Are We Okay?

I just returned from the Clicker Expo; a fantastic conference on all things clicker. I have been attending the Clicker Expo almost every year and every time I do so, I come home refreshed and full of ideas that I want to implement with my own dogs and clients' dogs. I also come home exhausted.

The line-up of Clicker Expo faculty is nothing short of amazing! Not only are these professionals in the field of animal training in a variety of species: from marine mammals, bird, horses and dogs, but they are so eager to share their knowledge in captivating and fun ways.

In the training of animals there are many ways to do things, to accomplish a given goal or teach a desired behavior, BUT all things are not equal. One of the must do's for science-based trainers is to achieve our goals with the least wear and tear on the learner. This is at times a tall order as we must always bear in mind not only if the animal is learning and what is being learned, but also its comfort level in doing so.

Sure, stress is part of any learning process and the idea here is not to remove all stress (because we can’t) from the learning process, but to strive to find ways to teach this particular animal at this particular moment this particular behavior… wow! Yeah, wow is right.

Personally I find this vow and challenge to be lots of fun. Part of the reason I love being a dog trainer is because it requires that I problem solve. Being creative in this field has never hurt anyone (as long as there is a practice of the statement above) as well as keeping in mind that the “learner is never wrong” a phrase that I heard during the Clicker Expo and right at this moment I can’t really say accurately whom I heard it from- so my apologies to the author- it is just too good to pass.

As I sit, listen and watch these amazing trainers and gifted teachers ponder upon what some of us trainers take for granted as well as new findings in learning theory and animal behavior, my brain starts spinning… I want to try that, mmm, I never thought of it this way etc. etc.

I'm back home now and my brain is still spinning trying to find the time to begin implementing all these new methodologies. Here is one that I read in Kay Lawrence’s new book: Every Dog Every Day. As with anything Kay Laurence- I devour it. I finished the book before returning home.

In any event, Kay reminds us that when our dogs jump on us after an absence and for the dog the absence can be a quick shopping trip or a one week vacation away from them- as a way of saying hello, what they are doing is checking in with us. I guess that if they could speak we would hear them ask: Are We Okay? This form of canine greeting: attempting to reach for our faces (mouth) is a vestige of their past. Our dogs, as decedents from wolves, have evolved with this behavior that is only observed in young pups when licking their parents mouths to elicit food once the adult has returned to the den with a kill to share.

One of the big differences between wolves and dogs is the presence of neotony. Neotony is defined as the retention in adulthood of infantile or juvenile characteristics. The licking of the face to appease (social in nature) or to request food is one  great example of neotony in our domesticated dogs. However, I am NOT implying that our dogs think that we are their dog mothers or dog fathers in the outright sense of the term. Moreover, I doubt they think of us as canids. I do think however, that they clearly perceive us as part of their group. I say group instead of pack because strictly speaking in order to be part of a pack we would be hunting together. And the  last time I checked our pets are not hunting to feed themselves on a regular basis, and we are not joining them either in the killing-eating sequence. Having said that, we are indeed part of an intimate group – call it family or kin or whatever you like with our dogs.

For our dogs, their reunion with a dear family member is always a reason for celebration (don’t you love this about dogs? They have such great manners). We humans have much to learn from them. How common it is to just say: hey! to your partner, accompanied with a quick-glance away from the computer screen as he or she walks in the front door? Thank you dogs everywhere for raising the bar. For teaching us a concrete way of not taking each other for granted.

Now here is the new thing for me: Kay suggests that instead of us avoiding our dog’s greeting in the form of jumps of exhilaration, we acknowledge that in this way is how they say hello. Assure your pup that you guys are still okay. I have to admit that I find her suggestion intriguing. Many dog parents find their dog jumping on them to greet or worse, jumping on others. Jumping on people is one of the behaviors that most often people want help with.

Okay, okay, I am guilty as charged of telling my clients to ignore their dog’s antics until the dog is sitting to say hello or I offer I can teach your dog to do somethin’ else instead of jumping on you versus indulging the dog in a quick acknowledgement by coming down at their level for a quick virtual lick. Of course, nothing wrong if you enjoy being licked by your dog on the face, I rather just fake it but give the dog the satisfaction of proximity to my face.

When I got back home, I decided to try Kay’s way with Rioja. She still gets super excited to see me return and she jumps and spins when I come through the front door. This time around, I just took two seconds to pet her adding the proximity to face requirement and in my quiet way I told her that we were still okay! Hey, she did great! I am planning on continuing to do this.

As a professional I do have an opinion and I also think that one size does not fit all. If your dog gets really anxious about your departures and arrivals I do suggest that you wait for a tiny indication from your dog of being collected and then immediately acknowledge his bravery and say hello. Not only are you teaching your dog to be confident but you are also acknowledging his very nature. How fabulous that is? What I love about Kay’s ideas is that she strives to see dogs for who they are and to acknowledge their needs in a world that is not their own where two species tend to collide with the goal in sight of beginning to meet somewhere in the middle… a fair solution for both species.