I had the absolute HONOR to be asked to speak at the Aggression in Dogs Conference held in Arizona the other week. As the only conference dedicated specifically to working with aggression cases, it was the fifth annual one, and I have been a fan of it since it started five years ago. I am still floored at the opportunity to present amongst the best, as this has been the biggest speaking engagement of my career.
The speaker line up was top notch and it was very surreal speaking alongside the likes of veterinary behaviorists, scientists, and authors whose books I had read twenty years ago when I was first starting out on my dog training journey. To be asked to join the likes of such amazing leaders in the industry was truly a dream come true.
After experiencing some resistance amongst my peers in the industry the last few months, I had some reservations about presenting. However, my lecture was met with nothing but support and love. The community around the conference and my experience within it, restored and renewed my faith in our industry and the dynamics of differing opinions. It dissolved any bitterness and negative feelings that were lingering and I am truly humbled by the opportunity to be a part of it all.
I want to extend an immense amount of gratitude to all of my clients and their dogs who I see, and have seen, on a regular basis for the past two decades. You all have taught me so much and I would not be where I am today without you! The access I have to so many aggression cases really allows me to fine tune and cater to my niche. The endless amount of video footage, photos, and case studies that I have is something that’s so incredibly worth while in sharing to the world, in an effort to spread awareness and educate whoever wants to listen and learn. I got so many “thank you’s” from attendees, for being able to provide so many practical video examples. And I wouldn’t have that ability without all of my wonderful, trusting clients.
I also
DOG TALK TUESDAY: MUZZLE PUNCHING
Muzzle punching is when a dog makes contact with their closed mouth, in a “jabbing,” “poking,” or “punching” manner. This can be considered an escalated distance increasing signal, possibly one of the last “warnings” before an actual bite.
This is a video of my own dog, Chupacabra, that I used recently in my presentation at a conference. In the video, there’s a muzzle on the floor with some residual smearable food in it (peanut butter) which can turn the muzzle into a food item from the view point of the dog. Chupacabra has a history of multiple bites involving resource guarding (including food items). So when I reach down to pick up the muzzle, you will see that he body blocks once, body blocks twice, and then escalates to a muzzle punch to my hand, as it continued to reach for the muzzle (done purposely for the intention of this video - do not try at home! I know Chu well, his body language, and his thresholds). It’s at that moment that I ask him to leave it and move away, rather than reach for it another time.
The muzzle punch was a clear indicator to move away and make space from the object that he was guarding.
As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself.
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Dog treadmills also make very expensive platforms for cats to lay on and groom themselves. Just ask Jada!
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When a cat is supervising your treadmill session with disdain… Jada the cat is wondering why Jack the dog is “dumb enough” to use that thing! 🤣
This might be one of my favorite videos I’ve captured of all time!
Another benefit of the treadmill - the cat gets to mock the dog.
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It’s very common for guardian breeds (although it doesn’t happen in them exclusively) to place themselves in between you and another person, especially a stranger.
For happy, sociable individuals with no history of aggression displayed towards other people, they may place themselves in between you and someone else just because they want to be in the center of all the attention and interactions. But for any of our guardian breed individuals OR for any individual who has a history of displaying aggression towards other people, (my El Chupacabra is both categories) I always caution owners allowing the dog to do this. It makes it too easy for them to react with aggression should the other person move quickly, stand up, or reach over towards you.
To mitigate this, we ask the dog to move to our opposite side, and instead, placing ourselves in between. You can see me doing that with Chu, here.
It’s often times in situations like this where people say “the dog reacted out of nowhere.” Knowing and honoring your dog’s history, as well as not setting them up to fail is key. Knowing Chu’s history, I was not going to allow him to stay planted between my friend (who was videoing) and I. It’s an easy enough request to give, and execute while making the situation much more safe for the other person.
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Turning Dreams into Reality ✨
Dakota & Hendrix were both reactive and pulled a lot on the leash when I first met them. And despite an extensive amount of obedience training including boarding and training programs, their owner could not handle them or walk them individually, let alone together. In fact, she had stopped their walks entirely.
Over the last few months she’s worked really hard on implementing all of my suggestions and practicing, to the point that we’ve reached her end goal - being able to walk them together confidently.
It’s so nice to see owners be able to reach their goals with their dogs!
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Treadmill training is not just for physical exercise - it can be for confidence building and mental stimulation as well! Raelynn was very scared of the treadmill to start with, but after slow integration paired with food rewards, she was able to conquer that fear. And that’s when the mental stimulation comes in. You can see how in the video she looks down and is watching the treadmill as she takes some of her steps. Each step requires thought at this stage. And even though she’s not on it for long, and doesn’t go very far, it can still be quite tiring at the end due to the amount of thinking she is putting into it. Versus the mindless steps/walking that occur when going out for a walk.
The benefits of treadmill training can vary greatly!
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PICK AND CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES WITH PUPPIES
I see so many puppy owners who don’t like when their puppy picks up sticks and twigs and pieces of palm fronds while on walks. And those same people complain when their young puppy bites them or the leash while on the walk. And yet the reality is, puppies explore the world with their mouth and sometimes puppies also need to do something with the mouth to stay busy. Sticks and twigs and palm fronds are much more appropriate for them to carry around in their mouth rather than your leash or clothing. So, let puppies be puppies and let them carry that palm frond on the walk. Let them explore, play, build confidence, and learn how to entertain themselves. If something doesn’t pose a risk to them, let them do it!
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DOG TALK TUESDAY: Frantic/Fast Licking as a Distance Increasing Signal
Frantic and fast licking is actually, usually, a distance increasing signal. Also called “kiss to dismiss” this behavior is usually accompanied by fast body movement, dilated pupils, eye whites, and/or followed up by avoidance as the aim is to “push” the other away. This video is of my dog, El Chupacabra, when I first acquired him. He had multiple serious bites to family members already under his belt, and would bite them when they would do simple things such as look at his ears, pet the top of his head, put a collar on, or wipe eye boogers from his face. What appears to be “friendly” behavior really is not.
You see that when I reach my hand towards him, he does the frantic licking (+ dilated pupils and eye whites) and when I pull my hand away and create distance, he does a shake off (as it was a stressful interaction for him) and then he walks away. Dogs who are licking/grooming in a sociable, distance decreasing way, would be relaxed, have softer body language, and would stay close by. Context is important here, too. This dog has inflicted the scars to prove it.
Dogs don’t “kiss” like we do, so don’t mistake something as a “friendly behavior” when it’s actually the opposite. It’s easy to project our own feelings onto what we see in our dogs, but this is why learning about dog body language is so important.
As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself.
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SWIMMING LESSONS
Even if your dog doesn’t really like swimming, if you have a pool without a fence, it’s a good idea to teach them where the steps are should they ever fall in, they’ll know how to get out.
Rex really doesn’t like swimming, but his owners really wanted him to know how to get out on his own. We use a life jacket to help give him extra support, as well as a leash to guide him in, and then steer him towards the steps. You can see how he frantically tries to make his way to the side of the pool at first, but by using the leash and the life jacket, we can steer him towards the steps so he can get out on his own. After a few repetitions, he started going to the steps faster, rather than try (and fail) to get out at the side of the pool.
This is truly a skill that can save your dog’s life, by giving them the confidence and and the knowledge of what to do if they were to ever fall in.
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DOG TALK TUESDAY: Progressive Exaggeration and Escalation of a Distance Increasing Signal (in this example, the freeze)
This is a popular video in my dog body language seminar. It’s of a hound in a shelter who had historically guarded both the couch as well as the ball (+ bite history in these situations). And here he has both. He is happy rolling around entertaining himself when I approach and close in on distance. When I get too close, he does the TINIEST mini freeze (a pause in movement, stillness). When I begin to back away, he goes back to his antics entertaining himself. When I approach a second time, he freezes again, but a little longer. He was basically saying, “Lady, you clearly didn’t hear me the first time, so let me say it a little LOUDER.” And once again when I backed off and gave him space, he went back to entertaining himself. This was clear progression and escalation in his distance increasing signal (the freeze) due to my repeated approaches. Not all dogs will be “nice enough” to give you the more exaggerated warning the second time around.
As always, when reading body language we have to remember to read it like we would read a sentence. Understand that it’s all the words together that create the meaning of a sentence, not one word alone. Thereby we also need to take all of the dog’s body language signals combined to create a meaning, and not focus on one single body part by itself.
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Just a good girl Annie who is able to settle while people walk by, instead of getting up and trying to approach everyone who passes. It’s hard for a friendly dog who thinks that everyone nearby is there for them and for them only. Sometimes I work with people because their dog is “too friendly” lol.
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