Tough dogs

Last week, a golden retriever decided he didn't want to be groomed, and he mouthed my arm so hard that he broke the skin. It wasn't actually a bite, nor overt aggression where a dog attacks, but it was definitely a warning to me. And I listened.

I am a pushover and I know it. This was a wakeup call. For all the advice I hand out freely, it was time to take some of my own medicine. This week's challenging guest was a shepherd/lab mix who also tries to mouth my arm when he doesn't want to do something– specifically, go in the crate. 

I should not be holding dogs by the collar. I keep leashes handy and usually snap one on when I want to ask a reluctant dog to do something. Joe's owners swear to me he is crate trained, but Joe was having none of it. And he needed to be crated. So after I tried to shove him in, lead him in, lure him in with treats, back him in, and all my other little tricks, I decided I needed to get serious.

I sent all the other dogs outside. I put a leash on Joe and got out the hot dogs. (Recipe: slice hot dogs in thin pieces, then cut each circle in half. Nuke in the microwave for three to four minutes. Tiny bites make great treats and they don't goop up your pockets with grease like uncooked hot dogs)

Our first "trick" was the sit. He perked up instantly when he tasted his reward. After a few sits we tried a down. Nothing doing. "Never!" his body language screamed. He looked away, licked his lips, leaned on me, and started wrapping himself around me. Pushy pushy pushy; he would do anything but lie down.  

After a few minutes of practice, he lied down, but after several repetitions, he still wasn't doing it immediately or willingly. I always gave him treats and praise while he was in the down position. I wondered if he'd ever learned it before. But he started to comply more willingly, so I quit while we were ahead.

An hour later, we did it again. A little better response this time. Now that he was listening to me, it was time to try the crate. 

With all four paws braced against the door frame, pulling back with all his might, he wasn't going to give in. I threaded the leash through the wire and put pressure on him. Whenever he gave to the pressure a little, I loosened the leash and praised him. He immediately tried to jerk away. I was NOT using a choke collar or pinch collar. Finally he just sat in front of the crate and pulled back, refusing to look at me. The hot dogs in the back of the crate beckoned to him. 

After a five minute standoff I almost  gave up, but he suddenly gave in, walked in the crate, and started munching the treats. I shut the door, praising him to the skies, and dropped in more hot dogs. Then I did one of the hardest things I ever had to do in training.

I let him out. That was his reward. All that work and I immediately let him out. He walked on the leash for a circle or two, and I asked him to go back in the crate. He went right in. DONE. 

I took off the leash and let him loose for the rest of the evening. At one point, he walked in the crate and looked for more hot dogs. I praised him from my seat in the recliner, but didn't close the crate door. At bed time, he went right in the crate and didn't complain once all night. 


The rest of the week was uneventful. Joe spent a lot of time napping in the crate with the door open.  

What a GOOD dog.

© 2010 Terry Albert. All Rights Reserved.

Obedience classes: where you learn how to train your dog

A boarding client, Tara, told me a story about taking her dog to obedience school, where the teacher wanted everyone to use clickers to train their dogs:

I just couldn’t get the timing right, and I’d click when I wasn’t supposed to. The trainer was getting frustrated; I was getting frustrated. The instructor said “Here, I’ll click YOU when you do it right.” I was totally humiliated. I just wanted to quit and go home.

I understand what the instructor was trying to do. In fact, Karen Pryor’s latest book, Reaching the Animal Mind, goes into great detail about using clicker training to teach gymnasts and other athletes. The method is called TAG teaching (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance) and is an exciting discipline in the field of education. By clicking at the exact moment the performer is doing it correctly, the athlete achieves a better understanding of the movements required to perform the exercise. Instead of constant corrections, he is rewarded for his (or her) correct performance.

I’m sure this is how the obedience instructor was trying to teach Tara. But she didn’t really understand, and the effort backfired. Tara is now looking for someone new to help her train her dog.

Although clicker training is a wonderful method, it isn’t right for everyone. Using the clicker is the easy part. It takes some effort to understand the training concepts behind it and to apply them correctly. Perhaps a more complete explanation would have saved the situation.

Dog training is a learned skill

When we go to an obedience class, the instructor is teaching us train our dogs. We learn how to get new behaviors from our dogs, how to reward the dogs, and how to correct them when they made a mistake. If we just turned the dogs over to a trainer to do the work, we’d have well-trained dogs, but no skills to reinforce the training when we got home, and the dog would quickly forget.

Dog training for owners needs to be fun, or they won’t do it. People need positive reinforcement too. I’m sure many owners give up because they are frustrated, rather than because the dog can’t learn.

It’s not just about the dog. You both have to practice to be successful.

When you enroll in a college course, you expect to work hard and have lots of homework. Training classes are the same way. You and your dog are both in school, learning new skills. There is no magic pill to make a dog behave. You have a lot to learn, but a few months of committed diligence will result in a relationship you will both enjoy for a lifetime.

© 2010 Terry Albert. All Rights Reserved.

Board and Train for dogs

I used to work at a board-and-train facility. My philosophy is if you have a really out of control dog and have no idea where to start, this is a good option. One week isn't even close to enough. At the end of one week, the dog can learn sit, down, start walking nicely on a leash, and begin learning stay. He won't do any of these things consistently. It doesn't even start to sink in until the end of two weeks. Four weeks is the optimum; they are working well. Could you train a horse completely in one week? No. If someone tells you otherwise, they are lying.

It takes six weeks for the behaviors to start to move from short-term to long-term memory and become a habit, so it is imperative the owner continue training at home. During this transition time, the dog usually acts like he forgot everything you ever taught him, and you have to work through that period.

None of it works if the owner isn't coming in for regular lessons, at least once a week, so they learn how to work with dog. The best scenario is they take an intermediate class with their dog after the training. The whole family needs to be trained, and consistent in how they deal with the dog. If they slack off once the dog is home, he will learn what he can get away with, and revert to old behaviors.

People would often bring in their dog to board while they were on vacation and have us give him a refresher course while they were gone. Then one week is okay, with a follow up session with the owners.

There are franchises and corporate operations with great marketing. But you are looking for someone with years of experience training a lot of different breeds, not someone who just took a course and bought a business. No one solution is going to work for every dog. Your dog’s breed, temperament and history all affect how well the training will solve his behavior problems.

Photo above: Cairn Terrier by Terry Albert. © 2009 Terry Albert All rights reserved.

Training vs. management: barking dogs and more

Dog training isn’t just about “sit,” “down,” and “stay.” Years ago I heard trainer Patti Ruzzo speak about managing your pet’s behavior. It was part of her first night presentation at beginning obedience classes. This was the first time I’d even thought about the subject. Recently reading Karen Pryor’s fascinating new book, Reaching the Animal Mind, I found she also writes about management vs. training.

From the very first day you bring your pet home, before you ever teach him a thing, you prevent problems by managing his behavior. Sometimes this is a quicker fix than training. For example, a dog that isn’t housetrained sleeps in a crate at night. This also keeps him from chewing the pillows when you’re not watching. Meanwhile, you can housetrain the dog and teach him what toys are appropriate to chew.

Because I board dogs in my home, long-term training isn’t always practical. Barking is a good example of a problem that responds to management. I have two horses in the back of my property, and when they decide to run and play, the dogs go nuts. I can yell at them to shut up and as far as the dogs are concerned, I’m just joining the party. If it is first thing in the morning, I feed my hungry ponies, which settles them down and then the dogs have nothing to bark at. That’s management.

How do I stop the barking at other times of the day? I bring the dogs in the house. Some dogs get so exited they throw themselves at the windows, wanting to go back outside. These dogs go in a crate or in the garage for a time-out until the horses settle down. That’s management.

When I call the dogs away from the horses, I reward them with a treat for coming to me. For some, barking is more rewarding than a hot dog, so I have to go get them. But most quickly learn to turn and come to me when I come out the back door and call them. That’s training.

How do you keep the cat from scratching the couch? Put him in another room. That’s management. Cover the couch with sticky tape. That’s management. Reward him when he claws a scratching post. That’s training.

The training solution

I was amazed when I read in Ms. Pryor’s book that she used a clicker to quiet a kennel full of untrained, barking dogs. I have done a bit of clicker training myself, so I understand the principle, but never dreamed you could use it on a bunch of untrained dogs at once. In less than ten minutes, she was able to quiet over 30 dogs in an animal shelter. Shelters around the United States are now using this method, and believe me, I can hardly wait to try it!

Assuming you understand the proper use of the clicker, I will give a short explanation. She clicks and treats each dog when they stop barking, even for a second. They quickly learn to come to front of the kennel and shut up as soon as they see her coming.

That’s what I would call a miracle!

Reaching the Animal Mind

I highly recommend Karen Pryor’s book. It is entertaining and presents scientific research without sounding like a textbook. She writes about her experiences training an octopus, a hermit crab, and a tropical fish. You’ll be inspired to grab a clicker and a pocketful of treats so you can try her methods on your own pets. She emphasizes that training can be fun for both you and the animal, which enhances learning.

My training goals aren’t so exotic, but she does make her point! Even the most difficult animal can be trained. Training accomplishes a long-term solution to the problem by establishing new, reliable behaviors in an animal. Management keeps you sane in the meantime.

© copyright 2009 by Terry Albert

Should you send your dog out to a trainer?

When should you train your dog yourself, and when should you send him out to a trainer? Before throwing in the towel and spending the big bucks, consider the alternatives. I hope I can help you decide.

The vital ingredient: YOU

No dog is miraculously born trained, and no dog stays trained without reinforcement from the owner(s). Everyone in the family needs to work with the dog, and everyone needs to be consistent. He needs to be called by the same name by everyone, learn the same commands, and be expected to follow the same rules, no matter who is talking to him.

Remember what I said before: even if you aren’t training, your dog is learning, and he will learn very quickly what he can get away with. No amount of professional training will fix what doesn’t get reinforced consistently at home.

Obedience classes

Obedience classes are great for most dogs. Even experienced owners learn a lot. I recommend more advanced classes or even repeating the class if you are a first time dog owner.

An inexperienced owner has a lot to learn, so don’t expect to absorb everything the first time you hear it. You work with the dog daily between sessions, and incorporate training into everyday life (this goes for ANY type of training–class or private). Practice makes perfect–for everyone. As I said in my previous post, basic obedience lessons build the foundation for future learning. Many owners find this enough, and their dog calms down dramatically and learns to live peacefully in the household.

Classes are not the place to address serious behavior issues. Most class trainers are not equipped with the skills to deal with aggression and other serious problems, and will refer you to private lessons or a training center where the dog stays for a few weeks while he is trained for you.

What’s a serious problem? That’s up to you; decide what is beyond your capabilities

Private lessons

The next option is private lessons, where you have a trainer work one-on-one with you and your dog. If your dog has issues that just aren’t getting fixed or aren’t dealt with in class, this might be a good solution. Maybe YOU are the one that needs the one-on-one help! This is your chance to get more detailed instruction. Again, you will practice with your dog between lessons.

Board-and-Train

When neither the dog nor the owner know anything, sometimes it is a lot easier for the owner to start out with a fully trained dog. Send the dog off to boot camp for a few weeks. Most facilities ask for a month, and you come in for weekly lessons. When I worked at the Academy of Canine Behavior, we would sometimes get very nice dogs that were easy to train, but the owner asked us to give him the basics.

But most of the dogs that came in were tough, tough dogs: wild out-of-control dogs, aggressive dogs, powerful dogs, over-anxious dogs. No average owner could deal with these dogs and their problems. The difference after a few weeks of professional training is dramatic, and the owners received intense training themselves. Often, dogs would come in for a training tune-up once a year while his family went on vacation.

Removing him from the home makes it easier to change bad habits and develop new good behaviors. He thinks he knows the rules at home, and will resist change. When he arrives at the training facility, he’s not sure of his place in the pack, and looks to the trainers to explain the rules to him. Then the new rules are transitioned back to his home.

Media: Internet, books and television

I love reading about almost any subject. You may enjoy it too. If you aren’t someone who likes to read, some of the TV dog trainers offer a lot of good information on behavior, especially human behavior and how it affects your dog. While some of their methods are not appropriate for a novice handler, the philosophy is often worth listening to.

Here are a couple of my favorite books and Web sites:

Books:

Good Owners, Great Dogs, by Brian Kilcommons & Sarah Wilson. Short easy to read sections so you can pick it up and read for 10 minutes and learn something useful.

Surviving Your Dog’s Adolescence, by Carol Lea Benjamin. All of her training books are great.

Web Sites:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/ Dr. Ian Dunbar is a well-respected expert on puppy training. This site offers good advice for dogs of all ages.

http://www.apdt.com Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Find a professional trainer near you.

Good luck to you! Whatever you decide, keep in mind the words of the late Job Michael Evans, one of the Monks of New Skete and author of some great training books: “Train, don’t complain.” And my favorite: “A tired dog is a good dog.”

Photo above: Training is a great way to develop a bond with your dog. This my once-in-a-lifetime dog, Tank, practicing obedience with me at a fun match.

© 2009 Terry Albert. All rights reserved.

Basic training helps solve dog behavior problems

When I worked at the Academy of Canine Behavior in Bothell, WA, every problem dog that came in started with basic obedience training. At this board-and-train facility only the most difficult dogs were left with us for training. If you could teach him yourself by attending a basic obedience class, you would have, right?

If you are not training your dog, he is still learning. Some people don’t have time to train their dog thoroughly. A half-trained dog learns very quickly what he can get away with. Then he has a bunch of bad habits you have to un-train. It is well worth spending 6-8 weeks teaching him what you want in the beginning. You’ll have a dog you can enjoy for the next 10-15 years.

A trained dog doesn’t automatically stay trained. Just like children, a dog will test you to see if you really mean it. “No begging,” “stay off the couch,” “don’t jump on me,” and other rules are made to be broken in the canine mind. But once trained, an occasional reminder is all that should be needed.

Basic training

So why start with “sit” and “down”? How does that keep Bowser off the dining room table? Dogs don’t speak English. Verbal commands must be learned, and as you teach the dog, he learns to communicate with you. He learns to learn. He learns you mean it (or not) when you tell him to do something. He starts to accept your leadership. He learns that everyone in the family is his leader. And he becomes comfortable with his place in the family pack.

Most dogs want to please you. They thrive on praise. Rewarded behavior will be repeated. If he’s not getting any attention, bad behavior will get him the attention he wants. In his eyes, it is better than nothing.

Use the basic commands as an opportunity to praise him. Have him sit when you hook on his leash. “Sit” before you feed him. “Stay” before you go out the door. “Off” when he’s jumping on visitors. When he does it, ALWAYS praise him. He needs some way of knowing what pleases you and what doesn’t. Don’t assume he knows! When first training, you can use treats, but gradually wean him off them. An enthusiastic “yes” or “good dog” is music to his ears.

How long?

After a few weeks of training, maybe one or two 15 minute sessions a day, you’ll notice your dog will settle down and start to look to you for guidance. He’ll offer a sit when he wants something. He’s learning!

About 4-5 weeks into training, experts say that new behaviors start to become a habit. As the information the dog has learned converts from short-term memory into long-term memory, he will go through a learning plateau stage, where you think he’s forgotten everything. Keep working through it and you’ll come out on the other end with a dog that has developed new and positive behaviors.

Jackpot!

Once the dog passes the plateau period, daily drilling will not be necessary. But don’t slack off and let him get away with bad behaviors. Think of a slot machine. Just once, you win a bunch of money. Now you will keep playing, hoping for another jackpot.

Just once, you let Bowser jump on the couch. He’s going to keep trying, hoping for another jackpot where it will be rewarded and he gets to stay. Teach him he can only get up on the couch when invited, not when HE decides he wants up there. 

Extinguishing Bad Behaviors

In hopes of a jackpot, a dog will get ever more frantic in efforts to get away with hopping on the couch. Just before he finally gives up, you’ll see a frenzied effort. This is called an extinction burst—the last gasp before quitting for good. Don’t give in!

Need help?

Should you take your dog to obedience classes, private obedience lessons, or a board–and-train facility? I’ll talk about how to decide which is best for you in my next post. 

Photo above: Lincoln the Cocker Spaniel has some boundary issues!

A tired dog is a good dog

The title above is a quote from Job Michael Evans, an author and dog trainer for the Monks of New Skete who passed away in the mid 90s. He inspired me to train dogs, and his books certainly taught me a lot of what I know about dog behavior. He came up with training regimes such as "Radical Regimen for Recalcitrant Rovers," and my favorite motto of all: "Train, don't complain." I used to post that one on the wall at my obedience classes. Getting through to the humans is much harder than training the dogs! 

Today's training guru, Cesar Millan of the TV show, Dog Whisperer, preaches some of the same methods. Many dog trainers just hate him, because he does dangerous things on his television show that no owner should EVER try. I agree with that, but I think he does a lot of good too. If you've read his books, he talks quite a bit about how he exercises his dog pack for several hours every day. That is something none of us has time for, but it is a big factor in controlling aggression in the pack. All those pit bulls are too tired to become over-stimulated and start a fight when a new dog comes into the group. Sometimes this isn't obvious on the show. It is portrayed as his "power" over the pack. Don't be fooled. He definitely is a leader and in charge of those dogs, but exercise and training have a lot to do with their behavior. 

Taking that theory down to the pet owner level, if we exercise our dogs several times a day with a game or a walk, their down time will be much calmer and less destructive. We all know what a bored puppy can do with his teeth when you're not watching! 

It's work, yes, and requires effort on the owner's part. But you knew that when you got a dog, right? You committed to caring for this animal, right? Time with us, exercise and training are the promises we make when we add a dog to our homes. It's like having a two year old child for fifteen years. 

But you knew that too... right?

The dog shown above is Sandy, a yellow Lab puppy, five months old, who has been boarding with me. She wore out every dog in the house, then FINALLY fell asleep. She would have been hell on wheels if no other dogs were here to play with.