Mojo is a sensitive Boston terrier who is timid and easily scared. Zen is her vivacious, outgoing sister. It’s easy to tell them apart; not by their physical appearance but by their different behaviour. I visited for a training session expecting to the teach the Boston sisters to stay. During the week,  however, Mojo had an experience that left her fearful of her collar and harness.

It was the usual routine: the girls were called into the office, each sat in front of the chair to have her chest harness put on followed by the collar. On this occasion, Mojo’s ears flattened to her head at the same time as the buckle was clipped together, pinching her ear. She yelped in pain and despite the ear being released immediately and lots of reassurance and cuddles, she was visibly affected. For the next week Mojo would run away at the sight of the harness which wasn’t even the ear-pinching culprit. During the assessment her caregiver reported that Mojo usually flattened her ears when the collar was put on, and that’s how the ear got caught. This is a significant piece of information. Ears back are often a sign of stress; a signal that a dog is worried about something. Mojo may have had concerns about the collar being applied in the past but tolerated the procedure because she likes treats and enjoys the walks that the collar predicts. The painful incident may have tipped her over the edge so that something she didn’t particularly enjoy now became something she earnestly wanted to avoid.

She had to be physically lifted into the office where she would roll over onto her back in a desperate appeasement gesture to prevent the impending harness ritual. The harness had always been the precursor to the offending collar being applied, so it had now become part of the signal that the collar was coming next. This is very common whenever a painful or unpleasant event occurs. Dogs remember many of the aspects of the environment that were present during the traumatic event and these then become salient signals of impending doom in the future.

The harness and collar could be put on if Mojo was gently restrained but given the choice, she would rather flee. Once the collar was on she seemed uncomfortable or distressed, trying to remove the collar. On the walk she finally appeared back to normal. But each day it was the same escape response at the sight of the harness. Adding treats didn’t improve her behaviour; she simply ate and ran. This is because treats were given before the harness was produced. Treats had become one of the signals that the scary apparatus was next to appear, so get out of Dallas now! When using food in training it’s not all about the food that gets results. It’s the way food is used. This knowledge was used as part of the plan to help Mojo overcome her fear. Food must not come before the harness or collar.

I observed Mojo’s reaction in order to assess the different parts of the procedure and to devise a behaviour change plan for her. It was obvious that she was an unwillingly participant whose modus operandi was to avoid the office, harness and collar. But avoidance wasn’t working for her and instead of getting used to the process she was scared every day.

Her caregiver had used food to make it more pleasant, but for the reason I’ve already mentioned, this wasn’t working. She’d also tried to help Mojo get used to the clicking sound of the buckle by sitting on the couch with Mojo and repeatedly making the clicking noise. Mojo would startle each time and it didn’t change her avoidance behaviour at the sight of the harness. This is a common approach adopted for helping dogs overcome fears: present them with what they are trying to avoid (or part of it) over and over and they should get used to it. It doesn’t always help dogs. It can backfire and can intensify a dog’s fear. It’s also an unpleasant process for the dog to go through whether it works or not. There are effective alternatives that avoid the distress this process may cause to the learner.

I aborted my observations at the point where Mojo was restrained and rolled over in a tense appeasement gesture. It was clear that the harness could be put on despite her attempts to communicate her stress and I didn’t want to risk slowing down the training that was coming next by ignoring her body language.

I created a new plan to introduce the harness and collar in a carefully choreographed way.

1. I left the office behind and started in the living room. Remember those salient environmental factors that dogs associate with a fearful event? The office may well be part of this because every time the harness and collar are put on it is in the office. The painful event occurred in the office. The office is not a safe place as far as Mojo is concerned – a biting collar could pop up at any time. The living area is large, open and she can see what’s going on. No surprises will pop around the corner.
2. Mojo was not restrained. I did not run after her or pick her up. She came when she felt comfortable and she could increase distance when she needed. If she pulled back or rolled over, I stopped what I was doing. (In the accompanying video you will notice that I didn’t totally respect this part of the plan and clipped up the harness while she was lying down. Ideally I should have continued to touch and move the harness in small increments until she showed no signs of escape or avoidance. I recognized this and spent a minute or so reinforcing her for simply remaining with me, no pressure or touching, before continuing with the plan. I was trying to demonstrate as much as I could in a short amount of time for the caregiver to continue with. But, that’s really no excuse, is it Mojo?)
3. The harness was presented in stages and she received food each time it was shown. The harness disappeared behind my back and no treats came. It is only when the harness appeared that food magically arrived. This order is very important. Harness first signals food is coming rather than the food predicting the scary harness is coming. Reversing this order can make the whole process ineffective.
4. The harness was shown to her first from a small distance. If there was little or no sign of avoidance like tensing, flinching, ears back, leaning away or moving away, the next step was taken.
5. The harness was shown to her at a closer distance.
6. The harness was placed beside her.
7. The harness was slipped over her head, followed by a treat and her behaviour was observed to see if she would escape. I took my time at this point rather than immediately putting her front leg through the harness or doing it up. She needed to be comfortable and show no signs of running away. I wasn’t physically restraining her and I didn’t want her to go running off with a harness half-on, half-off.  I was ready to slip it off if she looked like running away. I kept giving food since the harness was still present.
8. The harness was touched and wiggled while it was on, followed by food.
9. The harness was clipped up followed by food. (This is where I went too fast.) Despite my haste, Mojo stayed with me and accepted food. This was a good sign because later in the procedure, when a step was too much for her, she would run away without taking food.
10. The collar was introduced in a similar way to the harness; shown first from a distance followed by a treat, then the collar disappeared and treats stopped.
11. The collar was shown to her at a closer distance.

It was at this point that I started to introduce another process. So far I had been using respondent conditioning where a simple association is being made that one thing predicts another. So the collar predicts treat and treats are good. This good feeling bleeds back to infect the collar, so now the collar is good! I like to introduce operant conditioning as soon as I can so that I get the benefit of two types of conditioning (or learning processes). Operant conditioning simply means than now I am going to make treat delivery contingent on her performing a certain behaviour. The collar will still appear but now she also needs to do something to get the treat. She will be making a positive association with the collar and a behaviour will be reinforced at the same time. I made sure the behaviour was so darn easy that she couldn’t fail because she was already doing it. All she had to do was stay when the collar was presented instead of running away or rolling over. If she had not been staying already and still overly concerned with the collar, I would have waited longer to introduce this part of the training. I now used a clicker to mark the behaviour of staying still whenever I presented the collar.

1. The collar was placed beside her and the tags jiggled. She stayed, I clicked and reinforced with a treat.
2. The collar was placed under her chin and jiggled. She stayed and the behaviour was reinforced.
3. The collar was held with two hands and placed under her chin. (It had been held in one had prior to this.) This is where she backed away and then ran away without taking a treat. Holding a collar in one hand is very different to the collar being held outstretched in two hands that are reaching for her neck.  This is valuable information and lets me know I have progressed too quickly.

When Mojo showed signs of stress, I stopped what I was doing and went back to the previous step until she was ready for the next level.

I then added her caregiver to the plan. I’ll remind you again of how dogs will be making associations with many things that are in the environment when they experience something unpleasant. Mojo was able to come up to me despite me holding the harness and collar whereas she ran away when her caregiver held them. One of the reasons for this difference may be that Mojo and I have no negative history, or any history, relating to the harness and collar. I spent the time proving to her that she had nothing to fear from the harness and collar before moving on to the scenario more similar to real life: her caregiver sitting in a chair. Remember that the collar is usually put on from a chair, so this is an important environmental aspect to add. We ran through the steps above with the collar that I had demonstrated. Then we progressed to touching the collar under her chin for a second.

That was enough for one session. I left instructions for future steps:

1. Wrap the collar around her neck for a second. Reinforce for staying.
2. Wrap the collar around her neck for 2 seconds, then 3 seconds, then 4 seconds etc and reinforce for staying.
3. Wrap the collar around her neck and make a clicking sound with the buckle without doing it up and immediately reinforce Mojo for staying. I predicted this would be a hard step because the buckle sound came immediately before the pain. It was important to make sure she showed no signs of stress with many fake clip-ups before moving on to the next step. This is so the collar can be removed quickly if she startles in the early stages. If it’s done up and she runs off, she takes the offending collar with her!
4. Wrap the collar around her neck and do it up. Reinforce her for staying.
5. Have a party with her now the collar is on. The collar is fun. Ask her to do her favourite tricks or the easiest tasks she knows and reinforce.
6. Then take the collar off and the party is over. This makes her look forward to the collar going on again.

This training was to be done about two to three times a day for up to 20 minutes at times when there was no need to go for a walk so that it was not rushed and there was no stress for the trainer or trainee. If Mojo had to be walked during this time it would be best to take her to another part of the house or into the car and place the harness and collar on in there, to protect the training where it needed to occur. It would be best not to put the collar on but it is a legal requirement when out in public for the identity and registration tags. I predicted it may take a few days or maybe a week to get the collar on without escape behaviours. Whether it transferred to the office easily would need to be assessed at the time she was ready.

I was elated when I got a message the next day from Mojo’s mum which blew my conservative estimation out of the water:  “Just got the collar on and she is happy - thank you SO MUCH. Did it a bit this morning and let it go and then 20 mins this afternoon and she was right.  I will continue doing it for a bit yet until she is absolutely comfortable but she was fine when I clipped it on and is running around playing.”

The challenge now is not to go too fast and ignore the ears back. Ideally this game should continue until Mojo comes running expectantly, keeping her ears forward as the collar is put on. Then we know we have helped to a point where she is more confident than when she originally started having the collar put on.

This is not a how-to article, it’s more of a synopsis on how to approach and problem-solve the escape and avoidance behaviour of a particular individual in a particular circumstance. The principles can be transferred to other individuals. I hope it highlights how going slowly in very small steps is not painstaking but is quicker in the long run. Mojo was not improving until she was assessed and a plan was designed specifically for her. What makes a successful behaviour change plan is also its implementation. Her caregiver was committed to helping her overcome her fear and this was key to a successful behaviour change programme and, no doubt, to the breakneck speed of improvement. She wasn’t in a rush and already had a strong, positive relationship with Mojo. Despite the incident, Mojo still trusted her so the damage done by this single painful event was minimal. Mojo will most probably always be a sensitive wee soul but if her fears are approached with care and patience, she will gradually develop more resilience.

Thanks to her caregiver for allowing me to share her story and video footage. Here is the link to Mojo's video for email subscribers: https://youtu.be/wuhlbOwJtCI

Zuri is scared of noisy appliances. I introduce her to any new, noisy appliance in a carefully planned way and she is getting less fearful with every introduction. The rotary sanding tool is one gadget she doesn't like the sound of. It's not just the noise, it's also that it is associated with nail sanding which she doesn't really enjoy. I have helped her overcome her fear and gone one step further: I've got her to be happily excited at the sound and she comes running from wherever she is, whatever she is doing, when she hears it. Check it out.

​​I was dismayed to read a negative comment on both videos. It went a little something like:
 
I came here to see how to train my dog not to chase birds. My dogs go crazy at the sight of birds. All you are doing is showing how good your dogs are. No one cares about that. Waste of time.
 
Always one to take on board {constructive} criticism in an attempt to improve communication, I went back to review the videos. Had I not made it clear that I was actually teaching? Reviewing the videos I realized that to anyone new to dog training or used to added punishment or forceful techniques requiring unpleasant {aversive} stimulation, it did indeed look like I was doing nothing and just showing off how the dogs didn’t chase the birds. The dogs didn’t even seem to want to chase them.
 
This set me to pondering; how I could get the message across that a viewer was actually watching a carefully planned training session? That I was actively involved in changing the behaviour of these two dogs from the moment the video began. Maybe I should have shown a “before” shot of the dogs going crazy and chasing the birds. My train of thought stopped dead in its tracks right there!
 
One of the most important principles when changing behaviour is preventing the undesired behaviour from occurring in the first place. Any behaviour that is practised and reinforced gets stronger. In a practical sense it means if a dog is given the opportunity to continue chasing birds, no matter how infrequently, it will make changing this behaviour a little harder than if it had been consistently prevented. I make a conscious decision to only get “before” footage in any or a combination of the following situations:
 
* It is safe to do so.
* I need a baseline that I have never seen before.
* I need to test a hypothesis of whether intervention will work.
* I am prepared to work a bit harder during training to counter the consequence of this rehearsal of the undesired behaviour.
 
For these two dogs, chasing birds was highly reinforcing. I wanted the best chance of getting good results so I chose not to put them in a situation where chasing would occur. Another consideration I had was that I had worked lovingly and consistently to gain the trust of the Willie Wagtails. I was now able to use them to help me during dog training. Being chased by a crazy dog is very stressful. I did not want to undo the wonderful progress I had made getting them to come to me on cue, nor did I want to cause them any undue stress. Hence – no “before” footage. It also means I'm not prepared to deliberately let each dog fail {chase the birds} by making it unnecessarily challenging early during training in order to demonstrate that they really want to chase! Viewers will just have to picture Zoe, the Cocker Spaniel, launching onto the outdoor table to chase the Willie Wagtails. Likewise, my reports of Scout, the Black Lab puppy, lunging and barking like a banshee after birds will have to suffice.
 
You may be wondering about the title of this blog by now. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with surfing!
 
The training in the videos certainly looks like two dogs who didn’t chase birds in the first place. It was Zoe’s first session and Scout’s second. In terms of effectiveness, no barking and chasing ticks the box. In regard to ethics and humane practice, the lack of physical or psychological intimidation, another tick. This is due to being a teacher who S.U.R.F.S with dogs (and other animals).

From the moment I decided to help the dogs stop chasing birds, I was formulating a plan to give them the best possible chance of succeeding quickly and without frustration. The plan went something like this:

 * Prevent all bird chasing at any time, not just training sessions. Keep dogs inside when Willie Wagtails come to visit. Check for Willies before letting the dogs out the back. Have the dogs on lead when going out the front. Be constantly vigilant, ready to run the dogs inside if I see the Willies before they do.
 
* Choose an alternative behaviour to chasing, lunging and barking at birds. For Scout this was to look at me or look at the birds in place of chasing them. For Zoe it was to stay on a chair. It needs to be easy. Too hard and it makes chasing the birds the chosen option. A behaviour that is already in the dog’s repertoire can make training quicker. Scout was used to looking at me for reinforcement so this was a head start. Zoe chose the chair and was more relaxed there, so I utilized this.
 
* Choose a reinforcer that will be more reinforcing or at least of equal reinforcement value to the birds. This was really interesting and challenging and one of the reasons I made Zoe’s video. Scout would work for dry kibble. Zoe wouldn’t touch roast chicken when birds were around but she would stop everything for a scratch and a silly word! Go figure. It’s the individual who tells you what they find reinforcing at any particular point in time.
 
* Set up the environment {antecedent arrangement} to achieve immediate success. In Zoe’s case, she could resist the birds for longer if she was sitting in a chair. If she was standing, it was a very quick transition to chasing. For Scout, she needed the lead on at first and I needed to stand close to her, even blocking her view as soon as the birds were present and asking for her to look at me. The environment includes the birds: they need to be further away at first. It’s easier {more economical} to get reinforcement from me than run the distance after the birds. Dogs do what works and will choose the easier of two options if the reinforcement value is comparable.
 
* Choose a high rate of reinforcement at first to make it worthwhile to just watch the birds. I’m talking once every three seconds. I’m talking reinforcement for just glancing at the bird for a microsecond. I’m talking, if I see your ear prick up towards the sound of the bird, I’m reinforcing. If I waited too long and was stingy with food or scratches, both dogs might as well try to chase.
 
* Change the environment and increase difficulty of the task when the dogs demonstrate they will succeed. A stationary bird 10m away is easier to resist than a stationary bird right in front of a dog’s nose. A moving bird is often harder to resist chasing than a stationary bird. I stopped using the lead almost immediately with Scout and had it loose just for safety. Eventually I used a 10m lead so she could walk away from me and choose to come back instead of chasing the birds. For Zoe, having her sit on the ground instead of the chair was making it harder for her. Then having her stand would be making it more difficult. Each subject will let you know what they find harder or easier. It is the teacher’s role to tailor the plan to meet the learner’s needs at any particular time.
 
* Keep the rate of reinforcement high when making the task more difficult – or I may lose the dog to the original reinforcer. This doesn’t mean I will always need a high rate of reinforcement. Once I have trained the dog to a high level, the reinforcement can be changed. This may mean I still reinforce continuously but can use lower value reinforcement. For example, I can praise Scout now when she looks at birds and give her a pat and she responds to this. In the early stages of teaching, this would not have been the case.
 
* Maintain the behaviour. Give refresher training sessions. Randomly reinforce excellent behaviour with an unexpected, high value reinforcer. Continue using more natural reinforcers in everyday life e.g. attention, praise, play, physical contact, access to sniffing. This keeps the behaviour going. However, if I consistently ignore the dogs when they look at me or the birds, eventually they may revert to another behaviour that does pay off. Probably barking and chasing again.
 
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I didn’t make a movie depicting a riveting, edge-of-your-seat, battle of wills fight against two crazy dogs straining to tear after birds. Instead I shared a moment in time of thoughtfully planned training devoid of frustration. No frustration for the trainer, trainee or the feathered helpers. It was also two snapshots that filled me with joy: to have the birds engage without fear and the dogs succeed so quickly.
 
Enough of my musings! Now that I’ve given a backstory to what is going on, what do you see happening in the videos?

I've included a third video showing Scout's progress and how she responds to verbal cues to come away from the birds and shows little interest in them now.

Video links for email subscribers:
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDwN2ZtgbAY

It's funny ‘coz it’s true. Training (or conditioning) is something that occurs 24/7, whether one is aware of it or not. For this reason I incorporate training aims into the mundane, everyday tasks of life. I really enjoy doing this. Things like asking Zuri to wait at doorways, all doorways, before going out. Also waiting before jumping out of the car, eating food, or removing the lead to allow play. The reinforcement for waiting at all these times is gaining access to something she wants: the great outdoors, food, and play. When I could see this becoming problematic at times – it increased her arousal so that she didn’t pay any attention to me once released – I worked on teaching her to ‘check-in’ with me after being released, instead of just running off. You can see the ‘check-in' here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J24ycE8AFtU

I love applying the principles of behavioural science to training other species as well. Just for fun. Just because I enjoy interacting with animals. Take the resident Willie Wagtails. Over a few months I have taught them to come on cue: the signal being my outstretched finger or hand. Then I taught them to stay longer on my hand. They took me by surprise and even flew in to pose for a New Year’s Eve photo. However, I noticed that when I had dogs come to stay, the Willies were hesitant to come and land. This prompted me to teach them not to be so fearful of various dogs that came to visit whilst I was present. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that all this time spent playing with birds would have a most practical application. 

Scout, the assistance dog puppy, has come to stay. Wouldn’t you know it, she loves to chase moving objects. Birds definitely fit that category. Here’s the wonderful part. All the times the Willies and I have played together safely around strange dogs has culminated in them gaining a confidence to approach and land on my finger with dogs present. When I took Scout outside to do some training and the Willies flew in to visit, Scout was enthralled. She lunged after them with gusto. The Willies were unperturbed and still flew near and tried to land on my hand. I immediately changed my training plan and decided to teach Scout a new task: not to chase the birds. To do this I needed to give her something else to do which paid off big time. Scout practised her new behaviour of sitting watching instead of chasing them no matter what they did. Since the Willies came and stayed on cue, I could use them as distractions in a very controlled and  safe way. It worked beautifully within seconds. I had the presence of mind to run inside and grab the video camera. Who  knows when an opportunity like this may come again? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVE9k2f83T4

The moral of the story? The meme about wasting time training has so many more applications than we first imagine. I use it with Zuri in everyday life because it makes our life together more harmonious. I extended it to spending immensely enjoyable time with my backyard friends and enhancing my training skills on wild animals who could leave at any time. The fact that I was then able to use this history of conditioning to help teach Scout impulse control was an added and unexpected bonus. Definitely none of it time wasted.

A common complaint that comes up with puppies who are first learning to walk on lead is that they bite, chew and tug the lead as soon as it is put on. It’s not a problem limited to puppies either. Many full grown dogs have the same habit. Some people get around the problem by using a metal chain that’s not pleasant to chew. Or by spraying something nasty tasting onto the lead. Or by punishing the behaviour with a leash jerk, a choke with a choker collar or a raised voice. I like to approach the problem by first assessing when and why this behaviour might occur.

Reasons may include that:

* it’s reinforcing. Puppies explore with their mouths and many leads seems to feel good to chew. The attention a dog gets when they start chewing may also be reinforcing: the dog gets looked at, spoken too, touched to the point that trying to retrieve the lead from his mouth becomes a super-fun game of tug. If it wasn’t reinforcing, a dog wouldn’t continue to do it.

* it’s due to frustration. It may be a displacement or replacement behaviour. If a dog cannot access something they want, they may turn on the lead which is restricting them and chew in response.

* it’s a response to something a dog wishes to escape or avoid. They may desperately chew on the lead that is preventing escape.

I choose to introduce a behaviour that replaces the biting and pays off more. If the reason is due to frustration, I provide an alternative behaviour in conjunction with teaching the dog some impulse control in an environment in which he can succeed. It is not effective or efficient to attempt teaching a dog who is already frustrated. For fearful dogs I avoid putting them in the situations that trigger the escape/avoidance response whilst working on helping them overcome the fears in a controlled and safe environment.

My ethos is that training should enhance the relationship between the dog and guardian. For this reason, I avoid punishment-based techniques to stop the behaviour after it has already occurred. Punishment has side effects. The type and intensity of the fallout becomes evident only after the damage has been done. Further, it is generally much harder to reverse than it is to cause. I value the human-dog relationship too much to risk gambling with such consequences.
 
I label many training tasks as games. I do this deliberately because games should be;

a) mutually enjoyable,
b) a vehicle for building positive relationships, and
c) a fun way to learn practical skills.

When has playing games been boring or time wasted with friends? Of course, each individual must enjoy the actual game chosen. It's not truly relationship building if only one party is enjoying it. So it should be with our dogs. I add another proviso; games with our dogs should be win-win. There is no loser when teaching your dog in this way. You will choose to teach your dog skills which will be beneficial and your dog will be reinforced with something he values and enjoys. A relationship of trust is another wonderful outcome.

The “Don’t Chew The Lead Game” and “Drop The Slack Lead Game” are two of my favourite ways to prevent lead chewing and tugging. The emphasis is on prevention by setting the dog up for successfully choosing an alternative behaviour before he bites. If he gets distracted and starts chewing, the “Drop The Lead Game” then gives an alternative behaviour rather than continuing to chew or tug. No force is required and no raised voice.

Here’s some handy extra hints:

* If your dog starts chewing as soon as the lead is clipped on (or before), start the game earlier. Simply show your dog the lead and reinforce for the behaviour of staying still, sitting or just looking at the lead rather than jumping up to bite it. Only clip the lead on when you know your dog won’t bite it. If your dog won't give you an alternative behaviour when you are showing the lead, problem solve why this might be. 
Is he looking for one second before jumping? Anticipate this and work on your timing. Click that look and get the treat to his mouth before he can leave the ground. 
Is the lead too close to him? Hold it higher. 
Does movement make him jump? Hold the lead still. 
Is he grabbing the end of a dangling lead? Fold the lead up and show him, so there are no dangly bits.

* Deliver food directly into your dog’s mouth or onto the ground as this will prevent your dog jumping up. This helps prevent jumping to get the lead as well.

* Avoid letting your dog chew the lead at other times. Avoid putting him in situations where he does chew to get quicker and more robust results.

Here’s a video showing how I approached teaching Yoda the kelpie and Abby the labrador not to chew and tug the lead.

Yoda and Abby simply found chewing and tugging reinforcing. The principles are the same for every dog, but the process itself may need to be modified slightly for each individual. This may include how quickly you progress through the stages or how small you have to break down each increase when raising difficulty.

I hope this helps you in devising a plan for preventing this behaviour. Most of all, I hope this increases the fun-factor for you and your dog.

Have you ever wondered what home training looks like?  I mean, in the real world, with real people and real dogs with everyday annoying problems? Not highly edited and contrived versions?

The stuff that sells dog training on TV is amazing for entertainment value. The cases usually look severe and are talked up to a point that a resolution seems impossible. Yet, in a few minutes, miracles occur. I’m not big on miracles in dog training. Especially not when the motive is for entertainment value. Definitely not when the dog suffers physical or psychological harm in order to suppress the behaviour whilst making a trainer look like Jesus. I’m not a fan of instant behaviour change that could have been modified using less harmful (but less flashy and TV worthy) methods. Behaviour that is suppressed whilst the consultant is present but returns or worsens later because the methods are too dangerous or distressing for guardians to continue on their own are not helpful.

A lot of problems that everyday people have with their everyday dogs may not involve drastic, dangerous behaviour. However, the impact of these problems on daily life are not trivial. Problems can involve some very annoying things, like barking. This is a behaviour which doesn’t physically injure anyone, yet it can be an exasperating and persistent frustration driving a wedge between a guardian and their relationship with their dog, not to mention friends and neighbours. Dogs get relinquished or euthanized for excessive barking. It’s a tiresome habit that can make enjoyable events, like having visitors, extremely stressful. It’s often a practice that a guardian can be at a loss to remedy by themselves but for which a Google search provides all the answers; yet none seem to work when put into practice.

Did I say I don’t believe in miracles in dog training? I don’t believe that a behaviour that has been strongly practised for months or years is suddenly “cured” in one 30 minute TV episode. Or one YouTube video – yet I personally do enjoy contributing to YouTube. I do, however, believe that amazing transformations can occur at breakneck speed.  You just need to know what you are doing. Nothing beats throwing out the one-size-fits-all recipe book on changing behaviour (especially the TV and internet recipes books) and utilizing individual assessment of the subject and the environment where the problem occurs. Trust me on this. I also think the changes made using humane techniques that honour the dog as a sentient being and a member of the family are amazing and can also be entertaining. I retain a sense of wonder when a dog responds to something very subtle I have done with my body language, my timing, or my consistency. How awesome to achieve success without the need to manhandle a dog into position or continually correct verbally or physically. I love the part of my job that is hands-off the dog. Hands-off except for the belly rubs and scratches, to those dogs who enjoy it of course.

Here’s an example of what faster-than-a-speeding-bullet training can look like. It’s done in real time with very little editing. This example is specific to Humphrey and is not a “how-to” example to cure barking for all dogs. It’s a “how it was done specifically for Humphrey” example. First, Humprey’s behaviour was assessed by asking lots of questions about the problem and getting as much history as possible. Then the behaviour was observed, including a functional analysis or test of the behaviour. The purpose of this test was to confirm what the behaviour looked like, what triggered it and what might help resolve it. The plan is then demonstrated to the guardian to continue. This is really important. It has to be reproducible by the guardian, not just the consultant, since it’s the guardian who will be continuing the training.  If followed, this plan will work to decrease and ideally stop this behaviour. At this stage, after only one session of teaching, Humprey’s barking isn’t “fixed”. However, he has shown he has the potential to learn very quickly if taught consistently and is prevented from practising the behaviour in between training session.

OK, so maybe not a blockbuster movie full of suspense and drama but I’m sure in Humphrey’s world it has made an impact.

Email subscribers can click here to see the video example. 

Buffy, the maltese x shih tzu had come to stay for some board’n’train time. Buffy is cute as a button, affectionate, fun, playful and a quick learner. Zuri, my Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Buffy are truly the odd couple. They get on well and play beautifully. 

Yet on day one of Buffy’s stay, I was about ready to tear my hair out in frustration. What was Buffy doing that was driving me nuts?

Barking.

Shrill, incessant barking at every noise she heard inside and out. Barking when someone walked down the street. Barking when someone came to the door. Barking when they walked in the door. Barking when a visitor moved. Barking at the dog behind the fence. Barking at something hanging on the line. Barking at stuff I couldn’t see or hear. I swear even Zuri had no idea what Buffy was barking at some of the time.

By the end of the day I had a headache and was screaming silently in my head, “Shut the @#*%  up!”

What a terrible dog trainer.

Or maybe not.  Maybe just human. We all have good days and bad days. So do dogs. I took a headache pill, shut the front door, gave Buffy a treat dispensing toy and played with her to help her acclimatize to her new surroundings. I got through the day and decided to make a plan to help Buffy reduce her barking when I was refreshed and headache-free the next morning. 

Admittedly, Buffy has a history of barking and practice does make perfect – especially with dog behaviour.  Even so, Buffy was barking more than normal. I put this down to being in a new environment and missing her mum to whom she is very attached. She was more sensitive to noises, movement and new objects than usual. Understanding this made coping with it that first day a little more bearable. Just a little.

A combination of devising a plan to teach Buffy an alternative to barking, providing stimulation with treat dispensing toys, other toys, play time and a little time to get used to a new environment quickly decreased the frequency and intensity of barking immensely.

I didn’t intend to give a tutorial on how to stop dogs barking. I wanted to impress that it’s O.K. to get annoyed with your dog. Our dogs are not perfect. They're dogs. We are not perfect. We're human. When annoyance strikes, take a step back, count to ten, breathe deeply or do whatever you need to avoid taking the annoyance out on your dog. Do whatever humanely helps reduce the annoyance (or impact of the annoyance) at the time and revisit the dilemma when you can think clearly. Then problem solving can begin and it can be fun, rather than frustrating.

The day after my melt down; here’s a video account of what Buffy and I (with a little help from Zuri) achieved.
(Email subscribers click here for video link)

Zuri is a cautious dog. She is curious about new things but hesitant in her approach to investigate. Ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger. Loud noises startle her.

Today I was prepared to protect Zuri from the noise and chaos when the tree loppers came with trucks, electric saws, grinders and mulching machines.  Part of me wanted to instigate a behaviour change plan to help her overcome her fear. The other part of me decided that I don't have to be planning alternative behaviours and graded task approaches to scary stimulus all the time. I can take a chill pill and just protect Zuri, put her in a quiet, safe room and manage the situation.

Dogs are the best teachers.

What started off as management actually became a process of changing behaviour, guided totally by Zuri's responses.  I closed the windows, shut all the doors and left Zuri in her safe place under the desk. I went outside to the mayhem of saws and rumbling mulchers. I peeked inside after a few minutes and Zuri was standing at the front door. Huh? Are you interested in what's going on, Zuri?

I opened the front door a little, so it still offered a buffer of safety but also enough so that she could come out if she wanted. She poked her head out and then walked out. She stayed close to me, watching intently. I had no treats. The door remained opened and was her escape route should she decide she'd been outside long enough. Having the choice to stay or go is very important for fearful dogs.

She stayed. The noise was quite incredible and when a tree fell, the ground actually shook. Zuri took it well. Then, after only a few minutes, she surprised me by moving away from me and settling on her favourite outside chair to continue to observe proceedings. Then she settled further by resting her head on the arm of the chair. When the noise increased and machines moved closer, she got off the chair and came back to me. I simply leant my arm on her back to give for moral/social support. The front door was still open, she could have run inside, but the social contact seemed to be what she needed in that instant. Then she returned to her bed.

When the noise stopped for intermission, Zuri went and investigated the site of the lopping. She sniffed the tree trunks, walked amongst the workmen who were raking, sniffed their rakes and let them pat her as they passed. This was sensational. Zuri was performing her own behavioural change programme, choosing when to approach (decrease distance) at her own pace. I was most impressed that although she had an escape route (the open door), she never used it. I didn't need to reassure her with treats, my proximity was enough and she chose when she needed to be closer to me and when she could explore further away.

My heart leapt when she started rolling in the grass, right next to the mulching truck, amidst the raking workers. This is the epitome of a relaxed and content Zuri.

Sometimes, doing "nothing" is one of the best ways to help a dog overcome fear. By nothing, I actually mean letting the dog guide the process. I actually did a lot of deliberate and strategic things:

* I made her feel safe and did not compel her to face her fear in any way.
* Yet I listened when she felt brave enough to come out and opened the door.
* I didn't cajole her out or coax her out with treats, I let her make the choice herself.
* I still provided safety by leaving the door halfway open/closed as a buffer to the noise and as an escape from the noise if required.
* I stayed still and consistent, let her do all the moving - she knew where I was all the time, could return to me or go inside at any time.
* I didn't ask her to do anything.
* I Let her take her time. She had all the time in the world to watch, listen and gather information from whatever vantage point she felt comfortable.
* I've provided her with a history of alternate behaviours to fall back and a history of removing her or helping her cope with stressful situations in the past.

Sometimes, seemingly doing "nothing" is doing a whole lot of something!

Watch the outcome in the video below. Email subscribers can see the video here.

Dogs are often labelled “dominant” or “submissive”. An internet search will reveal an extensive list of tell-tale signs to alert you that your dog is dominant. This will be followed by another huge list of remedies to assert you as the dominant leader. The methods described are usually adversarial in nature. They seldom recommend fostering a relationship built on understanding another species and what actually motivates their behaviour.

This “them and us” mentality is detrimental and it’s usually the dog who suffers more as a result. Just ask Zuri. Before I researched the notion of dominance in more depth, I carried out a simple test which was recommended to determine if Zuri was dominant. It was also the way to eliminate dominance in my dog if she proved to be so inclined.

Before I go any further, don’t try this at home folks! It may create a dog who is scared of you and apprehensive of your approach. The powerful methods I subsequently applied, based on behavioural science, enabled me to teach Zuri to enjoy this type of handling. It reversed the damage done and has nothing to do with dominance.

I was to wrap both my hands firmly around Zuri’s muzzle, essentially keeping her mouth closed and controlling movement of her head. If she struggled to remove my hands from her muzzle, she was dominant. The degree of dominance she possessed would directly correlate with the amount she struggled to get free and the length of time she tried. To assert my dominance over her, I was to maintain this firm hold no matter what, until she no longer struggled to escape.

I cringe as I write this. Zuri passed this “dominance” test and would probably rank Alpha bitch to the nth degree. She tried to break free immediately, shook her head, tried to toss my hands off, pawed at my hands, started to vocalize and was about to roll her body on the ground to seek release. To describe it subjectively, she appeared to be panicking and it was not enjoyable to witness.

My dog was scared.

I was touching Zuri in a restrictive way she had never been touched before. She was desperately trying to escape – she was not exhibiting dominance. I released my hands very quickly and she ran away. She was wary of my hands moving towards her muzzle now. I felt sick to my stomach.

This is an example of how insidious the “dominance” label can be. My gentle dog would be labelled dominant on the basis of this test. The way to fix her dominance would actually create more fear and essentially undermine a relationship based on trust.

I now set to work fixing the fear resulting from this one event. I used a totally different approach and got Zuri to enjoy her muzzle being touched. Now I can wrap my hands around her nose, making it a game. I’ve taught her to let me hold her muzzle for longer and longer. She no longer flinches or avoids my hands coming towards her nose. You can watch the video footage below or use this link if you are an email subscriber:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIEB1LqwjiE

There is no need to be continually vying for supremacy over your dog. For a start, the notion of dominance commonly used in dog training is not based on the definition used by scientists when discussing animal relationships. Thus, the description of dominance used is essentially flawed. It’s not actually describing what it says it is describing. Have you ever watched the movie “The Princess Bride”?  This classic quote from the Spanish swordsman, Inigo Montoya, applies perfectly to the commonly used term "dominant” dog;

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means!”

I couldn’t agree more, Inigo.

Interested in learning more about dominance and dogs? Here’s some reliable links. 

http://www.ava.com.au/public/about-pets/polite-pets-month/resources/debunking-dominance-dogs

http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-RSPCAs-view-on-dominance-dog-training_475.html

http://drsophiayin.com/philosophy/dominance?/dominance.php

http://avsabonline.org/uploads/position_statements/dominance_statement.pdf

http://www.associationofanimalbehaviorprofessionals.com/whats_wrong_with_dominance.html

http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/new_study_finds_popular_alpha_dog_training_techniques_can_cause_more_harm_t

My heart hurts. I just read the advice given to the guardian of an 8 week old puppy in order to stop the puppy biting them.  It goes a lot like this, {with what I thought in italic brackets}:

If your puppy snaps after being tapped on the nose or told off another way;

1.  grab the puppy firmly by the throat {I'm over the advice already}
2.  roll the puppy onto his/her back back and hold down
3.  don't choke be firm {restrain without strangling or causing death - glad this was clarified}
4.  growl "NO!" and keep holding down {puppy is now noting, "when I am 40kg, you're gunna remember this day and regret it"}
5.  do this until the pup urinates - a submissive sign {this brings a tear to my eye, I can't be sarcastic, it's just too darn sad}

You must do this before they become strong enough to break your hold or you will never be the alpha dog/bitch in your household. {Or join the wrestling club and perfect your holds}

There is so much detrimental and dangerous information in this well meaning advice from a veteran of the dog world. The person giving the advice loves and cares about dogs. It's given with the best of intentions. However, simply loving dogs and having good intentions does not replace research and keeping up-to-date with the most recent discoveries about dog behaviour. As the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Anecdotal advice about something "working with my dog" or even "working with all 20 dogs I've had" does not make it gospel.  Certainly doesn't make it scientific. Definitely doesn't qualify it as being ethical.

For a start, if your puppy bites after being tapped on the nose, STOP TAPPING YOUR PUPPY ON THE NOSE.  It's called provocation.  What has just happened is, a small amplitude punishment has been given for some misdemeanour.  This tap is simply annoying to the puppy and redirects the puppy to the source of annoyance - your hands. It causes the bigger problem behaviour of biting in response to the tap. So now, the amplitude of the punishment needs to be increased to get an effect and stop the biting. A vicious and dangerous cycle is developing. One of the side effects of punishment is that it can easily and almost seamlessly morph into abuse. As the advisor points out, don't try this on a big dog - you simply won't have the physical strength and may risk severe injury to you or the dog.

If the puppy can't get away, urination in appeasement and out of downright fear may occur. Ever heard the term, "you scared the piss out of me"? It comes from what actually happens in real life when one is faced with a fearful situation: If someone points a gun at you, for example, it's not uncommon to urinate as a reaction to the fear. This is essentially caused by an overloaded nervous system. Your body goes into fight or flight mode, and it needs to prepare so many different things at once that it can't handle them all, and the area of your brain that controls urination essentially fails.

This happens in scared dogs as well. It's involuntary, not deliberate. It's a melt down. It's often described as an appeasement signal, meaning the dog is anxious or feeling threatened and urinates as a signal to say "please don't hurt me." This urination generally occurs in dogs who are shy or timid; the opposite of what many would label dominant.

My advice when seeking training advice; if you have even one second of cringing, wondering if something is the right thing to do, or might be over the top or harmful, if your gut says "I don't like this" - follow your gut. 

Oh, and don't put your puppy in a full nelson for biting. Fullstop.

Change is a part of life, just like choice is a part of life. There are those times when a serious choice might need to be made about whether to change a dog's behaviour.  A dog's behaviour may become incompatible with one's lifestyle or is becoming a welfare problem for the dog or others.  There are various ways to approach this.

* Managing the behaviour - Preventing the dog from being put in a position where the behaviour occurs.  Preventing a behaviour through managing the environment can be very practical.  It can often be less time consuming than modifying behaviour, though still requires planning and diligence. An example is a dog who jumps on visitors being prevented from practising this behaviour by:
a) putting the dog behind a barrier when visitors arrive e.g. a temporary child gate, or
b) placing the dog in another room or outside when visitors come, or
c) tethering the dog inside or keeping the dog on a lead with visitors.

* Ignoring the behaviour -  This can be effective if the behaviour isn't a huge problem or a safety issue.  It does not work effectively with well learned and practised behaviours, those that are self-reinforcing (think barking or toileting) or behaviours associated with fear or anxiety.  Using the same example as above, it would mean letting the dog jump up on visitors, hoping that in the end your dog may eventually "grow out" of the behaviour. If your dog is being reinforced in some way by jumping up on visitors (eye contact, verbal or physical contact), you could be waiting forever!  I prefer not to use this method in isolation.  Giving an alternative behaviour as well as removing reinforcement for the problem behaviour is generally more efficient and less frustrating for both the dog and guardian.

* Changing the Behaviour -  This can be done a number of ways. A very effective method is to provide an alternative behaviour for the dog to do instead of the problem behaviour.  Ensure the problem behaviour no longer receives reinforcement whilst at the same time making sure the replacement behaviour really pays off big time.  For the jumping example, teaching your dog to;
* sit when greeting, or
* keep all four feet on the floor, or
* go to their bed
when visitors arrive works a treat.

The example below shows Zuri in the process of being taught not to jump when greeting visitors.

If you'd like to read more on changing behaviour, Karen Pryor's book, "Don't Shoot the Dog" has a chapter outlining eight methods of getting rid of a behaviour, not limiting examples to dogs.  If you have a messy flat-mate, a spouse who always comes home grumpy or noisy kids driving you crazy in the car, you may find it quite enlightening.

Which method is best for which situation?  Each situation and problem will vary, since each dog and each family varies greatly.  Each choice will be based on a multitude of individual factors. One choice I personally find a no-brainer is the avoidance of punishment as a way of changing behaviour.  Why?  It seldom works. If it does appear to work, it is actually masking its real achievement: suppressing behaviour NOT changing it.  The underlying motivation behind the behaviour is seldom addressed with punishment.  Further, the side effects of punishment are numerous and unpleasant for the subject (that is its modus operandi). When there are effective alternatives, choosing punishment is also unethical.

The decision to modify a behaviour will depend on;

* how important changing behaviour is to the individual and circumstances, 
* whether management and prevention is a feasible option, 
* whether there is a commitment to training through to its fruition and maintenance, and
* whether the subject with the problem behaviour is a realistic candidate for change.  

This is where a professional consultant can help with guidance on what is feasible and what may be in the too-hard-basket.  Some things will require more effort and time than a guardian can commit.  Some things may be unsafe. Some behaviours will have such a strong history or genetic component making them resistant to behaviour change.

Below is a video example of how Dancer's prey drive and aggressive behaviour was modified using a procedure known as differential reinforcement of an incompatible behaviour.  That simply means, Dancer was trained to do a replacement behaviour that she couldn't perform at the same time as the undesired behaviour.  This also demonstrates the decision making process involved in choosing how to deal with an undesired behaviour.  The first 30 seconds shows the "before" and "after" footage.  The rest of the video details the procedure step-by-step.  Remember, this is a plan devised specifically for this individual.  It is NOT a "how to" video.

The behaviour could have easily been prevented by keeping Dancer inside.  Being out of earshot and sight of the stimulus that caused the reaction would have prevented the behaviour.  

The decision to proceed with a behaviour change plan was made because:

* the guardian had a strong desire to keep her dog with her when she worked out,
* the guardian had a commitment to diligently work on re-training and enjoyed training,
* Dancer already possessed a well trained behaviour that could be used as the replacement behaviour - this would make training quicker,
* Dancer had a solid history of training using positive reinforcement,
* Dancer was a quick and eager learner, and 
* she was extremely food motivated - which all worked in her favour to over-ride her desire to attack the rope.

I think a most satisfactory choice was made for this particular situation :-)