A client recently admitted to me that she has not been carrying treats with her on walks with her dog. She said it is annoying, can get messy, and she just didn’t want to deal with it.
I told her I understood–it’s definitely one more thing to remember. But, I know that she will not get the results that she expects without consistently rewarding her dog for the behavior that she wants.
I’m going to show her how she can set herself up for success with a (small) dog walking bag. It will need to have room for a house key, cell phone, poop bags, and treats, everything she needs for every walk with her dog. A great source for the bag is LeSportSac. I’m also a fan of fanny-packs–yes, we’re bringing back the 80s! Hands free treat portability with little mess!
I reviewed a very important concept in dog training and behavior modification: reinforcement builds behavior. The only way a retirement account grows is if you make investments into it and give it time for the interest to accrue. You will not see immediate returns on it. It requires patience—think marathon, not sprint. The same thing is true of dog training. The more rewards you give your dog when teaching a behavior, the more value it has for him, the more likely he will repeat the behavior you desire. For the dog it’s very simple—it’s not about control. It’s just about what feels good for him in that moment. Dogs live moment by moment, so we make the investment by carrying treats and rewarding more of what we want in order to build the behavior that we want.
I also realized that it wasn’t just about value for the dog–the owner was not seeing a value in preparing treats in advance or bringing them with her on walks. She believed that at this point she should have control over the dog–that’s what every dog owner wants. When I see her at our next session, I am going to remind her out how awesome her dog’s recall is at the dog park. I will explain that through the timely delivery of reward (treats) and by taking the time to build the behavior of recall, she now has off-leash, vocal control of her dog. She reinforced her dog’s behavior and now she is reaping the benefit of that work. I hope this will help her to understand how rewarding appropriate behavior on walks with treats will result in better behavior on walks by her dog.
Clarity & harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
With the recent behavioral issues and medical concerns we have been dealing with around Marvel, my trainer brain has been on overdrive. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is whether his recent reactivity is a behavioral issue, rather than a medical issue. And if it is, was there anything I did to contribute to it.
Tricky is being worked on for a sore muscle–handling.
As a trainer, and a terrier owner, I distinguish petting as different from handling. Petting is about stroking the dog in a way that is pleasurable for the dog. It’s often solicited by the dog in some manner. Handling is different. Handling can include: inspecting the dog, manipulating their body parts, and moving the dog physically. Examples of these handling maneuvers can include baths, vet examinations, grooming, inspecting for ticks, putting on clothes, pulling the dog off the couch, picking up and moving a dog from one spot to another, picking up a dog and holding him in your arms…you get the picture. It’s often NOT solicited by the dog nor enjoyed by the dog.
There is something many of us in the dog training field call SDS, “Small Dog Syndrome ”. It’s the sassy-ness and ‘bad attitude’ that people believe small dogs can have. It’s not a real thing–but rather a way to label the possible result of what many people, including myself to some degree, do to small dogs: things that they would not do to a large dog, such as an 80 pound Rottweiler. Small dogs are often physically managed and manipulated against their will simply because of their size. This can create frustration in the dog and/or distrust of hands reaching for them. This can result in an aggressive display by the dog when he or she feels ‘invaded’. Not all small dogs feel this way but in my many years as a dog trainer, I have met many dogs who do.
Although I have been good about not letting strangers reach for Marvel and pick him up, my fiance and I have been guilty of doing this. I have put clothes on him when the weather is cold and he doesn’t like to wear them–he tolerates them and I’ve done some work so that he does tolerate it. So even though these are not huge things, they could become completely intolerable when the dog is in pain. Perhaps this is what happened with Marvel last week.
Marvel in my arms after I cued him to jump up.
Some of the things I have done so that I don’t have a dog struggling with “SDS” is to teach Marvel to jump into my arms instead of me reaching down to pick him up. I have also taught him to Hand Target (touch his nose to my hand) to get him to move from point A to point B. He also knows specific words and hand gestures so that he is moving on cue versus being physically managed. There is so much more to living with a small dog and how to prevent them from becoming aggressive to handling that I will address in a future blog. I will also continue to share our journey, both medical and behavioral, with you as we try to help our little guy feel relaxed and comfortable.
Clarity & harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
One frustrating thing about being a dog trainer happens sometimes when things go really well with a client and my training package with them ends. Everyone walks away feeling satisfied. I feel that I’ve done my job and made a difference in both the dog’s and the family’s lives. Just when I’m done patting myself on the back, I hear from the client weeks or months later that things are back to the way they were when we first started working together. I used to feel frustrated with the client and my ability to help them. What I have learned over the years is that it often takes a really long time for a new behavior to become a habit. And sometimes it’s difficult for the client to change their own habits to support the new behaviors.
I heard an instructor once say that “in order to change dog behavior, you have to modify your own behavior.” This meant creating new habits of behavior in the human. Recently, this statement has been coming to mind again. It got me thinking about what it takes to change human habit. I have been participating in a personal development program for the past three years with Landmark Education. Much of their work focuses on creating new actions based on supportive ways of thinking—creating new habits. For example: I used to be chronically late. I grew up blaming it on my parents and my culture–I grew up “operating on Indian time.” It used to be a point of humor and frustration for my friends and family. More recently, when I started losing business opportunities, I decided to create a new habit of being punctual. After working on this for the past two years, I no longer view myself or operate as a ‘late’ person. That doesn’t mean I’m not late from time to time, but it’s no longer this ‘thing’ that defines me.
So back to my clients: I now tell my clients it may take close to a year to fully change their dog’s behavior. I want them to understand the commitment involved to meet the goals they may have. While learning basic manners is relatively easy and can be accomplished in a much shorter period of time, changing a complex behavior isn’t as easy for a dog to do. I also have some personal experience on what it takes to change habits. My experience is corroborated by research done by Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London. In a study http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674/abstract) published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her research team decided to figure out just how long it actually takes to form a habit. Her team found that on average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally’s study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. And this doesn’t mean that the person had to perform the new behavior every day for it to form into a habit—they could mess up from time to time and it could still form.
Clarity & Harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
Hi folks!
This blog is a re-post with updates. I have been sharing this more and more with clients lately so I thought it is worth sharing again with the blog community.
Over the years of working with clients whose dogs have behavior issues, I have learned many things about human behavior. For one thing, humans are impatient. People want things fixed now, handled now, resolved now. And in this day and age of social media, easy access to information, and fast and efficient technology, people are reinforced for this way of being. People want their dogs’ behavior to be resolved right away, which is understandable because the behavioral issue(s) are disrupting their lives. Or some people push the dogs too quickly through the training program, going at their pace instead of the dog’s.
The second thing I want to take note of is that as soon as a dog’s behavior starts to show some improvement, the human component of the partnership tends to slack off of the training program. This is also understandable because to the untrained eye, things seem to be better.
The very cool thing about dog training is that the more you reinforce a behavior you want, the more it grows–literally, reinforcement builds behavior. Another word for ‘reinforce’ is ‘reward’. I have been experiencing this with Charlotte with regard to her reactive behavior towards other dogs. Charlotte and I have worked really hard and I was delighted that after one year of living in the city, much of her reactive behavior had disappeared. And when she did react, there wasn’t as much ‘heat’ in it. Two years ago, when she saw another dog, she ‘freaked out’, barking, lunging, growling. Today, when she sees another dog, she her typical reaction is to relax and look at me instead of the other dog.
Dog training is like your retirement account, an investment. You will see the returns of your effort by sticking with the program for the long haul. If we want to see a change in our dog’s behavior we have to do the work, simple as that. If I want a six-pack, I have to do sit ups regularly in addition to lots of other things. Sorry folks! There is no magic wand, no quick fix when it comes to changing behavior. Believe me, I wish there was! I wish I could tell Charlotte, “Listen sister–these other dogs are cool so let’s just enjoy our walk around town.” Time, information, and effort are the three components that will make all the difference.
I often tell my clients that a behavior is like a set of balance scales. Often, the behaviors you DON’T like are significant and weigh down the scale so that one side (the ‘bad side’) is way down and the other side (the ‘good’ side) is way up.Over time, if you keep rewarding behaviors you DO like, the scales will start to shift and eventually there is more weight (value to the dog) on the behavior you want. The dog will choose the behavior you prefer because that’s the one for which he has been repeatedly rewarded. If you stick with the training, the behavior will change over time. Charlotte’s formerly reactive behavior is a perfect example. Now that the ‘good side’ is way down, I feeling more relaxed when I take Charlotte for walks, and her quality of life has improved because she is less stressed. Charlotte doesn’t feel like she has to constantly manage the dogs she encounters on the street.
This has been a difficult couple of weeks for those of us in the animal welfare and behavior fields. About two weeks ago, Dr. Sophia Yin, one of the world’s most respected and well-known veterinary behaviorists committed suicide. Many called Dr. Yin “a pioneer in the field of force-free, positive-reinforcement dog training.” I agree. She bridged a conversation between veterinarians and dog trainers on how to best support the animals in their care, minimizing stress.
It took me some time to write about this loss because her death left me rattled for several days. I could not ‘get my arms around it’. I never worked with Dr. Yin in person and never had the opportunity to hear her speak in person, yet I was devastated. I felt as though I lost a mentor and colleague. I have watched Dr. Yin’s videos, read her books, followed her blog, and shared her posters and articles with clients and peers for years. A great deal of my work is shaped by the work Dr. Yin had done.
After many conversations with friends and colleagues in the field, I realized why I was struggling so much over the death of a woman I had never met. Dr. Yin was a renowned and powerful force in the animal behavior field. We assume that her death was related to ‘compassion fatigue’. If she couldn’t handle the stress and pressure involved in making a difference in this field, then how can I? Being a dog trainer is intensely emotional work. Many of the calls I receive are for aggression and fear. My clients and I often joke together that I am their personal trainer/therapist as well as their dog’s trainer. The work I do requires me to go into a family’s home and understand the dynamics of the relationships in the household. As we work together to treat the dog, I also manage the emotions of the family members. Sometimes, even all of the training we do, doesn’t work. Sometimes we end up with one of the following results: The client needs to euthanize the dog (thankfully very rarely); the dog needs to be re-homed; the family has to accept the dog for who s/he is. There is always a certain amount of sadness that follows.
I am also a trainer at a not-for-profit shelter. It takes an emotional toll on me to see dogs, struggling with the stressful conditions of a shelter environment. And I am lucky to be working at a fantastic shelter with resources to support the dogs in ways other shelters cannot, including training, enrichment, and exercise. However, the best shelter is still not a home with a couch and human affection. Dogs end up at the shelter as a stray, owner surrender, or seized by animal control. Some of those dogs are too dangerous to be deemed adoptable. Sadness follows again.
As a person who dealt with depression several years ago, I am sensitive to the heaviness and loneliness of the illness. My heart gets heavy when I learn of someone who cannot see to the other side and believes death is the only solution. I have made many changes in my life to better support myself. And when things start to feel heavy, I reach out for support. That’s what I did this time when I could not reconcile the suicide of such an incredibly impactful woman.
Like Dr. Yin, transforming animal welfare and what responsible pet ownership looks like are what matters to me. These causes fire me up each day. What I’ve learned from processing this loss is that once again, I’m not alone. I have a team of people working with me and I have friends and family to lean on. And although I am a very driven person, I have learned to balance my life’s work with time for other joys in life, including my fiancé, my dogs, agility, reading, cooking, running, and yoga. This delicate dance of balance is what has given me peace even when the world does not seem to be working. I’ve learned, through lots of self-study, that I am worth it. And in order to make the difference I want to in the world, I have to take care of me as well as I take care of the animals I care about.
Have you ever gotten ready to take a walk or hike and noticed that your dog knows he is coming with you? How about when you get ready for work–does your dog know he is not coming with you? I’ve noticed this for years. Based on what clothes and shoes I put on, my dogs knew whether or not they would be part of the activities and responded accordingly. When I started running as a way of exercising, my dogs would ‘complain’ when I didn’t take them with me. This was because running shoes used to mean we were going to play or train in the backyard together. I started leaving through the front door instead of the back door and that resolved that.
Dogs are clever and quickly pick up associations and patterns in their day to day life. A dog quickly associates the leash with going outside and a bowl with mealtime. I remember thinking it was precious when Tricky, at 12 weeks old, first responded to the rustling of a plastic bag–she associated that sound with treats! So how do dogs naturally pick up these associations without formal training?
Classical conditioning is the reason. My dogs have had multiple walks that were preceded by me putting on sneakers. Based on that, they have concluded a relationship between walks and me putting on sneakers. They think that when I put on sneakers, we are ALL going somewhere together. Dogs learn through trial and error along with association and repetition. Classical condition, simply put, is learning by association. Ever see a cat running into the room when he hears the can opener? Or see a dog tremble once he steps into the veterinary hospital? Those are examples of classical conditioning. This type of learning is happening all of the time, everywhere, whether we intend to teach something or not. Just by observing and experiencing what’s happening around them, dogs are learning through association.
This knowledge plays a significant part in dog training and behavior modification. This helps a dog trainer to understand what events happen that a specific dog associates with anxiety or fear. These emotions sometimes cause a dog to behave in an aggressive manner. Dog trainers can modify the behavior by changing the association a dog has with the currently anxiety provoking event. Over time, the dog might even feel comfortable or excited about those triggers! By focusing on a dog’s emotional state, behavior can be modified for the long term.
As a person who sees the world through the filter of ‘behavior,’ it is so interesting to me that my dogs have learned certain shoes and outfits I wear pertain to them or not. Marvel, my Jack Russell/Yorkshire Terrier mix, barks and carries on when he sees me put on a pair of sneakers to go for a jog without him. The emotion he is likely experiencing is frustration.
Here’s what I’m doing to change his emotional response: I am tossing a handful treats into his crate right before I leave for my run. After doing this multiple time, he will start to associate my sneakers with treats and good feelings instead of frustration. As a result, he will figure out that my putting on sneakers means treats for him and will run into his crate to get them instead of barking, etc. I will have changed his behavior by changing his emotional state.
Happy Labor Day!
Well…it’s official. Regardless of what the thermometer might read, the summer is just about over. And that means the kids are back at school and it’s a perfect time for you and your dog to be back in school too!
Whether or not you have children of your own, nieces or nephews, or kids of friends that are in your life, it is important to know how to best support your dog while around children. A wonderful relationship between kids and dogs can be facilitated by knowing what your dog is saying when interacting with kids, while teaching kids how to respectfully and safely interact with your dog.
I don’t yet have children of my own, but I made sure to introduce my dogs to children at a young age simply because kids are everywhere. It’s a wonderful thing to see Tricky just light up at the sound of children laughing–her whole body wiggles as she orients to that sound. At the same time, I don’t take her liking of children for granted. I make sure the kids greet her appropriately and listen to her communication. I want to do everything possible to make sure that Tricky keeps on liking children. In addition, I make certain the kids are learning from the experience by explaining what Tricky’s body language is saying, so the kids can use this knowledge to help them when they meet other dogs.
There are so many dogs, especially small breeds and sized-dogs that develop handling issues and sometimes fear of children, simply because kids do not understand how to respectfully interact with them. Many of the calls I receive as a behavior consultant are to help the family dog learn to like the kids in the family again. Sometimes I’ve had to work with rescue dogs that have to learn hands are safe. From the dog’s perspective, hands reaching to them are scary.
Dr. Sophia Yin has created posters to illustrate ways that children should and should not interact with dogs. The poster is a very helpful visual aid for kids and I recommend all parents and school teachers post it on their wall. Enjoy and encourage safe handling and communication!
For links to be able to print these posters:
SY HowToInteract poster Proof3
SY HowToInteract poster Proof3
Clarity & Harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
In previous blogs, I shared the many challenges I faced with my dogs when we lived in Manhattan. I wanted to take some time to address where we are now. The relationship between Charlotte and Tricky was under a lot of stress because of the high levels of anxiety Charlotte was experiencing in the city. Her herding (controlling) tendencies had increased to the point that Tricky felt unsafe around her. It was causing tension between the two girls–even a couple of fights–in the home. I see myself as an effective problem-solver for people and their dogs, yet I could not fix a problem in my own home with my own dogs–I was very disheartened and frustrated.
On top of that, I was experiencing regret about moving into the city in the first place. I felt that I had taken a happy country dog, brought her into the city, and made her very unhappy. As you can see, I was being really tough on myself. This was preventing me from thinking clearly and developing a behavior modification program to address the issues. It took me a little while to realize that just because I couldn’t quickly fix a behavior problem didn’t mean I was a failure. The situation in my home was a real learning lesson for me as a professional dog trainer. One important lesson was that sometimes it’s difficult to see the picture when you’re very close to it. Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to see the whole thing. I reached out to well-respected colleagues because the problem was too close to home. Through many conversations, I was able to create a plan.
Several things happened once I was able to see the situation with my dogs without the emotional attachment. I could understand the problem and work to resolve it. The first thing that happened was that Alex and I moved out of Manhattan and into the suburbs. We also bought a car. I then restructured my work schedule so that I could bring my dogs with me three days per week and no longer work weekends. I hired the most amazing dog walker for the days I worked in the city. The weather improved so I started running with the dogs on trails 2-3 days per week. I scheduled agility training for Tricky and Marvel 4-5 times per week. All of this, plus the gift of living in the quiet of the suburbs is what shifted things for the dogs. These changes confirmed for Alex and me that we are ALSO all about the ‘burbs!
I’m thrilled to share that at the end of April, while I was away for an agility workshop, Tricky and Charlotte played for the first time in a year. I was sitting in the hotel room working at my computer after a very fulfilling day of agility training for Tricky when I heard some activity behind me on the bed. I turned around to find Charlotte play bowing and Tricky returning the stance. It was truly a victory! In general, Charlotte has relaxed so much living in a house with a yard versus an apartment in the city that nearly all of her herding-like behaviors have disappeared. She hardly notices now when Tricky and Marvel play–and let me just say, these two terriers know how to rumble! We still follow some basic management to support their relationship, such as dog gates and crates.
So does this mean that all dogs living in the city are miserable? Absolutely not. In fact, if Tricky could blow kisses to all of the people she passed when walking on city sidewalks, she would have. I’ve seen many dogs that appear stressed by city living and I’ve seen many dogs comfortably living in the city. It all depends on the individual dog. Charlotte struggled with the noises and level of activity in the city. She needed more space and less people or dogs around to manage. In the end, it was the right decision for us as a family and we’re excited for what else the future holds.
Happy New Year!
What an incredible holiday season and new year here at DogCentric! There are many wonderful changes planned for 2014. First off, I just got engaged! Second the monkeys, my fiancé, and I will all be moving to Oakland, NJ–only 40 minutes outside of New York City. Although I love the bright lights of the big city, we are choosing to live in an environment more conducive towards playing agility and with a slightly slower pace. The suburbs are more our speed. We will be moving in one month! 🙂
What this means for me personally:
- I get to play agility in my backyard;
- the dogs get to hike regularly and go swimming in the lake behind the house when the weather is warmer;
- we have more living space;
- we have a car to travel.
What this means for DogCentric:
- I will be commuting to New York City to see clients on specific days of the week;
- I will be driving to Westchester to see clients on specific days of the week;
- I will continue contributing to the New Rochelle Humane Society as their trainer on staff;
- I will be consulting more often for the ASPCA;
- I will be adding agility instruction back to my list of services (specifically teaching seminars & workshops)!
My experience living in Manhattan has really helped me to empathize with the needs of urban dog owners. Now, I reallyunderstand the need for training and behavior work for urban dogs and their humans. There are so many more variables and situations to contend with that don’t exist outside of the city:
More stressors for dogs; More people and dogs in closer proximity; Less space in homes and on sidewalks; Limited opportunities to exercise dogs. In most apartments, there usually isn’t that ‘spare room’ to put a dog when guests come to visit. It is difficult to avoid close encounters with other dogs on urban walks. Burning off your dog’s energy is more challenging when you don’t have a backyard.
All of this CAN be done and PLENTY of people live happy and comfortably with the canine companions in the city. But many struggle, which is why I will continue to keep seeing clients in the city.
The issues I faced with my dogs was Charlotte reacting towards other dogs, her fear of people in close proximity, the dogs barking from time to time in the apartment and disturbing neighbors, and Charlotte and Tricky not getting along in our small apartment. I’ve already written about how I supported Charlotte and the way she lunged and barked at dogs.
As you might guess, I will be addressing the other behavioral issues I faced in future blogs. Stay tuned!
Clarity & Harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
Almost 15 years ago, I adopted a Pit bull. Her name was Claire. She came into my life like a cannon shot and left this world the same way. BOOM! Claire made such a significant impact on me that I created a whole career out of my experiences with her. In processing her death, I started writing in a journal. The journal turned into stories about Claire’s life and the different ways she made me laugh, cry, and even scream. I was recalling the kind of antics that made my cheeks hurt because I was laughing so hard. During the writing process, I saw that Claire’s death left a huge hole in my heart. In that same year, another dog of mine passed away of cancer and my marriage ended. 2010 was rough, to say the least.
After a few years, I revisited the stories I had written about Claire and was inspired to share her story. I had been working with various shelters and rescue agencies over the years, including the ASPCA. I saw the huge misrepresentation of the breed, Pit bull so I wanted to turn Claire’s story into a book. After sharing this idea with lots of people, a new idea was born. The book I am now working is comprised of stories about Pit bulls who have made a difference in peoples’ lives. The goal is to change the conversation people have about the breed by raising awareness and portraying another side of the breed’s abilities and contributions. Through these conversations over time, we will be able to lower the number of Pit bulls in shelters, lower than number of euthanasias on a national level, and lower the number of bite cases. My Pit bull, Claire, and experiences with her is the inspiration for this book. I will not only be talking about different Pit bulls, I will also talk about the breed in general and why I chose to train the way I do, as a reward-based trainer.
Claire is a perfect example of why I believe in humane, science-based methods of training. I adopted Claire at the age of 7 mos. At around a year and half, Claire started becoming reactive towards other dogs when I walked her around the block. I didn’t know much about training dogs at that time, so I acted out of frustration and embarrassment–I yelled at her, popped her leash, dragged her in the other direction, hid behind cars, and a variety of other exhausting, but ineffective things. Claire’s behavior only got worse. And on top of that, every time I corrected her, she became more and more worried around me. I listened to the advice of a “dog expert” in NYC and started to growl at her as if I was a dog and intimidate her with my body. Again, her behavior worsened. Finally, I attended a seminar by a positive reinforcement trainer and was reminded of my old high school lessons of Pavlov’s dogs. I started giving Claire hot dogs on our walks every time she saw a dog. Over the next few months, I saw Claire’s behavior improve. In the realm of behavioral science, Claire was making an association that dogs are good because when they appear she gets hot dogs. What might have worsened her behavior towards dogs before was my reaction towards her. Every time dogs appeared and Claire became reactive, I got upset—all this created a snowball affect. What started as barrier frustration, turned into leash-induced aggression.
A year later, Claire was able to walk past dogs without reacting at all, even if the other dog was reacting towards her—I often didn’t need treats. Since then, Claire assisted in many behavior consultations as the helper dog, acted as the demo dog in group classes, and had an impressive resume as a canine actor, working with P. Diddy and appearing in a national commercial for the Dodge Caliber. She happily lived with 7 other dogs in the home.
Stay tuned for more information about my book!
Clarity & Harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
dogcentrictraining 