Scout needed betadine solution applied to her muzzle twice a day. I wanted her to feel comfortable with the process so that it wasn't a drama each time. I also didn’t want to physically restrain her in order to apply the medication. I felt this was especially important since it had to happen more than once a day for many days. If I forced her and it became an event she wanted to escape, it may well become harder each time. I may have to use more restraint on subsequent attempts or have to chase and corner her to apply it. This would be unpleasant for both of us and do nothing to improve our relationship. These reasons were worth devising a plan to make it a game where if she stayed still and let me apply it, I would reinforce this with something she liked: Food!

​​I started with repeated and small steps rather than applying the betadine all at once.
 
Step 1: Scout stayed still while I stretched the skin for a second with my finger.

I helped her understand that I wanted her to stay still by using the well-known cue of “wait”.
If she moved away, I stopped immediately. She had some control: an ‘out’ if you like.
 
Step 2: She stayed still while I stretched the skin and touched the area with my finger for a second.

Step 3:  I touched for a little longer with my finger.
 
Step 4:  I touched with a dry cotton ball for a couple of seconds.
 
Step 5: I presented a cotton ball dipped in betadine for a second  but didn’t touch her.

​When it was wet it smelt of the betadine and dripped a little. Presenting it gets her used to the smell first, rather than coping with the smell and then the feel of a wet cotton ball on her skin. I made sure it wasn't too wet on future applications so it didn't drip. Practice makes perfect.
 
Step 6: She stayed still while I touched her with the betadine cotton ball for a second.
 
During the game, I touched her for a little too long and she drew back. When this happened I made a fuss and reinforced the behaviour of staying. She could have run away and disengaged. She was subsequently better the next time I touched her.
 
Step 7: I touched her for longer with the betadine cotton ball.
 
Step 8: Job done!
 
It took just over three minutes the first time. Much less on subsequent applications as she knew what was expected. It was quite hard for Scout to keep her head still (or any part of her body for that matter!). She likes to sniff and touch anything coming her way and most things end up in her mouth. In retrospect, I would improve the way I approached this by going even slower: by staying on each step longer to ensure Scout was even more comfortable and was able to keep her head still for a little longer as well. I would also add another step of presenting the dry cotton ball before touching her with it.
 
Here’s the video showing how it was done.

In my view, training and playing with my dog are synonymous. Training should be fun for both participants. The most mundane of tasks can be made into a “training game” with a little bit of creativity. Playing with my dog can also morph into a covert training session that she is ecstatic to participate in.
 
Whenever I play, I try to have guidelines that my dog needs to follow. It’s not as regimented as it may sound. How many games do we play that have rules that need to be followed that enhance the fun? Even the most basic of games have some guidelines: count to ten before chasing, then when you’re tagged, you’re it!
 
When I think about it, even spontaneous rough and tumble with my dog has certain guidelines such as “bite me very softly, not hard” or “dodge me, don’t slam into my legs” to keep it fun. The play spontaneously stops if these rules are broken because I’m no longer having fun!
 
Some of the guidelines I apply when playing fetch or tug with my dog are:
 
1.  "Wait" patiently for the game to begin - don’t help yourself to the toy from my hand
2.  "Sit” to ask to start the game – I like this to be automatic, not asked for by me every time
3.  Game starts when you hear “OK” or “Tug”
4. “Give” the toy into my hand, don’t drop it at my feet or 2 metres away
5. “Find” a dropped object
6. “Leave” a toy, no matter how enticing. At a more advanced level, leave it even if you are chasing it

I have no problem with playing tug with a dog. If you teach a dog the rules, there is no problem with aggression or over-arousal. I don't understand the advice to never let the dog win either. It's a win-win game when you play with your dog. When you say "give", the dog gives and then the game starts again when you say the word. It's darn fun!

​​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

Scout is learning to give. We have training sessions where I set up easy scenarios for her to give me things. I reinforce this relinquishment with something more reinforcing than the original object. For Scout, this is often food. We’ve got to the point where she is 80-90% reliable in giving me something during training and inside at random times.

I have phased out food in these instances and reinforce the behaviour of giving using praise, petting and cuddles or a quick game of fetch. It’s always good stuff. I’ve made myself pretty epic to hang around with and I’ve made the consequence of “giving” always, ALWAYS, enjoyable.

The challenge is when she pilfers something and doesn’t care to offer it up when asked. This often happens when I’m not expecting it. On these occasions it seems the object is usually something novel or a favourite chewing substance that is more desirable than anything I can offer. Well, almost anything. I have a sneaky trick. If she chooses not to come, I remove the one thing she values fairly highly. At the risk of sounding terribly conceited, the thing she enjoys more than almost anything else is me.

I disappear for a few seconds, saying “Bye Bye” or “I’m going” and I go inside or to another room. Sometimes I hide behind something so she can’t see me. Almost without fail she notices my absence and will follow and give the object; “Don’t go. Here, you wanted this? Now stay and play with me.” If I’ve gone inside, when I go back outside, she usually comes and gives easily. I can then reinforce this behaviour by giving her more time enjoying the most wonderful thing ever: Yep, that’d be my company.

One of the worst things I could do in these situations is start chasing her to reclaim the object. This would lead to a fun game of chasey that is likely to be repeated on subsequent occasions. If I approached this situation in anger and she dropped the object out of fear or intimidation, or because I’d caught her by the collar and forced her, the chance of her letting me near her again in a similar situation may diminish in the future. She may run faster, hide or retaliate in some way e.g. snarl, try to protect the object from being removed. I may successfully get her to give me things in this way – but the bond I have with her will be slightly diminished each time I use these techniques. It will be marred by the fear of my approach and any “giving” will be motivated by intimidation rather than joyful expectation.

One of the wonderful benefits of reinforcing desired behaviours and doing this routinely during everyday activities is that YOU become a source of all good things. You are predictable. You are fun to be around. You are the best thing ever. Doing what you ask is a pleasure, not a chore because you always say “Thank You” in some way (food, praise, a game, a cuddle, a walk, a sniff, access to good stuff).

There is a downside to this sneaky trick. Times it won’t work are if:

* there is not a strong history of playing, spending mutually enjoyable time with your dog or training using positive reinforcement of desired behaviours. Without this history you may not have developed a relationship where you are the best thing since sliced bread. If your dog fancies lots of other stuff in preference to your company, your disappearance will mean naught. The amount of energy and engagement required to develop this relationship will vary depending on the individual dog. For Scout, I have to admit, it’s pretty easy because she has a natural affinity for people and seeks engagement readily. With Zuri, my Rhodesian Ridgeback, I had to earn the privilege of being highly desired above other enticing distractions: a role I never take for granted.

*  there is a strong history of punishing your dog for undesired behaviours. In this case, your dog may be relieved that you have disappeared so that they can have unbridled fun with the contraband. If you have become associated with punishment, your disappearance heralds the disappearance of the threat of punishment. It’s not rocket science.

As an aside, I’ve heard an argument that reinforcing “giving” in this way leads to an increase in stealing behaviour. If you plan your training, have developed a mutually satisfying relationship with your dog (e.g. they are not attention seeking because you fulfil this need), are proactive instead of reactive, have good timing and know exactly what you are reinforcing, this should not happen. It actually decreases criminal behaviour! One reason it may happen is if you only “trade” with your dog for an object when they steal it and at no other time. You are actually teaching your dog that the only way to get your attention and something desirable is by nicking things first. That is an error of application, not a failure of the training principle involved.

Here’s my disappearing trick in action: https://youtu.be/q2jFWY1pVw8

Scout, the six month old black Labrador puppy, came to stay for a while. Her integration into the household relied heavily on Zuri’s reaction to having a new housemate. I wrote about how Zuri’s behaviour changed when Turbo the foster greyhound came to stay. Turbo and Zuri just didn’t hit it off. No fights. No major stand offs. Zuri never relaxed during his stay. After nine weeks, they still had not played.

The minute Scout arrived, I set about choreographing daily life to give Zuri and Scout the best possible chance of getting along. Scout is a wiggly, in-yah-face, barky, playful ball of exuberance. At all hours. In all places. Zuri is calm, respectful of space and prefers to observe before making an acquaintance. Good Lordie, what was I thinking trying to bring these two together? I was counting on past experiences and knowing that Zuri does enjoy the company of other dogs – given the right circumstances. Once she feels confident (safe?), she plays with joyful gusto.

So our dance began:

* Baby gates.

* Closed doors.

* Separate feeding.

* Tethering Scout (whilst I was present) to prevent unwanted advances on Zuri.

* Occupying Scout with alternatives to accosting Zuri (treat dispensers, Treat and Train, carrots to chew, training sessions, car rides, shopping trips, one-on-one time).

* Routines, routines, routines. For example, when coming home with Scout, leaving her in the car while I greet Zuri first minus a bouncing puppy, then bringing Scout inside on lead.

* Avoiding situations where Scout-the-Ninja would come out of nowhere to an unsuspecting, sleepy Ridgeback (especially in hallways, doorways and any transition areas).

* Reinforcing for any pro-social behaviours Zuri showed around Scout e.g. looking at Scout, simply entering the room if Scout was already in there, coming outside if Scout was there, standing still if Scout began sniffing her. It was a most vigorous schedule of Differential Reinforcement of Other (DRO) behaviours, instead of avoidance and escape. It had no other outcome but to make hanging out with Scout a cool idea. Zuri even started coming out the back on Scout’s toilet stops.

* Reinforcing any ‘polite’ behaviours Scout showed towards Zuri e.g. looking at her briefly (instead of staring or nose bopping), coming away immediately when called, waiting patiently while Zuri was fed a treat before getting hers. Again, a really high rate of reinforcement for a wide variety of desired behaviours. This was also done on lead at first to prevent Scout practising unwanted behaviours and to protect Zuri, giving her no need to seek escape or take other action. The lead was removed when Scout became more reliable.

We had some accidents. Zuri was dive bombed by a Kamikaze puppy in the narrow, dark hallway when a door was opened. Zuri's sleep-in was rudely interrupted by a whirlwind of puppy playfulness bombarding the bed. I learnt from these incidents to be more careful with the ‘zones’ and to prevent incidents rather than go into damage control after the fact.

After eight days, no signs of reciprocal play were in sight. The longest it had taken Zuri to play with a new house guest in the past had been four days. I tried to think of all the things in the environment that may have been different with these other dogs compared to Scout (and Turbo). One difference was that the other houseguests, except for Turbo, had slept in their crate in our bedroom. Maybe a simple change in the environment, bringing Scout from the laundry into the bedroom to sleep, might have an effect. So I tried it. 

Did all this have any effect? On the 12th day, after four nights sleeping in the bedroom, Scout and Zuri broke into spontaneous play out in the front yard. Maybe it was just the extra time. Or maybe it was actually precipitated by the sleeping arrangement: Zuri being able to see, hear and smell Scout in a relaxed environment for a prolonged period with no chance of ambush. Was a positive association being made in a safe environment? Maybe it was the ample space out the front. Maybe it was a combination of any or all of these, or some I haven't even thought of.

I hadn’t planned the play and was simply teaching Scout on a long lead while Zuri was wandering around getting her random treats for being in the presence of the crazy black dog. I was ecstatic! Mutual play is an excellent sign that two dogs are going to get along. It must be mutual. Many dogs look like they are playing when in fact one is trying to escape or avoid the contact of an insistent partner. What was even more impressive was how beautifully Scout modified her play style to suit Zuri’s preference. It meant she was listening to Zuri’s signals and adjusting. Scout is a barker and a head banger: every time she barked or banged her nose into Zuri, Zuri turned away, looked away or paused. Scout soon realized that play was more continuous if she didn’t bark into Zuri’s face or bulldoze her. They both loved to chase and run, to play bitey-face with well controlled bite inhibition and to wrestle. They both took breaks and mirrored each other with a shake off. Scout was actually better at being recalled from play than Zuri. I must work on that!  Email subscribers can watch here.

The interesting thing was that Zuri would still not engage in play out the back or inside. There could be any number of reasons for this. I focused on continuing to create positive associations (especially in these areas), reinforcing for desired behaviours, keeping Scout sleeping in the bedroom and providing deliberate opportunities for play out the front once or twice a day. The next video shows that it was pretty tense in the lounge room initially.

On day 19 they broke out into play in the back yard. Only for a few seconds, yet my heart leapt. The breakthrough came later that day inside, when Scout’s play stares were answered with a play bow from Zuri and it was on. It was cautious at first, with Zuri looking at me often when Scout was getting too rough – which melted my heart because it seemed as if she was seeking my assistance. I helped settle things in a light-hearted way rather than by yelling or saying “no” – I wanted them to enjoy play, not superimpose the threat of anything aversive from me when they were playing. So I would pause the play with a recall or by distracting Scout with a butt scratch or by throwing a toy, or simply letting Zuri hide behind me until she was ready to resume. The whole experience needed to be as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. Email subscribers can watch here.

I set up opportunities for inside and outside play every day at times I knew would be most conducive. Not first thing in the morning. Scout is a morning puppy. Zuri likes a sleep-in. Each play session became less cautious and lasted longer. I still felt the need to supervise. Any play between dogs can be very arousing with the risk of tipping over into aggression. Scout gets very excited and sometimes doesn’t stop when Zuri tries to disengage. Since it was early days, I wanted to referee until they had more practice self-regulating. They even let me join in sometimes. How cool is that? Scout was back in the laundry after ten days of bedroom privileges. There was an added advantage to the time in the bedroom that transferred to the laundry. I’ll save that for the next blog.

All in all, I was overjoyed to witness them playing – even if the lounge looked like a pillow cannon had gone off! Compatible play bodes well for a more relaxed cohabitation in a two-dog household. Scout seemed calmer. She even chewed less. Zuri seemed less tense and was around more. It also meant that if I couldn't be bothered taking them for a walk, I could palm them off with, "Go play with your sister!"

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.