Stephens' Solutions Dog Training

05/31/2024

Congratulations to recent Family Dog Manners graduates! Great group of lovely dogs & lovely people!

05/20/2024

Resist the urge to tell your dog off for growling.

Growling is a perfectly normal behaviour and is nothing else but a dog’s way of communicating that they are not happy about something.

If a dog is trying to make the effort to say “you are making me uncomfortable”, why do we tell them off?? Because growling is deemed an undesired behaviour. No one wants a growly dog.

But what’s even less desirable is a dog who will skip any warning signs and go straight for a bite. Bites are super undesirable, trust me.

So if your dog growls, in any situation, stop and think what is making them uncomfortable. Is it physical touch? Is it someone’s getting in their personal space? Is another dog getting too close? Is someone threatening their resources? …

Respect and appreciate the growl. If you do, your dog won’t feel the need to escalate the behaviour beyond the growl. They will learn you got their back and you stop any uncomfortable situation. You got their back.

But if you do continue to tell your dog off for growling, and / or if you continue to create situations where your dog cannot effectively communicate, or if they are not listened to, they WILL escalate their behaviour.

Respect the growl.

Resist the urge to punish it.

Appreciate the warning.

05/20/2024

Dogs need much more than food, water, shelter and exercise. They need to practice species specific behaviors. Here are ideas for meeting 6 core needs.

Thanks to Noble Woof Dog Training for the great information!

05/20/2024

I find it hard to understand why some people still use and firmly believe in old fashioned punishment-based training methods when science clearly shows there is a better, kinder, humane, ethical and far more effective way.

The key principle of force free or positive reinforcement based methods is “first, do no harm”, not just physical harm, but emotional harm too.

Punishment amongst many other negatives, creates stress. Stress inhibits learning. A dog that is feeling stressed from being punished will struggle to learn.

Positive reinforcement methods release the hormone, Dopamine. This “feel-good” hormone drives the reward and pleasure-seeking system.

Dopamine also increases the brain’s ability to learn, improves memory function and motivates a dog to repeat a behaviour.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour states that punishment-based methods may cause several adverse effects, including “inhibition of learning, increased fear-related and aggressive behaviours, and injury to animals and people interacting with animals”.

One of my favourite quotes with regard to dog behaviour is by Dr Carolina Galvez Vidal - "Any idiot can suppress behaviour. It’s so easy: That’s why most humans on the planet think they are expert dog trainers. But to truly modify a behaviour without suppression…Ahh, that requires true talent, knowledge and skills".

We are all individuals and don’t all have “true talent” or “skills”, but the key word for me in this statement is “knowledge”.

Knowledge is not that hard to find these days. Be willing to put in the effort to find out how to build a trusting, secure and positive relationship with your dog, remembering to "first do no harm".

04/20/2024

04/20/2024

Calling All Puppies ... still room in puppy class starting Thursday, April 25th at Saanich Commonwealth Place. Register online at the link below or message me.
https://anc.ca.apm.activecommunities.com/saanich/activity/search/detail/100711?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true

04/20/2024

Congratulations to Family Dog Manners grads!!! Well done🎉👏
Missing: Allan & Skipper

03/22/2024

BRAIN UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

The challenges of teenage dogs

The saying - "Parents with teenagers understand why some animals eat their young" is something that many parents of teenagers will relate to.

Many people are unaware that dogs also go through a teenage stage and are frustrated and unprepared for the changes it may bring.
Statistics show that many dogs are surrendered or re homed during this phase as their owners no longer “like” the way their dogs behave, can’t handle them and just give up on them.

The teenage brain is going through many changes. Think of it as being “rewired”. The rewiring process can cause some parts not to work at all, work sporadically or have too much current. The re wiring process often causes new, out of character or unexpected behaviour.

There are many similarities to the changing human teenage brain. There’s a valid scientific reason why car insurance premiums for young adults under 25 are more expensive. The brain is not fully matured – irrational decisions, risk taking, poor choices and accidents are more likely to happen.

Be patient, understanding and most of all consistent with your teenage dog.

Don’t give up on them. They are feeling just as frustrated as we are.

Being aware of what is happening in their brain as it develops to full maturity helps us to be more accepting.

Remember that this is just a phase and it will get better.

03/22/2024

A reactive dog can hardly be missed: lunging, barking, growling, pulling at the leash.
And when it comes to working with reactivity, our online students are often surprised that training a reactive dog should NOT look like you are training a reactive dog at all.
The intuitive idea many people have about working with reactivity is to elicit a reactive response (by exposing the dog to a trigger in a high intensity), and then doing some sort of “intervention” when the dog reacts.
The problem is that this is not ideal to make the dog feel calmer … because, what they in fact rehearse, IS to be reactive.
Everyone knows “behavior that is rewarded gets repeated”.
But the opposite is NOT true.
We cannot assume that just because a behavior is NOT rewarded, it WON’T get repeated.
Let’s rephrase that: “Behavior that is rewarded gets repeated. But behavior that is repeated (in absence of rewards) still gets ingrained”
Specifically for reactivity this means that every time you expose your dog to a trigger that is intense enough to elicit a reactive response, the reactivity will get MORE INGRAINED.
So if training your reactive dog consists of them crossing their threshold, this will NOT make their reactivity better at all (in fact, only worse).
Your dog already has experienced many times: This trigger really stresses me, I am freaking out.
They will not improve by experiencing this even more.
So, what makes the reactivity better?
Exposing your dog to a trigger in LOW ENOUGH INTENSITY that they do NOT freak out. We need to create a situation in which the dog can experience “I am aware of the trigger, but it’s far enough away. I am not pushed too far by it.”
We do NOT need our dog to rehearse freaking out. We need them to rehearse NOT freaking out.
And what does not freaking out look like? Like a dog that is not reactive.
Your dog will ingrain what is repeated. If your training situations are so intense that they repeat crossing their threshold, that will get ingrained.
If your training situations have low trigger intensities, your dog can rehearse NOT flipping out. And they can ingrain to NOT be reactive.
People often write to me that they are disappointed that reactive dog training videos look like non-reactive dogs are being trained.
But that’s not a fault: It’s a feature. It IS the essence of the training.
A good human comparison might be a swimming course for kids. Do you see drowning kids at a swim class? NO. Do you see kids that float (maybe with help of instructors or tools)? Yes.
Is this a feature of helping them achieve the goal, or a fault of the method?
Do you think it’s a lie that these kids cannot swim?
Would the class seem more legit if they were thrown in to sink every now and then to really teach them to not sink?
Train your reactive dog so that it doesn’t look like you’re training a reactive dog.

03/22/2024

The prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in decision-making, is not fully developed during adolescence. This can look like a dog barking and lunging at something, becoming easily and frequently distracted, a lack of inhibition, and/or not listening to verbal cues as well as they once did.

If you’re feeling frustrated with your adolescent dog, take a breath and try to remember this is temporary. 😮‍💨

03/13/2024

If some guy (or girl) tells you to ignore your dog's cries, to show your dog you're in charge or disregards how your dog feels, then grab your beautiful, vulnerable dog and run the other way. Our dogs rely on us to understand and care for them, to be their advocates and protectors from harm. Let's live up to their needs. It's our responsibility.

03/13/2024

ARE YOU WORTH COMING BACK TO?

I often cringe when I watch people trying to get their dogs to come back when they call.

They call and call and get increasingly angry and frustrated as their dog keeps ignoring them.

When their dog eventually does come back, or has been chased and "captured” by the now really angry person, they get screamed at, yanked about, smacked or punished in some way for taking so long and not listening.

Why on earth would a dog want to return to someone who does this to them!

Genetics may play a big part in this when an environment is far more stimulating and exciting.

Coming back to you is often the last thing a dog may want to do when genetic instinct is triggered.

An exciting scent or seeing something to chase can all override a response to recall.

Genetics aside, the most common reason that dogs don’t come back when called is because it’s not a positive experience.

Make coming back to you worth it by always making it a rewarding experience and keep practicing this throughout a dog’s life.

Have a little patience if it takes longer than you would like, let your dog finish what they’re doing before calling them, practice in different locations and environments and never reprimand or punish them for coming back.

There is never a guarantee of a perfect recall each and every time, but making it a rewarding experience will greatly improve the rate of success.

03/01/2024

Congratulations to “Puppy First Step” graduates Dani, Lorne & “Comet” and Lisa, Mark & “George Michael” (great name!). Missing Michelle, Ron & “Sully” and Trevor & “Marley”. Lovely puppies & wonderful people!

03/01/2024

Congratulations to recent “Family Dog Manners” graduates!
Well done 👏🎉🐾.

01/26/2024

Teaching a dog or puppy to be okay home alone is very important! It can be a nerve wracking process when a dog is newly adopted or you have just added a puppy to your home. While there are unique considerations for a puppy vs a dog (ex. how long a puppy can be alone, hold their bladder, potential for chewing destruction, etc.) there are some core similarities. Check out this tipsheet!

Thanks to Doggy Einsteins Training for the great information!

Need help? www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

01/26/2024

DON’T GET A DOG…UNLESS YOU CAN MAKE A COMMITMENT

In an ideal world dogs would be included as part of our family and we would commit to sharing our time and life with them.

In an ideal world, we would take the time to learn about how they communicate, their emotions, their needs and updated, modern, scientifically based methods to understand or modify behaviour.

In reality, dogs are so often seen as an item of property, a commodity to be bred and make money from, a cheap, replaceable security system with a built-in barking alarm, a garden decoration, a toy to play with when the kids are bored or an accessory that looks good while out walking, running or taking selfies.

Dogs are not objects, just like us they are sentient beings with the capacity to feel a range of emotions.

A life spent confined to a backyard or fenced in with little or no human companionship is not a life.

Dogs are naturally social beings and need to spend time with their human family.

They need love and attention, exercise and mental stimulation.

They need routine, consistency and predictable patterns to feel secure in our world.

They need to feel safe, secure and protected if they are to be the best version of themselves.

Having a dog requires commitment, patience and dedication.

It’s hard work, it’s sometimes messy, dirty and stinky, it costs money and requires changes to our lifestyle.

It’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly or without making a commitment, but the rewards of forming a secure bond with another sentient being can bring so much joy and enrichment to both our lives and theirs.

01/26/2024

I’M NOT GUILTY!
Dogs might look guilty, but that doesn’t mean that they feel guilty.

“My dog knows that he’s done something wrong, just look how guilty he looks!" This is something that we hear so often.

People are highly amused and entertained on social media and even dedicated websites where pictures of “guilty” dogs are seen.

The “guiltier” the dog looks, the more popular these posts are and the funnier people find them.

I find this really sad because it’s a complete misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of a dog’s body language.

That “guilty” look is actually a dog showing the signs of fear, stress, anxiety or appeasement.

The fear of being punished, the stress and anxiety of hearing the person’s tone of voice, demeanor and noticing the person’s body language, appeasement behaviour in an attempt to calm the angry person down.

As people, it’s natural for us to want to believe that our dogs feel guilt and remorse about whatever they’ve done wrong. Maybe thinking that they really do feel guilty somehow makes their behaviour more acceptable and is a form of an apology.

Dogs are capable of a wide range of emotions that could be compared to that of a 2 to 2½ child, but it’s highly unlikely that they feel more complex emotions, like guilt, regret, remorse or shame.

Guilt is a complex emotion and defined as an unhappy feeling that you have because you have done something wrong or think that you may have done something wrong. It’s a feeling of shame, regret or remorse. The feeling of guilt requires an understanding of cause and effect and is relative to time.

Do dogs spend the day feeling guilty, waiting for us to come home to find a mess or a chewed-up couch or shoe, or are they waiting excitedly for us to come home because they really missed us and are looking forward to some attention?

For the emotional wellbeing of our dogs, let’s seek to understand them more and focus less on how we believe they should feel just because it makes us feel better.

01/12/2024

New Puppy? There is still room in the "Puppy First Steps" class held at Saanich Commonwealth Place starting Thursday, January 18th at 7:30 pm. Go online to register: https://anc.ca.apm.activecommunities.com/saanich/activity/search/detail/100709?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true

12/13/2023

WHEN CAN YOU STOP REWARDING YOUR DOG?

Is it after your dog has learnt a new behaviour, is it when your dog knows what you expect from them, is it because you don’t want to have to carry treats around forever, is it because you don’t want to spoil your dog?

Many people are initially quite happy to use rewards when training a puppy or teaching a dog a new behaviour, but often seem concerned about when they can stop doing this.

The focus is often on - The sooner I can stop doing this the better or surely my dog should just be obedient and listen to me, or I don’t want to spoil them.

A common analogy used to explain why you should never stop rewarding is that of a person starting a new job.

You’re offered a good salary and you’re enthusiastic, motivated and quickly learn the skills required.

Your boss is really happy with your work and you are rewarded at the end of the month with a good salary.

At the end of your second month, you are told that you will no longer be earning a salary.

You are told that because you now know the job and really perform well, it's no longer necessary to pay you.

How would that effect your motivation, your mood, your willingness to continue performing at a high standard or even showing up for work?

The same applies to our dogs. To maintain a behaviour, to maintain motivation and to keep communicating in a way they understand, we need to reward the behaviour we are looking for.

Yes, there are different ways to manage rewards and reinforce behaviour if we want to get technical – successive approximation, fading, fluency, intermittent schedules, random, jackpots etc, but this post is not about technicalities, it’s about the principle of rewards and why we should never stop rewarding.

12/07/2023

I NOSE WHAT TIME IT IS!

Dogs just seem to know when it’s time for food, time for a walk or even what time we’re expected to come home, sometimes down to the exact minute!

Yes, they may simply know this from daily routines that create predictable patterns or certain cues that predict certain events, but there is far more to this ability to tell time than the obvious reasons.

One theory is that time has a particular smell. Different times of the day smell differently. Morning smells differently to afternoon or evening.

As air heats up over the course of the day, air currents change and move around, carrying molecules of different odours with it.

These changes become predictable and a dog’s incredible sense of smell enables these odours to become their “clock”.

One example is when you leave the house to go to work, leaving a strong scent behind you. As time passes, your scent becomes weaker.

Dogs predict that when your scent becomes weakened to a certain level, it’s time for you to come home.

The level of your scent predicts the time. As dogs can detect both strong and weak scents and all of the levels in between, it means that they are actually interpreting events across an interval of time.

Another way dogs may tell time is through circadian rhythms. Just like us, dogs have fluctuations in systems like hormone levels, neural activity or body temperature and these rhythms may help them to understand the approximate time of day - just like when our stomach starts growling when it’s nearly time for dinner or we feel tired when it's time for bed.

Dogs are not the only species that can interpret time. Animals that migrate or hibernate follow seasonal cues from nature in the form of daylight and temperature to know when the time is right.

Having hundreds of millions more scent receptors than us, a dog’s amazing ability to smell is likely the reason that dogs just "nose" what time it is.

12/01/2023

WHAT’S IN A NAME ?
Changing a rescued dogs name can be a good thing.

If a dog has come from an unpleasant or abusive background, or even an unknown background, they may associate their name with negative experiences.

A previous owner may have shouted their name just before doing something unpleasant to them.

Changing a dog’s name can be a fresh, new beginning and can provide an opportunity to rebuild broken trust and build new bonds.

There may be concern that changing a dog’s name will confuse them or may cause some form of emotional distress, but dogs really don’t see their names in the same way that we do.

Dogs really don’t care what we call them, as long as that name is associated with positive experiences it will be a good name.

A dog’s name is more important to us than it is to a dog. A name is really just a cue to get your dog’s attention so they respond.

The way a new name is introduced and taught is important. Care should be taken not to attach any negative associations with the new name.

The new name should always be paired with something positive whenever your dog hears the sound. Call the new name and every time your dog reacts, responds or looks at you, reward this with a treat, lots of praise, a game or a toy.

Keep repeating this and dogs will quickly begin to associate their new name with something good about to happen and will start responding to the new sound in a positive way.

“It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.” - W.C. Fields. This quote sums up the importance of pairing a name with something positive so that it will always be what a dog wants to answer to.

A previous name may always be linked to a traumatic past, but a new name can be the beginning of a happy ever after and forever home.

11/29/2023

ANYBODY CAN SUPPRESS BEHAVIOUR
THE PERILS OF PUNISHMENT

It’s really easy for anyone to suppress or stop a behaviour by using punishment, force or pain and say that it works, so why even bother to do it differently?

Punishment based methods may well “fix” the behaviour quickly, are far easier, require far less effort, less knowledge, less education, or even just be based on traditional belief, but these methods come at a great cost - destroying trust, creating insecurity, fear, anxiety, provoking aggression, causing dogs to shut down or feel helpless and prevent dogs from learning an alternative, more acceptable behaviour.

“A tradition without intelligence is not worth having” - T. S. Eliot

There is so much scientific evidence to support force free, positive reinforcement methods as being the most effective and successful way to modify behaviour.

There is nothing admirable, ethical or intelligent in physically or emotionally forcing any sentient being to comply.

Take the time and make a commitment to understand and learn about positive, force free, science-based methods.

There is so much information available, if we just take the time to look.

11/29/2023

A new program for socializing puppies in the nest brings big benefits, study shows.

11/09/2023

Dog Bite Prevention Tips:
https://doggonesafe.com/

11/09/2023

Providing choices in a way that sets a dog up for success is a huge part of my training philosophy. You can see the difference in the confidence and decision making of a dog who has been supported in making choices compared to a dog who is used to always being told what to do. It empowers the dog and frankly, makes your life easier!

On hikes, Arry chooses to focus on me when she sees a person, dog or horse. It's much easier to then give her guidance (come, stay or 'go say hi' depending on what is appropriate) when she's already choosing ME over the distraction.

On walks, Lupine chooses to focus on me when a dog barks. It's much easier to guide her past that very hard distraction when she's already choosing ME over barking back at the dog.

Now of course there were several games used to teach my dog to choose me since running up to people and dogs or barking back at other dogs are all behaviors that would be very rewarding. But by taking the time to help your dog to make good choices, you end up having to do less in the long run.

www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

11/03/2023

DISTANCE ASSISTANCE
It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.

This reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened or frustrated.

These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.

This is why creating enough distance is so important.

I’m really scared of snakes and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run away and create as much distance as possible.

If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit down and look at the snake while trying to feed me my favourite chocolate (or any type of chocolate!), telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the specific species, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.

Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. I may even eat the entire slab of chocolate!

In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the snake without having a negative reaction.

The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe, comfortable and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.

Some dogs (and people) may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.

Accept your dog for the unique individual they are, work on the things you can change and accept the things you can’t.

10/28/2023

Congratulations to Family Dog Manners graduates. Well done everyone! Missing: Leslie & “Stanley”