disclaimer - dog behaviour help, puppy training, dog ... · natasja lewis’s interest in dog...

Disclaimer:Thisbookhasbeenwrittentohelptoexplainthedifficultieswithsometimesusing“old”labelswhendescribingdogbehaviour.Everyefforthasbeenmadetoensureitsaccuracy.Whilsttheinformationinthisbookis,totheauthors’knowledge,accurateatthetimeofwriting,informationchangesandnewfactsarisewhichmaysupersedesomeofthisbook’scontent.Readersactingonanyinformationcontainedwithinthisbookdosoattheirownrisk.Yourveterinarianshouldbeconsultedforadvice.Neithertheauthors,northepublisher,noranyoneprovidingrecommendationsforthisbookacceptsanyliabilityorresponsibilitytoanypet,personorentitywithrespecttodamage,loss,orinjurycausedorimplied,orsaidtobecauseddirectlyorindirectlyfollowingtheinformationcontainedhere.

Copyright©2017AnnaPatfield,HelenHitchings,NatasjaLewis,MandyDaveridge

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorusedinanyformorbyanymeanswithoutwrittenpermissionfromtheauthors.

Illustrations:MandyDaveridge

Editors:

JackieBennettDipCABT,PetBehaviourist&Trainer,www.bellabehaviour.co.uk

LornaWinterGLCM,LLCM,DipCABT

FirsteditionpublishedDecember2017.Ardgay,Scotland.

www.facebook.com/DogzThinkzDifferentzwww.PawsAbility.co.uk/DogzThinkzDifferentz

Dogz Thinkz Differentz

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Contents

AbouttheAuthors.........................................................................................................................................4Introduction....................................................................................................................................................6He’sDominant................................................................................................................................................7HeHatesthePostieorCatsortheVacuum...........................................................................................9AboutRewards.............................................................................................................................................13AboutSocialisation.....................................................................................................................................15He’sStubborn................................................................................................................................................17He’sStupid!....................................................................................................................................................19He’sJustaBitTimid…................................................................................................................................21Summary........................................................................................................................................................23


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AbouttheAuthorsAnnaPatfieldisadogbehaviourist,trainerandauthor.Shedevelopedaseriousinterestindogbehaviouraround2000,whensheacquiredadogwithbehaviouralproblems.MovingontostudywithCOAPE(TheCentreofAppliedPetEthology),herpassionforunravellingthemysteriesbroadenedtoincorporatethestudyofnutritionand

itsimpactonbehaviour.Shehasbeenhelpingdogandpuppyownerssince2003andauthored“TheGoodDogDiet”,whichclearlyexplainscaninenutritionalscienceandsortsoutthefactsfromthemyths.

AnnaholdsAdvancedDiplomasinCompanionAnimalBehaviour&TrainingandCanineNutritionalSciencewithCOAPEandCASI(TheCompanionAnimalSciencesInstitute),andisafullmemberofCAPBT(TheCOAPEAssociationofAppliedPetBehaviourists&Trainers).www.PawsAbility.co.ukandwww.TheGoodDogDiet.com

HelenHitchingscombinesherloveofteachingandanimalbehaviourbyofferingone-to-onebehaviourtherapyforcatsanddogsandrunninglecturesandworkshopsonpetthemes.Shestartedheranimalcareerin1991asastudentvetnursewithPDSA,becomingafullyqualified

RegisteredVeterinaryNurse(RVN)in1994.Herjourneyintodogbehaviourandtrainingstartedin1997withConnor.ConnorhadhaddifficultieswithhisgundogtrainingandhadlivedinmultiplehomesbeforeHelenfoundhim.WorkingwithConnortaughtHelenthatpositivereinforcementandforce-freetrainingwastheonlywaytogo.

ThisledtostudyingwithCOAPE,qualifyingin2002withaDiplomainCompanionAnimalBehaviourandTraining(DipCABT),refreshingthisqualificationin2015.HelenhasalsotaughtBehaviour&NursingunitsontheAnimalManagementDiplomacourse,gainingqualifiedteacherstatus(CertEd)atPortsmouthUniversityin2008,andbecameaCertifiedTrainerwithVictoriaStilwellPositivelyDogTrainingin2016,wheresheisnowamentor.

www.PetBehaviourServices.com


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NatasjaLewis’sinterestindogtrainingstartedaround23yearsagowithherShetlandSheepdogDali,wholedthewayintoalifeofdogtrainingandbehaviour.ShebreedsandshowsGroenendaels,winningBestofBreedatCruftsin2009and2010.Shehasalsocompetedinobedience,rallyobedienceandagility,andbecameaDogShowJudgein2015.

NatasjagainedherAdvancedDiplomainCompanionAnimalBehaviourandTrainingthroughCOAPEin2009andhasbeenamemberofCAPBTeversince.Sheispassionateaboutmakingtrainingfunfordogsandowners,andnowusesconceptandgamesbasedtraininginallherclasses.Natasjaspecialisesinpuppytraining,hasakeeninterestindogbehaviour,andisalwaysseekingtofurtherandupdateherknowledgebyattendingseminarsandworkshopsinrelatedtopics.

www.nightsabre.co.uk

MandyDaveridgeispassionateaboutteachingandbelievesthatunderstandingemotionalityandclearcommunicationinanimalsarevitalinshapingbehaviours.SheholdsBachelordegreesinmodernlanguagesandlaw(BA,LLB)andaMaster’sDegreeinBusinessAdministration(MBA).Sherecently

successfullycompletedtheCOAPEHigherDiplomainAppliedClinicalPharmacology,NeurophysiologyandTherapeuticsinCompanionAnimalBehaviourTherapy(DipCABT(RQFLevel6)).SheisafullyqualifiedPersonalTrainer/FitnessInstructorwithsome20yearsexperienceintheFitnessIndustry.SheisalsoacertifiedNeuroLinguisticProgramming(NLP)Practitioner.Shehaslivedwithdogsallherlife,andcurrentlydivideshertimebetweenworkingasaDogBehaviourist/TrainerandaPersonalTrainer.www.maddogz.co.uk


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IntroductionIt’sinteresting,althoughperhapsnotsurprising,thattheperceptionofhowdogsthinkdiffersbetweenpetownersandthosetrainersandbehaviouristswhohavebeenstudyingandlearningaboutcaninebrainsandbehaviouroverthepast20yearsorso.Knowledgehasadvanced,butthegeneralpublicperceptionremainslargelythesame.Weallcomeacrossthiseveryday.Petownersapologiseforlettingtheirdogsuponthesofa,sayingthattheyknowtheyshouldn’tbecauseitmakestheirdogsdominant.Dogsaredescribedasstubbornwhentheyrefusetowalktoheel,andpeoplelookfordogtrainingclassestohelpsocialisetheiraggressivedogs.

Now,perhapsthereissomevaliditywiththeseoldterms,butwhatwetendtofindisthattheselabelsinhibitourabilitytotrulyseewhat’sgoingon.Bytakingastepbackandlookingfortherealrootcauseofabehaviour,wecantakeafreshapproach.Wecanenhancewhatwearedoingandperhapsachieveourgoalsmoreeffectively.Thisbookaimstohelpfillthatgapinperceptioninthefollowingareas,sothat:

1. Petownersseekinghelpfortheirdogsmaybegintolearnthattheknowledgeofdogbehaviourandtraininghaschanged.Alsoforthosewhochoosetouselabelslikedominanceandstubborn,toconsiderdifferentwaysofthinkingsotheycanstarttoseeinsidetheirdog’smindmoreclearly.

2. Petprofessionals,includingsomedogbehaviourists,trainersandothersworkingwithdogs,maybegintoconsiderthedifficultieswiththeseold-schoollabels.Wehopethediscussionandpracticalexampleswithinthisbookwillprovidenewperspectivesregardinghowtotackletheproblems.Forthosewhoalreadyworkthisway,wehopethatthisbookwillbeausefulreferenceforyoutopassontoothers.

3. Wemayhelptocalmthedebateaboutthewordsweuse.Evenmodern“positive”trainersandbehaviouristsspendtimearguingoverlabels.Let’smoveforward,rebrandtheseterms,andfocusmoreonsolutions.

Ofcoursethisbookwillonlybegintoconveytheissueswiththesecontroversialterms.Wewilloutlinetheissues,discusstheproblemswiththeterminologyandsuggestsomesimplesolutions.Itisnottheaimofthisbooktoprovidedetailedbehaviourortrainingprogrammesfortimidorstubborndogs,nortodiscusssocialisationortheuseofrewardsindetail.It’ssimplymeanttobealightheartedsummary,togiveusfoodforthoughtandtosowsomenewideas.Thereare,afterall,manydifferentpotentialsolutions.Soifyouarehavingproblems,pleasedoseekoutaqualifiedandexperiencedbehaviouristortrainertohelp.

Sopleasereadontogainabetterinsightintodogs’brainsandhopefullybegintocomprehendhowthisnewknowledgewillhelpustoresolveourdoggydifficulties.Inaddition,pleasedosharethisbookwidelytohelpustospreadthewordandde-bunkthoseoldschooldogtrainingandbehaviourmyths.HopeyouenjoyJ


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He’sDominant

Wethink:Mydogalwaysjumpsonmeandpullsmealong

DogzThink:Heyz,IjustwannahavecuddleslikeweusedtowhenIwozapuppy&Iwannagettotheparkfasttoplaywithmypals

Whatarewetalkingabout?

Itseemsthatmany,manypetdogowners“know”thatwhendogspresentcertainbehaviourproblemsthattheyarebeingdominant.Anytimethatadogpullsorjumpsorrefusestocomebacktothemorgetoffthesofa,theythinktheirdogistryingtogetoneoverthemorbetheleaderofthepack.

What’sreallygoingon?

Thisisarealconundruminthedogbehaviourandtrainingworld.Yet,itactuallyseemsthatdominanceandpunishment-baseddogtrainingmethodsonlybecamepartofthedog-trainingworldatthebeginningofthe20thcentury.Evenatthattimetherewassignificantdisagreementwithregardtodogsandemotion.However,thesedominancemethodswerepromotedveryeffectivelyviasuccessfulbookmarketingandlater,TVprogrammes.Then,about90yearslater,prominentbehaviouristsandtrainerscametorealisethata)dogsareaffectedemotionallybytheworldaroundthemandthatb)theylearnmosteffectivelywhentheyarerewardedfordesirablebehaviours.

Thoseofusworkinginthisbusinessandfollowingthisethosseesuccessfuloutcomestimeandtimeagain,butgettingthismessageacrosstothepublicatlargeseemsalmostimpossible.Sadlysomecoursesondogbehaviourcontinuetoteachpackleadertheory,andtheoldmethodsarestillpickedupbysomeTVproducers.Oldbooksarerepublishedasnewandthereisaconstantdrip-feedoftheoldtheories.Perhapsweallresistchange?Perhapsweseeawolfinourlivingroomandgelwiththeoldideasofwolfpackhierarchy?(Whichisactuallywrong,butthat’sanotherstory.)YetitseemsastonishingreallythatTVshowsandacoupleofbookshavehadsuchaprofoundeffectonthewaywetreatdogs.Ofcoursethereareafewdogsthatseemtohavethedesireorneedtocontrolthingsaroundthem.Forinstance:guardingtoysorfood;lookingfortroubleonwalks;orbarkingandlungingatownerswhentheyleavethehouse.However,thereasonsforthesebehavioursaremostoftenbetterexplainedbyboredom,fear,frustration,angerandsoon,thanbywantingtodominate.

What’stheproblem?

First,usingtheworddominantseemstomakeusfeelthatweneedtodealwiththeissueusingforce.Wefeelthatweneedtodominatethesituation.Yet,whydoweneedtothinklikethat?Whyshouldwewanttodominateourdogsinsteadoflivinginpeaceandharmony?Manypetownersthinkthiswayeventhoughtheyfundamentallyknowthattheirdogscanbehappyorsad.


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Second,somefeelthattherearegenericrulesthatcanbeappliedtofixdominantdogs.Theseconsistofexercisessuchaseatingbeforethedog,neverlettinghimwalkinfrontofyou,andneverlettinghimoutthedoorfirst.Whilstthelatterprovidessomemeasureofsafety,noneoftheseexercisesaddresseshowthedogisactuallyfeeling.

Further,itpreventsusfromanalysingindividualsituations,eachofwhichmaywellhaveadifferentcause.Adogmaybeangry,thinkingthathisfoodmaybestolen,butexcitedwhengoingtothepark.Changingthesebehavioursrequiresdifferentapproaches,dependingontheunderlyingemotion.

So,whatcanwedoaboutourdominantdogs?

Well,weneedtochangeourmindsets.Weneedtoconsidertheemotionalmotivationbehindthebehaviour.Weneedtochangeourdogs’environmentstohelpthemtostarttothinkdifferently;tohelpthemtofeelmorecalmandrelaxed;tonotbeanxious;tonotbeboredorfrustrated.

Possessiveaggressivedogsarefrequentlybored.Dogswhobehaveaggressivelytowardspeopleordogsarefrequentlyscared.Dogswhoareaggressiveonleadarefrequentlyfrustrated.Bytakingthesefeelingsonboardwecanstarttochangehowwethinkaboutthem.Wecanchangewhatwedotohelpthemfeeldifferentlyandnolongerfeeltheneedtobehaveinthisundesirableway.Herearesomeexamples:Jumpinguponyou

Dogsjumpupeithertogettoourfacesortogetmorebodycontactandbecausejumpingonotherdogsisacommonwaytoplay.But,fundamentally,weteachthemthisbehaviourwhentheyarepuppies.Wepickthemupandcuddlethemandhelpthemtolearnthathavingtheirbodyonoursisreallynice.That’sit.Nothingmore.Wecaneasilypreventthisissuearisingwhentheyarepuppiesbysimplykeepingtheirfourpawsonthefloorandgivingourcuddlesthere.Whentheyareolderitcanhelptoteachthemthatalltheyneedtodotogetourattentionistoputtheirbottomontheground.Admittedly,thatcanbedifficultandmayrequireaweetraininglessonortwo!

AdogonthebedSimplyput,ourbedisacomfy,cosyplacewherethedogcanfeelhappilyenvelopedinourscent.There’snothingwrongwithadogbeingonourbed(ifwe’rehappywiththat)unlesstheyhavesomebehaviouralproblemsuchasaggressionorseparationissues.Inwhichcase,theremaybecomplicationsthatrequireprofessionalhelp.

Walkinginfront,pullingusalong

Justconsiderhowadogfeelswhentheygooutforawalk.Somedogscanbecomeveryexcitedwhengoingtothepark,thehillsorsayinghellotothedogattheendoftheroad.Theyarejustmuchmoremotivatedthanustowalkandsniffandgettoplayinthepark.But,despitethemanysuccessfulreward-basedmethodsthathavebeenusedtoteachaniceheelposition,manypetownersseemtopersistwithastop-and-jerkapproach.Justthinkaboutthat.Whywouldadogwanttowalkbesideuswhenthey’vejusthadtheirneckjerked?Surelyit’sfarbettertoteachthemthatbeingbesideourlegisreallygreat?

Adogisguardingfood

Hereweneedtoteachthemthatit’sgoodtohaveusaroundtheirfoodbowl.Takingitawayfromthemsimplyservestofueltheanger.Pleasedotakecarehere.Intenseangerneedsacautiousapproachandmaywellbenefitfromprofessionaladvice.


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HeHatesthePostieorCatsortheVacuum

Wethink:Mydoghatesthesethingssomuchbecauseheisbarking,growling,lungingat,orchasingthem

DogzThinkz:Postie:Theremustbesomethingverywrongwivthizguy.Henevercomezin-hemustnotbeafriend-Ibettergetridofhim!Cats:Yeah,acatz,Ilurvtochasethemcatz!Vacuum:Geez,thatnoiseisscary!


Postie:Somedogsbarkorgrowlwhenthepostiecomestothedoororpassesbyorperhapstheygrabandshredthemail.Cats:Dogsmaystrainonaleadortrytochaseacat.

Vacuum:Hegrowlsandlungesatthevacuum.


Postie:Thepostiecomesalong,thedogbarks,thepostieleaves.Ourdogscometobelievethatit’stheirbarkingthatensuresthatthisscarypersongoesaway.Wemayevenhelpthemtobelievethiswaybecauseweruntothedoor(tosavethepost),orshout(albeitatthedogtobequiet).Or,indeed,itmaysimplybeabitoffuninanotherwiseboringday!Cats:Dogsinstinctivelylovetochasesmallfurrythingsthatmove.They’renotreallythinkingaboutwhatthey’redoingotherthanperhapsthinking“food”!Itisquitepossible,therefore,thatadogchasingacatisjustenjoyingthethrillofthechase.(Ofcourse,weconsiderthattobeunacceptable.)

Vacuum:Manydogsarescaredofnoisessuchasfireworks,thunder,cookerpings,telephones,ironingboardsorourverynoisyvacuums.Sotheybarkorlungeatthevacuumandguesswhat?Itworks!Atsomepoint,weswitchitoff,putitaway,andthenoisestops.Ofcourse,wemayalsoencourageourpuppiestochaseitbecausewethinkit’sfunny(atthestart).

What’stheproblem?

Well,youmayhaverealisedbynowthatthislittlebookisaboutconsideringthedifficultywithlabels.Ittendstostopusthinkingaboutthenuancesofwhatmightactuallybegoingonandreducestheoptionswemayhavewhentryingtochangeanunwantedbehaviour.

Afterall,thewordhatemayconveysomanydifferentthoughts.Wemayhateaperson,wemayhatespiders,wemayhatepotholes,wemayhatethethoughtofgoingtothegym,orwemayhatenuisancephonecalls.Therearesomanydifferentcontexts.

It’snotsurprising,therefore,thatweusethisgenericwordtodescribedifferentscenariosinourdogs’lives.Dowe,perhapsusethewordhatewhenwefeelhelplessaboutaparticularsituation?There’snothingwecandotogetthepotholesfixedorthoseunwantednuisancephonecallstostop!


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Hateandangerarenot,itseems,aswellunderstoodasfear.Thereisdiscussionregardingwhetheranimalshavethecapacitytohateandhowcomplexthatfeelingmaybe,yetitisunlikelythatdogshavethehumancapacitytoschemeandplan.Forourpurposesthen,wemaybenefitfromsimplyditchingthelabel.Wecanthenopenourthoughtsandanalysehowthedogfeelsinaparticularsituation.Dogsmayindeeddecidetopersistentlyattackanotherdoginthehouse,butmostoftenthereareseveralfactorsinvolvedotherthanjustpurehate.

So,howcanwehelpourdogsthatseemtohatecertainthings?

First,weneedtounderstandtheactualrootoftheproblem.Askingthesequestionsprovidessomanymorepotentialsolutions.Wecanworkonboredomorfearortoycompetition.Wecanalsohelpthemtolearnwhatweactuallywantthem“todo”insteadofjustshoutingatthemorsaying“No!Stopit!”allthetime.Herearesomeideasforwhattodowiththemostcommontargets:

ThePostie1.Keepthedogwellawayfromtheletterboxareauntilthepostiehasbeen.

2.Workonhelpingthedogtoignorethenoiseoftheletterbox.3.Teachthedogtogoandliedownandstayonhisbed.Graduallybuildonthetrainingsothathecandothatwhentheletterboxrattles.

Attheend,wecanallrelaxwhenthepostiecomes.TheCat

1.Considerwherethisishappening.Ifit’swhenwalkingalongthestreet,startoffbygoingforwalkselsewhere.Thiswillhelpcalmtheinitialproblemandpreventhabitscontinuing.Thenfollowstep2.

Ifit’sinthegarden,thenmakesureyougetoutfirstandmovethecataway.2.Workongeneralheelandrecalltraining.Buildonthisstepbystep,introducingvariousdistractionstobuildself-control.Onceyourdoghasmorefocusonyou,thenstarttoworkonvarious“stop-cat-chasing”exercises.Generally,thisstartsagooddistanceaway,movinggraduallycloser(safelyonleadofcourse).Thiscanbeadifficultgoaltoachieveandmayneedthehelpofagoodtrainer.TheVacuum

1.Keepthedogoutofthewaywhenyouneedtovacuum.

2.Teachthedogtobehappylyinginacomfortableplaceoutoftheway.3.Helpthedogtofeelcalmwiththevacuumbyintroducingitveryquietlywhilstkeepinghimoccupiedwithsomethingnicelikeatastychew.Thenincreasethenoiseandmovementinverysmallsteps.Ofcourse,theseexamplesarehighlysimplifiedandtheprognosisdependsonthedepthofthefeelingandthelengthoftimethebehaviourhasbeenpractised.Themoredifficultsituationswillbenefitfromthehelpofagoodbehaviouristortrainer.

Onafinalnotethough,thereisonescenariowherethewordhatemaybeacompletelyvalidlabel:resolvingaggressionbetweentwofemaledogslivinginthesamehouse,whenthereisnoparticulartrigger.Forwhateverreason,thisisprobablythemostdifficultbehavioursituationtoresolve.Rehomingoneofthemisfrequentlythebestoverallsolution.


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He’sJustPlayBiting

Wethink:Ithurtsabitbutit’sokorHe’sconstantlybitingmeheisamonster!

DogzThink:ButthisizhowIplaywithmydogpalz


Manydogownersseeplaybitingasaviciousandaggressivebehavior.Somethinkit’sfine.Othersdon’trealisethattheyareteachingtheirpuppyit’soktoplay-bitebyplayingroughandtumblegames.Sometimesweexpectanolderdogtoteachapuppynottobitehisears;sometimesthatworks,sometimesitdoesn’t.


Bitingandmouthingareanaturalpartofpuppybehaviour,helpinghimtolearnabouttheworldhelivesin.Apuppyuseshismouthtoinvestigateandexploretheworldaroundhim.It’saveryexcitingplaceforhim,learningasheexplorestheenvironmentandthethingshefindsinit.Whenhefindssomethingnew,youcanalmosthearhimthinkingashetriestofigurethisnewexcitingthingout:“Hmm…whatisthis?CanIeatit?”(chompchompchomp).“No?MaybeIcanplaywithit?”(Shakesitaroundwhilstholdinginmouth).“CanImakeitrun?”(puppypouncesonourtrouserlegsorshoelaces).Playingwithyouandplayfightingwithotherpuppieswillhelpyourdogtodevelopcoordination,reflexesandphysicalskills,allowinghimtolearnaboutacceptableandunacceptablebehaviour.Sometimestheplaybitingandmouthingbehavioursdirectedtowardsuscanbequitescaryandwemightbeforgiventothinkthatourpuppyhasturnedintoamanicfiend!Indeed,sometimesitdoesgetoutofhand.It’sjustlikeagroupofkidsplaying,whereyoucanseethingsgettingoutofcontrolastheirexcitementgrows.

What’stheproblem?

Manytimesweinadvertentlyteachpuppiestobiteandnipuswhentheyareplaying.Wefrequentlyplaywiththemwithourhandsandfeet–evenwhenwedon’tmeanto.(Apuppygrabsatasleeveandwealmostplaytugwiththem).So,theseexcitedpuppiesgetourattentionwhentheypullonourclothes,hairandevengrabbingourskin;it’srewardingforthem.

So,sometimespuppiesdonotlearnthatplaybitingwithhumansisnotsociallyacceptable.Theycontinuetobiteandmouthintoadulthood,potentiallyleadingtobehaviouralproblemsoratleast,usetheirmouthsinunacceptablecircumstances.Puppiesdonotonlyneedtolearntocontroltheforceoftheirbitingbutalsothatbitingandmouthingpeopleisnotgood,andfrequentlynotacceptablewithotherdogs.Thiscontrolissomethingwecall“biteinhibition”anditisaveryimportantskillforpuppiestolearn.


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So,whatcanwedoaboutourplaybitingandmouthypuppies?

Therearesomedifferentcircumstancestoconsider.

Puppyanddoginteraction.WeusuallyexpectandhopethatMum,thelittermatesandotherdogswillletapuppyknowwhentheyarebeingtooroughintheirplayorgettooexcitedandbitetoohard.Thebittenpuppysqueals,thegamestopsforafewsecondsandthepuppylearnsnottobitesohardnexttime.Orwhenthepuppyisplayingwithadogandnippingattheirears,wehopethattheolderdogwillgiveaverymildgrowlandthepuppywilllisten.However,boththeseinteractionsrequirethatthepuppyisactuallyabletorealisewhattheselessonsmean.Frequentlythatdoesn’thappen.Here,weneedtostepinandpreventthegamesgettingoutofhand.Weneedtomanagethepuppy’sexcitementlevelandkeeptheplaycalmenoughorstepinandstopthegame.

Puppyandhumaninteraction.Yourpuppyneedstolearnthatbitingreallyhurts!Everytimeyourpuppybitesyourhandormouthsatyourclothingweneedtoletthemknowthatithurts.Manytimeswecanmimicapuppyresponse:whenhebitesatuswecan“squeal”or“yelp”,turnawaytonurseourwoundsandthenignorehimforafewseconds.Youwillfindthatafterafewoftheselessonsyourpuppywillstopmouthingyouassoonasyousay“ouch”,theymightevenofferyoualittlelickinsteadofabite.Whenthishappensrewardyourpuppyforstoppingthebitingandmouthingandcontinuetointeractwiththem.However,thismimic-a-puppymethodsadlydoesn’talwayswork.Somepuppiesgettoomuchofafrightandsomegetmorefrustratedandcontinuetobite.Forthesepuppies,managementandcarefulplay-trainingisabetterapproach.Playingwithyourpuppywillgiveyouanotherbrilliantopportunitytoteachthemaboutnotbitingyou.Thetrickhereistoplaywithalarge(appropriate)toyandtoteachhimthatheisallowedtomouththetoythatyouareplayingwithbutthatyourhands,clothesandarmsareoutofbounds.Asyourpuppylearnsthislessonhewillnolongeraccidentallycatchyourhandsastheymovearoundplayingwithhimandthetoy.Infactyourpuppywilllearnthatplayingwithyouandhistoyismuchmorefun.Thisplayreallyhelpstodevelopyourbondwithyourpuppy.

Thisbitingandmouthingbehaviourwillnotdisappearovernight.Rather,overthenext3to4weeksheshouldgraduallyreducetheintensityofthebiteashestartstorealisethatputtingteethonyouisnotallowed.

Ifyouhavefollowedtheaboveadviceandyouarestillexperiencingproblemsoryourpuppyhasalreadylearnedtobitetogetattention,youwillneedadifferentapproach.

Forthesepupsweneedtotakethefunoutofthebehavior,sonolaughing,squealingorshoutingifyourpupbites.Assoonasheputshismouthonyou,eveninplay,allinteractionmuststopimmediately.Completelyignorehim.Ifheispersistent,walkawayclosingthedoorbehindyouasyouleavetheroom(ifthat’ssafeofcourse).Oneofthethingsyourpuppydesiresthemostisyourcompanysotakingthatawayforalittlewhile,willteachhimthathischoiceshaveconsequences;hischoicetobiteyou(eveninplay)resultsinallinteractionandattentionstopping.Beconsistent!Itwilltakemanyrepetitionsbeforeyourpuppyunderstandsthatbitingresultsinthelossofallthefun.But,pleasedon’tperseverewiththisonyourownfortoolongbeforeseekinghelp.Somepuppiesdobecomequiteaggressiveandothersseemtofindithardtolearnthislesson.Theearlierthisistackled,theeasieritwillbetostop.


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AboutRewards

Wethink:Idon’twanttobribemydogormakethemfat,theyshouldjustdoasIaskbecausetheyloveme.Plus-Idon’twanttocarryfoodwithmeallthetime

DogzThink:Hey,Ilovezyouokay,butwhyshouldIdowhatyouwantwhentherezsomanyintereztingthingzoutthere?


Manypeoplearereluctanttousetreatstorewardorbribetheirdogfordoingsomething.Theythinkthatthedogshouldjustunderstandthemanddowhattheywant,ordoitbecausetheylovethem.Manyhaveusedtreattrainingalittle,butfindthedogisnolongerinterestedassoonastheyleavethecomfortoftheirhome.


Traditionaldogtrainingmethodsdidnotusetreatsbutinsteadreliedonapatontheheadforgoodbehaviourand(hopefullymild)punishment(forexample,ataponthenoseorsaying“BadDog”)fordoingthewrongthing.Peopleareworriedthatiftheystartusingtreats,theirdogwillonlydoashe’stoldforfoodrewards.Indeed,manyhaveseenthattobethecase.Foodrewardsworkindoorsbutnotoutside.

What’stheproblem?

I’lltellyoualittlesecret.Yougotowork.Youdothistoearnalivingandtobeabletoprovideforyourfamilyandhopefullyenjoysomeofthenicerthingsinlife.And,yougetpaidfordoingthis.Thisisyourreward.Wouldyouworkallthesehoursfornothing?So,whywouldyourdogdosomethingfornothing?

Putsimply,dogsdowhateverbehaviourtheythinkwillmakethemfeelbettersuchasafungameoratastytreat.

Forexample:Alovelycakehasjustcomeoutoftheovenandhasbeenleftontheworktoptorest.Thedogsmellsthat,jumpsup,reachesandfindsthatwithalittleefforthecandragitontothefloorandeatitallup.Fromthisoneincidentthedoglearnsthatkitchencountersareareallygoodplacetofindfood.It’ssomethingthatwilldefinitelybewortharegularcheck.

So,usingtreatsindogtraininghelpsthemtorealisethatthereisbenefitindoingwhatweaskthem.Theproblemthatwetendtocomeacrossisthatwejustcan’tprovidethesamerewardasthatstolencake,orarabbitinafield,oragroupofplayfuldogs.Norcanwegetourdogtotakeatreatwhentheyareperhapsscaredofsomenoiseortraffic.Thesesituationsarejustwaytoodistracting.

So,whatcanwedoaboutourdistracteddogs?

Forthoseofuswhohavealreadyembracedamorepositiveapproach,butarestillworriedaboutusingtreats,orfindthattheydon’tworksometimes,theanswerisjustaroundthecorner.


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Moderndogtrainingtechniqueshavecomeaboutfromscientificresearchabouthowdogslearn.Wenowknowthatdogswillrepeataspecificbehaviouriftheyperceiveitasrewarding;ifitmakesthemfeelbetter.Simplyput“Behavioursthatgetrewarded,getrepeated”.

However,therewardneedstoberewardingtothedog:thethingsthatweashumansviewasrewardingmaynotactuallybethatspecialtoourdogs.Therewardsthatweuseshouldreallygetourdogsexcited.Wewantourdogstobebright-eyed,earsprickedandtailwagginghappily.Rewardscanbeanythingyourdogdesires,whetherthatispositiveattentionfromyouoranultra-tastycubeofcheeseorhamoragameoffetchortugoranythinginbetween!

Thereareacoupleofaspects,though,thatwefrequentlydon’tthinkabout:1. Rewardvaluesvarydependingontheotherdistractionsaroundatthetime.

2. Dogsneedtrainingpracticeinmanydifferentplaces.Akitchenorgardenrecallisdifferentfromthebeachorthefield.

So,whilstusingverbalpraiseorbitsofhisusualfoodmightworkathome,whenwegooutandabout,weneedtoincreasethevalueofthereward.Kibbleinthekitchenbutcheeseonthebeach;akindwordinthelivingroombutagameoftuginthepark.

Thetrickthatallowsustosucceedwithourtraining,istoplanoutaprogrammesothatwecancontrolthelevelofdistraction.Westartoffataverylowlevel,andthengraduallyincreaseitovertime,makingsurethatwedon’toverwhelmourdogs.

Therefore,weneedto:1. Figureoutwhichrewardourdogreallydesires.

2. Determinehowthatrelatestotheparticularenvironment.

3. Keepthedistractionlevellowenoughsothathe’llstillworkfortherewardinthatenvironment.

4. Andthenmoveontohelpinghimtolearninawidevarietyofsituations.

It’salsocrucialtorememberwhenusingtreat-basedtrainingthatwedon’tfallintothetrapofcontinuallyluringourdogswithapieceoffoodinourhands.Thereisnothingwrongwithluringapuppy’sheadupwhenholdingapieceoffoodtoencouragehimtosit.Butafterthefirstfewtimes,doawaywiththetreatinyourhandandonlygiveittohimoncehehasofferedyouthesit.Thiswayyourpuppywilllearnwhatyouareaskinghimtodo,withouthavingtorelyonyouhavingfoodinyourhandatalltimes.Sowhatdowedowhenthisdoesn’twork?Sometimes,adogissimplyoverwhelmedoroverexcitedbyallthesounds,sightsandsmellsheisencountering.Othertimes,hemaybeanxiousorworried.Ifthedogisoverexcitedweneedtoassesstheenvironmentfordistractionsandfindawaytoprovidecalmersurroundingssothatheisstillabletorespondtousandacceptrewardsforgoodbehaviour.Ifthedogisanxiousthenweneedtotakeastepback,helpthemtoovercomethosefearsandbuilduptheirconfidencegradually.


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AboutSocialisation

Wethink:Mypuppyordogneedstoplaywithlotsofotherssotheylearntobetolerantofalldogs

Dogzthink:Hey,Ilovezplayingwithotherpuppiez,Igetsoexcited!Orweeelll,IliketotakemytimemeetingothersnhangbacktilI’msurewe’llgetalong.Thosebigdogzlookscary


Everyoneknowsthatsocialisationisanimportantpartofpuppyeducation.Manypeoplethinkthatthisisjustaboutlettingourpuppyhaveplaydateswithafewpuppiesanddogs.Somepeople,withseveraldogsathome,believethatthisprovidesenoughdoginteraction.Peoplewithunfriendlyorhighlyexcitabledogsoftenthinkthattakingthemtoaclassandforcingthemtomeetotherdogswillhelptosocialisethem.


Well,first,socialisationismuchmorethanjustdogandpuppyinteractions.

Andsecond,puppyintroductionscansooftengowrongandmayhaveasignificantimpactonhowadogcopeswithlife.Unlimited,unsupervisedanduncontrolledinteractionsbetweendogscanquicklyturnashypuppyintoascaredpuppy.Itcanalsoteachbold,confidentandforwardpuppiestobullyothers.Also,someolderdogsjustwon’tbeabletocopestraightawaywithbeingincloserproximitytootherdogs.

What’stheproblem?

Weoftenhaveveryhighexpectationsofhowourpuppiesshouldbehavearoundpeopleandotherdogsandhouseholdpets.Wewantthemtobeabletodealwithwhateverlifethrowsatthemandtobehappyaboutit.

Yet,sadly,weoftenunwittinglyforceourdogstodealwithsituationsthattheyarequitefrankly,notreadytoface.Wethinkwehavetomakethemconfronttheobjectoftheirfear.Weexpectallolderdogstoputanexcitablepuppyinitsplace.Theseexperiencesmaysimplybetoomuchforourpuppiesordogsandmayadverselyaffecttheirbehaviourinsimilarfuturesituationsandingeneral.

Furthermore,wetendtotaketheworldaroundusforgrantedanddon’tconsiderthatwashingmachines,vacuums,binlorriesorhorsescouldbescarythings.

Sohowcanweeffectivelysocialiseourpuppies?

Thegeneraluseofthetermsocialisationactuallydealswithtwodistinctbutequallyimportantareas.First,puppiesneedtobesociablewiththepeopleandanimalswhomtheylivewith,andsecond,theyneedtolearntogetusedto(andessentiallyignore),lotsofsmells,sightsandsoundsthatwillformpartoftheirlives.Thatonewordreferstoasignificantrangeofexperiences,manyofwhicharefrequentlyoverlooked.Weusedtoconsiderthecriticalsocialisationperiodtobe8-12weeksbutnowknowthatteachingpuppiesaboutlifeexperienceshouldbeginmuchearlier.Thisearlyperiodoflifeisassociatedwithbothrapidbraingrowthandthedevelopmentoffear.Afterabout16weeks,puppiesarefarmorelikelytobescaredofthingsthattheyhaven’tyetencountered.Someindividualsandsomebreeds(suchasGermanShepherds)developfearatamuchyoungerage.


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Itmayhelptothinkoftherebeingfoursocialisationphases:

1. Whenthepuppyiswiththebreeder.Chooseabreederwhoknowsaboutandhasasafesocialisationplanforthepuppies.

2. Whenwefirstgetourpuppyhome,beforeheisfullyvaccinated.Atthisstageweneedtotakeprecautionstoprotectournewpuppyfromdisease,sopleasedoaskyourvetaboutlocalrisksbeforeproceeding.Thenconsiderwaysofkeepyourpuppysafewhilstalsoexposinghimtolife.Forinstance,wecanstartoffbycarryinghimtodifferentplaces,visitingsafefriends’houses,havingfriendsvisithim,sittingwithhiminthebackofthecar,workingthroughvarioushouseholdnoises,andevenusingthevariousfreelyavailablepuppysocialisationCDsanddownloads.

3. Vaccinationsarecomplete.Whenit’ssafetogooutandabout,weneedtoworkoutaplanforourpuppy,takingintoaccounthisindividualpersonality.

4. GeneralLife.Thislifeexposureneedstocontinueatregularintervalsthroughoutourdog’slifesothattheyremainabletocopewithlotsofdifferentlifesituations.

Ourpuppieslearnthesecrucialsocialisationskillsfromcarefulexposuretotraffic,noisyplaces,newpeople,otheranimalsandsoon.What’sneededmayvarydependingonwherewelive.Inthecountrysideexposuretofarmmachinery,livestock,horseridersandwalkingontheroadwillbemostimportantforapuppy.Forcityliving,moreemphasisshouldbeplacedon“citytype”experiences,suchasheavytraffic,crowdsofpeople,trainsandbusesandsirensfromemergencyvehicles.However,everypuppyshouldlearntocopewithallthesesituations,asweneverknowwhenlifemightchange.And-itcan’tbestressedenough–allofthisneedstobecarriedoutsafelyandgently,withouteverforcingapuppyto“facehisfears”.

Infact,fearful,timidorshypuppiesneedcarefulhandling.Somepuppiesaremoresusceptibletofearsthanothers.Forcingthemtofacescarysituationsiscounter-productiveandwillmostlikelyincreasetheirfear.Startoffatasafedistanceandletthemtellyouwhentheyarereadytotakeacloserlook,ordistractthemwithplayortraining.Fussingandworryingoverthemcangivethemthewrongimpression.Givingthemplentyofpositiveexperiencesandavoidingnegativeexperiencesisthekeytoasuccessfulsocialisationprogram.

Attheotherendofthescale,wealsoneedtotakecarethatbold,confidentpuppieslearntobepoliteandnottorunatpeopleanddogsandjumpalloverthem.Fortunately,muchofthishasalreadybeenworkedoutforus.Havealookatwww.thepuppyplan.com,orbrowseonlineforfreepuppysocialisationchecklists.

Sohowcanweeffectivelysocialiseourolder/rescuedogs?

Manyrescuedogssettleintotheirnewlivesverywell,butsomehavealreadydevelopedhabitsandfearsor,indeed,arerehomedfromcompletelydifferentenvironments.Someofthesedogsmaybeabletocopewithgoingtodogclasses,butmanyotherswillfindthatenvironmentjusttoomuchtocopewith,andmaybecomedistracted,jumpy,barkyorevenaggressive.Overall,it’sbettertoaddressthedog’sfearsfirst,beforeenrollinginclass.Ascaredorangrydogcan’tthinkclearly,won’tbeabletoprocessinformationorretainknowledgeandtheexposuremaycausemorefear.

Instead,acareful,gentleplanisneededtohelpthemtograduallybuildtheircalmconfidence.


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He’sStubborn

Wethink:Mydogknowswhattodo,hejustwon’tdowhatIwant

DogzThink:Butit’zarabbitzzzz!


Manyfolkssaythattheirdogisstubborn,andwhat’swrongwiththat?Forthemitpreciselydescribesthebehaviourinquestion-wheretheirdogisdeterminedtocontinueonthepresentcourse,despitewhatthey,theowners,maywant!Forinstance:

• Adogstandinglookingbetweentheownerandwhateveriscatchingtheirattention(otherdogs,adeer,arabbit,aball)andrefusingtocomeback

• Adogmanicallydiggingatacarpettogetthroughadoortogettoaball

• RefusingtowalkproperlyontheleadHowever,thereisafurtheraspecttoconsiderwiththewordstubborn.Itimpliesthatthedogabsolutelyknowsthatthereisagoodreasontodowhatwewant,butstillresolutelyrefuses.Herefusestobepersuaded“todo”somethingelse.

Andhowdoweinterpretthat?Isthedogbeingbad?Beingobstinate?Obsessed?Determined?Perhaps.


Hereweneedtocomprehendthedifferencebetweendogs’brainsandourbrains.Peopleobviouslyhavethecapacitytorefusetorespondtoanotherperson’srequestorpersuasion.Itcanbeacceptedthattheirmindsarethinking:“Irefusetodowhatyouwant”,orrather“Idon’tcare,andI’mnotlisteningtoyourpointofview”.Dogsreallydon’tthinklikethat.

Dogssimplyapplyavaluetoanobjectorsituationandthenconsiderwhichisbest.Inthedog’smind,theballbehindthedoorisworthamillionpounds.Justimaginewhereourfocuswouldbeifweconsideredthatallwehadtodowasopenthedoortogettoasuitcasefullofmoney?Wouldwelistentoafriendofferingacupofteaandcake?Mybetisthatwe’dbethinking:“Yeah,catchyalaterforthat!”

Nowlet’sconsiderthatourfriendactuallyhadthekeytothesuitcasethatwouldbefreelygivenoncewe’dspentsomequalitytimewiththem,listeningtotheirweekendplans.Wherewouldourfocusbe?

Iguesswe’rereallynotthatmuchdifferenttoourfurryfriends.It’sjustthatwearebetteratsolvingthepuzzlebecauseweunderstandtheconsequences.

Putsimply,whenourdogsarebeingstubborntheysimplyhaven’thadthechancetofigureoutintheirmindsthatcomingoverandsittingbyyouisthebestwaytogetthedooropen.


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What’stheproblem?

Thetroubleisthat,onceagain,usingthewordstubbornclosesourownmindstootherpossibilities.Wesubconsciouslyacceptthatthereisnowaytochangeourdog’smind.Nomatterwhatwedo,nothingwillchange.Guesswhat…we’reright!

Butonlyinthatmoment.

Inthatmoment,thebrainhassetitselfdownonepath.It’ssoacutelyfocusedonitsgoalthatthereisnorationalbrainleftinthereforustocommunicatewith.

Sowhatcanwedoaboutourstubborndogs?

Therearemanyreasonswhydogsmayappeartobestubborn.Thereareacoupleofexamplesbelow.However,ineachsituation,ithelpstotakeastepbackandconsiderwhatthedogisactuallythinkingandhowtheyarefeeling.1. Adogwhopawsincessantlyatadoortogettoafavouriteball:Forthisweedog,the

ballontheothersideofthedoorisworththatmillionpounds.Whenheissoengrossedinhistask,thereissimplynothingthatwecandotostophim.Thedogissointentonthejobinhand,hehasnobrainpowerlefttohearus.Thisiswheremanytrainerssuggestthatfolks“gobacktobasics”.First,weneedtoteachthemthatitisrewardingtocometous,ortogoandliedown,withoutanydistractions(andcertainlywithoutsaidballaround).Graduallythedistractionsareincreasedstartingwith,forexample,alow-valuetoyandprogressingstep–by-steptowardsthefavouriteball(orwhateverthedogisobsessingabout).It’salsopossiblethatthisdogisabitboredandintroducinggeneraltrainingandmoreplaywithyouwillprobablyhelp.

2. Adogwhorefusestomoveonawalk:Inthissituationthereis,mostoften,somethingworryingthedog.Usually,somethinghashappened.Perhapstheyhadafrightinthepastcausedbyacarbackfiring,orperhapsthey’rescaredofadogorpersonjustalongtheroad.Or,puppiesontheirfirstfewventuresbeyondthegardenareoftensimplyoverwhelmedwiththeoutsideworldandneedtimetoadjust.Trueitispossiblethatthere’ssomethingvaluableintheoppositedirection,butmostofthetimethisisfear.Somecalm,reward-basedheeltrainingwillprobablyhelp,asmayanexcitinganddistractingtoy.

Summary

Sopleasestopbeingstubbornaboutthinkingstubborn.Trytogetinsideyourdog’sheadandlookforreasonsbehindtheirdeterminedbehaviour.Wewillthenbeabletogiveourselvesoptionsfortakingadifferentcourseofactionwithourdogs.

Ofcourse,thiscansometimesbequitedifficultandmayneedamoreholisticapproach.That’swhereaqualifiedandexperiencedbehaviouristortrainerwillbeabletohelpyou-don’tstruggleonalone.


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He’sStupid!

Wethink:Hejustwon’tlearnanything

DogzThink:HowcanIlistentoyouwhentherezsomanyexcitingthingzgoingon!


Someownersdecidethattheirdogisnotverybrightbecauseheappearsnottounderstandbasiccommands(orcues).Certainbreedsofdogsareoftenassumedtobemoreorlessintelligentthanothersbecauseofthespeedwithwhichhumanshavebeenabletoteachthem.


FromBorderColliestoBulldogstheintelligencelevelofdogshardlyvaries.Whatmakesonedogappeartobeafasterlearnerthananotherisdowntotheirmotivationtoperformcertaintasksandtheirwillingnesstopleasehumans.

Overcenturiesdogshavebeenselectivelybredforcertainpurposes-collieslovetoherdthings,bullbreedslovetotugthings,terrierslovetohuntthingsandsoon.Humanshaveselectedthesetraitsrepeatedlyovermanydoggenerations.Inotherwords,theyarebornwithadesiretoperformthesetasks.Wecalltheseinstinctive,inheritedbehaviours“intrinsicmotorpatterns”.Thedogswelivewithtodaywillhaveinheritedasetofintrinsicmotorpatternsfromtheirparentsandthesewillformthebasisofwhatmakesourdogtick.So,themotivationtoperformcertaintaskswillbestronglyaffectedbywhatweareofferinginreturn.

Inadditiontothis,somebreedshavehadwhatwecall“biddability”bredintothem-thesetendtobethebreedsdesignedtoworkcollaborativelywithhumans(thinkcolliesandgundogs).Ifabreedwasdesignedtoworkindependently,theywillbefarlessbiddable(thinkterriers,houndsandbullbreeds).Whenyouaskabiddabledogtojump,they’llsay“howhigh?”.Askalessbiddablebreedthesamethingandthey’llsay“why?”.

However,nomatterwhatthebreedorinstincts,trainingsooftengoeswrongbecausewesetthedogsuptofailbytryingtoworkwiththeminenvironmentsthataresimplytoodistracting.ConsidertryingtolearnJapaneseinthemiddleofabusyfairground!

What’stheproblem?

Ifwelabelourdogsstupidthenwestoptryingtoconnectwiththem,westopbotheringtofindoutwhatmakesthemtickandweseriouslylimitouropportunitiestogetthemostoutofourrelationshipwiththem.Dogsarenotstupid;theyjustspeakadifferentlanguagetous.Ifwespeaktothemintheirlanguage,we’llgettheresponsewe’vebeenlookingfor.


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So,whatcanwedoaboutourstupiddogs?

Thereareafewdifferentaspectstoconsider:

1. It’squitelikelythatitmaytakemoretimetotraintheless“biddable”breed,butthisisnotalwaysthecase.It’salsoaboutindividuality.ThereareBorderCollieswhoprefertheirindependenceandthereareJackRussellswithsuperbhumancommunicationskills.

2. Weneedtolearntoworkwithourdog’snaturaldesireandnotagainstit.Weneedtofindoutwhattheyperceiveasrewardingandofferthataspaymentwhentraining.Ifyourdogisnotmotivatedbyfood,expectinghimtoworkforfoodispointless.Butagameoftugoraballtochasemightbejustwhathe’dlove!Ifyouhaveoneofthelessbiddablebreedsyou’llneedtoworkhardertoshowthemwhytheyshouldbother.

3. Wecan,however,helpourdogstolearnthattherecanbedifferenttypesofrewardinlife.Atoy-focuseddogcanlearntoworkfortreats,andafood-focuseddogcanlearntoworkforatoy.Dogswhodon’tlikebeingstrokedcanlearntoloveyourattention.Wesimplyneedtotakethetimetohelpthemtobroadentheirperspectiveonthegoodthingsinlife.

4. Finally,however,themostcommonproblemisthatwetrytotrainourdogswhentheyaretoodistractedbytheenvironmentorotherdogsorpeople.Whenadogbecomeshighlyexcitedoriftheyfeelanxious,theysimplycan’tactuallyfocusonyou.Trainingneedstostartwithnodistraction,andthenprogressthroughvariouslevelsofdifficulty.

Forinstance:

ExampleOneLaddieisaone-year-oldmaleJackRussellTerrier.Hisownerhastriedunsuccessfullytogethimtocomebackonwalksaroundtheirlocalfields.Hewon’tevencometoherforthetastiestoffoodtreatsandpreferstoraceoffintotheundergrowthleavingherstandingabandonedonthefootpathuntilhedeignstoreturn.Shethinksheistoostupidtounderstandthatshehaslivercake.Laddieknowsfullwellthathisownerhaslivercakebutlivercakeisnosubstituteforchasingrodentsontheedgeofthefields!So-Laddie’sownergothimaChase’n’tugtoy(www.trixiespetbehaviourandtraining.com/new-products/)anduseditregularlyathomeuntilLaddiereallylovedit.NowshetakestheChase’n’tugonwalksandregularlyplaysgameswithLaddieduringthewalk.SheisnowrewardingLaddieforcomingawayfromtheactivityheloves,byofferingasimilarlyhigh-valueactivity.

ExampleTwoCloverisatwo-year-oldfemaleEnglishBullTerrier.HerownerisfedupofCloverhead-buttingpeoplewhenshegreetsthem.Cloverhasinjuredmanyvisitorsanddespitemanyattemptstopushheroffandteachhertokeepherfeetonthefloortogreetpeople,shecontinuestodoit.Clover’sownerthinkssheisjusttoostupidtounderstandthathead-buttinghumansisnotagoodthing!

However,bylookingathowCloverfeelsandconsideringherunderlyingmotivation,herownernowunderstandsthatCloveractuallylovesroughcontactwithhumans,andthatbeingpushedoffisactuallyrewardingforher.HehasworkedonlotsofcarefullycontrolledtuggameswithClover-tuggingonlycontinuesiffeetstayonthefloor.HehastaughtClovertofetchatugtoywhenvisitorsarrivesonowshehasarewardingactivitytodoinsteadofjumpingup.


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He’sJustaBitTimid…

Wethink:He’sjustshybecausehe’sbeenintherescuecentreforawhile

DogzThink:MyworldhascloseddownandIreallycan’tcopewithnewthingz


Fortunately,manyrescuedogsadjustandresettleintonewhomesandsurroundingsquitewell.Sadlythough,someappeartobecomeaggressive,barky,jumpy,clingyoroverlyneedyforinstance.Somepeoplethinkthatthesedogsarejustabittimidorshyoralittlefearful.Theythinkthatbycoaxingthemandshowingthemthathumansarekind,theywillcomeoutoftheirshells,realisethey’vebeen“rescued”andbegintorelaxandenjoythecompanyofdogsandpeople.

Inaddition,therearesomepuppieswhoseemtowanttohideawayfrompeopleorotherpuppiesintheclass,evengoingsofarastotuckthemselvesawayunderachair.


Fearisthemostimportantemotionforsurvival.Ourbrainsprioritisefearovereveryotheremotionbecausetreatingthingsaspotentiallydangerouswillkeepusalive.Dogandhumanbrainsworkinexactlythesamewayinthisrespect.Fearmemoriesarestoredintheprimitive,reactivepartofthebraincalledtheamygdala.Theamygdalastoresthesights,soundsandsmellsofeveryfrighteningeventitencounters.Itthentriggersafearfulreactiontoanythingthatseemsvaguelysimilartoanyofthefearfuleventsthatarestoredinthememorybanks.Thedoghasnocontroloverthisinstinctive,reactivereflexresponse.Forpuppies,thesefearfulmemoriesappeartobeinheritedtosomedegree,andit’squitecommonforananxiousmotherorfathertoproducefearfulpuppies.

Inaddition,asalreadydiscussed,early,carefulsocialisationisaveryimportantpartofpuppydevelopment.Ifthatislackingorgoeswronginanyway,wemayendupwithatimidpuppyoradult.

What’stheproblem?

Ifwecoaxorlureafrightenedornervousdog,wearedraggingthemoutoftheir“comfortzone”andpotentiallypushingthemintopanic.Thiscausesadangeroussituationinwhichthedogmayfeelobligedtocometowardssomethingitisfearfulof,onlytothenfeeloverwhelmedbypanicandforcedtoresortto“fightorflight”.

Sowhatcanwedoaboutourtimiddogs?

Ingeneral,weneedtogivethedogorpuppytime,andallowthedogtochoosewhathewantstodoorwherehewantstobe.Don’tcoax,butallowthedogplentyofopportunitytoinvestigate“scary”thingsorpeopleatadistancetheyfeelcomfortablewith.Rewardthedogforbravechoicesandallowthedogtoretreatasoftenandasfarastheyneed.However,helpingatimiddogcanbefarmorecomplexthanwewouldexpect.Mostofusprobablytendtofocusonsomeobviousbehavioursuchasbarkingatvisitorsorpullingontheleadorlungingatdogs.Wefocusdirectlyonthebehaviourthattroubles“us”


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most.Wefocusonthethingsthatannoy“us”andthat“we”havedifficultywith.Thesearethethingsthatwewantfixed.

Forthedog,however,thereareusuallymanyotherissues.Forinstance,hemaybescaredofnoise,hemayfeelalittleunsettledwhenleftathomealoneorhemaybeexperiencingpain.It’sverydifficultforustofeelcomfortablewhenwearescared(thinkaboutapersonwitharachnophobiasittinginaroomwithacoupleofspiders).Wemayhavedifficultyconcentratingwhenwehavetoothache.Again,thesameistrueforourdogs.Thereforeonmanyoccasions,ithelpstotakeastepbackandconsiderthefullrangeofissuesthatatimiddoghastocopewith.Wecanthenstarttobuildamoreholisticapproachtohelphim.

ExampleOne

Arescuedogistakentotheparkandreleasedoffleadintoagangof10otherdogsto“gethimusedtootherdogs”.Hefeelsterrifiedandoverwhelmed.Insteadof“gettingusedtoit”,allhisworstfearsaboutotherdogsandnottrustinghumansareconfirmedandhefightshiswayoutofthere!

ExampleTwo

Arescuedogistakenonleadtoanareatheothersideofthedogparkfenceandallowedtojusthangoutwatchingtheotherdogsandgettingrewardedfordoingnormalstufflikesniffingwhileotherdogsarewithinsight.Heisneverworriedthattheotherdogswill“mug”himandhasplentyoftimetoobservethemfromasafedistance.Heeventuallylearnstotrusthishumantokeephimsafeandthatotherdogsarenotsobad.


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SummaryWe’veseeninthisbookhowtheuseofsomelabelsandtermscanreallystopusunderstandingwhat’sgoingonwithourdogs.Wordslikestubbornorstupidmayhelpusgetridofsomeofourfrustrationwithawaywarddog,butperhapsthisalsoactuallyexcusesusfromcriticallyanalysingtheunderlyingemotionsandtherootcause.Hopefully,changingourmindsetswillreallyhelpourdogsand-evenbetter-improvethebondthatwehavewiththem.Here’saweesummaryofwhatwe’vecovered:

ThePhrase WhatWeThink WhatDogzThink

He’sDominant Mydogalwaysjumpsonmeandpullsmealong

Heyz,IjustwannahavecuddleslikeweusedtowhenIwozapuppy&Iwannagettotheparkfasttoplaywithmypals

HeHatesthePostieorCatsortheVacuum

Mydoghatesthesethingssomuchbecauseheisbarking,growling,lungingat,orchasingthem

Postie:Theremustbesomethingverywrongwivthizguy.Henevercomezin-hemustnotbeafriend-Ibettergetridofhim!Cats:Yeah,acatz,Ilurvtochasethemcatz!Vacuum:Geez,thatnoiseisscary!

He’sJustPlayBiting Ithurtsabitbutit’sokorHe’sconstantlybitingmeheisamonster!

ButthisizhowIplaywithmydogpalz

AboutRewards Idon’twanttobribemydogormakethemfat,theyshouldjustdoasIaskbecausetheyloveme.PlusIdon’twanttocarryfoodwithmeallthetime

Heyz,Ilovezyouokay,butwhyshouldIdowhatyouwantwhentherezsomanyintereztingthingzoutthere?

AboutSocialisation Mypuppyordogneedstoplaywithlotsofotherssotheylearntobetolerantofalldogs

Heyz,Ilovezplayingwithotherpuppiez,Igetsoexcited!Orweeelll,IliketotakemytimemeetingothersnhangbacktilI’msurewe’llgetalong.Thosebigdogzlookscary

He’sStubborn Mydogknowswhattodo,hejustwon’tdowhatIwant

Butit’zarabbitzzzz!

He’sStupid! Hejustwon’tlearnanything HowcanIlistentoyouwhentherezsomanyexcitingthingzgoingon!

He’sJustaBitTimid… He’sjustshybecausehe’sbeenintherescuecentreforawhile

MyworldhasclozeddownandIreallycan’tcopewithnewthingz

Itisquitelikelyofcourse,thatassoonasthisispublished,peoplewillbeaskingorcommentingaboutthesetermsandothersthatwe’vemissed,whichwe’llbedelightedtoadd.Sopleasedojoininthedebate,jointhemailinglistandlookoutforfuturepostshere:

www.facebook.com/DogzThinkzDifferentz/www.pawsability.co.uk/DogzThinkzDifferentz

disclaimer - dog behaviour help, puppy training, dog ... · natasja lewis’s interest in dog...

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