Takin' It To The Streets

We love taking our dogs to new places. After all, aren't we supposed to expose our dogs to as many different people, places, and sounds as possible?

"My dog gets SO excited when we go places!" We interpret our dog’s obvious energy and excitement as evidence that he is not only learning how to operate amongst crowds, but is also enjoying the experience. But is he? What about the dog who becomes very still and quiet in public? Is he calm or so afraid that he is shut-down? Do you know how to gauge your dog's level of anxiety? Did you know that there is a simple test that can help you determine your dog's mental state? What should you do if your dog is overwhelmed by the crowd? Just what does "socialization" mean, anyway?


"If I take my dog everywhere, he will be well socialized!"

 When people say this, I think what they really mean is "My dog should be comfortable and friendly around strange people and dogs, well mannered and not too afraid when in public." However, this is not accomplished by merely wading into a crowd of people. In fact, one of the surest ways to make your dog afraid of crowds and people is to force him to interact while afraid. More importantly than just being exposed to people and crowds, he needs to feel safe when around them. 

Plan, plan, then plan some more

If there is a predictable behavior pattern to fall back on during unpredictable circumstances, you stand a much better chance of having a dog that not only behaves in a way that is acceptable to you, but has some coping skills and therefore a better chance of building his confidence around strange people and other dogs. 

See the event through your dog's eyes (and ears and nose)


We love social events (most of us, anyway). Dogs, while also social beings, might certainly enjoy being with you at public events. They do not, however, understand giant strolling bears or men on stilts or magicians walking through the crowd pulling large bouquets from their shirtsleeves. Hot, crowded venues with loud music may be particularly stressful for your dog - if the music is loud to us, what must it be like for our dogs? After all, they can hear a mouse rustling in his nest!

If I take my dog out enough times, he will get over it! Buck up, Pup!
 Maybe. Maybe not. If you live in an apartment right on a busy street, you may eventually stop "hearing" the cars whizzing by ("habituation" is the scientific term for this). On the other hand, if cars backfire sometimes, causing you to jump out of your skin, you may become so on-edge (" sensitization") that a less strong but similar noise may then cause a reaction as intense as the backfire from the car did (or, where I come from more colorfully described as " You're as jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs!")

"My dog loves being at the Street Fair! (or Shakespearean Festival or Tree Lighting Ceremony...or...well, you get it)"

Are you certain? How can you tell? Here is an easy test:

• Can your dog respond to simple cues? If he knows how to "sit" for example, can he do it now, here? If not, the environment may be too much for him.
• Can he eat? If, under normal circumstances your dog snarfs treats happily, and now, here, only spits the treat out is a very reliable indication that the environment may be too much for him.
• How is his mouth? If he is taking treats and eating them, is his mouth "harder" than usual? Is he taking the treats more roughly than what is normal for him?  If so, the environment may be too much for him!

 

Here's that planning thing again...Before you venture out into the world, decide what you want your dog to do (and have a back-up plan!)

•     Is it okay to sniff every post in his path? How will you redirect him?
•     How will you manage him when other dogs approach?
•     How about greeting people? What would you like them to do, first?
•     What will you do if the venue proves to be too much for your dog?

Be prepared to think on the go when you take your training on the road and always choose the course of action most likely to keep your dog under threshold. Do not let others dictate your choices. If you have decided you wish your dog to sit while being petted by people, be firm when explaining to them how to approach your dog. 

"Oh, I don't mind if he jumps on me, I love dogs!"  As well-meant as this is, you should respond with a smile yet remain firm. Why? If your dog prefers to greet humans by jumping on them and is reinforced for this behavior 'sometimes', you will have a very difficult time getting rid of it. There is nothing stronger than a variable schedule of reinforcement-just go to any casino and watch the slot players if you need more convincing.


"I'll just be a quick sec!"

When you use a leash to tie your dog out while you run inside a store "for just a second" or to enjoy a leisurely meal at a restaurant, it is extremely stressful for your dog. It leaves him vulnerable to strangers and also to strange dogs.

While you may have the most even-tempered dog known to mankind, he is still a dog! Under the right circumstances, any dog can bite or become panicked.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but this is a really BAD idea. Instead, choose an outdoor restaurant that allows pets, or ask someone to go into the store for you. 


Which is more important to you-that face or the venti-quad-iced-upside-down-Americano?

Hot Enough To Fry An Egg?

Even on cool days, black asphalt can heat quickly in the sun. Place your palm on the pavement. Can you hold it there for  10 seconds? If so, it’s probably safe for your dog to walk on. Check the temperature periodically if you are out for the entire day-your dog may have tough pads but they are still vulnerable to heat (and ice!)
 
Finally: Dogs and Pick-up Trucks

If you must transport your dog in the back of your truck, place him in a crate and secure it. Do this for me, if for nothing else. Your dog may be 100% reliable in the back of your truck, but seeing your dog pacing back and forth in the bed of your truck with the road whizzing by under him  makes me hyper-ventilate! So please, give a girl a break and secure that dog.

Give him protection from the elements as well. Come to think of it, if you are reading this article, you probably don’t need to be told most of these things! Okay, then go out and spread the word to those that do!

Happy Training! 
Chris

Litter Training Your Pig

"Training" is kind of a misnomer when it comes to pigs and litter boxes. What we are actually doing is using a combination of management and natural pig behavior to increase the probability of your pig eliminating in an approved area.


Management Is Everything

If your pig urinates or defecates in places you would prefer he not, take a look at your home and how it is set up. Does your pig have too much access to areas where he might eliminate (if so, use puppy gates or ex-pens to close it off)? Is he unsupervised (a supervised pig is a safe pig!)? Is his litter box large enough (he must fit into it, right?) Clean enough? Accessible enough?

Work With His Natural Behavior

Pigs often urinate while they are drinking.
Pigs prefer to not defecate near where they eat or sleep, and do seem to prefer to defecate outdoors, in the same general location. Use this information when planning a litter station. Tofu has unlimited daytime access to a fenced yard large enough for both rooting and pooping.

Tofu's Yard

Smitty Pan

 For indoors, I use a "Smitty pan" see photo on the left (who knew there was a name for those plastic pans that go under washing machines?)

Four large puppy pads covers the pan nicely

I line this pan with puppy training pads. I buy mine at Costco-$15 for a box of 100. You can use newspaper alone, but I found that the newspaper was not absorbent enough and I had to empty the litter pan of collected urine that had seeped through. NOT fun getting it through the door and then finding a place to pour it out.

Cover the pads with newspaper-keeps my pig from shredding the pads and I can layer newspaper again and again and use the same four puppy pads for a good twenty four hours.

I have a horse stall pad under the tray just in case of spills

 Place the water dish in the corner and done!

Perfect size!

A word about training and your pig


Before Tofu came to live with us, I had read lots of articles about pot bellied pigs. Many articles included warnings regarding pig "misbehavior", like:

• you must show your pig who is boss or he will walk all over you
• pigs are stubborn
• pigs are smart and will look for ways to outsmart you

Well, I am not so sure about that. For years I have heard the same warnings about dogs, horses, donkey's, and goats.

What IS "Misbehavior"?

Behavior is behavior. It can be increased or decreased. Pigs (and dogs, donkey's, and goats!) "misbehave" because that behavior is being reinforced in some way. A good example is that of a well fed dog who counter-surfs when left alone. The dog has learned that yummy food is easily accessed when no humans are in the room to scold him.

Watch Your ABC'S!

A-antecedent (what happened)
B-behavior (what the animal does in response)
C-consequence (what the pay off is)

So, using this model, let's say:

Your pig sees you (A)
He then squeals (B)
You feed him (C)

As you can see you have likely just reinforced your pig to squeal for food! In fact, every minute of every day you are teaching your pig something, whether you wish to or not.
The good news is, this formula can be used to increase desired behavior, too. Any behavior (desirable or undesirable) that is rewarded is likely to be repeated.


But Chris, You Have a Good Natured Pig. Try Working With A Not-So-Nice One!


Again, behavior is behavior. Not-So-Nice-Pigs have learned to react to their world differently than easy going pigs, that's all. If those not-so-nice methods do not work for them any longer (and as long as the behaviors are not self-reinforcing), they will eventually extinguish by themselves. Now, obviously I am not talking about pigs who have have learned that BITING makes the scary human go away-for any pig that has reached this level of fear I recommend a qualified animal behaviorist's advice. Common sense, people!

So What Do You Mean?

Using our squealing pig as an example, let's say that you STOP feeding when the pig squeals. If the pig is using the squeal as an outlet for frustration, that behavior has become self-reinforcing and it will likely not stop on its own.

So Then What Do I Do?

You must then replace that behavior with another in order to decrease it. If the pig squeals as a signal to you to feed him alone (and not just to make himself feel better-see above regarding self-reinforcing behaviors) and you don't feed him, he will go through a period in which the squealing will (for a time) get even LOUDER ("Hey! Don't you hear me?!") This is called an "extinction burst".

Human Analogy of An Extinction Burst

Think of how you would likely react if your up until now very reliable car will not start tomorrow morning. Would you turn the key once and say "Oh well. Car won't start. Ho hum"

Of course not! You would try the key again. And again. And again and again, until you finally throw your hands in the air and shout "AAAAARRRGH...stupid CAR! Why won't you START?!" You might even hit the steering wheel in frustration, right?

Eventually the anger and frustration wold pass and you would begin to look for a logical solution. If you never repair the starter, you may go back to your car and try starting it again a couple of times over the next few weeks/months/days, but eventually you would give up completely.

When we witness our pet going through an extinction burst we first of all do not recognize it for what it is because it stresses us out - no one likes to see their pet uncomfortable. We react to this outburst by thinking "Stubborn PIG-stop squealing!" It is a tough period of adjustment for both you and the learner, but...


This Too Shall Pass

Now, it is very important that during that period of extinction and afterwards that you never, never give in and repeat the reinforced behavior. If you do, you have just taught your pig that he must squeal for _____ minutes now, in order to get the food (or, reinforcement).

Do not learn this the hard way, trust me!

And granted, pigs, people, and dogs have individual personalities. Some are more easy-going than others. BUT-this I know for certain:

If you respect your learner (that means being aware of what frightens him-a frightened animal may bite-that is normal behavior), and you control all of the resources, and you are very careful about what behaviors you reinforce, you stand a good chance of having a well mannered pig. This, of course, assumes that your pig is in sound physical and mental health. Undoing years of poor training and unpleasant associations is not an easy task, to say the least, and a pig in pain due to illness or injury can be expected to be a bit cranky (just think how nasty a simple cold can make us!)

Tofu!

Happy Training!
Chris

It's not WHAT you say...

The Dog Team

The sled dog team came racing down the trail, tails high and heads up. Rounding a corner, the lead dog on the left suddenly veered toward a clump of bushes that looked like a million other bushes flanking the trail.  They were in fact the same as all the other bushes except these particular bushes only seconds earlier held a group of rabbits busy nibbling at the tender branches. Before they felt the vibrations in the earth from the approaching dog team, that is.

The dog dove into the bushes, nose first, only seconds too late for a bunny snack. The musher quickly hit the brakes. "NO" he cried out in exasperation. "Leave it! Eh-eh!" he continued as he strained to keep the entire team from disappearing into the brush, or worse, tangling the lines.


Satisfied that there were no bunnies to be had, the dogs swung back onto the trail, panting happily. The rest of the team followed, those who missed the excitement straining for a quick sniff as they ran past.


No, darn it!


"No!" we cry "Eh-eh!" But what do we mean? Of course, we mean "STOP what you are doing right now whatever it is, wherever we are!"

The problem is, this is not so much a task as it is a concept. One that requires the ability to generalize. Easy for humans, not so much for dogs. Add to this the "should" factor ("My dog should do what I say when I say it") and you have set the stage for a huge misunderstanding between species.

We place such importance on "words" we forget that for a dog, they are just "sounds". Of course, dogs can and do learn to pair a few words with their meaning. Just ask anyone who must spell the word "walk" around their dog! But concepts...concepts are a whole other level.


Please. Are you trying to say I can never say "no" to my dog!? Get REAL, Lady!

Consider this analogy: Let's say you teach your dog to use a soda machine located in a hotel lobby. If you then take him to a soda machine placed outdoors, he will have no clue how to use it-everything about it has changed because the context changed.

For most humans this change would be no problem.  This ability to generalize is such second nature that it never occurs to us that dogs cannot do this as well as we can, if at all.

To top it off, in most cases what we ask of them is so foreign to their world that it requires a great deal of concentration to get it right even under the best of circumstances. Add distractions, or change the context, and the meaning is quickly lost. And don't forget that the delivery method we use (words) to communicate our wishes is and always will be a second language to this species, canis familiaris.

Our response to any non-compliance from our dog is usually to speak louder, or more forcibly, or to repeat again and again what we are trying to convey. We rarely stop to consider that it may not be the messenger, but the message that's the problem.

 But I know he knows this!

The dog, upon hearing our sounds (Eh-eh! or "no!"), will generally offer an appeasement gesture, perhaps lowering his head, blinking, and turning away. This is polite dog behavior amongst normal dogs when faced with conflict. We see this behavior and think to ourselves, "Okay, he understood me. Message received loud and clear. I know this because he lowered his head and looked ashamed. I have therefore chastised this dog. Now he knows to not _____ (insert behavior here)

Well...I'm not so sure.

What you certainly have done is to interrupt his activity and elicit a response. However, do not mistake that response for proof that he understood your words!
In fact, his response more likely has little to do with your words and everything to do with their tone. Yes, he is avoiding conflict but he does not know the reason for the conflict, nor must he in order to react-this, again, is normal polite dog behavior to offer an appeasement gesture when faced with conflict.


Well, then what the heck are we supposed to do?!

Drop the "no's" and "eh-eh's" when training. Decide what you want your dog to do, and train for it, rather than trying to teach a negative ("I don't want my dog to _____")

Example:


"I do not want my dog to jump on people when greeting them"

Changes to:

"When greeting people I would like my dog to first sit, then sniff their hand when offered"

Can you see how much easier it is to teach the behavior once you define it? Of course, we are human and of course there will be times when we yell  out "No!!!!!" in frustration. The point of this article is not to have you create some fairy tale world drenched in rainbow sparkles, garden gnomes, and cotton candy. The point is to get real about what your dog can and cannot do, and what works best and what is a waste of time.

The world I live in is much easier to deal with if I am realistic. Learn from my mistakes, people! I would hate to think I make them all for nothing :)


Happy Training!
Chris

It Clicked!

Sometimes I wish I had a video camera recording every moment of every day. Most of the time, significant moments slip by under our very nose, their life changing importance going unrecognized until we later have time to single them out and say "Yes, that is when it happened". Rarely are we are lucky enough to witness a moment of significance as it occurs. Last night was one of those rare occasions.

Tofu and I had begun to work on some tiny thing...a little rubber ball I brought out and thought I might click him for rolling around.  His nose connected with the ball~click~treat. Then again. 

THE Moment

Suddenly Tofu stopped.

He became very still. No grunting. He looked at the ball. He deliberately touched it with his nose~click!~treat. He looked at me. Then back at the ball. Touch~click~treat.

In that exact moment: He. Got. It.

'Target' practice

It clicked.

In the great grand scheme of things, this is probably a very minor, some may even say insignificant moment in the world.

But consider, if you will,  what just happened...this pig and this human-two very different species- were suddenly speaking a common language.

At that moment, Tofu understood that HE was making the click happen.

This event brought to mind a story about one of my favorite childhood heroes, Helen Keller.

Remember the story of the water pump? It still gives me chills. Anne Sullivan, tired and at the end of her rope, yet still determined to teach the "unteachable" blind and deaf girl, marches her to the water pump and begins to spell the word "water" again and again into the reluctant, struggling Helen Keller's palm. Helen is fighting to get loose, when suddenly...click...she becomes very still as recognition dawns.

At that moment Helen Keller "got" the connection between the word being spelled in her hand and the flowing liquid. Click!


Okay, so maybe you have to be an animal training geek to see the connection between the two events. But honestly, I see similarities between that story I read so long ago and Tofu's "a-ha moment" of last night.

Helen Keller had lost both her hearing and sight by the age of nineteen months. Her world was reduced to one of scents and sensations. Her only means of communication, before Anne Sullivan came along, were simple gestures: push to go away and pull to come. Then, Ah-ha...this means "water"
and everything changed. With one simple 'click' a new world opened.

Of course, Tofu is limited in what he can learn. He is, after all, a pig. But his 'click' was no less significant to his personal learning process. He has now "learned to learn".

Take a look at this video. Watch carefully. You can see Tofu deliberately listening to the cues and actively participating: Link To YouTube Video

This tiny step is such a huge beginning- for both of us. Where will it take us? I can't wait to find out!

Happy Training!
Chris

Still Life With Pig

Meet Tofu, a four month old Vietnamese Potbellied Pig and the newest addition to our home!

Tofu arrived yesterday after a harrowing three hour-plus drive through a heavy Oregon snowstorm. His foster family, who bravely drove him here to Bend, had been caring for the little black pig for the last three weeks.  The kind foster family arranged for his medical care, including a much needed neutering. Even now, two weeks after his surgery Tofu is quite amorous, grunting at me in what we have come to call his "Barry White voice".

Many people adopt Potbellied Pigs after hearing that "Pigs make great pets!" and "Pigs can be easily taught to use a litter box!"

Just be aware- pigs can be taught to use a litter box, but many  will never defecate in them, preferring the great outdoors (or your floors) for this activity.

Pigs can also make great pets-if your expectations are reasonable. Do not be swayed by fond memories of the genius-like Arnold the Pig or clever Babe or even sweet naive Wilbur from "Charlotte's Web". Your pig will never gain the power of human speech, nor will he influence spiders to spin webs in which colorful words hang like raindrops-believe me.

Nonetheless, a pig, like any other species, deserves to be taught using the fairest method available.

I believe that when you bring another species into your home, you are as obligated to teach them and to care for them as you would a child. Fortunately this does not include sending them to college, paying for orthodontics, or allowing them the use of the family car.

Knox gets a look at the new guy. "What kind of cat IS that???"

It does, however,  require you, the human with the (presumably) larger brain, to also use the kindest method possible in teaching your new addition the rules of the house.


Today's Lesson

A pig, in nature, would never wear a harness.

This piece of equipment has no meaning in a pig's natural world.

When living with humans, however, a harness is a useful piece of equipment that allows us to safely travel small distances.

But how do we communicate to the pig that despite what he thinks, we are not trying to harm him or trap him (surely a harness must feel this way to a prey animal?)

Simple! We make the entire thing his idea.


What do you mean, Chris?

I'll show you! This video was taken on Tofu's second day in residence at my home. Total time spent training was about nineteen minutes or so, broken into three small training sessions. It may seem like a long time. Some may insist, "Chris! Just slap the darned thing on and be done with it!" But really,  a twenty minute investment in such a useful behavior is well worth the time, yes?  Even more importantly for me, it establishes the relationship between us as one of trust.

You give me what I want and I will reward you for it

Being a young pig, Tofu has had very little experience with a harness. As you will see, in the first frame, he cautiously backs away from the harness. BUT-by the end, he is standing in place for the harness to be fastened! Smart pig!  Watch video by clicking here  -use your back button to return to this article.

How was this training accomplished?

The clicker

A clicker takes a snapshot of the behavior you want. When the click is followed by a reward the clicker becomes a very powerful training tool- the training itself  becomes rewarding!

This results in training that is:

FAST (amazingly fast, especially as the learner 'learns to learn')
Effective
Fun for both the learner and the subject
Successfully retained (sometimes years later, even if not performed during all that time)
Simple-anyone can learn how to do this!

I hope you will check back often to learn how Tofu is progressing. We would love to see you here again! And as always, comments, questions, and sharing of ideas are welcome :)

Happy Training!
Chris

For more information about Pot Bellied Pigs go to:  
Northwest Miniature Pig Association www.nwpetpigs.org
If you would like to learn more about clicker training, go to:
www.clickertraining.com
http://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer

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

Do you know it here? Do you know it there? Do you know it everywhere?

Humans are really, really good at generalizing.

Dogs are not. Maybe it’s because what we ask them to do is so strange and foreign to them that generalizing becomes impossible. I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s a bit of both.

You're losing me, Chris. How about an example?

Okay. If you teach your dog to “sit” by standing in front of him while in your kitchen, then ask him to “sit” while you are outdoors and you are seated in a chair, he will likely look at you, wag his tail and continue doing whatever it was he was doing before you began speaking.

This, to 99% of us looks like “That darned dog just blew me off! He KNOWS how to sit! He just did it 100 times in the kitchen!” Many uninformed trainers will suggest that this is the time for a “correction”.

Not so fast.

Watch this video carefully (just use your computer’s “back” button to return)

• Did you notice that each time I said the word “sit” my body rocked forward slightly?
• Did you see that by the third time, all I had to do was rock forward and Dexter sat?

That’s because in Dexter's mind, the cue to sit was not the word, it was my body “signal!”  I did this little exercise on purpose to illustrate a point. But what if you were unaware that your cue is something other than what you thought?

Would you become frustrated when your dog failed to perform as requested?
What if your trainer recommended that you punish the dog for not responding to something he “knows” how to do?
What must your dog think of you if (to him) you become angry out of the clear blue sky?
Would he trust you enough to continue to offer you behaviors in an attempt to figure out what exactly you want?

Detach, detach, detach.

Because we humans are so verbal, we often assume it’s the word that the dog understands and is cueing from, when as you clearly saw from the video sometimes the cue is not what we think it is.
 
Take your emotions out of the situation. If your dog does not do something you have just asked him to do, is it because the cue is not what you thought it was? Are you bending forward as you give the cue? Rocking back? Blinking? All of these things are usually easier for most dogs to latch onto and understand than a verbal cue!

Take corrections OUT of your training plan. You don’t need them. They only serve to muddle the training process because if your dog does NOT understand what you are asking him to do, why would he understand a correction for something he does not understand in the first place? Never forget that we are teaching another species to perform behaviors that make no sense in his world. In real life, dogs do not instruct one another to "down" or "sit".

If you are getting inconsistent results when you offer a cue, go back to the start and really examine your training. You may even have to train the entire behavior from scratch, using a brand new cue.

Next, generalize the behavior by teaching it again in new locations, using baby steps as you change the environment. Do not expect perfection. Just because your dog sits perfectly at home, this does not mean he will sit perfectly in the middle of Home Depot with shopping carts buzzing around him. Take time to adjust for new situations.
Video is your friend-record a training session or two-you may be very surprised at what you discover (And no, I am not talking about your rear view!)

 Happy Training!

You Don't Understand!

The only way I can walk this dog is on a prong collar. Listen, I have tried everything. Besides, my trainer told me that a prong collar works by mimicking what the mother dog does to correct her puppies-it doesn't hurt the dog at all!

What do you mean that's a myth? See Myth #9? Okay...be right back- I should use my "back" button to return to this blog when viewing the links? Whatever.

Oh.

Okay, but, what am I supposed to do? Let him get away with murder? I would rather make him uncomfortable for a while than have him end up euthanized at a shelter!

What?! Dogs trained using aggressive methods are more likely to become aggressive themselves? Says who? Study by the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn

Oh.


Well, besides, he lunges at other dogs when I am walking him on leash. I give him a swift correction and say "LEAVE it" the minute he starts that nonsense. When he stops, I tell him "Good Leave-it" so he knows he was good.

What do you mean he does not know why he is being corrected?! I am TELLING him why. Yes, I know he is a dog and does not understand English, but he KNOWS he is being bad-that's why he tucks his tail and looks ashamed after I give him a correction. Wait...so he is not guilty, he is trying to signal me with his body language that he does not want conflict?

Oh.

No, I do not think he is beginning to associate the painful sensation with the other dog-why would he?

So...you are saying that dogs live in the moment and if they are LOOKING at the other dog when I give the correction, he might associate that sensation with the other dog? And done enough times, the SIGHT of another dog becomes a predictor of bad things to come, in his mind?

Oh.

Okay, but you do NOT understand this dog. I got him from the pound when he was four and a half months old. The people who had him said he was just "too much dog". He's only a year old now and still has too much energy!

Yours, too, huh? Really?
Same story and everything?You made a video of his first day of training?   Wait-you mean everything I DO is training? Oh boy...but can't I just take him to class for six weeks and then kick back?

Oh.

But, my dog is HUGE. Your dog is probably a small dog, easy to walk on leash.

Your dog weighs almost 80 pounds? You made a video of his every-day energy level? Video of half grasshopper half dog that is Dexter

Oh.

Well, clicker training is fine for tricks and things like that, but you can't use it for serious training, like self control.

You can? How about with food dropped on the floor right between his waiting paws, near his face??? Can you train that, Smarty-pants? Video of amazing self control here

Oh.

But I'll bet he doesn't do anything unless you have food on you, or nearby. You know what they say-if you train with treats you will have to carry food on you at all times, for-EVER and the dog will become spoiled. 

He performs even with no food in the room? I do not believe you.
What!? You have a video of THAT, too!?  Can I see it? It's right here?

Oh.

What did you say this training -thing was called?!


"A trained dog understands that the way to get what she wants is to control herself, and a trained handler knows that true control of an animal must come from the animal herself, not from the handler." - Sue Alisby

One Pebble At A Time

Clicker training is unlike most traditional methods of teaching dogs in many ways. 

For example, clicker training teaches the behavior first, then adds the cue (not a "command"*) Once the cue is added, un-cued responses are no longer rewarded. The result? A dog that learns to pay attention and wait for you to issue the cue in order to be successful. 

Behaviors are broken down into tiny components

Just as we do not expect that our five year old will bring home the novel, War and Peace and a reading assignment after his first day of Kindergarten, we do not expect our beginner dogs to learn advanced behaviors in one training session. Taught separately, behaviors are then chained together, resulting in some astoundingly complex sequences. So it is with a child learning to read-learning what each letter represents is the beginning step to writing a novel someday.

Very few words are spoken during training

But won't my dog learn faster if I tell him what he is doing wrong? The beauty of clicker training is that you already are, in effect, telling your dog what you want. A click means "yes". No click means "try again, dog!"  Human language is very confusing to dogs (just think of how many words sound alike to us!). If you chatter constantly, your dog will (out of necessity) tune it out. Make your words count-use them sparingly when training.

Self Control

Another side effect of clicker training is a built in lesson in self control. If you are the learner and you are not paying attention and actively participating, you don't get the reward.  If you are the teacher, you soon learn that if you end your training sessions on a pleasant note (as in quitting while you are ahead-not easy!) you greatly increase the odds of having a willing participant the next time around, and then the next time after that.

The bottom line is, little by little, every day, we teach and we learn. Each little pebble of this process is like the first steps of a journey-in the beginning it feels like we are getting nowhere, but just keep walking- suddenly you will be exactly where you want to be.

The Crow and the Pitcher 

A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had
once been full of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the
mouth of the Pitcher he found that only very little water was left
in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it.
He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair.
Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it
into the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped it into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher.  At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near
him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench
his thirst and save his life.

Little by little does the trick.

 

Happy Training!

Chris

*Another difference is the use of "cues" rather than "commands". Why? A cue gives the learner an opportunity to perform a requested behavior and then be rewarded. A command is used to communicate to the learner that "this must be done or else".  "Or else" is usually something unpleasant.

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

The Shoemaker's Children Go Without Shoes...

I have a confession to make. Here goes...(deep breath)

Dexter, the love of my life, the dog who can retrieve a bottle of water from the refrigerator on cue, find my car keys when asked, and perform a bazillion behaviors smartly and fluently...cannot walk on a loose leash.

Not such a big deal, except I am a DOG TRAINER and get paid actual MONEY to teach other people how to walk their dog on a loose leash!!!

But...I gotta "get real" and admit that my loose leash training with Dexter has been a huge failure.

I have  been inconsistent. In so many ways. It really boils down to being lazy, if I am going to be completely honest. Having the luxury of almost seven acres at your disposal makes for rarely pulling out a leash. Except, sometimes I would like to take Dexter with me, out in public. But when I do, he becomes overly excited and I end up spending the entire time either in the parking lot or in the car, hoping none of my students happen to walk by.

Alright, so it's a problem. But I am a dog trainer-I can solve this!

Step one: determine what I would like him to do while leashed...this will require some thought. Simply stating "I do not want him to pull" leaves too much ambiguity. Of course I do not wish him to pull, but that is not stating what I want him to do, is it?

So, what DO I want him to do?

Got it! (snapping fingers) I would like Dexter to move into the slightest amount of pressure felt from the collar and leash. And I want him to do this while we are in any location-at home or in public.

Now I have a clear goal. The next step is to figure out how to get there! How can I communicate to Dexter that I want him to move with the leash and not against it? After all, I have taught him that to get to point B from point A, just pull your human along! To be fair, from his perspective, I am incredibly s-l-o-w with my two legs as compared to his four. Have you ever watched a dog move while off  leash? They don't walk stiffly one step at a time. They trot, usually with nose to the ground. Their natural stride is way faster than ours-even small dogs!

Walking on a loose leash, matching our human stride, is a very unnatural behavior for a dog. If we expect them to do this, we have got to find a clear way to do it and also a method that is enjoyable for the dog as well. 

Why must it be enjoyable, you may ask? Because what is life without joy?! Think about it-if you force your dog to walk at your side, which you can, then what are you  saying? "You are mine and will do as I say when I say it. Oh, but you are also my best friend and I love you!" Because I chose to bring another species into my home (no one forced me!) I feel obligated to treat him in the fairest way possible-this means finding a way to teach him that is pleasant, effective and fun (for both of us!)

Back to Dexter...

Thankfully, I do not have to reinvent the wheel here. I am going to try a method originally meant to teach horses how to have a "soft mouth" by using the slightest pressure on the reins. I don't know who thought to use this with dogs, but it is generally accepted that Shirley Chong was the first. I will not go into as much detail as she has beautifully laid out, but if you would like to try this method yourself, her instructions are available if you click on the link provided (her name).   Grisha Stewart also has a description of this method including videos on her wonderful website, Ahimsa Dog Training and there are probably more of you search around online.

Essentially, the way it works is this:

Start with the dog on a flat collar with a leash attached (the collar must be a flat, buckle type) and fitted to the dog's neck as you normally would.

Make sure you are in a small, boring room (there will be plenty of time to add challenges-right now you are in Kindergarten) to start.

Take the leash in your hand and apply the tiniest, tiniest amount of pressure. The moment the dog moves in towards the pressure-click/treat!

The end result: A dog that responds to the leash as a cue-not as an anchor. The leash becomes a living, interactive opportunity for reinforcement.

Real Life

Dexter is a hound. As such he is very tuned in to the environment. Excitement is his middle name and relaxation is not in his vocabulary. For him, I am using a combination of the above described leash method along with Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed "Look At That!" 

So, without further ado, here is video  taken after only a couple of training sessions. We will have many, many more to go until this behavior is automatic for Dexter, but I can finally see a light at the end of this tunnel!

Happy Training!
Chris