Category: Dogs

Woof Wednesday With Angela Adams - What Lies Beneath: Behind The Behaviour

First of all I’d like to thank Kevin for inviting me to write a guest blog, and for being such a nice guy to collaborate with. So thank you Kevin.

Kevin and I decided that a good topic for a post is what really drives behaviour in dogs, and this is also a discussion I find myself having on a daily basis during the course of my work as a trainer and canine behaviour counsellor. Unfortunately all too often new clients hold the default assumption that dogs behave badly because they are dominant and seeking to attain alpha status.

Contrary to popular belief there is nothing sinister going on.  So let’s take a look at what dominance is, why it is detrimental to apply it to dog behaviour, and what really is behind the behaviour of our canine companions.

Dominance defined: In ethology (the study of animal behaviour), dominance is defined as a relationship between individuals belonging to the same species (conspecifics), that is established in order to prioritise access to scarce resources, for example food, the opposite sex. Such a relationship cannot exist until one animal consistently defers to another.

Modern qualified behaviourists and trainers take issue with applying the dominance model to the dog for many reasons a few being:

• Dominance theory originated from early studies of unrelated captive wolves. These studies were inaccurate and misleading because the wolves were unrelated and not in their natural environment. Studies of related wild wolves in their natural environment show a family group consisting of parents and their offspring, where the relationships are based on cooperation, with the parents guiding and teaching their young.
•  The dog is not a wolf; it is related to the wolf in the same way that humans are related to the chimp. Although dogs maintain some behavioural qualities of wolves and other canids, thousands of years of domestication, selective breeding, and coevolution with humans has greatly altered and shaped their behaviour.
•  For the past 14,000 years feral dogs have evolved as scavengers, and although sociable their existence has been semi-solitary. Where relationships are formed the associations are loose, unstructured, and changeable; members frequently come and go, a quality not seen in wolf packs. A certain degree of cooperation confers mutual benefit with fellow canines allowing for access to communal resources and shared mates. These transient relationships are based on cooperation not dominance, and the evanescent nature of these groups requires no leader or alpha. Furthermore any aggression would likely result in the perpetrator being ostracised from the group.

The dangers of the dominance model: This concept is erroneously used and sadly leads to the application of aversive tools and techniques, with the sole purpose of intimidating a dog to submit with the objective of stopping unwanted behaviours. The application of aversive techniques in training gives rise to a very serious issue of safety, for both the dog and the owner. Such techniques can push a dog into self preservation mode, “fight” or “flight” because it feels threatened or unsafe. Just as importantly such methods can potentially harm a dog’s physical and emotional/psychological well being, through pain, anxiety, frustration, fear, and high levels of stress. The fallout can result in a dog that is withdrawn, subdued, or shutdown (not “calm submissive”); because it has given up, as nothing it does works for the better. Or the result is displays of aggression because of frustration, fear, or anxiety, in this way aggression functions as a tool to create distance, make the bad thing go away or stop. However if this also fails, if we keep pushing a dog’s self preservation button, or the dog’s temperament is such that it is not able to cope with sustained frustration, anxiety, and high levels of stress, then all that is left is active aggression; a bite.

Motivation drives behaviour: All behaviour is driven by motivation, humans, dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, horses.  There is always some function, some purpose, a motivation to behaviour(s). Although there could be any number of reasons a dog may present with problem behaviour, here we will consider motivation in relation to the following categories:

Social attention and interaction: Dogs are a sociable species, we have all heard the term “It’s just attention seeking behaviour” applied to humans, but owners will often overlook this very simple explanation as a cause for many common problems behaviours. Let’s take a look at a very typical scenario. Consider this, Fido your 10 week old pup is bored, he has been used to attention and interaction on demand with his littermates. You are doing chores and Fido bounds over to you and nips your ankle, you say “No!” attention, you gently push Fido away interaction, and as you do so you look at him directly making eye contact attention. From Fido’s point of view this works, and each time this scenario is repeated, this behaviour is strengthened, and by the time Fido is 5 months this has escalated to serious problem behaviour.

Tangibles: Like humans dogs have needs, wants, preferences, and desires for certain things such as food, activities, toys, and objects etc., which provide motivation for behaviour. It is not bad for dogs to want these things it is perfectly normal. However it is all too easy for dogs to learn to display inappropriate or undesired actions to attain these things, and this is when problem behaviours can arise.

Distance, survival, escape, and/or avoidance: Many dogs are at a disadvantage because important factors such as genetics, imprinting, habituation, and socialisation, which play a vital role in shaping dogs temperament, were lacking. Such dogs are likely to develop a nervous, reactive, anxious, shy, and/or fearful disposition, coupled with poor social skills. Therefore many of these dogs will not cope well with certain everyday situations and events. They will be motivated to create distance, escape, or avoid the situation, and in extreme cases they will be quick to switch to “fight/flight” response when faced with their fears. It is important to stress that punitive training can also put dogs at a disadvantage.  Fear aggression is one of the most common problem behaviours in this category. Whatever the nature of the issue, treatment should be management, remedial habituation and socialisation and training. Under no circumstances should aversive training techniques be applied. (See above: The dangers of the dominance model).

Sensory and intrinsic motivation: Various behaviours are internally rewarding, or self-reinforcing. Such behaviours are not dependent on external consequences, what is happening on the inside is important. For example, when left alone Fido barks excessively, he barks because he is bored and possibly also anxious. Barking is a sensory, self-reinforcing behaviour for Fido because it relieves him of boredom and stress, and makes him feel better.  Excessive barking is annoying and distressing to the owner; however, for the dog the behaviour serves the function of helping it cope with boredom or anxiety. The behaviour of excessive barking has been adopted by Fido because it functions as a coping strategy. To help resolve this type of problem behaviour we first need to change the way Fido feels when left alone, and provide enrichment to keep Fido mentally stimulated, effectively we are changing/removing the motivators.

This should make it clear that attributing dominance to problem behaviours completely disregards the true nature of behaviour; all behaviour is driven by motivation, it has a function. Canine behaviour is as simple as it is complex; that is, certain behaviours may appear to be complex, but there is normally a simple explanation. We just need to figure out two aspects; motivation and reinforcement.

© Angela Adams 2010 @ www.fun4fido.co.uk

For more about Angela, you can visit her website at http://www.fun4fido.co.uk/. You can find Angela on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fun4fido, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/fun4fido/63862277241, and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/fun4fido.

For more reading on animal behaviour, Angela reccommends the following:

• The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People – 1996 – James Serpell
• Dog Behaviour, Evolution, and Cognition – 2009  - Ádám Miklósi
• Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution – 2002 – R. Coppinger & L. Coppinger
• Learning and Behavior – 6th edition, 2008 – Paul Chance
• Reaching The Animal Mind – 2009 - Karen Pryor
• How Dogs Learn – 1999 – Mary R. Burch & Jon S. Bailey
• Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know – 2009 - Alexandra Horowitz
• Animal Training: Successful Animal Management Through Positive Reinforcement - 1999 - Ken Ramirez

2 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 12:00 AM - Categories: Dogs | Woof Wednesday | Training | Behavior

Book Review: Am I Boring My Dog? By Edie Jarolim

Worry is part of the human condition, and it is something we seem to excel at. When we are put into unfamiliar situations and feel out of our depth, it's amazing the questions that can wander through our minds. Enter Edit Jarolim, her significant canine other, Frankie, and their wonderful book, "Am I Boring My Dog? (And 99 Other Things Your Dog Wishes You Knew)."

Written mostly for those considering adding a dog to their house and new dog owners, even veteran dog owners like me can pick up tidbits from this book. Covering 100 questions, from irreverent ones like "How should I refer to my relationship with my dog?" (I had no idea what a SCO was), to serious ones like "How much - and how often - should I feed my dog?" (A question I'm sure your dog has interest in), Edie's congenial style and sharp wit make this a fun and informative read. Chock full of great resources and some pretty clever insights, make sure to pay attention to the footnotes, they alone are worth the price of admission. So if you've ever wondered if you're dog will hate you if you dress him up, this is the book for you.
 
Edie has a terrific blog that can be found at http://www.willmydoghateme.com and you can find out more about her at http://www.ediejarolim.com.  She can also be found on tweeting away at http://www.twitter.com/willmydoghateme.

0 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 9:22 PM - Categories: Veterinarian | Nutrition | Health | Dogs | Humor | Spay & Neuter | Advocacy | Adoption | Rescue | Treats | Training

Little Boy Lost

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." ~ John Lennon

I was reminded of this quote today upon my arrival home from lunch with my wife. I certainly wasn't planning on bringing a new dog into my home; but when this little dog spotted my van turning into my driveway, he bolted up the road after me. When I got out of the van the little dog crawled over to me on his belly, ribs and other bones clearly showing. I could see that he was emaciated and that he had several bite marks on him. He was shaking all over and obviously had not eaten in many moons. So once again life has stepped in and changed my plans.

With three other dogs and limited space right now. My wife and I really don't have the room or resources to adopt him right now. But we're dog people and cannot just give him to a shelter and forget it.

We have to isolate him right now so that our other dogs are exposed to any health issues he might have. He has a very sweet disposition and really seems to like people. I will not let him meet my other dogs until vet checked, but he seems geniuenly interested & friendly towards them. All in all a sweet boy that needs a helping hand.

So he will be fed, kept warm, and given companionship with us for now. Monday we will take him to a vet so we can see what other health issues he has. We will check to see if he has been reported as lost, but will treat him as our own until we can either place him with a good rescue or find him his 4-ever home. As I told some of my Twitter friends today, we're dog people. What else can we do?

Despite tough economic times, I know that we are not unique and there are many other people out there right now that are doing the exact same thing. On behalf of dogs like this everywhere, thank you for what you do.

I will post updates on the little guy over the next few days and keep you updated on how he's doing.

Cheers,

Kevin, Jackie, Gavin, Annie, Tosha, Little Boy Lost

5 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 6:09 PM - Categories: Dogs | Advocacy | Adoption | Rescue

Woof Wednesday With Nicole S Silvers

As someone who would describe himself as a positive trainer, I am sometimes more successful at being positive than others. The word positive has many layered meanings in the world of dog training. When discussing the principals of operant conditioning the word positive is meant in the mathematical sense as the addition of something. Often we use the word positive to distinguish ourselves as “dog friendly” trainers who don’t use positive punishment or negative reinforcement to train dogs. However, there is another layer to the word positive that has direct bearing on training (and for that matter every other part of our life) — our attitude.

I was chatting with Nicole Silvers of Silver Sky K9 the other day and of course our conversation turned to our dogs. Although we both talked about the positive aspects of our dogs, we were also very quick to point out their shortcomings. The next time we chatted, she had already agreed to be a guest on my Woof Wednesday series. When I asked her what she would like to discuss in the article, the subject of our previous chat came up. Her observations gave me some good food for thought. If we go into a training session with our minds focused more on what a dog can’t do vs. what they can do; are we setting the stage for negative results? How much does our mindset going in affect the outcome of a training session? What are the ways in which we can set ourselves and our dogs up for successful collaborations? Some interesting questions to be sure and ones that I feel are relevant to us all. So Nicole, how about it?

Going into a training session focused on performance, rather than focusing on and appreciating the dog's cooperation and effort, may be setting the stage for negative results.  However, identifying a gap with the purpose of "filling" it, is essentially positive.  It's proactive. For me, what makes the difference between this viewpoint being constructive or destructive is how the awareness of the gap affects the handler emotionally.  Is this dog a failure because the gap exists?  Is the handler a failure?  When a handler begins to experience impatience, disappointment, frustration, being at a loss for what to do next, and identifies the dog's weakness as the cause, then the door opens for "fixes" that deal more with alleviating the human's emotional state than addressing the dog's weaknesses.  As a trainer coaching humans, drawing a handler's attention to what is going right is an amazing, and unfortunately esoteric, strategy for stopping a handler's "downward slide".  As a dog owner and trainer evaluating my own handling?  I'm just as inclined as everyone else to focus on the weaknesses, and expect too much of the dog and myself.  I've learned the wisdom of taking my own professional advice, but I do find I am relentlessly self-improving.  And, instead of bemoaning my tendency towards perfectionism, I choose to credit it as part of the reason for times I have been successful.  I admit, it really tickles me when I see how hypocritical I am.  I've learned to look at what I tell others, and try to apply it to myself. 

Where I see the effect of mindset most dramatically is not so much in a "training session", where most of us are in a fairly Accentuate-the-Positive state of mind, but in the Real World.  People who have dogs that "don't like other dogs" or "are afraid of other dogs" tend to interact with their dogs on the premise that those labels are true, rather than acting like they have a basically normal dog, perhaps in a temporary state of anxiety or agitation.  There is a marked difference between the body language and behavior of people who have "normal" well-behaved dogs, and that of people who have "problem" dogs.

I like that you use the word "collaboration".  I think it's a common misconception that most owners want to "dominate" their dogs.  Most dog owners want eager, willing cooperation, and only resort to "domination" tactics out of fear, ignorance, or retaliation.  (Dog trainers might have some ego at stake, so their motivations might be a different story...)  There may even be some belief that "domination" will help dogs "do it out of love for me".  But people want that love, that respect, that collaboration.  Collaboration is built on letting go of whatever mistakes happened in the past, letting go of whatever gaps exist, even letting go of your ideal behaviors, and focusing on meeting, embracing, and enjoying your dog where s/he is, in the present.  In a training session, keeping a positive attitude on both ends of the leash may mean alternating between "difficult" and "easy" tasks.  Lowering your criteria for reward, accepting a "sloppier" version of what you are teaching, can also be a way to turn "difficult" (or low probability of success) into "easy".  Yet a third way is to invent a different strategy to elicit the behavior you want.  Facilitating initial success is the place for gimmicks and shortcuts in a training program, even if they won't work effectively in the long run. 

In the Real World, I'd like to see us work on not mentioning in conversation the things that aren't worth mentioning.  Is it really worth mentioning in introducing them that our dogs are "fearful" or "aggressive" or "not good with other dogs"?  Certainly, we wouldn't introduce our human friends and family that way!  "This is Tom.  He's very possessive of his food, especially ribs."  "Say hello to Susan.  She's snarky, but we're working on it, aren't we, Susan?"  I hope that what stops us from doing that is not just our consideration for Tom's and Susan's feelings.  I hope we genuinely see Tom and Susan as more than their unwanted behaviors.  I'm not suggesting we let our dogs' troubling behavior slide.  I'm saying that we should act to address the behavior, but talk about what is encouraging, what makes us love them, what they are good at.  By emphasizing the dog's identity as a good, valuable, appreciated friend, rather than as a problem whose needs are a burden for us, I think we are inclined to work with our dogs in a much more supportive, patient, cooperative, and beneficial way.

And finally I would like to add to what Nicole has said with this. Thinking in negatives tends to foster inaction. It's much easier to skip that 5 minute training session when we don't project a positive outcome. Using the techniques that Nicole mentions here allow us to plan for and conduct a successful session. And even when a session doesn't end in the success we expect, there is always success in the attempt.

You can find more about Nicole on her website,  http://silverskyk9.com/, or you can e-mail her directly at nicole@silverskyk9.com.

We welcome your comments and invite you to share you stories of success with us here.

Happy Training

1 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 12:00 AM - Categories: Dogs | Woof Wednesday | Training | Behavior

Do They Always Have to Like It?

With temperatures in the high 40s and sunshine– today was a welcome respite from the near 3 months of rain, sleet, gloom, and snow that has been our constant companion here in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.  The sacred doggy pool has been one solid chunk of ice & muck for months and it finally thawed out enough so I could pump it out and clean it.

As you can see from the pictures, everyone had a great time and was really enjoying the extended romp today. Playing with the dogs I was reminded of how individualistic they are and that each one has their own peculiarities.

Physically handling our dogs is something that is both necessary and even pleasurable for us, but our dogs may not be so inclined. One of the first things that we try to work on with our dogs (especially when they are puppies and it’s much easier and safer to train) is that it is okay to be handled. Touching and holding every part of their body, as well as hugs and pats are all things that should be worked on. Some may disagree with the hugging and patting part but I’ve found that other people and especially children tend not to hear anything you tell them about a dog, they just dive right in. So it’s best to be prepared.

But just because we teach them to tolerate it doesn’t mean that they have to like it. Annie (above practicing her Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon moves) likes to be held and petted. Gavin (my blue eyed blue merle) absolutely does not like being held or petted, although he sings a different tune when it comes to a TTouch or massage session. Tosha (my red Aussie) is our new girl and although she like to be pet and scratched, the mood must strike her just right.

Remember that teaching our dogs to be handled doesn’t mean they have to like it, just that they will tolerate it. Dogs like humans are individuals and we all have our own comfort zones.

We hope that you are able to get out and enjoy your weekend just like we are.

Cheers

Kevin Jackie Gavin Annie Tosha

1 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 6:07 PM - Categories: Dogs | Photo | Play | Treats

A Civil Discourse in Dog

Many people will tell you that the triumvirate of religion, politics, and sports, are subjects to be considered off limits if one wishes to avoid arguments and keep friends. I would also add the subject of dogs to that list.

Within the world of dogs, subjects like training methods, feeding, vaccinations, collars, spaying & neutering, kill vs. no kill, purebred vs. adoption, ad infinitum; seem to polarize people and really brings out our stark difference of opinions.

When I first started Dog Lovers Digest I devoted a great deal of thought to whether I should blog about my opinions or not, and also if I should allow others to comment on them. I wanted to share with others, my feelings and opinions about dogs and I wanted others to be able to share similar stories and thoughts. However, I also feel that posting my opinions on a blog available to the world also carries a responsibility. To me a public proclamation of opinion is an open invitation to critique of that opinion. Let me say here that this statement does not apply to those blogs and websites that do not allow comments on their articles. Not allowing comment on articles and blog posts is a reasonable position to take; based on the fact that divergent opinions are able to create their own sites as well. However, allowing the public in general to comment on a post carries the responsibility of posting those opinions you don’t agree with. Of course moderation of those comments is a must because there are some that will abuse the forum. But as long as people are respectful, I believe that it is my duty to allow comment from all points of view.

Another issue for me is the fact that I consider it my responsibility to defend my opinions. When people post divergent viewpoints, I need to make sure that I am ready to answer questions that they may pose to me. I also need to make sure that even when I vehemently disagree with them, I do it in a civil manner. This can be very time consuming and at some point you have to agree to disagree– but I will allow a few rounds of back and forth to make sure that everyone gets an equal say.

A recent post of mine “Does The Milgram Experiment Explain Cesar Milan’s Influence" has really brought these points home to me. The article has been widely distributed on internet and has drawn comments on many different sites including Twitter, Facebook, and my own. One of the things that have struck me is how uncivil the discourse on subjects like this can be. It has put me in mind of the town hall meetings about healthcare reform that were all over the news channels here in the states this past year. Each side shouting longer and louder at the other trying to drown out anything they did not agree with. What does this accomplish? I think most people would agree (there goes that opinion thing again) that in order to change someone’s mind you need to teach not preach. Coming up with clever insults and deriding your opponents may win you points when you’re preaching to the choir– but it’s not likely to convert someone who is sitting on the fence or who is in the other camp.

If we want to introduce others to our way of thinking, we need to do it in a thoughtful and respectful manner; and we must also listen to other points of view before we dismiss them. I am not always successful in this endeavor and I admit that sometimes I can get caught up in the crowd as well. But I promise to become more successful at it. Remember that if we want people to listen to us, we need to return the courtesy.

As always we welcome your thoughts and opinions. Let's learn from each other.

Cheers

Kevin, Jackie, Gavin, Annie, Tosha

9 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 3:35 PM - Categories: Health | Cesar Millan | Dogs | Anti Cesar Milan | Advocacy | Adoption | Training

Woof Wednesday With Leslie Fisher

My guest this week is Leslie Fisher of Look What I Can Do Dog Training. When Leslie and I first started talking about the topics for this week’s post we were both lamenting about behaviors that are both highly reinforcing to dogs, and are reinforced randomly. Leslie’s dog Bridget (pictured here and who turns 4 today) is an escape artist and provides excellent fodder for this discussion; as this post from Leslie’s Facebook account shows.

Too much like work! At least we are all getting our exercise and it is a nice day. Have run out of mesh now lugging wooden pallets around as temporary blocks. yes the yard Bridget vs human challenge is ongoing and probably will be unto eternity. Should really write blog about power of random reinforcement as it…

So I asked Leslie to blog about it here, this is what she said.

Looking over this post, I realize comments from one friend might prove to be true: that I will need the Army corps of Engineers to construct a Bridget proof fence. It truly has been an ongoing exercise in determination on her part— and I suppose myself equally as determined that she will NOT escape. There you have it, the power of random reinforcement! In Bridget`s driven, busy mind, if a good thing happens ONCE, there is a darned good chance it could happen again. For example, Bridget still has a habit of searching under my car at the hairdresser where she viewed a groundhog going under— 2 years ago.

Imagine then the power of being able to escape from the yard on a random schedule to a dog like this! Are they likely to ever give up trying? Not likely! In fact the escape behaviors have escalated driven by the fact that she is escaping randomly. On the occasions when I have been observing, and see that she has been foiled, I can almost see the gears turning as she stands and stares at the house: "what should I do now?" The look on her face is priceless but it ultimately means trouble for me in the form of yet another eventual escape. The only way that this behavior can ever truly be over will be to build an escape proof fence and wait for her to give up on her escapist attempts. As the behavior has been so well reinforced, I am quite certain there will be quite an extinction burst, which should prove to be interesting to observe. If and when I am able to get the new escape proof fence in place that is. For now it is going to be mesh and staple gun, and vigilant supervision. We work with what we have. What I have is one extremely driven dog!!

Dogs, of course are highly individual in their behaviors. My English Lab Talley has never left the yard, even when the gate was left open by Bridget. She is firmly attached to her food dish. Bridget, however, has dedicated her life to finding new ways out of the yard. Different dogs, different motivations. Achieving extinction of undesired behaviors, in driven dogs like Bridget, with activities that are highly self-reinforcing, may be nigh impossible. Remember, this is the dog that continues to check under a car at one location, where a groundhog was spotted two years ago. My friend may not have been wrong, I may need the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a Bridget proof fence with the following qualities: fencing buried three ft underground, at least 6 ft high, top angled into the yard, and solid boards not mesh to eliminate climbing. Short story is, having been so randomly reinforced for escaping, combined with her driven personality, she will never stop looking. When Fort Knox does get constructed, I expect it will be a very long time indeed before she gives up patrolling for an escape.

In terms of dog training then, my best advice is to know the behaviors of your own dog. I know Bridget just never gives up on anything. If you have a Bridget you will always have to be one jump ahead, with your management and your training. Good luck to you!!

We hope you've enjoyed this weeks Woof Wednesday With Leslie Fisher. For more information about Leslie and Look What I can Do Dog Training, you can visit her website at http://www.lookwhaticandodogtraining.com, there you can find links to her Twitter and Facebook pages as well. Leslie also writes a popular blog "The Dog Trainers Dog" which can be found at http://lookwhaticandodogtraining.typepad.com/my-blog/

As always we welcome you to share your comments and stories of escape with us.

Cheers

3 comments - Posted by Kevin Myers at 12:51 PM - Categories: Dogs | Humor | Woof Wednesday | Training