Training the family dog can be difficult and trying at times, but it’s important to stay positive, have fun, and keep practicing, says Tacoma, Washington-based trainer Kathy Sdao, an associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) who has worked as a full-time animal trainer for the past 23 years.
As a graduate student at the University of Hawaii in the 1980s, Sdao (pronounced suh-DAY-oh) was part of a team that trained dolphins to solve complex cognitive puzzles. After receiving a master’s degree in experimental psychology, she worked for the U.S. Navy to train dolphins for defense-related open-ocean tasks. Next, Sdao worked as a marine mammal trainer at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. There she expanded her training skills by working with beluga whales, walruses, porpoises, sea lions, polar bears, and otters. Years later, Sdao and another zookeeper left their jobs to create Tacoma’s first dog daycare facility, Puget Hound Daycare. This is where Sdao began teaching group classes for pet owners.
Photo by Jon Smith
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Since leaving Puget Hound in 1999, Sdao has been lecturing throughout the U.S. and Europe on operant conditioning, sharing her passion for the science of training and the awesome power of clicker training. Sdao lives in Tacoma with two rescue dogs.
I first met Sdao a decade ago at one of the Association of Pet Dog Trainer’s annual conferences, where she was presenting a talk about the use of positive training and enrichment for rehabilitating aggressive animals. She talked about dogs, but also gave a detailed case history of her work with an aggressive juvenile walrus named E.T. at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Her video footage of E.T.’s transformation from a ton of very reactive, dangerous muscle and teeth to a well-behaved, affectionate walrus was astounding. Positive techniques, Sdao says, are incredibly powerful.
I asked Sdao if she could contribute to our special section this month on training fun and games. Here is our conversation about making training more enjoyable for dogs and people.
What can people do to make training more fun for their dogs?
For one, they can stay positive, and avoid doing anything that is punishing for the dog that is, painful or even just annoying enough to cause behavior suppression and anxiety. Even a small amount of aversive things mixed into an otherwise very positive training program can poison a dog’s willingness and interest in training. Training can be negatively affected by even very infrequent leash pops or verbal reprimands. A simple unhappy sigh or scowl which even positive trainers will do from time to time can affect training, even if they are fairly mild.
These aversive things can also decrease the value of your reinforcers, which has more serious consequences to your training program. You can inadvertently turn your reinforcers into punishers if you’re not careful. We generally think of food, toys, and praise as being immutably reinforcing for dogs but you can actually wreck that by associating those things with punishment. Once you have a dog who no longer trusts food or praise, you’ll find that your training really slows down . . . and it’s easy to blame the dog for this, instead of the fact that your reinforcers are not so reinforcing any more.
How can this happen? A good example is when food is followed quickly by something the dog finds scary: e.g., peanut butter is used to lure a dog into getting his nails trimmed; liver treats are thrown into a crate to lure a dog in (where he will spend the next eight hours); cookies are used to coax the dog onto a teeter in agility. These experiences of reinforcement (food) followed almost immediately by a punisher will cause the food to be suspect. It’s as if the food starts to have strings attached. (Then students will tell me they have a dog who isn’t motivated by food . . . Sigh.)
How can a person tell when they are presenting something that is aversive for the dog?
Aversives are easy to identify in the behavior laboratory: the rat runs out of the Skinner box (its real name is operant conditioning chamber) when shocked by an electrified floor grid; the chimp looks for ways to leave the cage if threatened. In training, when our dogs are on leash with us and they can’t physically leave, they often mentally check out.
I see lots of dogs who look confused, or show low-level signs of stress, by turning away from their handlers, licking their lips, sniffing the ground. Detaching from their trainers tells us that the training is really not that much fun for them or it might even be quite icky for them. It doesn’t indicate that they are stupid or that they are just not paying attention. Frustrated handlers will often say “My dog is not paying attention!” The dog may not be paying attention because he would prefer to be somewhere else.
Sometimes, though, this is less about the handler being aversive and more about the rest of the dog’s environment being so much more appealing than the handler. When people say, My dog is so easily distracted, it’s really not about a distractible dog; it’s actually a symptom of something bigger. It’s about the handler not being very reinforcing.
Norwegian clicker trainers Morten Egtvedt and Cecile Koeste, owners of Canis Clickertraining Academy and very successful obedience competitors, recently put it this way: If you are not paying well enough, your dog just might take a job with another firm that is offering a better rate of pay. Dogs are going to do whatever is most worthwhile for them, and if you are not more fun than chasing a squirrel or investigating something smelly, you just might lose that canine employee.
What are some things people can do to make themselves more enjoyable for their dogs?
One thing that marine mammal trainers do a lot, to great effect, is to intentionally build up the list of things that can serve as secondary reinforcers. Food is a primary reinforcer; animals don’t have to be taught to like food. But if you have only food as a reinforcer if food is the only thing that motivates an animal you have nothing to work with if the animal is not hungry or is sick.
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Marine mammal trainers intentionally develop a number of other things that the animals enjoy: certain toys, certain types of touching or scratching, having a stream of water sprayed on their tongues. These things may not start out as inherently enjoyable or reinforcing in and of themselves, but if you consistently, in a careful way, associate them with other reinforcers, you can transform them into reinforcers. Then you have even more things to use to motivate your dog to learn and to behave how you want him to.
What about a handlers body language, posture and facial expressions? I see many people who frown or get stern when they work with their dogs . . .
I heard someone else say this, and I like to repeat it: Train like no one is watching you. I find that when people are alone, they are much more relaxed, they are looser, their shoulders are down, they breathe evenly, the leash is loose . . . but as soon as they realize that another human is watching whether it’s an instructor, co-trainer, family member, friend they really tense up, which makes it difficult to stay in the moment with the dog and observe and respond to him.
Worrying about who is watching us is a natural primate thing, but it’s counterproductive in dog training. Allow yourself to relax and remember that it’s really about teaching the dog, not performing for whomever is watching you. I reinforce students in my classes for laughing when they are having fun. Most of my students have to be encouraged to be more animated and relaxed.
That said, you don’t have to dance around and cheer to be a good trainer. There are very good trainers who are quite still and quiet. And there are some trainers who are very animated and would seem to be very exciting for their dogs, but who have such bad timing or are so distracting to their dogs that they actually make it harder for the dog to learn. It’s a fine line. The most important thing is to really watch your dog and reinforce as quickly and appropriately as you can.
What are some other things people can do to keep their training sessions enjoyable for the dog?
I try to teach people to keep their expectations reasonable. You shouldn’t expect to be able to get your dog to make giant changes in his behavior in any one training session.
It’s sort of like going to the gym and doing a set of curls. How much do you expect your biceps to change in each session? Do you really expect them to look different when you come out from when you went in? Not much. But you do understand that after lots of short sessions of doing curls at the gym you’ll have nice biceps.
Understand, too, that your dog may improve only negligibly in any given training session. I’ll test my students on this by asking, “What’s your goal for this training session?” If they answer some big chunk of behavior change “I’d like to teach him to come and sit straight in front of me!” I tell them that their expectations may be too high; it may not be real fun. Let’s do something more reasonable, or it’s going to be a real grind for the dog.
I use the gym analogy to illustrate the importance of short sessions, too. You wouldn’t do curls continuously until your biceps grew visibly! No, you do a set until your muscles are just beginning to be fatigued, then you take a break and drink some water. Then you do another set, and then do something else. You slowly build strength over time. Dog training should be just the same: frequent, short, fun sessions. Over time, you’ll see great improvement.
Another thing: Many people suggest that you should try to always end a training session on a good note. I don’t think this is always a good idea. Many of us start a training session, and things start out well. But then we hit a point where things start going awry. If we persist in an effort to end on a good note, oftentimes we just make things worse.
If the dog starts showing signs of checking out and getting frustrated, sometimes it’s better to just stop the session. I’d suggest stopping not angrily, just stopping putting the dog safely away somewhere, and trying to figure out what went wrong, rather than persisting in a session that, to any objective observer, is not going well.
I hear owners say things like this: “Positive training is all well and good in my backyard, but what about using it in the real world?” Can we ever really be more interesting and motivating than all of the distractions out there?
I would love to promote the Premack principle and its uses. Few trainers really understand the full power of its potential and it’s been so incredibly powerful for me as a trainer in real-world situations. The concept is that high-probability behavior will reinforce low-probability behavior. It’s so dry, but it’s also so practical. Let me explain:
Just about all the behaviors we want our dogs to do could be considered low-probability behavior. That means that the things we want them to do walk or sit quietly at our sides no matter what is going on around them, ignore other distractions in the world and pay attention mostly to us are things that they would be fairly unlikely to do on their own, if there were no leashes and no fences.
All those things that dogs would like to do most at any given moment go sniff that pole, pee on those bushes, run and look for squirrels, greet that other dog those are high-probability behaviors. If you took off the leash, the probability is very high that your dog would go do those things. We ordinarily call those things distractions. But consider this: Those things are also by definition reinforcements. The dog really enjoys them and wants them; they could be amazing jackpots in our training, if we structure our training really well.
Approached the right way, you can transform distractions into reinforcers. All you have to do is show the dog that if he does a little bit of your low-probability behavior, you will let him go sniff that pole, go pee on those bushes, run and look for squirrels whatever that dog is most apt to do right then.
We want dogs to pay attention to us and ignore everything else. I tell people to stop trying to get their dogs attention and, instead, to brainwash the dog into realizing that the way to get access to all the things he wants is to pay attention to you. I don’t even teach my dogs to pay attention and make eye contact with me anymore; I found it redundant after I realized that if I just gave frequent, consistent, meaningful reinforcement, my dogs will naturally pay more attention to me. They aren’t going to ignore me, because I have convinced them I am the way to get to the things they want in the world.
Many people, even very experienced trainers, knock their heads against the wall when they are trying to figure out how to get dogs to walk away from chasing a squirrel. I tell them, let’s figure out how to use squirrels in your training program. It takes some creativity; I know that. But if you can do it properly, it expands your ability to reinforce so much; it can take you so much farther than that cookie you have in your pocket.
Only rarely does a totally new genre of dog toy appear on the market, and it almost never happens that a new genre of toys is introduced with more than just one or two representative products.
This rare event was recently engineered by Sweden’s Nina Ottosson, with the introduction of her Zoo Active Games, a line of 10 novel interactive dog toys (and a few cat toys!). As a huge fan of interactive toys for dogs, I was eager to get my paws on as many of the toys as I could, and see if they were as fun for dogs as they looked!
The Zoo Active toys are available in the United States from only a select few distributors, including Paw Lickers Bakery and Boutique, owned and operated by Marianne Gage and her son David in Greenfield Center, New York. Fortunately for me, when Whole Dog Journal editor Nancy Kerns contacted David to inquire whether we could test the toys, he generously offered to send me seven of the products to try out. I’ve been introducing the toys to my own dogs for a few months, so I knew they had great “fun potential,” and looked forward to an opportunity to try them out on a bunch of other dogs, too.
The human participants in our Paw Lickers Puzzle Party and Test had a blast watching and helping the dogs solve the puzzles, and comparing how the different dogs approached each task.
So it was with great anticipation that I planned a Paw Lickers Puzzle Party, inviting friends to bring their dogs to test and review the intriguing interactive puzzle toys.
The night of the party finally arrived. We had seven toys to test, and seven canine players came, so we set the dogs up around the room. We also set up dividers between them to reduce distractions and the potential for resource-guarding. Each of the dogs was accompanied by an owner/handler, and we had four trainer/observers taking notes on the dogs’ interactions with the toys. We allowed each team 10 minutes per puzzle, then passed each toy to the next dog in line. If a dog emptied the toy quickly, it was reloaded so the dog could continue to play.
The Dog Tornado
Pieces of the puzzle
With one exception, the Zoo Active puzzles are made of wood and particle board and didn’t look like they’d stand up to heavy abuse. It is clear they are intended to be interactive – not to be left for dogs to play with them unattended. I was curious to see how they’d hold up to normal, supervised abuse.
By the end of our puzzle party, there was unanimous agreement that a good time was had by all. Five of the seven puzzles won several canine and human fans; one (the “Dog Trigger”) had some logistical problems but was workable, and only one (the “Dog Box”) was judged by all present to be a “dud.”
Willow used as much of her anatomy as was needed to empty treats from the Dog Tornado. She also figuredout the “pattern” to the puzzle.
I had invited friends with a variety of breeds, of different ages and sizes, to give the toys a thorough test. All the owner/handlers and observers were Peaceable Paws Academy graduates and/or trainers that I knew well. They were instructed to help their dogs as much as they felt the dogs needed to be successful with the toys. The partygoers were:
Gretel, a young adult spayed female German Shepherd-mix, and her owner/handler James Latonick of Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Merlin, a senior neutered male Jack Russell Terrier, and his owner/handler Karin Fellers of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Molly, a senior spayed female Cocker Spaniel, and her owner/handler Katie Ervin of Hagerstown, Maryland.
Willow, an adult spayed female Collie/Shepherd-mix, and her owner/handler Penelope Brown of Washington, D.C.
Truman, an adolescent neutered male Golden Retriever, and his owner/handler Beth Adamec of Windsor Mill, Maryland.
Allie, a senior spayed female Golden Retriever, and her owner/handler Susan McCullough of Vienna, Virginia.
Jamie, a senior spayed female Border Collie-mix, and her owner/handler Roz Ferber of Alexandria, Virginia.
Our observers were: Shirley Greenlief of Martinsburg, West Virginia; Jeanne Klink of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania; Hedda Garland of Washington, D.C.; and Tim Sandusky of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Merlin used his paws on the Dog Smart, but most dogs had more success removing the pegs with their mouths.
Our results
Here are the toys themselves, and the results of our testing party, in order of highest (four paws) rated to lowest (zero paws):
The Dog Tornado ($46) consists of four layered discs, three of which have round slots for treat placement (the fourth is the “lid”). The human places treats in all the slots, rotates the layers to hide the treats and lets the dog begin; you can show the dog a treat in the slot to get him started if necessary. The dog moves the layers with his or her paws and nose to reveal – and eat – the treats.
All the dogs figured this one out and emptied the Dog Tornado of treats within five to six minutes. Jamie required a little help at first; this was her first toy, so she wasn’t sure what was going on, plus, in general, she seemed to offer less behavior with the toys (thus needing more help) than the other dogs.
The other dogs varied in technique. Truman used lots of enthusiastic foot action. Allie loved it, and moved it across the room with her energetic efforts. Merlin bit it and flipped it upside down.
An owner comment from Penelope Brown: “The Dog Tornado was fantastic. Willow used everything – paws, nose, and chin. She even figured out that when one hole on a layer was open, the opposite one was also.”
The Dog Smart ($42) is a disc with eight round slots around the perimeter and one in the center, looking somewhat like the face of a clock. A hollow round peg sets in each slot, with a treat hidden underneath. The dog must pick up the pegs with his mouth or dislodge them with nose or paws to gain access to the treats.
This one was also a favorite of most of the dogs and humans. It was a little harder than the Tornado, and some of the dogs eventually lost interest. After five minutes of effort yielded only two treats, Allie began offering other behaviors to Susan in hopes of earning rewards. In contrast, Gretel found all nine treats in two minutes, and when James placed the pegs back without treats, Gretel continued to remove them. Willow also enjoyed the toy even after the treats were gone; she continued to play with the pegs, and even replaced some of them in the slots herself!
The Dog Pyramid
James Latonick’s comment: “Gretel’s favorite toy of the evening was the Dog Smart. She loved taking the pegs in her mouth, and caught on to this game fast.”
The Dog Pyramid ($22) is the only one of the seven toys we tested that wasn’t made of wood, but rather of sturdy, bright red plastic. Shaped like a beehive with a weighted bottom and one hole on the side near the top, the toy is intended to be loaded with treats and pushed around by the dog to make the treats fall out. It’s similar to other treat-stuffed toys such as the Buster Cube and Molecuball, but the weighted bottom makes it unique; every time the dog pushes it over, it rights itself again.
This one was very popular with our party crowd as well. It was Allie’s favorite, and Truman had so much fun with it he batted it across the room. Gretel, on the other hand, only got one treat out in three minutes and lost interest due to the low payoff, and Jamie got bored with the toy after getting a few treats out and deciding they were too low-value to be worth her attention. (As a treat dispensing toy, the Pyramid was loaded with dry kibble, as moist treats would stick to the inside.) Willow, creative as always, not only pushed it around vigorously, but also picked it up in her mouth and shook it to make the goodies fall out.
The Dog Spinny
Susan McCullough’s comment: “Allie stayed with the Dog Pyramid for the full ten minutes. The rolling motion of the toy seemed to fascinate her as much as the treats she was able to ferret out. This toy definitely seemed to be her favorite.”
The Dog Spinny ($37) is a simpler version of the Tornado – a flat disc with only one layer for treat placement (plus the lid). The dog must spin the lid to find the eight treats underneath. All the dogs emptied the Spinny easily – but none of the humans enjoyed it much. The Tornado was just as much fun but more of a challenge for the dogs with its additional two layers.
Jamie found three of the treats within 10 seconds, and didn’t want to stop even when the Spinny was empty. Truman got very excited and worked extremely hard to get the treats – scratching, pushing, digging, and spinning the lid at a high rate of speed. Almost all the dogs emptied the toy within five minutes, and got a reload. Penelope Brown’s comment: “The Spinny was fun for Willow. She figured it all out; she spun the disc with her chin and paw, even experimented with picking it up and dropping it (on my broken finger – ouch!).”
The Dog Brick ($47) is a flat rectangle with four oblong cutouts, each of which has two round slots into which treats are placed (one on each end) and two square sliding pieces that cover the treats. The dog must move the squares to find the treats. This toy works best with paw or nose action; dogs whose behavior choice is biting were at a disadvantage.
The Dog Brick
The Brick had fewer devotees. It was the favorite puzzle of only one dog: Merlin, probably because the behavior options were more limited. Merlin was the most adept at manipulating the squares; he retrieved all eight treats within four minutes.
Gretel also did well, finding all the treats in six minutes with a little help from James. Molly lost interest and walked away after four minutes, but Katie encouraged her to come back and try again, and she eventually found seven of the treats. Willow got five treats in three minutes – and became much more motivated to look for the remaining ones when Penelope switched to a higher-value treat. Karin Fellers’ comment: “Merlin is a food hound and is relentless with the trash can at home, so this was really fun for him. He especially liked the Brick, where he could paw the sliding square to get the treats out.”
The Dog Trigger ($46) is a flat, arrow-shaped puzzle with semi-circles cut from each side and the bottom. There are nine holes for treats, with a round peg in each hole that protrudes from the front of the Trigger. The dog must push each peg with his nose or paw to make the treats fall out of the back of the trigger, and collect them from the floor through the bottom semi-circle. The side cut-outs are for the human to hold the trigger between her legs.
This toy has some design flaws. While the concept is interesting – and significantly different from most of the other puzzles – the execution is somewhat lacking. None of the dogs really figured this one out in the allotted 10 minutes; most of them failed to make the connection between pushing in the peg and finding the treat on the floor. Owners found it awkward to hold the Trigger between their legs, and dogs kept trying to go behind the toy and just eat the treats from the holes instead of pushing them out with the pegs.
Again, Merlin did well with this toy by using his paws. Dogs who mostly use their mouths grew quickly frustrated.
The Trigger has some potential, but would require more training for the dogs to understand the concept of “push the peg, find the treat on the floor.”
Roz Ferber’s comment: “The Trigger was somewhat awkward; it must be held, and Jamie didn’t notice the fallen treats.”
The Dog Box ($44) is a cube with a removable top, no bottom, and a square insert that slides in and rests at an angle, with two narrow strips of foam attached to the surface. One wall of the cube has a five-sided opening cut from the bottom.
There are three options for the top piece – one with a large hole, one with a smaller hole, and one with an oblong-shaped hole just slightly larger then the accompanying round peg. To get a treat, the dog is supposed to push the peg, and eventually pick it up and drop it through the top opening. Treats balanced on the foam strip them fall out the bottom cut-out for the dog to eat.
Neither the dogs nor their handlers liked this toy. It fell apart easily, and didn’t set the dogs up for success. Our testers tried to poke their noses through the top opening or the bottom cut-out for direct access to the treats; none of them were able to figure out the concept of pushing the peg into the hole to make treats fall out the bottom. Merlin had the most fun with it, as he enjoyed knocking the box around and sticking his head through the openings, but he didn’t have any more of a clue than any of the other dogs as to the intended goal for the toy.
Susan McCullough’s comment: “The Dog Box was a dud. Allie only wanted to stick her head in the hole to get the treat. When she couldn’t do that, she lost interest.”
Dog Trigger
General comments
• Beth Adamec: “I noticed that as we went from toy to toy Truman became increasingly excited to try the next thing.”
• Katie Ervin: “Molly and I had a lot of fun playing with the toys at the party. She especially liked the Dog Smart and the Tornado.”
• Roz Ferber: “Overall I like the toys, and think they will provide great stimulation for smart, bored dogs.”
• Karin Fellers: “Merlin got to the point where he was waiting for the next toy with anticipation. I think he liked them all.”
• James Latonick: “This was a fun exercise for us; we got to play with some cool toys! I think the particle board construction isn’t ideal for all the toys where exposure to moisture (dog spit) is certain to have a destructive effect over time.”
Puzzling conclusions
The Nina Ottosson puzzles are truly a new generation of interactive dog toy – unlike any I have seen before, and well-designed for today’s new generation of positively trained “thinking dog.” Most of the toys provided challenging and fun entertainment for our test dogs and their owners, some of whom left after the party with full intention of acquiring one or two of their favorites for their dogs to play with.
We did not explore any of the variations described in the instructions that are intended to make the toys even more challenging, such as placing the round pegs in various slots, thus requiring the dog to remove the peg before sliding other parts and exposing the treats. This would add another dimension of interest when the dog became so adept at the original puzzle that the challenge faded.
The toys are costly, to be sure, partly as a result of shipping from the European source. The particle board construction is somewhat of a concern, although after 90 minutes of concentrated dog-attention, none showed significant wear. Some of the pegs bore minor tooth marks from enthusiastic players, but nothing that would interfere with their function for the next round of play.
It’s important to remember that, with the exception of the Pyramid, the puzzles are only intended for use with the owner present and supervision; they are not “leave with your dog to play with while you’re away at work” toys. We also suggest making sure they are thoroughly air-dried after each use to minimize deterioration of the particle board from moisture.
That said, we enjoyed the toys immensely, and look forward to more hours of fun playing with them with our own dogs, perhaps to scheduling future Pawlicker Puzzle Parties. We’d like to pass along a last comment from Gretel’s human, James Latonick, and direct it to Nina Ottosson and the people at Paw Lickers Boutique and Bakery, “Thank you for a great time!”
Having recently read “Why Vinyl Stinks” (Whole Dog Journal April 2008), I wonder whether polyethylene rubber toys (i.e., Jolly Balls) are safe products for dogs. The manufacturers say they are completely safe, but I would expect that to be their position regardless. I hope you can clarify this for me. My puppy Rufous thanks you in advance. Jeanette Robertson, Via e-mail
Author Susan Weinstein responds: Environmentally concerned scientists believe that both polyethylene (recycling codes HDPE #2 or LDPE #4) and polypropylene (PP #5) are among the least toxic plastics available at this time. (Both are plastics, not rubber.) They offer toughness, durability, and flexibility, and don’t need additives the way vinyl does to attain these qualities. My Bouviers, who are great chewers with powerful jaws, love to play with their Jolly Ball and I feel it’s one of their best and safest plastic toys.
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Thank you for the excellent article “Why Vinyl Stinks,” which alerts consumers to the hazards of vinyl toys and products for dogs. As a professor of interior design, I am very aware of the problems associated with PVC and many of the products that are made from this plastic. PVC is a prevalent material in our world and it is used for a multitude of things that we use every day, many of these things we may have direct contact with. As the author points out, most PVC is fairly stable and may or may not present a hazard to the user. Primary hazards for end-users are the softening agents that are added to it or if it is burned.
A main concern that I have is for the factory users who work with PVC directly. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (atsdr.cdc.gov) states “The US Department of Health and Human Services has determined that vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen. Studies in workers who have breathed vinyl chloride over many years showed an increased risk of liver cancer, brain cancer, and lung cancer. Some cancers of the blood have also been observed in workers.” There have been well-documented cases of bone reabsorption in workers who continually touch this chemical and cases of chemically induced scleroderma.
I highly recommend two documentaries that cover this topic and associated problems. “Blue Vinyl” covers the PVC industry in this county and Italy, and the PBS Bill Moyer’s documentary “Trade Secrets” focuses on a chemical industry cover up of the hazards of PVC.
Your article also mentions “outgassing” (or offgassing) of PVC. This can occur with many types of products and different chemicals when those chemicals evaporate from the product. Indoor air quality has become a major concern for both people and pets today. For anyone interested I would recommend aerias.org as an excellent resource about indoor air quality and the hazards of chemicals in our world. Nancy Chwiecko, Associate Professor, Interior Design Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
The article on vestibular disease (“Tales of the Lost Balance,” Whole Dog Journal May 2008) could not have been more timely. My 14-year-old very healthy Miniature Schnauzer recently woke me at 1 am vomiting and staggering. Both eyes were rapidly moving back and forth! It was a horrible, frightening first-time experience for me.
Of course, I immediately took her to the emergency vet who at first glance said “She has old dog disease” – vestibular disease! She has had one more, but fortunately milder, attack since the first attack a month ago. My vet prescribed antibiotics for inner ear infection the second time, which seemed to help tremendously. She is also on an herb prescribed by my holistic vet.
Thanks for the excellent article, which helped clear up all my confusion about this mysterious, very frightening disease. I shall not panic should my little gal have another attack. Betty Whiteaker, Fredericksburg, VA
I am a licensed physical therapist who is also certified in canine rehabilitation.
It was with interest that I read the article in this most recent issue on vestibular disease. I know that in the veterinary training there is the belief that peripheral vestibular disease is idiopathic. In human medicine there is an identical condition that is termed benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The signs and symptoms are the same as what we see in the canine patient.
It is recognized that this condition is precipitated by the movement of the crystals in the semicircular canals in the ears. There is a treatment protocol that is used very successfully in humans. Several physical therapists and veterinarians that are certified in canine rehab are now using a similar technique to alleviate the symptoms in our canine patients. In addition to the positioning techniques to address the movement of the crystals, we also employ specific manual therapy techniques to address the residual head tilt. I wrote an article about this topic, with several references, that was recently published in a Canadian physiotherapy journal. Margaret Kraeling PT, CCRT Physical Therapist, Certified in Canine Rehabilitation Therapy Alberta, Canada
When I was a kid growing up in a farming region in Northern California, there were very few kids my age to play with just two within a few miles. My more reliable and ever-present playmates were my familys dogs and what a lot of dogs we had! We had five females deliver at least one litter of puppies (and a couple of them had more than one litter) when I was between the ages of five and 14. Its embarrassing to admit now, but in those days it was highly uncommon to own a spayed or neutered canine. And my parents, bless them, knew practically nothing about responsible pet ownership other than keeping animals well fed.
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For a dog-loving child, though, it was heaven. It was only occasionally sad when we found homes for my favorites; we were always on the lookout for friends or relatives who wanted a puppy, and somehow always managed to find homes for all the accidental mixed-breed pups. But even with the puppies coming and going, I always had a built-in pack of friends, confidants, co-conspirators, and followers. The pack would greet me when I got off the school bus, and I spent just about every minute with the dogs until I went to bed each night.
As the youngest child, I loved bossing the dogs around (since I couldnt boss anyone else), but, knowing next to nothing about training, and lacking leashes and collars, all my dog training was based on the dogs utter complicity. If they didnt want to do what I wanted them to do, they left. If I wanted their company and I did! I had to hold their interest. I did that with play and exploring. I was forever making up games to play with the dogs, wandering with them through our neighbors orchards or up and down the bed of the creek that flowed by our house, swimming with them in the creek, crawling under the blackberry bushes with them to try to collect eggs from our free-range (read, escaped) chickens, and so on.
My family regarded me as the designated animal trainer. But the fact is, I totally took it for granted that my pack of friends would always come when I called them, and mostly behaved as I told them to. Looking back, I see now that its not that I had a special gift for training; it was the bonding that we did while hanging out for hours and hours each day that made our dogs enjoy my company and offer me their genial compliance.
We have three articles in this issue that discuss how spending more fun time with your dog can improve both his training and the bond between you. Its something I know to be true from the bottom of my heart.
We have long maintained that an intelligently formulated diet, made in a dog owner’s home out of fresh, wholesome ingredients, is the ideal diet for optimum canine health. The tens of thousands of dog owners who make their dogs’ food at home agree. Their dogs enjoy their food; look, smell, and feel terrific; and enjoy vibrant good health.
However, some people who would really like to feed their dogs this way don’t feel capable of routinely shopping for and preparing their dogs’ food. Others worry that their dogs might suffer from a nutritional deficiency or imbalance if they don’t formulate the diet just so. These folks are the target market for the products featured in this article: diets made of fresh ingredients (mostly meat) and frozen for convenience.
There is a lot of variation within this product category, however. Some of the companies offering frozen, meat-based diets for dogs include raw ground bone as a natural, healthy source of dietary calcium; others incorporate eggshell or another calcium source. Some include grain in these diets; most do not. Most (but not all) contain at least a small amount of organ meat, fruit, and vegetable matter.
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Some of these products contain a pre-mixed vitamin/mineral supplement, to ensure that the diet is nutritionally “complete and balanced” as per the nutrient levels recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Others meet these nutrient levels (and thus earn the right to make the complete and balanced claim) through their food ingredients alone – without the addition of a vitamin/mineral “premix.”
Still other products are meant for “supplemental” feeding only, with the idea that the owner will continually vary the diet in order to provide nutritional “balance over time.” Companies that sell supplemental products generally offer a wide array of frozen, raw ingredients – as well as guidance on how to mix and match these to provide a complete diet.
Quality varies Just as with every other type of pet foods, including kibble and canned, the ingredients used in these diets vary in quality. Some use only human-grade ingredients, meats that come from free-range, grass-fed animals, and local and/or organic fruits and veggies. Others use less-expensive ingredients. The difference here, though, is that almost all of the ingredients in these products are higher in quality (and price!) than those used in most kibbled or canned foods. Fresh, wholesome, and natural are the watchwords for this category; it’s expected that resulting food will look and smell fresh and appealing when thawed.
Presentation and packaging varies within a small range in this category. Some companies grind their food ingredients into a very fine “mush” that, when thawed, resembles canned dog food. Others use a coarse grind, enabling the pet owner to identify various ingredients by sight. Products may be formed into cube-like “nuggets” or hamburger-style patties, packed into plastic tubs (like cottage cheese), or pressure-packed into plastic tubes generally referred to as “chubs.”
As to availability and shipping: Most of the companies that sell frozen diets offer direct shipping, via overnight service, right to your home. This practice is incredibly convenient – but also increasingly expensive and quite unkind to the environment; it takes a lot of Styrofoam, and sometimes a lot of dry ice and cardboard, too, to ensure these products are still frozen when they are delivered to your door.
Most of the companies sell the bulk of their products through pet supply stores that are equipped with freezers. This is most advantageous for owners who live in close proximity to one of these stores (or veterinary offices), since they don’t have to pay for shipping and can take the products directly home and put them in their own freezers.
Commonalities So what do all these diets have in common? They all contain fresh, raw meat: muscle meat, fat, and connective tissues. They are all based on the concept that uncooked animal proteins offer the most complete array of amino acids required by canines, providing the most important building blocks of the natural, evolutionary canine diet.
This concept was championed in recent decades by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst, who sought to bring back the vibrant health he remembered seeing in the dogs of his youth, before commercial foods were widely used in Australia. But Dr. Billinghurst sought to replicate the evolutionary diet of the dog, where any raw meat the dog ate would come wrapped around bones and organs of the dog’s prey; he called this sort of diet “BARF,” which alternately stood for “bones and raw food” or “biologically appropriate raw food.”
Dr. Billinghurst saw the consumption of raw bone and organ meat as an integral part of this type of diet, but others who followed in his footsteps found that the raw meat was the key to the diet’s success. They use other calcium sources rather than raw bone in their formulas and feel that the diet is just as beneficial.
Be forewarned: The arguments between the people who feel that raw, meaty bones must form the basis of these diets and those who think the raw meat itself is the key absolutely resemble the arguments between believers of related but divergent religious sects. Each is certain that only they know the light and the way. Our opinions are ecumenical. If a diet is mostly comprised of fresh, whole, raw meats; contains all the nutrients known to be required by dogs; and your dog thrives on it, it’s okay by us. We suggest that newcomers to this style of feeding start out by feeding a variety of complete and balanced products, keeping a record of the results in each dog they feed, and ultimately going with the diet style that works best for their dogs’ individual needs and tolerances.
A few good foods On the following pages, we’ve listed a number of makers of commercial raw diets. To assist those who are new to this style of feeding, we’ve separated the “complete and balanced” diets into the chart on pages 6-7, and the “supplemental feeding” products offered for more experienced raw feeders into another chart on page 8 (some companies will appear on both charts).
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As with any type of commercial diet, we suggest contacting the manufacturers for more information about their products. Ask them how their products can help you meet your dog’s needs; they have a wealth of experience and a vested interest in helping to demonstrate the benefits, not the pitfalls, of this method of feeding healthy dogs.
The more questions you ask, the more opportunities you’ll have to ascertain what their level of commitment is to providing clear, credible guidance for feeding your dog in an optimal way. We also suggest that you ask about the following:
Information about their formulation. Is it complete and balanced? Does it require other supplementation? Who was involved in the product formulation? What are that person’s credentials in animal nutrition? If you have a very technical question about the product’s nutrients, can they refer you to a nutritionist or vet with advanced study in nutrition?
Information about the nutrient content of the products (more information is better than a minimal report). Does the company offer only the “guaranteed analysis” (which is required to detail only the protein, fat, moisture, and fiber content of the food) or a complete analysis that lists all of the values for the product’s vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids?
Information about ingredient sources. Where does the company get their meats and other ingredients? Can they provide documentation to confirm the provenance of the ingredients?
Information about the company’s food safety program. What sort of tests and/or food safety steps does the company take in order to ensure that the product is as free of potentially harmful bacteria as possible?
Information about shipping. Most of the companies that direct-ship products do so only early in the week so there is no risk of frozen product getting stranded on a weekend and thawing before delivery. Nevertheless, before you order any frozen product, question the maker as to the company policy on shipping mishaps. Who will pay for meat that arrives at room temperature? Because you don’t want your dog to eat it!
These are too-common refrains of guardians of dogs who are bouncing off the walls: “She has way too much energy!” “This dog is out of control!” “I’ve had enough of this crazy dog, he’s a maniac!” You can love your dog to pieces, but if his behavior is unruly, it can be very hard to live with on a steady basis. One of the most common reasons dogs are released to shelters is because they are out of control. Hyperactive dogs are frequently difficult for their owners to enjoy. Surviving this situation may stressful for you, your family, guests – and the dogs themselves. The first step is to have the dog evaluated by your trusted holistic veterinarian, to determine if there is any underlying medical condition.
Hyperactivity, also called “hyperkinesis,” actually can be the result of a medical condition that is characterized by frantic behavior, incessant movement resulting in exhaustion, a consistent elevated heart rate, panting, loss of weight, vomiting, and increased appetite or loss of appetite. Canine compulsive disorders such as tail-chasing, self-mutilation, and other nonproductive, repetitive behaviors are usually considered forms of hyperactivity.
There are many reasons that may contribute to a dog’s overactivity. Some young dogs have a lot of energy by nature; others may lack proper training or may be frequently exposed to too much stimulation. Some holistic practitioners speculate that artificial preservatives and/or coloring in commercial foods can contribute to overactivity; others point fingers at grain-based diets, and still others at diets containing excessive amounts of protein.
Insufficient exercise, a lack of personalized attention, and chronic stress are frequently to blame. Any combination of these factors may worsen the hyperactivity. It may be difficult to figure out exactly why your dog is excessively active since it is often a combination of factors, but there are many resources available to help you deal with the problem. Once you have consulted your holistic veterinarian and are following a regime he or she has recommended, you can turn to other sources for support in managing your dog’s behavior.
Acupressure for Dogs
Acupressure can be an ally and an adjunct to medical intervention and positive, professional training assistance. It is a safe, noninvasive, deceptively gentle, and extremely powerful resource for the high spirited, overly excited dog whether the behavior is a physical disorder or a training issue. Acupressure offers the added value of enhancing the emotional bond between you and your dog.
Like acupuncture, acupressure is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture uses fine needles to stimulate specific pools of energy called “acupoints,” which are located along pathways running throughout the dog’s body. To use acupressure, we use the soft tip of our thumb or index finger to administer light pressure on the acupoints, and to achieve a similar effect. The intent, when applying pressure on acupoints, is to allow the body to balance the flow of energy along the pathways (also called “channels” or “meridians”) so that the animal’s energy flows harmoniously. When energy is flowing harmoniously, the dog’s physical and mental state is in dynamic balance and he experiences good health and a sense of well-being.
Since acupressure is noninvasive, dog guardians are able to perform a session with their own dog. Complete novices can work with their animals with good results. Trained acupressure practitioners are able to select the most effective acupoints to resolve a specific issue.
The Acupressure Points of a Dog
A general canine acupressure session can help with getting the dog’s attention, enhance the focus needed for training, and provide calming and grounding. Dogs having a propensity for being high energy will benefit from working with the acupoints described below.
Yin Tang Point
This acupoint can be used to help a dog with focus, especially when his attention seems to be scattered. It is good to work this point just prior to a training session so that you can get his attention more easily. The Yin Tang point is located between and slightly above the eyes in the “third-eye” position.
Yang Tang Point
This point is best utilized when the dog is too intensely focused on something other than you, and you are not able to get his attention. The Yang Tang point is known to disperse mental energy so that you can direct the dog’s attention to you during training. This point can be used when a dog has experienced (or you anticipate that he may experience) a strong fear reaction. (Note: Do not attempt an acupressure session in the midst of a stressful event! Remove the dog to a calm, quiet area, and proceed only when you feel it’s safe to do so.)
There are two indents on the side of the dog’s eyes just beyond the bony prominence of the outer canthus of the eye. Press these indents very lightly with your index fingers and make little counter-clockwise circles to dispel the dog’s intense focus. You can work both Yang Tang points on each side of the dog’s head simultaneously.
Stomach 36 (St 36), Leg Three-Mile
In Chinese medicine, Stomach 36 is considered the most powerful grounding acupoint. High spirited, high energy dogs need to be more securely earth-bound and stimulating this point can help the dog feel as if he belongs on this earth. Stomach 36 is known to bring the flow of energy down. This point is located on the outside of both the hind legs, just below the dog’s stifle (knee) toward the front of the leg.
Bai Hui, Heaven’s Gate or Point of 100 Meetings
The Bai Hui Point is a classic animal acupoint that has many benefits. It can be used to help clear the animal’s mind and provide an overall feeling of well-being. It is often used to enhance the dog’s ability to “tune in” to himself. Many dogs with excessive energy issues do not know where their body ends and the rest of the world begins; the Bai Hui point can draw the dog’s awareness back to his own body. This point is located on the sacrum right on his midline.
Heart 7 (HT 7), Spirit’s Gate or Shen Men
This point is known to calm the spirit, reduce heat, dispel anxiety, and clear the mind. Heart 7 is a key acupoint for calming overly active dogs and can be used in every acupressure session. It is located on the outside (lateral side) on both front legs, in the deep indent created by the tendon just above the dog’s wrist (carpals) toward the back of the leg.
Offer your dog an acupressure session every third or fourth day, using the acupoints above. Over time, you will most likely see a shift from being wild and crazy to being happy and possessing more self-control, especially when the acupressure is combined with good training practices and holistic veterinary support. Life will be better for all concerned. Remember to tell your dog what a good boy he is when he is a pleasant companion.
Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis are authors of The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure; Acu-Cat: A Guide to Feline Acupressure; and Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual. They own Tallgrass Publishers, which offers instructional meridian charts and acupressure DVDs for dogs, cats, and horses. They are also founders of Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute, offering hands-on and online training courses worldwide, including a practitioner certification program. For more information or to find a certified canine acupressure practitioner in your area, see their website.
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That loud buzz you hear is the sound of the dog behavior and training community discussing a controversial new approach to modifying aggressive behavior in dogs. The developers of “Constructional Aggression Treatment” (CAT) claim that the shaping-based operant protocol produces stronger and much faster results than the classical counter-conditioning process widely used by training and behavior professionals today.
CAT was devised and tested by Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, a behavior analyst and associate professor of behavior analysis at the University of North Texas, and Kellie Snider, a board-certified associate behavior analyst. Snider completed her MS in Behavior Analysis at UNT in 2007 with Dr. Rosales-Ruiz as her graduate research advisor and the CAT procedure as the topic of her thesis research.
Canine behavior experts frequently use classical conditioning techniques (including counter-conditioning) to help change how dogs feel about and respond to the stimuli that triggers their aggressive behavior. In other words, classical counter-conditioning changes the dog’s emotions in order to change his behavior. In contrast, CAT utilizes “operant conditioning,” where the goal is changing the dog’s behavior in a way that will likely produce a subsequent emotional change.
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In order to best explain how this novel technique works, allow me to back up and discuss some behavioral theories that explain both the development of canine aggression as well as the techniques that are conventionally used to change the dog’s response to stressful stimuli.
The genesis of aggression Conventional thinking is that aggression is the behavioral result of an emotional response (fear, anger, frustration, etc.) that has been classically conditioned due to an association between two stimuli (events). For example:
• A small child hugs a puppy too tightly, hurting the puppy. The puppy associates pain with small children, and becomes fearful and aggressive toward small children as a result.
• A large, aggressive dog attacks a smaller, unassertive dog, causing multiple injuries. The small dog associates large dogs with attack and pain and becomes fearful and aggressive toward large dogs.
• Teenagers tease a dog in a yard behind a fence. The dog becomes aroused, angry, and aggressive toward teens.
So, the thinking goes, the best approach to modifying a classically conditioned response is with counter-conditioning – a subset of classical conditioning in which you change the dog’s emotional response. You do this by pairing the fear- or anger-causing stimulus with something that creates a happier response, thus giving the stimulus a new, positive association.
Food is commonly used to counter-condition, because it’s hard to eat yummy treats and be significantly angry or afraid at the same time. Also, food is a “primary reinforcer”; our dogs are hardwired to like food; they don’t have to learn that it’s valuable to them.
You can use other things to change associations in place of, or in addition to, food. With humans, money, jewelry, and other conditioned reinforcers (items with learned value) can be used to create and change associations. Think of the enamored suitor, wooing the object of his affections, plying her with all sorts of goodies to create a positive association while she plays hard to get. Dogs aren’t much impressed with diamonds and Cadillacs, but a rousing game of tug or fetch-the-ball can give a worried dog a positive association with a previously aversive stimulus.
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A counter-conditioning procedure goes like this:
• Present scary stimulus (say, a small child) at a distance great enough that the dog is worried (“Uh-oh, there’s a child!”) but not so worried that he goes into a barking, lunging frenzy. This is called the “sub-threshold” distance.
• The instant the dog sees the child, start feeding tiny bits of something very yummy, such as canned or boiled chicken.
• Keep feeding until the child is out of sight, then stop feeding.
• Repeat this process until the appearance of the child at this distance consistently causes the dog to look joyfully at you in anticipation of chicken. This is called the conditioned emotional response (CER), or the “Where’s my chicken?” look.
• Now increase the intensity of the stimulus and repeat the process. With a child, you might increase intensity by bringing the child a little closer, or by staying at the original distance and having two children appear, or one child running, skipping, or singing, or . . .
Eventually, due to the change in the dog’s emotional response to the presence of a child, then to the presence of children, the dog’s behavior changes. He comes to like children, so he’s no longer aggressive toward them.
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How CAT is different CAT’s founders acknowledge that aggression may be, initially, an emotional response, based in classical conditioning. However, they assert that operant conditioning quickly begins to play a much larger role than it’s often given credit for. They suggest the dog quickly learns that growling, barking, lunging, and snapping are highly successful strategies for making the threat leave, and so the behavior is negatively reinforced (the dog’s behavior makes a bad thing go away).
By definition, behavior that is reinforced continues or increases. Snider and Rosales-Ruiz posit that if you prevent the dog from receiving reinforcement for the unwanted behavior (aggression) and reinforce his desired behavior (friendly, affiliative actions), his behavior will change. When the behavior changes, the emotion that triggers the aggression will change as well.
CAT used for dog-dog aggression Here is how the CAT procedure would be used to modify the behavior of a dog who shows aggression toward other dogs:
The subject dog (the one with the aggressive behavior) is set up in an area where the trigger stimulus can be presented at a distance that does not trigger a big response from the subject dog (this is called “sub-threshold”). In this case, the trigger stimulus is another dog; note that people or objects can be the triggering stimuli in other cases.
Ideally, the environment where the procedure is carried out is the same or similar to the one in which the undesirable behavior normally occurs. This reduces the amount of future generalization required. The owner – not a trainer – holds the dog’s leash, which also keeps the stimulus picture as close to reality as possible and reduces the amount of generalization needed.
Other than restraining the dog, the owner does nothing else in terms of training – no clicking, no treating. The behavior of the stimulus dog becomes the sole reinforcer for the subject dog’s behavior.
The stimulus dog (sometimes called decoy or trigger dog) and handler approach the subject dog until sub-threshold signs of stress are noted by observers. This is the “threshold.” The handler and decoy dog stop and wait for any decrease in the subject dog’s stress behavior, at which point the decoy and handler immediately turn and walk away, reinforcing the subject dog’s more appropriate (less stressed) behavior.
If the subject dog barks, lunges, or offers other aggressive behavior as the decoy dog leaves, the handler and decoy immediately return to baseline to again wait for decreased signs of stress. Then they again attempt to leave. This is repeated until the subject dog no longer offers escalated stress behavior when the stimulus dog and handler attempt to leave. When this happens, they retreat to a greater distance to give the subject dog an opportunity to relax.
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An assistant marks the location where the threshold behavior occured, and the stimulus dog and handler return to this mark after a 15-second “cool-down” period. This return-and-leave process continues until the subject dog no longer shows signs of stress at baseline, at which point the handler brings the stimulus dog closer to the subject by a distance predetermined by the trainer – less if the dog is likely to be easily triggered, more if the dog is perceived as able to handle a larger increment of decreased distance.
Eventually it should be possible for the stimulus dog to approach with no aggressive reaction from the subject. In fact, in a successful procedure the subject dog begins to genuinely and happily invite the stimulus dog closer for more interaction. This point in the procedure is called switchover.
After switchover, the stimulus dog and handler continue to approach the subject dog in small increments until the two dogs can actually engage in friendly behavior with each other. The researchers labeled this part of the process interaction.
Why does it work? Remember, many dogs who behave aggressively toward other dogs do so as a result of learning that their barking, growling fit results in the other dog going away. Because that behavior has been successful in the past, it’s been reinforced, and the behavior has continued or increased.
In contrast, in a CAT procedure, the subject dog is presented with a different reinforcement scenario. The behavior that worked so well before – barking and lunging – no longer works. Instead of making the other dog go away, it actually makes her stay close or come back! A new behavior – acting calm – now makes the “bad approaching dog” go away. So, in theory, the subject dog learns to offer calm, relaxed behaviors to make the other dog go away.
Eventually the subject dog becomes calm and relaxed because he no longer needs to act aggressively to make the other dog go away. Lo and behold, once the subject dog becomes calm and relaxed about the other dog approaching, he actually gets happy about having the other dog approach; the change in his emotional response follows the change in his behavioral response.
Rosales-Ruiz and Snider have worked with or received reports of almost 100 dogs using the CAT procedure, and the results, they say, are overwhelmingly encouraging. Dogs with a lifetime history of aggression toward other dogs have become completely canine-social-appropriate. Dogs with a long record of aggression toward humans have become safe and friendly. Not every single one, of course, but the majority of dogs have done mind-bogglingly well with the procedure.
Things to consider The dog training and behavior community has not yet embraced the procedure with open paws. As striking as the reported results may seem, there are some significant potential obstacles to the widespread use of CAT. Trainers who might consider using this procedure professionally are struggling with some of the challenges:
– The sessions can be intensively time-consuming. Individual CAT sessions may run from as little as one hour to as much as eight, and require a number of helpers. When possible, the founders recommend sticking with it at least until you see switch-over (the point at which the subject dog’s behavior changes to actually offering distance-decreasing behavior such as soft body wags, ears back, soft and/or squinty eyes) and preferably all the way through interaction. Snider suggests setting aside three full days to work with an individual dog and owner.
Snider points out, however, that classical conditioning and desensitization (CC&D) is also time-consuming. Many owners practice CC&D on their own for months or years with less effect.
– It’s costly. Good training and behavior professionals may charge anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars per hour for their time. Three full days, eight hours per day, at hundreds of dollars per hour equals a lot of money spent in a short period of time. Of course, if it works, it may be worth almost any amount to an owner, and, over time, it may not be significantly more costly than ongoing CC&D with a trainer.
– It’s staff-intensive. Done well, the procedure requires at least several humans – the owner, the trainer, the handlers of several stimulus dogs (or presenters of whatever the trigger stimulus may be), and perhaps a person to videotape the procedure for later review. This can also add to the cost, if assistants are paid.
– It can be stressful to the subject dog. In some cases where the procedure has failed, the subject dog has continued to practice the bark/lunge strategy that’s been successful for him in the past, rather than offering – and switching over to – calm, relaxed behavior. Some trainers trying the procedure have pulled the plug early in the process rather than continue to subject the dog to the level of stress apparent as the old strategy failed to work. Other trainers have persisted for long periods of time (hours) before either giving up or ultimately achieving success.
On these counts, in CAT’s defense, Snider says, “Even with those dogs that did not completely switch over because the trainers didn’t take it that far, we have almost universally seen dramatic improvement. Trainers who are new to this procedure may need more practice and guidance before they learn to how to keep the dog below threshold by adjusting the environment in some way. If you don’t work below threshold, it’s not really CAT . . . and it’s unlikely to work as well. It’s too difficult for dogs to produce desirable behaviors when they are over threshold, and this is no different from CC&D.”
– It can be stressful to the stimulus dog. The stimulus dog will be asked to repeatedly approach a dog who is sending very clear “Don’t approach!” signals and appears to be more than willing to back the signals up. This can take a toll on the good nature of the neutral/friendly dogs being asked to play decoy. In fairness, the same can be said of dogs used as decoys in conventional CC&D sessions.
– Even when all goes according to plan, trainers may be reluctant to complete the final piece of the process – interaction – and rightly so. Misjudgment on the part of the trainer can result in injury to the stimulus dog (or trigger person/s). Again, to be fair, this is a risk whenever working with aggressive dogs.
– It may not be positive. One definition of “positive training” holds the position that positive trainers use negative reinforcement only as a last resort, after positive reinforcement and negative punishment have failed. Negative reinforcement, by definition, requires the presentation of something at least mildly aversive to the dog, and sometimes the presenting stimulus is significantly aversive.
Snider and Rosales-Ruiz offer CAT as a first approach, not after exhausting what are traditionally considered more positive methods. In fact, they say the less the dog has been worked with using other methods, the easier and more successful CAT is likely to be. In response to these points, Snider says, that in her opinion, CAT can be more positive than desensitization. “With desensitization, often trainers move closer if the dog gets calm (which constitutes punishment of calm behaviors) and move away when the dog is stressed (reinforcement of stressed behaviors). That’s one reason it takes longer!
“Also, sometimes the presenting stimulus is significantly aversive in CC&D programs, too. You can’t train an animal to accept something that is not there, and prior to treatment, having it there is stressful. The best you can do is present it at low intensities, which is an integral part of CAT just as it is of CC&D.”
Snider also points out that even positive reinforcement can be used in ways that produce problematic behaviors. “As Dr. Rosales-Ruiz has said, it is not about the name of the procedure, it’s about the emotionality produced by the procedure. Properly done, CAT produces happy, friendly dogs while working hard to remain errorless – which means keeping the intensity of the stimulus low enough that it is not overwhelming to the learner.”
Pat’s CAT journal, day 1 My own mind is still not made up about CAT. I have done the procedure once (I’ll describe this in detail below) with a dog I know well, owned and handled by Certified Pet Dog Trainer Jolanta Benal, of Brooklyn, New York. Jolanta is a friend and trainer for whom I have much trust and respect.
Going in, we were both cautious and somewhat skeptical, albeit hopeful, and we were both ready to stop the procedure at any time if either of us was uncomfortable with what we were seeing. I was happier with the results than I had dared hope to be, and will offer it on a limited basis to clients who I think can make the necessary commitment and whose dogs I feel are appropriate candidates.
Jolanta and I spent three days trying out the CAT procedure. Our subject dog was Juniper, Benal’s six-year-old neutered Pit Bull-mix. Juni has been dog reactive/aggressive since puppyhood, and several of his littermates also have aggression problems. At least two have been euthanized for aggression.
Juni is extremely friendly with humans, in large part due to growing up in Brooklyn, where Jolanta made it a point to socialize him well with a wide variety of humans. Unfortunately, living in NYC, anywhere he goes, Juni encounters other dogs – and the socialization didn’t work with those, despite Jolanta’s best efforts. Juni does have a circle of canine friends he can play with, including 13-year-old Cattle Dog-mix Izzy, with whom he lives.
Jolanta has done a considerable amount of work with Juni. They attended our Reactive Rover Camp and did well, easily progressing to parallel walking with other dogs by the end of the third and final day of camp. Juni could control himself, but was not relaxed and friendly with the other dogs, and it didn’t carry over to the urban home environment.
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Back in NYC, Jolanta found it pretty impossible to keep Juni sub-threshold – one of the challenges of ongoing counter-conditioning work with a reactive dog. Jolanta does a good job of keeping Juni focused on treats when necessary, and he has a very effective “run away” escape behavior. (As described by Patricia McConnell in her excellent booklet, Feisty Fido, a reactive dog is taught “Run away!” as a fun game, whereby the owner walks with the dog by her side, and suddenly says “Run away!” or some other cue in an excited tone of voice, then quickly turns and runs playfully in the other direction. Each time, at variable distances, the owner reinforces the fun aspect of the game with yummy treats or with a quick game of tug, until “Run away!” takes on a positive classical association. As a result, when the reactive dog and owner are out walking and a dog appears unexpectedly, the owner can use the “Run away!” cue to get her dog to happily turn and run with her, away from the other dog, rather than having a super-threshold eruption.)
We started the CAT process on Monday in early March, in the Peaceable Paws training center. Not ideal in terms of “recreating the actual environment,” (our farm is nothing like NYC!) but we wanted to maximize potential for some success, and it’s impossible to control intensity of stimulus in the Big Apple.
A dozen trainers attended one or more days of the three-day program to learn and assist. Our first stimulus dog was Amber, a small, mature female Rhodesian Ridgeback who belongs to Peaceable Paws apprentice Susan Sarubin.
Susan presented Amber at a distance of about 75 feet from Juni (one end of the training room). Juni immediately erupted, barking and lunging, hackles up. Jolanta had warned us that his threshold distance is “line of sight,” barring any efforts to divert his behavior. Juni confirmed the veracity of her warning. So “just inside the door” was our baseline.
It took several repetitions before Amber was able to enter the room without Juni erupting. Even then, Juni was still pretty tense. We did several more repetitions with Juni erupting when Amber and Susan turned to leave; they had to turn back toward Juni and return to the baseline mark. We looked for, and accepted, very small signs of relaxation from Juni as the trigger to make the stimulus dog (Amber) go away – the flick of an ear, blinking, a slight lowering of the head. When we got to the spot where no eruption took place, we began moving the marker closer, one foot at a time. It seemed like it took an eternity, but was actually no more than 10 minutes.
We worked with Amber as the only stimulus dog on the first day. At about 35 feet we began getting attention-soliciting affiliative behavior from Juni: soft tail wagging, relaxed body, ears back, squinty eyes. We continued to decrease the distance, and at about 10 feet (near the end of the session) we lost the soft behavior; Juni again began growling, barking, and even added a snarl (lips curled up) – a behavior we hadn’t seen before. We continued to repeat presentations at that distance until Juni relaxed again, although not to the point of the soft, waggy behavior we had seen previously.
We worked a total of three hours on that first day, with two breaks. In debriefing the session, Jolanta and I agreed that if we encountered a “stuck” spot again we would back up the stopping point to a place where Juni offered stress behavior but didn’t go over threshold, and work there until he again showed soft, friendly behaviors. Later conversation with Dr. Rosales-Ruiz confirmed that this would have been an appropriate step. As it turned out, we didn’t need it.
CAT, day 2 On the second day, we introduced Willow, a spayed Shepherd/Collie-mix owned by DC-area Certified Pet Dog Trainer Pen Brown. Juni immediately erupted upon presentation of Willow at 75 feet. This was disappointing; we were hoping to see more of a change in Juni’s behavior upon initial presentation. We were, however, able to progress more quickly this time; Juni’s barking stopped after just a few repetitions, and at the first-hour break we had moved the marker to about 35 feet and were getting soft, solicitous responses from Juni.
We switched dogs after the first break, introducing Bonnie, my three-year-old Scottie-mix. Snider and Rosales-Ruiz would probably have suggested proceeding to interaction with one dog before switching, but none of us were confident enough with the procedure to do this. In addition, Jolanta wanted to work on generalizing to as many different dogs as possible, knowing that she would face a constantly changing cast of canine characters back home in New York.
Juni had met Bonnie at a Reactive Rover Camp many months prior, parallel walking with her without incident on the last day of camp. Now, with CAT, there was some barking on the initial presentation of Bonnie at 75 feet, but it was less intense than with Willow, and we progressed forward rapidly. Between 40 feet and 10 feet we got very playful behavior from Juni: play bows, full body wags, and several “Don’t go away!” vocalizations on several occasions when Bonnie and I turned to leave. (This is a significantly different vocalization than Juni’s “Go away!” bark,)
At the end of that second day, we were parallel-walking Bonnie and Juni around the training center, about four feet apart. Juni was relaxed, and even made several play-bounce moves toward Bonnie – a behavior he had never shown toward her at Reactive Rover Camp. We chose not to let them play, as there is a significant disparity in size and we felt Juni would be too rough for Bonnie, even if he maintained his friendly demeanor.
CAT, day 3 On the third day we changed our location, transporting all of our dogs to a local, dog-friendly outlet mall – the closest approximation to a city environment we could come up with in rural Fairplay, Maryland. We started with Willow again, positioning Juni about 50 feet from the corner around which Willow would appear. There were no eruptions at all on day three. None! Not even when Pen invited Willow to leap in the air. (Historically, bouncy behavior was a guaranteed trigger for Juni to erupt.) We quickly progressed from 50 feet to about 10 feet, and then walked the two dogs together in the mall parking lot, sometimes as close as three to four feet apart. Juni was relaxed and unconcerned. We were not just pleasantly surprised; we were ecstatic.
We returned to the store front area, put Willow away and brought out Missy, my eight-year-old spayed Australian Shepherd. We were eager to see what would happen with a new dog. Juni had never seen Missy, and Missy is naturally bouncy – a potential double whammy. Again, no eruptions, rapid closure to about six feet, then walking together at close distance. We did get one small growl and a little tension when Missy was about 15 feet from Juni while we were doing the initial approaches, but he was immediately relaxed again on the next approach.
We brought Willow back, and worked with all three dogs together, then introduced Lucy, my Cardigan Corgi, and finally added Bonnie to the mix. We finished the morning after 90 minutes with all five dogs walking around one end of the mall, passing in close quarters, following Juni, approaching head-on, and appearing unexpectedly around corners. Juni was completely relaxed, as were the rest of the dogs. The humans, on the other hand, were all pretty excited. After close to eight hours of successful CAT work, the true test was yet to come. We headed back to our respective homes, waiting to hear from Jolanta on how Juni would do back home in his own ’hood.
Dog in CAT city The first report was promising. Jolanta called it in from her cell phone before she even got home. Juni saw a dog through the car window and did nothing! Prior to all the CAT work, this would have elicited a full-scale aroused eruption.
Jolanta continues to send glowing reports about Juni. He’s not letter-perfect, but is behaving far better around other dogs than he ever did in his pre-CAT experience. According to Jolanta, they have encountered more than 100 dogs per week since their return to Brooklyn, and experienced only six full-scale “explosions.” In 30 of the encounters, Juni growled or barked or exhibited some degree of tension. In almost every “tense” episode, Juni calmed himself quickly without intervention from Jolanta. Most happily, Jolanta says, “More than 60 encounters with approximately 70 dogs were characterized by responses ranging from complete indifference/nonchalance to active interest, to mild alertness that didn’t shade into tension.”
When asked how many of these incidents she estimates would have previously resulted in escalation to eruption, she answered, “Most of the ‘tense’ encounters would likely be explosions of one degree or another. I would not have seen any nonchalance though I would have had a lot of success distracting him with food.”
I believe the CAT program has significant value for certain dogs; it could mean a much brighter future for a lot of dogs who are currently under house arrest and strict management programs. I’ll be looking for additional appropriate applications for CAT. I have another client who wants to try CAT on her dog, and I fully intend to use it with Dubhy, our dog-reactive Scottie, the next time my husband and I want to introduce a new dog to our pack, if not sooner.
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. Pat is also author of The Power of Positive Dog Training; Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog; and Positive Perspectives II: Know Your Dog, Train Your Dog. See “Resources,” page 24.
I just finished reading “Why Vinyl Stinks” (Whole Dog Journal April 2007). While I think the article is wonderful, there is a problem with the reference to “vinyl linoleum flooring.” The descriptions “vinyl” and “linoleum” are frequently and incorrectly interchanged or combined.
Linoleum is a natural material, made from linseed oil (flax oil) and wood pulp or cork dust and backed by burlap or canvas. It is considered a “green” or “sustainable” building material. If there is anything synthetic added, it is no longer considered linoleum flooring.
This may seem silly to point out, but since the idea of “green building” and “sustainable design” are still in the infancy stages among most people, this case of mistaken identity could really turn people off to a great material. Armstrong, maker of arguably the best-known linoleum flooring, in fact has a partnership and is certified with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an organization created by the U.S. Green Building Council, which sets the benchmark for “green” design. I hope that you may clear this up to the readers so those who may have linoleum flooring can rest easier and those who don’t might be introduced to this safe alternative to vinyl flooring. Julie Gianesini Via e-mail
Thanks for pointing out my editing error. I know that linoleum and vinyl flooring are different, and that linoleum is considered safe and vinyl is questionable. Still, somehow, I let the phrase “vinyl linoleum flooring” get past me. Maybe it was the fumes from all the vinyl products I had in my office for research for the article!
Your article about vinyl may have solved a mystery for me, but one regarding my finches, rather than my dog. I have enjoyed keeping caged finches in my home for many years. Until recently, I had seven Society Finches and two Star Finches in one very large cage. One morning, I awoke to find five of the finches had died; no explanation presented itself that I could determine. After reading your article, I realized that one thing was new: About five days prior, I had placed a flexible “plastic” mat over the cage bottom. The material has a distinctive, strong odor. I am now wondering if this material released a volatile toxic gas, resulting in the death of my finches. Letitia Annis Green Pond, NJ
The material you enclosed obviously contains plastic softening agents, which can release toxic compounds. I can’t say that this is what killed your finches, but I share your concern and suspicion, and avoid buying products like these for my home.
Thanks for the articles on EFT, directed energy, and acupressure in your series on energy medicine (October 2007-February 2008). A combination of these therapies has helped a chronic problem my dog has had for about six years. She was evaluated for intermittent vomiting and/or loose stools by five conventional veterinarians. Until early March, I was giving her Metronidazole two times a week, but it was only a temporary fix. In a short time after she received healing energy and acupressure, the problem was remedied. I went for two EFT sessions to help with my own shoulder condition and found relief. Antoinette, Rochester, NY
A year ago, I was invited to speak about “super premium pet foods” at Petfood Forum, an annual symposium presented by Petfood Industry, a trade and marketing organization. Exhibitors at the event include pet food ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, laboratories, and packaging suppliers. Attendees include pet food company employees and executives. And there I was, an industry critic, invited to talk about how Whole Dog Journal identified a top-quality dog food.
The timing was odd, because the pet food recalls were still being discussed in the nightly news, and the list of affected products was still expanding daily. The overall mood at the event, unlike industry trade shows I’ve attended in the past, was somber. I heard gossip in the elevators at the event hotel each morning about products whose representatives were present at the event. “Oh my,” people would say to each other. “I just talked to those guys yesterday. I wonder if they will be here today.” There was a definite sense that almost any company present at the event could be implicated in the disaster at any time. “It could happen to any one of us,” I heard again and again.
Adding to the strange atmosphere was the fact that the organizers had hired extra security for the event, and closer attention was being paid to event identification badges than at any trade show I’ve ever been to. An insert in the registration package that participants received at the show discussed the possibility that members of the press could attempt to infiltrate the event; it even suggested steps that attendees could take if approached by a member of the media or “if someone is disruptive or is bothering you.”
Given the circumstances, I was impressed that the organizers did not find a reason to uninvite me to the event! I was glad, because as it turned out, I had a number of intensely educational conversations with pet food industry representatives who seemed to have been pressed by all the tumult into self-reflection and openness – words that don’t usually get applied to executives in that industry.
The year, organizers have expanded the event and added an extra day, “Petfood Focus on Safety,” to address steps that are being taken industry-wide to prevent further pet food disasters. I’m very eager to learn whether there have been significant changes in the industry’s standard operating procedure – and whether the movers and shakers of the industry remain shaken by the recalls of 2007 or have returned to business as usual. I think this will be an ideal time to determine which companies have really moved their quality control procedures forward, and which ones just pay lip service to quality assurance.
As always, I’ll be looking for information that consumers can use to identify safe, top-quality pet foods. Given that our June issue will contain a review of frozen meat-based pet foods, I’ll be doing some special investigating to determine what the makers of premium foods do to secure, test, and process their protein sources.
Aside from some stiffness and a little arthritis, Emma, a 13-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, had always been a happy, incredibly healthy dog, welcoming each new day with delight and bounding enthusiasm. One evening, though, things changed suddenly and scarily.
I was at a friends house when, after laying quietly in the corner, Emma stood up and came into the room stumbling. She was staggering, panting, and totally confused, says her owner, Ici Schemm. Something was very wrong, and then almost as suddenly, it was over.
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After a visit to her veterinarian, Schemm learned that Emma suffered a bout of vestibular syndrome, a common condition in geriatric dogs stemming from inflammation in the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum, the control center for balance and spatial orientation. The duration of these incidents varies; so does the wide array of symptoms, with some dogs having relapses while others do not.
Schemm describes the sudden onset as very scary for Emma and me, too. Emma, fortunately, has not had another episode or shown any residual signs; she could be a poster dog for the most transient and benign form of vestibular disease. Other cases, however, can be much more serious.
The vestibular system A dogs balance is provided by a network of interactive anatomical structures that permit the dog to perceive his orientation in space and inform his extremities as to how to move appropriately. The vestibular apparatus encompasses the labyrinth of the inner ear along with the cochlea of the auditory system. Hair cells deep inside the ear function as sensors, detecting the position of the dogs head. They also transmit this information to the balance systems control center, the cerebellum and brain stem, which sends messages to the muscles in the body to maintain the dogs posture and equilibrium.
Problems in the vestibular system typically reveal themselves suddenly, as the dog abruptly experiences problems with his balance. Emmas staggering was a classic sign of vestibular dysfunction, but dogs may display varying degrees of loss of equilibrium and balance. Other signs include tilting of the head, uncoordinated muscle movements on one side of the body, falling, rolling, deviation of one eye in a given head position, circling, disorientation, and nystagmus (an involuntary eye movement where the eyes rapidly move back and forth or rotate, commonly described as flickering). Nausea (including vomiting) may occur, especially within the first day of onset of other symptoms, and dogs frequently decline to eat for the first day or more.
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As a rule, vestibular disturbance is asymmetrical; any head tilt, falling, or circling usually occurs toward only one side. If the condition is caused by a brain lesion (abnormal tissue), the direction of tilt or circling indicates on which side of the brain the lesion is located. The same is true for nystagmus, which tends to occur in a slow phase and a fast phase, with the slower movements indicating the side where the neurologic lesion is likely to be.
Types of vestibular disease There are three broad types of vestibular disease in the dog: idiopathic vestibular disease, inner ear disease, and central vestibular disease. The first two types are also referred to as peripheral vestibular disease. This means they involve either the receptor organs in the inner ear or the vestibular nerve. Central vestibular disease occurs when the brainstem or cerebellum is affected; this is the most serious type of vestibular disease.
Idiopathic means occurring without a known cause, and idiopathic vestibular disease is the most common type to be diagnosed. If the disease occurs in an older dog, his vet is likely to diagnose old dog vestibular disease which suggests to many owners that old age is the cause. However, in this case, old age refers only to the patient, not the cause of disease.
In most cases of idiopathic vestibular disease, the dogs symptoms have a sudden onset and resolve over a few days or weeks. Some dogs, however, retain a head tilt for years, although they are able to adjust and balance themselves.
Inner ear vestibular disease tends to develop more slowly; while the dogs exhibit the same signs that are common to idiopathic vestibular disease (head tilt, nystagmus, circling, imbalance), these are often less severe and may be only gradually perceived by the dogs owner.
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Bacterial infections are the most common cause of inner ear vestibular disease. Appropriate antibiotic therapy resolves most of these cases; sometimes sulfa drugs are added to the treatment regimen for their synergistic activity with antibiotics.The prognosis is less favorable in cases where the bacteria has infected the inner ear bones or if the infection is fungal. Treatment may have to be continued for as many as six to eight weeks to defeat these more stubborn invaders.
The third type of vestibular disease is the least common; thats fortunate, because it also presents the worst odds of recovery. Central vestibular disease occurs when the brainstem or cerebellum is affected.
A number of inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, and neoplasia (abnormal or uncontrolled growth of cells) can all cause central vestibular disease. Canine distemper virus, granulomatous meningoencephalitis, toxoplasmosis, neosporidiosis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, steroid-responsive meningoencephalitis, Lymes disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis are the most common inflammatory and infectious diseases known to cause central vestibular disease in dogs. Treatment and prognosis for the vestibular disturbances depend wholly on the quick diagnosis and successful treatment of the disease or infection.
Diagnosing vestibular disease A full neurologic examination is the starting point for diagnosis, followed by an otoscopic exam and blood tests.
Not all veterinarians are knowledgeable or experienced in performing full neurologic exams; ask your vet if she is confident in this area or would rather refer you to a more experienced colleague or specialist. A neurologic exam should include, at a minimum, observation of the dogs movement (in several gaits) and posture at rest; palpation for abnormal muscle tone and mass; and tests of the dogs reflexes and reactions to visual and minimally painful stimuli (such as pin pricks or pinches).
An otoscope can be used to reveal some problems within the ear, but special imaging (with x-rays or CAT scan) of the middle ear bones may also be in order. When a complete exam points toward a central vestibular problem, says Karen Kline, DVM, an associate professor at Iowa State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, Iowa, an MRI of the tympanic bulla (one of the inner ear bones) is the gold standard for definitive assessment.
In addition to a complete blood count (CBC) and blood chemistry panel, blood tests that check the level of various thyroid hormones, including T3 and T4, are often performed to rule out hypothyroidism. A common problem in dogs, hypothyroidism occurs when not enough thyroid hormone is produced, causing a wide variety of symptoms, often including weight gain, hair loss, skin problems, and, in some instances, vestibular dysfunction.
Treatment options Since central vestibular diseases involve the brain stem and the cerebellum, they are often a sign of something more ominous such as an inflammatory disease or a tumor, said Dr. Kline. A central vestibular problem carries with it a more guarded prognosis, since often there is irreparable damage. The details of treatments for a central vestibular disease are best explored with your veterinarian.
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Once diagnosed, most inner ear vestibular diseases respond well to treatment. In cases where hypothyroidism is detected, a large proportion of patients will respond very well to medication, says Dr. Kline, and antibiotics are often used successfully to treat bacterial infections of the inner ear. Improvement is typically evident within 72 hours, with most dogs becoming completely normal in a week or two, although, again, in some instances a head tilt will persist.
Dr. Kline has found acupuncture to be highly effective for helping dogs with vestibular disease. Acupuncture seems especially helpful in relieving the patients nausea.
Many owners, like Ici Schemm, worry the most when their senior dogs experience a sudden onset of dramatic symptoms, but, says Dr. Kline, this is actually one of the better scenarios for vestibular problems. An old dog has a very good prognosis. Not all dogs have a terrible disease producing clinical signs, so try not to overprognosticate at first, she says. Dont panic; just make an appointment for your dog to see her veterinarian as soon as possible.
Kathryn Socie is a freelance writer from Missoula, Montana. When she is not writing, she is out on the trail hiking or running with her dogs.
1. Commit to teaching your dog polite greeting behavior so he’ll be a welcomed canine citizen wherever you want to take him.
2. Enlist the help of friends and family to practice polite greetings in different locations so your dog’s good manners behavior generalizes to all kinds of people in all kinds of places.
3. Exercise, exercise, exercise. A tired dog is far less likely to jump up than one who is bursting with energy.
Recently, I switched the group class format at my Peaceable Paws Training Center to “Levels.” Instead of a progressive curriculum with new exercises introduced each week, dogs and humans learn and practice a small, fixed set of behaviors until they’re ready to progress to the next level, where they begin working on new skills. One of the Level 1 skills is “polite greeting.” Because it can be a challenging behavior to teach, it’s often the one that keeps a student in Level 1 the longest. Because it’s an important good manners social behavior, it’s also a Level 2 and Level 3 skill.
The polite-greeting skill difficulty increases with each level. For Level 1, the dog must sit for greetings and not jump up in at least 8 out of 10 times as someone approaches. For Level 2, the dog sits for greetings, and the greeter pets the dog on his head or scratches under his chin without the dog jumping up at least 8 out of 10 times. In order to complete Level 3, the dog must be able to walk up to another dog and human, with dogs walking on the outside, further away from each other, human on the inside, closer together, as they approach. Both dogs stop and sit while handlers stop, greet each other, shake hands, and walk on. (This is one of the 10 tests a dog must pass in order to achieve a Canine Good Citizen certificate from the American Kennel Club.)
So how does one go about teaching this desirable good manners behavior? It should come as no surprise to regular readers that the answer involves reinforcing the behavior you want, and making sure the behavior you don’t want doesn’t get reinforced.
How to Greet On-Leash, with Strangers
Start with your dog on leash next to you. Have your helper approach and stop just out of leash-range, holding a tasty treat high against her chest. Hold the leash and stand still, waiting. Your dog will eventually get frustrated that he can’t jump on the helper, and he’ll sit to figure it out. The instant he sits, have your helper click her clicker (or use a verbal marker such as the word “Yes!”) and pop the treat in your dog’s mouth. This is called reinforcing an incompatible behavior. Your dog can’t sit and jump up at the same time. If he consistently gets reinforced for sitting and doesn’t get reinforced for jumping up, he’ll choose to offer the behavior that gets rewarded.
When your dog is sitting, relax the tension a tiny bit so he’s holding the sit himself, not being restrained by the leash. Only give him a little bit of slack, so you can prevent him from contacting the approaching person if he decides to revert to the jumping-up behavior that (probably) has a long history of reinforcement.
Keep repeating this exercise. It can take as few as a half-dozen repetitions for your dog to start sitting as the helper approaches. At that point, if he tries to leap up to get the treat when it is offered, have your helper whisk it out of reach and say “Oops!” in a cheerful voice, and wait, just out of jumping range. When your dog sits again, your helper clicks (or says “Yes!”) and offers the treat again. Your dog will soon learn to sit tight in order to get the treat instead of jumping for it, because jumping makes the treat go away.
In a variation of this exercise, you can click and pop the treat in his mouth when he sits. If you do it this way he’ll start looking at you and sitting when a person approaches, instead of looking at the person approaching.
Repeat this exercise with as many different humans as possible: big ones, little ones, kids, seniors, dads carrying babies, moms carrying briefcases, and so on. When you’re out walking and a stranger admires your dog and asks if she can pet him, hand her a treat and have her do the exercise. You’ll be amazed by how quickly your dog starts sitting as he sees people approach him.
NOTE: In these exercises, it’s important that you wait for your dog to sit of his own volition; do not ask him to sit. You want him to choose to sit without being asked, and the way to achieve that is to simply ignore the behavior you don’t want and reward the behavior you do want. If you ask him to sit, he may learn that he should sit for people when you (or they) ask him to, but he’s allowed to jump up if you don’t ask.
Train Your Dog to Greet You On-Leash
Okay, so you don’t always have a friendly helper handy. You can still practice this exercise on your own, by attaching your dog’s leash to a solid object. Better yet, use a tether: a plastic-coated cable with snaps at both ends. One end can be secured around a heavy piece of furniture, or attached to a strategically placed eye-bolt. Or you can attach the tether to an eye-bolt screwed into a block of wood, slip the cable under a door, and close the door; the door holds the tether in place.
Walk about 30 feet away, then turn around and start walking back to your dog. As long as he is sitting, keep approaching. The instant he jumps up, stop. When he sits, move forward again. In this exercise, the reward for sitting is simply that you come closer. You can give your dog a food treat when you reach him and he’s still sitting, but you don’t have to toss him one every time he sits.
If you want to experiment with variations on this exercise, try turning your back on him or actually backing up a step when he gets up, and see if that convinces him to sit even faster. The idea here is that not only does the reward (you) stop when the dog gets up, the reward (you, your attention, and treats) actually goes farther away!
Practice Greeting Your Dog Off-Leash
You come home from work, walk in the front door, and see your 80-pound dog flying over the back of the sofa. You know a brutal greeting is coming. There’s no leash to restrain him. What should you do?
Turn your back on him! Watch him out of the corner of your eye, and continue to turn away and step away as he tries to jump on you.
Again, in a surprisingly short period of time your dog will sit in frustration to figure out why he’s not getting his ration of attention. The instant he sits, say “Yes!” in a happy voice, feed him a treat, and pet him if he enjoys being petted (not all dogs do!). Yes, you have to have a treat with you when you walk in the door. I suggest keeping a jar of tasty biscuits on the front stoop. Or keep cookies in your pockets all the time, like I do. If he starts to jump up again after he eats the treat, turn and step away. Keep repeating this until he realizes that “Sit!” gets the attention, not “Jump!”
You want to be sure to give the click or “Yes!” marker when he is sitting. Click (Yes!) means, “Whatever behavior you are doing at the instant you hear this word has earned you a treat reward.” Because all living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding to them, using the click and reward for the sit will increase the likelihood that he sits when he greets people. If he’s consistently rewarded for sitting, and never rewarded for jumping up, he’ll quickly learn that jumping up is not a behavior worth offering.
When you do this exercise, be sure you don’t teach your dog a “behavior chain” – a series of behaviors that get connected or “chained” together because the dog thinks the reward is dependent on the performance of all the behaviors, not just the last one.
Sometimes we use behavior chains to our benefit. A dog can learn to run an entire obstacle course for a reward at the very end without any direction from the owner because the obstacles have been chained in a particular order. In the case of jumping up, if you’re not careful, your dog might learn the short behavior chain of “jump up, sit, reward.”
The way to avoid this is to look for, and frequently reward, the times when your dog sits without jumping up first. We have a tendency to ignore our dogs when they are being good, and pay attention to them when they are doing inappropriate behaviors. If you remember to look for opportunities to reward the good behavior of sitting, your dog won’t think he has to jump up to get your attention in order to get a reward for sitting.
Using Incompatible Behaviors to Shape Greeting Nicely
This works if your dog responds really well to the verbal cue for sit or down. When your dog approaches you, ask for a sit or a down before he has a chance to jump up, and reward that behavior with a click and a treat. With enough repetitions, he’ll learn that the sit or down gets rewarded, and he may start to offer them voluntarily. Be careful; as noted above, he may learn to sit if you ask, but jump up if you don’t.
Caution: This approach works only if your dog is very responsive to the cue to sit or lie down and does it the instant you ask. If you have to repeat the cue several times with your dog jumping up on you all the while, you are paying attention to him (rewarding him) for jumping on you, thereby rewarding that behavior and teaching him to ignore your verbal cues for sit or down at the same time. Oops!
Putting the Jump on Cue
I recommend this only when someone in the family finds a dog’s antics endearing and wants to be able to invite him to jump up. In this case, you teach your dog to jump up on a particular cue such as the word “Hugs!” (not patting your chest, as too many well-meaning strangers and children will likely invite the behavior), and teach him that the only time he can jump up is when someone gives the cue.
This means that he gets rewarded only when he has been invited to jump up, and never gets rewarded for jumping up without an invitation. My now-long-gone terrier-mix, Josie, was allowed to jump up if I got on my knees, patted my shoulders and said “Hugs!” Not many well-meaning strangers and children will do that!
Time-Outs on a Tether
Put a comfortable rug or bed at each tether location. When your dog is out of control and jumping on the company (or you!), he gets a cheerful, “Oops, time out!” and a few minutes on his tether. If you know in advance that he’s going to maul Aunt Maude the instant she walks in the door, clip him to the tether before you open the door, and release him once he settles down. (Have Aunt Maude practice some polite greeting approaches while your dog is tethered, if she’s able and willing.) If you release your dog and he revs up again, just do another “Oops, time out!” Remember, despite your frustration over his behavior, this is a cheerful interlude, not a forceful punishment. He’ll learn to control his own behavior in order to avoid time-outs, and you won’t need to yell at him.
Jumping up is a normal, natural dog behavior. Like so many other normal dog behaviors that are unacceptable in human society, it is up to you to communicate to your dog that jumping up isn’t rewarded. Help him become a more welcome member of your human pack by rewarding an acceptable behavior that can take the place of jumping. If you put your mind to it, it may be easier than you think!
Another Way to Stop A Dog from Jumping: Body Blocking
Dr. Patricia McConnell, noted animal behaviorist and author of The Other End of the Leash, and For the Love of A Dog, describes a process she calls “body blocking,” which simply means taking up space to prevent your dog from doing so.
Next time you are walking in the door and your leaping Lab makes a running charge for you, clasp your hands against your stomach and lean slightly forward, blocking the space with your body. It also helps to look away rather than make eye contact. Remember that you’re not trying to bump into your dog (although he may bump into you), but are simply occupying the space he was hoping to occupy.
You may have to do several repetitions of this, especially if your dog has had lots of practice leaping, but it can be very effective if you are consistent. He can learn to wait for permission to jump up, whether you are standing or sitting, with just the tiniest of barely perceptible body movements on your part. Wouldn’t that be nice?
A Dog Haven with No Jumping Dogs in Sight
I recently had the eye-misting good fortune of making an all-too-brief, nostalgic visit to my old stomping grounds (and birthplace of Peaceable Paws) in California’s Monterey and Marin Counties. A highlight of our trip was when my husband and I visited Carmel Beach, where dogs are allowed to run off-leash. We were reminded, and again amazed by, how beautifully most dogs can get along when they’re allowed to interact regularly and naturally with others of their own species.
What also impressed us, and what I hadn’t remembered from past visits to this very popular dog heaven, was that not one dog jumped up on us. The dogs were friendly, checked us out, looked for treats or balls, accepted a scratch or two under the chin, and then headed off to play in the surf with their four-legged beach pals. Not one sandy paw touched our jeans or sweaters.
We also saw no prong or shock collars, which led me to believe the dogs weren’t being coerced into being polite. Rather, I think, meeting people at the beach (and dog-savvy people at that, who probably know not to reinforce jumping up) is such a ho-hum everyday occurrence for them that there’s nothing to get excited about. In a perfect world, this would be true everywhere!
