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Feb 7 2010

Situation Awareness (SA) & Your Dog

Having been in the Air Force as well as taken a few flying lessons I am very familiar with the concept of SA or situation(al) awareness. A good general definition of SA can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation_awareness, and can be surmised by the following:

“Situation awareness (SA) involves being aware of what is happening around you to understand how information, events, and your own actions will impact your goals and objectives, both now and in the near future. Lacking SA or having inadequate SA has been identified as one of the primary factors in accidents attributed to human error…”

Although SA is a term that is most often bandied about in fields like the military and aviation, I think it is also of great import to us as dog owners, and more importantly as dog trainers. And by the way if you are a dog owner, you are a dog trainer, whether you realize it or not.

Taking our dog for a 5 minute walk can seem like a simple thing to us, but it can result in hundreds of situations for the dog to react to (or ignore), and behaviors for us to either reinforce, direct, or ignore. We see the walk as a simple thing. The dog will probably meet a few people and perhaps a dog or two— maybe even see a few cars. But from our dog’s perspective the walk is a bit more complex. Each person they meet is different, they look, smell, sound, and act different from one another. Each sight, sound, and smell your dog encounters on a simple 5 minute walk is a different stimulus for your dog. Your dog can either react to these stimuli or ignore them and we at the other end of the leash have the ability to reinforce those reactions and non-reactions.

By thinking about the situations our dogs will be put into BEFORE placing them into those situations— we are able to reinforce those actions (including inactions) we like, avoid those we don’t like, and are better able to deal with those things that pop up when we aren’t expecting them. Being in situational awareness means that our mind is in a proactive state and is better able to react to the situations we find ourselves and our dogs in. We are then better able to teach our dogs what we expect of them by using the rules of learning and the methods of positive reinforcement.

Cheers

Kevin, Jackie, Gavin, Annie, Tosha

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2 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 1:52 PM - Categories: Dogs | Training | Behavior

Feb 3 2010

Is Spaying and Neutering a Public or a Private Issue?

Cute Puppy and Kitten For many people the argument over whether or not to spay and neuter our dogs has more to do with human behavior than it does with the health & behavior of our dogs. It has become an issue of social responsibility in reaction to the overwhelming problem of the pet population, or rather the homeless pet population.

In a March 2009 post, I wrote about an encounter I had with a woman who purposely allowed her female dog to breed & have puppies in order to teach her children about birth and responsibility. In that post I suggested that the woman may want to take her children to a shelter to watch a dog being euthanized in order to teach her children about death. I also provided many links to publications by organizations like the ASPCA, The Humane Society of The United States, and others about the benefits of spaying and neutering and about the myths that surround these procedures. While I am still steadfast in my belief that spaying and neutering is in the very best interest of the overall welfare of our dogs and cats—an e-mail I received yesterday reminded me that there are responsible owners out there who choose not to have their pets altered; and there are valid reasons they do so.

In much of the literature that I listed in that post, most of the benefits listed are behavioral and indeed this still holds true. The behavioral benefits of altering our dogs are manifold and the behavioral detriments few. However when it comes to the benefits and risks to health, some of the risk information is omitted and in some cases at odds with what is published and available to those of a more inquiring nature.

For instance, in the article “How Will Neutering Change My Dog?” by the ASPCA, the following is listed as a medical benefit of neutering your male dog:

“Prostate problems Without neutering, your dog’s prostate will gradually enlarge as he gets older. This can become uncomfortable for him and even make urination difficult. If the prostate becomes infected, it’s difficult to treat without neutering. While neutering doesn’t completely guard against prostate cancer, it does prevent enlargement and possible infection of the prostate.”

This article is very easy to find and the information contained is echoed by many animal welfare organizations and groups. But there is other information that is out there that is not quite as easy to find for the average dog owner.

For instance this article appearing in the December 1st 2007 Journal of The American Veterinary Medical Association titled “Determining that optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats.” asserts the following:

"The reported incidence of prostatic tumors in dogs is 0.2% to 0.6%, and prostatic neoplasms in dogs are almost always malignant adenocarcinomas.There is neoplastic differentiation in tissues of ductal or urothelial origin, which are androgen-independent tissues. However, castrated dogs are at an increased risk for development of prostatic neoplasms, with the increase in risk ranging from 2.4 to 4.3 times that of sexually intact male dogs (Table 2)."

Now I admit that hearing a that something is 4.3 times more likely to develop can be an alarming; but it still only adds up to approx 2.6% of the totals population of neutered dogs using the worst case numbers. That’s 2.6 dogs out of a 100. If none of those hundred dogs were altered, how many would end up fathering unwanted puppies?

Conflicting and contradictory information about the health, training, and behavioral issues concerning our dogs isn’t new and I don’t suspect any deep conspiracy on the part of many animal welfare organizations. But I do see where some take issue with being given only one side of the story.

I know there are many owners out there that are responsible enough to have intact male and female dogs without adding to the already staggering overpopulation; but I suspect there may be an even greater number of irresponsible owners that will not practice the training and management necessary to live with an intact dog.

If you are truly worried about the possible health effects of altering you dog or cat, speak with your veterinarian so that you have an accurate picture about the risks and benefits of spaying and neutering. I would also ask that you visit your local shelter as well to see the effects that irresponsible pet ownership can bring.

The decision to spay and neuter our animals has public and private ramifications on our society as a whole, and on us and our animals in private. I still believe that unless there is a specific health risk identified by your vet, all of the dogs and cats that we take into our homes should be spayed and neutered. As always I welcome your comments on this post. I know that this is a topic near and dear to many dog lovers’ hearts.

Cheers

Kevin, Jackie, Gavin, Annie, Tosha

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Jan 31 2010

Dogged Determination

Tosha Myers on her favorite bed. Dear Human,
I must admit that as a dog I find you humans a bit perplexing. You seem to praise us for certain characteristics one minute only to turn around and admonish us for the same characteristics the next.

Take for example the term “dogged determination.” You use it to compliment other humans who show firm resolve to accomplish something. Dogged is synonymous with firm, persevering, resolute, steadfast, indefatigable, and many other words that are meant as a positive reflection on those you speak them about. Yet sometime you forget that our determination is not linked to emotions or concepts like good or bad. Our determination just is.

The determination that leads many of my kind to become search and rescue dogs is no different than our determination to chew on your favorite slippers it’s just focused in a different direction.

You humans are great company and without you some of the greatest inventions in the world (like belly rubs) would not have been possible; but sometimes you forget who you’re talking to. To us chewing on your slippers isn’t good or bad it’s just something we do to relieve boredom, to relieve tension, or simply to occupy ourselves. Telling us “NO!” doesn’t really help us all that much. We know that you are currently irritated about something and if we quit chewing on your slippers for a few seconds you will probably quit yelling (we hope). But we don’t know what you would have us do instead.

As dogs we have certain needs that are really no different than those of humans. When humans are nervous or tense they fidget; we like to chew. When humans are bored they find an activity that occupies their minds; so do we. It’s just that our ideas of acceptable activities seem to be a bit at odds; but we are more than happy to change.

If you teach us that treat filled Kongs are a better alternative then we will gladly leave your slippers alone. If you show us that sitting quietly in front of you as opposed to jumping up on you is a much better way to get your attention, then consider our rumps on the ground. Above all just remember that our determination can be focused on whatever you like. The choice is yours.

Please remember that we choose to live with you not because we are in need of a dominant pack leader but because our partnership seems to do us both a lot of good.

Cheers,

Tosha, Gavin, Annie, Kevin, Jackie

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