All Dogs Learn

08/20/2024

Learning how to walk, before you can run...

One of the prevailing messages within any dog training 'method' is the use of pressure.

It has become a convenient means to explain what is being done to the dog to get it to perform an act.

We employ pressure in a variety of ways, using a variety of devices through a variety of applications. Dog trainers can create too much pressure, not enough pressure, oppositional pressure and directional pressure. Pressure can be delivered socially, environmentally, using our hands, or through withholding things the dog wants.

People often believe they are not applying 'enough pressure' when things go wrong, and either increase pressure to the point that there is no longer a reliable measure of knowing if it was 'too much'. Folks will often choose to use a device like an electronic collar or prong collar as a force multiplier because they inadvertently think they need to create 'more' pressure.

It's easy to overlook too much pressure. The Goldilocks Principle of Dog Training isn't new, and we have created some pretty unique ways of applying pressure while becoming less able to identify when we have achieved the 'right amount' of pressure.

We artificially create, apply and maintain pressure when training dogs. We disable the dogs ability to escape pressure by putting him on a leash and by compelling him to do this thing that we want him to do. The thing doesn't matter. It could be anything. A sit, or a down or to just not run away. The leash effectively removes any other option.

We apply force multipliers without even thinking about it; molding the dog into a sit, down or stand requires leveraging the leash and physical touch in very strategic ways to help facilitate those behaviors. We only use enough pressure to accomplish the task, in a very controlled, highly articulated movement.

The dog determines the volume of the pressure, the direction of the pressure and the duration of the pressure we apply. Where things go south is when we start applying more than is necessary for periods that are beyond usefulness in directions not relevant to the task.

People tend to get into wrestling matches with dogs and then wonder why their dog doesn't trust them. If the dog doesn't sit, they don't think about what their physical cues told the dog, only that the dog failed. They swing the dog around and jerk him into a sit because they saw someone else do it somewhere else on some other dog and didn't stop to ask themselves whether or not it was appropriate or necessary for either dog.

I have refined how I use pressure through the years. I understand the evolution of logic that makes one think More is Better, but what I have learned over the decades is most of the time, LESS is actually MORE.

I made a comment earlier about the volume, duration and direction of the pressure we apply being largely determined by the dog. What fails is our ability to read the dog effectively to know where to start on that scale.

Goldilocks went right for MASSIVE. She went for the grandest scale and found out it was too much.

Her next choice was an over correction from her first choice and discovered that it wouldn't work, either.

Goldi's only remaining option was "just right". THIS IS THE LESSON. Start out moderate. It gives you options. Start out extreme, your options become very limited, very quickly.

Learning to know how to be "just right" with any dog on the end of your leash is actually relatively easy. It does require that you understand a few physical concepts- first, that the leash is a conduit for information that flows both ways. Second, that you are the only one able to mitigate conflict by how you handle that leash. Finally, disabling the dogs ability to engage in inappropriate behavior doesn't translate to being preemptive, but it does require that you be prepared.

How you mitigate pressure is how you resolve problems. If your timing is off, if the volume is too much or too little, it will profoundly impact your dog and his understanding of his world. The consequences of his decisions will be determined by the correct application of some form of pressure.

Training is simply an appropriate application of pressure that informs the dog how to proceed. Couple it with a cue, apply it towards an end goal, reinforce it with a meaningful reward and ultimately, your dog learns to function without the pressure. That's the point. And the lesson.

It doesn't matter what the task is. Tools enable you to stretch the dog out, not string him out, or string him up. If you are incapable of applying pressure appropriately, what you are doing is relying on a tool.

That's not training.

08/12/2024

"I had a colleague ask me to create a post about positive reinforcement. She was curious about my response to prospective clients who specified or questioned whether I used positive reinforcement in my training. My colleague added that occasionally, she would get an inquiry that demanded only positive reinforcement training be used on their dog.

When she asks these folks what they mean, most people respond with the usual tropes about not wanting their dogs abused or injured. This is fair. I am concerned about the recent proliferation of ‘trainers’ being caught on camera physically abusing dogs. As trainers, we have a fundamental duty to prioritize the welfare of the dogs we work with. It’s crucial not to confuse some individuals’ misuse of training methods or tools with the appropriate applications of those things.

These are the landmines we face as a trade because our language has been hijacked. We argue over the semantics, even when the definitions are quite clear. Not that we wouldn’t use positive reinforcement, but as I stated in a previous post, it’s the intimation that we are using methods and/or tools that harm more than help.

The world wide web is a magical place. It enables folks to discover things they don’t know, but it requires some divination to transcend the first page of a Google search. There is always more information that reveals flaws in logic. It is human nature to be curious, but the internet has made us less so. And we cling to our confirmation bias.

In the information age, it can be challenging to sift through all the misinformation, as sensationalism often overshadows the details of any topic. Just look at how divisive politics and religion have become, and how difficult it is to hear news that isn’t tainted with opinions instead of facts."

The FB algorithms don't like links that take you off their property, so you can read the rest of the article at the link in the comments. If you are seeing this from a shared post, click on the image to take you to the original.

06/23/2024

I am frequently asked by potential clients and even fellow trainers what 'techniques' or 'methods' I use when I train dogs. It's an acceptable question, with a multitude of answers.

I tend to err on the side of caution since the vast majority of askers are rooting for information on tool use instead of really wanting a definitive answer on 'How do you really train dogs'?

Folks have a tendency to get lost in the weeds when it comes to methodology. Many become cognitively immobile over the prospect of a specific tool being used, or more than one learning quadrant being employed.

Trainers get caught up in the political hyperbole of tool use or 'methods' associated with one philosophy or another. None of this benefits the dogs, nor their owners, but that doesn't seem to shake the full-chested confidence of the acolyte trying to persuade their target audience.

Owners get caught somewhere near the middle of success or failure, as they are indoctrinated by a media that only serves the worst news about trainers who have harmed or killed dogs, and by service providers that are looking to sell them something.

It's a difficult road to follow when you're looking for a clear path forward. The average owner wants a mannerly pet. Folks looking for dog training are caught between the tidal waves of a narcissistic industry that eats it's own young, and the rocks upon which they will be cast, if they choose poorly.

And the conversation usually starts with "What methods do you use?"

My views on 'methods' have remained unchanged throughout my entire career. I view a 'method' as an outline to follow, that enables me to create the script, flesh out the scenes and the characters, and come to a finale.

Every step is listed, and every detail is crafted before the project is even begun. Every scene is planned, every line is scripted, for continuity.

The variables are determined by the weather, the lighting, whether the actor has a hangover, etc., but every screenplay is created using the same basic formula.

In training, the variable is the dog. It's always the dog. If a client has signed on to train with me, they have committed to trusting my expertise and are permitting me to access and hopefully improve their dog, and their relationship with their dog.

My end goal is always the same; produce a dog that is responsive, willing and happy to perform, to stop eating the mailman, or stop pooping on the floor.

I have argued this point for decades that a 'method' is simply the steps one follows, like chapters in a book, more so than the dogmatic practices of the religious rituals some 'methods' have morphed into.

I do what works for that individual, based on the trials and tribulations of almost 5 decades dedicated to the art of training dogs. My paintbrushes are varied in size, texture and other physical properties, but they all paint, and are all capable of creating art.

The determining factor remains the dog. The ability to shift gears and adapt any training methodology or tool is predicated on having had hands on a lot of dogs, and practiced with a lot of tools.

The vast majority of owners do not seek trainers to prevent problems, they come to solve problems. The vast majority of problems are because the basic mechanics were never taught to begin with, and now communication has broken down and all the internet's cookies and feel-good nonsense aren't enough to keep that dog in its home.

Methods and tools matter, but only so far as whether they work, and whether it's some thing the end user, the owner, is capable of following through with.

I tend to use methods that actually work.

02/28/2024

12/10/2023

There is a difference between 'going through the motions' and conscious, mindful effort.

Remember this when you are doing anything that you wish to improve upon.

Making an effort suggests recognizing where you went wrong, and how to capture and repeat what went 'right'. It's not a matter of rote repetitions, but as "Talent Code" author Daniel Coyle writes, *deep practice*.

It's not enough to just get the reps in. It requires each repetition to become an improvement over the previous one, until it is as smooth and as natural as possible.

Practice is thoughtful. Practice is meaningful. It is something that is done not as a chore, but as a meditation.

11/04/2023

There is a dog training lesson I took from this…

10/31/2023

10/27/2023

Nothing has changed in the 3 years since this post first appeared.

Coming off a bad night, still no coffee and not in the mood to create something new.

If you see someone you know within these paragraphs, send it to them.
____________________________

Did you know that you can leverage the health and longevity of your dog by actively seeking breeds that have good health indices and longevity as part of their genetic make up?

Did you know that you can further enhance the likelihood that your dog will live without debilitating diseases like hip dysplasia by actively pursuing breeders that screen specifically for diseases that affect their breed, and aggressively require stringent testing from the owners of potential breeding partners?

Did you know you can also increase the likelihood that a carefully bred, carefully selected prospect is more inclined to reflect predictable temperament and desirable traits that suit your home and lifestyle?

Did you also know that every one of those aforementioned things are within the grasp of every human on the planet with a little forethought and planning?

THE INTERNET IS NOT JUST FOR WATCHING CUTE CAT VIDEOS and no, "doing your research" requires a little more than looking at Google ads that appear 'above the fold' on your tiny little phone screen.

Although there is no such thing as a sure thing, there is absolutely no reason that the average owner cannot find a suitable dog that matches their personality, lifestyle and personal aspirations, without being made to feel guilty about "shopping" not "adopting". We'll get to that. Be patient.

Do you know why they don't/can't or won't?

Let me count the ways:

1) Apathy/unrealistic expectations- most folks think one dog is like any other, and select based on looks or distant memories of the dog they had as a kid, or remembered someone else having. It happens a LOT. I counsel first time dog owners every day and the 3rd or 4th question I ask is "What made you decide to acquire [this] dog?" Invariably the distilled version of their answer is "my family had one growing up" or "s(he) looked like a dog I knew when I was a kid", and let's not forget the ominous "I just think that having one would be really cool", to "I love their 'look'!"

Dogs are as unique as fingerprints. No two are in any way identical. Even maternal twins.

Take note- I use the words acquire, procure or buy. If money changed hands, you bought that dog. You didn't sn**ch it from the jaws of death, you did not hire lawyers to initiate and secure the legal ramifications of "adopting" a child. You bought a dog. If thine eye offends thee, "acquire" and "procure" work nicely. They identify you as a normal, educated human being and not a virtue signalling tunt.

2) Irresponsible custodians- Yes. Bad breeders do exist. If a breeders goal is exotic colors, coat textures or patterns or other physical attributes and the dog is ostensibly a purebred with a published breed standard, these exotic features are considered disqualifying faults. I can almost assure you with a pretty high rate of accuracy, that person isn't breeding with your best interests at heart. The flaws in human nature permit these people to exist, because as a species, we are no better than crows who collect shiny objects. Just stop it.

Critical thinking is being selectively bred out of human populations as quickly as new insidious diseases are being bred into dogs by poor selection criterion and not testing for flaws adequately.

I'll be the first one to endorse the purposeful outcross of two distinctly different breeds of dogs in order to enhance features of either or both. Popular sires tend to create issues. Look at Quarter Horses, German Shepherd Dogs, Arabian Horses...

Countless of dozens of other examples. Dalmatians, Basenjis, Flat coated Retrievers. Hell, all the retreiver breeds. Bernese Mountain Dogs...

Any breed with an inbreeding coefficient so high that there's only two dams and one sire in the whole pedigree. At least with food animals YOU GET TO EAT THE MISTAKES.

Dogs aren't shoes that get discarded when they show wear or you have outgrown the "look" you're after. They are living, breathing beings and should be accorded the respect their heritage as descendents of the apex predator class afford them. Have some fu***ng respect.

You get the point, I hope. Never EVER go to a breeder for information about their breed, or their dogs. As I have suggested many times, seek the council of professionals that don't have an agenda. You don't have a dog YET, so they have nothing to sell you. Remember that. Talk to kennel owners that do high volume boarding. Not some sh****le "daycare", but an actual, bona-fide BOARDING facility that handles hundreds of dogs every week. They want to make their lives easier if you do choose them as a place to board your dog. Trust me, they'll tell you who the as***le breeds are. And don't ask the gum smacking chippie staring at her phone, waiting for her boyfriend to text her dickpics. Ask the manager of day-to-day operations. As a matter of fact, poll a few boarding places.

3) The overwhelming preponderance of s**tty information, brought to you by as***les with an agenda-

Otherwise known at TMI (Too Much Information) Overload.

Everybody wants to sell you something. Even me. I'm writing a book. When it comes out I want you to buy it. I train dogs. I would hope that your selection of me as your trainer is predicated on the information I have made available to you; which gives you insight to the expectations I have for my clients, and an assurance of your success with a clear goal and a clear head unmuzzied by fiction or bu****it.

Breeders want to sell you dogs. They will lie to get you to buy them. They will lie about their pedigrees (newsflash, Frenchies don't come in long coat varieties, nor is Blue Merle a color that occurs in the breed organically. That 12 thousand dollar dog you just bought? Super cute. Not a Frenchie). They will lie about their health screening protocols. They may SAY they screen for heart issues or whatever, but there is never any documentation. Most damaging of all? Your uber expensive designer puppy lies dying on your vet's exam table and that s**tty "contract" you signed gives you nothing to fight with. A decent breeder wouldn't do that. And yes, there are designer dog breeders that health screen. Finding those unicorns is tough, but by dawG they're out there.

4) The absolute NONSENSE being fed through an assortment of folks who have literally and figuratively NOTHING to substantiate their claims, beyond emotive whinging about how buying a dog somehow subjects a dog in a shelter to die. Bu****it. Speaking of shelters, lots of recidivism there. Lots of people getting maimed or killed by dogs coming out of the rescue/shelter industrial complex. I used to work in those hallowed halls. I know how the numbers work. And I'm sorry, the alleged claims of actual purebred or recognized breeds being equal to or greater than mixed populations? Lol. Less than 10%. A lot less. Of course if it includes looking like a pit bull, I would imagine in some municipalities, to some ignorant do-gooder, it looks like a hunnert %. It ain't. And guess what else? A LOT of those dogs are not suitable pets for first time dog owners! But that doesn't stop these morons for letting 5 year old dogs transported up from West ByGawd Wherever who have never seen the interior of a home, let alone a crate, and offering them to 70 year old widows living with their 90 year old mothers, now does it? Any support for those people when things went wrong? Nope. And adoptive "pawrents" were made to feel GUILTY when they BEGGED the shelter to take the animal back.

B**h, please.

5) Rescue retail- learn something about dogs, willya? And STAY. IN. YOUR. LANE. You don't know what you think you know and need to start being more selective in the animals you recieve and the animals you place. And just because you spew some moralistic trope about recycled love and all that other nausea-inducing bile, you are not exempt for being largely responsible for the 70 + attacks, maulings and deaths on owners, caregivers or others since January 1 of this year. Think that's a fabrication? Google dog attacks and read the articles. Draw your own conclusions. I'm not doing your work for you any more. Want to know the most insidious truth of all? The USDA APHIS has exempted shelters and rescues while holding the deliberate and thoughtful breeders hostage as if they were some sort of criminal. More illicit dog transports occur domestically by an order of magnitude for shelters and "rescues" than by folks transporting deliberately produced animals. Many of the rabies outbreaks in the northwest can be directly attributed to the transport of "rescue" animals from outside the continental US. How is that even a thing? But breeders are being regulated out of existence. That's good ole' common sense for ya! Spare me your moral outrage. Change it. Demand better.

6) Veterinarians are not gods. Except my vet. I'd take a bullet for my vet, he's that valuable to me. Question everything your vet suggests. If you are not satisfied with your veterinary care, interview other vets. It really is that simple. The other side of that coin is you have to know a little bit about veterinary medicine to actually have an opinion on care. If you don't, s**u until you do. Stop asking for special dispensation that you neither earned nor deserve. It just makes you look bad. Your vet will thank you to periodically let him see your dogs, and they should be cared for; in decent weight, decent coat and relatively clean, as in not caked in s**t and p**s. Expect to be judged if they are poorly kept. Expect it to be justified. Don't blame your vet if stuff goes south. If you waited elebenty days/week/eons to address a health problem, remember the first maxim. Vets are not gods. You brought that stupid s**t on yourself.

7) Groomers can only work with the material they are handed. Next to good vets, if you have a hair breed, don't wait til that dog is 6 months old and matted to the skin before looking for a groomer that will work with you. Learn how to handle your dog when it is very young to prepare it for handling by strangers, like vets and groomers, because if you wait and have to hire me, I'm gonna make it worth their while, and you are going to pay for it. Begin interviewing groomers immediately. Maybe even before you acquire your new dog. Don't be a fool and wait. If you do, nobody will take you seriously and you will be unwelcome everywhere. Nobody likes an as***le dog. There's usually a reason they are as***les.

8) Trainers.

I was a dog owner before I was a trainer. I had to find a dog trainer or my dad was going to kill my dog. It was easier then. Find a dog club, go to classes. Be done with it. I also had a breeders support and learned about handling very early in life.

These days finding a decent trainer is a cesspool of pit vipers who have no interest in your success, only your wallet. It's garbage, but a naive public gobbles it up because they have nothing to compare it to, and since Joe Dunderhead shawk cawler trainer says the cowering dog on the place mat is normal, who are they to judge? And so as not to seem biased, Franny Fingers the clickerhead whose sum experience as a dog trainer is with a 4 month old PlatinumAussueMiniGoldenPomDoodle F2Gen that she took during the Zombie Apocalypse online screeches about her wokeness as she tells me to "get educated" with the science of dog training. Get a grip, honey. I have a dog I'd like you to meet. His name is Bruno, he weighs 130 pounds at least, and he opened up his owners face like a fu***ng hot pastrami on rye. Come! Show me how it's done!

But I digress. Interview trainers. Read about them online. Look for the information between the lines. Do they have reviews? I am sure not all of them will be glowing, but knowing the capricious nature of the human animal, smart people weigh the information, hopefully. Talk to your prospect. Set up an appointment to meet them. Have some respect for their time, because if there's one thing we hate more than anything is someone who doesn't value the single non-renewable resource of time. After all, you wouldn't do that to your lawyer. Not even your hairdresser. We are professionals. Respectful treatment will be returned in kind.

10/21/2023

Always remember, your DOG doesn't need to like to engage with every other dog any more than YOU need to like to engage with every other person you encounter!

10/20/2023

There is nothing harder to overcome in a dog than a poisoned recall cue.

You know the one- you call the dog to come to you, the dog refuses or dances around, and you get frustrated and angry and start bellowing at the dog to come to you.

The dog learns over time that your recall command means you are mad and to keep away from you.

Owners don't intend to poison the cue, but 100% of every dog that comes to us for remediation has learned that the recall command is something to be suspicious of.

So here's a handful of rules for teaching your dog a reliable recall:

1) Never give your dog a command that you cannot enforce. Your dog cannot refuse if it's wearing a leash and collar, and you happen to be holding the leash.

2) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS positively reinforce honest effort. If your dog comes to you, praise the dog SINCERELY and offer something of value in return for that effort.

3) Don't run your dog down if it refuses or is reluctant to come to you. You did that, not the dog. You breached a sacred trust, and you have to earn it back. It starts by not chasing the dog because you planned poorly and are now frustrated and angry.

4) 100% of recalls should be positively reinforced.

5) The recall should be the behavior you practice the most, with the greatest ROI for the dog. If every time you call your dog, you are locking him up, leaving him or any other activity the dog finds de-motivating, you are diminishing the value of the recall.

6) NEVER NEVER NEVER punish your dog for coming to you. I don't care what the dog did before that, but if you're not adhering to the short list of things above, that's a YOU problem, not a dog problem.

Think about it. When you were a kid and you heard your mom shout your first, middle, and last name, you knew you were in for it.

You didn't want to come to that, why do you think your dog would?

10/18/2023

The basics are the starting point for a reason.
Without them anything else will fail.

I share this story a lot. As the years go by, it is a powerful reminder of how cavalier folks can be when it comes to dangerous dogs.

When we still operated the training space in Carroll County, I had a client with an offensive-aggressive herding breed mix. She was a mature adult, but I can’t remember whether she was a ‘rescue’ or had been with this family from puppyhood.

A typical nuclear family; two working parents, two school age kids who were more invested in friends and activities than family or dog. The principal handler was male. I never met the wife.

Anyway, the team had been coming for weeks. We were about midway through a particularly long program to address the dogs’ threatening behaviors with family members as well as guests or chance encounters during activities like walks.

There had been no improvement, and I cannot remember a time when the dog didn’t take a swipe, at least once, during a lesson.

I was missing something. I had to be. I thought I had asked all the right questions, discovered all the pertinent information that would allow me to glean some insight into this dog’s behavior. The owner swore he was doing the work, that other family members were compliant with protocols, etc.

He swore it.

I was surely missing something.

After about the 6th week of lessons, I sat him down and told him that I wasn’t seeing any progress. I asked if there was anything I might have overlooked, and *now* would be a good time to tell me. Problems with follow-through, maybe? Perhaps there were some issues that he didn’t think were important, but that I might… maybe the work he thought his family was maintaining might be less than what was required to keep them safe?

He looked downfield to the agility equipment and sighed. “I was just waiting to get to the ‘fun stuff’.”

I needed a steam shovel to scrape my jaw off the floor.

This individual had wasted time, money, and opportunity because he thought that ‘fun stuff’ was more important than remediating his dog’s aggression. He proceeds to tell me that the only reason his wife made him come that night was because the dog had ‘nipped’ (gawd, if there’s a stupid euphemism that I hated, it’s THAT ONE) a friend of one of the children again and she was getting tired of the dog’s proclivity for people meat.

I mean, lawsuits are a thing.

He went on to tell me that with life being so demanding that having to train the dog was just a bother, so he had contacted a vet to write a scrip for anti-anxiety meds and the dog had been receiving them for months now.

I was furious. I had a DOCUMENT that this individual had signed that stated the dog was not currently being treated with any medication.

He had lied to me. His lies had endangered not only his family, but myself, my interns, my spouse, and my son. All of whom at one time or another had been in close proximity to this dog.

I have a very simple, very specific requirement when I work with people. It’s called “Don’t lie to me.”

I understand that most folks aren’t being deliberately deceptive, and that what they interpret may not coincide with what a professional might see, but to openly deceive…

That is unconscionable.

And much like his dog, he had no remorse.

Our relationship ended that day. I never heard from him again.

The point being, there is no ‘getting to the fun stuff’ if you cannot master the basics.

I admire people that are willing to commit to their dogs and can envision solutions to the variety of behavior issues they encounter. I have immense respect for the folks that, by virtue of determination, are putting one foot in front of the other to help their dogs, and themselves, experience a better existence.

Not all behavior problems can be *cured*, but they can be improved. It just takes a plan that can be executed efficiently, and the determination to want the change.

In the movie Dune, there is a great line- “It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.”

It really doesn’t take much, but it takes more than lip service. It takes actual effort.

PS. The dog in this image is not a masher. She is a delightful Lagotto that is preparing for her obedience ring debut. I just wanted a nice, colorful image for FB to circulate because they like images.