Do you want it done fast or do you want it done right?

Can you get fast and also permanent results at the same time? There are experts in the dog training field who advise trainers such as myself, "If you hope to compete with traditional trainers, you have to promise quick fixes, just like they do." I would agree...if we were plumbers and our goal was to unstop toilets or sinks. And really, when you get down to it, it's not even the training so much as the everyday interaction using that training that is the crucial part of having a nicely behaved dog, whatever training method you choose.

Dogs Come In Different Flavors

Take Dexter, for example. Dexter is a very high energy dog. I work with Dexter every day to help him cope with the world he lives in (mine). Barking and running and jumping and eating anything he finds at his eye level-all of these things are normal dog behaviors. However, if he is to live in my world, in my home, these behaviors allowed to flourish would soon grow quite tiresome. 

Just going for a simple walk requires constant attention from me. I reinforce what I like and prevent what I don't by limiting his opportunity to practice those behaviors. This takes diligence. I happen to enjoy the process of working with my dog. Some people don't. Then again, some parents of human children are unwilling to relinquish old habits or to change their lifestyle in order to provide a stable and consistent home life- Casey Anthony being the most current and extreme example.

List of acceptable behavior from Dexter during a walk (video of a typical walk here):

Walking
Sniffing
Marking bushes (where appropriate)

Not acceptable:
Lunging towards joggers or cars or fast moving bicycles
Chasing cars, birds, cats, bunnies
Snarking at other dogs
Pulling me

Now, could I cut to the chase and use something to STOP the unacceptable behaviors in their track? Yes. I could use a prong collar. I could use a shock collar. I could use a choke collar and leash yanks whenever Dexter even looked like he was going to Step Out Of Line. I could also nag-I could scold, spank, or even grab his muzzle and squeeze it while issuing a low warning through gritted teeth "You Will NOT Do That"...

But...will any of those fast fixes change the actual underlying behavior? Not likely. I suspect (but would never put this to the test) that even if I chose to use a quick-fix tool, Dexter would still need reminding again and again, not because he is "stubborn" but because it is his nature to be energetic and overcoming nature is not easy. It is who he is. Each dog, like each person, is different. I accept and work within those parameters.

Take a look at the tempting array of food to your right -->-->-->-->

Will eating these foods immediately stop your hunger? You bet. Do they fill your long-term nutritional needs? You tell me.

As with food choices, when teaching my dog, overall, I prefer an organic approach - one that respects the nature of the dog.


But Chris-I don't have time to train. Some people have to work all day, you know! Some people have lives!

Then darn it, you should not have a dog. Harsh? You bet. 

Before I became a full time dog trainer, my husband and I ran a small 501c3 Siberian husky rescue in Southern California. The reasons people gave for surrendering their dog held few surprises (an exception-one rescuer I know swears this is true-a woman wished to surrender her dog because she changed her carpeting and the dog no longer matched) Hands down, the vast majority of surrenders came from people who simply did not want to deal with their dog's bad habits, even after being offered free training (from yours truly).  I then had to agree with their decision to re-home the dog. This is a far better scenario, in my view, than the dog being left to languish in the back yard, or worse.

"I just don't have time for her. She has too much energy. She needs a home that can give her the attention she deserves-she's a great dog!"
"My husky keeps escaping the yard"
"My husky has torn up my (sofa, back yard, furniture, etc.) and I cannot afford to keep replacing it"

Sadder still were the calls from people who truly cared for their dog, but that dog had just bitten a family member. Conventional wisdom is quick to blame "permissive owners". This is what happens when a dog "thinks he is in charge", they say, shaking their heads.

The funny thing is, I never once found that dog who thought he was "in charge". I found dogs that were fearful, anxious, and on a hair trigger. I found dogs that had the growl punished out of them and so went straight to a bite.

I found dogs that guarded food and were challenged and made worse ("You must show the dog you are the pack leader-but don't try these methods at home!"...huh?) or the guarding behavior was ignored until the inevitable explosion occurred. In those cases, nine times out of ten it was a small child that unwittingly got too close to the dog and his food bowl. I would often hear "The dog just bit with no warning! It came out of the blue!"

Good things take time...

Well, not really.

After some conversation, the missed or ignored warning signs would emerge. "Well...she has always been a little jealous around her food bowl" or "He never really liked it when the baby pulled on his ears"

Why were these signs ignored or missed? I suspect that some hoped the behavior would somehow resolve itself. "We told her "no" each time she did it" and "We thought she would grow out of it" are statements I (and anyone in rescue-just ask) have heard more than once.


If I sound heartless and judgemental, please forgive me.

Can some things be trained quickly?

Of course. Just as not all food that is fast and easy is bad for you, some behaviors can be taught with lightning speed. To teach a  "sit" or a "down" is a piece of proverbial cake. To teach a different species to live peacefully in a home with us-not so easy.

Complex behaviors, such as changing dog to dog aggression, for example,  did not develop overnight and cannot be fixed overnight,
I don't care what the shock collar trainer tells you. And, let's be clear here- it is a shock-not a "tap" or a "tingle" that stops the behavior in its tracks or it wouldn't work. There is no magic about a shock collar and the ease in obtaining and using one is frightening to me.(If you are brave, you can watch this video of people using shock collars on themselves on YouTube for the errrr...shock value)

As long as the problem is solved, why should I care?

Because it probably isn't solved until the underlying behavior is addressed.  And that takes time.

Also...

Because you love your dog. Because there are other methods that may take longer, but are kinder. Because you have the bigger brain. Because you chose this dog. But most of all, because you are human.

Need help?
International Association of Behavior Consultants
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners
Truly Dog Friendly
Articles and videos by veterinarian and behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin
Happy Training,
Chris

We choose to bring a dog into our home. Therefore, we are obligated to teach in a manner which does no harm and is fair to the learner.

Organic~

Of change or development, gradual and natural rather than sudden or forced

The ability to adapt, learn, and evolve

Emergent behavior or emergent properties

Made up of many different parts which contribute to the way in which 

the whole structure works

Instrumental; acting as instruments of nature or of art to a certain destined

function or end.

Organic Dog Training~

"We choose to develop a lifelong relationship with our dogs by nourishing their ability to learn, adapt, and evolve. We encourage desired behavior through steady growth, as opposed to instant change, by relying upon feedback from the dog, which we recognize as a sentient being " ~ Chris Waggoner

What Do You See?

We naturally interpret everything our dog does through the only filter we have at our disposal-our own perspective as a human.                    

Unfortunately, dogs are not humans and although so many of their expressions look like ours, they almost always have very different meanings.

Take the photo of the dog to the left.

What would you guess about this dog based on this photo?

Most people will answer "This dog feels sad" Some may also interpret his expression as one of guilt, especially if they had arrived just in time to see him slink from the room.

Actually, the dog in the photo above is feeling worry and is trying to avoid conflict-this worry may have been triggered by something as innocuous as the camera lens, as focused and unblinking as a giant eye. The dog is uncomfortable, yes. Guilty, no. I will explain more about that later.

First, look how similar the dog's expression is to the one of the dark haired woman in the photo, who clearly is feeling sadness (and perhaps guilt). 

    How do I know what she is feeling? I know  this because humans have specific facial expressions that have the same meaning across all cultures.  You may be very surprised at how accurately you can recognize the emotions behind human facial expressions, yourself. Test yourself here (use your browser's back button to return to this article) to see how well you recognize expressions!    

How well did you do? Were you surprised at all?

Now click here to try a similar test of interpreting canine expressions. Very different, right?

Back to our subject at hand. The woman on the right is also feeling conflict of some sort ("Uh-oh! Did I leave my good shoes out?") The little dog below is wearing an almost identical expression.

Once again-with a very different meaning.
 
The dog may, to us, look remorseful and perhaps guilty (especially given his surroundings).  Likely, this dog is reacting to the anger signals given by the human who just discovered her $1,000 plus mistake.


Consider this for a moment... remorse is "an expression of personal regret". Dogs do not understand the concept of "expensive shoes". To a dog, such as the pug in the photo,  this pile of shoes is merely a pile of chewy stuff that smells wonderfully like us.  

To experience personal regret for something he has no concept of is impossible.

But, darn it-it sure looks like remorse!

Therein lies the problem and the root of so many canine/human misunderstandings. If your own eyes are telling you one thing and yet someone (me) is telling you another, who are you going to believe?

Rest assured,  you are not alone.

This experience is so common that Alexandra Horowitz, Assistant Professor at Barnard College in New York set about finding an explanation.

A study was done in which dog owners were asked to leave the room after ordering their dogs to not eat a tempting treat that was then left behind. While the humans were away, Ms. Horowitz gave some of the dogs the treat, and some she did not. When the humans returned, they were either told their dog ate the treat when it did not, or that the dog did not eat the treat, when it had.
So:
Some dogs were scolded for eating the treat when they had not.
Some dogs were scolded for eating the treats and had actually done so.

The result?

The dogs "looked guilty" when scolded, whether they had eaten the treat or not!

Why?

The dogs were responding to the human's behavior. Their reactions were ones of appeasement, not guilt. (You can read a more thorough description of the experiment here)

Next time you arrive home to find a pile of chewed shoes, don't punish the dog! Do feel free to admonish yourself, however.  And feel free to look guilty-you have earned it!
Happy Training!
Chris

What Is Your Dog Learning?

What are you teaching your dog?  

Whether you wish to do so or not, you are teaching your dog  every minute of every day. Below are two examples of how easily this can occur without our even being aware of it, followed by an example of how to reinforce a desired behavior.


Breakfast Time!

Pup is in his crate. He hears you stir and begins to whine and paw at his crate door. You walk straight over to the crate and open the door. The pup comes blasting out, dancing and leaping in the air. You let him outside while you prepare his breakfast. He does his business, and then he hears the sound of kibble falling into his bowl. He runs to the back door and begins to bark excitedly and scratch at the door to be let in.

You have not had your coffee and really want some QUIET so you open the door to stop the scratching and barking. The pup blasts in and begins to leap about with excitement. Jump, jump, jump! You tell him “Down, down, down”.

He pauses for a nanosecond, then resumes jumping, this time managing to rake your bare leg in the process. OUCH! Here, eat! You begin to lower the bowl. Simultaneously, the pup jumps up,  catching the rim of the bowl with his paws, flipping the bowl and its contents to the floor. He then races around the kitchen snarfing and chasing the food. Fun, fun, fun.

Okay-let's review. What did I teach my dog?

(Yes, this was me, I am sad to confess)

Dog hears me stir---he whines/paws at crate door---whining =  CRATE DOOR OPENS!!! Happy Happy!!! Run! Running feels GOOD!!

Dog hears sound of food being poured into bowl--- begins to scratch/bark/paw at door---scratching/barking/pawing = DOOR OPENS!!! Happy!!!Food!! Jumping is FUN!!

Dog sees/smells food---Jump/jump/jump/paw at legs of human---Jumping/pawing legs = FOOD EVERYWHERE!!!!! Oh, man, this is the best EVER!!! I love to eat!!!

How many behaviors did I reinforce without meaning to? I am not the only one to become blinded by the moment. Here is a scenario that is likely happening right now, in homes all across the country.

The Family Pet

You have just brought your sweet, chunky, squishy lab puppy home. Look at him-he is so cute! Look at him run! Oh…he wants to be picked up! Come here you sweet boy! Kiss kiss kiss. Who’s my little boy!? Kids, don't fight over who gets to hold the puppy! Take turns!

Six months later:

Get DOWN! I don’t know why he jumps on people-I have tried everything (which really means strongly protesting each time he jumps up, sometimes in combination with pushing him off).  I have got to get this dog into a training class. I just don't have the time or money right now. Maybe he will calm down as he gets older...



The dog's perspective:
For the past four months whenever he ran on his cute, clumsy, chubby little legs to a human, that person immediately bent down and picked this sweet, kissy puppy up, laughing as he licked and squirmed, all while speaking baby talk to him.

Now the rules have changed. But having no other tools in his greeting toolbox, he will likely try even harder to get the only results he knows and has been so richly rewarded with.

Pushing him and shouting "down" have no meaning in his world-"My human is making weird noises again! Oh, she wants to play! Fun times! But it makes me a little anxious, too, this new game. I may just mouth a little bit, while I am jumping. Let's REALLY play".

The children soon tire of being nipped and mouthed and jumped upon. Mom is busy and so outside the pup goes, to the "perfect for a dog!" back yard that has not been puppy-proofed in the slightest.

Now he is all alone in the back yard, a very unnatural state for a pup. In fact, a potentially dangerous state for a young dog to be in, if he were in the wild. Evolution has very nicely provided a solution for a dog who finds himself alone; he begins to bark and howl for his siblings and parents to come and find him. Eventually he tires of barking and finds something to chew on...ahhhh...that feels better. Maybe a nice dig in the dirt while I am at it, too.

At some point in the day, mom thinks to check on the pup-but what's this? He has chewed my flowers! Oh NO! He has dug up every one of my spring bulbs. That DOG. Why is he so BAD?

She lets him back inside-he is so ramped up and excited to be back with his family that he rockets around the room, crashing into tables and knocking the lamps over with his wildly swinging tail. The children had been quietly playing, wrapping doll's limbs in toilet-paper bandages and placing them carefully in the 'hospital' located under an end table. The dog, in his excitement, grabs a doll which was recuperating with two broken legs. The children howl in protest and begin to chase the young dog (FUN!!! A game of CHASE!!!) Mommmm!!! He has my DOLL! Her legs are broken!! Does he have to be in here?!  

Are you starting to see how behavior problems are born, and then maintained? Much easier to see when you are not a participant, aren't they? We must teach ourselves to be aware of what we are reinforcing, every minute of every day. It's not easy!

But it does get easier.


What TO do, then?

Let me say first that it is much, much easier to prevent unwanted behavior by setting clear rules and being consistent. Does this mean that you can't go back and fix a behavior problem? Not at all! But first we must talk about extinction bursts.

Extinction bursts

The usual example of an extinction burst is the soda machine analogy. You walk over to the machine, feed your dollar bills into the slot, then push the button for your selection...and...nothing. You check the button for an "empty" light, but all looks good. So you push the button again. And again. O-kaaayyyy...you then hit "refund" and...nothing! Frustrating!!! You push "refund" a bit harder. Then you use the side of your fist.


That is an example of an extinction burst-that little anxious cloud of..."hey...what's going ON here...HEY...?!".  Keep this in mind as you are changing behavior. For a time, you may see an increase in the behavior you are hoping to change-that's an extinction burst and it's really important to understand that it will pass.


If you have a new pup and the luxury of starting with a clean slate, then simply decide what behavior you like and reinforce it. Notice I said simple-not easy! It takes practice. But don't worry-one slip will not spoil your efforts.


Reward what you like
For a feeding, I like my pups to sit and wait before I place the bowl on the ground. This means that the first few times I feed (believe me, dogs catch on quickly when food is involved), I stand and WAIT. When the dog gets tired of jumping around, eventually, he sits. THAT is when I begin to place the bowl on the ground. If he gets up from his "sit" the bowl goes back up, too.  Soon you have a dog sitting nicely before the bowl is on the floor.
I cannot possibly cover all aspects of changing a behavior in this one article. Fortunately, there are many wonderful resources already written. One of the best is "Don't Shoot The Dog" by Karen Pryor.


Like it or not, we are always teaching. When faced with a behavior you strongly dislike, before getting angry and frustrated, try taking a step back and asking yourself,  is this is something I actually taught my dog to do?*

(*hmmmm...or...is it something my dog has taught me to do?!)

Happy Training!
Chris

A New Year

I resolve to keep my resolutions simple this year!

 More naps

I will accept the aging process and maybe even learn to love it (maybe?)

 

More play, less worry

 

I will remember that each of us is fighting our own private battle. I will be kinder. 

More listening

 Less Talking

I will learn to shake it off and move on

  

 More dancing

"I think dogs are the most amazing
creatures; they give unconditional love.
For me they are the role
model for being alive"~Gilda Radner 

"Why, who makes much of a miracle? As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles" ~Walt Whitman

Just look around you-joy is everywhere. Dogs are the very embodiment of joy! Take time to breathe, laugh, and run.

Happy NewYear, and as always...Happy Training!

Chris Waggoner

I'm Taking The Plunge

Yup-I'm going to do it.

For the past year I have been feeding my dogs a very high quality kibble mixed with other foods. This includes meat, vegetables, and broths. I have found that despite being quite lazy, I rather enjoy making food for my dogs...so... (deep breath) I am taking it to the next level and transitioning to feeding an exclusively homemade diet.

The dog refrigerator stocked with ground meat

I should say right off the bat that I believe dogs in this country are very, very lucky. Even the poorest dog in the United States being fed the poorest kibble is at least being fed, while village dogs in other countries must survive on garbage and the occasional unlucky mouse or frog.

But...I have been reading about kibble and manufactured dog food in general and I have become more and more uneasy. My trepidation increased considerably after seeing this short video of an AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) official admitting that pet food can contain rendered remains of deceased cats or dogs. Worse yet, there is no way to tell from the label if your pet's food contains these. Now, granted the video was posted to YouTube in 2006 and I have no idea how old it was at that time, but seeing it was enough to turn interest in preparing my own food for my dogs into action.

Today I completed the following steps:

Step One

I bought a spare refrigerator. Pet food takes up a lot of room when you have five dogs. I paid $100 for a used refrigerator in excellent condition. Another $10 delivered it, including dollying the bulky appliance into my dog room.

Step Two

I purchased a guide to homemade diets. For this, I turned to The Whole Dog Journal. The Whole Dog Journal and their unbiased reviews of pet food have been my guide to feeding for years. Dogs do have specific nutritional needs and I want to make sure I will meet these. I have a lot to learn but this short series of guides will give me a good start. I still have two large bags of kibble to go through-this will buy me some time to learn how to prepare my dog's meals while allowing them to transition to a home prepared diet.

Dexter has volunteered his services as a taste tester.

Step Three

I stocked up on containers. I have decided to portion out meals into two servings per day so I bought several reusable containers in various sizes.


Step Four

I paid a visit to my local pet supply store ( I like Bend Pet Express) where I found a variety of frozen organ meats, nicely packaged. This will be my starting point until I feel confident enough to buy my own meat and process it into meals.


Happy Training!

I Shouldn't HAVE To!

*Joy recently called on me to solve a problem she was having with her adolescent Labrador pup, *Bear. The problem arose when she left Bear home alone for just an hour while she ran some errands, something she had only just begun to do. Joy had always returned home to find things just as she left them.

Except...this time. This time, it seems Bear had discovered the counter top, where he found (insert sound of angel trumpets):

"Bird food...all for me?! And hel-lo what is this? A fresh bag of cookies! Why, I don't mind if I do!"

Munch, munch, rip, gulp.

"And what is this?..a soft, cushy paper-like substance all collected on a roll...what fun!!!"

Joy described the shock of returning home to find Bear happily snoring on the sofa, surrounded by the evidence of his debauchery. Her disbelieving eyes went from the spilled boxes of bird seed scattered all over the floor to the empty bag of bakery cookies (devoured along with most of the bag itself) next to what may possibly have once been a jumbo roll of paper towels-now a mass of soggy clumps, slowly drying on the carpet and the sofa.

So, what have you tried? I asked, bringing us both back to the present.

"Well, scolding him, of course. He puts his head down and looks very guilty so I always think he has learned his lesson, but no sooner do I turn my back and leave something on the counter than he is at it again!" 

This led Joy to (naturally) assume that the dog was sneaky and defiant.

"He knows not to eat off the counter. That's why he only does it when no one is in the room! He is a bad dog, but I love him" she admitted as she glared briefly at the pup then absentmindedly stroked his big thick head, smiling despite herself.

"Anyway, my last dog, AngelBabyPerfectDog never stole food from the counters! I didn't have to pick anything up. In fact, I firmly believe that I shouldn't have to."

Lately, I hear the "I shouldn't have to's" a lot.

Why? I can only imagine the answer lies somewhere between:

1. The new way we keep dogs (in our homes, not working outside as they once did)


2. An unrealistic notion of what dogs are as presented by a once popular television show. One that would surely deem this pup's behavior as "dominant" and would perhaps advise Joy to "claim the counter using her energy."

Well, I don't know about that (sounds pretty far fetched to me), but what I do know is this; there is some powerful reinforcement at work here!

Lets break this down using a simple formula (ABC):

Antecedent: Dog discovers food and novel items on the counter
Behavior: Dog eats food and plays with novel items 
Consequence: Counter tops are fun! I love them!


So...what to do?

The fastest, most effective solution is to manage the environment - in other words don't leave anything out that you don't want eaten or destroyed and when you cannot supervise, make sure your pup has a safe place to be in. Yes, much like a toddler.

I no longer have toddlers in my home but the thought of placing cleaning products under my sink was unthinkable when I did. I would never have taken the stance that "I TOLD that baby to stay out of those cleaning products! I shouldn't have to put them out of his reach.  No means no, after all! Who is in charge here, me or that baby?!"

So, yes, you do "have to."

Why?

Because you chose to bring this big lug of a dog into your home.

In return, he gives you joy and happiness and is unquestioning in his innocence that everything good comes from you.

He trusts that you will keep him safe, even from things he loves.


And having to change some house keeping habits is a very, very small price to pay for that.

Happy Training!

Chris Waggoner

*Names and certain details were changed  for privacy