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Dog Frolic
Doug's Dog Blog
Dog Frolic (Blog)
4905 NE 42nd Ave - Portland, OR 97218
(503) 327-8877 • mobile (503)313-2200 •fax (503) 327-8980
Welcome to Dog Frolic, Doug's Dog Blog! Here's where I'll share some information, ideas and fun from the world of dogs. Please feel free to email me your two cents (doug@doggybusiness.net). I hope you enjoy!
Aversives: 1/26/09
Daisy's Story: 3/16/09
Broken Trainer Syndrome: 4/21/09
My grandmother once gave me some very good advice about conversations, "Never start with anything too serious." She'd be disappointed in me today because I would like to start this blog off with a discussion of the use of aversives in changing and manipulating dog behavior. Not all topics discussed or investigated in this blog will be serious ones, so please indulge me today as I think this is an important topic.
An aversive is something an organism experiences as unpleasant. An example of an aversive to a human might be not getting the candy bar we tried to purchase at a vending machine. We put our money in, pushed the right button, but the candy bar didn't fall down! Bummer! Unpleasant!
There are so many examples of aversives in our each and every day. The car won't start in the morning as we're getting ready to go to work. You can't find your comfortable shoes so you have to wear a less comfortable pair. Your coworker gets upset with you because you haven't finished a particular task on time. You yell out at someone because they cut you off while driving. All of these things are aversive, unpleasant events that affect our behavior.
A broken down car might motivate you to take the bus, or to take your car in to get it fixed. Wearing uncomfortable shoes might inspire you to purchase a new pair, and upset friends or coworkers might make us more likely to meet expectations in the future.
One thing that all
aversives have in common is that they are all at least mildly stress
inducing. They cause us stress and, once stressed, we often act in ways
to reduce that stress. One very common way we do this is to avoid
the stress inducing event altogether by seeking out a less stressful
situation. We take the bus to avoid the broken down car. We pick up our
dirty laundry to avoid an upset spouse. We return our library books on
time to avoid fees and fines.
There are many aversives in the environment that we can do little about - busy traffic, crowded spaces, loud noises, long lines at the store or bank, a pile of dishes in the sink. There are many others, however, that we can do something about. One of the things that can be hard to get our mines around it that we all do things that are aversive to the other beings in our lives, whether we realize it or not.
One big drawback to using aversives is that they increase the likelihood of avoidance behavior. A good example from the dog training world is the dog that won't come when you call him. This can inadvertently be taught to our dogs by punishing them when they do come when we call them. We see them doing something we don't like - maybe they took too long to actually come when we called them - then call them over and punish them for it. We don't always realize that we've just punished them for coming to us when we called them.
The big danger in interacting with our dogs this way is that they can easily learn to avoid us in the future. The next time we call them they will very likely be less inclined to come. They are trying to avoid the stress inducing event - us calling them over!
Anytime we introduce aversives to change behavior, whether intended or not, we risk creating avoidance behavior in our friends, acquaintances and yes, in our dogs. It can also be very difficult to recognize the effect our actions have on other beings, human and dog alike. Loud noises often scare dogs. We might slam a door after becoming upset. That door slamming might scare our dogs, acting as an aversive, causing stress and, ultimately, avoidance behavior. We might accidentally be "teaching" our dogs to avoid the human when he or she is in the study, for example.
For all of these reasons, it is not a good idea to purposely use aversives to change dog behavior. It is far better to teach them to do things we like, like waiting at the door and walking on a loose leash, and then reward them for doing it! One big advantage to using rewards and reinforcement is that you don't run the risk of avoidance behavior cropping up.
It is also a very good idea to learn how your dog reacts to aversives in its environment. Getting to know what causes your dog stress will help you tell if what you are doing is acting as an aversive to your dog. If you see avoidance behavior, you can bet that your dog is trying to reduce stress by avoiding something. You can fix it by figuring out what the aversive is and stopping or getting rid of it.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for not telling my grandmother about my first Blog! See you next time!
Here
at Doggy Business Dog Training & Lodging we are able to lodge up to 12
dogs at any one time. Every once in a while we take care of dogs whose
owners have emergencies and must leave town. Recently we met Daisy whose
owner had to go into the hospital for medical treatment. Sadly, the
worst happened and Daisy's owner past away while at the hospital.
We are lucky to know Daisy's owner's grandson well, and he made
arrangements with us to continue watching over Daisy until arrangements
could be made for her new home.
Daisy is a very sweet 10 year old Jack Russell Terrier. She loves people and is used to being with someone all day long. She has adjusted very well to staying at our facility and is out with the other dogs in our play area everyday. She gets lots of walks and has even had many trips to our house to visit our two dogs, Jack and Chico.
Daisy is very healthy, though her eyesight and hearing have suffered a bit due to her older age. She now belongs to that group of dogs whose owners have past away, throwing her into a very different routine and causing her guardians to have to find her a new home.
Finding a caring owner for an older dog can be difficult. Older dogs often have more health issues that new owners must consider, sometimes including a degradation in cognitive function - a kind of doggy Alzheimer's syndrome. With impaired cognitive, sensory and other physical abilities, older dogs can have a tough time fitting in to new routines and schedules. They need special people who understand these limitations and who can accommodate them with care and compassion while these dogs live out their remaining years.
With proper care, older dogs can live enriched and happy lives. Though they are not puppies anymore, they are loving and can provide companionship to the right owner/guardian. Many people enjoy the extra care that older dogs require. We are currently looking for such a person to help Daisy live out the rest of her life in comfort and good health.
If
you or someone you know has a comfortable lap to sleep on along with a
caring heart and some
extra time, please let us know by calling us at (503) 327-8877. We are
happy to make arrangements for you to come and visit Daisy here at our
facility. Help give a sweet older dog a comfortable home!
April 21, 2009: Broken Trainer syndrome
First, we have some very happy news. Daisy has been living with her new family for about three weeks now and all is going very well! We couldn't be happier! She's a very lucky girl and we're so happy for the family that now takes great care of her. Congratulations Daisy! We will miss you!
Now on to a short discussion of some tricks to effective dog training so you can prevent Broken Trainer Syndrome! Though it is certainly part art, training a dog is a mechanical skill, like learning to properly swing a golf club or tennis racket. Just like these other skills dog training gets easier with practice.
Much of the skill in dog training lies in two general areas:
a) skills involved in getting the behavior you are training
b) skills involved in rewarding that behavior
Here are some of the skills that help make dog training more effective:
Getting the Behavior
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Watch Your Dog – dog training is a team effort. Our job is to watch our dog all the time so that we can always tell if we have our dog’s attention
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Attention – Get and maintain your dogs attention (NAME GAME & MOVEMENT GAME)
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Motivation - Know what motivates your dog and use it effectively (use good high value food) and fun toys)
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Praise – using praise to let your dog know he or she is doing it right. It also becomes loaded as a reinforcer when coupled with good things (FOOD!)
Rewarding the Behavior
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Plan your Training Sessions – know what behavior you are working on and at what point you will reinforce it. For example, for a sit, I click the moment my dog’s rear hits the floor.
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Use a Clicker – clickers help our dogs learn what it is we are reinforcing
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Rate of Reinforcement - reinforce the behavior when you get it and get it frequently so that you can reinforce it frequently. High rates of reinforcement help keep your dog focused on you and prevent Broken Trainer Syndrome (when your dog checks out because you are not working correctly)
Slow and steady wins the race! Asking too much from our dogs slows training down. The best dog trainers work on ONE THING AT A TIME. This is directly related to planning your training sessions well. It means that you are not working on more that variable at a time. If you are working on a Down Stay, for example, know what the variables are. The distance away from your dog is one. The amount of time you are asking your dog to stay down is another. For the most effective communication between you and your dog you will work on one of these at a time. Working on both at once takes a lot longer than working on one at a time because your dog has to figure out a lot more at once.
When You Lose Your Dog’s Attention
When your dog starts to tune out, there are things you can do to regain focus.
1) The first one I try is to train faster. Training faster means increasing the rate of reinforcement. This gives your dog more of a reason to tune in to you.
2) The second thing you can do is to increase the value of the reinforcement you are using. Better treats and/or toys.
If these things don’t work, your dog likely needs a break or you are working in too distracting an environment. End on a good note and look forward to your next training session.
Use these tips and you'll have an attentive doggy that loves to train and learn new things. A dog that is ready and able to respond to you when you need them to is a very wonderful thing! Happy training!
When
Meredith and I moved down from Seattle to live in Portland in November
2004, I had great plans for starting my own dog walking company. I had
been walking dogs in Seattle for about three years for a dog walking
business called Poochercise. I loved it, and the move meant saying
goodbye to about 20 dogs that I'd gotten to know very well, along with
all of their very good human caretakers. It was hard to leave a place
I'd come to enjoy so much and much more difficult to leave the dogs, who
had become great friends (I still stay in contact with some of them.
Even after all these years!).
The difficulty was made easier once I began to meet some new Portland dogs. I started a dog walking business called Doggy Business from scratch, pounding the pavement with business cards and brochures in hand. Meeting new dogs made our transition to Portland fun and enjoyable.
I met Pasqual and his owner/guardian Mindy in February 2005 after she hired me to get Pasqual out for trips to the park three days a week. He was one of my very first "clients" and we became quick friends. Lucky for me, Mindy is a busy professional, which meant that we got to see a lot of Pasqual. I soon began getting him out five days a week. He met Meredith, our dogs Jack & Chico, and was around so much that he knew all the other dogs that I took to the park. We went to Mt Tabor, Laurelhurst, Oaks Bottom, Powell Butte and Forest Park. He was always on the lookout for large bodies of water (or even small ones!) to jump and swim in.
Over the years, Pasqual met everyone that I know and love. He met my parents when he came with us on a visit to Yakima to see them. He's been to the beach with us on some of our weekend getaways. He met our siblings and friends during their stays with us over the years. He stayed with us at the three different houses we've lived in since moving to Portland when we've taken care of him while Mindy was away. And I followed him and Mindy as they moved from house to house. It seems like everything we've done over the last five plus years, Pasqual was there.
I wanted to write this
article to share with all of you just how much Pasqual and Mindy have
meant to us. I don't think even they know just how much Pasqual's
presence has impacted my life, Meredith's life, and the lives of Jack
and Chico and all the dogs Pasqual has gotten to know. My friendship
with Pasqual has informed how I run and structure my professional dog
training and lodging business, especially how I interact with the dogs.
He was there, every step of the way, as we grew into what we are now.
This is a sad article to write. Pasqual came down with lymphoma not long ago and it quickly spread throughout his body. He was 13 1/2 years old - a testament to how well Mindy took care of him. Though his passing is very sad, he lived a full and happy life. If only we could all live so gracefully.
Personally, I will take Pasqual with me as I continue to work with dogs. He has taught me a lot. I am struck by how much of Pasqual is imbedded in how I work with dogs everyday. I am lucky to have him all around me everyday as he has colored everything I do. My friendship with him is a constant reminder of why and how I work with dogs. He was always happy and friendly with everyone he met, dog or human. Thank you Pasqual, for everything!
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