I felt it was best I broaden my abilities and begin shaping behaviors with a species other than canine.

So far, two sessions have occurred and it's been incredible to observe the means of learning and understanding that Piglet shows. We began the first session by charging the clicker just as one would with any other species. Carrots were the main treat as these are Piglet's favorites. It didn't take long to pair the click with the treat and soon she was searching out the carrot after hearing the click.

The next order of business was to begin to ask her to offer something that was simple. The wonders of clicker training and shaping, especially with a small creature such as a guinea pig, is that one can't really force or "show" a small animal how to do anything. They will either do it or they won't. There is no harsh jerking or pushing or shoving or yelling. Most small creatures would find this highly aversive and likely shut down or even bite quicker than a dog would be! One of the most simple thoughts we had then was to shape a nose touch. Most animals when offered a hand will reach out to sniff it. It took possibly a total of three clicks before she fully understood what was being asked of her.

"In [dog] training, jerk is a noun, not a verb." -Dr. Dennis Fetko

Today was session two and we continued the nose touch as this behavior is quite simple and continues to teach her targeting behavior. Hopefully this will come in handy when we wish to lure her with a target stick or some other device in the future.

Regardless of any of the details, shaping behaviors makes you a better trainer in that it teaches you about accuracy, maintaining criteria, noticing what rate of reinforcement you're using and well you can keep the attention of another being. I can certainly attest that shaping with a small creature that is not a dog, is quite a different feat and considers some thought. The learning mechanisms may be similar, but the physical abilities of the creatures and what motivates them as a whole is very different.

So, if you are trying to learn something new and want to test yourself as a trainer, go out and train something different. Try to communicate with an animal you've never attempted to have a "conversation" with before. I guarantee the things you see will amaze you and it will open your eyes to a whole new manner of teaching.

Polite Play

This blog post likely ties into socialization, communication and calming signals, but it's still an important enough topic to warrant a post in and of itself. Playing nicely with other dogs is something that I feel, unfortunately, we don't see too often. Dogs become too rough or are under socialized and react with fear and snap too quickly. It's important to have a dog who is willing to put himself out there for play but also respects the feelings of the dog he is interacting with. Compare this scenario to children. You would hope your child isn't painstakingly shy to the point where she doesn't chose to make contact with anyone on the playground. You also don't want a child who runs up to the first kid they see, push them over and take their toy. Dogs have to find a balance playing with each other as well.

In the following clips, you will see my personal dogs again. Shimmer and Vengeance have a very polite relationship with each other. From the day Vengeance came into our home, he has worshiped the ground Shimmer walks on. He's always wanted to be just like big sister and do what she does. Shimmer took a while to warm up to Vengeance but adores him and is very protective of him. Both have their moments of initiating play. They are almost equally sized. Shimmer is 19" at the withers and approximately 40 pounds while Vengeance is 19.5" at the withers and approximately 33 pounds. Shimmer, however, has a good bit of muscle and is well versed in the art of wrestling where Vengeance does more running and sprinting. Regardless of that, they both enjoy a good rough housing session and are excellent communicators while this play takes place.

"We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play." -Charles Shaefer

This first clip is the beginning of play and very mild but affectionate and sweet "bitey-face". Both dogs are aware of their teeth and are simply getting the game started.

In this second clip, the game has begun to escalate and both dogs are being quite active and playful. However, both are still extremely aware of their surroundings and the strength of their bite.

This last clip shows how rough and crazy play can become. Regardless, you will notice not a single yelp. Neither Shimmer nor Vengeance vocalize in a manner that would lead me to think they are upset. Both are excited but have been taught by interacting with others to know their limits. And at the same time, both dogs know their limits are different when playing with each other versus a dog they do not live with and know as well as each other.

So, let your dogs play! Allow them to frolic and enjoy life. But, make sure they know how to do it politely!!!

Communication

Body language and vocalization. These two key points are ways in which dogs communicate with each other. Some choose to use their bodies more while others prefer using sounds. Many people have a preference as well. I mention this comparison because my two dogs are very different in the fact that both are able to communicate their feelings in a clear and concise manner, but they do it in a completely different manner. Shimmer, my older mixed breed, often begins with low or soft vocalizations. If those aren't respected or adhered to, she increases vocalization and only if that does not work does she resort to vocalizing while snapping and showing her teeth. It is seldom that she shows her teeth in displeasure. Often than not, she will use a stare or her entire body will stiffen and she will move to the side. On the other end of the spectrum, we have my young border collie, Vengeance. His go to communication tool is a slight lift of the lips, showing his teeth, or a snap in the right direction. Occasionally, if that doesn't work, he will vocalize as well. But, his vocalization is the tool he reaches for if showing those canines doesn't work.

Many of you may be reading this and possibly thinking, "Gosh, that sounds quite scary. Are you sure they should be doing that?" I believe that communication, in an effective manner, is one of the key components of owning dogs and allowing them to socialize. This is why I made the comparison to humans earlier. We, as people, have a preference as well. If someone sits very close to us on a bus that isn't very crowded, we may move our body away or withdraw a little if we feel uncomfortable. Our space has been invaded and our body language clearly shows that. Some people are more forward and will happily get up and move or even say, "Excuse me, could you give me some space?" These behaviors are in no way rude or unacceptable. They are what is necessary to live with other beings. The same thing goes for dogs. While dogs don't have the ability to speak like we do, they do vocalize. Unfortunately, it sounds a lot scarier and mean to us humans. The wonderful part in this though is that dogs that have been properly socialized and taught bite inhibition as well as polite communication skills are able to voice their discomfort without causing a scene or a fight.

I'm using this opportunity to share a video below. A friend recently adopted a young dog who was hit by a car. He is currently still intact as he was believed to be neutered but it seems the shock of the accident caused him to tighten up and "hide" his testicles quite well. So, we have an intact, young male puppy whose history is unknown. There is little knowledge of what kind of interactions he has had with other dogs or what amount of communication he has learned. This video illustrates the interaction between, Mason, the newly adopted dog, and my two dogs, Shimmer and Vengeance. The reason Vengeance is already showing teeth in this clip is due to the fact that Mason regularly attempts to mount him. We're assuming that at this moment it could be a combination of Mason not understanding why he is performing the behavior he is performing due to his hormones. Another likely explanation is that it is an attempt to play and seek attention but unfortunately this is the incorrect way to receive attention from my dogs. Mason has quickly learned that mounting is a big no-no among Vengeance. If Vengeance wanted to, he could easily inflict damage. There is no doubt that teeth are teeth and every dog has the ability to bite if they wish to do so. However, due to the extensive amount of socialization that he has received, Vengeance mainly lifts a lip or lightly growls. If that does not work he will snap, but it is an incredibly inhibited behavior because he reaches just far enough to make his point clear but not far enough to even graze Mason's fur. You'll also notice Shimmer in this video clip using her vocalizations. Mason has quickly learned that she will not tolerate any sort of silly behavior and that he must be careful in his choices when interacting with her. This is likely due to him being intact. Shimmer is often much stricter with intact males and what she allows them to do around her.

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

 

Luckily, many dogs are highly skilled in respecting communication and hearing the unspoken. If your dog isn't able to communicate as well as you'd like, evaluate what signals your dog gives. Is he giving the right ones? Which ones does he use? When does he use them? What about when other dogs try to communicate with her? Does she understand? Does she react correctly?

Sometimes it just takes time to sit back and watch dogs interact. Once you begin to read and understand dog language yourself, it is much easier to teach your dog what is acceptable and what isn't. Dogs are incredibly social animals. A dog that is socialized and raised correctly has no problem interacting with a variety of dogs. It is up to you, as the owner, to make sure they have the correct tools to do so.

An excellent book I recommend that covers a lot of the basis of communication not just dog-on-dog but dog-on-human as well is a book called "The Culture Clash" written by Jean Donaldson.

Remember that dogs have every right to communicate the same way we as people do. When your dog speaks, please, make sure to listen. They're constantly giving feedback and it's up to us to use that.

Why Do We Train? (Guest Blog)

It is amazing to me how many people just don’t bother to train their dogs.  Most people will teach their dog to sit or shake hands or speak but if you ask your average dog-owner if he’s taught his dog a reliable stay or recall he’ll say something like, “Well, he comes when he feels like it or he’ll come if I have a cookie in my hand.”  At which point I usually just shake my head and hope that they never experience what I experienced this morning. 

I have to say that I am pretty paranoid when it comes to my dogs and their safety.  Also, because I own a Rottweiler I am super aware of liability issues that might arise from having a so-called “aggressive or dangerous” breed.  When I walk them I ALWAYS have them on-leash.  When we go to the park they are never out of my sight and voice control.  When I let them out I check and double-check both backyard gates just to make sure they are shut and secure.  I describe all of this because I want every reader to be aware that I am MUCH more careful than the average dog-owner.  I say this not to be judgmental of anyone but to illustrate that even when taking the most careful of precautions, accidents can and DO still happen.

This morning I let my dogs out into the side yard to potty because the dogs I am pet-sitting for were using the back yard.  I glanced at the gate as usual to make sure it was shut.  I went into the kitchen to fix everyone’s breakfast.  Then I returned to the front door to let my dogs in.  When I opened the door I was not greeted by my boys waiting to enter the house and get their breakfast.  Then I looked up and saw that the gate was ajar.  My heart immediately jumped into my throat.  My worst nightmare had happened.  Both Ritter and Cinna were out.  It was six o’ clock in the morning and still very dark.  Neither dog was wearing a collar and only one is chipped.  At this point, instinct took over.  I ran out of the gate and did not see either dog.  I shouted Ritter’s name first and before I could even get Cinna’s name out of my mouth, he came running around the corner of the house with Ritter hot on his tail.  I almost cried I was so happy.  Both dogs ran right to me and then into the side yard when I told them to go inside. 

That incident could have had a MUCH different ending.  I could have had to call into work and spend my morning driving around the neighborhood frantically searching for my lost dogs.  I could have discovered them lying dead in the road or shot by a scared neighbor or kicked to death by one of the cows in the field behind my house.  Any or all of these things could have happened.  But because I spent a little bit of time and effort TRAINING my dogs, they did exactly as I have trained them to do and came when I called them.  They came the first time and they didn’t play catch-me-if-you-can when they got back to me.  THIS is why you train.

I always tell my clients that if you learn to teach your dog NOTHING else in my class, you need to learn a reliable re-call.  It will save your dog’s life and possibly your sanity.  It probably saved mine today.  I hope no one ever has to experience how scary it is to think that your dogs might be lost.  You don’t have to be a training expert to train your dog.  You don’t have to earn a single title or even compete.  But in the event that an accident DOES happen you want to be sure that your training does exactly what it is supposed to do and that is to ensure that your dogs are safe and under control.

 

Note from Marcella: Thank you to Meghan for another excellent blog post and topic!

Playing Fair (Guest Blog)

My good friend, Meghan, was able to do another guest blog for me. We discussed the matters of calming signals along with self handicapping in dogs. I felt she was more knowledgeable on the aspects of this latter topic so asked her to write about about it. This post and topic relates to calming signals which can be found in the December 2012 file of posts. Enjoy!

One of the reasons I love dogs and enjoy learning about them is that our base of knowledge about canine behavior is continuously evolving.  Lately, I’ve been fascinated with the concept of self-handicapping in dogs.  This is a phenomenon that most people who own more than one dog have observed but probably never thought about before.  Perhaps the term self-handicapping is a bit misleading because the definition (as it applies to human psychology) isn’t that flattering.  In humans, self-handicapping refers to an action or choice which prevents a person from being responsible for failure (Kolditz & Arkin, 1982).  People self-handicap because they have low self-esteem and are afraid of failing at something after putting forth effort so they make it appear as if they are incapable of doing something, even if they are clearly able.  In canines, the term refers to behavior that levels the playing field between two dogs of seemingly disparate size, strength or ability.

This behavior is the reason why my 104 lb Rottweiler can play safely with my 35 lb mixed breed.  Even though Cinna is three times larger than Ritter and could easily injure him during an enthusiastic bout of wresting there has never been a problem with the two of them even though they get rather rambunctious at times.  A well-socialized dog knows how to pull their punches so that their play partner doesn’t sustain injury.  They learn this very early in life with their litter-mates and mother.  If they bite too hard or play too roughly then their litter mates don’t want to play with them anymore or worse, they retaliate and hurt the aggressor in return.  This is one of the reasons it is so vitally important that a puppy stay with its mother and litter mates for at least six to ten weeks before being placed with a forever family.  Essentially, dogs learn that playing fair allows the game to continue for longer and keeps your playmate coming back again and again for more fun. 

For example, when my two dogs play tug, Cinna could easily jerk the rope away from Ritter at any time.  He is far larger and stronger (even as a juvenile) than Ritter.  However, not only does he NOT choose to win every game, he will use just enough strength to give Ritter a run for his money without overpowering the smaller dog.  This keeps the game going AND encourages Ritter to keep tugging.  Cinna will often go a step farther and allow Ritter to win (in fact, he allows Ritter to win most of the time during tug).  He has learned that if he lets the smaller dog win then Ritter will often bring the tug back and offer it to him for another go.  This self-handicapping isn’t limited to games with toys.  Often, when two dogs of such disparate size are engaged in wrestling type play, the larger dog will lay down and ‘sword fight’ with his or her muzzle in order to make it easier for the smaller dog.  If you’ve ever seen a Great Dane lay down while a toy dog jumps at his or her head and face while the Dane play bites at the smaller dog then you’ve seen an excellent example of self-handicapping (and an example of some well-socialized dogs).

 
This is a vital skill for all dogs to have.  As a dog trainer I can honestly say that the majority of social issues my clients have with their dogs (reactivity, aggression, over-stimulation, shyness, anxiety) are directly related to poor socialization.  If you want your dog to be able to play nice with others, it is vitally important that you allow your young puppy to engage in play and learn how to play fair with other dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages.  You can save yourself a lot of training headaches later if you allow your puppy to learn how to play with all different types of dogs.  Properly supervised puppy play is probably more important than formal training for the first few weeks of your puppy’s life.  From birth to about six months of age your puppy learns vital skills that it will need for the rest of its life.  Self-handicapping is only ONE of those skills.

 

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.

What makes a good dog trainer?

Although this post could be considered more about opinion than fact, I wanted to share some of the things I thought were important qualities to have when you decide to train your dog. The title of this whole blog is "Dogs Speak! Let's Listen...." so that is where I will start. Dogs communicate in a number of ways, many of which we have covered here already. Our job, as trainers and owners, is to listen to the feedback. Dogs are constantly responding in ways to try and tell us something. If we take the time to stop and understand the why and how, often, communication becomes much easier. Along with the ability to listen, a huge mindset I prefer to have is not that we are trying to teach dogs how to speak our language, but instead, we are learning to speak theirs. Dogs are incredibly intuitive and smart. Often times, we're the ones who ignore or pretend that dogs are feeling or thinking a certain way even if we're wrong. Why may that be? We as humans would like to be right. We'd like to think we're correct and that we understand, but the fact is, many of us don't. Not to worry though, because that is why so much extensive research and so many studies have been done. We are constantly learning, ever changing and hoping to learn more about these creatures we so affectionately call "Man's Best Friend". If we're going to give them such a title, then they are certainly more deserving of us understanding their behavior and thought process.

"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." -Edith Wharton

Most if not all of their lives, dogs do their absolute best in trying to understand us as people and pleasing us. They find joy in making us happy. We owe it to them to be the best communicator and trainer we can be. This includes a variety of other things such as patience and giving dogs our time. We must understand that dogs are living creatures just like us. Not only do they deserve respect but we must realize that they are by no means perfect. No dog, no matter how well trained will be a robot and always get it right. Even the best trained service dogs have their off days. Sports competitors such as agility dogs, flyball dogs and frisbee dogs among other canine athletes have their downfalls and their bad days. This doesn't mean we should be angry or upset with them. We make mistakes, too. If we think about the grand scheme of things, the fact that our dogs are able to do things, that we train them to do, so well is fascinating and worthy of noting.

When we train, it's important to keep an eye out on how you as a person act. Are you stressed, angry, upset or sad? Don't train your dog. Dogs as stated are so very intuitive and pick up on things. Along with this, we as people can get very emotional and even more upset if things don't work out exactly as planned. Training goes no where if you and the dog aren't 100% in it and enjoying it. We want training to be fun, effective and enjoyable. So, if necessary, step back, evaluate and make sure you're in the correct mindset to do some training.

High value rewards are another big point for me. It's often mentioned in dog training that "you wouldn't work for free, would you?" So, why ask your dog to do so? Find what motivates your dog. More on this in my first ever blog post called *Motivation* back in the December 2012 section. Use what motivates your dog and be a fair "boss" so to speak. The dog has earned his paycheck if he does what you've asked or participates and makes excellent choices. This is what makes training fun and what keeps him coming back. If you didn't get paid on a regular basis or with a high value (money), you wouldn't want to keep working either.

Be fair and be honest. Dogs make mistakes just like us and get sidetracked as well. Be fair to your dog and offer a chance for them to do it correctly without scolding them. We don't always do things right the first time we try something new. Dogs are no different. On the basis of honesty, if you click, give a treat. This is even if you click at the wrong time. If you're a clicker trainer or someone that uses a clicker frequently, such as when shaping new behaviors, then we don't want to devalue a click. Be honest and give your dog that cookie because one wrong click/reward in a sea of correct ones doesn't will not poison your behavior or cue.

While there are many things we need to take into consideration while training, these are some of the top things that jump out at me. It's about creating a positive relationship with your dog. In order to get your dog to respond positively to you, YOU must work on being a good trainer. Use compassion, kindness, and understanding to communicate. This will make the process much easier for you and your dog!

Making Excellent Choices

Positive training is very much about choices. Good choices yield desired rewards and bad choices warrant negative punishment, which is the removal of a pleasant stimulus.  Allowing your dog to make choices creates new behaviors and lets you see what your dog is really capable of. It's about teaching the dog to chose the right behavior and that behavior is then praised.

Not only do good choices show you how smart your canine partner can really be, they're also much more effective than forcing a dog to do something. If we use force to teach a dog, the desired behavior or action may very well be achieved, but we have to think if the dog really learned anything. Can the dog perform the behavior on his own? An example would be teaching the trick, "wave". How would you go about teaching this to a dog using force? By allowing the dog to realize that using his paw gets him a yummy treat, you've taught him to offer that. Along with this, because it's his choice to lift his paw, he's learned something and feels that it's fun because cookies are involved. If I chose instead to simply lift is paw he would likely be very confused and not understand what I was asking of him. Here's an example of Vengeance learning his new trick. The "say hi" cue has been added because when waiting for him to offer an action, it is almost guaranteed that he will lift his paw. This way he can begin associating the behavior with the words that accompany it. The main point is, it's his choice and he enjoys doing this. He's alert, focused and relaxed. This is the wonder that goes along with shaping behaviors.

 

 "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -J.K. Rowling 

With that being said, force does work. I won't deny and I won't argue it. But, would you train without force if you could? If you could allow your dog to make excellent choices and see them love to learn, would you? What choice would YOU make if you could allow your dog to experience sheer joy and happiness while interacting with you? These are the questions you, and only you, can answer for yourself. You can chose to intimidate and scare your dog into behaving and listening or you can form an incredible relationship based on trust and understanding. Everyone has to make a choice. Just as your dog will chose to make excellent choices when given the freedom to do so, you must make the choice whether to build a relationship on fear or trust. The choice is up to you.