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

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

Stubborn as a mule?

Stubborn:
Unwillingness to yield; refusing to move or change one's opinion; obstinate

Stubbornness:
Difficult to handle or overcome; resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires; not giving in to arguments or requests

“Sit”

“I said SIT”

“You know how to sit – you have done it a million times. Why are you so STUBBORN?”

Oh, we have all been there. Usually in front of a crowd where seemingly the entire world views our lack of skill as a dog handler.

“Are you going to let him get away with that?”,  generally follows.

As humans, one of our greatest gifts is our ability to “see the big picture”. Our wonderfully complex brains can scan the environment and give us messages without our having to sort out each little bit of data step by step. All of this analysis goes on behind the scenes, brain synapses firing in nanoseconds, finally spitting out conclusions.

Errrr...except sometimes those conclusions are wrong. What looks like a stubborn disposition to us is not really applicable to dogs at all-and at the very least, it is not helpful to label it as such.

Dogs live in the here and now!


If your dog does not respond to a request:

1.    You have not trained this behavior to fluency
You have taught your dog that the word 'sit' means to place his bottom on the floor, but have you taught him that this applies in different locations as well? It’s easy for humans to generalize but for dogs, not so much. You must teach your dog that the word 'sit' means sit in the kitchen, sit on the patio, sit in the back yard, sit... anywhere! Have you also taught your dog that 'sit' means the same thing if you give the cue while you are standing beside him, or even with your back to him? Keep in mind that when you change anything about the behavior (location, distractions, duration, etc.) you must cut your dog some slack and not expect the behavior to be perfect right away until he adjusts to the change.

2.    He is unsure of what you are asking
What you think is the cue may not be the cue. I once was asked to give my dog my cue for 'down'. I stood before my dog and gave his cue,  the word ‘down’. My dog responded with a lovely down. Yeah, that's how we do it, I thought smugly. I was then told to hold my body perfectly still and use my word cue again. Piece of cake. I did, and…nothing. Huh? He knows this! No he did not.  Until it was pointed out to me, I was completely unaware that each time I spoke my cue, my upper body tipped forward ever so slightly-this is what Stoli thought meant 'down'! Lesson learned.

3.    He is physically incapable or physically uncomfortable
Aside from physical injury, examples of this are asking a dog for a sit or a down on prickly grass or hot asphalt, or maybe simply on a surface he has never been on before.



4.  The behavior has not been reinforced (what is reinforced is repeated)

We ask a lot from our dogs. First, we ask them to perform behaviors that are foreign to their very nature (they are a different species, after all). We require they do as we ask when we ask, no questions asked,  each and every time. Well, why should they? If I demanded you perform a behavior that was completely meaningless to you, anytime, anywhere, with no benefit to you and a LOT of expectation on my part that you immediately comply-how motivated would you be to continue doing so?  Now, what if I paired the behavior with something pleasant so that the doing of it became pleasant by association? This is exactly what Pavlov observed when his dogs began to salivate upon hearing the sound of the bell used to signal dinnertime. If we pair a reinforcement-usually (but not always) food (after all every dog must eat) with an event (the behavior) a pleasant association between the two is likely to develop, greatly increasing our chances that the behavior will be repeated.


Corrections:
Some of us have a very hard time giving up 'corrections'. So, for those who just cannot let go of the idea that they are necessary, this is for you.

Step 1: Take a newspaper and roll it into a tight cylinder.
Step 2: Stand before your dog
Step 3: Raise the newspaper
Step 4: Give yourself a few sharp raps to the forehead (I know...I know....it's going to hurt you more than the dog to do this)

Bottom line: If your dog is not performing the behavior you requested it is because you have not trained it!