My response to a question I see come up a ton. So, if prong collars are painful to dogs, why would a dog get excited to see theirs?
Dogs learn through association. If a dog knows that his prong collar means he gets to to go for a walk, regardless of if that prong collar is uncomfortable or painful, he still gets to go for a walk and that walk is meeting a basic need for the dog. The dog getting excited to see his collar does not mean that the collar isn’t painful, it just means that the need to go for a walk over powers the discomfort the collar brings.
These collars are designed to hurt. If they didn’t hurt they simply would not work.
Let’s please stop justifying the use of pain and force in the name of training. If you are using these tools, at least understand the impact they have on our learners. It is so upsetting to see trainers using pain to train an animals and claiming “it doesn’t hurt.” The literal reason it works is because it hurts. We know better, let’s do better.
How many times have you seen a video of a trainer who “fixes” a dogs behavior in moments? As if it was magic? This is something I commonly see with dogs who are behaving aggressively or reactive.
Well, there is no “magic” in dog training. What you are actually witnessing is behavioral suppression. Ultimately, this is a cruel process and is a huge red flag.
Behavioral suppression is to control and inhibit the expression of unacceptable impulses. In dog training, it looks like addition of punishment when a dog displays unwanted or “bad” behavior.
Why is this wrong? Let’s put ourselves in our dogs perspective. Imagine that you are uncomfortable with a situation. Maybe you’re scared, feeling overwhelmed, or feel like you need to defend yourself. You express these concerns in the only way that you know how. Instead of your caretaker helping you feel safe, they punish you every time you express your concerns. Eventually, you learn that your expression of concern just gets you hurt more, so you stop expressing them. You still feel uncomfortable, scared, or at threat, but since expressing the concern now causes you more distress, you shut up and shut down. That is quite literally what is happening when a trainer slaps a shock or prong collar on a dog and, as if it was magic, the behavioral concerns go away. We know this because we see dogs who aren’t reacting anymore, but they are still showing body language signs of fear and distress.
Stop putting band aids over bullet holes and expecting them to not get infected. Instead, address the underlying emotional concerns that your dog is displaying. Tried and true behavioral modification is the furthest thing from dramatic and happens slow and steady. There is no magic fix.
Need help finding the right trainer? DM me, I’d love to help!
Viper just took the first dose of her new behavioral meds🖤 Her and I likely won’t be doing too much work for the next few days while she adjusts. So, here’s a little clip of what we were practicing this morning! We love to do heel work for fun✨
Viper just took the first dose of her new behavioral meds🖤 Her and I likely won’t be doing too much work for the next few days while she adjusts. So, here’s a little clip of what we’ve been working on recently. She just still just learning how to weave!
Muzzle Monday!!! Well Tuesday now😂 Thank you for your patience! Last week, SO many of you requested the steps I take when working to actually clip the muzzle on. Once we have worked on targeting the muzzle and duration holds inside the muzzle, we can start working to clip it on! Below are the steps I took with my good friend Kimba to get the muzzle strapped on!
1️⃣Desensitization to the muzzle strap. This can be a big one for some dogs! Many dogs aren’t used to feeling a strap like this on their head. It’s important that we get them comfy with the sensation before anything else! In the video, I encourage Kimba to put his face into the muzzle and lick away at a treat while I put the strap on his head. I let him lick and enjoy the reinforcement for a bit while he gets used to the sensation of the strap on his head.
2️⃣Very similar exercise here, but now I am actually clipping the muzzle! This part can sometimes be difficult for us humans to do, so I recommend practicing clipping and un-clipping the muzzle before you try it on your dog. I clip the muzzle and once again allow Kimba to lick away at the reinforcement I am providing inside the muzzle. During this step, I am also working to slowly stop holding the muzzle. Sometimes, the weight of the muzzle on a dogs face can be scary for them! So I go at their pace and remove my hold on it slowly.
3️⃣ and 4️⃣ Once we can clip the muzzle on, we let the dog get adjusted to it by having them wear it for short periods of time. While they are wearing the muzzle, we want to ensure that they are still making positive associations! Kimba enjoyed some cuddle time while he wore the muzzle(he really loves snuggles!) along with going over some very well known cues. You can also mark and reward your dog for simply just wearing the muzzle as well!
Remember to go slow and have fun!! If your dog begins pawing at the muzzle or getting stressed at any time, remove the muzzle from their face immediately! We do
Happy Muzzle Monday!!! Today, we are going to talk about some of the exercises I use to introduce muzzling to a dog. These videos are from Kimba’s first ever muzzling session with me. Here’s three of the exercises we focused on during this session...
1️⃣Targeting the muzzle. Kimba was actually offering to stick his face in the muzzle right away. I hold the muzzle out to him, click when his face goes in, then place reinforcement outside of the muzzle. I place reinforcement outside of the muzzle here so Kimba can make the choice to stick his face in again. If needed, I lure Kimba into the muzzle which you see me do on the 4th repetition.
2️⃣Muzzle duration. Here, Kimba sticks his face in the muzzle, I click, then place reinforcement inside the muzzle for him to enjoy for a short period of time. I was using a squeeze tube filled with cheese that Kimba could lick while his face was in the muzzle.
3️⃣I hold the muzzle out and take a few steps backwards. Kimba eagerly chases after me to target the muzzle. Once he does, I click and place reinforcement outside of the muzzle. This exercise is all out adding some fun and excitement into the muzzling process. I typically add in a bit of verbal praise to encourage the dog to catch up to me and target the muzzle!
When introducing a muzzle, it is vital to ensure the dog only creates positive associations with it. Your dog should be able to make the choice to wear their muzzle, knowing that only good things come out of wearing it! Questions? Ask me in the comments!⬇️
Look at this wonderful team! Basil is a dog who has struggled with severe reactivity for multiple years. In some instances, she has unfortunately injured her owner by dragging her to the ground. Would you know that from watching this short video? Absolutely not. Tried and true behavior change is not flashy, dramatic, or exciting. We are not pushing dogs past their limits to then punish their reactions and elicit immediate behavior change like you may see on TV. That is not training, that is behavioral suppression and it is the furthest thing from humane. True behavior change is like watching paint dry. Doesn’t look like much while it’s happening, but over time you will in fact see that the paint is dry. Here are the steps we have taken and are taking with Basil to ensure that her behavior change is as smooth and boring as watching paint dry…
1️⃣Obtain a clear bill of health from a veterinarian to ensure the problem behaviors are not being caused or worsened by underlying medical issues.
2️⃣Work alongside a veterinarian to get Basil on the right behavior modification medication along with the right dosage.
3️⃣Teach management and safe handling skills. We then practice the heck out of them away from triggers to ensure they are super smooth before applying them with triggers!
4️⃣ 👏 Meet 👏 Basil’s 👏 needs👏 Ensure Basil is getting adequate physical and mental stimulation. We ditched neighborhood walks with lots of at home enrichment and decompression walks!
5️⃣Counter Conditioning and Systematic Desensitization to the sight of triggers(dogs). Exactly what you are seeing in the video! Basil is set up at a distance where she can successfully look at our fakey dog without showing any signs of stress or discomfort and gains reinforcement for doing so. This teaches her to associate the sight of her triggers with reinforcement, overall helping her feel safe around them.
Reactivity is one of the most common behavioral issues that us d
Leo had a quick turnaround with his leash walking behavior in just 15 minutes of practicing some new exercises🤩 We all know that true behavior change takes time and patience. But, WOW do I love to see a dog make quick connections and pick up on what they need to do to gain reinforcement so quickly. Here’s what we did to communicate to Leo that we wanted him to stop dragging us around⬇️
1) Captured any and all desired behavior. Whether Leo was focusing on us, orienting towards us, not putting tension on the leash, or removing tension from the leash, we were marking it and reinforcing it by tossing him a high-value treat. Heyyyy @happyhowies we are talking about you😉
2) Played a game called Voluntary Attention. We would start by tossing one of those high-value treats on the ground. Leo would eat it and eventually look back at us. Once he looked at us, we would toss another treat on the ground and then another every time he chose to look. This game is soooo powerful as the dog makes the choice to engage with you. If you think about it, the dog is actually cueing YOU to toss more food. This makes getting engagement so easy.
3) Ended reinforcement for pulling. If we do not want a behavior to occur, we must make sure it is not being reinforced. Leo’s parents were holding the end of the leash tight into their stomach area so that if Leo did pull, all they had to do was stop walking. No worries about their arm being pulled out with the leash thus reinforcing the pull. They then moved right back into step 1 and started reinforcing again when Leo stopped pulling.
Questions? Ask em in the comments below ⬇️
I welcomed this big guy, “Kimba” into a hybrid day training program last week! Kimba has displayed some aggression towards people coming into his home. Him and his dad completed 6 in-home lessons with me previous to starting day training so Kimba was able to become friends with me throughout those☺️ While Kimba is going through behavior modification to improve his behavior upon seeing guests, he still needs to learn to wear a muzzle to keep everyone(including him) safe. Today was our fourth lesson together and he was able to wear the muzzle all on his own while we practiced focusing cues and walking with it on. We put it a lot of practice leading up to this and I’m super happy with where he is at right now!
Muzzling will not only keep Kimba and the people around him safe, but will also give Kimba more freedom to make appropriate choices. Regardless of aggression concerns, I believe that every dog should learn to happily wear a muzzle just in case they ever NEED to. Kimba associates his muzzle with meaty rolls, spray cheese, peanut butter, and scratches. It is becoming one of his favorite things to wear and that’s how it always should be🖤
Kimba and his family learned about fear free husbandry during their lesson today🤩 Using a fear free approach is all about reducing the use of heavy restraints, while adding reinforcement to create a less stressful, more positive experience. We ensured Kimba continued to have a good experience by...
1️⃣Going slow! We worked on one foot at a time, giving frequent breaks.
2️⃣ Watching Kimba’s body language for tensing or tightening. A loose body is the green light to go!
3️⃣Pairing the dremeling with one of Kimba’s favorite things, peanut butter!🤤
4️⃣ Listening to Kimba’s cues. If he were to pull his foot away, stop licking the peanut butter, or tense/tighten up, that means we need to stop.
Let’s remember that using force and fear to get what you want is no way to treat your best🐶friend. Using a fear free, consensual approach is the way to go💛 Fear Free Pets
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#fearfree #forcefree
#trainhumane #trainwithoutpain #thefutureisforcefree
#privatetraining #personaltraining #moderndogtraining #sciencebased
#humanetraining #trainer #trainmydog #welovedogs #forcefree #rewardbased #inhome #virtual #positivereinforcement #nopaininmygame #trainwithoutpain #education #learning #hardworkpaysoff #patience #dogtrainer #trainme #enrichment #canineenrichment #trainyourdog
The first thing he does when I come over is jump in bed and wait for his reinforcement🥺
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#cutenessoverload
#fearfree #forcefree
#trainhumane #trainwithoutpain #thefutureisforcefree
#privatetraining #personaltraining #moderndogtraining #sciencebased
#humanetraining #trainer #trainmydog #welovedogs #forcefree #rewardbased #inhome #virtual #positivereinforcement #nopaininmygame #trainwithoutpain #education #learning #hardworkpaysoff #patience #dogtrainer #trainme #enrichment #canineenrichment #trainyourdog
How beautiful are Riley’s check ins!?😍 I have been lucky enough to work with this girl and her mom throughout the last 4 months! We recently completed a 5 Lesson Program focused on teaching Riley to make friends with the guests that come into her home. Now, Riley joined a hybrid program to focus on her reactivity to other dogs. I get to see Riley for a 1-on-1 day training lesson every other week. Along with that, I meet with her and her mom for a private lesson on the opposite weeks! Riley is a pleasure to work with. I always leave her sessions with a smile🥰
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#fearfree #forcefree
#trainhumane #trainwithoutpain #thefutureisforcefree
#privatetraining #personaltraining #moderndogtraining #sciencebased
#humanetraining #trainer #trainmydog #welovedogs #forcefree #rewardbased #inhome #virtual #positivereinforcement #nopaininmygame #trainwithoutpain #education #learning #hardworkpaysoff #patience #dogtrainer #trainme #enrichment #canineenrichment #trainyourdog
