Kind Hands 4 Paws

28/02/2022

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BEHAVIOUR

One of the most common questions we as dog training professionals get asked is ‘Can you give me a few tips on [insert behaviour here] and whilst I can give you a few tips, I want to explain to you why I probably won’t and the reasons behind it.

Recently on a FB live I did in my Romanian Rescue Community Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheDogsPointofView)
I shared a slide I had quickly put together to help me get this point across, and I want to share that again with you here, although I’m glad to say I have since made the slide look a whole lot better! (You can see the shockingly bad original one on my FB live recording in the group, when I also shared a few general tips for Romanian Rescue Adopters)

As you can see from this picture, the observable behaviour you actually see your dog ‘DOING’ can be underpinned, driven by and be a result of a large number of OTHER things. These could be major contributing factors or minor contributing factors, it doesn’t really matter, but what it means is, if none of these POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS to your dog’s behaviour are taken into account and considered from the DOG’s Point of View, then any ‘tips’ I give you are unlikely to be the best advice I can give that would help.

Not only that, but I could give you tips or recommendations that might be wrong for your dog and your particular circumstances. I could give you tips that make the behaviour worse. I could give you tips that may upset your dog, or cause them to feel threatened in some way, because I’m missing important pieces of the puzzle.

This could result in them changing their behaviours in a less positive way and/or doing something unexpected. This is why giving a ‘few tips’ or ‘bit of advice’ can actually be dangerous in some cases.

People seem to forget we are living with an animal that has 42 teeth that were designed to rip into flesh and crush bone! Thankfully, for the most part, our dogs avoid using them in a confrontational way, but that doesn't mean they won't if pushed.

This is why I am often horrified to see some of the advice given on Facebook posts where someone has asked for some ‘tips’

Often it is advice that is incorrect, given by the general public, but even if it is advice that is suitable and worked for that person and their dog, it doesn’t mean it will work for someone else and their dog, who will be experiencing the world in a completely different way.

To give an example...

A question I see asked often in Facebook posts is around excessive barking, a common issue for adopters of Romanian or Foreign rescue dogs because of their GENETICS (that’s one contributing factor there)

Even if I gave one BEST piece of advice I could, if that dog had just ONE thing from that list of possible contributing factors, let’s say elevated baseline stress levels, then my advice is likely to be ineffective.

Not only that, but it’s likely to create frustration and discord for both the human and canine halves of the partnership in trying to apply it because the underlying cause of the behaviour is not being addressed.

In fact, let me just say, relative to the seemingly simple problem of excessive barking (most pet parents perceive a dog barking is simple to resolve, which it isn’t necessarily), it is entirely possible that all of those contributing factors could be impacting on or driving the behaviour and they NEED to be taken into consideration for progress to be seen, that not only reduces the degree and intensity of the barking behaviour, but that also supports that dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing whilst doing so.

Can you see how it really isn’t as simple as ‘just giving some tips or advice?’

Even something as simple as how long a dog has been in the home or how old they are can make the progress plan for that dog look very different.

It is SO IMPORTANT to remember your dog is A THINKING, FEELING, EMOTIONAL BEING, JUST LIKE YOU, BUT DIFFERENT.

They can be affected by not only life and the world around them as much as we are, but also by how they are experiencing the world at any given moment, in the same way that we are. They are as individual and unique in both their perspective of the world and how they respond to it, as much as we are.

I hope this article has helped provide you with a bit of a deeper understanding of your dog and of why it simply isn’t possible or appropriate to ‘give you a few tips.’

#

27/10/2021

24/07/2021

Teenager, bully x plus new family. Started out, frustrsted, lead ragging,. Dragging his new guardians all over, jumping, biting arms and bruising legs from hu***ng. Reacting to certain noises and unpredictable with dogs, PHEW, what a start!! ,. But WOW his new family have built an amazing relationship and connection , just look at him, a few things still to work on but with solid foundations reinforcement history, patience and understanding he is growing up into a fabulous boy 😍

28/04/2021

02/04/2021

16/03/2021

They are part of our family our daily routine and perhaps even part of our soul. , not "Just a dog"..

https://thebark.com/content/mourning-our-dogs?&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany

When we lose a canine companion, self-critical thoughts and feelings may become a part of our grief. We may disproportionally focus on our perceived failures and imperfections rather than view our actions as those of someone doing her or his best to stand by a canine loved one during painful circums...

12/03/2021

23/02/2021

MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION

Have you ever stopped and taken a step back to think about the complexity of what dog’s brains are having to master, integrate and process before they even engage in what they are going to do or how they feel? Here’s a quick glance at some of the many sensory stimuli dogs process before the behaviour output occurs 🧠👇

18/02/2021

The complete collection of body language articles relating to eyes are located in a separate category for ease: https://www.silentconversations.com/eyes-dog-body-language/

Dogs can subtly communicate with their eyes - What is the shape? Are they round and large, almond-shaped, or squinty? Are they staring, or is the gaze averted? Do the eyes have a hard stare or a softer look to them? Can you see the whites of the eyes (known as ‘whale eye’)? Are they blinking? Has the pupil size changed?

03/09/2020

Practice, constancy and patience. Lead walking skills can have a huge impact on every day life, especially if you have a larger breed dog. Is this something you struggle with? Would you like some help,?We have 121 lessons available. Contact for more information.

01/02/2020

https://christinecollinscaninebehaviour.com/2017/10/30/the-gift-of-a-growl/

‘He growled at me the other day!’ This is something I hear commonly from clients. It is always uttered with a tone of shocked and offended indignance which would lead you to believe that their dog …

26/10/2019

https://aniedireland.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/where-is-my-puppy-or-why-adolescence-is-so-tricky/?fbclid=IwAR3a1pY-moWJsusVMYFpuAIGjHWINV3fL3b_K3xT00TYkTZCzWcHBqMwXUw

In what seems like only minutes, your butter-wouldn’t-melt puppy turns into a lanky, boisterous teenager; Decker at about 6 weeks and about 6 months. Puppies are adorable and goofy, bringing …

23/10/2019

The number 1 rule in teaching.
If you aren't getting the result you expect that's not the dogs fault.
Review your plan and alter.

23/10/2019

Why do dog training methods matter when the behaviour that comes out the other end is the same? Let's take a look.

The Experiment.

We have no choice but to shut two random people in house sized prison cells! We have to make them accept their cell and stop shouting and trying to escape. So we try two different methods, one on each of them.

We will call them Fred and Tom.

Each of them wants to get out. They are not close enough to communicate with each other in any way!

The Aim

We want to show Fred and Tom that we would like them to stay calm and relaxed.

We use a different method to teach each of our subjects.

Method 1.

Fred starts to get rewarded for relaxation. We ignore his attempts to escape but each time he relaxes, something great happens. The more he relaxes, the more rewards he gets. We give him a TV, movies, a top of the range memory foam bed. A gym in the corner, a tasty/healthy diet and lots of books to read. We make him comfortable and happy.

Method 2.

Tom is given nothing nice. If he tries to escape, then we electrocute him. Eventually he gives up and relaxes a little bit, we do nothing. He is sad and doesn’t want to eat so we stand over him and force it, or we take it away leaving him hungry. We completely ignore his attempts to please us yet are always ready with punishment.

After a few weeks, we take away the walls.

Fred begins to explore but always goes back to his cosy place because he likes it. He has visitors, friends and a safe secure home, we have met his needs and he is happy. We managed to do this because we set him up to relax and then showed him that relaxation was a good thing. Fred has gained trust and no longer wants to run away, in fact he loves his life and has forgotten all about the first few days in the cell.

Tom sees the walls come down and will do one of two things:

He will run away.

Or

He is broken enough to stay but will never really recover from the experience – this is learned helplessness. Regardless of the choice Tom makes, he will never get over those few weeks in his prison cell. The confusion, lack of trust and trauma will stay with him for the rest of his life.

The Results

Just before we took down the walls (as far as we were concerned) we had the exact same behaviour result from both Fred and Tom. Both were no trouble to us, they no longer fought us, they had both learned what we expected from them, yet their states of mind and belief in us were very different indeed.

Six Months Later

Fred is happy and getting on with his life.
Tom is traumatised and has no trust in people.
This is why we should always teach our dogs with kindness, because the behaviour results may be obtained both ways, but the effect on the well-being of the animal is shockingly different.

Dog training methods do matter and they should always be questioned, without fail.

Sally .com

07/10/2019

What a great graphic made by Dog Gear Review. Check them out for more great info!

21/09/2019

In regards to all of the questions I get along the lines of, "Yeah, but what do I DO???"

I can't tell you what to do without knowing a whole lot more about your dog than you can provide in a Facebook thread.

Here's what I CAN do. I can teach you how to w**d out the bad advice. I know it's hard for dog owners who are caught in the middle of differing methodologies (not to mention the vastly different knowledge levels of those dispensing advice online).

I'm not going to do it by telling you what tools or methods are good/bad for your dog's behavior. Because then you'll just get bounced around between the arguments over "what works."

Instead, I want you to learn two things:

1. DOGS LEARN BY ASSOCIATION

My previous post "Could Pavlov's Dog Come Back To Bite You?" goes into more detail, but here's what I want you to think about today. When considering a tool or method, what association will your dog be forming?

Safe or unsafe?
Fun or scary?
Pleasant or painful?

Now, how do you think that will affect their future behavior?

Here's an example: I was recently at the vet with a client's dog, practicing chin rests and other husbandry-related behaviors in the lobby. As we started to leave, a woman was standing at the counter with her small terrier. As soon as the terrier looked at us, the woman started jerking the dog's leash, saying "No. No. No!"

From his perspective, here's what happened:

A. Dog appears
B. Owner jerks my leash

Now, what association do you think that dog is forming to other dogs (and people)?

Safe or unsafe?
Fun or scary?
Pleasant or painful?

She may have thought she was teaching her dog not to bark. But can you guess what happened next? Yep. He barked and lunged at us.

So, she now has a dog who has associated dogs with leash corrections (which don't happen when no dogs are around).

This brings us to the second thing I want you to learn:

2. BEHAVIOR IS DRIVEN BY CONSEQUENCES

So, the terrier barks and lunges at us. What do you think the consequence was for that behavior?

We left. Not because he barked and lunged, but because we were done with our session and leaving the building.

What did he learn?

A. Dog walks closer
B. I bark and lunge at dog
C. Dog leaves and jerking stops

What did that dog learn about encounters with other dogs? What behavior was effective at keeping him safe? What could the owner have done differently the moment we appeared to form a more positive association to other dogs?

Notice how I didn't mention what collar the dog was wearing, which of the quadrants of operant conditioning were in effect, or what method label applied to the woman's actions. Because what matters is what the dog learned about that scenario.

This is why it is so important for dog owners to go beyond tips and advice they find online, and instead seek a fundamental understanding of how their dog learns. Because that understanding will guide you and help you find the answers.

These aren't concepts that are so complex they are outside the scope of what the average dog owner can learn. Remember, every single dog trainer was just an average dog owner at one time.

13/09/2019

🐾 Here’s 5 ways to stop your dog eating poo 🐾

06/09/2019

Dogs communicate with lots of parts of their bodies, but the tail is the one most people see. Do you know really how your dog feels! A wagging tail doesnt always mean a happy dog.

Did you know a dog can wag its tail for many reasons to communicate how a dog is feeling? 🐶

20/08/2019

https://canineprinciples.com/10-great-reasons-not-to-copy-cesar-millan/

Let’s take a look at why Cesar and his dog training advice should never, ever influence how you treat your own best friend.

18/08/2019

From sonic noise machines to citronella sprays, cans of compressed air to electronic shock collars, there is a never ending stream of products and techniques advertised to STOP problem behavior. But do they provide real solutions?

Let's say you just started a new job. The pay is good, you have a nice office and the people around you seem very friendly. But after several months, you haven't received a job description or any on-the-job training. But everyone seems to still like having you around, so you don't worry about it. One day, you are asked to give a presentation to a very important client. As you start your presentation, your supervisor begins yelling at you, telling you everything is completely wrong.

You stop the presentation. The boss turns his back on you and starts talking to the very important client.

Now, what should you do differently for the next presentation?

Don't know? Neither does your dog when aversives are used to interrupt unwanted behavior.

Here's a dog training example:

Your dog jumps on visitors. You try saying "no," you try jabbing him in the neck with your fingers, you try sq**rting him with water, you try spraying him with compressed air. Now, which of those approaches tells your dog what you want? None of them.

Because interrupting problem behavior with aversives is not the same as teaching good behavior.

To find a solution for this problem, answer this question:

- Would it be more acceptable for your dog to A) mount the leg of your guests, B) jump on the kitchen counter and help themselves to the pot roast, or C) lie in a designated location until released?

Do any of the advertised products teach the more acceptable behavior?

I once came across an article called something like "How To Stop Any Bad Behavior." It described using a penny can, which is a can partially filled with coins. When shaken, it makes a loud noise that many dogs find aversive...or at least startling. This certainly causes most of them to stop barking, chewing, or digging. It does not, however, teach them NOT TO bark, chew, or dig.

Hence the reason the comments from one visitor was: May 12, 2013 - Works great with my dog! Followed by: July 2, 2013 - Only worked for a few weeks.

It's the same with many of the training videos you see online. An aversive is used to interrupt unwanted behavior, which is then displayed as clear evidence that the method/product "works."

Sometimes, with some dogs, these products might have long-term effectiveness. The aversive is so strong that the dog avoids doing that behavior for the rest of its life. Sometimes.

Sometimes, the dog learns not to do the behavior when the owner is present, but still digs, chews, or barks when the owner is gone. I've certainly seen my share of dogs who become nothing more than furry rugs when a sq**rt bottle is set on the middle of the coffee table, but act like normal, untrained dogs otherwise.

Sometimes, aversive products increase the dog's frustration or anxiety, which makes problems worse, or generates new problems.

So, instead of wasting your money on products that sometimes work on some dogs, take the more efficient path of learning how to effectively communicate what you want with ANY dog.

Remember, don't just stop behavior. Teach GOOD behavior!

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
©2015 Lisa Mullinax. All rights reserved.
Credit 4paws University..

11/08/2019

So much bad advise and misinformation out there about separation anxiety. If you and your dog need help, contact a professional with in-depth knowledge and experience to help you both.

05/08/2019

🙈🤣

A guide for dogs.