For most owners, the task of training and raising a proper canine citizen can be a daunting task - and they don't always want to live up to the same standards as working, performance, or trainers' dogs. Not everyone wants a pup with a perfect show-heel, police dog level protection training, or flawless competition-level obedience - but is there a standard by which a pet dog should stack up? We submit to you our opinion on how the flawlessly trained high end dogs should be, and then how the average pet dog should be.
Please note, this list is geared for puppies and new pets - but you can adapt it for a rescue or adopted/foster pet by using the age list as a time period. Example: a 2 month old puppy should know sit - an untrained 2 year old foster dog should master sit within 2 months. Enjoy!
6 Weeks to 2 Months
Perfect Puppy
By two months, the perfect puppy should know his or her name, come when called within the home, and understand the basics of engagement (focus driving skills mixed with vocal commands instead of clicker training). They should also know Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Come, and a mixture of these from all positions within a few feet of the trainer at least half of the time. They should also begin to understand No Bark/Quiet and Speak. By 2 months, your pet should completely understand that the rewards are for the specified behaviour and won't always get a reward and won't always get a small piece/short play session.
Average Pet Puppy
By two months, the average pet puppy should understand his or her name, come when called at least half the time, understand the basics of engagement, and should understand mostly sit and down.
Below Average Puppy
If your pup by two months only understands his name, and doesn't fully grasp obedience equals treats, he is behind schedule.
2 Months to 6 Months
Perfect Puppy
By 6 months, your puppy should understand all basic commands (Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Wait, Come, Fetch, ect) with a 90% accuracy and fast response; you should be able by now to introduce more complex skills like a forced retrieve, forced recall, and higher level obedience training. Your pet by 6 months should be able to listen with a mix of rewards and no rewards without resisting obedience. By now, they should also have mastered tug play and it's respectful rules (if they enjoy the game). This game should be replacing food treats at least half the time.
Average Pet Puppy
By 6 months, the average pet puppy should respond all the time to his or her name, know that their name means come here and pay attention, and be able to use all common home commands, like Sit, Down, Stay, Come, No Bark/Quiet, Speak, and come when called outside within 75% of the time. They should be comfortable transitioning from all-treats to sometimes treats or playtime.
Below Average Puppy
If your pup by 6 months only understands his name, and sit/down and an unreliable stay, your pup is lagging behind. This type of pup will not obey unless they physically see a treat.
6 Months to 1 Year
Perfect Puppy
By 1 year, the perfect puppy should know all commands flawlessly, have perfect drive and focus, should almost never deviate from a command or make mistakes, should have 100% perfect obedience and personality, be able to completely ignore all other dogs and safely be off leash with a 100% perfect recall, emergency down, stop command, leave it command, and be able to perform all obedience skills and tricks in all areas, situations, and distraction levels. By 8 months, the pup should understand it's role in the pack, his job, duties, and should have no unfamiliar situations or odd responses to the strange. Your pet should obey with OR without rewards such as toys or treats for all practiced and learned behaviour. Play time/Tug time should be the reward 70% of the time, and the other 30% should be mostly no rewards at all.
Average Pet Puppy
By 1 year, the average pet should understand all used commands in most situations, have a fairly steady personality and obedience 75% of the time, and should be safe off leash as long as there aren't too many distractions. They should understand their place in the pack, and have a general idea of what their job is. They should understand the basics of tug and should be comfortable getting this reward instead of treats at least half the time.
Below Average Puppy
By 1 year, if your pup hasn't learned all their commands and can't be trusted off leash or won't listen 75% of the time and or doesn't have a recall, emergency down, or stop command, and doesn't listen without a treat being present, your dog is a little behind.
1 Year to 2 Years and On
Perfect Dog
By the two year mark, the perfect pup should be completely and flawlessly trained with an obedience rate of 99% with excellent drive, perfect response time, and should have a vast skill set to handle life with. They should fully understand their place and job, and execute it without fault at all times; they should be completely unphased by new sensations, areas, people, or dogs. The perfect puppy should by now no longer need training or behaviour management of any kind, and the owner should be working on things like party tricks, complicated behaviours, and refining skills to make them ever faster, sharper, and better, including some high-end tricks like Frisbee back-flipping and the like. By now, your pet should be 50% playtime and 50% nothing at all for a reward system. There should be zero need for treats at this stage.
Average Pet Dog
By the two year mark, the average pet dog should mostly understand their place and job, and be able to obey at least 75% of the time. They should by now be safe off leash with perfect recall, emergency down, and stop command obedience, and should also be able to learn new skills. By now, your pet should be mostly playtime or praise rewarded, and only need treats on new skills or skills that are brand new.
Below Average Dog
If by this point your pet doesn't know all commands, won't listen at least 75% of the time, has some form of unwanted, frustrating, or irritating behavioural issues, and doesn't obey unless there is some kind of reward, your pet needs some stricter training.
So tell us; how does your pup stack up? Hopefully this list has made you feel a little better about your training, and if not, sets some basic goals for you to achieve! We can all achieve our ideal companion if we simply understand how dogs work.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Sunday, February 1, 2015
How do I know when my dog's behaviour is going too far? Blog Eighteen
Since we have been a little silent lately, I thought I would put out not one, but TWO blogs this week!
Today on another group I am a personal fan of, someone asked a very important question that I thought everyone would appreciate an answer to! "How do I know when my dog's behaviour is going to go too far?" Well, there's two way to answer this - immediately, or in the scheme of life. I will answer first the initial possibility; the signs your dog is about to cross a line right now.
Immediate Behaviour Warnings
Silence
-Your dog is about to bite if they are silent, and their eyes widen. A dog that has been growling or barking in an aggressive manner is just faking you out, most of the time. A dog that is making noise will not usually strike, unless their level of fear has overridden their typical warning signs. While a dog rarely bites while they are making sounds, if they have suddenly stopped making sounds and their pupils are wide with ears pulled back, they are always preparing to strike.
Shivering
-A dog that is shaking is not usually cold - but is in a high level of anxiety, or fear. There are rare cases where a dog shivers because they are cold - If you peel off your coat or jacket, and you are cold, they are cold. Dogs might have their own fur, but it can lose heat very fast. With exception to Huskies, most dogs get cold below 10 degrees Celsius. However, if cold is not the issue, and your dog is shaking, you need to act quickly - chances are your dog is overloading from whichever stimulation is triggering the action, and your dog is likely to mess on your floor, or bite. Keep note that dogs can also shiver because of excitement, psychological problems, or an allergy reaction. If you have ruled these out, and you notice your dog shivering around certain people, objects, sounds, or stimulation, your dog is afraid. Shivering from cold or medical issues also looks different - it is more vibrant, convulsing looking, as if they can't control it, with waves of it being stronger, or softer. Anxiety or fear shaking is more steady, likely to resemble an off kilter washing machine, or a low grade earthquake.
Total Stoppage of Movement
-If your dog completely stops, sometimes staring, sometimes not, it is a communication that your dog has suddenly overloaded and can't process the stimulation. It can be coupled with silence, or whining. You could toss a steak by and nothing would happen. This is indicative of a dog that has hit rock bottom fear - and you need to call a behaviourist immediately. This is a situation where the average owner or even trainer should not handle.
Lifted Paw
-If a dog stands with one front paw lifted slightly off the ground, it's a sign your dog is unsure. It needs either a little encouragement, or a few moments to collect themselves. It's important to note that you don't move forward or reward the dog with it's paw in the air - this will tell your dog that you want it to feel unsure, which can lead to low level fear or aversion. After time, it can become a serious issue.
Backing Away With Tucked Tail, Crouched-If your dog has started this action, specifically at a physical object, person, or sound, this is a fear based fleeing response, where your dog completely mistrusts whatever it is moving away from. It is a higher level than the total stoppage of movement, and indicates the handler went too far in trying to overcome the fear reaction, or the dog is totally rock bottom terrified of whatever it is. This is another situation where you need to call a behaviourist.
Full Body Wiggle
-A dog that has reached an unhealthy and dangerous level of excitement resembles this. They are typically bouncy, and wagging their tail so hard that they are literally shaking their whole body. This is a sign your dog has gone way too far over the "healthy" line of excitement. While most people assume happiness and excitement are the same thing with dogs, its not. Excitement is a state of hyper-charged energy, while a happy dog is relaxed and calm. Excitement might look really cute, but it is really unhealthy to their whole selves that it really shouldn't be encouraged - namely because it not only can cause a number of physical injuries, it is about as mentally healthy as a highly aggressive or highly fearful dog. You should ignore this behaviour or correct it before it gets worse.
Stiff, Rigid Tail In Any Position
-A stiff tail, whether it is in a submissive or dominant position, indicates a high level of tension, or anxiety. It can be moving in any speed, but if it is not loose, it is a warning sign. Whatever your dog is focused on should cease, or be properly removed and reintroduced when the dog is in a calmer state.
Fast-moving Tail
-While most people associate a fast-moving tail with happiness, it is actually a symptom of intensity. The faster a tail is moving, the more intense a dog is feeling whichever emotion is attached to it - excitement, aggression, and even fear. It should always be a goal of a trainer to make sure their dog's tail is slowly swaying, not moving like a room fan.
Behaviour Warnings In The Scheme Of Life
Behaviours Become Resisted
-If your dog used to perform various behaviours just fine, and has become resistant or feigns ignorance of them, you dog is losing respect for you, usually because of inconsistent treatment, or unintentional mistreatment. If this is the case, you will need to work on rebuilding the damaged relationship before issuing another command.
Unexpected Destruction
-If your usually well behaved dog has chewed up something, your dog is not trying to get back at you. They are not trying to make you mad. Your dog is bored. While walking does drain physical energy, that is about 20% of a dog's needs. Your dog, like your children, need to use their minds, too! You can't expect a dog to burn their own mental energy - when they do, things like this happen. They need you to directly burn their mental energy! Teach it something new, play tug, introduce a new toy with brand new rules, make them work hard before a walk - and never leave a dog in an excited or anxious state of mind. Almost any dog can be successfully left alone (Except for a few breeds) as long as you do it properly.
Possessiveness
-Before a dog becomes aggressive over toys, food, or other pack members, the warning signs appear. Sometimes they happen in a matter of hours or days before escalation, sometimes seconds. When low-level possessiveness appears, it needs to be corrected before it gets worse. If in any case your dog isn't allowing you to do something with their things, that is possessiveness.
Territoriality
-Being territorial is more than just barking at passersby. While this is common for most dogs with territorial issues, there are other, less obvious symptoms that would suggest to you that your dog is going too far in protecting his space. While some level of territorial behaviour is normal and healthy, it can quickly cross a line. For instance, a dog barking a couple times at a passerby is normal (inside the car, too!) However, if that one or two barks turns in to a fast, rapid multiple level bark, like a machine gun burst, that is a warning sign. If your dog is charging to the fence, door, or other threshold, that is a red light warning. However, while every dog pees, a normal pee takes a couple seconds, and is usually a larger amount. A dog that pees little spurts on every bush, pole, stick, or monument, that is a warning sign. If your dog scratches the ground after, that is a red light warning. If your dog barks a warning once at other dogs, this is normal. If your dog pulls on the leash, moves in front or behind you, and growls, this is a warning, and if your dog charges, pulls hard, machine-gun barks, or runs behind you quickly, this is a red light warning. If your dog has hit red light warnings, you need to contact a behaviourist.
Other Signs The Dog Behaviour Is Going Too Far:
-If your dog moves away from you with a toy or treat when you approach or give it to them, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog turns to watch you or something else as he eats his food, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog has his head mostly over the food or water bowl, consuming from the far side instead of the middle or back, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog won't get off his bed or out of her kennel when asked, or delays, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog won't allow you to be out of eye or earshot without protesting, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog walks in front of you and pushes through doors or gates first, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog incessantly barks at you for something of theirs, or something they want, that is a warning sign.
-If you cannot enter a room your dog is in without him swarming your feet or walking circles around you, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog is an adult and whines frequently, that is a warning sign.
There are so many more warning signs that we could mention, but then this blog would be way too long to ask people to read, so we've included the most common. Hopefully this information has answered a question or two of your own!
Today on another group I am a personal fan of, someone asked a very important question that I thought everyone would appreciate an answer to! "How do I know when my dog's behaviour is going to go too far?" Well, there's two way to answer this - immediately, or in the scheme of life. I will answer first the initial possibility; the signs your dog is about to cross a line right now.
Immediate Behaviour Warnings
Silence
-Your dog is about to bite if they are silent, and their eyes widen. A dog that has been growling or barking in an aggressive manner is just faking you out, most of the time. A dog that is making noise will not usually strike, unless their level of fear has overridden their typical warning signs. While a dog rarely bites while they are making sounds, if they have suddenly stopped making sounds and their pupils are wide with ears pulled back, they are always preparing to strike.
Shivering
-A dog that is shaking is not usually cold - but is in a high level of anxiety, or fear. There are rare cases where a dog shivers because they are cold - If you peel off your coat or jacket, and you are cold, they are cold. Dogs might have their own fur, but it can lose heat very fast. With exception to Huskies, most dogs get cold below 10 degrees Celsius. However, if cold is not the issue, and your dog is shaking, you need to act quickly - chances are your dog is overloading from whichever stimulation is triggering the action, and your dog is likely to mess on your floor, or bite. Keep note that dogs can also shiver because of excitement, psychological problems, or an allergy reaction. If you have ruled these out, and you notice your dog shivering around certain people, objects, sounds, or stimulation, your dog is afraid. Shivering from cold or medical issues also looks different - it is more vibrant, convulsing looking, as if they can't control it, with waves of it being stronger, or softer. Anxiety or fear shaking is more steady, likely to resemble an off kilter washing machine, or a low grade earthquake.
Total Stoppage of Movement
-If your dog completely stops, sometimes staring, sometimes not, it is a communication that your dog has suddenly overloaded and can't process the stimulation. It can be coupled with silence, or whining. You could toss a steak by and nothing would happen. This is indicative of a dog that has hit rock bottom fear - and you need to call a behaviourist immediately. This is a situation where the average owner or even trainer should not handle.
Lifted Paw
-If a dog stands with one front paw lifted slightly off the ground, it's a sign your dog is unsure. It needs either a little encouragement, or a few moments to collect themselves. It's important to note that you don't move forward or reward the dog with it's paw in the air - this will tell your dog that you want it to feel unsure, which can lead to low level fear or aversion. After time, it can become a serious issue.
Backing Away With Tucked Tail, Crouched-If your dog has started this action, specifically at a physical object, person, or sound, this is a fear based fleeing response, where your dog completely mistrusts whatever it is moving away from. It is a higher level than the total stoppage of movement, and indicates the handler went too far in trying to overcome the fear reaction, or the dog is totally rock bottom terrified of whatever it is. This is another situation where you need to call a behaviourist.
Full Body Wiggle
-A dog that has reached an unhealthy and dangerous level of excitement resembles this. They are typically bouncy, and wagging their tail so hard that they are literally shaking their whole body. This is a sign your dog has gone way too far over the "healthy" line of excitement. While most people assume happiness and excitement are the same thing with dogs, its not. Excitement is a state of hyper-charged energy, while a happy dog is relaxed and calm. Excitement might look really cute, but it is really unhealthy to their whole selves that it really shouldn't be encouraged - namely because it not only can cause a number of physical injuries, it is about as mentally healthy as a highly aggressive or highly fearful dog. You should ignore this behaviour or correct it before it gets worse.
Stiff, Rigid Tail In Any Position
-A stiff tail, whether it is in a submissive or dominant position, indicates a high level of tension, or anxiety. It can be moving in any speed, but if it is not loose, it is a warning sign. Whatever your dog is focused on should cease, or be properly removed and reintroduced when the dog is in a calmer state.
Fast-moving Tail
-While most people associate a fast-moving tail with happiness, it is actually a symptom of intensity. The faster a tail is moving, the more intense a dog is feeling whichever emotion is attached to it - excitement, aggression, and even fear. It should always be a goal of a trainer to make sure their dog's tail is slowly swaying, not moving like a room fan.
Behaviour Warnings In The Scheme Of Life
Behaviours Become Resisted
-If your dog used to perform various behaviours just fine, and has become resistant or feigns ignorance of them, you dog is losing respect for you, usually because of inconsistent treatment, or unintentional mistreatment. If this is the case, you will need to work on rebuilding the damaged relationship before issuing another command.
Unexpected Destruction
-If your usually well behaved dog has chewed up something, your dog is not trying to get back at you. They are not trying to make you mad. Your dog is bored. While walking does drain physical energy, that is about 20% of a dog's needs. Your dog, like your children, need to use their minds, too! You can't expect a dog to burn their own mental energy - when they do, things like this happen. They need you to directly burn their mental energy! Teach it something new, play tug, introduce a new toy with brand new rules, make them work hard before a walk - and never leave a dog in an excited or anxious state of mind. Almost any dog can be successfully left alone (Except for a few breeds) as long as you do it properly.
Possessiveness
-Before a dog becomes aggressive over toys, food, or other pack members, the warning signs appear. Sometimes they happen in a matter of hours or days before escalation, sometimes seconds. When low-level possessiveness appears, it needs to be corrected before it gets worse. If in any case your dog isn't allowing you to do something with their things, that is possessiveness.
Territoriality
-Being territorial is more than just barking at passersby. While this is common for most dogs with territorial issues, there are other, less obvious symptoms that would suggest to you that your dog is going too far in protecting his space. While some level of territorial behaviour is normal and healthy, it can quickly cross a line. For instance, a dog barking a couple times at a passerby is normal (inside the car, too!) However, if that one or two barks turns in to a fast, rapid multiple level bark, like a machine gun burst, that is a warning sign. If your dog is charging to the fence, door, or other threshold, that is a red light warning. However, while every dog pees, a normal pee takes a couple seconds, and is usually a larger amount. A dog that pees little spurts on every bush, pole, stick, or monument, that is a warning sign. If your dog scratches the ground after, that is a red light warning. If your dog barks a warning once at other dogs, this is normal. If your dog pulls on the leash, moves in front or behind you, and growls, this is a warning, and if your dog charges, pulls hard, machine-gun barks, or runs behind you quickly, this is a red light warning. If your dog has hit red light warnings, you need to contact a behaviourist.
Other Signs The Dog Behaviour Is Going Too Far:
-If your dog moves away from you with a toy or treat when you approach or give it to them, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog turns to watch you or something else as he eats his food, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog has his head mostly over the food or water bowl, consuming from the far side instead of the middle or back, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog won't get off his bed or out of her kennel when asked, or delays, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog won't allow you to be out of eye or earshot without protesting, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog walks in front of you and pushes through doors or gates first, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog incessantly barks at you for something of theirs, or something they want, that is a warning sign.
-If you cannot enter a room your dog is in without him swarming your feet or walking circles around you, that is a warning sign.
-If your dog is an adult and whines frequently, that is a warning sign.
There are so many more warning signs that we could mention, but then this blog would be way too long to ask people to read, so we've included the most common. Hopefully this information has answered a question or two of your own!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Balancing Dogs WIth Kids/Babies - Blog Seventeen
Because of a post I read floating around facebook, today's blog is all about dogs and kids - mainly how to balance it properly, and what mistakes people commonly make which lead to dangerous - or even deadly - outcomes. As is the current successful format, today's blog will be in point format, listing the common mistakes, and how to fix them.
Babies to Five Years
1) Bringing a newborn home, then changing all of the rules on the dog.
When a new life is brought into the pack permanently, most people start changing how the dog needs to behave; instilling rules like not going in to the baby's room, no more jumping on furniture, sleeping somewhere different, meal times change, walk time changes or totally stops - these are a fuel for disaster. When things suddenly change on a dog, they often become suspicious or guarded around what they think changed it all. In most cases, they're able to instantly detect that its because of the baby that triggered the rule changes. Some dogs become defensive; growling at or shying away from the new baby. Some dogs become alert; barking at every sound, smelling and detecting everything that goes near the baby. Some dogs become dominant, and think they own the baby now, causing tension in the home when anyone new tries to touch the baby. Some dogs accept the baby as a pack leader, and become better dogs all around because the baby is a new pack leader. In whichever case, except the last one, the balance is off, and caused by humans changing rules right when the baby comes home.
-How Do We Change This?
If you do need to change things up, be it room access rules, walking time changes, new behaviors, or even association with the baby being more powerful than they are, these new rules need to happen way in advance. As soon as you are sure there is a baby entering your life, way back in the beginning, things need to shift. One thing at a time, however, and slowly. If you are readying a baby room, teach your dog that they don't enter as soon as the room's look physically changes. If you're pulling the carpet or changing the paint color, let that be the new signal to your dog that they can't enter that room, or not enter without permission. This will cause your dog to associate the rule change with the room physically changing, not the baby. Once they have that flawlessly, you can move on to the next change - be it new feed time, new walk time, or whichever. Please note, you cannot cut out your dog's exercise completely, and don't do it at night time - this will be totally pointless exercise. Later at night is closer to bed time, and then dogs sleep, and gain more energy overnight, then to wake up and wait all day to walk, causes severe behavioural problems. We highly recommend taking a walk after your baby's first nap, so the baby can be involved in the dog's walk, too.
2. Allowing Your Dog Near Other Babies Or To Smell Yours Immediately
When a female dog has puppies, she isolates herself from the entire pack, and protects the puppies until they're old enough to come out and play. They are highly protective, and are liable to bite, charge, or otherwise kill anything that comes near the puppies. While this isn't logical behaviour for a human to enact over a newborn, it is incredibly important that a similar stance be taken. Letting a dog invade a baby's personal space, be it someone else's or your own, creates the assumption that they can be in the personal space of the baby. While this might seem harmless, it creates the ability for your dog to ignore what I call "puppy protocol". When this occurs, the dog thinks "I don't have to use puppy protocol with human puppies. GREAT!" but that also entails all of the ingrained rules therein. Dogs don't approach young puppies at all. They don't play with them, which usually involves bite training, or nipping. They don't sleep near them. They don't interact with them. They don't eat with them. They don't even look at them. When dogs think this boundary is broken, they don't pick and choose which rules to obey - they actually let all of them slide, because they're all the same rule. This creates some serious issues, sometimes causing more outspoken dogs to believe the child belongs to them, or that they must protect and inspect everything near the child. If a dog thinks a baby is their possession, there can often be few symptoms - but in every case of a dog biting a child, I guarantee the dog thought the baby was theirs. When dogs correct each other for behavioural mistakes, they nip the side of the neck, or the muzzle. On a human, the costs of this is often disastrous, because dogs don't understand that human skin is so sensitive unless they're trained to know. Dogs that own the baby try and correct them when they think the baby has infracted a rule, such as "We don't make noises that loud in the home", or "Hey, stop barking like that". They are honestly just trying to stop the child. When a dog is trying to kill something however, they grab the midsection, and shake. If this has happened, you will need to put your dog down.
-How Do We Change This?
Instead of letting your dog interact right away with the baby, it is incredibly important that the dog understand they're not to get within a few feet of the new baby. Let them see and smell from a distance, but never let them too close. It is critical that a dog think the baby's safety bubble is huge. This instills the understanding that babies are more powerful than you, and sets up the baby for a healthier relationship later on. Please note, putting your dog on a leash and just holding them back does absolutely nothing. Your dog must physically understand and obey the invisible bubble. You will need to correct them, sternly - not so stern that they become scared, but stern enough that they understand this rule is absolute. The dog must choose to obey this rule by themselves before they take it seriously. Keep this bubble rule until your child can sit up for a time, move their own head, and preferably, can say "no". Then you can start teaching the dog that when baby says no, it means no.
3. Leaving Dogs Alone With Toddlers/Babies
Whether your dog is awesome with your child or not, never leave a family pet alone with your child. Not even a ten year old. Just because behaviour is perfect doesn't mean they're safe alone. Most dogs think that when the human is gone, they are in charge - even if they are trained to know the baby is of higher power than they are. This is generally caused by a rule of association; child is of higher power when the adult is in the room. Most dogs assume this, because it is totally unnatural to a dog for a puppy to be in control. Even if your child is 12 years old and understands the rules perfectly, never leave a dog alone with a kid. Only if your child can look like an adult should you ever leave them alone. Please note, I am referring to a home being empty of humans, not just having you in another room.
-How To Accomplish Leaving Dogs And Kids Alone
Just like protection dogs and police dogs, babysitter dogs must also be trained. This can take months, and requires specialized training from a professional. While dogs used to be used to guard kids all the time even 20 years ago, these animals were trained to do so. Most farm dogs, like the pit bull or rottweiler, were strictly trained and understood full well what their job was. This training took many days, some of which entailed letting a child be put in real danger. In order to train your home pet to be alone with your child, you are going to need professional help - and not just any obedience trainer, you need someone who knows how to train a protection dog, because its essentially a low level of the same thing. the only difference is, instead of protecting a home or the handler, the dog must be trained a long list of rules surrounding the child, such as do not let the child outside, do not let the child on the road, do not let strangers near the child unless the human says so, do not let the child into the cupboards, do not let the child going for the knife drawer, bite anyone who touches the child when the human is not there, attack and kill all predators on the property, ect. Expecting an untrained dog to be around a child is not acceptable. It is also unacceptable to think a child under 5 or 6 can command your dog. You need to constantly back up your child and encourage your dog to obey, no matter what they are trying to do, even if that command overrides your own! It is critical that a dog believe they listen FIRST to your child, THEN to you. Address the conflicting behaviour with your child in private after.
Older Kids - 5 and up
1. Letting Children Have Different Rules Than Adults
Many families let the little things slide when it comes to kids and dogs. While if any adult picked your dog up in a way that makes them squirm or feel targeted, we often allow children to do so because its easier than reinforcing the rules. Many people let children play a little rougher, or degrade the dog in ways that an adult would never get away with, or change the rules such as the dog doesn't have to sit when the child feeds them. The list of little things goes on. The issue here is it essentially trains the dog to disrespect and ignore the child, that they don't need to take this human seriously. When you allow this, it doesn't just miraculously change with age - you're basically teaching the dog that they don't have to respect anyone else but you, and sometimes you teach them that all humans are to be ignored and disrespected. On the other hand, you can also be teaching the dog that humans are unstable, that commands don't always mean the same thing, which makes a dog frustrated and bored, causing many other unwanted behaviours to surface. Obviously, this is a very severe problem, and generally ends up in the humans blaming the dog and rehoming them, when the issue was caused by the owners themselves.
-How To Maintain Congruency And Equal Rules With Kids
I won't lie to you; this isn't going to be easy, or simple. At some point, you have to stop backing up your child's commands to the dog, and take their relationship to the next level. In order to do this, you have to back up your own rules. If its not acceptable, its not acceptable for everyone in the home. Guests, visitors, children, family - your rules cannot change, no matter who. Everyone, even strangers, need to follow the same rules. Don't let your kids dress your dog. Make sure they get the dog to sit and wait respectfully for food, and make sure your kids can hand feed them without issue. Most often, this stage takes a trainer to help you with - but that's okay. As your child ages, though, there gets a point where you cannot always be there to make your dog sit when the child says so. This requires a transition period, where you're within earshot, but the dog can't see you, or you're over 10 feet away which is outside of pack distance. When a child gives an order, wait to hear what happens. If you are properly using an e-collar for this stage, this is a good section to use it in. If your dog obeys, you can reward the dog with a good boy/good girl or a yes and treat. If they do not obey within a few seconds, offer a verbal correction, e-collar correction, or physical correction. Obviously, you will need to move quickly to offer the correction in time. Your dog will eventually understand that they have to listen directly to your child, not you after the child offers a command. Sooner or later, you will be able to let your child command the dog in the living room while you're making dinner. Please note; do not use an e-collar without the advice or training of a professional. Do not just place a collar on your dog and use it. DO NOT use an e-collar on a fearful or aggressive dog.
Have fun everyone and train that Ideal Companion!
Babies to Five Years
1) Bringing a newborn home, then changing all of the rules on the dog.
When a new life is brought into the pack permanently, most people start changing how the dog needs to behave; instilling rules like not going in to the baby's room, no more jumping on furniture, sleeping somewhere different, meal times change, walk time changes or totally stops - these are a fuel for disaster. When things suddenly change on a dog, they often become suspicious or guarded around what they think changed it all. In most cases, they're able to instantly detect that its because of the baby that triggered the rule changes. Some dogs become defensive; growling at or shying away from the new baby. Some dogs become alert; barking at every sound, smelling and detecting everything that goes near the baby. Some dogs become dominant, and think they own the baby now, causing tension in the home when anyone new tries to touch the baby. Some dogs accept the baby as a pack leader, and become better dogs all around because the baby is a new pack leader. In whichever case, except the last one, the balance is off, and caused by humans changing rules right when the baby comes home.
-How Do We Change This?
If you do need to change things up, be it room access rules, walking time changes, new behaviors, or even association with the baby being more powerful than they are, these new rules need to happen way in advance. As soon as you are sure there is a baby entering your life, way back in the beginning, things need to shift. One thing at a time, however, and slowly. If you are readying a baby room, teach your dog that they don't enter as soon as the room's look physically changes. If you're pulling the carpet or changing the paint color, let that be the new signal to your dog that they can't enter that room, or not enter without permission. This will cause your dog to associate the rule change with the room physically changing, not the baby. Once they have that flawlessly, you can move on to the next change - be it new feed time, new walk time, or whichever. Please note, you cannot cut out your dog's exercise completely, and don't do it at night time - this will be totally pointless exercise. Later at night is closer to bed time, and then dogs sleep, and gain more energy overnight, then to wake up and wait all day to walk, causes severe behavioural problems. We highly recommend taking a walk after your baby's first nap, so the baby can be involved in the dog's walk, too.
2. Allowing Your Dog Near Other Babies Or To Smell Yours Immediately
When a female dog has puppies, she isolates herself from the entire pack, and protects the puppies until they're old enough to come out and play. They are highly protective, and are liable to bite, charge, or otherwise kill anything that comes near the puppies. While this isn't logical behaviour for a human to enact over a newborn, it is incredibly important that a similar stance be taken. Letting a dog invade a baby's personal space, be it someone else's or your own, creates the assumption that they can be in the personal space of the baby. While this might seem harmless, it creates the ability for your dog to ignore what I call "puppy protocol". When this occurs, the dog thinks "I don't have to use puppy protocol with human puppies. GREAT!" but that also entails all of the ingrained rules therein. Dogs don't approach young puppies at all. They don't play with them, which usually involves bite training, or nipping. They don't sleep near them. They don't interact with them. They don't eat with them. They don't even look at them. When dogs think this boundary is broken, they don't pick and choose which rules to obey - they actually let all of them slide, because they're all the same rule. This creates some serious issues, sometimes causing more outspoken dogs to believe the child belongs to them, or that they must protect and inspect everything near the child. If a dog thinks a baby is their possession, there can often be few symptoms - but in every case of a dog biting a child, I guarantee the dog thought the baby was theirs. When dogs correct each other for behavioural mistakes, they nip the side of the neck, or the muzzle. On a human, the costs of this is often disastrous, because dogs don't understand that human skin is so sensitive unless they're trained to know. Dogs that own the baby try and correct them when they think the baby has infracted a rule, such as "We don't make noises that loud in the home", or "Hey, stop barking like that". They are honestly just trying to stop the child. When a dog is trying to kill something however, they grab the midsection, and shake. If this has happened, you will need to put your dog down.
-How Do We Change This?
Instead of letting your dog interact right away with the baby, it is incredibly important that the dog understand they're not to get within a few feet of the new baby. Let them see and smell from a distance, but never let them too close. It is critical that a dog think the baby's safety bubble is huge. This instills the understanding that babies are more powerful than you, and sets up the baby for a healthier relationship later on. Please note, putting your dog on a leash and just holding them back does absolutely nothing. Your dog must physically understand and obey the invisible bubble. You will need to correct them, sternly - not so stern that they become scared, but stern enough that they understand this rule is absolute. The dog must choose to obey this rule by themselves before they take it seriously. Keep this bubble rule until your child can sit up for a time, move their own head, and preferably, can say "no". Then you can start teaching the dog that when baby says no, it means no.
3. Leaving Dogs Alone With Toddlers/Babies
Whether your dog is awesome with your child or not, never leave a family pet alone with your child. Not even a ten year old. Just because behaviour is perfect doesn't mean they're safe alone. Most dogs think that when the human is gone, they are in charge - even if they are trained to know the baby is of higher power than they are. This is generally caused by a rule of association; child is of higher power when the adult is in the room. Most dogs assume this, because it is totally unnatural to a dog for a puppy to be in control. Even if your child is 12 years old and understands the rules perfectly, never leave a dog alone with a kid. Only if your child can look like an adult should you ever leave them alone. Please note, I am referring to a home being empty of humans, not just having you in another room.
-How To Accomplish Leaving Dogs And Kids Alone
Just like protection dogs and police dogs, babysitter dogs must also be trained. This can take months, and requires specialized training from a professional. While dogs used to be used to guard kids all the time even 20 years ago, these animals were trained to do so. Most farm dogs, like the pit bull or rottweiler, were strictly trained and understood full well what their job was. This training took many days, some of which entailed letting a child be put in real danger. In order to train your home pet to be alone with your child, you are going to need professional help - and not just any obedience trainer, you need someone who knows how to train a protection dog, because its essentially a low level of the same thing. the only difference is, instead of protecting a home or the handler, the dog must be trained a long list of rules surrounding the child, such as do not let the child outside, do not let the child on the road, do not let strangers near the child unless the human says so, do not let the child into the cupboards, do not let the child going for the knife drawer, bite anyone who touches the child when the human is not there, attack and kill all predators on the property, ect. Expecting an untrained dog to be around a child is not acceptable. It is also unacceptable to think a child under 5 or 6 can command your dog. You need to constantly back up your child and encourage your dog to obey, no matter what they are trying to do, even if that command overrides your own! It is critical that a dog believe they listen FIRST to your child, THEN to you. Address the conflicting behaviour with your child in private after.
Older Kids - 5 and up
1. Letting Children Have Different Rules Than Adults
Many families let the little things slide when it comes to kids and dogs. While if any adult picked your dog up in a way that makes them squirm or feel targeted, we often allow children to do so because its easier than reinforcing the rules. Many people let children play a little rougher, or degrade the dog in ways that an adult would never get away with, or change the rules such as the dog doesn't have to sit when the child feeds them. The list of little things goes on. The issue here is it essentially trains the dog to disrespect and ignore the child, that they don't need to take this human seriously. When you allow this, it doesn't just miraculously change with age - you're basically teaching the dog that they don't have to respect anyone else but you, and sometimes you teach them that all humans are to be ignored and disrespected. On the other hand, you can also be teaching the dog that humans are unstable, that commands don't always mean the same thing, which makes a dog frustrated and bored, causing many other unwanted behaviours to surface. Obviously, this is a very severe problem, and generally ends up in the humans blaming the dog and rehoming them, when the issue was caused by the owners themselves.
-How To Maintain Congruency And Equal Rules With Kids
I won't lie to you; this isn't going to be easy, or simple. At some point, you have to stop backing up your child's commands to the dog, and take their relationship to the next level. In order to do this, you have to back up your own rules. If its not acceptable, its not acceptable for everyone in the home. Guests, visitors, children, family - your rules cannot change, no matter who. Everyone, even strangers, need to follow the same rules. Don't let your kids dress your dog. Make sure they get the dog to sit and wait respectfully for food, and make sure your kids can hand feed them without issue. Most often, this stage takes a trainer to help you with - but that's okay. As your child ages, though, there gets a point where you cannot always be there to make your dog sit when the child says so. This requires a transition period, where you're within earshot, but the dog can't see you, or you're over 10 feet away which is outside of pack distance. When a child gives an order, wait to hear what happens. If you are properly using an e-collar for this stage, this is a good section to use it in. If your dog obeys, you can reward the dog with a good boy/good girl or a yes and treat. If they do not obey within a few seconds, offer a verbal correction, e-collar correction, or physical correction. Obviously, you will need to move quickly to offer the correction in time. Your dog will eventually understand that they have to listen directly to your child, not you after the child offers a command. Sooner or later, you will be able to let your child command the dog in the living room while you're making dinner. Please note; do not use an e-collar without the advice or training of a professional. Do not just place a collar on your dog and use it. DO NOT use an e-collar on a fearful or aggressive dog.
Have fun everyone and train that Ideal Companion!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Top Training Myths - Blog Sixteen
Today we are tackling the most common and inaccurate training myths that we've seen floating around Vancouver Island. These are not specific to any one owner, trainer, or breed, but we've seen them everywhere.
1) You cannot leash correct a dog/Leash corrections do not work
This we have heard all over the place and is indicative of an owner or trainer that just doesn't understand how to employ them properly. While they are difficult to master, time, and use appropriately, when this technique is properly mastered, there is nothing that works faster, more effectively, and more humanely than the leash correction. Most often, when leash corrections aren't working for a trainer or owner, its usually because of one or more of a few important things.
i) The collar is in the wrong position for the pet to properly feel the correction and understand what it means - the collar should sit immediately behind the ears, as high up the neck as physically possible, and not at the base of the neck where most collars sit.
ii) The leash correction was not perfectly timed. If you miss the correction by even half a second, the impact is lessened. If you miss it by a full second, you've just pulled the dog around a bit.
iii) The leash correction was not strong enough to correct the behaviour. The energy behind your leash correction should exceed the unwanted behaviour by a little bit - not too much, but most definitely not too weak.
iv) The leash correction was pulled in the wrong direction. Most people try and correct a dog by pulling straight up (called a hydraulic jerk; very dangerous and harmful to the dog and their neck), or straight back (which just pulls the dog about). A leash correction should always be pulled sideways, always in front of your body so the dog is brought off balance to look up at you.
Leash corrections should only ever be used to break the line of concentration of the pet, bring them slightly off balance, and be forced to look at you the owner for further guidance. Now, we should mention what a leash correction IS NOT. It is not meant to communicate anger, frustration, or be used as a tool to punish your dog. It is not a means to harm or damage your dog. It is not meant to change or address behaviour. Let me say that again; IT IS NOT MEANT TO CHANGE OR ADDRESS BEHAVIOUR! Too many trainers believe a leash correction will "fix" a behaviour; it does not. It is meant ONLY to snap the dog's thoughts away from what it is doing and back on to you, the trainer, so you can further give instruction. It is NOT a means to communicate what they are doing is wrong! Moving forward after a leash correction is properly employed signals to your dog to carry on - this os what you want.
There are other means to correct a dog without a leash - and these are all far more impactful on the dog, such as a foot or tap correction (please read, not a kick, not a hit, not a strike; just a simple push to catch attention and bring off balance. These should only ever be used if a proper leash correction is ignored, or if a leash correction is not safe or possible (such as a dog standing on a bench, near a walkway edge with a fall, ect.)
2) To rehabilitate a dog, you need to first establish dominance.
Absolutely not accurate. With all dogs, no matter the cause of the behaviour, it is far more important for a dog to trust and respect you before anything else. Sure, any trainer can waltz straight in, dominate your dog, and effect change - but this is not happening out of a desire to please, this is out of a lack of choice on your dog's part, and the dog will honestly only learn to change out of force, not out of love, and many pets can regress to old habits as soon as the trainer is gone. The first and foremost important basis for changing a dog's behaviour is a strong relationship and trust between dog and owner, owner and trainer, and dog and trainer. It is absolutely unacceptable for any trainer to affect change in a dog through tools or dominance without earning the relationship and respect they so desire and require. Please note, trust and relationship cannot happen simply through treats; while bribery can help a dog to trust in certain situations, beware of the trainer that cannot get your dog to respect them without treats! Most dogs are taught through life that treats are positive, but it is totally unnatural to the dog to understand the concept of treats like we do. If a dog does not trust the owner, then no real change of mind can happen.
3) Tools are essential to training or rehabilitating a dog.
If any trainer tries to tell you that a dog cannot be trained without a specific tool, fire them. While better equipment is always important (better collars, leashes, crates, ect), no trainer should rely on a physical object to train a dog. Do not trust ANY trainer that has to use a physical object before they train your pet, such as a stick, tennis racket, muzzle for any reason besides the safety of other dogs or strangers, or any physical device to control or correct a dog, such as a prong or e-collar. These items being used immediately are indicative of a trainer with limited or no real experience and could possibly be a victim of improper mentoring or training themselves. Any trainer worth their creed can show up to a client's home with nothing extra (including treats) and still help rehabilitate or train a dog. While a trainer's toolbox SHOULD include safe treats, a muzzle, a leash or two, water dishes, and toys, no trainer should ever have to use a tool specifically to "control" your pet. If a trainer is rehabilitating your dog, whether its for something minor or even red zone aggression, no trainer should ever use tools like the above! A prong or e-collar should only ever be used on properly trained, acclimated, balanced dogs with a solid relationship with their owner. Any barrier items like a stick, tennis racket, or other blocking items should never ever be used on a dog of any behaviour. These items are a form of abuse and should be a major warning to you. That being said, if a trainer uses a tennis racket to prevent a bite or strike on someone when attempting to provoke behaviour, this is different.
4) Dogs that obey for treats are well trained.
Unfortunately, this is the farthest thing from the truth. When a trainer or owner has to use treats to elicit a behaviour, you are the one that's been trained! While treats are important with new dogs, puppies, and beginning to establish relationships with a dog, they should only ever be used to create interest and a bond with the trainer - not become the focus of training. Dogs don't understand the concept of operating behavior for a food reward - this is taught to them at a young age, just like the "social" concept of greeting other dogs is taught to them and is not natural. When we teach a dog that they get rewards for acting a certain way or offering a certain behaviour, if employed improperly, they think they should always get it, and often refuse to listen unless they're guaranteed to have a treat. They can even show excitement for the treat, which is another sign THEY have trained YOU. They have learned to make you more interested in giving them the treat if they offer excitement. If you simply cannot get a dog to listen with enthusiasm without a treat, then they're not trained - they've trained you.
5) Hyper dogs need longer walks.
Dogs that have too much energy or are too hyper do need more exercise, but that isn't the root of the problem. When dogs have too much energy, they can act out, become frustrated, or try and burn it out themselves by becoming hyper. All three of these issues are because of one root problem - they are bored! Bored dogs can't communicate to us that they need to use their minds - they just adapt the best they can, and most often, that ends up being displayed in unwanted behaviours. This is an excellent time to teach your dog something new, perfect other learned behaviours, or play games like fetch, tug, or water retrieve. You can even take your dog to a playground and teach them to climb all over the equipment, provided there are no children around. This is not, however, a good time to use treats or food rewards, because this will increase excitement and increase boredom, though it might seem like the opposite! Treats should be used to teach new behaviours, but only if they won't work for affection or play time.
6) A wagging tail means happy.
Not really. A wagging tail is used as a level of intensity. It can mean happy, but only if its slow and relaxed. When a tail is moving quickly, it's an indication of a high level of emotion - in the case of happiness, it means a high level of excitement. If the whole back end is going too, this means your dog is level ten in excitement - and this should be corrected or ignored. Just as you wouldn't tolerate a dog being a level ten in aggression, or fear, the same should be said for excitement. While with humans, excitement is a normal and positive emotion, for dogs, it means they are unbalanced - like a washing machine with a leg too short. If you acknowledge or reward this unbalance, they will think it's acceptable - and can often get worse, creating behaviours like destruction, separation anxiety (more accurately called mommy syndrome or role reversal), or even aggression. While it might be cute, it is unhealthy, and should be seen as a sign that your dog is going too far.
7) Aggression issues are all caused by bad training should be dominated out.
Not always. There are the rare cases of pure aggression from lack of training, but most often its not as simple as that. When true aggression happens, while it is extremely rare, is indeed caused by bad training - usually from a trainer that meant well, but really didn't understand dogs the way they should. These cases are about as rare as they come in regard to aggression. Most aggression cases are actually fear cases, or frustration cases. When a dog is scared of something, or in some cases everything, they have only a couple choices. The most common is flight - the desire to flee from whatever is scary. These cases are easy to mark. They can also become avoiding, and chose to totally ignore whatever is scaring them, until it becomes too much - which can often be the case. Avoidance always leads to flight, or the final choice, fight. Fearful dogs that think they are supposed to be in control often turn to aggression to scare off or fake out the scary thing. These displays are usually violent in appearance, loud, and showy, but very rarely is there a bite. The second most common occurrence, frustration, is caused by a need that isn't being fulfilled properly. Dogs have a few main needs; the need for physical, mental, and traveling exercise; the need to hunt and kill; the need to play and relax; the need to sleep; the need to eat; the need to feel balanced and not in control; the need to be with humans; and the need to feel safe at all times. When one of these become out of whack and unfulfilled, these dogs often become frustrated because they have no way to let off the energy, and no way to communicate with the owner what they need - so they become mad. In order to properly fix these issues, no matter what kind of aggression it is, the relationship needs to be repaired. Unless the dog is biting a human on an active basis, dominance won't help anything. In fact, dominating a dog usually results in the behaviour getting far worse - this is because there is no relationship and no respect. Dominance is important, but not if it is aggressive, and never ever before a relationship is repaired.
8) This dog doesn't understand what I am teaching, they are just "dumb".
We run across this assumption every day - and usually, these dogs are the smartest, most operant dogs we've come across. They are often easy to train, and master new abilities very fast. Usually, the cause of this thought is because of one of three things. Sometimes, the owner isn't training in a way the dog needs it to be because its either too complex or not in their language, sometimes the owner and dog have a dysfunction in their relationship and it's affecting trainability, and other times, the dog just isn't being motivated. Some dogs need a new skill broken down or communicated differently; they don't always understand a skill as quickly as other dogs might. This is an intelligence thing, but it doesn't mean they're dumb. Sometimes, a dog needs to master sit before they can even understand lay down, and that's okay - it just takes slowing down, breaking it up, and making sure that you're trying to teach it with different ideas. Some dogs know perfectly well what you want, and couldn't care less. Some dogs might not choose to obey, because they know you won't make them or that you don't really mean it. Sometimes, a dog chooses not to obey because the owner overcorrects when the dog makes a mistake, and they think they can't do anything right, so they won't bother at all. All of these are due to a dysfunction in the relationship and the owner should consider rebuilding a healthier relationship. Sometimes, when a dog is just not listening, they might not want to listen because there's nothing in it for them. We find this most often in breeds that have low pack drive, and dogs that have been treat trained improperly. If this is the case, it's time to reboot training from the beginning (like 6 week old puppy beginning) and try it differently!
Hopefully this has helped clear up some of the myths floating around. Did you buy in to any of them?
1) You cannot leash correct a dog/Leash corrections do not work
This we have heard all over the place and is indicative of an owner or trainer that just doesn't understand how to employ them properly. While they are difficult to master, time, and use appropriately, when this technique is properly mastered, there is nothing that works faster, more effectively, and more humanely than the leash correction. Most often, when leash corrections aren't working for a trainer or owner, its usually because of one or more of a few important things.
i) The collar is in the wrong position for the pet to properly feel the correction and understand what it means - the collar should sit immediately behind the ears, as high up the neck as physically possible, and not at the base of the neck where most collars sit.
ii) The leash correction was not perfectly timed. If you miss the correction by even half a second, the impact is lessened. If you miss it by a full second, you've just pulled the dog around a bit.
iii) The leash correction was not strong enough to correct the behaviour. The energy behind your leash correction should exceed the unwanted behaviour by a little bit - not too much, but most definitely not too weak.
iv) The leash correction was pulled in the wrong direction. Most people try and correct a dog by pulling straight up (called a hydraulic jerk; very dangerous and harmful to the dog and their neck), or straight back (which just pulls the dog about). A leash correction should always be pulled sideways, always in front of your body so the dog is brought off balance to look up at you.
Leash corrections should only ever be used to break the line of concentration of the pet, bring them slightly off balance, and be forced to look at you the owner for further guidance. Now, we should mention what a leash correction IS NOT. It is not meant to communicate anger, frustration, or be used as a tool to punish your dog. It is not a means to harm or damage your dog. It is not meant to change or address behaviour. Let me say that again; IT IS NOT MEANT TO CHANGE OR ADDRESS BEHAVIOUR! Too many trainers believe a leash correction will "fix" a behaviour; it does not. It is meant ONLY to snap the dog's thoughts away from what it is doing and back on to you, the trainer, so you can further give instruction. It is NOT a means to communicate what they are doing is wrong! Moving forward after a leash correction is properly employed signals to your dog to carry on - this os what you want.
There are other means to correct a dog without a leash - and these are all far more impactful on the dog, such as a foot or tap correction (please read, not a kick, not a hit, not a strike; just a simple push to catch attention and bring off balance. These should only ever be used if a proper leash correction is ignored, or if a leash correction is not safe or possible (such as a dog standing on a bench, near a walkway edge with a fall, ect.)
2) To rehabilitate a dog, you need to first establish dominance.
Absolutely not accurate. With all dogs, no matter the cause of the behaviour, it is far more important for a dog to trust and respect you before anything else. Sure, any trainer can waltz straight in, dominate your dog, and effect change - but this is not happening out of a desire to please, this is out of a lack of choice on your dog's part, and the dog will honestly only learn to change out of force, not out of love, and many pets can regress to old habits as soon as the trainer is gone. The first and foremost important basis for changing a dog's behaviour is a strong relationship and trust between dog and owner, owner and trainer, and dog and trainer. It is absolutely unacceptable for any trainer to affect change in a dog through tools or dominance without earning the relationship and respect they so desire and require. Please note, trust and relationship cannot happen simply through treats; while bribery can help a dog to trust in certain situations, beware of the trainer that cannot get your dog to respect them without treats! Most dogs are taught through life that treats are positive, but it is totally unnatural to the dog to understand the concept of treats like we do. If a dog does not trust the owner, then no real change of mind can happen.
3) Tools are essential to training or rehabilitating a dog.
If any trainer tries to tell you that a dog cannot be trained without a specific tool, fire them. While better equipment is always important (better collars, leashes, crates, ect), no trainer should rely on a physical object to train a dog. Do not trust ANY trainer that has to use a physical object before they train your pet, such as a stick, tennis racket, muzzle for any reason besides the safety of other dogs or strangers, or any physical device to control or correct a dog, such as a prong or e-collar. These items being used immediately are indicative of a trainer with limited or no real experience and could possibly be a victim of improper mentoring or training themselves. Any trainer worth their creed can show up to a client's home with nothing extra (including treats) and still help rehabilitate or train a dog. While a trainer's toolbox SHOULD include safe treats, a muzzle, a leash or two, water dishes, and toys, no trainer should ever have to use a tool specifically to "control" your pet. If a trainer is rehabilitating your dog, whether its for something minor or even red zone aggression, no trainer should ever use tools like the above! A prong or e-collar should only ever be used on properly trained, acclimated, balanced dogs with a solid relationship with their owner. Any barrier items like a stick, tennis racket, or other blocking items should never ever be used on a dog of any behaviour. These items are a form of abuse and should be a major warning to you. That being said, if a trainer uses a tennis racket to prevent a bite or strike on someone when attempting to provoke behaviour, this is different.
4) Dogs that obey for treats are well trained.
Unfortunately, this is the farthest thing from the truth. When a trainer or owner has to use treats to elicit a behaviour, you are the one that's been trained! While treats are important with new dogs, puppies, and beginning to establish relationships with a dog, they should only ever be used to create interest and a bond with the trainer - not become the focus of training. Dogs don't understand the concept of operating behavior for a food reward - this is taught to them at a young age, just like the "social" concept of greeting other dogs is taught to them and is not natural. When we teach a dog that they get rewards for acting a certain way or offering a certain behaviour, if employed improperly, they think they should always get it, and often refuse to listen unless they're guaranteed to have a treat. They can even show excitement for the treat, which is another sign THEY have trained YOU. They have learned to make you more interested in giving them the treat if they offer excitement. If you simply cannot get a dog to listen with enthusiasm without a treat, then they're not trained - they've trained you.
5) Hyper dogs need longer walks.
Dogs that have too much energy or are too hyper do need more exercise, but that isn't the root of the problem. When dogs have too much energy, they can act out, become frustrated, or try and burn it out themselves by becoming hyper. All three of these issues are because of one root problem - they are bored! Bored dogs can't communicate to us that they need to use their minds - they just adapt the best they can, and most often, that ends up being displayed in unwanted behaviours. This is an excellent time to teach your dog something new, perfect other learned behaviours, or play games like fetch, tug, or water retrieve. You can even take your dog to a playground and teach them to climb all over the equipment, provided there are no children around. This is not, however, a good time to use treats or food rewards, because this will increase excitement and increase boredom, though it might seem like the opposite! Treats should be used to teach new behaviours, but only if they won't work for affection or play time.
6) A wagging tail means happy.
Not really. A wagging tail is used as a level of intensity. It can mean happy, but only if its slow and relaxed. When a tail is moving quickly, it's an indication of a high level of emotion - in the case of happiness, it means a high level of excitement. If the whole back end is going too, this means your dog is level ten in excitement - and this should be corrected or ignored. Just as you wouldn't tolerate a dog being a level ten in aggression, or fear, the same should be said for excitement. While with humans, excitement is a normal and positive emotion, for dogs, it means they are unbalanced - like a washing machine with a leg too short. If you acknowledge or reward this unbalance, they will think it's acceptable - and can often get worse, creating behaviours like destruction, separation anxiety (more accurately called mommy syndrome or role reversal), or even aggression. While it might be cute, it is unhealthy, and should be seen as a sign that your dog is going too far.
7) Aggression issues are all caused by bad training should be dominated out.
Not always. There are the rare cases of pure aggression from lack of training, but most often its not as simple as that. When true aggression happens, while it is extremely rare, is indeed caused by bad training - usually from a trainer that meant well, but really didn't understand dogs the way they should. These cases are about as rare as they come in regard to aggression. Most aggression cases are actually fear cases, or frustration cases. When a dog is scared of something, or in some cases everything, they have only a couple choices. The most common is flight - the desire to flee from whatever is scary. These cases are easy to mark. They can also become avoiding, and chose to totally ignore whatever is scaring them, until it becomes too much - which can often be the case. Avoidance always leads to flight, or the final choice, fight. Fearful dogs that think they are supposed to be in control often turn to aggression to scare off or fake out the scary thing. These displays are usually violent in appearance, loud, and showy, but very rarely is there a bite. The second most common occurrence, frustration, is caused by a need that isn't being fulfilled properly. Dogs have a few main needs; the need for physical, mental, and traveling exercise; the need to hunt and kill; the need to play and relax; the need to sleep; the need to eat; the need to feel balanced and not in control; the need to be with humans; and the need to feel safe at all times. When one of these become out of whack and unfulfilled, these dogs often become frustrated because they have no way to let off the energy, and no way to communicate with the owner what they need - so they become mad. In order to properly fix these issues, no matter what kind of aggression it is, the relationship needs to be repaired. Unless the dog is biting a human on an active basis, dominance won't help anything. In fact, dominating a dog usually results in the behaviour getting far worse - this is because there is no relationship and no respect. Dominance is important, but not if it is aggressive, and never ever before a relationship is repaired.
8) This dog doesn't understand what I am teaching, they are just "dumb".
We run across this assumption every day - and usually, these dogs are the smartest, most operant dogs we've come across. They are often easy to train, and master new abilities very fast. Usually, the cause of this thought is because of one of three things. Sometimes, the owner isn't training in a way the dog needs it to be because its either too complex or not in their language, sometimes the owner and dog have a dysfunction in their relationship and it's affecting trainability, and other times, the dog just isn't being motivated. Some dogs need a new skill broken down or communicated differently; they don't always understand a skill as quickly as other dogs might. This is an intelligence thing, but it doesn't mean they're dumb. Sometimes, a dog needs to master sit before they can even understand lay down, and that's okay - it just takes slowing down, breaking it up, and making sure that you're trying to teach it with different ideas. Some dogs know perfectly well what you want, and couldn't care less. Some dogs might not choose to obey, because they know you won't make them or that you don't really mean it. Sometimes, a dog chooses not to obey because the owner overcorrects when the dog makes a mistake, and they think they can't do anything right, so they won't bother at all. All of these are due to a dysfunction in the relationship and the owner should consider rebuilding a healthier relationship. Sometimes, when a dog is just not listening, they might not want to listen because there's nothing in it for them. We find this most often in breeds that have low pack drive, and dogs that have been treat trained improperly. If this is the case, it's time to reboot training from the beginning (like 6 week old puppy beginning) and try it differently!
Hopefully this has helped clear up some of the myths floating around. Did you buy in to any of them?
Monday, December 29, 2014
The Truth About Bully Breeds - Blog Fifteen
For the purposes of this blog, we are referring to all Bully Breeds as "Pit Bull" just so we are not listing off several types of dog every time we wish to mention it.
WARNING this blog is not for the sensitive!
Today, all over the news, there was a story of a 17 year old Saanich Pit Bull cross that bit a 16 day old baby, and many things are occurring on social media - and as a responsible, caring trainer, and a personal lover of these specific breeds, we felt the need to go on record with our expert advice on the matter, and confront the incorrect and dangerously inaccurate statements.
1) Pit Bulls can lock their jaws.
No, they can't - but they're in the top three of jaw strength, meaning you can't just pry them open unless the dog allows you to. They have absolutely no locking mechanism in their jaws.
2) The dog in question was jealous.
Dogs don't suffer from jealousy like you or I do. They do not possess the mental process to go, "Hey; that baby is stealing my people's time from me, so I am going to go over there and try and kill their new puppy". They don't even have that type of thinking format. They can have associations however, such as the baby represents a change in rules, and they dislike that change, so they wish to put the rules back the way they were before, and so they follow pack dynamics and assert their dominance in order to try and repair the changed rules. They also can simply assert pack dynamics without the association with rule change; any new puppy brought into a pack must be determined as dominant, or submissive -- and given the chance, -any- dog will attempt to teach the new human puppy that they are the bigger dog and therefore has more rank than them. It is 100% up to the owners to make sure the dog understands the baby is not something to be claimed or dominated.
3) The dog in question was a Pit Bull, so they should have expected this.
The breed has nothing to do with the deed. All dogs are capable of this act, and as a matter of fact, the Pit Bull is one the lowest on the list of potential breeds to attack. Breeds that are more aggressive on average than a Pit Bull might surprise you; Chihuahuas, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, Boxers, Akitas, Shepherds, Huskies; this list goes on. The breed commonly referred to as the Pit Bull actually has no generic strain of aggression bred into them whatsover, unlike dogs like the German Shepherd or Akita. Associating a specific breed to a behavioural problem is inaccurate, and unfair to the breed; after all, you wouldn't blame an ethnicity on a specific type of crime. All races are capable of all crime, and dogs are no different.
4) This Pit Bull is vicious, so it should be put down.
A Pit Bull that bites a human unprovoked is not always "vicious". This could very well have been its first ever abnormal reaction. In fact, it is incredibly rare for a dog to be so aggressive that it actually lays teeth on a human. At least 80% of the time, dogs posture and fake out; they very rarely strike, and they have to feel directly threatened unless they are specifically trained to attack, such as protection dogs, or police canines. 99% of family pets do not reach this level of instability, and if they do, it is very unlikely that the owner of said dog would allow their baby anywhere near the dog in question. In this instance, it is my professional opinion that this dog was merely enforcing pack hierarchy. If this dog wanted to kill the baby, it would have, and it would have done it in half a second. If it wanted to correct the baby, or enforce pack dynamics, it would have been a quick nip or two - but with the power of the Pit Bull jaw, combined with the especially sensitive and soft skin of a newborn, the damage becomes bad, fast. Because the baby is in stable condition and the damage was not life threatening and on the face. This damage directly correlates with a corrective or dominance warning nip. Dogs that are seeking to kill something do not attack the face; with small animals, like a rabbit, they grab center of mass, and shake. This dog was not vicious; it was dominant. It was also seventeen; even dogs suffer from a deteriorating mind, and it is highly possible the dog was suffering from dementia, or Alzheimer's.
5) Pit Bulls were bred to attack, and have unstable blood lines.
The American Pit Bull Terrier originally appeared as a cross breed between the Old English Terrier, and the Old English Bulldog, first making their appearance as the "Old Family Terrier", in the mid 19th century. They were widely used as nannies and farm dogs, rehabilitation animals, seeing eye dogs, service dogs, and as a guardian for both children and farmyard livestock. Pit Bulls were excellent in this capacity; they were widely known as the sweetheart of the farmyard life.
Despite media dramatization, careful wording, and obvious breed racism, the CKC and AKC describe the Pit Bull as intelligent, patience, enthusiastic, athletic, high please drive, and extremely gentle - especially with children and strangers. They seem to know exactly how powerful their jaws are, and while they do not actually lock (despite popular belief), Pit Bulls are very gentle with their mouths, and have natural bite inhibition. Pit Bulls are very sensitive to the wants and needs of the owner, and know inherently that humans have sensitive skin.
Pit Bulls are naturally inquisitive, and compliant. Because of this, the Pit Bull try very hard to accommodate the expectations of the owner, even if that means going against their very nature.
After a while, some unsavory folks noticed the Pit Bull's ability to adapt, and it's naturally gentle nature - and trained them to either attack and kill a bull or bear for sport, or become bait animals to train more aggressive breeds. Pit bulls were not properly suited to become ring dogs, but they did well in training other dogs, and it often cost them their lives, because young Pit Bulls would not fight back. The dogs that fought Bulls did so generally because of being raised to do so at a young age, and while they mostly did not want to fight, they did to please their humans - and they did a good job at it. Thus, the name "Pit Bull Fighter" was coined, and today, we know them simply as Pit Bulls.
Despite this, it is unnatural and abnormal for the Pit Bull to have a shred of aggression in them - but the same adaptive, pleasing nature causes them to become exactly what their owners want - and more often than not, humans make them aggressive because they are either unaware of dog psychology, or think a Pit Bull should be aggressive, and teach them to be this way.
Breeding effects behaviour, but only on a very low level. Puppies are blank slates when they go to their forever homes, and these behaviors are either solved, or encouraged. 100% of "aggressive" Pit Bulls were not born dangerous; they were made to be that way.
6) Pit Bulls are unpredictable and just "snap".
Partially already addressed, the Pit Bull is not so unpredictable. I've spent enough time with them and near them to understand that they are perhaps the most predictable breed there is. They are very sensitive to energy and training, and most owners don't honestly realize when they are allowing a dog to believe it is in control, which produces these so-called "unpredictable" Pit Bulls. Show me a home with one of these, and I will show you a home that has simply missed a few things. Every little thing effects a Pit Bull; toys, feeding, walks, play time, rules, and how it is all handled and employed. Things that seem innocent like allowing cosleeping, or up onto the couch; feeding a treat when they bark at you (unless you're teaching "speak"), or even letting them outside when they bark at you. These little things are all ingredients to encouraging confused pack dynamics. A dog in control can and will listen to the human when the human has something they want - but won't when they're in an excited or hyper state of mind. Dogs like this often obey flawlessly for treats, but won't when there's something more interesting. This often leads to the assumption that the dog is just "dumb", or that that may be deaf, or even that they're just too excited to listen, when in fact they're simply dominant. Aggression and dominance is not always hand in hand. It can be as simple as willful disobedience. Pit Bulls are just way more sensitive to these ques than other dogs, and rarely become aggressive - but they can and do become DEFENSIVE. Something that may seem innocent to you can be perceived as a threat to a Pit Bull, and they will protect themselves and their humans. In this case, it is highly possible this dog thought the baby was in fact a threat - something a simple as a shrill scream, a squeak, or a fast moving arm can trigger a defensive animal, and this would suggest that this family pet had missed a few critical training steps; especially with the age of the dog, and the increased likelihood of disorders such as dementia.
7) Pit Bulls can't feel pain
Pinch yourself. Did you feel something? Then you obviously feel pain. Pit Bulls are no different. Everything that is alive feels pain - even plants. They also scream out in pain, and are alive when they are picked and eaten. Read more: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/plants-feel-pain.htm
All dogs possess the ability to feel pain - even Pit Bulls. What they do have is an incredibly high please drive - that's the part of the dog that makes them want to satisfy their pack leader. When they themselves are the pack leader, they seek so much to please themselves that they ignore pain. These dogs love their humans so much that they will ignore pain to do what is asked of them. They love humans so much, they would endure excruciating pain and totally ignore it and drive through it. This does not just apply to trained Pit Bulls; this affects the entire multitude of bully breeds. Isn't that awe-inspiring? This is what created the rumor - Pit Bulls that broke their very nature to kill a bull, and ignored the pain of the fight because they loved their masters THAT MUCH. If that doesn't make you the least bit sad or feel pity, I don't know what will.
Remember guys, dogs are only capable of what we as humans teach them!
WARNING this blog is not for the sensitive!
Today, all over the news, there was a story of a 17 year old Saanich Pit Bull cross that bit a 16 day old baby, and many things are occurring on social media - and as a responsible, caring trainer, and a personal lover of these specific breeds, we felt the need to go on record with our expert advice on the matter, and confront the incorrect and dangerously inaccurate statements.
1) Pit Bulls can lock their jaws.
No, they can't - but they're in the top three of jaw strength, meaning you can't just pry them open unless the dog allows you to. They have absolutely no locking mechanism in their jaws.
2) The dog in question was jealous.
Dogs don't suffer from jealousy like you or I do. They do not possess the mental process to go, "Hey; that baby is stealing my people's time from me, so I am going to go over there and try and kill their new puppy". They don't even have that type of thinking format. They can have associations however, such as the baby represents a change in rules, and they dislike that change, so they wish to put the rules back the way they were before, and so they follow pack dynamics and assert their dominance in order to try and repair the changed rules. They also can simply assert pack dynamics without the association with rule change; any new puppy brought into a pack must be determined as dominant, or submissive -- and given the chance, -any- dog will attempt to teach the new human puppy that they are the bigger dog and therefore has more rank than them. It is 100% up to the owners to make sure the dog understands the baby is not something to be claimed or dominated.
3) The dog in question was a Pit Bull, so they should have expected this.
The breed has nothing to do with the deed. All dogs are capable of this act, and as a matter of fact, the Pit Bull is one the lowest on the list of potential breeds to attack. Breeds that are more aggressive on average than a Pit Bull might surprise you; Chihuahuas, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, Boxers, Akitas, Shepherds, Huskies; this list goes on. The breed commonly referred to as the Pit Bull actually has no generic strain of aggression bred into them whatsover, unlike dogs like the German Shepherd or Akita. Associating a specific breed to a behavioural problem is inaccurate, and unfair to the breed; after all, you wouldn't blame an ethnicity on a specific type of crime. All races are capable of all crime, and dogs are no different.
4) This Pit Bull is vicious, so it should be put down.
A Pit Bull that bites a human unprovoked is not always "vicious". This could very well have been its first ever abnormal reaction. In fact, it is incredibly rare for a dog to be so aggressive that it actually lays teeth on a human. At least 80% of the time, dogs posture and fake out; they very rarely strike, and they have to feel directly threatened unless they are specifically trained to attack, such as protection dogs, or police canines. 99% of family pets do not reach this level of instability, and if they do, it is very unlikely that the owner of said dog would allow their baby anywhere near the dog in question. In this instance, it is my professional opinion that this dog was merely enforcing pack hierarchy. If this dog wanted to kill the baby, it would have, and it would have done it in half a second. If it wanted to correct the baby, or enforce pack dynamics, it would have been a quick nip or two - but with the power of the Pit Bull jaw, combined with the especially sensitive and soft skin of a newborn, the damage becomes bad, fast. Because the baby is in stable condition and the damage was not life threatening and on the face. This damage directly correlates with a corrective or dominance warning nip. Dogs that are seeking to kill something do not attack the face; with small animals, like a rabbit, they grab center of mass, and shake. This dog was not vicious; it was dominant. It was also seventeen; even dogs suffer from a deteriorating mind, and it is highly possible the dog was suffering from dementia, or Alzheimer's.
5) Pit Bulls were bred to attack, and have unstable blood lines.
The American Pit Bull Terrier originally appeared as a cross breed between the Old English Terrier, and the Old English Bulldog, first making their appearance as the "Old Family Terrier", in the mid 19th century. They were widely used as nannies and farm dogs, rehabilitation animals, seeing eye dogs, service dogs, and as a guardian for both children and farmyard livestock. Pit Bulls were excellent in this capacity; they were widely known as the sweetheart of the farmyard life.
Despite media dramatization, careful wording, and obvious breed racism, the CKC and AKC describe the Pit Bull as intelligent, patience, enthusiastic, athletic, high please drive, and extremely gentle - especially with children and strangers. They seem to know exactly how powerful their jaws are, and while they do not actually lock (despite popular belief), Pit Bulls are very gentle with their mouths, and have natural bite inhibition. Pit Bulls are very sensitive to the wants and needs of the owner, and know inherently that humans have sensitive skin.
Pit Bulls are naturally inquisitive, and compliant. Because of this, the Pit Bull try very hard to accommodate the expectations of the owner, even if that means going against their very nature.
After a while, some unsavory folks noticed the Pit Bull's ability to adapt, and it's naturally gentle nature - and trained them to either attack and kill a bull or bear for sport, or become bait animals to train more aggressive breeds. Pit bulls were not properly suited to become ring dogs, but they did well in training other dogs, and it often cost them their lives, because young Pit Bulls would not fight back. The dogs that fought Bulls did so generally because of being raised to do so at a young age, and while they mostly did not want to fight, they did to please their humans - and they did a good job at it. Thus, the name "Pit Bull Fighter" was coined, and today, we know them simply as Pit Bulls.
Despite this, it is unnatural and abnormal for the Pit Bull to have a shred of aggression in them - but the same adaptive, pleasing nature causes them to become exactly what their owners want - and more often than not, humans make them aggressive because they are either unaware of dog psychology, or think a Pit Bull should be aggressive, and teach them to be this way.
Breeding effects behaviour, but only on a very low level. Puppies are blank slates when they go to their forever homes, and these behaviors are either solved, or encouraged. 100% of "aggressive" Pit Bulls were not born dangerous; they were made to be that way.
6) Pit Bulls are unpredictable and just "snap".
Partially already addressed, the Pit Bull is not so unpredictable. I've spent enough time with them and near them to understand that they are perhaps the most predictable breed there is. They are very sensitive to energy and training, and most owners don't honestly realize when they are allowing a dog to believe it is in control, which produces these so-called "unpredictable" Pit Bulls. Show me a home with one of these, and I will show you a home that has simply missed a few things. Every little thing effects a Pit Bull; toys, feeding, walks, play time, rules, and how it is all handled and employed. Things that seem innocent like allowing cosleeping, or up onto the couch; feeding a treat when they bark at you (unless you're teaching "speak"), or even letting them outside when they bark at you. These little things are all ingredients to encouraging confused pack dynamics. A dog in control can and will listen to the human when the human has something they want - but won't when they're in an excited or hyper state of mind. Dogs like this often obey flawlessly for treats, but won't when there's something more interesting. This often leads to the assumption that the dog is just "dumb", or that that may be deaf, or even that they're just too excited to listen, when in fact they're simply dominant. Aggression and dominance is not always hand in hand. It can be as simple as willful disobedience. Pit Bulls are just way more sensitive to these ques than other dogs, and rarely become aggressive - but they can and do become DEFENSIVE. Something that may seem innocent to you can be perceived as a threat to a Pit Bull, and they will protect themselves and their humans. In this case, it is highly possible this dog thought the baby was in fact a threat - something a simple as a shrill scream, a squeak, or a fast moving arm can trigger a defensive animal, and this would suggest that this family pet had missed a few critical training steps; especially with the age of the dog, and the increased likelihood of disorders such as dementia.
7) Pit Bulls can't feel pain
Pinch yourself. Did you feel something? Then you obviously feel pain. Pit Bulls are no different. Everything that is alive feels pain - even plants. They also scream out in pain, and are alive when they are picked and eaten. Read more: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/plants-feel-pain.htm
All dogs possess the ability to feel pain - even Pit Bulls. What they do have is an incredibly high please drive - that's the part of the dog that makes them want to satisfy their pack leader. When they themselves are the pack leader, they seek so much to please themselves that they ignore pain. These dogs love their humans so much that they will ignore pain to do what is asked of them. They love humans so much, they would endure excruciating pain and totally ignore it and drive through it. This does not just apply to trained Pit Bulls; this affects the entire multitude of bully breeds. Isn't that awe-inspiring? This is what created the rumor - Pit Bulls that broke their very nature to kill a bull, and ignored the pain of the fight because they loved their masters THAT MUCH. If that doesn't make you the least bit sad or feel pity, I don't know what will.
Remember guys, dogs are only capable of what we as humans teach them!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Is your dog listening, obeying, complying, or manipulating you? Or is your dog just plain ignoring you? Blog Fourteen
Hello everyone! Today's blog is all about obedience - or is it obedience? We will be talking all about how to identify how your dog might be listening - and what it means for your relationship!
When dogs are given a command they know very well, they make a choice. Within a split second, they identify the word you said, apply it to their active situation, calculate what exactly you want, how it should be done, and decide whether or not they're going to do it - all of which is dependent on how you taught the word, if they have been given that word in this situation, whether or not they trust you, respect you, or understand you, and how you said the word. It seems all very complicated, and to the dog, it is. Dogs are exact - a certain tone will mean "If you like", where another will mean business, and another will mean "my human is unstable, ignore, or confront this." But, depending on how they react, it communicates something completely different.
Listening
For the sake of this blog, we are just going to call this listening - in the long winded sense, we are referring to obedience because they want to please you. When a dog is truly listening, they will look at you like the whole world has vanished away. They will be happy, relaxed, quiet, and often will perform the behaviour before you get the whole command from your mouth, and it doesn't matter if you have a reward - they're doing it because they love you. Everyone likes to think their dog is in this category; unless your dog resembles Michael Ellis and his dog Pi (seen below), all the time, your dog is not an active listener type. Looking at your dog through rose-colored glasses, whether you are a life-long owner, active professional trainer, or a first time owner, will not do your dog any favors. If your dog looks like this all the time, congratulations, your dog is well trained!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qaodSBuSIM
Obeying
Obedience itself is a lofty goal for some owners - but this trait is marked by a dog performing a behaviour after a few seconds, either because they know they have no actual choice, or because they know the outcome will be worse if they don't. Either way, it is not happening out of respect, but it is happening in a way that is not harming your relationship - but it won't build it, either. A dog that is simply obeying is usually lazy-looking, slow to respond, or takes a few moments to complete it. Sometimes you may need to repeat yourself, or make sure they're paying attention. You can refine obedience into a listening skill by making it more exciting to listen.
Complying
When a dog is doing as you ask out of compliance, these are dogs that won't listen if you don't have a toy, treat, or specific tool, like a special collar you train them in, or a certain place in the community. Compliance occurs when a dog doesn't care about listening, they just want what you have enough to indignify themselves to obey. A dog that is complying is tense, anxious, or an unhealthy kind of excited, often whines or barks, as if to usher on their reward. These dogs won't look you in the eye, or if they do, it's because they think it will get them their treat, and often break eye contact once they realize it isn't working. When there isn't the reward or tool present, they might take being told 6 or 7 times before listening - and its time you contact a trainer for help. A dog that is complying won't listen when it really matters - like in a fight, in a self-rewarding behaviour, or if they are running across a street. Compliance is not obedience, and it signifies that your dog thinks they are in control of YOU. There is likely a damaged relationship, or a relationship that isn't build yet. This doesn't mean you've done something wrong; it just means you need to change up what you're doing.
Manipulating
When a dog believes without a shadow of a doubt that they control their humans, they will manipulate you to get what they want - such as repeated barking, begging, or nipping. Dogs that use unwanted behaviours, seemingly to get a response from you, is doing so to either gain something, or stop something. For instance, a manipulating dog might nip at you or your heels if you get too close to their toys or food; they might charge at the front door and bark, even if you tell them no; they might bark repeatedly at you to get you to appear in front of them; they might ignore you when you give then a command, or halfway do it, and look away; they might only perform for you very rarely when they believe there is something beneficial for them in it, or, they might perform the wrong behaviour on purpose to assert their dominance. In any case, your dog needs a trainer intervention before they hurt themselves, or someone else.
Just Plain Ignoring You
If you can shout, scream, do jumping jacks, bribe, or otherwise try anything to get your dog to listen and they won't, either they don't know what you want, or they're just ignoring you. Classic ignoring behaviour happens when a human is not consistent, doesn't follow through, or doesn't expect anything of their pets. A dog that ignores might look away, pretend you're not there; they might just look at you, pretending they didn't hear you, or look at you with that dumb face expression, and you might buy it or are too busy to follow through. For instance, take a family that does not allow the dog in the dining room might tell the dog "Out", and stop paying attention once the dog looks like it's walking away, but the dog darts under the table and starts hoovering the food, or when you tell them to sit, they walk away and flop over. This is indicative of a dog that knows exactly what is expected, but either doesn't care what you want, or knows the command is optional. An ignoring dog will often keep the behaviour going, such as nuisance barking, licking themselves when told to stop, running around the home, or otherwise doing as they please; they will play dumb, or not complete a behaviour. If this is happening, something between your communication and the dog's reception of it has gone wrong, and basic training needs to reboot - as if they are an 8 week old puppy. Back to basics, and it's time to call the trainer.
Warning Signs
When none of these match, there are a few situations where the issue may not be behavioural. If your dog doesn't respond to you at all, if they appear listless, unresponsive, drooling more than normal, glassy eyed, or is very hot to the touch behind the ears in the folds of the neck, take them to a pet emergency immediately.
If your dog is about to bite, they will get quiet, and low. They will not be growling, or circling. If your dog is about to bite, stop what you are doing immediately, and if you can, move to safety and call a trainer immediately.
Hope everyone has a great week!
When dogs are given a command they know very well, they make a choice. Within a split second, they identify the word you said, apply it to their active situation, calculate what exactly you want, how it should be done, and decide whether or not they're going to do it - all of which is dependent on how you taught the word, if they have been given that word in this situation, whether or not they trust you, respect you, or understand you, and how you said the word. It seems all very complicated, and to the dog, it is. Dogs are exact - a certain tone will mean "If you like", where another will mean business, and another will mean "my human is unstable, ignore, or confront this." But, depending on how they react, it communicates something completely different.
Listening
For the sake of this blog, we are just going to call this listening - in the long winded sense, we are referring to obedience because they want to please you. When a dog is truly listening, they will look at you like the whole world has vanished away. They will be happy, relaxed, quiet, and often will perform the behaviour before you get the whole command from your mouth, and it doesn't matter if you have a reward - they're doing it because they love you. Everyone likes to think their dog is in this category; unless your dog resembles Michael Ellis and his dog Pi (seen below), all the time, your dog is not an active listener type. Looking at your dog through rose-colored glasses, whether you are a life-long owner, active professional trainer, or a first time owner, will not do your dog any favors. If your dog looks like this all the time, congratulations, your dog is well trained!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qaodSBuSIM
Obeying
Obedience itself is a lofty goal for some owners - but this trait is marked by a dog performing a behaviour after a few seconds, either because they know they have no actual choice, or because they know the outcome will be worse if they don't. Either way, it is not happening out of respect, but it is happening in a way that is not harming your relationship - but it won't build it, either. A dog that is simply obeying is usually lazy-looking, slow to respond, or takes a few moments to complete it. Sometimes you may need to repeat yourself, or make sure they're paying attention. You can refine obedience into a listening skill by making it more exciting to listen.
Complying
When a dog is doing as you ask out of compliance, these are dogs that won't listen if you don't have a toy, treat, or specific tool, like a special collar you train them in, or a certain place in the community. Compliance occurs when a dog doesn't care about listening, they just want what you have enough to indignify themselves to obey. A dog that is complying is tense, anxious, or an unhealthy kind of excited, often whines or barks, as if to usher on their reward. These dogs won't look you in the eye, or if they do, it's because they think it will get them their treat, and often break eye contact once they realize it isn't working. When there isn't the reward or tool present, they might take being told 6 or 7 times before listening - and its time you contact a trainer for help. A dog that is complying won't listen when it really matters - like in a fight, in a self-rewarding behaviour, or if they are running across a street. Compliance is not obedience, and it signifies that your dog thinks they are in control of YOU. There is likely a damaged relationship, or a relationship that isn't build yet. This doesn't mean you've done something wrong; it just means you need to change up what you're doing.
Manipulating
When a dog believes without a shadow of a doubt that they control their humans, they will manipulate you to get what they want - such as repeated barking, begging, or nipping. Dogs that use unwanted behaviours, seemingly to get a response from you, is doing so to either gain something, or stop something. For instance, a manipulating dog might nip at you or your heels if you get too close to their toys or food; they might charge at the front door and bark, even if you tell them no; they might bark repeatedly at you to get you to appear in front of them; they might ignore you when you give then a command, or halfway do it, and look away; they might only perform for you very rarely when they believe there is something beneficial for them in it, or, they might perform the wrong behaviour on purpose to assert their dominance. In any case, your dog needs a trainer intervention before they hurt themselves, or someone else.
Just Plain Ignoring You
If you can shout, scream, do jumping jacks, bribe, or otherwise try anything to get your dog to listen and they won't, either they don't know what you want, or they're just ignoring you. Classic ignoring behaviour happens when a human is not consistent, doesn't follow through, or doesn't expect anything of their pets. A dog that ignores might look away, pretend you're not there; they might just look at you, pretending they didn't hear you, or look at you with that dumb face expression, and you might buy it or are too busy to follow through. For instance, take a family that does not allow the dog in the dining room might tell the dog "Out", and stop paying attention once the dog looks like it's walking away, but the dog darts under the table and starts hoovering the food, or when you tell them to sit, they walk away and flop over. This is indicative of a dog that knows exactly what is expected, but either doesn't care what you want, or knows the command is optional. An ignoring dog will often keep the behaviour going, such as nuisance barking, licking themselves when told to stop, running around the home, or otherwise doing as they please; they will play dumb, or not complete a behaviour. If this is happening, something between your communication and the dog's reception of it has gone wrong, and basic training needs to reboot - as if they are an 8 week old puppy. Back to basics, and it's time to call the trainer.
Warning Signs
When none of these match, there are a few situations where the issue may not be behavioural. If your dog doesn't respond to you at all, if they appear listless, unresponsive, drooling more than normal, glassy eyed, or is very hot to the touch behind the ears in the folds of the neck, take them to a pet emergency immediately.
If your dog is about to bite, they will get quiet, and low. They will not be growling, or circling. If your dog is about to bite, stop what you are doing immediately, and if you can, move to safety and call a trainer immediately.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Lazy Sunday Ways to Exhaust Your Dog - Blog Thirteen
Some days, we just don't want to get off the couch. Maybe the weather is lousy; maybe you're sick, or injured, or maybe you just simply can't be bothered to get out of your pjs. Whatever the reason, when you have a dog, no exercise is not an option. They suffer as badly from lack of exercise as humans do from not eating all day. There are several mental, physical, and spiritual costs to an under exercised dog. So, on days like these, how is one supposed to exercise a dog?
1) Teach them a brand new trick from scratch.
If you spend an hour or so every few hours in the day teaching your dog a brand new trick, they have to burn several times more mental energy than physical - and by the time the day is over, they will be drained as if you'd been on a walk. This serves dual purpose, as mental energy is harder to burn, and also burns physical energy. Stuck on new tricks? You can refine fetch to make it flawless (see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccw1uwvbx00 ) or you could attempt to teach roll over (see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCOvAf_-Xz8 ) or even tricks like target and build into things like shutting on or off your lights, opening or closing doors, bringing you objects like the newspaper or your slippers, or even simple tricks like shake a paw or speak. Spend a day teaching these, and your dog will be tired! While this doesn't burn traveling needs, it will handle mental and physical energy. Traveling needs can be held off until the next day.
2) Utilizing a treadmill
Some families have a treadmill, but rarely do they realize they can use it for a dog. Some dogs need more coaxing than others, and some take to it like a duck to water! If your dog seems afraid of the treadmill, start it very slow, keep them on a short lead, and use lots of positive, happy energy and praise every time they move along without trying to jump off. Once they understand what they are expected to do, they will love it. Dogs don't naturally understand treadmills, which is why some of them are averse to traveling on it. The one downside to treadmills is they do not burn mental energy or traveling energy. Just physical. So, you may also need to spend some time playing with or training your dog, but they will tire out pretty quick.
3) No treadmill? Use some outdoor furniture!
If all you have is a pair of plastic outdoor chairs, a lawn couch, or other such items, you can use those, too! Put them on their backs, and use it as an obstacle course. You only need to move so far as to show them what it is, what to do, and how to play, and engage your dog a little. This is good for days when you just don't want to leave the home. You can put the jumps on command if you like, and after a couple practice runs, your dog will be leaping over chairs like it's nothing! If they have an aversion to jumping or they're too small to clear your furniture, you can train them to go under instead. Just make sure to enforce no jumping inside the home - they can break something, hurt someone, or injure themselves.
4) Search!
Train your dog to root out smells - treats, chicken stock on a piece of cardboard, a dirty sock - anything. Start small, and make them use their nose to find something a little harder to find - like on a coffee table, or on a footstool. When they can see you put it down, watch to see if they are smelling it out (because its out of their sight line) and if they are, when they find it, call out "Good, search!" after a while, they will associate "search" with locating the smell, and then you can work on larger distances. Eventually, your dog will be able to find the smell anywhere in your home once you tell them "search!" This will also burn all three energy types, and help satisfy hunting or prey drive. For dogs that just aren't interested in searching, the reward of finding the item is not enough - you will need to train them first to smell the item and get a reward such as a treat, or a brief moment with a favorite toy. Once they are smelling items on command, you can build that into search by making them move towards the item then smelling it, and then work on putting it out of the site line. The goal is the same, but the means of getting there is a little more exhaustive. Any dog can learn search!
5) Use the opportunity to re-associate behaviours.
Lets say your dog is terrified of the bathroom, because someone approached the bath the wrong way and simply wrangled the dog in to the tub and hosed them off - or however else it happened. But now, your dog is scared of the tub, and it's a fight to get them in. Take this time to re-associate the bathroom! Instead of fighting to get them in the room, take their favorite treat or toy and lure them in. If they snatch-and-run, don't be discouraged - they still entered the bathroom! You can work on getting them to stay longer, but if they are showing signs of being overwhelmed, end the session on a good note and try again in an hour. If you are persistent, you can have your dog laying in the bathtub, chewing on their toy, with no sign of stress! This will burn mental and physical energy. Remember, you are not actually bathing them. There should be no water in the tub to start with.
6) Back yard fetch
If your dog already knows fetch reliably enough to bring it back to you, let them run into the bad weather. Dogs don't care about wind or rain (and if they do, they have learned that from a human reacting poorly to the weather, and you should spend some time re-associating this behaviour), and they love running. Put a towel by your back door for their mucky paws if you like, and throw the ball out the door. If they know to return with the ball (which makes fetch officially fetch, and not just run for the ball), then you could spend time burning that energy with fetch! If this doesn't typically burn out your dog, put a few obstacles in the way, like a small chair or a few distraction toys - and reward them when they return with the same item you threw out. This will force them to think about and calculate what you want, which will burn extra energy. This can also be accomplished from the couch - assuming you can throw the ball out the door from your couch.
7) Tug - with rules
A proper game of tug can and will burn your dog out fast - as long as they understand the rules. They need to release the item on command, not lunge or snap at it when you have it, ignore it when you tell them to, and wait when asked. As long as these polite rules are being enforced, tug is totally harmless, and actually beneficial to your dog (provided you don't swing them around, lift them off the ground, or snap your hands around too fast). You can even combine tug and fetch, tug and search, or tug and obstacles - or graduate your dog up to a larger item and teach them the "bite" command - but be aware that this is beginning protection training. The advantage of having bite on command is the ability to command it off - such as "no bite" or "stop bite", very handy for safety purposes if your dog likes to play nip or is just a lover of chewing things. You can even train your dog to "hunt" their tug toy and "kill" it on command - useful if you get a lot of pests like squirrels or foxes on your property. You can also accomplish tug while laying or sitting on the couch and not having to move - but the rules are the same.
Hopefully, we have armed you with plenty of ideas for those days when you just feel like doing nothing!
1) Teach them a brand new trick from scratch.
If you spend an hour or so every few hours in the day teaching your dog a brand new trick, they have to burn several times more mental energy than physical - and by the time the day is over, they will be drained as if you'd been on a walk. This serves dual purpose, as mental energy is harder to burn, and also burns physical energy. Stuck on new tricks? You can refine fetch to make it flawless (see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccw1uwvbx00 ) or you could attempt to teach roll over (see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCOvAf_-Xz8 ) or even tricks like target and build into things like shutting on or off your lights, opening or closing doors, bringing you objects like the newspaper or your slippers, or even simple tricks like shake a paw or speak. Spend a day teaching these, and your dog will be tired! While this doesn't burn traveling needs, it will handle mental and physical energy. Traveling needs can be held off until the next day.
2) Utilizing a treadmill
Some families have a treadmill, but rarely do they realize they can use it for a dog. Some dogs need more coaxing than others, and some take to it like a duck to water! If your dog seems afraid of the treadmill, start it very slow, keep them on a short lead, and use lots of positive, happy energy and praise every time they move along without trying to jump off. Once they understand what they are expected to do, they will love it. Dogs don't naturally understand treadmills, which is why some of them are averse to traveling on it. The one downside to treadmills is they do not burn mental energy or traveling energy. Just physical. So, you may also need to spend some time playing with or training your dog, but they will tire out pretty quick.
3) No treadmill? Use some outdoor furniture!
If all you have is a pair of plastic outdoor chairs, a lawn couch, or other such items, you can use those, too! Put them on their backs, and use it as an obstacle course. You only need to move so far as to show them what it is, what to do, and how to play, and engage your dog a little. This is good for days when you just don't want to leave the home. You can put the jumps on command if you like, and after a couple practice runs, your dog will be leaping over chairs like it's nothing! If they have an aversion to jumping or they're too small to clear your furniture, you can train them to go under instead. Just make sure to enforce no jumping inside the home - they can break something, hurt someone, or injure themselves.
4) Search!
Train your dog to root out smells - treats, chicken stock on a piece of cardboard, a dirty sock - anything. Start small, and make them use their nose to find something a little harder to find - like on a coffee table, or on a footstool. When they can see you put it down, watch to see if they are smelling it out (because its out of their sight line) and if they are, when they find it, call out "Good, search!" after a while, they will associate "search" with locating the smell, and then you can work on larger distances. Eventually, your dog will be able to find the smell anywhere in your home once you tell them "search!" This will also burn all three energy types, and help satisfy hunting or prey drive. For dogs that just aren't interested in searching, the reward of finding the item is not enough - you will need to train them first to smell the item and get a reward such as a treat, or a brief moment with a favorite toy. Once they are smelling items on command, you can build that into search by making them move towards the item then smelling it, and then work on putting it out of the site line. The goal is the same, but the means of getting there is a little more exhaustive. Any dog can learn search!
5) Use the opportunity to re-associate behaviours.
Lets say your dog is terrified of the bathroom, because someone approached the bath the wrong way and simply wrangled the dog in to the tub and hosed them off - or however else it happened. But now, your dog is scared of the tub, and it's a fight to get them in. Take this time to re-associate the bathroom! Instead of fighting to get them in the room, take their favorite treat or toy and lure them in. If they snatch-and-run, don't be discouraged - they still entered the bathroom! You can work on getting them to stay longer, but if they are showing signs of being overwhelmed, end the session on a good note and try again in an hour. If you are persistent, you can have your dog laying in the bathtub, chewing on their toy, with no sign of stress! This will burn mental and physical energy. Remember, you are not actually bathing them. There should be no water in the tub to start with.
6) Back yard fetch
If your dog already knows fetch reliably enough to bring it back to you, let them run into the bad weather. Dogs don't care about wind or rain (and if they do, they have learned that from a human reacting poorly to the weather, and you should spend some time re-associating this behaviour), and they love running. Put a towel by your back door for their mucky paws if you like, and throw the ball out the door. If they know to return with the ball (which makes fetch officially fetch, and not just run for the ball), then you could spend time burning that energy with fetch! If this doesn't typically burn out your dog, put a few obstacles in the way, like a small chair or a few distraction toys - and reward them when they return with the same item you threw out. This will force them to think about and calculate what you want, which will burn extra energy. This can also be accomplished from the couch - assuming you can throw the ball out the door from your couch.
7) Tug - with rules
A proper game of tug can and will burn your dog out fast - as long as they understand the rules. They need to release the item on command, not lunge or snap at it when you have it, ignore it when you tell them to, and wait when asked. As long as these polite rules are being enforced, tug is totally harmless, and actually beneficial to your dog (provided you don't swing them around, lift them off the ground, or snap your hands around too fast). You can even combine tug and fetch, tug and search, or tug and obstacles - or graduate your dog up to a larger item and teach them the "bite" command - but be aware that this is beginning protection training. The advantage of having bite on command is the ability to command it off - such as "no bite" or "stop bite", very handy for safety purposes if your dog likes to play nip or is just a lover of chewing things. You can even train your dog to "hunt" their tug toy and "kill" it on command - useful if you get a lot of pests like squirrels or foxes on your property. You can also accomplish tug while laying or sitting on the couch and not having to move - but the rules are the same.
Hopefully, we have armed you with plenty of ideas for those days when you just feel like doing nothing!
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