Why dosent the dog just move away?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152936315227506
In a group I am in people are chatting about this video (sorry Im not sure how to put it up here so just click the link)

It is a confusing video, to start with it looks like the dog is really enjoying licking the baby, when the baby moves there are loads of signs from the dog that he is not wanting the baby there, leaning away, ears back, whale eye etc
But the argument most people use is that the dog must be happy because there is nothing stopping him moving away

This really got me thinking
I often say to Ben 'you can just move away' when a male dog gets a little over friendly with him, even if the other dog is on the lead Ben will not just move away, instead he will start giving out warnings. I try and step in before this point but sometimes Im not quick enough and he starts freezing, whale eye, lip wrinkles, growls and sometimes even a air snap

I actually dont think dogs see an option to move away - all their signs is to tell the other dog/animal to move away
The only time I can think of I have seen a dog move away is actually in fear (and even then only some dogs move away due to fear, many more try and make the other thing go away)
Its almost like moving away is an apology so the dog being 'wronged' is not going to say sorry, he is going to make the other dog (baby) do that

So please do not assume your dog is OK with something because they havent chose to move away - perhaps they dont see the option of actually moving away

Size dosent matter!

Small dogs are just not treated the same way as large dogs. I saw several examples of that out and about today.

1. 3 tiny JRT's being walked by one woman. All three dogs were pulling so hard that their paws were scrabbling on the pavement and they where wheezing and panting.
If a large dog pulls people are more likely to deal with it one way or another, because it hurts them and it can be dangerous.
Just because a small dog isnt pulling you with as much force as a large one it is still hurting itself pulling with all its force onto a small collar.

2. A pair of poodles snarling, barking and lunging at passing dogs.
If they were GSD's or something of that size then people would be yelling at the owners to get their dogs under control but with these poodles people laughed and pointed.
No matter what size dogs are dogs, they are still able to cause injury to another dog or person if they choose to attack and even if they can be controlled on the lead the dog is very stressed when they are in this situation. This stress is not good for your dogs health

3. A pack of small dogs charging at other dogs with no control as their owners laughed. Just because the dogs were lucky enough to meet well mannered dogs who put up with their bad manners owners should keep control of their dogs no matter what the size!

4. A small yorkie in a 'princess' fluffy dress being carried and cooed over like she was a toy. Please let your dog be a dog!! If you want a doll but one!!

All seen in one day!! Dogs are dogs regardless of the size, if you wouldnt let a 15 stone dog do something then dont let your 2Kg dog do it.

The food bowl

It is very sad that some training methods are not only misguided but they can be dangerous in some cases and spoil our relationship between us and our dogs.
One method that often causes problems is taking food off a dog.
Many people believe that to show the dog who is the boss they should be able to take food from the dog whenever they want to. To implement that they remove the dogs food bowl when the dog is eating.
Lots of dogs are very forgiving and just put up with our rudeness.
But
Some dogs begin to learn that they are not safe when they are eating their food and start to become defensive and aggressive when anyone comes near them.
The owner misreads this as the dog becoming dominant and then punishes the dog. The dog then learns that it was correct, it is not safe when it is eating, bad things happen and it can become even more aggressive.
If you imagine yourself if you are eating something yummy and someone comes and takes it away without saying anything. The first time you may be a little confused but say nothing, the second time you may yell 'HEY' the next time you might be holding onto your dish waiting for them to come.
Its true sometimes you may need to take food away from your dog, but rather than get into a battle it is better to teach him to trust you.
Around the food bowl (If your dog isnt already showing aggression) you could casually toss something really yummy into their bowl. You can teach your dog to 'give' you something in its mouth by swapping it for something even better - and then you can even sometimes give them the original thing back again.
Dogs and wolves do not take food off another dog, even the most alpha wolf will leave a cub that has food in its mouth.
This applies for your household dogs too, if you allow one dog to keep taking food or toys from the other dog then he may learn to guard items from other dogs. Mia was very bad for resource guarding from Ben until she understood the rules of the house, it belongs to whoevers mouth it is in.
No matter how nicely mannered your dog is it is also very important to teach children if they drop something it belongs to the dog. If something needs to be taken away from the dog then it should always be you that does it, not a child

Remember if your dogs behaviour suddenly changes check with your vet that there is nothing wrong and if your dog is showing aggression consult a behaviourist

Featured dog training book - Control Unleashed

Over the past few years I have been buying lots of dog training books, from the really great to the amazingly rubbish.

This is my fave book out of the lot. I initially got it to help with Mias reactivity, and it has helped lots (and is keeping on helping)

But the more I read it the more I realised it helps with ALL dogs.

The programme is great for Mia, reactive, easily distracted, v smart, high energy with issues with other dogs.

It has taught me great ways to build focus in her using games and behavioural tools, how to deal with her triggers, to realise when she was about to go off on one and how to improve that.

But it has also helped lots with Ben, ideas on how to increase his focus and excitement for working, how rate of reward can really build value in a trick, position or command to make him enjoy doing it more, to understand more his level of arousal so I know whether he needs geed up a bit or calmed down.

Watching other dogs in classes, agility shows and out about in the street I can see how other dogs would benefit from a little Control Unleashed.

I have enjoyed reading and using it so much that I have even sourced a hall to hopefully run a kind of informal class and allow me to work Mia with more distractions.

If you have a great dog but want to understand them more get this book!

If you have a dog with a few issues get this book

If you have a dog with lots of issued get this book - but also contact a behaviourist

If you are thinking of doing agility or are doing agility but could do better GET THIS BOOK!

(can you tell I liked it??)

Kiss the dog, my new venture has a name (and a facebook page)

For ages I have been trying to think of names for dog behaviour training classes.
I am rubbish at names - and I know how important they are.

So thinking about what I wanted the name to say

First - that training should be kind and fair to the dog
Second - that its simple - too many training methods seem to over complicate dog training. Trying to imagine what your dog is thinking and figuring out how he is being bad, disobedient or dominant and then how to assert your authority over the dog.
For example - and this is something I have actually seen
Dog chases children
Problem must be dog is thinking it is too dominant
Solution
Dog cant go on sofa or upstairs and must wait till after owner has eaten before it gets to eat

Too complicated!!
Problem - dog chases children
Solution - teach the dog not to chase children

Simples (OK well there is more to it than that but you get the point)

So thinking of my old days in the world of business I remembered their fave acronym
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid
and thought that was perfect way to say what I wanted to say

Kiss The Dog, Kind Simple Effective dog behaviour training

What do you all think??

For those of you not sure about positive dog training

I know (but totally dont understand) that there are people out there who dont like the idea of positive training, they doubt the effectiveness of especially treat training.
I had heard that people use choke chains to teach dogs heelwork but I just couldnt figure out how you could really teach a dog using that method.
A quick you tube search showed me just how (and lots of other things people do to their dogs in the name of training)
If you are not convinced then have a look here.
First we have a guy training his dog with the choke chain - and when he stops he teaches the dog to sit by whacking it on the bum with the other end of the lead. Take a look at the poor dog during all this, panting, licking its lips and avoiding eye contact and when he hits her with the lead she cringes and flinches.
Not a great looking heel, not a happy looking dog - and an owner who is only looking out for the dog doing the wrong thing and punishing it for that - at no point does he praise the dog for doing the right thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnmLfXYZS38

Compare and contrast to these dogs
The position of being in heel is so rewarding to the dogs that they just love it, no matter where she walks the dogs are glued to her side, other commands are followed as fast as lightning
and for those of you who complain that treats make a dog that is too focused on the reward and has to be treated all the time - look at how much her dogs do for a tiny treat or a game of tug. They are working with her because working with her is fun and rewarding.
If I come back as a dog I hope it is to a trainer as good and kind as her
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtkTJ6ZvlH0

Cesar Millan - Exercise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjLDQmgYd-s&feature=PlayList&p=C8668BCC31D63588&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=20
The TV 'entertainer' Cesar Millan is coming to the UK on a tour. I will not put links to the pages to get tickets because I don't want in any way to help this man.

I have been meaning to post about his methods for quite some time but this tour has given me the boost I needed

I will try and keep it nice :D

Among other more controversial methods that I will get to later Cesar Millan I wanted to talk about his fundamental philosophy for living with dogs.
Exercise, Discipline, Affection

In that order

So to start with Exercise.

It is true often on Cesars show he sees owners who never walk their dog. This is cruel and stupid - every trainer or behaviourist will tell you to exercise your dog to a level that is appropriate for the breed. This is not Cesars way - this is nothing new.

But

Cesar advocates exercising the dog to exhaustion - often dragging unfit or puppies around at speed - sometimes with him on his roller blades. He even recommends running perfectly fit dogs on a treadmill (there was a case brought against him when a dog at his facility was left unsupervised on a treadmill wearing a choke chain)

One major problem with this is what happens next week when two hours running do not tire out the dog because it is becoming fitter??

Also running on a treadmill or alongside someone is good for fitness but it does nothing for the mental well being of an animal

Most zoos nowadays are looking to improve the lot of their captive animals, some animals who naturally would cover long distances every day in the wild.

Do these zoos put giant mouse wheels in the enclosures? Take lions out for a run beside a bike?

No they look at enrichment strategies

Enrichment can be defined as:

“…a process for improving or enhancing animal environments and
care within the context of their inhabitants’ behavioral biology and natural
history. It is a dynamic process in which changes to structures and husbandry
practices are made with the goal of increasing behavioral choices available to
animals and drawing out their species-appropriate behaviors and abilities, thus
enhancing animal welfare (AZA/BAG 1999).

So better to think of ways to enrich your dogs environment and have moderate exercise this way your dog will be mentally and physically satisfied.

Ways to enrich a dogs environment - considering natural behaviours of a dog

Chasing - many dogs love chasing things - just make sure its things you are happy with and not cars, joggers, children on bikes. A few games of fetch and even chasing you around the park will be far more fun for both of you than hours on a treadmill - and changes of pace, twisting and turning and even eye paw coordination will all tire the dog out more.

Chewing - Not only puppies but all dogs love to chew, I love watching Ben chewing a nice knuckle bone - he is on his side with a dreamy look on his face. This is good for their teeth, gums, jaws, and even neck muscles. If you don't fancy big stinky bones think of other things for them to safely chew - chew toys, rawhide/treats, even kongs all satisfy this behaviour

Tugging - Tugging is a natural behaviour too and if your dog enjoys it and you are physically able to why not have a game of tug - just set rules like no biting, let go when I say, and stop it before they get overexcited.

Tearing - Does your dog like ripping toys to pieces?? It is natural behaviour, how about going to a charity shop and getting lots of cheep toys he can deestuff, then you can restuff, fix them up (care not to let them swallow thread) and give them back again - you could even stuff old socks with treats and let them get them (but keep your good clothes away from them)

Digging - its fun and natural. You could get a kiddys sandbox and fill it with earth, hide treats in there and teach your dog to dig there (and not in your flowerbed) or how about a big box filled with scrunched up newspaper and a few treats?

Sniffing - teach your dog to sniff out treats or even scatter a handfull of kibble in the grass and let them sniff it out.

Working with humans - Dogs are descended from the wolves who worked best with people so most dogs (with the right motivation) love to work with people, if you dont have animals to hunt or sheep to herd then you can teach tricks and that can be your dogs work, clicker training is great because it makes the dog use its mind to figure out what you want, this tires them out far more.

Sleeping - dogs like to sleep lots, give them plenty of down time where they can chill and file away all the things they have learnt for the day - it is possible to overstimulate a dog and then they become hyper and difficult to train.

Depending on the breed most dogs need between 1 - 2 hours walking a day, if you made 20 min of that fetching and chasing, played a game of tug and did some clicker work before settling the dog down with a chew then you should have a pretty content dog

I would love to hear your ideas for enriching your dogs environment

Does sit mean the same for you and your dog??

Dogs can be pretty bad at generalising the meaning of things
You might think you have trained your dog really well to sit but what exactly does your dog think you mean.

You like to think that 'sit' means dog still with its bum on the floor and legs straight
Its not as easy as that

Your dog might have learnt that when you are in the sitting room, with a treat in your hand, lifting the treat above its nose, when its all quiet and saying 'sit' means the dog goes from standing and puts its bum on the ground until it is told 'good boy' and given the treat then it can do what it wants

Dogs can be as specific as that

So decide EXACTLY what you want your command to mean
I want sit to mean go into the sitting position from standing, lying down or upside down. Do it from infront of me, to the side, behind or at a distance. Do it in the sitting room, kitchen, hall, outside, wherever. Do it when I say and/or give the hand signal, do it no matter what distractions, do it whether there is a treat there or not, and hold the position until I tell you to do something else.

So I have to train for ALL of these things - train in different locations with dog in different positions with different distractions.

So if your dog dosent do what you want ask yourself have you actually trained it how to do that SPECIFIC thing?

'Red zone' dogs, or positive training for aggressive dogs

I have been looking for this vid for ages (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL13n-yYy8I&feature=related for facebook readers)

A fantastic example of how you can use kind non confrontational methods on even 'red zone' aggressive dogs.

GRRRR - BAD DOG

I am sad to see that many many dog owners do not really understand what our furry friends are saying to us and without meaning to can make a dog become aggressive.
Pretty much everyone understands a happy dog, tail flying, relaxed happy mouth and eyes. Its when the dog is not happy that the communication problems arise.
This is made worse still if the owner is constantly putting themselves under stress to be the 'pack leader' (more about that another time)
Dogs have many many different signals to tell us they are unhappy, many are very slight and quick and us clumsy humans miss them.
What we do notice is when our dog growls. It may be the case that your dog has been trying to communicate lots and lots that it is not happy in a situation, and what dogs do is they build up the communication. They start with a little head turn or a tiny licking of the lips, mibby they will sniff the ground. But us silly humans just don't notice - or worse still we mistake this for the dog being disobedient, stubborn or just plain 'at it'
How do we respond to that?
More likely we get a little angry or more insistent that the dog does the thing it isnt happy with.
Lets imagine in this case we are taking the dog to greet a child.
It is trying its best to tell you it is not comfy being dragged over to this strange unpredictable small thing.
You keep dragging it because toddler wants to meet fluffy.
Fluffy tries and tries to tell you it is not comfy in this situation.
What is the next step? Fluffy now shows its teeth and mibby even growls at the child.

This is NOT aggression - this is a GOOD DOG telling you it really isnt happy in the situation.
But what do we do??
Now we really punish the dog, that is BAD BAD BAD, dont you EVER growl at children.

So what has Fluffy learnt here??
It was correct that the little humans make bad things happen.
Its human doesn't understand its 'errmm, I am a little unsure here' signals - so there is no point using them.
Growling gets you punished - better not growl any more.

Human is happy and thinks 'what a good dog trainer I am, look I stopped Fluffy growling at children'

But the problem is ALL you have done is taught the dog not to warn you it is not happy, you have not solved the problem of the fact that the dog is not comfy in the presence of children.
So at the least you have a dog who is not happy - but if the situation gets worse, say that unhappy dog, around a child where it is expecting bad things to happen and the child reaches out for the dog - or something else that makes the dog feel even more scared - what can the dog do?? It has no warnings it wants to use cos it will get punished - better to just attack swiftly

It makes me feel sick just to post that. Of course this dosent happen in all cases or in even many cases but you can see that

Punishing a dog for growling can make a ticking time bomb

(For those of you reading this on facebook the video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj7BWxC6iVs )

Practise makes perfect

Interesting that I am posting very similar things in my driving instructor blog and this blog.

I really do see similarities in teaching people to drive and training dogs.

One really important thing to remember is

Practise makes perfect

That is true on practising something you want your dog to do, practise in as many different locations and build up the distraction level and over time the behaviour will become perfect.

But it is more important to consider when your dog is doing something you dont want it to do.

For example - jumping up at people

Every time your dog jumps up at someone it is practising the behavior that that is how it greets people.

Yes you have to think of the different behaviour that you would like to train - but at the same time you must stop the dog practising the behaviour you dont like, so while you are retraining you might have to keep your dog on a lead or send to another room or a crate so they do not get the opportunity to practise the unwanted behaviour

and remember the longer the dog has been practising the undesired behaviour then the longer it will take to retrain, no matter what the TV shows seem to tell you dog training takes time - if it didnt everyone would have a champion obedience dog

But I dont want to be a dog trainer!!

Often when people ask for advice about their dogs behaviour problems I hear

'but I dont want to be a dog trainer I just want a well behavied dog'

sorry to be blunt but

TOUGH

Dogs are always learning from us - whether we want them to or not

for example

Sitting at the computer Ben comes over and puts his head in my lap

I reach down a stroke his head

Ben has learnt that putting his head in my lap means I stroke his head

Next time he tries that I dont pat his head

Hmmm thinks Ben, mibby she wants me to hold my head here longer??

He does and after a while I stroke his head.

Next time he holds his head for a longer time but still I dont stroke it

Hmmm, mibby she wants me to poke her with my paw?? yelp??

So you can see by me not paying attention at all I am free shaping Ben to bug me for attention

Is he being bad - no of course not

But if I want to stop this behaviour it is gonna get worse before it gets better as he tries to figure out what I want him to do

If you are a dog owner you are a dog trainer, get used to it

and as they are learning anyway isnt it better to teach them how you actually want them to behaive??

Mia, one step forward, one back

Funny that I just posted yesterday about no dog being bad and then went downstairs to find Mia had chewed off the on/off button from my camera - so no fotos today.

In some ways she is getting so much better. She sat nicely while some people walked by and ran up to friends and when I called 'dont jump' with no hope of her listning she sat nicely by them for a fuss
Of course they at once said 'Oh hun, I have no treats for you' why do people think all dogs want is food when really they want your attention.
She was even fairly calm when the big GSD was close and I was stuffing her face with treats.
Training in the house is going great, she is so smart, did some nose targeting and a little heelwork, pretty good
I thought her recal was getting better but had a heart in mouth 30min where I lost her today
thankfully a friend spotted her trying to follow a man towards the main road and they grabbed her.

So training for Mia, she is no longer alowed freedom in the house or outside - she is either with me in the same room or crated. and outside she is only offlead for short times to practise recal

she is smart so I know she will improve
Its so difficult because until she improves she is not gonna be easy to rehome

Bad dog!

I am doing a lot of reading about dog training and I thought I would update some of the things I am learning and what I believe and add them to the training section.

Reading forums and listning to dog owners talk about their dog when it has been 'bad' has made me really think about if a dog is being bad or not.

I have come to the conclusion that NO a dog isnt being bad - that is us humans putting our views there

A dog does what is rewarding to them and avoids things that are not rewarding

So if your dog is doing something you consider bad it is because

a. It does not understand what you want it to do

Dogs dont come with a manual of how to behaive
sure some might be better than others - so if they are doing something you want them to do - reward them, and put a name to what they are doing
If they are doing something you dont want, dont tell them off, train what you want them to do in the situation

b. It does not find the thing you are asking as rewarding as other things

Sure, your dog might have a perfect recal in the house, but outside there are lots of interesting smells and fun dogs to play with. Build up slowly and make doing what you want more fun.

c. It does not find working with you rewarding

Thankfully this is really easy
Dogs are bred from the wolves that most wanted to work with humans. Over thousands of years we have slelectivly bred from the dogs who most wanted to work with us.
Dogs naturaly want to work with us, we just have to make ourselves more interesting.
The best way to do that (IMO) is to work with your dog, train it - anything, tricks are not demeaning to your dog - they are fun, they make your dogs brain work and they make them realise that its a good thing to work with you.


Sure in the begining it might take a wee while to train things, but the good thing is the more you train the more the dog wants to work with you and the quicker it learns

If you punnish the dog for being bad you make it less likely to want to try new things, less confident and less trusting of you
and of course very confused - randomly being told off when it dosent know better.

As I driving instructor I liken teaching people to drive like dog training.

I tell them what I want them to do, I show them if needed and I keep on helping them till they are confident and know what they should do, and I praise them when they are doing well, guide them when things go wrong

If I was to train using punisments then I would give them the keys and just yell 'NO' at them every time they did something wrong - but leave them to figure out how to actualy drive
Sure some people might learn that way but most would either get agressive and find another instructor and the rest would just sit in tears doing nothing incase they got it wrong.

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