IAABC Dog Blog

Size Doesn’t Matter in This Two-Dog Household

Joan Hunter Mayer — 2012-05-14T11:27:25+00:00

Dear Inquisitive Canine,

I have 2 dogs, a Dane and a Chihuahua. The Chihuahua intimidates the Dane. She won’t let him eat, play with toys, or do anything. I have to separate them or else he would live in a corner. She doesn’t bite or attack him. All it takes is a look or at most a growl. What can I do to restore my happy home?

My friend “Shirley” says the Dane is a wimp, but he’s fine with other dogs, and so is the Chihuahua. Help!

Thanks from the war zone

Dear War Zone,

Ah yes, “sibling rivalry.” It’s a shame when family members don’t get along. Humans have been known to have arguments now and again, and from my experience as a certified professional dog trainer I can tell you that our pet dogs are really no different.

From what you’ve described, it sounds like the Dane is being quite the “gentleman.” He is listening to his sister, reading all of her doggy body language and vocal communication, and doing what any smart dog would do - not challenge her. It’s safer for him to back off, than to treat her like a squeaky toy and get in huge trouble. You, and your friend “Shirley” can be thankful that he is a good listener.

As for your Chihuahua, she has certainly developed some undesired coping skills, at least by human standards. She may have at one time been unhappy about something and expressed herself using normal doggy communication (hard stare and growls). Her discontent may have gone unnoticed or ignored - by the Dane and/or by you. If this is true, and she was completely ignored, then she will have gotten louder (or more assertive and intimidating) with each episode, until someone paid attention!

Other possible “triggers” could be “resources” and/or the Dane himself. Resource guarding is a strongly hard-wired (DNA) behavior, and can rear its ugly head at any time. For your Chihuahua, the resources could be food, a food bowl, toys, attention from you, or anything else she considers “valuable”. What started out as a “normal” reaction to wanting to guard things, turned ugly because once again she was either ignored, or she got “in trouble”! Maybe yelled at? Sent to her room? “Grounded”? Banished to the dungeon?

If this is true, and the attention she is receiving is more of “getting in trouble”, then she may have also started to associate the Dane with feelings of anxiety and frustration every time he is around, and in turn, lets allows these feelings be known right from the get-go.

Then there’s the human component: their communication starts (growls, hard stares), you tense up because you don’t like this type of behavior - maybe using a not so cheerful voice - which predicts nothing good for her, resulting in chaos and unhappiness all around.

No matter the cause, the approach is the same: create an environment where both dogs love being around each other. How do you achieve this? Simple. Pair each dog with something the other dog loves, then they’ll start to love that dog. Take it slow and steady - baby steps if you will. When you’re not training, manage your environment to help prevent both dogs from practicing objectionable behaviors.

Training: the goal is to change your dogs’ perspective of how they see each other using classical conditioning techniques. Pretty “fancy” for dog training. But it’s simple and it works! Right now it sounds like the mere sight of one another brings on feelings of dread. You want to reverse that, right? This is the plan:
- The Chihuahua gets steak (or other high value yummies) and attention (happy talk from you) whenever the Dane is around. She’s ignored and gets nothing when he isn’t there.
- She gets lots of rewards whenever she is behaving nicely towards the Dane.
- If she behaves in a negative way, she doesn’t get yelled at. You can confine her to her own room, but again while providing enrichment (food toys, chewies etc…).
- Her only “punishment” is that she doesn’t get the high value food and attention from the rest of the family. Think of it as sending a child to their room with snacks and a video game, not “grounding” them.
- The Dane gets lots of yummy steak (or other high value reward) whenever the Chihuahua is around. Pair her with something he loves, and he will love her…eventually. But it takes time, patience, and consistency.
Management: remove all objects the Chihuahua likes to “guard” (or gets bossy over). Keep them apart from each other if necessary, but if you’re confining them to separate areas, provide enrichment so it’s not so much of a punishment. Include chewies, interactive food toys, etc. Also, make sure they’re tired from exercise so they’ll want to nap.

Most importantly, reward desired behaviors. Catch your dogs in the act of doing what you want, then reward them for it. Even being in the same room, and ignoring each other can be rewarded. It’ll flow over into “creating pleasant associations.” Both dogs will begin to associate the other dog being around with good things for themselves. You’ll know it’s working when they look at each other, then look at you for their reward. What a nice, simple, and quiet way to create a “no war” zone.

Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick, Poncho the dog. Joan is a certified professional dog trainer and dog behavior coach. Poncho is a 10-pound mutt who knows a lot about canine and human behavior. Their column is known for its simple, commonsense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog.

Joan is also the founder of the Inquisitive Canine and developer of the Out of the Box Dog Training Game, where her love-of-dog training approach highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior. If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, please email them directly.Ask The Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick Poncho. Joan is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and Dog Behavior Counselor. Poncho is a ten pound mutt that knows a lot. Their column is known for its simple common sense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog.

Photo credit: jcator

Bite Prevention: Do It Early and Often

Ann Withun — 2012-05-01T10:48:30+00:00

May 20 - 26 is National Dog Bite Prevention Week in the USA, and the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge is on all across the world. The goal of the Challenge is to educate 50,000 children during the month of May about safety around dogs.

As behavior consultants, it’s no surprise to us to hear the statistics, read the tragic articles, and see our own cases where things have already gone wrong between a child and a dog. We also know all too well the consequences. Dog bites can leave children frightened of dogs for life, or worse. The dog may lose his home, his family, or his life. When we get a case like this, we wish we could go back in time, to be able to set things in place before a bite happens.

Well, your time machine has arrived.

The great news is that dog bites are preventable through education. The other great news is that as a behavior consultant, you can use your expertise and role in the community to be part of this rewarding work. I encourage you to offer just one small educational event this May, to reach just a few children in your community. It doesn’t have to be huge to be hugely impactful – sometimes it seems our “thinking big” can paralyze us into inaction, when even the smallest, easiest efforts can reap such large rewards.

Find Your Audience

In this age of schools, libraries, and community organizations struggling to find funding for educational programs, I assure you that it’s not hard to find someone willing to host your bite prevention program! Many of these groups will help with advertising the event, coordinating the venue, all the way to greeting participants when they arrive. Try the librarian at your local library, your local girl or boy scout troop, the nurse or a teacher at your local elementary school, daycare centers, youth sports teams, etc. If you don’t have children yourself, ask a friend or neighbor with children if their kids are part of any groups that might like to organize this program.

Prepare Your Presentation… or use one that’s already done for you!

Doggone Safe produces an awesome Teacher’s Kit for their Be a Tree program. In no time, I was able to familiarize myself with the presentation to a level that I felt confident presenting it to a group. Even to a group of elementary school kids, and I *don’t* have mad kid-skills or kids of my own… The kit comes with a DVD that shows an example of the presentation being given. It has large poster-boards with great visuals on the front, and your script on the back. Simply pick them up in order, cover the points on back, and voila! – professional presentation. Check it out at www.doggonesafe.com – where the kits are on sale for the Challenge.

Or… simply distribute great educational materials.

In addition to Doggone Safe’s great stuff, Dr. Sophia Yin also has super Bite Prevention materials on her website, both free printable materials and low cost materials available for purchase. Visually appealing cartoons and captions show adults and children alike how to greet a dog, and how to recognize canine warning signals.

Even more great news: volunteering in your community is great for your business too! This might be an excellent time to form a mutually beneficial partnership with another local business that caters to children. Parents who attend or who read a take-home handout will know just who to call when they need your services. Attendees will certainly refer others to that wonderful dog professional they met at the Be a Tree presentation that had the great advice and caring attitude. They will learn how to see warning signs that might indicate they need your professional assistance. Potential clients get to see your expertise in action, which is the best commercial one could ask for.

I find it amazing how quickly children pick up on canine body language that adults miss so often, or that adults are more reluctant to learn about. These children who learn early to observe dog behavior, and to empathize with dogs, will carry this insight with them forever, growing into adults who have better relationships with the animals they interact with. Don’t underestimate the impact you might have. We all remember lessons from childhood that changed the way we look at things. You have the ability to impact a child in that same way, and to help people and dogs before a bite happens.

Ann Withun, BS, ACDBC, CPDT-KA
IAABC Board of Directors (secretary)
Instructor & Behavior Consultant at Fieldwood Dog Training Center
Dog Scouts of America Board of Directors

Dear Inquisitive Canine (December 2011)

Joan Mayer — 2011-12-23T20:33:23+00:00

Dear Inquisitive Canine,

Hellooo, my name is Hazel and I have a question. I am an 18-month-old crazy retriever mix – a little Chessie, Golden and Lab all rolled into one. I think I am pretty smart, and I am definitely cute. I have been crate trained, but want to move to a nice comfy bed without borders.

The problem is that my people aren’t sure I can be trusted not to chew things in the middle of the night, including wallets, cell phones, TV remotes and sunglasses. (And books because I LOVE paper). I’m also quite adept at standing on my hind legs and grabbing stuff off shelves and tables.

I have a dog friend in the house. She is 17 years old and has a special bed in the people’s room. Do you think I can be trained to sleep in my own bed, in the room with my people and leave my crate behind? Or maybe I could even have my bed in the boy’s room – my boy is 9 and he has lots of toys, but I would love to sleep in his room too. Can you or Poncho help?

Arf! -Hazel

Dear Miss. Hazel,

Poncho the dog here. Thank you for taking the time to write in. You sound like one fun-loving energetic pup who has taken her retrieving skills to the limit! It also appears you are quite clever; first at figuring out what you want, then taking steps towards getting it. You’re quite the problem solver! If I’m ever in the position to hire an assistant I’ll contact you first.

I see that you have a couple of matters you’d like to deal with. First that you want to move out of your crate and into a bed which offers a little more freedom, while still being able to be with your humans. And secondly that sometimes having too much freedom can lead you into temptation.

After consulting with my mom, we decided I would go over the “moving into a grown-up bed” pointers since I learned the same thing when mom and dad brought me home. Being a certified professional dog trainer she also teaches these same strategies in her dog training classes.

There are a few ways your folks can help you transition to a “grown-up bed” with ease. Have them read through these dog training tips, then choose the one that best suites your situation. Additionally, visit my dog training blog for an overview of the important do’s and don’ts for crate training.

Additionally, you’ll want to remind your humans to do some dress rehearsals before everyone wants to go to sleep. You can practice with the following training exercises:

Plan A

Your New Bed Plus a Leash: Have your folks choose a designated area (their room or the boys room) along with what you’re going to sleep on. Make sure it’s next to a large piece of heavy furniture such as their human bed or dresser. They’ll also want to keep you close to their bed so they can give you a treat for staying on your bed and being quiet. It’s important that they reward you to reinforce desired behaviors so you’re more likely to repeat them even when you’re not training. They can then use a comfy harness and leash, and tether you to the specific piece of furniture to help prevent you from wandering off. Keep in mind though, that it’s best to attach the leash to a harness and not a flat collar - helps prevent choking and other mishaps.
Once you get the idea of sleeping in a different room and on your bed, they can remove the tether. If you decide to go wandering in the night, then they can hitch you back up.

Plan B

From Crate-to-Bed: In case it’s too much of an abrupt transition, instead of the tether they can use your crate for management. Begin by sleeping in your crate but in the room of choice. Either your people’s room along with your sibling, or in the boy’s room. (Or both eventually). This way they can manage your environment to help prevent you from wandering while you get used to your new sleeping arrangements.
Once they determine that you can sleep through the night, they can either leave the door to the crate open or go to Plan A - using the tether.

More often than not, us adult dogs are able to sleep through the night and understand that when it’s bedtime it’s bedtime. If you haven’t displayed behaviors that say otherwise, then this should be an easy transition. If you are the type of doggy that would enjoy playing all night long, then they’ll definitely want to use some of the above recommendations along with the following dog training tips:

Reward you with petting, praise and even a treat whenever you’re lying on your bed minding your manners.
Make sure you have gone potty and have had enough mental and physical enrichment during the day to help motivate you to want to sleep all night long and not go on an evening excursion.
Keep bedroom doors closed, especially once you’re without the tether.
Inform other family members they should make it quiet time when going to bed, and to refrain from playing so as not to get you all riled up. They can even read you a bedtime story, which is one of the various fun and effective activities recommended in the Out of the Box Dog Training Game.

As for the latter issue of rummaging throughout the house, we suggest you and your folks check out this Dear Inquisitive Canine post about a similar canine who enjoys counter-surfing and creating scavenger hunts.You’re sure to find some handy management and dog training tips that will help set you all up for success.

Segueing from a crate to a grown-up bed is a big step. But with management of your environment, teaching you what they want, and practicing beforehand, it is one that can go smoothly.

Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick Poncho. Joan is a certified professional dog trainer and human-canine relationship coach. Poncho is a ten-pound mutt that knows a lot about human and canine behavior. Their column is known for its simple common sense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog. Joan is also the founder of the Inquisitive Canine and developer of the Out of the Box Dog Training Game, where her love-of-dog training approach highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior. If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, please email them directly.

Progress vs. Perfection

Jolanta Benal — 2011-12-22T19:33:34+00:00

I read the same training lists as everybody else – Click-L ABAT, clickerexpo, you know the ones. All those precise, clever trainers put my jaw on the floor. They also lead me to thinking about how the goals of behavior modification and the goals of training aren’t always exactly the same – in fact, sometimes too much focus on perfect manners can make us miss a behavioral improvement that we would otherwise greet with joy.

An example from my own dog, Juniper the Lifelong Behavior Modification Project, and one I’ve had repeated with any number of clients.

Juni’s been clicker trained since I brought him home at 8 ½ weeks, and as a puppy he earned his breakfast on his morning walk every day. So he has beautiful leash manners. Or he used to. Since we did the Constructional Aggression Treatment, they’ve – well, not fallen apart, but deteriorated.

Juni has been aggressive toward other dogs his whole life; CAT hasn’t cured him, but it has increased the number and frequency of pro-social behaviors he performs toward other dogs. For instance, when a dog passes us on the sidewalk, Juni will often put on the brakes and turn back in the direction the dog has gone. With his neck extended and his body language indicating social interest, he sniffs after the departing dog.

Juni’s post-CAT behavior during nighttime walks changed, too. I found myself often holding a taut leash and wondering why my formerly well-trained dog was pulling toward this tree and that hydrant. Then I registered what he wasn’t doing: walking tensely – slowly!—at my side, head and ears up, tail tight, in the way typical of dogs who are more reactive at night than during the day. Now that he was less vigilant, he had more attention to spare for other things. Things to smell. Things he wanted to get to ASAP.

This obviously blows “walking at my side with the leash slack.” Had I been completely focused on his manners, I might have missed the fact that both situations reflect important, positive behavioral change. Instead, I decided that while I would retrain nighttime leash walking, so that my arms would stay the same length while my dog enjoyed his sniffs, I wasn’t going to make any attempt to “fix” the sniffing-after-dogs behavior. Why? Because perfect leash walking is much less important to both Juniper’s quality of life and mine than continued practice of pro-social behavior toward dogs.

My clients often supply a related example. Many of the dogs I work with are shy or suspicious of strangers. It’s a banner day for me when such a dog gives me the Full Wiggly Butt and rushes around me joyfully or puts her forepaws on my knee to get closer when I sit down. Every single time it happens, the poor human client is horrorstruck at her dog’s bad manners. Meanwhile, I’m rejoicing at the dog’s increased comfort and sociability.

Don’t get me wrong – I prize good manners. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent all that time teaching Juni to walk politely on leash! But sometimes “good manners” screen a problem, as with Juni’s former nighttime vigilance or my clients’ dogs’ keeping their distance from visitors. When manners seem to break down during behavior modification, it might actually be a good sign. Let the reason behind the “breakdown” guide your response.

Podcast: Dr. Sophia Yin’s Perfect Puppy in Seven Days

Eric Goebelbecker — 2011-10-14T00:50:45+00:00

Dr. Sophia Yin joins me for the first podcast of the new season! We talk about her new book, Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right (also available in KindleKindle) and also her classic Low Stress Handling Restraint & Behavior (No kindle version but you can check out the online version here.)

Enjoy the interview!

On Leash Frustration and Aggression

Joan Mayer — 2011-10-12T06:51:59+00:00

Dear Inquisitive Canine,

I have taken my dog to the dog park numerous times and he is great with other dogs. However, if he passes other dogs while walking on a leash, he tries to bound after them and acts as if he is going to attack. I know he wouldn't actually harm another dog, but it really scares other dog owners. Why is he so bad on a leash?

From,

Chief's mom

Dear Chief's Mom

Ah yes leashes, "the ties that bind". It's unfortunate that these innocent little safety devices can create what appears to be a Jekyll and Hyde reaction. I do appreciate you being a law-abiding responsible dog owner by using one, even though it causes you, and it seems Chief, some distress.

First I'll address the "why". Then I'll provide some training tips and techniques for making walks more enjoyable for both of you.

When it comes to leashes, dogs weren't born knowing how to be walked on one, and we humans weren't born knowing how to use them. Normal behavior for dogs includes wanting to meet, greet, and /or sniff every other dog, person, or tree. It's nice to be that excited about everything, isn't it? Unfortunately, we aren't able to stop and greet or sniff every other dog, person, or tree.

This is where the term "barrier frustration" enters the picture. It's when something, in this case the leash, prevents Chief from getting to what he wants, often resulting (inadvertently) in this disturbing reaction. This impulsive "I want it, I want it now! I must meet that other dog!" response inadvertently gets punished, because as Mick Jagger says, "you can't always get what you want".

Over time, with each on-leash walking episode, this frustration builds and builds and builds, and gets to the point where the mere sight of another dog triggers this reaction. Chief now associates other dogs with frustration. And we're all familiar with feelings of frustration - similar to sitting in a traffic jam when you're late. Imagine that every time you take a drive you end up stuck in traffic. What do you think would happen over time? Can you say road rage?

Regardless of the "why", the solution is the same: ask Chief to do something else. Something that's fun, rewarding, and what will soon become the better, more desirable choice when out walking.

Two behaviors I find that work well are 1) "Watch me"—Chief makes eye contact with you and he gets a treat 2) "Find it"— where you toss a treat on the ground right in front of him, thus keeping his head focused somewhere else while having him "hunt", an activity many dogs enjoy. Note: both of these behaviors are done while you're walking past the other dogs.

I suggest you take his meals on the road, but instead of using his regular kibble, use something he's more likely to do back-flips for. This way Chief is more likely to pay attention to you, and not bark and lunge at the end of the leash.

You'll only want to do this when other dogs are around. With consistency, Chief will start to associate other dogs equals fun for him, turning frustration into happiness. The next thing you know he'll be looking at dogs and looking right at you. Or, better yet, he'll be asking you to go for walkies in search of other dogs, and isn't that better than whathe's doing now?

Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick Poncho the dog. Joan is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and human-canine relationship coach. Poncho is a ten-pound mutt that knows a lot about human and canine behavior. Their column is known for its simple common sense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog.

Joan is also the founder of the Inquisitive Canine and developer of the Out of the Box Dog Training Game where her love-of-dog training approach highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior. If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, please advice@theinquisitivecanine.com.

“Canine Behavior A Photo Illustrated Handbook” By Barbara Handelman

Barbara Handelman — 2011-09-21T13:49:28+00:00

The developing field of canine behavior and communication needs a consistent vocabulary with which to describe observed behaviors. This book is offered for the purpose of creating a consistent lexicon of commonly used terminology.

The information required to interpret behavior lies in the environmental contexts in which the behaviors are offered. Distinct communication behaviors rarely appear in isolation; instead, three or more forms of bodily expressions may be present concurrently. The resulting impression is greater than the sum of the component expressive parts.

Not all behavior has communicative intent, but all canine communication emanates from behavior. Humans can be both angry and sad, or happy and anxious in relation to a single event or interaction. Conflicting emotions exist in canid interactions, just as ambivalence is a component in most human relationships.

Wolfgang, a Beta wolf uses many signals to threaten Renki, a lower ranking wolf. Note that Wolfgang, on the left, assumes a tall confident posture, with both his tail and his head raised, ears forward, and piloerec tor reflex apparent (hackles raised). Renki crouches submissively, as he moves forward, with his tail dramatically tucked between his legs. Renki further expresses his submissive intent with his ears pressed back, and his head slightly lowered. He shows mild piloerector reflex. (Photo: Monty Sloan)

To accurately label canid behavior the observer must watch the animal’s whole body. Note whether he appears relaxed, tense, stiff, aroused, fearful, aggressive, submissive, or appeasing.

Also spot the ways in which elements of more than one feeling state coexist. Prior to discovering Monty Sloan’s Wolf Park photos and the “Wolf Ethogram,” (Goodman, et al., 2002), this author had not considered that there might be very close similarities between the communication signals, displays and expressions conveyed by the various canine cousins. For hundreds of years, humans have genetically manipulated dogs. Dog breeds evolved to fulfill the vanity, utilitarian purpose and companionship needs of humans. One might be drawn to the conclusion that those genetic changes would have caused considerable dilution or alteration of inherited communication behaviors.

Domestic dogs, in general, no longer depend on submissive displays for their own survival to the extent that their canine cousins do. Dogs rely more on humans to intervene to prevent or interrupt agonistic encounters, and after fights, to heal their wounds. Such wounds occurring in a wild population would most likely lead to death of the injured individuals (Goodwin et al., 1996, p. 302).

The idea that human families and their pet dogs join to form packs that mirror the pack order of wolves became popular among pet dog trainers and owners during the late 1970s and ensuing decades.

The 1978 publication of the book “How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend” by the Monks of New Skete, popularized the notion that wolves use force to dominate each other, as well as establish and maintain pack order. The Monks’ premise was based on 1940s studies, supported by limited observations of wolves. Those early studies promulgated substantial misinterpretation of wolf behavior.

Nevertheless, the idea of a force-based hierarchical order among wolves took on the mythic proportion of gospel. Projecting the myth a step farther, the Monks and their followers proclaimed that humans must use force to establish dominance over dogs.

In fact, more recent and extensive studies (see Mech, 1999) show that wolves rarely use violence to establish dominance or to maintain their status within the pack. During conflicts, the submissive wolf acquiesces and displays submission in response to other wolves’ dominant social status and posturing. Rank or hierarchy disputes among wolves are usually resolved through ritualized aggression, without injury to either the wolf who emerges as the victor or the one who submits.

People who force dogs into a submissive posture behave toward dogs in a manner that neither wolves nor dogs ordinarily behave toward each other. Furthermore, alpha rolls are a form of punishment. Even the Monks of New Skete, in the 2002 revised edition of their book, disavowed their original theories about the appropriateness of ‘wolf alpha rolls’ as a form of discipline in the context of human-dog relationships. They wrote:

These alpha roll interactions include both dominance displays and passive submission. Neither the dogs above nor the wolves to the right use physical force as a tactic in these interactions. (Photo: Barbara Handelman)

We no longer recommend this technique and strongly discourage its use to our clients. Though it can be argued that it has a natural basis in pack life, in a dog human context it is potentially very dangerous and can set up the owner for a serious bite in the face (or worse), particularly with a dominant dog. The conditions in which it might be used effectively are simply too risky and demanding for the average dog owner; there are other ways of dealing with problem behavior that are much safer and, in the long run, just as effective.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) states the following in its position statement regarding punishment.

... punishment (e.g. choke chains, pinch collars, and electronic collars) should not be used as a first-line or early-use treatment for behavior problems. This is due to the potential adverse effects, which include, but are not limited to: inhibition of learning increased fear-related and aggressive behaviors, and injury to animals and people interacting with animals.

Adverse Effects of Punishment
AVSAB recommends that training should focus on reinforcing desired behaviors, removing the reinforcer for inappropriate behaviors, and addressing the emotional state and environmental conditions driving the undesirable behavior. This approach promotes a better understanding of the pet’s behavior and better awareness of how humans may have inadvertently contributed to the development of the undesirable behavior.

Current dog training practices that adhere to the science of Canine Learning Theory and the tenets of Operant Conditioning, promote positive reward-based training methods, and discourage the use of force-based corrections or other aversives. Wolves are not dogs and dogs are not wolves. That dogs do share a common language with their canid cousins is a source of great fascination to this author – which hopefully the readers will share. In many instances, photographs of wolves or other canids were chosen to illustrate behavioral terminology for the very fact that the heightened amplitude of wolf displays makes the behavioral attributes vivid. Thus, the behaviors may be more easily identified by a novice observer. It is hoped that novice observers will then apply their new knowledge to the more subtle displays offered by domestic dogs.

What is Behavior?

Behavior is the way an animal reacts to or interacts with its immediate environment. Some behaviors are voluntary, while others are involuntary physiological responses to environmental stimuli or stressors. To be considered “behavior,” an action must be both observable and measurable.

“Language is behaviour in as much as it communicates intention, emotion and affects others’ behaviours” According to Ken Ramirez, behavior is “any activity of animals or men which is directly observable and where it is possible for two or more observers to agree on what they saw or heard” (Ramirez, 1999, p. 536).

Observing Behavior Without Making Judgments About Intention

To best understand behavior, the observer must distinguish between empirical descriptions such as: tail up, head high, ears erect, body forward in greeting posture; and functional patterns such as: dominance or status-seeking behavior. The observer cannot accurately jump from behavioral descriptions of a single interaction to a conclusion about the canid’s intentions. Dominance seeking is a functional pattern that occurs mostly within established canine social groups. By lumping together the behaviors described above, and calling them “dominance seeking” the observer makes a huge leap. Calling the collective behaviors an “aroused posture” would be more accurate and not dependent on an assumption about intention. When viewing a display of fear, the observer is apt to see the animal’s head lower than his body, his ears flattened, and while snarling, the mouth may be partially open with relatively retracted lips. These are empirical descriptions of postures and expressions in a specific context. It would be inaccurate to conclude that a single submissive response signifies the canid’s subordinate status within the group’s social structure.

Observers can clearly describe a fearful animal. Fearful behavior and subordinate status are not synonymous – neither is confident or aroused behavior synonymous with dominant status.

Empirical behaviors are observable, and can be described in the same terms by anyone witnessing the behavior. Aroused, confident, or fearful behaviors in a single, specific context should not be used to label a dog as having a “dominant” or “submissive” personality type.

Three frightened wolves, on the left: tails tucked, ears back, gaze lowered, backs rounded. Their weight is shifted back and movement portrays avoidance and retreat. Piloerection apparent on fearful wolf on the far left and ambivalent wolf who is most forward among the three aggressive wolves on the right. Their aggression is apparent in more upright postures, forward movement, ear positions and forward commissures of the lips. (Photo: Monty Sloan)

The English Setter on the left is fearful. She cautiously approaches the stuffed dog. Note: piloerector reflex evident especial ly over her shoulders and rump. Everything about her posture is angled backwards, away from the object that has caused her fear. (Photo: Barbara Handelman)

Introducing “Dear Inquisitive Canine”

Joan Mayer — 2011-09-14T13:46:18+00:00

My name is Joan Mayer. I am a canine behavior coach and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer based in Ventura California. My sidekick Poncho is a ten pound mutt who knows a lot about dog and human behavior. Together we founded The Inquisitive Canine to empower dog guardians with a rewarding education that helps them further develop and enhance their everyday relationships with their dogs.

After receiving numerous questions from our dog training class students, Poncho and I began our Inquisitive Canine blog. It only seemed natural for us to start a dog behavior advice column as a way to share our expertise and love-of-dog-training philosophy with you, the inquisitive pet owner.

In addition to teaching dog guardians positive ways to reinforce real-world manners in their dogs (like sit, stay, coming when called, greeting people politely, walking nicely on leash), we also help them learn to address specific behavioral issues such as aggression, resource guarding, incessant barking, chewing, isolation distress, and eliminating (house training) in undesired areas.

Although these days people tend to lead remarkably full and busy lives, we strongly believe that no matter how much or little time you have, you can take steps towards better understanding your dog and positively reinforcing the behaviors you want, while limiting and preventing inappropriate habits.

Being a dog mom I understand the challenges both humans and dogs face in everyday life. Therefore, I try to infuse my canine coaching with realistic expectations. Our Dear Inquisitive Canine dog behavior advice column is a fun place where inquisitive dog owners (and their dogs!) can seek practical guidance and solutions for making any situation work.

And while we encourage you to take advantage of the training tips, tools and advice you read here, it is important to keep in mind that this column is not intended to be a substitute for consulting with a qualified professional dog trainer. However, it is a great resource for supplementing any training you have undergone or any education you plan to embark on.

We encourage you (or your dog) to advice@theinquisitivecanine.com with your dog behavior questions. My trusty canine sidekick Poncho and I respond to as many questions as possible, but please feel free to check out our dog training blog for more coaching tips!

We are thrilled to be joining the IAABC family and look forward to meeting you and your inquisitive canines!

How To Be A Friend To A Fearful Dog

Debbie Jacobs — 2011-09-07T14:08:32+00:00

Are there a lot of fearful dogs out there or am I just noticing them more? Since Sunny landed in our living room, and settled into the corner, my ‘shy dog radar’ seems to have been fine tuned. At the pet shop recently a young woman was browsing the dog treat section, her black and white dog, a young adult, was doing the same. When I turned to speak to the woman, making small talk about ‘kids in candy stores’ her dog took one look at me, ducked his head and stepped back, his eyes locked on my face. I’d seen that look enough to know that I should not return the stare and immediately turned my head. The dog resumed his sniffing of the various dried, animal body parts available to him.

“A bit shy isn’t he?”, I remarked.

“Oh he scares himself,” his owner replied, “Someone looks at him and he looks back and gets scared and starts barking.”

I tried to follow her line of reasoning (he scares himself?), but knew better than to spend too much energy on the task. The list of explanations that owners make regarding why their fearful dog behaves the way he does, and why the owner responds the way s/he does, is long, and might be funny, except that dogs are suffering.

While researchers and scientists may not agree on how animals experience emotion or which emotions those might be, it is accepted that dogs feel fear. Not only is fear biologically advantageous (do something or die), dogs that are afraid behave in ways that look a lot like the ways humans behave when we’re afraid. We startle, we cringe, we turn away, we run, we scream, we shake- you get the picture.

When I was seven years old I jumped off of a high diving board for the first time. My family was on holiday and the hotel we were staying at had a pool. I watched other kids climb up the ladder, walk out to the edge of the board, leap off into space and plunge into the water below. My father asked me if I wanted to try it. Together we climbed up the ladder and as soon as I got to the top, seeing nothing but empty space confronting me I turned and headed back down, weaving past the line of kids following us up for their turn. My father did not force me to continue.

Back in the pool I watched the other children jumping off and again my father encouraged me to give it a try. This time he said he’d stay in the pool and get to me after I splashed down. For some reason this made me feel more inclined to try it, so again I climbed the ladder, got to the top, walked out to the end of the board and leapt off, keeping my eyes on my father in the water below. I wasn’t in the water for more than a few seconds before I felt his hands on me, giving me support while I caught my breath from the excitement of it all. From that day on I have been a fan of jumping off high diving boards, rope swings, boats, ledges you name it, so long as I’m going to land in deep water.

I don’t share this story just to fill you in on my personal recreation habits or my childhood, but because it is full of lessons on how to work with a fearful dog. Two important components of this scenario which are applicable to the work we do with our scared dogs are these-

1. I had a trusting relationship with my father.
2. I had the skills needed to succeed at the task.

The person encouraging me to do something that scared me was my father. I trusted him. If a stranger had offered to take my hand and lead me up that ladder I would have been wide-eyed in terror, I might have even reacted the same way if it was my older brother. My father said I’d be alright and I believed him (this is a cognitive leap humans, but unfortunately not dogs, can make). He was not in the habit of putting me in dangerous situations and I trusted his ability to protect me from anything, in the way that only little girls can (and probably should) feel about their fathers. He had taught me how to swim and for years I had been jumping off the docks and piers a few feet above the surface of a lake where we spent our summers. I had the skills and experience to climb that ladder and launch myself into the deep end of a pool, I just hadn’t done it before.

Stand a 6 month old baby on their feet and let go of them and they don’t start walking, they fall down. Their brains have not developed the intricate and remarkable circuitry to control their movement and their bodies don’t have the physical strength. Someday they’ll be able to, unless they never get the chance to practice (or have a physical or mental disability). Many dogs, especially puppy mill and pet shop dogs don’t get the chance to practice the skills necessary in order for them to be able to handle the social interactions, the delicate balance of acting and reacting, that a pet owner expects of them.

Some of them, with gentle guidance and coaching, in the hands of someone they trust, will be able to catch up and learn to enjoy being around the things that once made them uncomfortable (or flat out horrified them) but others will not, not ever. The damage was done, there’s no making up or repairing some brain development. All may not be lost, but for the average pet owner a dog like this is never going to be the dog of their dreams (unless they’ve dreamt of having a dog that prefers to live in the closet).

We humans tend to be an impatient bunch and rather than proceed slowly with our dogs, keep trying to make them stand up when all that happens is that they topple over, again and again. Some dogs will begin to actively resist our efforts, growling or snapping, others will give up. Though they may comply with what they are being forced to do, they are not enjoying it. And they are establishing negative associations with the experience, and the human forcing them into it.

It is possible to change how a dog feels and behaves around the things that scare them. And even a dog that isn’t exactly the dog of someone’s dreams can have a good life and provide their owner with companionship and joy. But making this happen usually means changing how we think about our scared dogs. It means questioning the things we’ve been told about dogs and how they learn new skills. It means that we stop tossing them off the high board and into the deep end and expect them to thank us for it.

IAABC Debbie Jacobs is the creator of www.fearfuldogs.com and the author of “A Guide to Living & Working With a Fearful Dog”. You can also hear Debbie in a podcast interview from last year.

From The Archives: Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice Spring 2007

Eric Goebelbecker — 2011-07-13T13:00:26+00:00

Another look back into the archives!

Embedded below is the IAABC Journal: Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice, from Spring 2007.

Here is the Table of Contents:

Bengal Cats: A Study in Behavior Marilyn Krieger, CABC
Electronic Training Devices: A Review of Current Literature Jo Jacques, CPDT, CPCT and Sandy Myers, CDBC
Extinction of a Disruptive Behavior in a Learning Challenged Domestic Cat: A Case Study - Jennifer LeBaron Michels, CABC
Case Study: Cat Meets Dog - Bringing Magic Home - Amy D. Shojai, CABC
Protocol for Relaxation in Equines - Connie Dwyer, MS, CABC, CPDT and Debbie Strother, MS, BCBA, CABC
Book Review: Help for Your Fearful Dog by Nicole Wilde - Reviewed by Valerie Pollard

Animal Behavior Consulting: Theory and Practice: Spring 2007