![]() Everyone, meet Zephyr, my now 3-year-old chihuahua x miniature pinscher mix. He was found on the streets in Hesperia, ran out of time at the high-kill shelter, and luckily grabbed as a 3rd Chance at Life dog. I adopted him from the Irvine Animal Care Center in November of 2022. It has been almost a whole year together, and he's never had a formal training session with me once. I had these lofty goals to do a video series highlighting how I train, and how quickly a blank slate rescue dog can progress. Alas, schedule, health, and just generally being busy interfered. So here we are, approaching his 1st Gotchaversary, and I've literally never officially taught him anything. He came home knowing how to sit. That's it. He didn't know his name, had been adopted once and returned 2 days later. He didn't know any house training, leash manners, or anything. This past year has taught me a lot about what I really need in terms of training in a dog, and shown me a zillion surprises of what I can get by without. Needs, in approximate order of priority:
This year has taught me that I can get by on partnership. I can communicate with Zephyr in a way that helps him do everything I want, strictly having a marker word "yes" and a treat or some scritches. I have not actually done any formal cue training with him, but he will now come to me, check-in when I say his name, walk nicely most of the time on a leash, and mostly go outside (he still struggles with overnight + freedom sometimes). This has me reevaluating my entire priority list for clients. I also still hope to do the video series where I do actually train my dog. I'm also writing a book I'm calling WHY DOG, which will go into the story of scientific facts, my beliefs as a dog trainer and behaviorist, and what dogs really think about all of that.
1 Comment
We animal behaviorists have 4 quadrants we refer to:
Tools related to each quadrant:
Then there's the ABC's of behavior modification. This refers to: antecedent, behavior, consequence. The antecedent is whatever happens that prompts the behavior we want to promote or extinguish. The behavior could be desirable or undesirable, it's just behavior. Then the consequence is what follows after the behavior, pleasant or unpleasant. We have several ways of working with this:
Remember, animals are just doing what seems like a good idea at the time. If we don't like their answer to the situation, we need to replace it with our preferred answer, give them better coping skills, or prevent them from making bad decisions in the first place. Dogs don't experience guilt, spite, or in any way conspire against us. Guilt implies they have the same understanding of right and wrong that we do, which they would have no reason to recreate in their world. Spite implies holding a grudge due to a perceived crime/wrong, which also makes no sense since dogs live in the moment. The whole alpha/pack leader theory was debunked decades ago since it was based on an experiment with 8 captive wolves who were all male, so conspiring for domination is out. What you're actually seeing is a dog who recognizes things are about to go very badly, and they're afraid. Let's not anthropomorphize human society onto dogs. A lot of my clients are first-time dog training seekers. Or it's their first time in private sessions. Or it's their first time in force-free training. The bulk of my business is private training. This is how I am best able to help. Private training lets the trainer get the dog started, then help the owner implement the exercises and changes needed for success. In one hour/week sessions, we trainers aren't miracle workers. If the owners don't follow through consistently, there's not a whole lot we can do. It's important to have fair expectations of all involved: dogs, owners, and trainers.
There are a lot of elements at play to create a desirable outcome. The clients of mine who succeed generally have a similar recipe for success:
When training fails, it's usually because one or more of these things is not in place. To correspond with the numbers above:
As much as I would like to honor the wishes of everyone I work with, I won't be able to make everybody happy. I'm not the type of person who will scold you into doing what you need to for your dog. I'm also not the type of person who will guilt-trip you into stopping doing things that aren't good for your dog. I will lay it all out on the table, give you my recommendations, get your dog started and successful, then turn it over to you. At the next session, we can have a brief check-in, address any troubleshooting that is needed, and then progress to the next level, either with the same exercise or something new. My priority, however, is always with being kind and fair to the animals. I know how to turn dogs into robots who perform perfectly 100% of the time. I simply refuse to do it. If a dog has to be the equivalent of a slave in order to be successful according to my human clients, I will not continue working with them if they cannot be dissuaded from that path. If a trainer requires the animal experience any amount of pain (psychological or physical) to be successful, I do not consider that training method a viable learning tool ethically. There are many balanced trainers who will put a prong, e-collar, or tens collar on a dog and layer in negative reinforcement to increase obedience. The dogs may even come to associate these tools with good things, because they are getting out, working, and having fun the rest of the time. Then the dogs appear to love the tool; but I assure you, they don't truly. Any trainer who tells you these tools cause zero pain was raised on a lie and is spreading it further. Of course these tools are uncomfortable, otherwise they wouldn't inhibit behavior. The draw to these tools is that they work so fast, comparatively speaking. They work through the dog's amygdala, the trauma-storing center of the brain. This is how all animals learn most quickly -- something unpleasant and even dangerous that must be avoided at all costs, remembered permanently. When people contact me looking for help with their animals, they're not always aware of how private training works. They have this fantastical notion that I will come in, reprogram their dog in one hour, leave, and everything will be all better.
Nothing could be further from the truth. But it has nothing to do with how good of a trainer or behaviorist I am -- or anyone else is, for that matter. It has everything to do with valuing the extraordinary intelligence of animals, their need for constant education, enrichment, activity, and bonding with the world around them. It has been far too many decades that we, as a society, have allowed an incorrect, pervasive approach to dominate our treatment of animals and pets. Let's start with the word dominance. Studies have disproven the notion that our canine companions are out to be the leader, and the scientist who published the study to give us that impression recanted his findings. This came from observation of 8 wolves. Not wild wolves, not a family of wolves, not dogs, and not wild dogs. These wolves were all male, held in captivity, and this is how they sorted out that stressful living situation. It does not apply to dogs, who have been selectively bred for millennia to please humans. A different pack of wolves may have established a different set of rules. It would be inhumane to find out. In reality, dogs have varying degrees of priorities just like people do. Some dogs are super excited to go on their walk and charge through the front door, some dogs love to snuggle and jump on all the furniture that has their humans' scent on it, some dogs adore mealtime and get pushy. These are natural responses to a dog in drive. They in no way indicate the dog is being alpha, dominant, or otherwise trying to upset the applecart. Even dogs who resource guard their food bowl by freezing, snarling, or even biting aren't being alpha. Resource guarding is a genetic survival mechanism leftover from wolves. This is why some dogs, who have been neglected and are now emaciated, can never develop resource guarding; while other dogs, who have been provided for their whole lives, do develop resource guarding. So where does training come in? Trainers are there to teach the dog certain cues to help them fit into human society. These cues can be patterned to be considered "good manners," or used as-needed for certain situations. Behavior specialists can take it one notch further, and begin to help address issues such as reactivity, separation anxiety, hyperactivity, etc. They are NOT behaviorists and should not be addressing the more serious behaviors. Behavior consultants have been assessed by an organizing entity, so likely have considerably more training than a specialist (though not always, as animal training is not a regulated professional field in the US and such certifications are not legally required). Behaviorists are rare, and include people like me who have gotten graduate degrees specifically in animal behavior, like animal psychologists/life coaches/counselors/therapists. Veterinary behaviorists are more like the psychiatrists of the animal behavior world, they are the only ones who can prescribe medication (as can a general practice veterinarian). I have worked in conjunction with veterinary behaviorists on several occasions. So what is the owner's responsibility in all this? It really comes down to 3 things:
If you'd like to discuss your dog's routine, please feel free to email me to setup a virtual consultation. Mention this post and get 50% off. |
AuthorAsh Miner holds two master's degrees in Animal Behavior & Wellness, one for canine & feline, then another in equine. She is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor and is a certified evaluator for the American Kennel Club. Archives
November 2023
Categories |