Spectrum Dog Tec

13/01/2024

“If your dog was trained, you could just tell them to sit and be quiet!”

This is not how reactivity works. It’s a fundamental misconception that a well-trained dog is not a reactive dog … or that a reactive dog is not well-trained.

Whether or not a dog is reactive tells you nothing about the amount of skill training they have received. A dog can *both* be able to perform challenging and complex behaviors … and have intense responses towards certain triggers.

Skill training cannot always overwrite a dog’s emotional state. A dog may be able to “sit and be quiet” with food distractions, while you’re throwing a toy or even in the presence of wildlife … but not be able to do this at all in close proximity to a trigger.
This is really important to understand for both owners of reactive and non-reactive dogs:
If you own a reactive dog, your dog is not missing “obedience training”, as reactivity is not a lack of obedience … it’s a surplus of stress.
If you do not own a reactive dog and think that reactive dog owners just don’t know how to train their dogs to behave … that is also not true. The dogs are *not* poorly *trained*. The dogs are *feeling* poorly near triggers.
Reactivity (or lack thereof) and skills (or lack thereof) are not inherently linked.
There are …
💙 Reactive and very well-trained dogs
🩵 Non-reactive and very well-trained dogs
💚 Non-reactive and poorly trained dogs
💛 Reactive and poorly trained dogs

Don’t discount a reactive dog as one who just didn’t get trained … the topic is much more complex than this.

03/07/2023

28/06/2023

Well said! Good and bad are human constructs. Just because it inconveniences us, doesn’t mean it’s bad behaviour.

Many of the behaviors we deem bad are natural dog behaviours. Think: barking, jumping, sniffing, digging, foraging, shredding etc!

Instead let’s teach our dogs, shape their brains so they make good choices, and respect them when they say no!

We can still teach them to allow nail trims and respect them if they say not right now. We can still eat dinner without them trying to steal it off our plates our countersurf, go for leash walks and not have them jumping up on everyone all without applying the constructs of good and bad or using punishment.

I promise, it’s possible! ✨

“Force-free/Positive Reinforcement trainers only reward the good and ignore the bad!”

Nah, mate. We’re here to completely abolish the entire concept of “good” and “bad” behaviour altogether.

Dogs do not know what “good or bad” and “right or wrong” are. These are human constructs and concepts that mean absolutely nothing to them (which is honestly wonderful).

What they know is what’s safe and unsafe, what’s pleasant and unpleasant. So if we think we are letting our dog know that their behaviour is “bad” or “wrong” through punishment, we are essentially letting them know that something unpleasant is about to happen, and sadly potentially also that we are unsafe to be around.

What even is “bad” behaviour anyway? Is it things our dogs do that inconveniences us as people? Behaviours we or society decided that we don’t like in dogs even though they are just being dogs or just trying their hardest to communicate with us?

Our dogs’ behaviours are information. Even jumping up, growling, barking, lunging, digging, pulling on leash, snapping, biting, etc. are information about what our dogs might be in need of in that moment and what we have to do to meet those needs and help them feel safe.

Yes, sometimes they may feel challenging for us, but that does not mean that it’s “bad” behaviour nor does it need to be punished and suppressed.

And what even is “good” behaviour? Obedience and compliance? Total “neutrality” to everything?

I don’t want that ever. I want my dog to feel safe to communicate and express himself, to have his needs met and let me know what he needs. I want him to feel safe to say “no, absolutely not” and to feel safe to try something new, even if that means jumping into the raised plant beds now and then and having a cheeky little dig. I want him to be a dog and be who he is.

I want him to feel safe with me and in this world.

When we abolish the concept of “good” and “bad” when it comes to our dog’s behaviour, we can finally see it for what it is and learn what they are trying to communicate and meet their needs more effectively.

We can learn and grow together, and feel safe with each other without the baggage of these unnecessary constructs.

ID: The background photo shows a white dog running on the grass behind a person. The handwritten style text above has a strikethrough and says in quotation marks “Reward the good, ignore the bad”. The text under this in red highlights says “Abolish the idea of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ dog behaviour.”

15/05/2023

BRIBES OR REWARDS?

A bribe is something that is offered before a behaviour, while a reward is something that is offered after a behaviour. It’s all about the timing.

Using rewards as a way to communicate with our dogs what we want them to do should no longer even be debated.

Rewarding the behaviour we want is an invaluable, effective, scientifically proven way to build communication and maintain a wanted behaviour.

Using rewards is not what this post is about. This post is about the belief that using rewards is just about bribing our dogs to do something. It’s about the all-too-common problem that many people have – “but my dog will only do something if I show him a treat first”.

In these cases, the reward has become a bribe because it has to be offered before a behaviour is performed. The reward prompts, influences and encourages a behaviour and without it, the dog will not “perform”.

To use rewards effectively and avoid this issue, the reward needs to be presented after the behaviour has been performed. It then becomes a way of communicating – “Well done, I really liked your behaviour!”

There are times when bribes or luring are necessary. Teaching a new behaviour, helping a dog that is fearful, unsure, establishing trust and building relationship, bribing a dog to drop something by trading it for a yummy treat or at times when you temporarily need to address a potentially dangerous or frustrating situation.

When correctly timed, rewards are not bribes. Rewards are an effective tool in helping our dogs understand what to do. Keep on rewarding a behaviour well done.

19/04/2023

New post on the blog from Suzanne: https://suzanneclothier.com/my-hypothesis-is/

"The better your observation skills, the more information you have. It's as simple as that. What you see - or don't - will inform everything you do with a dog, affect the choices you make, lead you to conclusions. Your timing depends entirely on your observation skills. Your ability to stay safe - and keep dogs and others safe - will depend on your observation skills."

17/04/2023

Coming soon! We’re still working on some behind the scenes stuff, but we promise it will be worth the wait. In the meantime give your pets some love and belly scritches. See you soon!