My Pets: BEHAVIOUR AND TRAINING

Showing posts with label BEHAVIOUR AND TRAINING. Show all posts

A Puppy for Christmas - What a Great Idea?

A puppy is for life and not just for Christmas and I could not agree more! Yet, getting a puppy at Christmas time is a great opportunity for both socialisation and settling your puppy in.

WHAT ARE THE PROS & CONS OF GETTING A PUPPY AT CHRISTMAS?

I am also not talking about giving someone a puppy for Christmas as a surprise or buying a puppy on impulse. I am talking about a long awaited puppy who - for no other reason than the mother coming into season at a certain time of year - comes home for Christmas.

Or a family may have decided to adopt a new rescue dog home at this time of the year because they have more time to settle him in. Christmas is the time when everyone is very social and off work so by definition it should be a great time to get a puppy or a rescue dog.

There are also risks during this busy time; one is that we are flooding the puppy by just putting him/her into a situation with a lot of new stimuli but without creating a positive association. An example would be a very busy Christmas lunch with a lot of loud people around scaring the puppy. Another challenge is that some puppy pre-school classes do not run during the Christmas period. So you will need to make sure you get organised beforehand.

If you get a rescue dog, try to give them a few days (depending on the dog) to settle in at home and get used to the new environment and family members. While we are well and truly past the critical socialisation period, there's still a lot you can do to make them feel comfortable.

Do not rush to the dog park! This dog needs to settle in with you and if he is not well socialised with other dogs, rushing to the off leash area is definitely not a good idea.

Get him used to the routine in the new household first, creating a lot of positive association.

Once he feels comfortable at home, take him out for short walks, keeping a close eye on what might scare him. Take a lot of treats with you so you can associate scary stimuli with something positive.

If your dog stops taking treats this is a clear indication that he/she is over threshold and you might want to back off.

Socialisation at a basic level is respondent conditioning – creating an association between two stimuli and in the case of puppy socialisation, hopefully a positive one! For me, socialisation is the process of learning how to navigate and behave in a world that is not made for dogs! It means developing coping mechanism that will work in 2017 and beyond.

Socialisation was less of a topic for trainers and owners 20 to 30 years ago, not because puppies did not need it, but because for the most part dogs did it themselves. It was still common for them to wander the neighbourhood, hang out with other dogs, go through the garbage bins, get into the odd altercation with other dogs or get hit by a car. It was no big deal and not a big problem.

Puppy Chillax (14 weeks) explores dam with Zorba (14 years)

I do not glorify these times, all I am saying is that things have changed and socialisation is paramount for puppies.

We have to socialise them to different kind of humans, moving objects, other puppies, dogs, animals, surfaces, sounds, environments etc. in a positive way.
If you are looking for a check list, this is a great resource from the Pet Professional Guild.

This process has to happen at the puppy’s pace and the puppy needs to be able to make choices. If the puppy backs off and needs more space and time then it is the puppy’s choice. It also has to have a positive outcome. Exposure alone is not enough, neither is habituation!

The assumption that puppies learn to interact appropriately with other dogs by being in the litter with their siblings is plain wrong. Puppies will learn bite inhibition, stalking, playing, rumbling etc but they all look the same and are the same size. This process is habituation and is part of socialisation.

But they also need to learn to interact with puppies of different looks and temperaments. That only happens when playing with unknown puppies before the critical socialisation period closes.

There are some essential life skills your puppy needs to learn when it comes in contact with
other dogs and puppies like being calm in the presence of other puppies.
This means learning how to play appropriately in carefully managed off leash play sessions and short meet and greets.

We should never underestimate the importance of play. All animals including humans learn a lot of their interpersonal skills during play. I am concerned with the new trend in Australian puppy pre-schools that has eliminated play completely. While most owners are able to cover most socialisation aspects, hardly anyone has access to puppies of a similar age.

A puppy pre-school without carefully supervised off leash interaction is a lost opportunity. A good puppy class also provides information on the usual - but for novice puppy owners often unexpected challenges - like house training, bite inhibition, sleeping at night, appropriate interaction with children and proper socialisation.

It shows the owner how to teach the puppies using management and positive reinforcement methods. It also teaches the owners how to train their puppy some basics such as name recognition, pay attention, sit, lie down, come when called and a few tricks.

There is always a certain risk of disease and it needs to be weighed against the risk of inadequate socialisation. Depending on the geographic area, there will be more or less opportunities. In any case the dog park has to be avoided completely. Other areas where there were a lot of dogs should be a no go for puppies too, not only because of the risk of disease but the risk of inappropriate social interaction.

But there are a lot of things that can be done...

HOW DO YOU ENSURE PROPER SOCIALISATION TAKES PLACE?

1) Organise a couple of puppy parties: one with neighbours to come and play with the new puppy, one for friends and one for the extended family. Do not scare the puppy and it is better to have a few people over more often than one big party.

2) Take the puppy to the coffee shop to experience what a lot of people do these days with their dogs, at least in our coffee society in Sydney. If necessary, keep the puppy on your lap.

3) Sit in front of the local emergency department, where the puppy sees crutches, wheel chairs, hears helicopters and ambulances all whilst feeding her breakfast. Pair each experience with something positive (food, toys, play….).

4) Start leaving the puppy alone for very short period of times and start crate training during the night.

5) Take the puppy for short walks in safe places with different surfaces. Cover easy things like grass, roads, dirt and sand first and only gradually introducing stairs, grades, or bridges. A lot can be done in your or your friends’ backyard.

6) Get them used to the sounds of the household (if not already done by the breeder), power and garden tools, cars, trucks, planes. There are both CDs and apps out there that can assist you with this process.

7) Enrol in one or more good puppy classes. Most trainers will enrol in more than on puppy class because they know there is only a very short time for socialisation.

A word on making the puppy sleep in the laundry or any other isolated place: I do not recommend doing this. The puppy has just left her mother, her siblings and everything else they knew. They need to learn to be on their own and will not cope with isolation. Isolating a puppy at that age can create separation anxiety issues later.

Crate train the pup and keep them with you for the first few weeks. In time your puppy will learn to be on their own.

And no, you cannot socialise your puppies later. Once they are past the critical socialisation period (after 12-16 weeks depending on the pup) you have missed it for good!

I also do not think you can ‘over socialise’ a puppy if done properly. But if you do not work at the individual puppy’s pace and confidence levels you might scare her. To scare a puppy during the critical socialisation period can have life long effects and potentially create a fearful dog. But this is called flooding not socialisation.

Do not buy a puppy on impulse and if you do not want the dog don’t get the puppy!

She has been running Goodog Positive Dog Training on the Northern Beaches Sydney for the last nine years, running classes on all levels as well as workshops and agility fun classes.

www.goodog.com.au

BEHAVIOUR BEHAVIOUR AND TRAINING TRAINING

What Your Dog Really Wants...

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Over the last 15,000 years or so we have co-evolved with our canine counterparts. During this time they have done a fantastic job of learning how to understand us, read us and co-exist with us. However, it is an uncomfortable reality that many and even most of us humans do not properly understand or know how to decode or communicate with our dogs.

Understanding how our dogs perceive the world, how they think and feel and what matters most to them is fundamental to our ability to provide for their needs and ensure we have a harmonious healthy relationship.

So, here is an introductory guide to what goes on inside a dog’s brain, behind these big brown eyes we love so much!

HOW DO DOGS PERCEIVE THE WORLD?

#1. Sight

Dogs are predators and scavengers. As such they have very good binocular vision facilitated by their eyes being forward facing on their heads to give an area of overlap for good depth perception and distance detection. As a trade-off though, they do not have great peripheral vision and cannot see anything behind them. They are particularly good at attuning to movement in their visual field.

They are better at seeing in low light than us humans and can navigate confidently at dawn, dusk and even at night.

They have poor colour vision and compared to us are lacking an entire spectrum.

They can only make out blue and yellow hues and cannot see or differentiate anything in the spectrum of green, red or orange.

So, when they can’t find that yellow tennis ball or red Kong on the green grass – this is why! It all looks the same to them!

#2. Hearing

Dogs can hear far better than us people. Generally speaking, it is accepted that they can hear 4 to 5 times more acutely than we can. They can hear a wider frequency of sounds so can detect noises that are inaudible to us at the low and high end of the spectrum.

Of particular importance to remember is that loud sounds – such as thunder or fireworks - can be very confronting, terrifying and even painful to dogs.

#3. Smell

This is where dogs really excel. We cannot even begin to imagine the extent to which they “see” the world through scent.
In fact, they are able to see in the dimension of time with their nose – perceiving things that are no longer present (this is incredible as all other senses detect only what is present in that current moment).

Dogs have a much larger nasal surface area and density of smell receptors than people and a much more advanced brain centre for perceiving and interpreting scent. One study has shown that dogs could still detect a human fingerprint on a pane of glass 6 weeks after it had been left! Phenomenal!

#4. Taste

Dogs have all of the same variety of taste receptors on their tongue that we do namely: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (the Japanese word for a savoury meaty taste that is stimulated by MSG and other compounds).

Generally dogs have fewer taste buds than people (approx. 1700 compared to 9000) which has led people to conclude they cannot taste as well. However, it can be argued that dogs may be able to taste as well or even better due to the contribution of their far superior sense of smell – we all appreciate how smell and taste are linked!

#5. Touch

Dogs are able to perceive tactile inputs the same as we can and are able to experience sensations from extreme pleasure to severe pain. They have receptors for heat, cold, pressure, balance, movement and different kinds of painful stimuli.

WHAT IS DOG COGNITION?

Cognition refers to all of the conscious and subconscious workings of the brain.

It is inherently very difficult (and sometimes impossible) to accurately observe, measure or appreciate the inner workings of another species’ brain as we can only do so in comparison with ourselves and in ways which are relevant and meaningful to us. There are often huge limitations and flaws to studies which look at dog psychology and intelligence.

This aside, it is generally accepted among experts that dogs have the cognitive and reasoning ability of approximately a young human toddler (around a 2 year old). Specifically, as far as we know, dogs are self-centric and very much “in the moment”. They are more impulsive and less rational than adult people, more driven by emotion but with less ability to recognise and reflect upon their emotions.

Dogs, like children are very “context dependent”, meaning how they think and feel is acutely and mostly dictated by what is happening around them and within them at any one time. Therefore, it is always very important to consider both the external and internal environment of dogs when trying to understand how they are thinking and feeling.

External sensory inputs and things such as presence of stimuli will affect what they think and do. The 3 D’s (distance, duration, distraction) which refer to triggers in the environment need to be considered. Additionally, internal processes will hugely affect their mood and behaviour (temperature, hunger, hormones, pain, itchiness, discomfort, irritation, illness, disease etc).

As far as we can ascertain, dogs are not capable of “theory of mind” which is the ability to project oneself into the mind of another and understand what they are thinking and feeling. Rather, they are only aware of and concerned with how they are thinking and feeling.

We do not believe they are capable of metacognition – the ability to recognise one’s thoughts and thought processes for what they are, reflect upon them and transcend them (to think about our thoughts).

Of fundamental importance to understanding dog psychology and behaviour is recognising they are not moral. Dogs have no concept whatsoever of “right or wrong”, “fair or just”. These are abstract adult human constructs and it would serve us well to remember they do not apply to other species.

Dogs are concerned only with what is “good or bad” in terms of consequences for themselves. They behave simply to obtain good consequences and avoid bad consequences, separate from any greater morality or meaning which we humans may often overlay on reality.

An important implication of this is that dogs are actually not capable of doing anything “wrong” – they do only what works for them and what they deem best in terms of dealing with the situation at hand and getting their needs and wants met. Therefore, it is NEVER appropriate to punish a dog for what we consider a “wrongdoing” – instead we must of course teach them what to do and how to behave in a way which we deem desirable.

WHAT ABOUT DOG EMOTIONALITY?

When it comes to understanding and living with dogs, it is necessary to appreciate what they are and are not capable of feeling. It can be equally as harmful to our relationship to either discredit them the amazing abilities they do have or credit them with extra abilities they do not have. Either mistake can lead to misunderstanding and conflict.

Dogs are certainly capable of feeling:

Anxiety

Fear

Stress

Grief

Apprehension

Frustration

Rage

Suffering

Joy

Excitement

Satisfaction / Contentment

Disappointment

Relief

Dogs are NOT capable of experiencing:

Regret

Guilt

Spite

Vindictiveness

Stubbornness

Self-reflection

SO WHAT DO OUR DOGS REALLY NEED AND WANT?

All dogs are individuals and have different preferences and priorities in terms of what matters most to them. Some are more motivated by food, others by play or exercise, others by social contact and company.

However, there is one thing above all else that I would argue is of most value and importance to all dogs … INFORMATION!

In my opinion, this fundamental concept is the most crucial and useful one a dog owner could ever learn. It shapes how we relate to our dogs and provide them with what they need to survive and thrive in our human world. Information should be considered the most important resource to all dogs – it is in effect, their “currency”.

Think about this scenario for a moment, you are abducted by aliens and find yourself on board an alien spaceship without any other people around. You have to learn by observation and trial and error how to behave in order to keep yourself safe and get what you need and want. You may find something to eat on a bench – but get harshly reprimanded when you take it. You may find a suitable place to relieve yourself, but get aggressively confronted when you do so as this is not where the aliens deem it appropriate for you to pee.

This is similar to the situation our dogs are in when they enter our human homes. This can be an intense and endlessly stress provoking existence for our pups – fumbling their way through as best as they can – all the while with the cognitive and reasoning ability of a toddler.

So, when it comes to interacting with our dogs, the most practically useful, life-saving, stress-relieving and precious commodity we can give them is information.

Dogs need information to work out what is going to happen, whether it is of relevance to them, what to do about it and whether everything is going to be ok. They need information to navigate through our confusing world and keep themselves safe, ensuring they get their wants and needs met.

Dogs are always trying to get more information. If we do not provide it or if we provide conflicting, confusing, unhelpful information, they may develop emotional and behavioural problems as a result as they attempt to obsessively monitor the environment to gather information - this manifests as anxiety and hypervigilance.

They may also provoke the environment to try and obtain more information – this can manifest as a dog being reactive or aggressive as they try and act upon their environment to see what happens and thus elicit some information about whether something constitutes a threat and what they may need to do next.

In light of the above, to give our dogs the best chance of being able to relax and behave in a way we find appropriate we need to always try our best to impart upon them information which is:

#1. Perceivable

* The information must be able to be detected as per their sensory abilities discussed above

#2. Relevant

* The information must be of use to them
** We need to cut the confusion and try to limit the redundant overflow of info we often output – dogs have to filter through a lot of irrelevant stuff from us! Think of all the noises and body language people make when interacting with dogs!

#3. Clear

*We need to be concise, purposeful and direct with what we are saying (verbally or otherwise)

** Ideally the information should be all the dog needs and only what the dog needs in order to decide what to do or how to feel

*** We must never be ambiguous.

#4. Consistent / reliable

* The information needs to always mean the same in the same context and not vary randomly. This way the dog can accurately learn, generalise and make appropriate assumptions based on it. They can then be confident they can obtain a reliable outcome each and every time.

If dogs do not have information which fulfils the above criteria, they are likely to feel very anxious! Anxiety is all about uncertainty. Dogs and people experience anxiety when they are worried about a potential future outcome which could be bad.

If however, dogs know:

What is going to happen
That they can do something about it (they can behave to influence their environment)
What to do about it
That the outcome is going to be good (ie everything is going to be ok)

Then they will feel calm, confident and secure.
Remember, knowledge is power! This applies to dogs and people alike. Having the information you need is a powerful way to combat anxiety!

HOW DO YOU PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE AT HOME?

So, this all makes sense in theory, but how do we help our dogs by giving them good information? You try to implement these simple things:

#1. First arm yourself with information!

Be educated – know how your dog sees the world, thinks and feels as discussed above. This serves the basis of helping him.

#2. Structure your interactions

Consistency and repetition form the basis of learning.

To help dogs know what to do to get their wants and needs met we need to teach them.

This is most easily and simply done with a “sit to speak” protocol: in practice this is just asking the dog to sit and look at you before any interaction (whether it be before getting a pat, a door opened or food).

NB: This is NOT about obedience or making the dog sit for the sake of it – rather this a way to empower dogs by giving them control over their environment. What they learn is that they can communicate with us to get their wants and needs met just by sitting and making eye contact.

#3. Stick to a routine

Following a routine helps dogs know what to expect, they thrive on it!

#4. Cut the confusion

Be mindful of all of the information you are giving off. Try not to dump excesses of information upon dogs – they already have a lot to deal with!

Every movement and noise you make is something your dog has to perceive, process and interpret.

Try to limit all the extra redundant “nonsense” you may feel it instinctive to partake in when interacting with dogs eg high pitched squealing or erratic movements.

Endeavour to be calm, clear and minimal when you speak to them.

Remember they may find non-verbal communication more helpful than verbal.

In summary, dogs spend their lives trying to defer to us for information in order to understand their world, know what to do within it and feel safe and calm. It is up to us as responsible pet owners to be mindful of their needs and try our best to always be a clear, reliable, consistent epicentre of this most precious of their resources – information.

For questions, clarifications or further information, please contact Dr Eleanor Parker of AdelaideVet or leave your comments below.

Dr Eleanor Parker

BSc BVMS (Hons) MANZCVS (Behaviour)

Elle graduated from Murdoch University in 2010. Starting out in emergency and critical care, she quickly found her passion for behaviour and mental health in animals.

Fascinated by this blossoming field, Elle undertook further study through the University of Sydney in 2015 and sat her membership exams in veterinary behaviour in 2016.

Elle's behavioural mantra is "compassion, communication, co-operation, cohabitation" and she brings her great enthusiasm to the AdelaideVet Animal Hospitals team.

BEHAVIOUR BEHAVIOUR AND TRAINING RESCUE TRAINING

Choosing the Right Dog or Puppy

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Finding your next best friend is exciting but it can be daunting to have to choose between a rescue dog and a puppy. Before we start looking for a dog, it is essential to make a fair and honest assessment of our situation and decide if we are really ready for it...

While puppies are too cute, the cute phase is over very quickly and often causes sleepless nights, stains on the Persian rug or much worse the puppy ending up in a shelter. We tend to glorify puppyhood, forgetting that dogs are only puppies for a few months.

So please, make sure that what you really want is a dog and not just the cute puppy!

ARE YOU READY TO COMMIT TO THIS DOG FOR LIFE?

Pointing out the obvious, a "puppy" is a 12 to 15 year commitment and a lot of things can change during this time. Some are out of our control, such as family and relationship breakdowns, death, or sickness to name a few; others are very predictable: moving out, getting married, having a baby, the children are growing up, going overseas, having an extended holiday, changing jobs, moving, again just to name a few.

If you work full time, have a busy lifestyle, three kids under the age of six, a puppy or a rescue dog might not be a good idea? And if you will not allow the dog in the house, don’t get one! Dogs are not garden ornaments... Also, do not get a dog for the children, because the neighbours got one or because you feel for the cute puppy in the window.

Making a frank assessment of what you can give your new dog or puppy is important, too. Are you ready to put in the time for puppy socialisation and ongoing training and will you make her part of the family?

Is owning a dog a right or a privilege? I just read the book Run, Spot, Run: The Ethics of Keeping Pets by Jessica Pierce and it really makes you think twice!

In my opinion, owning a dog is a privilege that comes with a lot of work and a lot of sacrifices.

Forget about sleeping in for a few months or years, forget about going out every night and forget about extended holidays. Before you make a decision ask yourself do you really have the time and commitment it takes to bring up a well adjusted and confident canine citizen? Are you prepared for the challenges of the teenage dog and the heartbreak of living with an older dog?

WHICH DOG IS BEST SUITED TO YOUR FAMILY AND LIFESTYLE?

But let's assume you are ready, then the next question is rescue dog, puppy or puppy educator for guide dogs or a similar organisation.

#1. The case for a Puppy

Start with researching the different breeds: whilst most breeds can make a great companion in the right home, some are more challenging for any owner. If you do not want a challenge then you might want to look for an easy going breed.

Be aware though that there are significant differences within the breed and nurture is as important as nature. Meeting the puppy's parents or at least mum is important.

Make sure you check your dog's exercise requirements. Border Collies as a working breed look stunning but they are often not suitable for an average pet home. Most working dogs need more mental and physical stimulation than a pet home can provide. The same goes for some of the gundogs. A Golden Retriever or a Labrador might be a good choice as a pet, a Vizsla or a German Short-haired Pointer? Maybe a bit less so...

Also consider if the dog comes from a working line or show line as the show lines are often a bit calmer. It is hard to predict the temperament of a cross breed, even the designer breeds, but again meeting mum can give you some ideas.

Another popular choice at the moment are the flat-faced breeds (or brachycephalic breeds), make sure you are aware of the health risks associated with these cute faces.
Some of these dogs struggle to breathe in hot weather or have trouble breathing when lying down. They are often delivered by caesarean section because of their large heads and narrow pelvis.

Go to the dog park and talk to the owners of the dogs you like the look of. What do they say? How does the dog behave? Do you like what you see?

Bringing up a puppy for a Guide Dog or Assistance Dog organisation is a good way of finding out if you are really ready. This arrangement gives you access to ongoing support and if you have any problems, help is nearby. For some it might be attractive to be committed for 12 months only, whilst for others this might be why it is not right for them!

#2. The case for a Rescue Dog

When it comes to rescue dogs there are many reasons to choose a rescue dog:

You save a life and there are many rescue dogs who make perfect pets.
What you see is what you get (at least the looks)
It can be less time consuming.
Senior dogs make great pets.
A lot of rescue dogs have had basic training.
They are screened by some of the rescue organisations.

While I admire the work of rescue organisations there are some dogs who are not suitable for re-homing and responsible rescues will screen for aggression towards humans and other animals.

I am very honest (and yes, I worked in rescue) and in my opinion, dogs who show aggression towards humans should not be re-homed. If a dog shows aggression towards other animals that is a difficult question.

Sometimes there are owners who are ready to take on a dog with these kinds of behaviours but I do not think these dogs are suitable for the ‘average’ dog owner.

In my work as a dog trainer, I have met owners who have taken dogs on without knowing what they got themselves into and regretted it deeply. They also will never adopt again. If dogs who display behaviours that are problematic are put up for adoption, full disclosure is necessary as anything else is unethical. It also brings the entire rescue world in disrepute.

If you're deciding to adopt, check out the different rescue organisations and go and visit their facilities. If you have decided on a specific breed, check out the breed rescues too. You might find a pure bred dog in rescue that might just fit the bill.

Greyhounds for example can make a great pet.

What questions should you ask the Rescue organisation or Foster?

What background information do you have on the dog (breed, age, age surrendered, micro chipped, breeder)?
Did the dog live with a family/single person?
Has the dog been socialised to people, other dogs, noises?
Has the dog been on walks in a ‘normal’ suburban area?
Has the dog been assessed with other dogs?
Has the dog had some basic training – what are his/her skills (sit, lie down, come, tricks…)?

I recommend taking the dog out for a walk in a calm environment to gauge his reaction towards normal low intensity stimuli.

Make sure you get a trail period of at least 3 weeks.
We sometimes talk about the three threes: three days, three weeks, three months. While it might not be exactly three but rescue dogs are often a bit shell shocked for the first few days in a new home and might be rather cautious, after three weeks they will most likely show their normal behaviour and by about three months, they will have settled into your routine.

THINGS TO CONSIDER IF YOU DECIDE TO CHOOSE A PUPPY

If you decided to get a puppy then the only way to make sure you are not supporting a puppy mill is to visit the breeder. I do not say a puppy from a puppy mill cannot make a good dog but her parents will never have a life! Breeding dogs in these situations lead a miserable and abusive life. Dogs in pet shops fall in this category too.

A good indication of a puppy mill environment is when the breeder refuses to let you visit or if they want to meet you half way. You want to meet the mother as this will give you a good indication of what to expect with your puppy. Ideally, you would like to meet the father, too, but they often do not live with the breeder.

You should visit even if the breeder is a registered breeder with Dogs NSW (or other relevant bodies in your country or state). You are looking for a family member, this means you do not want your puppy to be born and raised in a kennel.

Puppies should be born in a home environment and spend at least the first four weeks inside a family home. You want to know what early socialisation and handling has been done.

Puppies should be handled gently from the very first day by the breeder and should have met all different kind of people (including nice children) by the time they leave for their new homes.

They should have been on different surfaces, heard a lot of different noises, met other animals including other species and older well adjusted dogs. They should have basic training: at least, sit and come when called and house training should be well under way.

What questions should you ask the Breeder?

Where were the puppies born?
Who has handled the puppies?
How many people have they met and what kind of people?
Have they met other animals/dogs?
What kind of noises are they used to?
What surfaces have they been on?
What training has been done?

Once the puppy comes home get ready for a busy time. I will leave the details on what to do during the first few weeks for another blog but I will say this: you can train your dog for their entire life but you are on very strict deadlines for socialisation. Make sure you have time to socialise your puppy because you cannot postpone socialisation.

Most of all have fun, enjoy puppyhood and take a lot of pictures! Your puppy will grow up in no time.

Barbara Hodel has been involved in dog training for the last 16 years. She has completed a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services and a Diploma in CBST (Canine Behaviour Science and Technology). She’s also a Delta-accredited instructor since 2007.
She's also the President of the Pet Professional Guild Australia (PPGA).

She has been running Goodog Positive Dog Training on the Northern Beaches Sydney for the last nine years, running classes on all levels as well as workshops and agility fun classes.

www.goodog.com.au

BEHAVIOUR BEHAVIOUR AND TRAINING TRAINING

Understanding & Handling Dog Aggression

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Aggression is a hot topic that no dog trainer can escape. I will explain the fundamentals of the science of learning and behaviour - as I understand it - and how it can be applied to dealing with aggressive behaviour in dogs.

OVERVIEW OF DOG AGGRESSION AND TRAINING METHODS

My name is Ryan Tate and I started my animal training career working with birds and marine mammals. I have trained Zebra finches for free flight and was one of the last people in the world to train leopard seals. Training animals at both ends of the size and temperament spectrum certainly gave me a lot of motivation to both understand and prevent aggression!

Nowadays my attention is primarily on dogs. My business is split between training and handling detector dogs, teaching animal studies, media work and private consultations in my area.

My aim is to be factual and avoid the emotional biases towards various techniques or terminology. As dog owners, trainers and humans, we all hold biases through our own experiences and perceptions. But... the reality is that there is no one technique that suits every dog or dog owner, and it is probably more influenced by the owners biases and experiences as opposed to the dog.

If you do own an aggressive dog please engage a dog trainer before attempting to put any of the concepts below into action. When finding a dog trainer for assistance with aggression, I recommend considering only those with a formal qualification directly related to dog/animal training; and also own emotionally and behaviourally sound dogs they would willingly bring to your consultations. It is important to find a dog trainer you "gel" with, ask about their methods and see if it aligns with your own ethics.

The most common dog breeds I see in my area for aggression related consultations are Spaniels, Staffordshire terriers and herding breeds (Kelpies, Border Collies, Cattle Dogs).

When meeting a dog with aggression, I try to put their triggers for aggression into a category. Some of the categories may not scientifically be aggression, and many categories overlap (particularly fear) but most dog owners will identify the behaviour appearing as "aggressive".

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TRIGGERS FOR DOG AGGRESSION?

The most common categories I see are related to:

1. Fear - towards dogs, people of certain phenotypes, vehicles, animals, children, groomers...

2. Territory/Property - guarding the house, yard or vehicle.

3. Resource Guarding - toys, food, bones, people, beds.

4. Prey - towards cats, pocket pets, small dogs, children

5. Frustration - often seen in young dogs that were allowed to play with every dog they saw but now all of a sudden they are being restricted or not used to being on lead.

Some people might find it interesting that I haven't mentioned dominance or offensive aggression. It’s not that it doesn't exist, it does.

However, in my experience the term dominance is too often used as an excuse for a dog that just hasn't been trained properly.

Dominance does exist in domestic and wild animals, but the way a dog displays dominance is a bit different to how a certain show with a "whisperer" might have you believe.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON CATEGORIES OF DOG AGGRESSION?

I believe the most common reason these aggression triggers develop in the breeds I see are:

1. Lack of appropriate experiences in the critical development phase (< 16 weeks)

Often people assume a pup that has come from an unknown background must have been beaten because of the way it reacts towards men. Often we find out that this dog didn't get beaten by men, but rather it just never had any pleasant experiences with men in the first 16 weeks of its life.

The other side of the spectrum here is when people overdo it. For example they want their 8 week old puppy to love kids so they take it to a children's party for 4 hours. The pup gets overwhelmed and then develops a dislike for kids!

Prevention: it is all about the middle ground, exposing your puppy to "enough" without overwhelming it. Pleasant short encounters with people, dogs, and environments go a long way. Go to a good puppy pre-school with an instructor who has relevant qualifications, a well-socialised dog themselves and also promotes controlled interactions during puppy class.

2. Genetics and/or lack of understanding of a dog's genetics

If a dog and a bitch with high resource guarding are bred, the chances are the pups will show these tendencies too. Behaviour is genetic but we can certainly work on undesirable genetic traits if we know they are there in early development.

Many breeds were bred for hundreds of years to display certain aggressive behaviours such as guarding property or stock, or to be assertive when challenged or backed into a corner.

This extensive selective breeding will influence your dog's behavioural instincts no matter how glorious its upbringing was or how good a dog trainer you are.

Prevention: If you are buying a dog from a breeder, always INSIST on meeting the parents to see what their behaviour is like or if you're getting a rescue dog do your best to find out their breed(s) history so you can understand what types of stimuli might be a catalyst for aggression.

3. Single event learning

By that, I mean a highly stressful event, especially within the first year. The most common type of single event learning I see is usually caused at offleash dog parks, for example a young pup is taken to a dog park and rolled over or barked at by another larger or older dog.

The young dog usually seems fine for a few months then seemingly out of the blue (often in adolescence) it starts to show aggression towards dogs, particularly dogs that look like the one that harassed them.

Prevention: Don't take a young dog to busy dog parks, do your best to prevent horrific experiences in the early stages of life and if your dog does have a seriously bad experience, see a dog trainer as soon as possible.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES USED TO TREAT AGGRESSION?

Now the tricky part! The methods and techniques that are used. I will explain the scientific terminology around the different techniques that are commonly used to treat aggression and the principles upon which they work.

#1. Counter conditioning

Counter conditioning works on the principle of pairing two events, specifically, pairing a stimulus that has been triggering the aggression with a pleasant event. So the stimulus comes to predict the pleasant event.

For example, every time the dog sees (or hears) what would usually trigger their aggressive behaviour, they experience a pleasant event such as a food treat, they will eventually form a pleasant association towards that thing that previously caused aggression, which in turn reduces the aggressive outbursts.

The emotions attached to the trigger have been changed and the emotion-driven behaviour also changes.
Sounds lovely doesn't it?

It is a highly effective form of treating aggression but often people struggle with some of the finer details that make all the difference. Understanding how the scientific principle was discovered will assist in applying it effectively in practice.

Counter conditioning has been around since the 1920s when researchers by the names of Mary Cover Jones and Ivan Pavlov were conducting revolutionary work. Both of their experiments and publications were of similar findings although Mary worked on children and Pavlov's theories were more widely accepted and were directly related to dogs so I'll focus on his methods.

Counter conditioning is considered to be a type of classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian conditioning) which was described by Dr Pavlov in 1927. He worked out that when he presented food to a dog it would salivate. Then he started to ring a bell BEFORE presenting the food. At first the dogs behaviour did not change upon hearing the bell, but after repetition the dog started to INVOLUNTARILY salivate when it heard the bell, even before the food was presented!

Now if you are putting the pieces of the puzzle together you might start to understand that counter conditioning is trying to teach your dog that the previously scary stimulus (men, dogs, lawn mower etc.) is the bell! So your dog will eventually involuntarily enjoy the sight/sound of these previously scary triggers.

One of the aspects that is incredibly important when using this method is to ensure the dog is being given the food/toy/pleasant experience whilst below their "aggression threshold."

The difference from Pavlov's experiment was that the stimulus of a bell was a neutral stimulus (not scary).

Mary Cover Jones also noted that when conducting successful counter conditioning on children, the scary stimulus must be presented at a suitable distance as to not elicit fear. Throwing treats at a dog who has already lost the plot due to fear, is a bit like trying to teach someone how to swim whilst they are already drowning!

Another common mistake, particularly in the early stages of counter conditioning, is applying punishment/corrections in response to aggression from the dog. The aggressive behaviour has been displayed because the dog is over threshold, that's our fault, not the dog's! It's counter productive to use punishment during this process, particularly if the dog hasn't yet learnt a positive association.

So, what to do for success? You need to present the scary stimulus at a level where the dog will DEFINITELY observe it but not be triggered into aggression. This is also forms part of the desensitisation process.

What affects the intensity of the stimulus?

The distance from your dog, the volume, the duration of time your dog is exposed to it and the type of stimulus.
Additionally, physiological aspects can be contributing to aggression e.g. the dog's current cortisol levels, hunger and energy levels.

Counter conditioning can be difficult to implement if the dog has low food or toy drive, is highly frustrated, more motivated by their stimulus or in prey drive.

The reason being that if you don't have any bargaining tools or what the dog is focused on is more reinforcing than your "rewards", you can't make a positive association.
So the overall idea behind counter conditioning is that you are creating a new emotional association from something that used to make the dog scared and subsequently display aggressive behaviour; to something that leads to a pleasant experience and therefore makes them HAPPY!

The other methods that are used during training a dog with aggression form part of what is called operant conditioning.

#2. Operant Conditioning

B.F. Skinner is considered the "father" of operant conditioning and he described it in 1938. It works on two basic principles, if a behaviour is reinforced it is more likely to occur, if a behaviour is punished it is less likely to occur.

What is important to remember is that operant conditioning works on the principle of the dog having a choice of their behaviour, not emotion. What does this mean?
Well, you can't punish or reward emotion, only the behaviours the dog is choosing to do. You can punish or reward behaviours associated with emotion, but you may not change the emotional state.

For example if you hit a dog every time it growled at a child for picking up its toy the dog will probably stop growling, but that doesn't mean it is no longer feeling aggressive. What that dog might do is hide that growl and just bite the child when you're not looking.

That doesn't mean operant conditioning should be overlooked for aggression, not at all. It is incredibly important and pivotal in training desirable behaviours that help deal with and prevent aggression such as basic obedience (heel, come, sit, stay). If your dog knows these basic commands (not just inside your home) you can prevent a lot of aggression.

Understanding operant conditioning also gives us an opportunity to ensure that the dog doesn't perceive aggressive behaviours as working for them or "reinforcing".

For example if a dog barks and lunges on lead because it wants to get to another dog, then allowing it to meet that dog whilst barking and lunging will reinforce that behaviour.
Taking it away from the dog when it starts barking and lunging will punish that behaviour.

On the flip side if a dog barks and lunges on lead because it is scared of a dog and does not want to meet it and the other dog moves away because of the barking and lunging then the barking and lunging is reinforced because the dog got what it wanted.

It might sound confusing but the aim of the game when using operant conditioning is to understand what the dog wants or does not want and utilise that to shape desirable behaviour.

For example, I know of a couple of cases of individual dogs having a lot of success killing and eating smaller animals, the sight of those animals even at distances of 50 metres or more was so arousing that they could not eat a treat...

There are four types of operant conditioning:

1. Positive reinforcement: giving the dog a reward to strengthen behaviour you like: e.g. a treat or toy

2. Positive punishment: giving the dog something undesirable to weaken behaviour you do not like. Eg a tug on a leash, a whack on the butt.

3. Negative reinforcement: removing something the dog does not like to strengthen a desirable behaviour: e.g. removing pressure from the leash, removing a 'scary dog', letting a dog go free.

4. Negative punishment: removing something the dog does like to weaken an undesirable behaviour: e.g. removing food, toys, or social attention.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN WORKING WITH AGGRESSION

Rehearsal is reinforcement. The more the dog practices aggression the more likely they are to use it in the future. For example if you have a dog doing unwanted property guarding and you do five x 5 minute training sessions a day, rewarding the dog for calmly letting people walk past your house but then allow it to bark and practice property guarding aggression while you are at work, you will be unlikely to see the result you seek. In fact, the aggressive displays will probably worsen.

Send a consistent message of what you want from your dog. I set a plan for my clients to follow for a minimum of 3 weeks before reviewing its effectiveness or changing any techniques.

Give the dog "soak time" to allow things to be sorted in his brain. Too much new information can become confusing. Don't overload yourself or your dog.

There may be times when a reduction in training is required, particularly if you have a young dog, a hyper dog or a dog that has had a particularly stressful experience. After a bad experience a couple of quiet days in a row can be more beneficial than "getting back on the horse" this is because after a highly stressful event the cortisol levels in the dog stay elevated for up to 48 hours, which means during this time the dog is much more prone to aggressive outbursts.

Identify your dog's optimum genetic fulfilment vs. being calm. All of my dogs are high drive working dogs so there is a certain level of mental and physical stimulation they need in order to be calm. My spaniels need to search for things and my shepherds need to bite things! But I won't let them search and bite all day, they need to learn to chill out too!

"Let them sort it out" is not a good idea, we don't need to place your dog or another dog at risk of physical or emotional injury to deal with aggression.

Dogs are poor generalisers, what you teach them in one location or with one person does not automatically transfer to new locations or new people.

Focus on what you want the dog to do, not what you don't want it to do.

There is no such thing as a quick fix with aggression, it takes time and consistency to make your dog happy and reliable in a variety of environments.
Take your time, plan ahead and don't give up on your dog.

Ryan Tate, July 2017

Ryan Tate is a highly experienced animal trainer (B.M.S, Cert. IV TAE, Cert. III Captive Animals, S.O.A. Dog Training). He has been professionally training animals for the last 13 years and recreationally since he was a child. He is a qualified Marine Biologist, Zookeeper, Dog Trainer and Assessor.

Ryan has experience training dogs, marine mammals, sharks, penguins, reptiles, birds and native Australian mammals. Ryan regularly appears on TV and radio for his expertise on training animals including a 2 part Series on the ABC Science Show “Catalyst: Making Dogs Happy”.

Ryan runs Tate Animal Training Enterprises with his wife Jennifer, also an experienced and accomplished trainer.