Posts filed under ‘Reads’
Articles on Dominance & Aggression, Photos
Here are some links that I bookmarked this week (related to “Dominance” and “Aggression”):
Victoria Stillwell: Fact vs Fiction Part 1 and Fact vs Fiction Part 2
Patricia McConnell: Dog Training and the “D” Word.
Dr. Suzanne Hetts: Myths About Dominance
Suzanne Clothier: Reality Check
*just added* Smart Dog University: A Surprising Look at Balanced Training
And check out my illustration on Grisha Stewart’s blog! – Help For Your Reactive Dog
Boogie training update:
Even though I have been slack on updating this blog (or the daily log) this week, I am pleased to report that Boogie has not had any “reactive incidents” all week! Sometimes the hairs on his back stick up when he sees a strange dog or person, but he hasn’t lunged/barked/growled and eventually turns back towards me. I have become very good at scanning the environment and I lead Boogie away as soon as I see a dog/person in the distance, or I say “Look at that”, mark and treat. I also ask for a Sit/Stay (“Sit” and “OK!” to release). This helps a lot!
Interestingly, sometimes when I see a dog/person on the other side of the street and say “Look at that”, Boogie turns his head in the OPPOSITE direction of the thing that I want him to look at. And then he turns towards me for a treat. I wonder if he has interpreted “Look at that” to mean “Turn your head”?
Photos of Boogie and his favorite thing in the whole world:
How NOT to greet a dog
We had an incident today at a local pet store…which is what inspired this illustration below.
The crazy thing is that most people don’t believe me when I tell them that my dog is very sensitive and that he could react if you lean too close over him.
One lady at the pet store actually said to me: “Sometimes you just have to let dogs do their own thing. He is fine. Look! He is so well-behaved. You don’t have to worry.” I know she meant well but it was almost as if she thought I was being a control freak!
When Boogie snapped, the first thing she said was “Oh, you’re right. He’s a rescue dog with issues”. WTF. It wasn’t Boogie’s fault.
DVD: The Language of Dogs
I got around to watching this 2-disc DVD today and it was very interesting.
Sarah Kalnajs is a behaviorist who does temperament testing on shelter dogs to figure out what the dog’s “behavior problem” is (assuming that this is why the dog was surrendered) so that the shelter can decide on whether the dog is adoptable, and by whom.
To be honest, it was quite stressful to watch because there is a lot of footage of dogs displaying anxious behavior.
The first part of this documentary is about dog communication and body language and there are many examples displayed by a variety of breeds. The signals are divided into the following categories:
- Signals of Stress
- Calming Signals or Appeasement/Non-Aggressive Signals
- Distance Increasing Signals (which could lead to aggression)
- Distance Decreasing Signals (inviting interaction, friendly)
- Displacement Behaviors – some behaviors that dogs do when they are unsure what they should be doing
- Ritualized patterns of behavior that are odd… eg, if the dog has been trained this way, or socially inept, or abused, or has OCD…
Sarah K makes it clear that we have to look at these signals in context rather than in isolation… We should look at the whole body and what else is happening.
Stress signals aren’t necessarily a bad thing or a cause for alarm. But it is important that we notice them because they are usually triggered by something that we (or the environment) are doing to the dog that may be invasive.
Some notes:
– Slow movement or lack of behavior IS a behavior. A dog may not move much; he may not appear scary or stiff, but if he doesn’t offer any behaviors, and shows little or no movement or interest in food or whatever we are doing, this can be interpreted as a stress signal.
– A wagging tail, contrary to what we have been taught as kids, DOES NOT mean that the dog is friendly and wants to be petted. If the tail is high up and wagging fast, this signals “arousal” and could in fact lead to aggression.The only time that it is safe to pet a dog is if his tail swishes around in slow big circles like a “windmill”. Not that this applies to Boogie, who doesn’t even have a tail.
– Distance Increasing signals (eg, hard eyes, ears forward, heightened posture, tail up, excessive barking etc.) = “Back off”.
– Distance Decreasing signals (eg, playbow, easy windmill tail, tongue flicking, relaxed posture, submissive grin, soft eyes, rollover etc.) – we should NEVER punish these signals or the dog might stop offering them. Sarah Kalnajs also says that we should also never punish a “growl” because the dog will then skip the growl and go straight for the bite. (We think that in a previous life, Boogie used to be punished for growling/barking, which is why he is a “silent biter”)
– When a dog lies down and shows his belly, this does not always mean = “Pet me” (or friendliness)
She distinguishes between the “Rollover” and the “Tap Out”. The former is when a dog’s whole body is relaxed and/or wiggly and he wants a belly rub. But if a dog lies down and shows other signs of stress, and then gets back up again after you retreat, this is a submissive “tap out”. He does not want to be touched.
The later part of the DVD shows behavior sequences when shelter dogs are being assessed. In most cases, Sarah K performs certain actions to elicit the problem behaviors (eg, touching the dog’s body or food with a fake arm-on-a-stick)… and offers explanations of what is going on. Some dogs appear totally friendly, then turn suddenly and bite!!! (HELLO, Boogie!) Sometimes the warning signals are really subtle; sometimes they only come out when food is present or when a person does something to freak the dog out, eg, touch his tail.
It is sad to know that some of these dogs will be euthanized if they don’t pass the temperament test… like one puppy that showed subtle signs of aggressive behavior that she believed would get worse in adulthood. I don’t understand why this puppy was considered untrainable.
There are also heartwarming examples of dogs who improve after spending time in a foster home with TLC (away from the stress of the shelter) and become place-able in forever homes, which reaffirms for me why rescue and fostering is so important.
Video: Ian Dunbar
This is awesome.
P.S. I love the bit about how our dogs believe they have trained us to give them everything they want! Yes, Boogie SITS for everything! The “sit” is his command to me when he wants attention, a treat, to go outside, to play, to make me go to the bedroom, to make me do everything! And I am the one who ends up offering a variety of behaviors to figure out what he wants me to do! 🙂
More Ian Dunbar videos HERE ( Three Basic Skills to Effectively Train a Dog )
Cool stuff
1. DOOG waist belt
I have been searching for a good-looking waist belt and I like that this one looks and feels more like a flat wide belt, and less like a bulky fanny pack. I want to be able to carry a lot of stuff when walking with Boogie and this is perfect. I love that there are lots of pockets for treats, keys, wallet etc. and and you can also attach a leash to it! How geeky is this – there is even a velcro flap for attaching a tennis ball! http://www.doog.com.au/product.htm
2. THE THINKING DOG by Gail Tamases Fisher. (Thank you, Sarah!) I may have to order my own copy. The Thinking Dog is written from the perspective of a traditional “Compulsion-Praise” trainer who crossed over into “Clicker (Marker) Training”. The book covers the principles and mechanics of the three major dog training methods and also, the technical and mental challenges you and your dog might face you when crossing-over. (Yep) There are also detailed instructions for clicker training. The tone is really engaging, encouraging, and uplifting, with no bashing of other techniques. Super helpful.
3. HUGE LATEX MONKEY – on sale at Helping Udders, where a percentage from proceeds goes to the Rescue of your choice! Because a dog like Boogie can never have too many toys. The squeaky sound that the monkey makes is already extremely annoying, but I hope that this toy will last a longer time than all the others…
4. BOOGIE PAINTING by Brian Rubenacker. I am a huge fan of Brian’s work. I drew Brian’s bostons and he sent me this painting of Boogie in exchange which was stuck at the post office for two months (and presumed to be lost) because stupid USPS did not send me a delivery notice until this week. I am so thrilled that it wasn’t delivered to the wrong address or lost!
[Boogie – the one on the right – is eagerly waiting for a treat]
Also interested in…
1. Clickerleash –I am looking forward to their new version which is supposed to be smaller and lighter than the current version.
2. Dog training “Food Tube” (thanks, Ripley’s blog!) – for dispensing soft treats like wet dog food, cheese, peanut butter etc. so your hands don’t smell like meat.
3. H2O4K9 water bottles. oooh so pricey, but they look so cool!
4. Nina Ottoson’s Dog Brick puzzle . Another pricey item. It sure looks like a good game for a serious dog like Boogie. (Right? Right?) I wish they would send ME a free sample. 😉
Turid Rugaas DVD
I have just watched this DVD by Turid Rugaas the dog expert & author of the book by the same title, and I am totally baffled that this information is not more publicly available.
I am also amazed that a show like The Dog Whisperer which carries on and on about “calm submission” does not have anything to say about Calming Signals and how dogs use these to communicate their need for calmness and conflict resolution.
I learned so much from this DVD and it’s only 48 minutes long. In fact it answered several questions about Boogie’s behaviors that have been festering in my brain.
Here are some things I learned:
– Dogs are born with these calming signals. They are part of a dog’s natural makeup and heritage. Puppies know this stuff and as they mature they get better at it, if they are allowed to socialize frequently with other puppies and people.
– Dogs live in packs so *conflict resolution* is a highly important part of their natural behavior repertoire. Conflict resolution is more important that obedience. An example: If your dog is at the dog park surrounded by dogs and you call him to you and he doesn’t come straight away, acknowledge that he has to *peace-out* with the other dogs before he comes to you. This is polite social behavior.
– When a dog is wagging his tail, this doesn’t necessarily mean he is happy. A wagging tail = arousal and excitement.
– There are two types of Playbow. There is the playbow when the dog wants to play and he will jump from side to side in this position. Then there is the playbow when a dog jumps backwards and wanders off like he is not really interested in playing. In this case, he is doing the Playbow as a calming signal to the other dogs to let them know that he is friendly. Boogie does this all the time!!! Check out my earlier blog post and video.
– When dogs mark, there are several reasons –
1. He could be marking his territory
2. He could be stressed about something
3. He could be using this as a calming signal to another dog/person.
4. If two or more dogs are marking something together, this is “being social” together.
Did you all know this stuff about marking? I certainly didn’t. I always wondered why sometimes when Boogie sees another (friendly) dog the first thing he does is go mark a tree. He seems to mark more often when there are more dogs around. I always wondered if he was being “dominant” and showing the other dog who’s boss, but now it’s good to know that this could be a response to stress or a conflict-resolution behavior.
Turid also says that if we are walking our dog and if a stranger approaches and our dog goes off to one side to sniff or mark, we should let him do it. (According to BAT, this is a “functional reward”. I let Boogie do this anyway, and I also praise him because it is a friendly alternative to lunging)
– Because dogs don’t like conflict, sometimes when two dogs play too rough or get too close, a third dog will run in and split them apart. According to Turid, the dog who is splitting up the action is not “jealous” or trying to be party-pooper. He is doing his part to prevent potential conflict. He will barge in from either the side or the back, not front on. The splitting-up behavior is a calming signal to the other dogs.
– Another calming signal is to walk in a curve around another dog/person. This is a social skill that we can help our dogs develop by leading them (on-leash) in a wide curve around the other dog/person. The more stressed or agitated our dog, the wider the arc and the further the distance, and as he shows signs of being more comfortable we can make the distance smaller, but still in a curve, because in the dog world this is polite behavior and we want to reinforce it.
– Turid points out that most people greet dogs the wrong way and this is so true. Most people lean over a dog and pet him on the head or stick their hand in front of his face. To dogs, this is stressful stuff and the dog may then turn his back on you, lick his lips, turn his head away or walk away past you (as calming signals). Or in the case of Boogie, he will cower or bite you. The correct way to greet a dog is to give him your BACK or your SIDE and pet him on the side of his face or body. This communicates to the dog that you are no threat.
– As we learn to read a dog’s signals we can change our behavior. If we see that a dog is stressed, we can make the choice to change our position, turn our heads or turn our bodies around to make the dog more comfortable.
This information is so valuable! Thank you to Sarah for lending me this DVD.
P.S. The DVD is much better than the book because you get to see dogs moving and interacting. Just try to ignore the cheezy muzak soundtrack 🙂
Related link: Turid Rugaas website
Positive Reinforcement 101
If you have been following this blog from last year then you would know that I have a pretty awesome little dog. You would also know that this Boogie has bitten people and became dog-aggressive after getting attacked three times last year. His people-biting history actually goes way back before we adopted him.
So last year we went through a hardcore Obedience training program which taught us crate-training, basic commands and corrections… but the program didn’t address our specific behavior problems. What we really needed was a “Behavior Modification Program” that focuses on uniquely Boogie issues.
I first encounted Sarah of Bridges Dog Training on the Functional Rewards Yahoo Group (see my earlier blog post)and was really impressed by her posts and Youtube videos. And what’s more, she lives near me!
So far we have had one consultation session and today — our first clicker-training session!
click to view larger
There is just way too much info to share on this blog without it turning into a novella so I’ll summarize with a few training tips and pieces of Positive Reinforcement wisdom that I have learned from Sarah. (I am paraphrasing here, and adding my own bits and pieces)
1. Aggression is a behavior.
Boogie isn’t an aggressive dog. He has aggressive behaviors. This is a really useful distinction. Sarah explained that aggression is a behavioral response to stress, it does not define the dog’s personality. We want to teach Boogie to replace aggressive behaviors (lunging, growling, biting) with friendly behaviors (turn his head away, sniff the ground, do a shake etc.) when he is stressed by something. These friendly behaviors are also known as “Calming Signals”.
Corrections are counter-productive because when we correct or punish a dog, we are adding stress to his already stressed-state and this raises cortisol levels and inhibits learning. If we are to encourage Boogie to do socially-acceptable behaviors, we have to minimize stress as much as possible, and learn to read and pay attention to dog body language, so that we can mark and reward him at the precise moments that he offers any friendly behaviors. With time and practice, he will respond differently to stress.
I am already seeing signs of improvement! 🙂
So a part of our homework is to study dog body language. This is not as easy as it sounds because Boogie is a very “stoic” dog (quote Sarah). He is not a wiggly dog, he rarely lets his tongue hang out (except when he is hot). He is a calm and serious dog….a Mr. Poker Face of boston terriers!
[dvds and books- thank you, Sarah!]
2. Positive Reinforcement isn’t about “bribing with treats”. We have to be careful about using a LURE — we could be reinforcing the wrong behavior.
A lure is like a treat used to illicit a behavior… like a bribe to get a dog to do something. Sarah gave us some excellent examples on how this can be a problem:
Say we call Boogie and he doesn’t come. So we get a treat and call him again, and he comes. What we have just done is reward him for not coming when called. We have just taught Boogie that if he doesn’t come when called, he gets a treat. The more often we do this, the less often Boogie will come when called… unless if there is a treat in our hand.
Similarly, if Boogie jumps up and we hold out a treat and say “Sit”, we are reinforcing the JUMP. Boogie’s learns that if he jumps up, he gets to sit for a treat.
The correct way is to mark (“click!”) at the precise moment that Boogie does the correct behavior and offer the treat-reward after the click, so that he knows the behavior that he is being rewarded for (and not the behavior preceding it).
To read: Fifteen tips for getting started with Clicker Training (the site requires free registration)
Today we did the “101 Things to Do With A Box” clicker-game, which is designed to encourage movement, thinking and trying new things. It is said that dogs that have been punished or abused in the past are slower to respond because they are sort of repressed. They don’t know how to “think”. This is a game to loosen Boogie up.
The idea is to click & treat for ANY behavior that Boogie does with the box, beginning with a simple head-turn towards the box.
Warning: The videos are actually very boring to watch … you had to be HERE:) I also apologize for the terrible lighting.
We did two sessions of this game. Boogie got as far as LOOKING at the box. Most of the time he stared at my hand — waiting… waiting… waiting….
It’s only our first day so hey, give us some time! 🙂
I look forward to the day that Boogie jumps inside the box or picks up the box and moves it around. Ha – maybe 20 sessions later!
Other homework: “Boogie!”(Whiplash head turn) cue and “Here” cue in different locations around the apartment, with distractions added. We need to strengthen his recall before we take the lessons outside.
This is all so interesting, and it is great to see Boogie perkier and more responsive.
One question I had to ask : When do we stop using the clicker (and treats)? Do we always have to use it?
Answer: When Boogie has learned a cue and he responds to it quickly 100% of the time, then we no longer have to use the clicker. The clicker is a tool that is primarily for training sessions when we need to make it clear to Boogie which behaviors we are reinforcing. The more often we reinforce, the stronger the behavior.
However, Sarah says that the recall cue (“Boogie!” or “Here!”) should ALWAYS be reinforced with something good, like a treat, and never anything bad so that he will reliably come to us when called in a case of emergency.
“Behavior Adjustment Training” DVD
I will write more about this later but want to mention a very interesting, awesome DVD that I ordered recently.
It’s a seminar on BAT – “Behavior Adjustment Training” given by Grisha Stewart, the dog trainer who answered my question on this Dogster Good Dog Blog last year.
In a nutshell, this is a training system that focuses on reducing fear and aggression and reinforcing friendly behaviors so that dogs learn to control their needs using socially-acceptable behaviors (no barking/biting) and gain self-confidence in the process.
Doesn’t this sound PERFECT for Boogie?
The process takes a lot of time, patience, and “set-ups” and we would need professional help to try this, but anyhow, I still learned a lot about dog behavior and psychology from this DVD, which helps ME not to stress-out.
What sounds great about this training is that the main reward is not food, but giving the dog what he really wants, which is DISTANCE or INFORMATION to feel safe.
There are lots of details to take into account – timing, proximity, body language – most importantly, keeping the dog “under threshold” (stress-free) in order for the learning to be effective. When a dog is “over-threshold” ie, has emotionally-crossed over into that reactive uncontrollable-growly-lungey-zone when his owners no longer exist – oh yes, we know this one well – it is too late.
Unfortunately in life, shit happens when sometimes dogs and strange people appear out of nowhere …
Regardless, I love having more knowledge about what’s going on. When I feel more attuned to Boogie’s body signals and CAN communicate with him, this makes me so happy and gives me hope.
–> Many examples on Boogie’s Walk Log!
Here is the info on BAT and below is a YouTube clip with an excerpt from the DVD:
*Update: Here is a simpler explanation of BAT
There is also a BAT/Functional Rewards Yahoo Group where dog trainers and dog owners do Q&As and discuss their experiences.
Just read:
Sophia Yin: How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves <- loved it!
Next on my reading list:
Leslie McDevitt: Control Unleashed <- highly recommended by lots of dog trainers!
Victoria Stillwell’s blog
I found out today that Victoria Stillwell has a blog and it offers some excellent thought-provoking reading material by different trainers.
Articles:
We don’t like everyone that we meet, so why should they? by Emma Collings
It’s a new year. Time for good resolutions, right? by Karen Pryor
My pet product IDEA of the year?
This idea came to me when Boogie and I were out walking this morning.
It’s actually a marriage of two products that I read about this week (thank you, Twitter). I don’t own any of these products and have no direct experience with them so this is simply, speculation. Here are the two products:
1. The Thundershirt (via Pawesome)
The Thundershirt is for treatment of dog anxiety. It is a “shirt” that puts pressure on the dog’s torso. This gentle pressure is supposed to have a calming effect on the nervous system, in the same manner that Dr. Temple Grandin’s “Squeezing Machine” was used to deal with anxiety related to Autism. Dr. Grandin went on to create squeezing machines for cows, pigs, and other animals.
One day about 12 years ago, a Siamese cat’s reaction to me changed after I had used the squeeze machine. This cat used to run from me, but after using the machine, I learned to pet the cat more gently and he decided to stay with me. I had to be comforted myself before I could give comfort to the cat (Grandin, 1984)…
Squeeze machines have been in use in clinics working with autistic and hyperactive children (Figures 6-1 and 6-2). Lorna King, an occupational therapist in Phoenix, Arizona, reports that it has a calming effect on hyperactive behavior. Therapists have found that deep pressure stimulation has a calming effect (Ayres,, 1979). Both animal and human studies have shown that pressure stimulation reduces nervous system arousal (Kumazawa, 1963; Melzack, Konrad, & Dubrobsky, 1969; Takagi & Kobagasi, 1956). Pressure on the sides of the body will induce relaxation in pigs (Grandin, Dodman, & Shuster, 1989).
2. The Freedom No-Pull Harness (via Phetched) … which has a martingale style loop as the leash attachment.
The patented action loop sits at the back of the dog between the shoulders allowing your dog to walk in a straight line without twisting or straining, while discouraging pulling by tightening gently around the chest. (via wiggleswagswhiskers)
What these two products have in common is the tightening factor not around the neck, but the CHEST area.
Now what if there were such a thing as a Squeeze Harness? This would be a padded harness (like an extra-padded Puppia vest) so that when you pull on the leash, the vest tightens and squeezes around the dog’s torso. (Don’t ask me what the mechanism is that connects the martingale loop to the overall tightening-action. This is just an idea)
Imagine this…. I am walking my reactive dog around the neighborhood and he is wearing his Squeeze Harness. An old lady wearing a big coat with shopping bag approaches us slowly. My dog’s ears and hackles go up and he starts pulling forwards. I call him, he ignores me. So I pull on the leash, he gets squeezed, and he relaxes.
What do you think? Would this work? Does the world need a Squeeze Harness?
Boogie's blog 