Red Light, Green Light 🚦
Start Button Class from Jack and Jill!
A start button behavior is like a green light. It provides a way for our learners not just to be passive recipient, but active leaders in their training.
Registration for this course opens one week from today - February 15th. Space is limited and Patreon members will get early access to enrollment, so if you want to take your training to the next level, that’s your best bet to snag a spot!
Visit www.jackandjilldogtraining.com/group-classes for more info. Link in bio.
#Accessibility: The title image appears for a few seconds. It’s a picture of Jack resting his chin on Jill’s hand. The text on the image says “Red Light Green Light: Using Start Button Behaviors in Dog Training.” Then many short clips are cut together showing dogs performing start button behaviors in a variety of situations - nail trims, putting on gear, being approached by strangers or other dogs, walking forward on a leash, etc.
As a trainer, I have high expectations and goals for myself and for my dogs in training and in life. When I learned that Jack would need monthly injections to manage his arthritis, I knew that I wanted to be able to do them myself. Little did I know that my own fears and insecurities would be the biggest thing to get in our way.
I feared the needle. I feared applying pressure to break through his skin. I feared hurting him. I feared feeling like a failure if it didn’t go perfectly, or if we couldn’t do it ourselves and I would have to have it done by someone else, or that he would be in more pain because of a missed dose.
We worked with the amazing Laura Monaco Torelli (whose voice can be heard on the video) through this procedure, and during our last session she coached me through a real injection. Jack already had these skills - he knew the chin rest, how to hold it during body tactile, how to take reinforcement, how to station and perform tricks. Truly, the hardest part was building up my confidence and fluency in the face of those very real fears and pressures. Laura was a fantastic coach and encourager through the entire process.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and our dogs. This is true not just in cooperative care (oh no, the dog lifted their head! they pulled their paw away!), but in so much of our lives with them. I think it’s time we take some of that pressure off, do the best we can, and stop being afraid to take big risks even if things don’t look perfectly polished.
So here’s a real video of a real trainer feeling nervous and awkward and bumbling through a procedure, and feeling very real relief and joy when it all goes okay.
Jack booty appreciation.
That’s it. That’s the post.
It may not look like a lot, but it’s huge.
For dogs like Korra, just stepping out the front door is terrifying. The hinges creak and the door moves unexpectedly. The wind blows and all the leaves on every plant flutter and make noise. The flag across the street flaps. A car door slams down the block and a dog barks from inside their house. A stranger is on the sidewalk - and they’re heading straight towards you.
While growling, barking, and lunging look to us like a dog who’s not afraid of a confrontation, often those behaviors are deeply rooted in fear. Dogs who are reactive do not need to get over it, learn boundaries, or receive corrections for displaying these behaviors. They need to feel safe.
While providing alternate enrichment and exercise outlets, we are working on building Korra’s confidence with the world. Today, she felt safe enough in her front yard to stand with a loose leash, sniff for treats in the grass, and offer eye contact. For dogs like Korra, this is huge. I’m so proud of her.
Celebrate the small wins with your dog, because those are what add up to huge victories.
Do you know why your dog pulls on the leash?
Me either.
Until I meet your dog and learn more about them, I can’t say what’s causing that behavior.
Dogs may pull because:
🐕🦺 they’re excited
🐕🦺 they’re afraid of something
🐕🦺 they feel nervous
🐕🦺 they haven’t been shown what to do instead
🐕🦺 the environment or length of the leash is setting them up to do so
🐕🦺 their needs for enrichment and exercise haven’t been appropriately met
🐕🦺 any combination of the above
Unless you can identify what is motivating your dog to pull, you can’t identify a solution.
What I can tell are things that AREN’T reasons why dogs pull:
✖️ because they’re stubborn
✖️ because they’re dominant
✖️ because they think they’re the alpha who needs to be at the front of the pack
✖️ because they’re wearing a harness
Winnie is practicing the voluntary 1-2-3 treat walking game, because sometimes she gets nervous and doesn’t want to continue walking. This game, created by the wonderful Leslie McDevitt, allows her to say when she’s ready to move forward by offering eye contact, and provides predictability that helps decrease her anxiety.
[VD: a young golden retriever wearing a leash and harness stands next to a white woman. The dog looks up at the human, they take three steps forward, then the human puts a treat on the ground for the dog.]
What about when there’s no treat that can compete with the environment? 🐠
This is a question I get asked a lot. Normally, it’s best training practice to use high-value treats when working around high-level distractions. But there will always be situations where nothing you can put in your pocket it better than what the world has to offer.
👉 What we think of as distractions are really just reinforcers that we don’t have control over. 👈
Jack LOVES fishing. 🐟 He’ll scan the water for movement endlessly and has been known to swim out far beyond what is safe while totally ignoring my calls. Here I am working on his ability to pay attention to me while there is an opportunity to fish. I reward for any attention he offers first with a high-value treat, and then with the opportunity to resume fishing. When Jack begins to understand that he can go fishing AND get peanut butter if he checks in with me, he begins to do so more often.
For those who love the nerdy behavior side of these things, this is a concept known as the Premack Principle: using a high-probability behavior (fishing) to reinforce a low-probability behavior (looking at me or coming when called in this situation). Some people also call it the “eat your vegetables” of dog training. 🥦
What does your dog LOVE to get distracted by? How might you harness the power of that distraction and turn it into a reinforcer?
