An Ounce of Prevention

Posted on July 13, 2020July 13, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

The saying holds true for dog training. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

My hope for animal training and pet owning is that in the next few years we see a shift towards emphasizing prevention of behavior problems rather than major problem solving.

Why prevention?

If you focus on prevention, rather than waiting for a problem to occur, you have some advantages. First, it’s a better use of your time and energy. Solving a behavior problem when you’ve already lived with it for weeks, months, or years can be both daunting and exhausting. You might already be burned out from living with the problem for a long time. Doing the work to change the behavior can be hard when you already feel used up.

Second, your dog won’t have the history of practicing the unwanted behavior. If your dog barks at the mailman for years before you start to change that behavior, it’s much harder! Your dog has years of practice with “barking at the mailman = mailman goes away”. That history can mean the behavior will come back easily, even if you are successful in changing it.

How to focus on prevention?

There’s a few things to consider in order to be effective at preventing problems before they start, or at least before they get big.

1. Visualize and write down what you would you like your dog to do. Each time I’m about to encounter a new-to-my dog scenario, I ask – “what do I want him to do here”?

Example: When I’m watering the vegetable garden, I want Doug to lie down nearby and stay until I release him to chase the water.

2. Build the necessary skills and behaviors so that your dog can do those things.

Example: Doug has learned lie down on cue, but the water is really really enticing! I have to work on this slowly so that he can lie down and stay for long enough for me to water. I might begin with just 1-2 seconds of seconds of lie down and stay while the water is on.

3. Manage the situation for success if your dog’s skills aren’t ready for the real deal.

Example: Doug stays inside while I am actually watering the veggie garden until he can lie down and stay in the presence of the hose for long enough that I can water the garden.

4. Reinforce the behavior you like with something you dog actually wants in that moment.

Example: Doug’s reinforcer for staying while I water is to chase the water in the grass near the garden. If I toss a ball while the hose is on, he watches me toss it and then looks at me. He does not want to fetch (normally his favorite game). If I stop providing water-chasing time after his down stay, I would fully expect him to start to charge into the garden at the hose.

For the example above, Doug did charge through my veggie garden to chase the hose water once before I created this training plan. But as soon as I caught myself thinking, “GAH DOUG!!!”, I stopped. I put him inside to prevent practice of that behavior so that I could finish watering and I came up with a plan. We can’t predict everything our dogs will experience nor can we anticipate everything they might do in specific situations. Like in this example, there will be times where a problem will pop up and you’ll have to solve it right away. And that might be the closest you can get to prevention in some situations.

Doug, waiting for his chance to chase the hose water

However, there are many experiences your dog will encounter every day or multiple times a day for his whole life. Some examples: Being with you in your living room while you watch TV or read. Being with you while you work from home (like so many of us are doing now). Going on walks in your neighborhood. Spending time with your family members. Playing with toys. Eating meals near people or other pets in the house. And so on. These things will vary based on your lifestyle, household, and where you live.

No matter how long you’ve had your dog – start this now! You can come up with your own list by thinking through your own personal daily or weekly routines and the routines that you’ll go through to care for your dog. From there, ask:

What do you want your dog to do in each of these situations?
Does your dog have the skills to actually do that behavior? If not, what do you need to teach to get there?
How can you manage the scenario while your dog develops those skills?
And how are you going to reinforce those behaviors so that they persist?

7 Tips for “Come”

Posted on June 30, 2020June 30, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

This is a handout I created years ago and have given to many clients. If you are struggling with “come”, check to see whether you are doing these things first.

Tips for Come

Always reinforce, always with something special. Your dog’s preferences determine what is special. Maybe it’s a game of tug, maybe it’s a special treat, maybe it’s some nice neck scratches or some time to sniff a light post.
Do not only call for possibly unpleasant events such as a bath or leaving an off leash area. Instead calmly and gently go get your dog. If there are events that are consistently unpleasant for your dog, work with a (professional, positive) trainer to work on that! Even bath time can be enjoyable with training.
Call and release back to the activity your dog was enjoying as often as possible so that coming to you doesn’t end the current activity.
Surprise reinforcers! – Treats around the house, extra special treats, or other unexpected fun for your dog.
Call only once. Only call after you have your dog’s attention (I use a name cue for attention first – if they don’t look when you call their name, they probably won’t come to you). If you repeat their name or the “come” cue over and over, it will just become background noise. The word will quickly lose its meaning.
Only call if you are sure your dog will listen. (Would you bet $50 she or he will come?) If you aren’t sure, gently go up to him to get him instead of calling and practice more.
Teach your dog that touching their collar is a positive thing! Some dogs will mouth, nip or growl when you take their collar – if this is something your dog struggles with, work with a (professional, positive) trainer to teach this one.

Types of Walking

Posted on May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

I think that loose leash walking, or “stop pulling” may be one of the most frequently requested goals I have from clients. Dogs pull on leash for sooo many reasons. Some examples are: to access to an object to sniff it, to access to people or other dogs, in an attempt to chase something like a squirrel or car, or perhaps just because they would like to walk at a faster pace (4 legs is really an advantage over 2!) . Understanding the “why” is definitely key to getting this behavior to happen in the way that you want. A dog could pull for all of these reasons and more on a single given walk.

But I’m not going to talk about solving pulling today. Instead I’m going to talk about building a walking behavior that you like. Before you can accomplish your walking goals, you absolutely have to know what you want it to look like. You need to define the behavior, decide on your criteria and cues, and have a plan for reinforcement. What will the structure of walking be for you and your dog?

I’ve chosen to teach my dogs several kinds of walking, because we walk in many different environments. For each environment, I have different behaviors in mind that will result in reinforcement for my dogs. My types of walks are: heeling, downtown/in public buildings leash walks (with me), neighborhood sniffy leash walks (sniffy walk), and hiking. For each, I have chosen to use a different equipment set-up to help my dog differentiate. This becomes part of the cue for which walk we are doing. I’m going to break down each one so you can see examples for planning your own walking goals.

Heeling:

Critiera – What you would want in competition obedience. I would like my dogs’ foot to line up with my foot. I would like my dog to look at me and match my pace and path.
Environments – Any open space, inside the house, backyard, park, training building, etc.
Cues – 4-6 foot leash attached to the collar, a verbal “heel”, and my arm in an L shape.
Reinforcement – Food, play, praise/petting and sniffing time.
Duration of walking – Short, small doses. Never more than a couple of minutes at a time.
Purpose – Competition, feels like a formal training session. Heeling should really be treated like a trick that you and your dog are performing together as a mutually engaging activity.

With Me:

Criteria – For my dog to stay within a foot or so of my side and to move on quickly from things in the environment such as smells or people with a “let’s go” cue. I often ask for a sit + wait during this type of walk to let people pass us closely.
Environments – Downtown areas, inside pet-friendly stores, on busier streets.
Cues – A 4-6 foot leash attached to the front clip of my dog’s harness. A verbal cue “with me”.
Reinforcement – Food, sniffing, verbal praise/petting, opportunity to greet people.
Duration of walking – 10-15 minutes at the most. Often just a few minutes at a time.
Purpose – To safely and politely navigate a busier

Sniffy Walks:

Criteria – If you (dog) want to stop and sniff, we do. If I want to stop and look, we do. If a walker, biker or car needs to pass us we will move to the side. I ask for a sit+wait, do a treat scatter, or let him sniff something while the person passes. All offered check-ins, where he looks at me or comes to my side, will be reinforced.
Environments – Neighborhood streets, quieter roads, park paths, open fields
Cues – 6-12 foot leash attached to the back clip of my dog’s harness. No formal verbal cue but I’m sure I use the phrase “sniffy walk” often before we start.
Reinforcement – Food, sniffing, verbal praise/petting, (rarely) greeting a person.
Duration of walking – Longer walks, 30-90 minutes usually.
Purpose – For me and my dog to get out into the world, see things, hear things, smell things, enjoy each other’s company and get a little mild exercise.

Hiking:

Criteria – If you (dog) want to stop and sniff, you may, I will keep walking and if you are still sniffing when I get to the end of the lead, I will stop and wait until you run to catch up. The reverse is also true: If I want to stop and look at something, you (dog) may keep going but if you get to the end of the leash before I’m ready to move on, you will pause and wait until I start walking again. I usually say “wait” before I stop. If a walker, biker or car needs to pass us we will move to the side. We do a sit+wait as people pass. Occasionally I may cue a “let’s go” to move on from something gross or potentially harmful. All offered check-ins, where he looks at me or comes to my side, will be reinforced.
Environments – Hiking trails, open fields, quiet country roads
Cues – 15-20 foot long line attached to the back clip of my dog’s harness. No verbal cue.
Reinforcement – Treats, verbal praise/petting, sniffing.
Duration – Longer walks, an hour or two usually.
Purpose – For me and my dog to get out into the world, see things, hear things, smell things, enjoy each other’s company and get a some exercise and decompression.

What types of walking are useful in your life? What does each type of walk look like? How will you help your dog to understand your criteria?

Some other great resources regarding walking with your dog:

Deb Jones: Focus is Focus and Walks are Walks (Blog Post)

Kiki Yablon: To Teach Loose Leash Walking, Loosen the Leash (Blog Post)

Hannah Brannigan, Drinking from the Toilet: Loose Leash Walking Part 1 (Podcast), and Loose Leash Walking Part 2 (Podcast)

The most important item on my desk.

Posted on April 16, 2020April 16, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

Okay, maybe I should say the most important after my computer. Without my computer, I wouldn’t be sitting at my desk!

But this treat jar is key. It allows me to be ready to reinforce nice behavior on the fly.

The problem I needed to solve: Dan historically has barked (a lot! and loudly!) at delivery people and sometimes when the neighbors dog barks or if he sees deer outside. It’s stressful for both of us and really disruptive to my work flow, especially if I’m on the phone.

So, I’ve been consistently practicing:
Hear a delivery truck, or dog = come to me for treat jar time.
When I hear the truck or dog, I call him by saying “Dan!” in a calm, happy voice. He comes running! He still might woof once or twice and thats fine with me. A few weeks ago, he started to come when he heard the truck or dog, rather than waiting for me to call him. Even better! And the treat jar made this possible.

Here’s some keys to our success with the treat jar:

Special treats.

I use a kibble or dry treat that is different from his normal food. This makes it more interesting than his typical kibble, but will still last a long time at room temperature.

Experience with the jar.

I stumbled across this when I took Julie Daniels class, “Cookie Jar Games” through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy . You’ll notice my jar has a metal screw top. This is important. It makes a very specific sound when you open it. This sound can function as a “click” – a marker to tell your dog “that’s the behavior I like!”. So if I’m on the phone, I don’t have to talk to my dog in order to mark the behavior of checking in with me, I can just open the jar.

(By the way, Cookie Jar Games is available for sale as a self study course and all $$ goes to a fund for Julie’s current cancer treatment – link is here: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/4839)

How you give the treats is part of the reinforcer (part of what makes the behavior worth doing).

For Dan, it has been important to toss a few treats into his bed that is next to my desk. It sort of functions as a makeshift snuffle mat, so he can sniff around for the treats. This does three things.

It makes the treats more valuable, because there is a fun sniffing around activity that goes with them.
It also stretches out the treat experience in time. So if a truck or dog makes several noises across a few minutes, the doesn’t eat the treat and immediately run to the window and bark. He sniffs around for the treats for 15-20 seconds and then I can either toss a few more in the bed, or wait to let him offer another check in, depending on what I am doing and how intense the truck noise/dog barking is.
It gives a predictable place for the treats to land. So now when he hears the jar he actually stands between me and the bed. Sometimes he comes in and starts looking in the bed before I’ve gotten the treats there.

This isn’t just for barking, you can use it to reinforce any behavior you like. For example, if your dog is calmly resting in your office space, you can open the jar and place a treat near her nose (calmly). Or if your dog has stolen your underwear out of your closet, you can open the treat jar and trade treats for the underwear. Maybe give one treat to your dog directly for the initial trade, and then playfully toss a few more to add some movement (read: “fun”) into the treat-getting activity.

Finally, you don’t have to stop at one jar. We actually have 4 treat jars in our house. One by each dog’s crate for “going to bed”. One in the kitchen for calling in from outside, or going to mat while we are cooking/cleaning. And one in my office for coming when dogs bark/trucks come.

So, dig through your cupboards, pull out that nice jar you saved for something, someday, load it up and introduce your pup (and yourself) to the joy of the treat jar.

Home with your dog? Don’t forget the nap!

Posted on April 13, 2020April 13, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

Many of us are now home with our dogs, who prior to COVID-19, spent all day alone at home. I think this is fantastic for dogs to get so much more time with their people!

I’ve also seen tons of information about activities to do with your dog while you are all home. Enrichment activities, tricks, classes online, games, walks, and more walks. So much fun! This is all simply awesome. I love seeing people interact with their dogs more and use their creativity to come up with fun ways to enjoy each other more.

But I’ve had several questions about dogs who are struggling to adapt to this new, busy, stimulating lifestyle. For some dogs, who are used to 8 plus hours per day of quiet time, this is hard! While you’re at work, your dog is likely to be sleeping or at least resting. Now that the whole family is home, there’s more stimulation in the house and for some dogs this will prevent good rest and sleep.

Dogs sleep more than people! Most adult dogs sleep 12-14 hours per day (Becker, K. S., 2019). This is because dogs don’t accomplish REM sleep as easily as people do. They actually *need* more sleep. And just like for people, if your dog isn’t getting enough sleep or isn’t feeling rested, behavior problems could arise.

So, keep up the enrichment and play and walk times! But also consider offering your dog a nap time if your household is suddenly busier. Set up a comfy spot in a quiet room. Leave your dog with a stuffed kong or other special chewy item in case she decides not to sleep. Turn on some soothing music or white noise. Turn the lights down. And let your pup doze for an hour or two.

Sophie, Sleeping (Goldendoodle) — Sophie, Sleeping
Photo Credit: Bethany P

Here are some studies and articles related to sleep in dogs:

Becker, K. S. (2019). How much sleep should your dog get? [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2019/02/08/dog-sleep.aspx

Bódizs, R. Kis, A., Gácsi, M., & Topál, J. (2020). Sleep in the dog: comparative, behavioral and translational research. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 33, 25-33. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.12.006

London, K. (2016) A study of sleep in dogs. The Bark. Retrieved from https://thebark.com/content/study-sleep-dogs

When to (or when not to) Change a Behavior

Posted on February 26, 2020February 26, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

Keeping with the theme of decision making in what to work on with your dog, I’d like to talk a bit about deciding whether or not to change a behavior.

Many of my clients come to me with an idea of what a dog should do, of how a dog should behave. Or sometimes they ask questions like “is it ok that Sparky gets up on the couch?”. “Is it ok if Sparky sleeps in the bed with me?” My answer is – you, your family, and your dog get to decide together. Every family has different household needs.

Some behaviors absolutely need to be changed for the safety of you, your dog, or other outside parties. Anything that falls into the category of safety risks should definitely be on the list of behaviors to change. You might address these problems with a combination of management and training*.

For other behaviors, it might not be so straight forward. All of the behavior your dog does is for a purpose. All behavior exists to either gain access to something or to gain distance from/prevent something. So, it is important to consider the impact of a behavior on the entire household – not just on you, but on your dog too.

It might be easier to demonstrate this with some examples:

Doug steals socks.

He always has since he was a tiny baby. I’m not sure exactly why socks, because I’m not Doug. But I could guess that they either smell good or feel good to hold. I’ve been very careful to never, ever chase him or go get the sock from him, because I didn’t want to turn it into a game. I didn’t want him to steal socks. For a long time it really bothered me. But here’s the thing. He’s never so much as made a tiny hole in any sock. He just carries it around for awhile, then abandons it and, later, I go retrieve it. This is not a safety risk (he doesn’t ingest the sock material or show aggression when someone approaches while he’s holding the sock). It is a minor annoyance. And at some point, I decided to stop worrying about it. It’s really quite cute. And harmless. And he is getting something out of it or he wouldn’t keep doing it. So I’m not going to change this behavior.

Now, if your dog steals items and chews them or swallows pieces of them, that could be a safety risk. If your dog steals items and then displays aggression over the item when you approach, that is a safety risk*. In those situations, you need to use management and/or training to minimize the safety risks. This might mean trading a special treat for a stolen item, keeping counters/tables/floors clear, and providing lots of dog-safe things for your dog to carry and chew.

*Doug, resting with his latest sock find*

Dan likes to dig.

The photo below gives you an idea of just how much he likes to dig. He will dig enormous holes. I’m not sure exactly what he gets out of this activity – maybe it feels good or smells good. I do know he likes to watch earth worms, so maybe he digs until he finds a worm to watch? Whatever it is, the activity itself is enjoyable for him.

When Dan was young, my father-in-law taught him to dig on cue. If Dan was digging he would go stand by the hole and look at it with Dan and say “dig-em dig-em dig-em Dan” and Dan would dig and dig. After a few episodes of this, Dan would begin to dig if you chanted “dig-em”. This turned out to be quite useful. The only harm in Dan digging is when he digs in my flower bed. I don’t really mind if he makes a hole in the yard. That is fix-able. I can fill it back in. But I do enjoy my flowers. So, if Dan is digging in a spot I don’t like, I can make a small hole in another spot and encourage him to dig there. In this case, I did decide to change the behavior. But by offering a different digging area, Dan can still get all of the enjoyment of digging. I don’t need to stop the behavior completely and I probably shouldn’t. Dan does this behavior for a reason, even if it isn’t super clear to me what he gets out of it (since I’m not Dan)

Before you begin to change your dog’s behavior, consider why he is doing that behavior. If you still decide you need to change it, can you provide an alternative for your dog to gain the same or similar experience another way?

***If you are observing a behavior that poses a safety risk you should work with a qualified professional dog trainer or behaviorist to make the situation safe.***

Prioritizing your Training Goals

Posted on February 25, 2020February 26, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

Last week I wrote about how it can be overwhelming when you have a long list of training goals – which is the case for so many of us.

Today I want to talk a bit about how I choose which of those things to focus on first in training. My three main considerations are safety, quality of life, and preventability. Some of this is a bit subjective – it won’t be black and white. But hopefully this guide will help you to choose priorities if you have a long list!

First, here’s my list in order of importance:

Safety at home
Safety in public
Quality of life (no or low safety risk)
Minor problems

Now lets break these down a bit:

Safety at home:

This is top priority, hopefully for obvious reasons. But let’s talk about breaking that down within this category. I will always prioritize human safety first. If there is a dangerous situation for the humans in the home, especially children, that has to be changed immediately. This is in the best interest of both the people and the dog. Of course we don’t want people to be injured, but often if a dog injures a person, it’s prognosis for a good quality of life is decreased.

Some Examples:

1. Any behavior you would label as “aggressive” – biting, snapping, growling, scratching, lunging, intense barking

2. Behaviors that are not necessarily “aggressive” but could injure a person, another animal or your dog – jumping up on an elderly person or child, counter surfing (especially if your dog has a tendency to ingest stolen items), mouthing or biting during play

Safety in public:

This is a second priority because it is possible to keep your dog home if there is a public-only safety risk. But it is important to address because at some point your dog needs to leave the house. Even if just for a vet visit, there is a risk that the dog may get out of your car or that you’ll encounter an unexpected scenario on the way. Additionally getting out into the world, to have positive, enriching experiences can greatly improve your dog’s quality of life. Keeping them home forever is limiting.

Some examples:

1. Any behavior you would label as “aggressive” that occur outside the home – biting, snapping, growling, lunging, scratching, intense barking

2. Behaviors that are not necessarily “aggressive” but could injure a person, another animal or your dog – running away, chasing cars

Quality of life (low or no safety risk):

This would include anything that contributes to your ability to care for your dog’s basic needs, but doesn’t pose a safety risk. These include behaviors that occur in situations you can avoid for a period of time but not forever

Some examples:

1. Anything that leads to more enrichment opportunities – Polite walking on leash, off- leash reliability, toy play skills, tricks, or sports

2. Behaviors that lead to more comfortable experiences for required care – Vet-related behaviors, grooming related behaviors, traveling in the car

3. Barking in unavoidable or frequent situations

4. Behaviors that impact your enjoyment of each other – potty training, sleep schedules, ability to rest calmly in the house

Minor Problems:

This would include anything that you wish your dog did/didn’t do but isn’t a safety risk and doesn’t impact quality of life. These are behaviors that:

– Are easy to manage or prevent
– Occur in very specific situations or occur rarely
– Are not a safety risk when they do occur

Some examples:

1. Begging, Digging, Stealing items (when your dog doesn’t chew them or eat them)

2. Jumping up (when there isn’t a safety risk)

3. Barking in specific, avoidable situations

*Dan after digging. A behavior we’ve decided is fun for him and harmless for us.*

As you work through and sort your list, you may find that you need to break a category down into smaller chunks. When doing so you might consider this: Can you manage the behavior to avoid/prevent it from occurring for a period of time, until you can work on that behavior? If your management plan fails, what are the safety risks?

You may have considerations I didn’t mention when you are choosing your priorities. If you do, please share below!

Be Gentle With Yourself

Posted on February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

Animal training and behavior is an exciting field to be a part of right now! It’s changing and growing so fast. Every day I am seeing new creative and thoughtful training procedures on social media. We are considering the preferences and emotions of our animals more than ever. This is wonderful!

But, its also a lot to keep up with! It is so easy to put tons of pressure on ourselves to keep up with it all. To fix it all and solve it all and train it all. But each goal takes time and even my eager-to-work border collies can only train so much in one day. For most of us, life is busy in general too. We have to balance pet care with caring for our homes, our relationships, our self-care, and our careers. It can be paralyzing. It can lead to getting “stuck”.

When I get overwhelmed and bogged down by all of this stuff, my mom will say “be gentle with yourself”.

I have been focusing on putting this at the top of the list. And in turn, it has meant I am able to be more clear-minded about the goals I have. I’ve been able to take more actionable steps towards reaching them and I have not been “stuck” as often.

Be gentle with yourself.

Treat yourself with the same empathy and compassion that you would show for your animal partner. Choose one or two main goals. Think about breaking your goals down in to small, easy to accomplish steps. Try not to focus on the things you haven’t done yet. Instead, focus on what you are accomplishing. Take a little data so you can see your progress over time. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed with your goals, take a break. Do something to allow yourself decompress before you circle back to working towards your goals again. Be gentle with yourself.

Doug in the snowy woods — A decompression walk for me and Doug – he enjoys it but it is equally important for me too.

How Dog Training is Like Going to the Gym

Posted on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

How Dog Training is Like Going to the Gym

My husband and I are back in our 3x/week gym routine, now that the holiday season is over and it is dark and cold in the evenings. We went sporadically before Thanksgiving (well he was consistent, but not me). And every time I went it it was almost like starting over. It turns out that going once every other week has very little lasting impact.

Dog and Human, doing yoga together: ErharYaksaa [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] — Photo Credit: ErharYaksaa [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

I’ve often used the “training your dog is like going to the gym” analogy with clients. Our gym has some motivational quotes painted on the wall. Last night I spent my 45 minutes there thinking about how they also apply to dog training.

I’ll share them with you:

1. “Don’t wish for it, work for it”

Yup, you’ve gotta actually go to the gym and do the work. Just like dog training, you have to put in the time and effort.

Along these same lines, in order to reach your goals, you have to have a plan. For example, say your goal is to run a 5K. While showing up at the gym is great first approximation, you can’t go to the gym and halfheartedly do the elliptical to meet this goal. You have to build up to actually running. Your effort has to be focused towards your goals.

2. “Results happen over time, not overnight. Work hard, stay consistent, be patient”

You probably can’t run a 5K on your first day at the gym either! (Or maybe you can, but it won’t feel good tomorrow). Likewise, your dog can’t learn to walk nicely on a leash in one session. It takes practice over time.

On the same topic, you usually can’t tell a large difference from one gym visit to the very next visit. But if you compare the first visit (maybe months ago) to the one yesterday, the differences are huge. Dog training is like this too. Results are born from building on success over time.

This is one reason that keeping a training log or similar data can be so helpful. It makes the tiny improvements more visible. Sort of like tracking how many sit ups you can do. Maybe the first time it was 5, then 6, then 6 again, then 7. But across a few weeks you might get up to 20. When you compare 5 to 20, that’s a huge improvement!

Staying consistent is another key factor. Jumping around too much or changing your goals all the time can split your attention so much that it’s impossible to make progress toward any one goal. Have your dog trainer help you to pick a few top priorities and stick to them until you reach your desired results.

3. “If you feel like quitting, remember why you started”

This one is going to be personal and different for everyone, but in some way, you chose to go to the gym to improve your quality of life.

When you chose to start down the training path with your dog, it was likely a decision you made with the goal of both improving the quality of your life and your dog’s life.

Reactivity – An Epidemic

Posted on August 22, 2016August 22, 2016 by lauraperkinsanimalbehavior@gmail.com

Leash reactivity, leash aggression, barrier frustration, dog reactive, dog selective…these are all terms used to describe basically the same problem. And it is a problem that is so widespread that I rarely leave my house without witnessing this behavior. In fact, my very own dog exhibits this behavior in certain situations. 90% of my clients have dogs that engage in reactive behavior.

Above: Dogs Reacting

I know that these behaviors aren’t new, but they are becoming more and more common and it is time to work towards preventing reactivity rather than only doing damage control to fix reactivity.

Almost every dog owner I work with has a desire of either bringing the dog when they eat at an outdoor café, brining the dog to the beach or park, or taking the dog on a camping trip. We want our dogs to be integrated into our families and be part of the family activities. But, if that is the goal, we’ve got to put in the effort! It isn’t natural for dogs to be confined by a leash in a crowded place. That is a scary situation for them without the right training.

Above: Common expectations of the modern day dog

Modern dogs are either under or over stimulated most of the time. Mental, physical, and social stimulation is not evenly distributed over their day. They are alone in a quiet house and then walking on a busy street or unleashed at a crowded dog park.

60 or 70 years ago, dogs had the freedom to wander the neighborhood, visit with the children across the street, follow their owner on errands and so on. They were able to fulfill their mental, social, and physical needs independently. They could seek out the social interactions they needed in order to feel satisfied and they could avoid the situations they did not enjoy. Now, we control access to almost every experience our dogs have.

Above: Historical dog, free to make choices

I think a big contributor to the problem of reactivity is the push to socialize your dog. Most dog owners now understand that in order to integrate their dog into their daily activities outside of the house, they need to do something. They need to socialize their dog. But, I think that sometimes more harm than good is done when attempting to socialize dogs.

I am not saying that socialization is a bad thing, but rather that it is usually done wrong! For most people “socialization” = “go to the dog park daily” or “meet lots of people and dogs”. This is not socialization. This misunderstanding of socialization results in repeated exposure to stressful situations that the dog is unable to avoid. What does a dog do when they can’t avoid a stressor? (Hint: What does any creature do?) They aggress. They fight when flight is not an option.

Above: Pushy and scared dogs meeting on leash,
two unhappy dogs meeting

Sometimes this aggression is a lunge, bark, or snarl of frustration. But sometimes it results in a snap, nip, or bite. Even the (only…) lunging, barking dog is causing damage though. He’s screaming at the other dog! He is teaching other dogs he encounters that some dogs behave this way seemingly out of the blue, despite the passing dog’s efforts to communicate “I mean no harm!”. Now the passing dog has learned that his communication was not effective. With repetition he will find another way to say “stay away, you are scaring me!”. It might look like aggression. And this is how reactivity and aggression spread throughout our communities.

To socialize correctly, we need to be more thoughtful about what our dogs encounter and how to handle that situation. The need for this comes from the intensity that has developed in our living situations. Because it is so easy for your dog to be overwhelmed, you have to break down every experience into smaller pieces. We need to make every new experience 100% enjoyable for the dog. We need to give our dogs the freedom to say “no, I don’t want to go to the dog park today” or “no, I don’t want to go to the dog park ever”. And we need to provide structure for social encounters so that we can develop dogs who are safe, confident, and happy.

Above: Good social interactions between dogs, positive experiences and happy dogs

How can we stop the reactivity epidemic?

Smart, structured socialization.
Teach impulse control.
Teach leash manners.
Prevent pushy greetings.
Let your dog’s body language tell you when he’s nervous.
Don’t assume every dog wants to meet your dog. Ask the dog’s owner then, ask the dog by observing his response to your dog.
LEASH YOUR DOG, to prevent unwanted greetings.
Interrupt inappropriate interactions by calling your dog or leading away gently, and rewarding the behavior of moving away.
Don’t punish aggression or reactivity. It will make it worse.
Get help right away from a qualified, positive dog trainer or behavior consultant if you notice any sign of reactivity or aggression in your dog. Don’t assume it will go away on it’s own. It won’t.