The Problem: Your dog won't let you put his collar on, he just walks away. You call him, sometimes he comes, sometimes he lays down where he is. You ask him to sit and he just stands there looking at you. He's defiant, right? According to the internet, it's time to start some harsh corrections for that inattention and disobedience. Actually, no. This dog isn't being defiant per se. He's been living in a home without any type of positive reinforcement in the form of treats. He's gotten plenty of physical attention, but not one snack. The backstory: His allergies had led his owner to discontinue using treats in his training starting when he was 12 weeks old. Now he's 2 years old, and while he appears defiant, he's actually just trying to figure out what's in it for him. Basically, whether he does what he's asked, or he doesn't, there really isn't any consequence he cares about that much. I spoke to their veterinarian and we determined that a single ingredient treat could be used with this dog for training purposes. Once we re-introduced treats to reinforce executing the correct behaviors promptly, and used the lack of treats for behaviors executed slowly or not at all, suddenly this dog was doing exactly what he'd been asked. He wasn't defiant at all, he just wanted to get paid. Final Thoughts: Research shows that while dogs enjoy being told they've done a good job and they do like to receive physical attention (pats/strokes) from their owners, what they really love and value most are treats.
The Problem: Your dog has bitten you more than once. Your brother-in-law told you the bites are happening because you let the dog walk all over you. Your neighbor told you that you're getting bit because you sit on the floor with your dog and allow him on the furniture. Even your vet told you that you need to "be the alpha." The Heart of the Matter: Well, those bites are happening not because of anything you've done, but because your dog CHOSE TO BITE YOU. Dogs do have choices; a growl, snap, or simply walking away would have sufficed. You getting down on the floor with your dog or allowing them on the furniture isn't the reason why you got bit; again, you got bitten because that's the choice your dog was willing to make. And frankly, most dogs are unwilling to make that kind of choice. They'll put up with all sorts of indignities and slights and never consider biting a human, let alone biting the one loving on them on the floor or the sofa. So, if your dog bites you, stop thinking this is a "you" problem. This is a "them" problem. Your dog isn't wired correctly; dogs who bite people don't stop, they go on biting people, sometimes causing very serious injuries. Final Thoughts: You don't need to be your dog's alpha because there's no such thing. Such an outdated and misleading term! Dogs know we are in control as we have thumbs and can open cabinets, containers, and the refrigerator. We control their bowls, access to fresh water, etc. It's pretty clear we are the "top dog." If your dog is biting you, it's time to remove that dog from your home.
The Problem: Your dog is pulling you down the street on walks, chasing after squirrels, trying to meet other dogs, and attempting to pick up everything they see on the ground. Clearly you need to put a pinch collar on your dog so you can deliver corrections every time she pulls. The fact that your dog yelps with those corrections, and continues to pull is of little consequence as you were told to just tighten up on the prong collar and shorten the leash. Reality Check: Well, actually, tightening that pinch collar and shortening the leash are just going to make your dog more anxious. Instead, let's look at this leash pulling as being rooted in anxiety and treat the underlying anxiety first. I had the owner put a flat collar and 6 foot leash on her dog and start doing walks inside the house. That's right, indoors, no distractions. If the dog pulled, she just stopped and dropped the leash, using her voice and treats to lure the dog to walk with her, no pressure. Within about 30 minutes, her dog could walk around the house, happily without pulling. We moved to the yard and practiced the same exercises. Within a couple of days, she could walk their block, leash loose in her hand, dog happily trotting along, sniffing, but able to be redirected before picking anything up. Our next appointment, we'll be headed for a walk at a local park. I'm bringing a head halter and a ThunderLeash just in case the flat collar and regular leash don't work when there are squirrels, bicycles, etc. The moral of the story: Pulling dogs aren't always disobedient dogs. A lot of the time, they are anxious dogs who need their anxiety addressed before they can enjoy those leashed walks in public spaces without pulling.
The Problem: Your dog lays on top of your feet every time you sit down. He does move if asked or when you stand up, but you read on Facebook that dogs that do this are dominating their owners and need to be discouraged from doing so. Reality Check: Your dog sitting or laying on your feet, leaning against your legs, etc. is simply affection; your dog is choosing to be near you. I actually capture and mark these behaviors in my own dogs (meaning, I am alert for their occurrence and give treats and praise and love in response) because I want my dogs to do this, and not just for me, but for people we visit in the pet assisted therapy environment where my dogs work. Interesting Side Note: Pre-COVID, I had the opportunity to hear Sue Sternberg speak at a conference. Sue is a renowned dog trainer who does the bulk of her research in shelter settings. Anyway, she had developed an assessment that can be done quickly when evaluating shelter dog temperaments. One of the behaviors she coded was something called an "anal swipe." I know, this sounds gross, but bear with me. Basically, an anal swipe is a behavior where a dog rubs its butt against someone's legs, feet, etc., essentially marking that person as theirs, thus imposing some control over the person being marked. This was considered an unfavorable or flagged behavior and a marker for a dog that bears further testing and assessment. The one exception? If that swipe occurred by a dog toward someone they already knew, particularly the owner. In this case, as with the dog sitting on your feet, this is just an indicator of an existing relationship, making the context of the behavior way more important than the actual behavior itself. Nothing more, nothing less. Fun Fact: Now that you know about anal swipes, you are going to feel compelled to watch every dog you see in a group setting and see who they're butting up against and when, just saying.
I guess the takeaway here is this. While you may get some good advice on the internet, from your family, and from your neighbors, that may not always be the case. It's good to check with your veterinarian, and even better to ask a trusted trainer or behaviorist. As I always say, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Westley always keeps an eye, and often a paw, on whoever is in the room. He's not dominating me in this photo, he's letting me know I'm loved. He's also going to know right away if I get up for a snack he might be able to share!
No comments:
Post a Comment