Our new foster dog, Stitch, has some issues with resource guarding. We generally give our dogs rawhides in the evenings, and have never had a problem before. Once Stitch came into our house, it was apparent that a problem could develop! He would begin growling and getting very agitated if a dog was moving across the room, not even looking at him or approaching him. I can only imagine what would happen if one of my dogs did actually approach him or get close.
Stitch has never shown resource guarding signs toward humans, so I don't see it is a serious issue, but it could be bad if he displays that behavior to an intolerant dog who may "call him out" on it. Also, to help his chances of fitting in with a higher percentage of families, we would like to eliminate or greatly reduce this behavior. Luckily none of my dogs did approach him, they just kind of rolled their eyes at him and walked away ;-P
Because I love it when my foster dogs leave my house as close to perfect as they can be, I started looking into resource guarding. I found out that the best way to reduce resource guarding reactions is to take away the prize, whatever is worth guarding. In Stitch's case, the object was rawhides. So whenever he would display growling and barking at the other dogs across the room, I'd take away the rawhide. I add a "No" in there, since that's my marker word for an undesired behavior. About a minute later, I gave his rawhide back (after making him sit, of course ;-). As soon as he growled, I took it away again. (This would obviously be a little different if he was guarding against humans as well.) I continued giving Stitch 2nd chances, and about 2 weeks later he hasn't growled at any of my dogs during rawhide time in quite awhile. He'll even eat his rawhide on the same bed as the other dogs.
I'm so amazed at his progress, he's really a quick learner! Stitch probably didn't have a serious or dangerous case of resource guarding, so if you feel like your dog may bite you or seriously injure one of your dogs, please seek professional help. But this does show what a little consistency and some clear rules can do for you! We had a clear "bad" behavior, and a clear consequence to the behavior (losing the rawhide), and Stitch figured out very quickly what the boundaries are.
My trainer did say that dogs are allowed to defend their rawhides (or whatever) if another dog directly approaches them and challenges them for it, so that's the caveat. It's fairly obvious when a dog is challenging another, they walk right up and get very close. The other dog may even growl or bark. But a dog minding his own business across the room is not fair game. And, of course, you are allowed to get as close as you want, and even take away the item without your dog so much as batting an eyelash.
Have a happy and safe holiday season!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
How To Fit a Martingale Collar
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Reactive Dog Photos
In this photo, I'm rubbing Peyton's body. He tends to sit down when I rub him, but it's okay if your dog stands, as long as they learn not to be squirmy.
Here, I'm rubbing Peyton's cheeks, from the edge of his mouth to his ears, back and forth. I do this while saying in a soothing voice "good boy". I try to tell him he's a good boy when he looks at me, but you can see in this picture that he's trying very hard to look over at a different dog. You can tell that he still doesn't have the confidence to fully ignore the other dogs.
I love this picture because you can see quite clearly how hard Peyton is trying to look over at the other dogs. He really believes that if he looks away, the other dog will hurt him. He's obviously stressed: bug eyes, ears laid back, etc. Also notice how much he's leaning into me, how flexed his front legs are. He's really pushing into me, in fact I almost fell over backward! Dogs lean into pressure, so this is common with an anxious dog. Many dogs who lean hard against their owners or other people are quite anxious. Some appear normal, or just a little over-excited, but it's a sign of some insecurity.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Physical Contact and Rub-downs
A primary way Brenda recommends to make the switch between hind brain and front brain is with physical contact. Now, I'm not talking about hitting or kicking, so don't get the wrong idea. She does a lot of rubbing along the body, and on the head. The rubbing is not the same as petting. The hand is flat, so you're not forming it to the dog's body, and you rub back and forth (not just in the direction of the hair). It's firm back and forth, with a fair amount of pressure. You rub all over the dogs back, down it's legs, and even on it's cheeks, from lips to ear. The cheek rubbing is easiest done with the thumbs.
The back away and emergency hold that I mentioned in the Leash Aggression post are good ways to flip the brain to front mode. But, as always, there's pre-work to be done before you can use any of these methods in a stressful situation. Many dogs are uncomfortable with touching, especially around the head and neck. We first need to desensitize the dog to the touching/rubbing by giving the dog a good rub-down several times a day. Rub their bodies and faces, while saying "good boy/girl" in a calm soothing voice. I think a video would be a great way to show this method, so as soon as I can, I'll post a video up here.
Practice the backaway during your walks. Practice the emergency hold, even when you're not in an emergency, because you want the dog to be accustomed to you reaching for his collar and touching his face in advance. We don't want the dogs taking their frustration out on us! Practice giving your dog a good rub-down.
If you see that your dog is about to flip into hind brain mode, you can prevent the transition by quickly doing a backaway, placing the dog in an emergency hold, and rubbing her face and body. In this scenario, you have prevented rehearsal, which you may remember me referring to in earlier posts. See, everything is related! When we prevent rehearsal, we begin to build new and different neural pathways, preferably to the correct behavior.
Practicing these maneuvers in advance can help us bring the dog out of hind brain mode as well, making them useful in so many different situations. It's so important for our dogs to be accustomed to being touched by us. Each dog has a different tolerance for being touched, so you'll have to start at a level that is appropriate for your dog. Some are highly sensitive even to the pressure of a collar. Others are very amiable to all sorts of physical contact. Once you start working on physical contact, and the dog realizes it's not threatening, using rubbing to manipulate the hind brain is quite successful because dogs respond to pressure. Similar to swaddling a baby, dogs feel safer when wrapped tightly: when they feel pressure on their bodies. The rubbing creates that pressure, and actually calms the dog down. Brenda Aloff believes that this releases dopamine and serotonin, calming chemicals, in the brain.
Use the rub-downs in just about any situation when your dog is anxious. Firm rubbing and a calm soothing voice. Look for calming signals from her as a sign that she's responding to the rubbing. Peyton most commonly shakes his body (Brenda refers to this as shaking the tension out) and licks/chews. You may see blinking, tension visibly leaving the face, etc (see the post that describes calming signals).
The back away and emergency hold that I mentioned in the Leash Aggression post are good ways to flip the brain to front mode. But, as always, there's pre-work to be done before you can use any of these methods in a stressful situation. Many dogs are uncomfortable with touching, especially around the head and neck. We first need to desensitize the dog to the touching/rubbing by giving the dog a good rub-down several times a day. Rub their bodies and faces, while saying "good boy/girl" in a calm soothing voice. I think a video would be a great way to show this method, so as soon as I can, I'll post a video up here.
Practice the backaway during your walks. Practice the emergency hold, even when you're not in an emergency, because you want the dog to be accustomed to you reaching for his collar and touching his face in advance. We don't want the dogs taking their frustration out on us! Practice giving your dog a good rub-down.
If you see that your dog is about to flip into hind brain mode, you can prevent the transition by quickly doing a backaway, placing the dog in an emergency hold, and rubbing her face and body. In this scenario, you have prevented rehearsal, which you may remember me referring to in earlier posts. See, everything is related! When we prevent rehearsal, we begin to build new and different neural pathways, preferably to the correct behavior.
Practicing these maneuvers in advance can help us bring the dog out of hind brain mode as well, making them useful in so many different situations. It's so important for our dogs to be accustomed to being touched by us. Each dog has a different tolerance for being touched, so you'll have to start at a level that is appropriate for your dog. Some are highly sensitive even to the pressure of a collar. Others are very amiable to all sorts of physical contact. Once you start working on physical contact, and the dog realizes it's not threatening, using rubbing to manipulate the hind brain is quite successful because dogs respond to pressure. Similar to swaddling a baby, dogs feel safer when wrapped tightly: when they feel pressure on their bodies. The rubbing creates that pressure, and actually calms the dog down. Brenda Aloff believes that this releases dopamine and serotonin, calming chemicals, in the brain.
Use the rub-downs in just about any situation when your dog is anxious. Firm rubbing and a calm soothing voice. Look for calming signals from her as a sign that she's responding to the rubbing. Peyton most commonly shakes his body (Brenda refers to this as shaking the tension out) and licks/chews. You may see blinking, tension visibly leaving the face, etc (see the post that describes calming signals).
Front Brain vs. Hind Brain
From Brenda Aloff Reactive Dog Seminar
If you ever have a chance to attend one of Brenda's seminars, I highly recommend it
Hind Brain:
When our dogs are reactive, running on adrenaline, not rational, etc. This term describes my reactive dog, Peyton, every time he makes eye contact with a strange dog. Or even when he sees a squirrel in the yard. In this state, the dog is functioning on instinct, and probably doesn't even hear your voice. I think we've all felt the helplessness that goes along with hind brain dogs, not knowing what to do, and our dogs completely ignoring us.
Examples: Really excited dog pulling her owner around while running to every person every smell. Dog barking furiously at person/dog/squirrel/whatever.
Front Brain:
This is when our dogs respond to us, are "thinking", calm, etc. This is the state we need our dogs in to teach them and to make an impact, and for them to learn new behaviors.
Example: Dog sitting in a heel position looking at her owner. Dog walking on leash next to owner, not pulling or looking around anxiously.
The trick is to develop a method to switch our dogs from hind brain to front brain. Sounds easy :-P --See next post about rubbing and physical contact!
If you ever have a chance to attend one of Brenda's seminars, I highly recommend it
Hind Brain:
When our dogs are reactive, running on adrenaline, not rational, etc. This term describes my reactive dog, Peyton, every time he makes eye contact with a strange dog. Or even when he sees a squirrel in the yard. In this state, the dog is functioning on instinct, and probably doesn't even hear your voice. I think we've all felt the helplessness that goes along with hind brain dogs, not knowing what to do, and our dogs completely ignoring us.
Examples: Really excited dog pulling her owner around while running to every person every smell. Dog barking furiously at person/dog/squirrel/whatever.
Front Brain:
This is when our dogs respond to us, are "thinking", calm, etc. This is the state we need our dogs in to teach them and to make an impact, and for them to learn new behaviors.
Example: Dog sitting in a heel position looking at her owner. Dog walking on leash next to owner, not pulling or looking around anxiously.
The trick is to develop a method to switch our dogs from hind brain to front brain. Sounds easy :-P --See next post about rubbing and physical contact!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Leash Aggression
Leash aggression is fairly common in IG's. Much of it stems from being "trapped" on the leash, unable to get away from approaching danger. Because of the feeling of being trapped, many dogs will preemptively strike out by barking and snapping. Many of these same dogs are perfectly friendly when off leash, or show no other signs of aggression.
Recently, Lifeline IG Rescue sent me to a Brenda Aloff seminar for reactive dogs. I was very lucky to have the ability to attend this two day seminar, as it has really helped me with my reactive dog Peyton. Hopefully I can convey the information so that it will help you as well! She has written several books and has videos that illustrate many of her techniques, if you want to research this topic more.
Another great resource for dog behavior issues is Patricia McConnell. She writes booklets about all sorts of behavior issues. Her book that deals specifically with leash aggression is Feisty Fido and is written in plain English :D. It's short and easy to read and understand.
The basic principal that both Brenda Aloff and Patricia McConnell work from is to instill a replacement behavior for the undesired behavior. In our case:
Undesired behavior = lunging, barking, snapping at approaching dog while on leash
Desired (replacement) behavior = look at you (eye contact), and watch you until the threat is gone
So, we want to teach our dog that every time they see another dog, they are to watch you. As Brenda says, "The answer to every question is look at me." Dogs, according to both Brenda and Patricia, do best with one or two solutions that apply to every situation, as opposed to different responses at certain times. Our ultimate goal is to replace the barking dog with a dog who looks at you when you encounter other dogs on your walks.
But I know what you're thinking, "Great, but what can I do until my dog has fully learned to look at me when they see another dog?" Brenda has some really great solutions to that question. She says that your first goal is to "prevent rehearsal", but given a failure or inability to do that, you always fall back on the "emergency hold". I'll get into both of those in more detail.
Prevent Rehearsal
This basically means that you want to keep your dog from practicing the barking/lunging behavior. You employ techniques that distract the dog, soothe the dog, etc; anything to keep the dog from rehearsing the bad behavior. Brenda suggests that if the behavior is never rehearsed, it is eventually forgotten. And lucky for us, the flip side is also true: the behavior that is rehearsed becomes the first response to a situation. (We use this in our favor to instill the desired behaviors.)
Emergency Hold
The emergency hold is ALWAYS your backup for an uncontrollable situation. It works if you are caught off guard, the level of intensity is too high to convince your dog to look at you, etc. To get to the emergency hold, you take your dog's collar with both hands and guide the dog to sit/stand in front of you, facing you, and kind of hold his head between your legs. This forces the dog to face you, and then you can rub his cheeks with your thumbs.
Human Behaviors
There are a few steps we need to take to get ready to fix the leash aggression.
No more walking on the extendo-leash. Sorry :-( But you don't have good control over your dog when they're wandering every which way they please. Get a standard 6-foot leash.
No more letting your dog pull to the end of the leash and run back and forth trying to get ahead of you. Keep most of the leash in your hand, giving the dog a few inches so they're not choking, but basically they have to stay at your side or slightly behind you. This gives you control of your dog in advance. If the dog can lunge 6 feet towards a threat before you have control, you have already allowed rehearsal and lost valuable time in getting your dog's attention back to you. (When you're on a walk, the dog's job is to walk, not to sniff, wander around, urine mark, etc. Potty walking is different: the goal is pottying.)
Pay attention! This is the one I have the toughest time with :D When I'm walking, I tend to zone out, get in a rhythm, and then BOOM a dog is in front of me and Peyton is already upset. Pay attention to your dog, learn what his warning signals are. Peyton's are: tail goes up, ears go forward, eyes bug out a bit, and the big one: he turns BRIGHT PINK! I'm serious, bright pink under his short white fur. Spotting these signs is key because the next step is barking/lunging. (And the goal is to prevent rehearsal, so we distract the dog as soon as we see warning signs.) Keep your eyes up for other dogs walking or running loose, and start your behavior work early. In other words, don't wait until your dog is freaking out.
Please don't yank your leash when your dog is lunging barking any more. It basically teaches them that other dogs = pressure on my neck. We don't want any negative consequences associated with other dogs being in the vicinity (it makes the other dogs scarier). We don't want our dog thinking that other dogs being around means that bad things will happen.
Baseline Training and Behavior
We have some pre-work to do before our dogs magically look at us every time they see another dog. We are going to practice practice practice in low-stress situations, preferably not around other dogs.
Eye Contact
This is the behavior we want to instill, so practice eye contact with your dog. Give a treat/praise when your dog looks at you. Build up to them looking at you for a long time, like 30 seconds. Watch them as you walk, and give treat/praise when they look up at you. You can even practice this while on the couch watching TV ;-P
The Back-Away
I learned this at Brenda Aloff's seminar. The basic gist of it is that you back up a few steps as your dog positions in front of you, facing you. This is a nice easy way to get your dog facing you and looking towards you. It is very handy when a threat is in front of you because you turn your dogs body and focus away from the threat. To teach the back away, start by walking 2 steps forward, pausing, rocking back, and then take a step back. At first, you may have to manipulate your dog's body into following you by taking him by the collar and guiding him with you, or physically moving his back end into place. But as you practice, the dog will learn that the pause/rock means you're about to back up and will learn to come with you. This is also the first part of the emergency hold sequence. Practice this over and over, and then back away periodically on your daily walk, so your dog is used to it occurring anytime, anywhere.
The progression of the back away is that you end up at: holding your dog's collar, stroking their cheeks, forcing them to look at you and not at the threat, and calmly, soothingly telling them good boy/girl. (Remember, no excited voices because that elevates the energy and you want them calm.)
Practice practice practice! Walking every day gives you plenty of opportunity to practice the back away, eye contact, and the emergency hold. So walk with treats and your dog as the main focus.
I will be adding pictures and videos in the very near future, so stay tuned!
Recently, Lifeline IG Rescue sent me to a Brenda Aloff seminar for reactive dogs. I was very lucky to have the ability to attend this two day seminar, as it has really helped me with my reactive dog Peyton. Hopefully I can convey the information so that it will help you as well! She has written several books and has videos that illustrate many of her techniques, if you want to research this topic more.
Another great resource for dog behavior issues is Patricia McConnell. She writes booklets about all sorts of behavior issues. Her book that deals specifically with leash aggression is Feisty Fido and is written in plain English :D. It's short and easy to read and understand.
The basic principal that both Brenda Aloff and Patricia McConnell work from is to instill a replacement behavior for the undesired behavior. In our case:
Undesired behavior = lunging, barking, snapping at approaching dog while on leash
Desired (replacement) behavior = look at you (eye contact), and watch you until the threat is gone
So, we want to teach our dog that every time they see another dog, they are to watch you. As Brenda says, "The answer to every question is look at me." Dogs, according to both Brenda and Patricia, do best with one or two solutions that apply to every situation, as opposed to different responses at certain times. Our ultimate goal is to replace the barking dog with a dog who looks at you when you encounter other dogs on your walks.
But I know what you're thinking, "Great, but what can I do until my dog has fully learned to look at me when they see another dog?" Brenda has some really great solutions to that question. She says that your first goal is to "prevent rehearsal", but given a failure or inability to do that, you always fall back on the "emergency hold". I'll get into both of those in more detail.
Prevent Rehearsal
This basically means that you want to keep your dog from practicing the barking/lunging behavior. You employ techniques that distract the dog, soothe the dog, etc; anything to keep the dog from rehearsing the bad behavior. Brenda suggests that if the behavior is never rehearsed, it is eventually forgotten. And lucky for us, the flip side is also true: the behavior that is rehearsed becomes the first response to a situation. (We use this in our favor to instill the desired behaviors.)
Emergency Hold
The emergency hold is ALWAYS your backup for an uncontrollable situation. It works if you are caught off guard, the level of intensity is too high to convince your dog to look at you, etc. To get to the emergency hold, you take your dog's collar with both hands and guide the dog to sit/stand in front of you, facing you, and kind of hold his head between your legs. This forces the dog to face you, and then you can rub his cheeks with your thumbs.
Human Behaviors
There are a few steps we need to take to get ready to fix the leash aggression.
No more walking on the extendo-leash. Sorry :-( But you don't have good control over your dog when they're wandering every which way they please. Get a standard 6-foot leash.
No more letting your dog pull to the end of the leash and run back and forth trying to get ahead of you. Keep most of the leash in your hand, giving the dog a few inches so they're not choking, but basically they have to stay at your side or slightly behind you. This gives you control of your dog in advance. If the dog can lunge 6 feet towards a threat before you have control, you have already allowed rehearsal and lost valuable time in getting your dog's attention back to you. (When you're on a walk, the dog's job is to walk, not to sniff, wander around, urine mark, etc. Potty walking is different: the goal is pottying.)
Pay attention! This is the one I have the toughest time with :D When I'm walking, I tend to zone out, get in a rhythm, and then BOOM a dog is in front of me and Peyton is already upset. Pay attention to your dog, learn what his warning signals are. Peyton's are: tail goes up, ears go forward, eyes bug out a bit, and the big one: he turns BRIGHT PINK! I'm serious, bright pink under his short white fur. Spotting these signs is key because the next step is barking/lunging. (And the goal is to prevent rehearsal, so we distract the dog as soon as we see warning signs.) Keep your eyes up for other dogs walking or running loose, and start your behavior work early. In other words, don't wait until your dog is freaking out.
Please don't yank your leash when your dog is lunging barking any more. It basically teaches them that other dogs = pressure on my neck. We don't want any negative consequences associated with other dogs being in the vicinity (it makes the other dogs scarier). We don't want our dog thinking that other dogs being around means that bad things will happen.
Baseline Training and Behavior
We have some pre-work to do before our dogs magically look at us every time they see another dog. We are going to practice practice practice in low-stress situations, preferably not around other dogs.
Eye Contact
This is the behavior we want to instill, so practice eye contact with your dog. Give a treat/praise when your dog looks at you. Build up to them looking at you for a long time, like 30 seconds. Watch them as you walk, and give treat/praise when they look up at you. You can even practice this while on the couch watching TV ;-P
The Back-Away
I learned this at Brenda Aloff's seminar. The basic gist of it is that you back up a few steps as your dog positions in front of you, facing you. This is a nice easy way to get your dog facing you and looking towards you. It is very handy when a threat is in front of you because you turn your dogs body and focus away from the threat. To teach the back away, start by walking 2 steps forward, pausing, rocking back, and then take a step back. At first, you may have to manipulate your dog's body into following you by taking him by the collar and guiding him with you, or physically moving his back end into place. But as you practice, the dog will learn that the pause/rock means you're about to back up and will learn to come with you. This is also the first part of the emergency hold sequence. Practice this over and over, and then back away periodically on your daily walk, so your dog is used to it occurring anytime, anywhere.
The progression of the back away is that you end up at: holding your dog's collar, stroking their cheeks, forcing them to look at you and not at the threat, and calmly, soothingly telling them good boy/girl. (Remember, no excited voices because that elevates the energy and you want them calm.)
Practice practice practice! Walking every day gives you plenty of opportunity to practice the back away, eye contact, and the emergency hold. So walk with treats and your dog as the main focus.
I will be adding pictures and videos in the very near future, so stay tuned!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Kenneling Basics
Kenneling Your IG
I won't go into too much detail about kenneling because there's a lot of good information out there. I do just want to address a few things that I see all the time.
Do you feel bad when you have to put your dog in the kennel? Are you sad about it? Here's why you shouldn't.
-Your dogs can tell you're upset, and they feed on it. If you think the kennel is bad, they will associate the kennel as bad.
-Dogs feel most comfortable in a confined space. If left free in a big house, they can become more anxious than if in a kennel or confined to one room. This is why the house is often "destroyed" when you come home.
-IG's have housetraining problems. Yes, you already knew this! Dogs will not soil their beds if at all possible. However, if their bed is on the couch, there is nothing that says the corner of the room is part of their bed. When dogs are kenneled, they tend to sleep, so their bodily functions will slow down and they won't need to potty as often.
-Their kennel is the coolest place in the house. What, it's not? Why not? The kennel is filled with fluffy comfy blankets, and you know what? Treats magically appear in the kennel, and your dog gets the best treats when they go into their kennel. What, they don't? Well, they should :D
You probably sense a little false incredulity in that last one. But I'll be honest with you. One of my dogs will break down the door to get into the kennel room, and he'll sneak into the kennel room whenever he can. Why? Because he knows there's always good stuff down there. Us leaving for work is the best part of his day because he knows that running into that kennel and sitting down = treats. He's a bit of an extreme example, but my other dogs don't mind the kennel either.
Here are my kennel rules:
1) Woohoo, we're going to the kennel, who wants treats!!! Going to the kennel is happy, and it shows in my voice. I'm never sad or reluctant. Kennel IS happy, point blank.
2) Dogs never go in the kennel as punishment or when I'm angry.
3) Don't force/shove the dog into the kennel. Whenever possible, lure them in with a treat. When you place the dog in the kennel, it's not their choice to go in, and that will slow down the desensitization process. This doesn't mean you're giving them a choice, you're just letting them think it's their choice ;-P Close off the room or block them so that they can't escape, and eventually they realize their "choice" is to go into the kennel, and then they are rewarded for their choice.
3) The dogs always get really really good, special treats for kenneling. Treats they don't get in other situations. And lots of them. I'll often toss a handful of cut up sausage or chicken into the kennel for them to root around and find. When first kennel training, throughout the day put treats in the kennel when the dog's not watching. Eventually they'll figure out that treats grow in the kennel. If your dog goes into the kennel on his/her own, praise and give a treat.
4) And this one is very important. You are NOT happy or excited when you come home. I still have to remind my husband this weekly. He will run into the kennel room "Hi buddies!!!" in a loud happy voice. This is bad! Because - you coming home should be nothing special, it should be mundane and boring and nothing cool. If you coming home is exciting, then being let out of the kennel becomes the coolest thing ever. We want being IN the kennel to be the coolest thing ever!
I won't go into too much detail about kenneling because there's a lot of good information out there. I do just want to address a few things that I see all the time.
Do you feel bad when you have to put your dog in the kennel? Are you sad about it? Here's why you shouldn't.
-Your dogs can tell you're upset, and they feed on it. If you think the kennel is bad, they will associate the kennel as bad.
-Dogs feel most comfortable in a confined space. If left free in a big house, they can become more anxious than if in a kennel or confined to one room. This is why the house is often "destroyed" when you come home.
-IG's have housetraining problems. Yes, you already knew this! Dogs will not soil their beds if at all possible. However, if their bed is on the couch, there is nothing that says the corner of the room is part of their bed. When dogs are kenneled, they tend to sleep, so their bodily functions will slow down and they won't need to potty as often.
-Their kennel is the coolest place in the house. What, it's not? Why not? The kennel is filled with fluffy comfy blankets, and you know what? Treats magically appear in the kennel, and your dog gets the best treats when they go into their kennel. What, they don't? Well, they should :D
You probably sense a little false incredulity in that last one. But I'll be honest with you. One of my dogs will break down the door to get into the kennel room, and he'll sneak into the kennel room whenever he can. Why? Because he knows there's always good stuff down there. Us leaving for work is the best part of his day because he knows that running into that kennel and sitting down = treats. He's a bit of an extreme example, but my other dogs don't mind the kennel either.
Here are my kennel rules:
1) Woohoo, we're going to the kennel, who wants treats!!! Going to the kennel is happy, and it shows in my voice. I'm never sad or reluctant. Kennel IS happy, point blank.
2) Dogs never go in the kennel as punishment or when I'm angry.
3) Don't force/shove the dog into the kennel. Whenever possible, lure them in with a treat. When you place the dog in the kennel, it's not their choice to go in, and that will slow down the desensitization process. This doesn't mean you're giving them a choice, you're just letting them think it's their choice ;-P Close off the room or block them so that they can't escape, and eventually they realize their "choice" is to go into the kennel, and then they are rewarded for their choice.
3) The dogs always get really really good, special treats for kenneling. Treats they don't get in other situations. And lots of them. I'll often toss a handful of cut up sausage or chicken into the kennel for them to root around and find. When first kennel training, throughout the day put treats in the kennel when the dog's not watching. Eventually they'll figure out that treats grow in the kennel. If your dog goes into the kennel on his/her own, praise and give a treat.
4) And this one is very important. You are NOT happy or excited when you come home. I still have to remind my husband this weekly. He will run into the kennel room "Hi buddies!!!" in a loud happy voice. This is bad! Because - you coming home should be nothing special, it should be mundane and boring and nothing cool. If you coming home is exciting, then being let out of the kennel becomes the coolest thing ever. We want being IN the kennel to be the coolest thing ever!
Shy Dogs Part 3 - Desensitization vs. Sensitization
Desensitization vs. Sensitization
Much of socializing a dog involves "desensitization". We desensitize dogs to head patting, petting, collars, leashes, you name it. It's all about teaching the dogs how to live in our world and be successful. We go through this process because, let's face it, humans are weird! Or at least to dogs we are pretty strange creatures.
-When dogs show each other their teeth, that's usually an aggressive display, right? Well, us humans like to show our teeth to each other when we're happy.
-When one dog looms over another, or tries to get on top/above another dog, that's dominance and aggression. Humans like to reach down over dogs to pet them, pick them up, hug them etc. Strange!!
-Dogs, in a friendly encounter, do not walk directly towards one another. They actually arc around each other to approach. They never approach in a straight line, unless they are trying to threaten each other or show aggression/dominance. So what do we humans do? You guessed it! We walk directly towards each other and give a big hug or a firm handshake. We will walk directly up to a dog, stand right in front of it, stare down at it and then reach over it to give it a good head pat. What's worse: when we walk our dogs, we are always forcing our dogs to walk straight at another dog walker moving in the opposite direction.
-And last but certainly not least. When do dogs make eye contact with one another? All together now :D When they are challenging each other or showing dominance. Rarely do my dogs make eye contact with each other, unless they are about to fight. Humans? We LOVE eye contact ;-P Or at least we appreciate it. For us, it means we're focused on each other, confident in ourselves, etc.
Okay, so I've rambled on about why humans are strange, but what does this have to do with desensitization? Our job, if we want dogs that fit into the human definition of "good" dogs, is to desensitize dogs to all of our strange habits. This means that the dogs think "yeah these humans are weird, but I just put up with all of their eccentricities because it seems to make them happy..." That is what we're doing when we take our puppies to meet strangers who walk straight up to them, smile, stare them in the eye, bend over them, reach out and pet them.
What is sensitization? It's the opposite of desensitization: instead of convincing the dogs to put up with whatever we're doing to them, we accidentally make them more sensitive, more reactive to our actions. This can happen when we force a dog too far past their comfort level, or fear threshold. But it can be more simple than that. My dogs are "sensitized" to me taking the leashes from the hook where they hang. When I pick up a leash, the dogs go bonkers. They just know that we're going for a walk or a car ride. They start jumping all over me, jumping on the tables, knocking stuff over, it's ridiculous. Well, maybe I only picked up the leashes so I could put them in the wash? But, 99% of the time, when I pick up the leashes, we're going somewhere -- my action equals a consequence (in this case the consequence is a good thing, the walk), so the dogs are sensitive to the action.
Another example is a dog getting upset when you pick up your car keys. They know that jingle means that you're leaving them: they are sensitive to the jingle. To desensitize your dog to that jingle, you'd need to pick up your keys and jingle them several times a day -- without leaving! -- until your dog stops getting upset when you jingle your keys. You may need to jingle your keys without leaving periodically on an ongoing basis so you don't re-sensitize your dog by accident.
Now let's apply this concept to fear threshold. Whenever strangers come over, they invade Bella's space. She is way out of her comfort zone, and very nervous when this happens. These strangers keep cornering her, while showing their teeth. She reacts to them by growling and showing her teeth. The stranger is then appalled and offended and leaves her alone. Bella is sensitive to strangers, and has learned that showing aggression makes them go away. We need to desensitize Bella to strangers. To do this, we will have strangers in the vicinity, but not even acknowledging her existence. They will not corner her or look at her, they don't even notice she's in the room. Over time, Bella becomes desensitized to the presence of strangers because she is accustomed to them and doesn't associate them with aggression or threats.
Much of socializing a dog involves "desensitization". We desensitize dogs to head patting, petting, collars, leashes, you name it. It's all about teaching the dogs how to live in our world and be successful. We go through this process because, let's face it, humans are weird! Or at least to dogs we are pretty strange creatures.
-When dogs show each other their teeth, that's usually an aggressive display, right? Well, us humans like to show our teeth to each other when we're happy.
-When one dog looms over another, or tries to get on top/above another dog, that's dominance and aggression. Humans like to reach down over dogs to pet them, pick them up, hug them etc. Strange!!
-Dogs, in a friendly encounter, do not walk directly towards one another. They actually arc around each other to approach. They never approach in a straight line, unless they are trying to threaten each other or show aggression/dominance. So what do we humans do? You guessed it! We walk directly towards each other and give a big hug or a firm handshake. We will walk directly up to a dog, stand right in front of it, stare down at it and then reach over it to give it a good head pat. What's worse: when we walk our dogs, we are always forcing our dogs to walk straight at another dog walker moving in the opposite direction.
-And last but certainly not least. When do dogs make eye contact with one another? All together now :D When they are challenging each other or showing dominance. Rarely do my dogs make eye contact with each other, unless they are about to fight. Humans? We LOVE eye contact ;-P Or at least we appreciate it. For us, it means we're focused on each other, confident in ourselves, etc.
Okay, so I've rambled on about why humans are strange, but what does this have to do with desensitization? Our job, if we want dogs that fit into the human definition of "good" dogs, is to desensitize dogs to all of our strange habits. This means that the dogs think "yeah these humans are weird, but I just put up with all of their eccentricities because it seems to make them happy..." That is what we're doing when we take our puppies to meet strangers who walk straight up to them, smile, stare them in the eye, bend over them, reach out and pet them.
What is sensitization? It's the opposite of desensitization: instead of convincing the dogs to put up with whatever we're doing to them, we accidentally make them more sensitive, more reactive to our actions. This can happen when we force a dog too far past their comfort level, or fear threshold. But it can be more simple than that. My dogs are "sensitized" to me taking the leashes from the hook where they hang. When I pick up a leash, the dogs go bonkers. They just know that we're going for a walk or a car ride. They start jumping all over me, jumping on the tables, knocking stuff over, it's ridiculous. Well, maybe I only picked up the leashes so I could put them in the wash? But, 99% of the time, when I pick up the leashes, we're going somewhere -- my action equals a consequence (in this case the consequence is a good thing, the walk), so the dogs are sensitive to the action.
Another example is a dog getting upset when you pick up your car keys. They know that jingle means that you're leaving them: they are sensitive to the jingle. To desensitize your dog to that jingle, you'd need to pick up your keys and jingle them several times a day -- without leaving! -- until your dog stops getting upset when you jingle your keys. You may need to jingle your keys without leaving periodically on an ongoing basis so you don't re-sensitize your dog by accident.
Now let's apply this concept to fear threshold. Whenever strangers come over, they invade Bella's space. She is way out of her comfort zone, and very nervous when this happens. These strangers keep cornering her, while showing their teeth. She reacts to them by growling and showing her teeth. The stranger is then appalled and offended and leaves her alone. Bella is sensitive to strangers, and has learned that showing aggression makes them go away. We need to desensitize Bella to strangers. To do this, we will have strangers in the vicinity, but not even acknowledging her existence. They will not corner her or look at her, they don't even notice she's in the room. Over time, Bella becomes desensitized to the presence of strangers because she is accustomed to them and doesn't associate them with aggression or threats.
Shy Dogs Part 2 - Fear Threshold
One of my trainers had a really good example for fear threshold: Let's take 2 different people, and introduce them to a spider. One of the people is so scared that he cannot function if the spider is within 10 feet of him. The other person doesn't exhibit the same fear reaction until the spider is touching him. We can draw an analogy to dogs: one dog shuts down with fear when a man with a hat walks into view, and another dog shows no fear even when the man with a hat walks up and pets her. Different dogs have different fear thresholds, and these fear thresholds may change for varying stimuli.
To help a dog overcome his fears, he needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone. Hiding the dog from the world and never taking him out of the house is not the solution. However, if we take the dog too far over his fear threshold, we can actually make the fear worse, and we certainly haven't helped the dog feel more confident in a scary situation. It comes down to taking incremental steps. If walking around in a Petco is very very stressful for your dog, then the first incremental step is to sit with your dog in the parking lot, feeding treats and rewarding the dog for being there. The next step may be sitting with the dog 5 feet from the door, next walking just inside the door, next sitting in a corner of the store, next actually walking around the store. This process may happen over 10 to 20 visits, depending on the dog and the level of fear.
A very good way to determine if you are pushing the dog too far over the threshold is if they will not eat. If you give the dog a treat and they will not take it, or they take it and spit it out, then you are too far over the fear threshold.
How do you know if your dog is nervous or stressed out?
Some signs to look for:
-Dog will not eat (i.e. will not take a treat)
-Shaking
-Tail tucked way under
-Ears flat back
-Crouched way down
-Panting (not the same as panting from heat or exercise)
-Biting or snapping when approached (this is also known as fear aggression - fight instinct)
-Etc.
OK, my dog is nervous. Now what?
- Evaluate the situation. What about the situation is making the dog nervous? For Piper, it's strangers present. For another dog, it may be thunder or a man with a hat.
- Is there a way to help your dog exit the situation? A safe place, a bigger distance between the dog and the threat...
- Determine a course of action for the next time this situation will occur. Having a plan in advance will help keep you from becoming emotional. Remember, you're not allowed to feel sorry for your dog! :D The plan may include a way to break the situation into steps to prevent going over the fear threshold.
Another example:
Fido is nervous of strange people, especially kids and teenagers. He has been known to snap at and even bite people when they approach him and try to pet him or reach out to him. This occurs primarily when kids come into the house.
Solution:
Before opening the door for the strange people to come in, put Fido in a bedroom (somewhere he can't come "greet" the strangers). Let the people in and explain to them that Fido is nervous and that they should completely ignore him and not reach out to him, even if he approaches them. They should not look directly at him, and especially should not make eye contact. If you like Caesar Milan then you should know this saying: "No touch, no talk, no eye contact." Sometimes this is just as much about "training" people as training your dog. Then allow Fido out, but leave him a safe place and a path to escape so that he does not feel cornered.
Now, things are going really well with this tactic... The strangers have been in the house for a few hours and Fido seems to be doing pretty well. (Or you have used this technique 5 or so different times.) Now let's give the strangers some treats and ask them to offer the treat to Fido. They can sit or crouch down at Fido's level and offer the treat. They should not bend over Fido, as that is a pretty scary thing to a dog. If Fido moves back or appears nervous, the person should not keep moving toward Fido. Instead, they could toss the treat to Fido, as we have reached his next fear threshold.
This is just one example of how to break a situation into more manageable pieces. Remember, if the dog will not eat or exhibits the fear signs shown above, you have passed the fear threshold.
To help a dog overcome his fears, he needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone. Hiding the dog from the world and never taking him out of the house is not the solution. However, if we take the dog too far over his fear threshold, we can actually make the fear worse, and we certainly haven't helped the dog feel more confident in a scary situation. It comes down to taking incremental steps. If walking around in a Petco is very very stressful for your dog, then the first incremental step is to sit with your dog in the parking lot, feeding treats and rewarding the dog for being there. The next step may be sitting with the dog 5 feet from the door, next walking just inside the door, next sitting in a corner of the store, next actually walking around the store. This process may happen over 10 to 20 visits, depending on the dog and the level of fear.
A very good way to determine if you are pushing the dog too far over the threshold is if they will not eat. If you give the dog a treat and they will not take it, or they take it and spit it out, then you are too far over the fear threshold.
How do you know if your dog is nervous or stressed out?
Some signs to look for:
-Dog will not eat (i.e. will not take a treat)
-Shaking
-Tail tucked way under
-Ears flat back
-Crouched way down
-Panting (not the same as panting from heat or exercise)
-Biting or snapping when approached (this is also known as fear aggression - fight instinct)
-Etc.
OK, my dog is nervous. Now what?
- Evaluate the situation. What about the situation is making the dog nervous? For Piper, it's strangers present. For another dog, it may be thunder or a man with a hat.
- Is there a way to help your dog exit the situation? A safe place, a bigger distance between the dog and the threat...
- Determine a course of action for the next time this situation will occur. Having a plan in advance will help keep you from becoming emotional. Remember, you're not allowed to feel sorry for your dog! :D The plan may include a way to break the situation into steps to prevent going over the fear threshold.
Another example:
Fido is nervous of strange people, especially kids and teenagers. He has been known to snap at and even bite people when they approach him and try to pet him or reach out to him. This occurs primarily when kids come into the house.
Solution:
Before opening the door for the strange people to come in, put Fido in a bedroom (somewhere he can't come "greet" the strangers). Let the people in and explain to them that Fido is nervous and that they should completely ignore him and not reach out to him, even if he approaches them. They should not look directly at him, and especially should not make eye contact. If you like Caesar Milan then you should know this saying: "No touch, no talk, no eye contact." Sometimes this is just as much about "training" people as training your dog. Then allow Fido out, but leave him a safe place and a path to escape so that he does not feel cornered.
Now, things are going really well with this tactic... The strangers have been in the house for a few hours and Fido seems to be doing pretty well. (Or you have used this technique 5 or so different times.) Now let's give the strangers some treats and ask them to offer the treat to Fido. They can sit or crouch down at Fido's level and offer the treat. They should not bend over Fido, as that is a pretty scary thing to a dog. If Fido moves back or appears nervous, the person should not keep moving toward Fido. Instead, they could toss the treat to Fido, as we have reached his next fear threshold.
This is just one example of how to break a situation into more manageable pieces. Remember, if the dog will not eat or exhibits the fear signs shown above, you have passed the fear threshold.
Timid, Fearful, Shy Dogs Part 1
IG's are well-known for being a timid breed. While many IG's are outgoing, well-socialized, friendly little dogs, many IG's who were not socialized as puppies become shy/fearful/timid dogs. A shy IG may never become the life of the party, but they can become very functional, confident dogs -- with the right kind of support from their owners.
The number one rule, and I can't stress this enough, is that you cannot baby, comfort, or feel sorry for your shy IG. These emotions from us have the unintended consequence of rewarding the dog for their shy behavior. If your dog is scared and you pick her up and coo at her "it's okay, there's nothing to be scared of" and pet her and protect her, you have rewarded the fear and basically told your dog that being scared is the right response to this stimulus. Instead, the better response is to give your dog a "safe" place and beyond that, offer no comfort. Comforting the dog in a situation like this can even exacerbate the dog's fear and anxiety.
As an example: Piper is scared of strange people. He doesn't enjoy going places with a lot of people, he would prefer it if no one ever came to the house to visit. Piper doesn't want people to notice him and shakes and cowers when people approach him. However, Piper has never snapped at a person for approaching him. His reaction is flight, where another dog's reaction might be to fight. When Piper was first adopted, he was so scared that he would hide under the bed, and shake violently when a person even looked at him.
Solution: When friends come over to the house, the bedroom door is left open, and Piper is allowed to go into this room - his "safe" place - when he feels overwhelmed. Conversely, the friends are encouraged not to enter this room. Piper's owners never pick him up in these situations, never comfort him or pet him. They also never force him to stay in the room with the strangers. If Piper gets trapped in a corner and cannot get to the bedroom without crossing the path of a stranger, Piper's owners open a path for him by asking their friends to move. The owners also instruct their friends not to approach this dog, that he does not enjoy being petted. In fact, they are asked to completely ignore him.
Success! Piper is still not outgoing, and he still prefers not to be petted by strangers. BUT, Piper now comes out of the bedroom when strangers are present, and will often sit on the couch and observe the situation. He will approach strangers to sniff them, as long as they aren't looking at him (if they turn to look at him, he will run away). He does not hide behind his owners, and no longer shakes violently when strangers are present. He will even take treats offered by strangers!
The number one rule, and I can't stress this enough, is that you cannot baby, comfort, or feel sorry for your shy IG. These emotions from us have the unintended consequence of rewarding the dog for their shy behavior. If your dog is scared and you pick her up and coo at her "it's okay, there's nothing to be scared of" and pet her and protect her, you have rewarded the fear and basically told your dog that being scared is the right response to this stimulus. Instead, the better response is to give your dog a "safe" place and beyond that, offer no comfort. Comforting the dog in a situation like this can even exacerbate the dog's fear and anxiety.
As an example: Piper is scared of strange people. He doesn't enjoy going places with a lot of people, he would prefer it if no one ever came to the house to visit. Piper doesn't want people to notice him and shakes and cowers when people approach him. However, Piper has never snapped at a person for approaching him. His reaction is flight, where another dog's reaction might be to fight. When Piper was first adopted, he was so scared that he would hide under the bed, and shake violently when a person even looked at him.
Solution: When friends come over to the house, the bedroom door is left open, and Piper is allowed to go into this room - his "safe" place - when he feels overwhelmed. Conversely, the friends are encouraged not to enter this room. Piper's owners never pick him up in these situations, never comfort him or pet him. They also never force him to stay in the room with the strangers. If Piper gets trapped in a corner and cannot get to the bedroom without crossing the path of a stranger, Piper's owners open a path for him by asking their friends to move. The owners also instruct their friends not to approach this dog, that he does not enjoy being petted. In fact, they are asked to completely ignore him.
Success! Piper is still not outgoing, and he still prefers not to be petted by strangers. BUT, Piper now comes out of the bedroom when strangers are present, and will often sit on the couch and observe the situation. He will approach strangers to sniff them, as long as they aren't looking at him (if they turn to look at him, he will run away). He does not hide behind his owners, and no longer shakes violently when strangers are present. He will even take treats offered by strangers!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Introduction and Background
Hello IG owners!
I'm a volunteer/foster home/training coordinator for Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescue. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and are completely volunteer-run. We operate primarily in MN, WI, and IA. Please visit us at: www.italiangreyhoundrescue.org
As the training coordinator, I'm usually tasked with helping new IG adopters overcome some of the common behavior issues that are common to the breed. The most common issues are leash aggression, breed aggression, fear aggression, and anxiety, although there are a few other issues that crop up.
This blog will primarily be reference for owners that have questions or run into issues with their IG's.
I'm a volunteer/foster home/training coordinator for Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescue. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and are completely volunteer-run. We operate primarily in MN, WI, and IA. Please visit us at: www.italiangreyhoundrescue.org
As the training coordinator, I'm usually tasked with helping new IG adopters overcome some of the common behavior issues that are common to the breed. The most common issues are leash aggression, breed aggression, fear aggression, and anxiety, although there are a few other issues that crop up.
This blog will primarily be reference for owners that have questions or run into issues with their IG's.
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