Why don’t you play tug with your boy?

We are on our regular walk with the dogs.  One of the things that we do while hiking with them is practicing coming when called.  If we want reliability, we must practice.  If we want reliability, we must also pay the dog.

Deuce is really, really reliable at recall, and that makes me smile with pride. Once I figured out that playing tug was very reinforcing for him I began to use it as a reward for coming back.  In no time his recall went from 80% reliability to almost 100% on every hike. How cool is that people?

This morning I asked John, who walks the dogs many times without me, to play tug with Deuce at a particular spot. The reasoning behind this is twofold.  Unfortunately for me, I cannot play as much tug as I want with my dogs due to an injury to my right hand.  In addition, John plays regularly with him on walks, but kind of on the same part of the hike.  Today, I am asking him to induce Deuce to play in a spot that he normally does not.

I explain to John that unpredictability is important in training dogs. Yes, indeed I can make the same argument about being predictable of course, but today I want to focus on being unpredictable.

Unpredictability adds another dimension to training and the acquisition of behavior because it makes it fun.

In our case with Deuce, this is a dog that is so interested in tugging, that he walks and runs as he turns towards us in the event that we might just pull the tug out for him or ask him at long distance to “take it”.

Ah, magical words for this dog. I explain to John that if he only pulls the tug on the same spots over and over again the recall might just fall apart. You see, dogs are excellent at flow charts: When this happens, then this other thing takes place, etc.  Before long your dog is kinda training you instead of you being able to control the consequences which are at the crux of getting behavior.

In addition, when we use unpredictability as explained above, by default we are using a thinner schedule of reinforcement which in lay talk means that dog is only getting reinforced in some occasions.

Depending on which schedule of reinforcement used which instant of behavior is getting reinforced.

For example:  I might reinforce with a game of tug for the return from Deuce that fall under 3 seconds say. Or only when he runs at a certain speed, etc.   I can also choose to reinforce a certain % of all the times he comes when called as another example of a thinner schedule.

Unpredictability in reinforcing works wonders because apparently, there is an element of frustration and I would argue hope for future reinforcements.  Think of betting at a casino.  Those folks are working just like my pup at a thinner schedule of reinforcement and the behavior (coming or betting) goes up.

Of course, I am interested in reliability because coming when called can be a life saver for my pups but besides this reliability I love playing little games with my dogs. I enjoy engaging with them in manners that brings them joy.

Have you ever realized that we too are motivated by the expectation of something we want hard?

Say a trip.  Have you noticed that often the anticipation of the trip with all the planning and day dreaming with expectation is actually more fun than the trip?  This is what I am talking about here!

As we walk on our hikes I relish knowing that Deuce is attentive because he so much wants to have an opportunity to go for the tug and this game that we are playing makes the walk so much more enjoyable for the two of us.

So here is my advice to you.  Next time you are thinking of reinforcing your dog, think about what (or how) you want your dog to perform that given task.  See if you can observe closely and begin to reinforce for more accuracy, cuteness, etc.  Now, do keep in mind that making sure the dog can perform first the behavior is mandatory for a good outcome.  As a form of example:  If my dog has not yet learned to lie down, how then can I request he lies “sphinx” style with both hips equally tucked and in perfect symmetry?

If my dog has yet not learned to come to me when he is 10ft away under certain specific conditions (wild life, other dogs, people etc.) how then can I expect for him to come at 20ft or even at a great distance under those same circumstances?  You get the picture?

You are on fire!

On this particular day, I am accompanying John on his regular hikes with our dogs.  Rio is dashing from tree to tree. From scent to scent oblivious of the world around her.  I call her. Nada!  I know better than to keep calling her, but I also take notice that this girl needs a refreshing course on recall. 

We continue our walk as I am planning in my head the next steps to follow up with her. I have several options.  As the walk progresses her recall does too.  Good, but still not exactly what I want.

Next day I have a couple of my client’s dogs - first timers for board and train.  We all go for an off-leash romp.  I begin to call my client’s dogs just as we leave our property to ensure they are coming to me. 

Sedona, the younger one comes back to me with the speed of lighting and with a bouncy, joyful trot.  Good girl, Sedona!  Sienna her much older “sister” also makes her way back to me for a tasty bit.  And indeed Ms. Rio has decided that she too can come when called!  I can’t help but chuckle as to what I think is going in her Beagle brain: “I’m not going to let these guys get the good treats, I am rushing in for mine.”  Whatever works for you Rio, but just come when called.

We continue going up on the steep hill and once again I call all dogs, inviting mine to take a “U-turn” and the others by name.  Indeed, all dogs are now next to me taking their turn to eat their treats.

Go play!  I tell them, as I now can confirm my suspicion that all it took was some healthy competition for resources to get this girl on fire!  

Dogs are constantly competing for resources; it is the way of nature - evolution. The take-home message as I see it, is not to pit one dog against the other crudely, but instead to be mindful of what the dog or dogs might want at a given moment and use that as a consequence for behavior.

Yes, it is true like in the case with Rio, sometimes circumstances or the environment itself will launch competition full force as it did with Rio and my client’s dogs. And there is nothing wrong in using this to work on some need recall, etc.  

Consider this:  One of the most salient traits that separates excellent dog trainers from “so-so” trainers and average dog owner is the ability that excellent trainers have in capitalizing in the use of consequences for behavior. After all folks, it is not the cue (or command) that drives behavior it is consequences for behavior that drives this.

Our ability to recognized the gazillion reinforcers at our disposals and our correct and timely use of them will up our training game. And as the laws of learning point out… whatever behavior gets reinforced will become the norm.  Nice!

Rio continued to enjoy her walk just like the previous days, but today, she was a girl on fire, claiming tasty pieces of duck and proceeding to run like the wind away from me and in search of new smells.  Sprinting finally at the end of our walk down the ridge to the familiar path that bringing us home. 

Are we bribing our dogs with food?

I am working with a client and her dog with recall (come when called). My client calls her dog and seconds later produces a treat for the dog. The dog meanwhile remains motionless down the hallway of the home.

I tell my client that it's best not to bribe the dog. She looks at me puzzled. 'What do you mean by bribing her?' She asks me. I explain to her that there is a big difference with the use of food as a reinforcer and the use of food as a bribe.

A reinforcer is a consequence and something desirable by the dog. It appears after the dog has performed the behavior we are after – not before. That is a bribe! This is an important distinction because consequences are what drives behavior.

If there is an area of contention in positive training, commonly known as reward-based training, is the use of food. People agonize over to use food for training the world over. I am sure every single trainer has heard the same from their clients: Why use food? For how long must I use food? Etc.
There are scientific reasons why we work with food. First off, food is what we called a Primary reinforcer. That simply means that dogs (or any animal for that matter) not only needs food to survive but wants food, likes food, and will work for food.

If you think of it, why would we not use one of the most powerful reinforcers on the planet to teach and maintain behavior? Not doing so is what is crazy!

The second conflict people have about the use of food for training is the how long must they use the food part. The answer is that it depends. It depends on several things: For example, is the behavior we are interested in teaching new “material” for the dog? Is he just learning this?

Is the context, person working with the dog, the setting where the dog is supposed to perform the behavior also a novelty? Any change in the context in which the dog is expected to perform is perceived, as a “novelty” scenario for the dog and in such cases food should remain part of the picture until the dog has learned the behavior in this specific context.

Another important factor to consider is that if we want any behavior (from any species) to remain strong that behavior must be reinforced. Period! If it is not reinforced in some way the behavior will become less frequent until it becomes extinct.

Third conflict some people bring to the table when using food as a reinforcer is based on the expectation that the dog should do what he is told either out of love for us, respect or because he simply should. We humans are so comical at times; this being one of those times. LOL.

Here is my best analogy to explain how our way of thinking is not in line with the theory of learning. Imagine that your boss expects you to show up to work because you should either:

A. Like your boss, or worse - do it out of love for your boss. In essence, you should show up to work without the expectation of any other reinforcer just for the love for your boss… right! Let’s see how long this lasts…

B. Your job should be intrinsically reinforcing enough to you so that you do not need to get paid for it with money that is, which is highly reinforcing (and a need in most circumstances) for people.

C. Because you SHOULD… there is clearly a moral tone to the “should” and even though people are moral beings, dogs are not! So should really never enters in the decision making process of any dog.

What I hope is for people to truly understand the scientific principles behind the use of food as a powerful way to teach and maintain behavior. When they don’t, and as a result they fall short on using it wisely, everyone loses. And life is way too short to make things more difficult for everyone. Stay tune for more in depth “discussion” on food as well as other salient reinforcers.

Mindlessness

Rio comes with Deuce and me sheepherding and waits in the car until we are done. This morning she and I took a walk while Deuce rested in the car. Besides, I like to do different things with each one of my dogs on occasion.

Rioja is so good at recall that I can let her free to explore without much worry that she will not check in or take off. So we walked on a wash and headed to an open area for me to throw some rocks and have her chase them. In the process I came up with a new game to encourage her to check in with me when off-leash as well as for her to continue thinking of me as a major reinforcement on our walks and with other distractions present.

Not only is the manipulation of the environment a “trainer thing” but it really helps in teaching the dogs to stay somewhat close to us when needed and, besides this engagement is fun for both parties.

The name of the game is Recall (with a Twist) in essence it consists of engaging with the dog in such a manner that they are happy to run back at you just before being sent off for more exploring. There are three basic behaviors that the dog must have learned: come when called (at least some recall is needed!) Sit /stay or just stay and drop it. By playing this game they get to practice all these behaviors a ton and we all know that practice makes… permanent.

Here is how the game works:
With Rio in my proximity, I start to egg her on with anticipation as I have a rock or a stick in my hand. After a few seconds of this I throw the item for her to go get… as she is returning to me, I begin to run away from her, engaging her predatory instinct of chasing. Once she gets to me, I ask her to drop the object. When she does, I take the object and ask her to stay (sometimes I ask for a sit too but not always). Stay for me and my dogs means keep your butt on the ground.

I proceed to move a few steps sideways while watching her. As I am saying r-ee-aad-yyy??? And I see her anticipating… I throw the item always in a different direction. Now she has learned that if she comes to me quickly we get to do it all over again. It only took her two trials to drop the item on the ground before I even asked her to do so. A clear indication that she is enjoying the game and has learned the "rules of engagement."

We played this game for a while and the proceeded to the car. Rioja was still off-leash smelling here and there and grabbing the occasional cow patty… No damage done... I let her carry the patty and have her drop it just before getting into the car (I thought) as I saw her happily prancing with her special find.

On our way to the car my mind wandered. I was thinking about what I needed to do next or… who knows – I sure have a "monkey-mind." My voice brought me back as I heard myself calling Rioja’s name once, twice… and then I stopped. Feeling a little bit embarrassed as if I had done something “bad” and was caught red-handed.

Ah… mindlessness. I don’t know about you all, but I am aware now that it is often that I fall into a mindless mode and I begin to ask my dogs to do something - most of the time to come to me without really needing them to do so because they are “right there”! This morning as I called her name I realized that this type of mindlessness dilutes not only our recall cue (which is bad enough) but in some way it points to a lack of connection with the dog.

Food for thought: Instead of just repeating cues as monotonous mantras or prayers why not remain quiet, observant and connected with the dog and only ask them to do something when is really needed? Besides, we must be ready to follow up with a consequence if our (mindful) request falls unattended otherwise our verbal cues will become irrelevant to our dog.

Rocket Speed

One of the most sought after behaviors from dog guardians is the recall (come when called) and this, of course, makes perfect sense. It is soooo annoying when you are calling your dog to come in from the backyard for dinner, or away from your neighbor’s cat only to find your dog so focused on that much more fun activity than whatever you happened to have in mind. There are certainly other very valid reasons why we want and need our dogs to come to us when called: safety. In their wild past, dogs did not have cars zipping by in their environment, and before domestication they didn’t have a guardian to return to for an all prepared meal.

As much as our request is valid there are also misplaced expectations and lack of know-how when it comes to having a pup respond with the same enthusiasm of the chance of a second date with just the right person!

People expect their dogs to come to them just because they have a particular need at that time. The need to move inside, leave the dog park or to keep the pet safe. Dogs, on the other hand, would  almost always much rather do their thing: chasing aanyything that moves, follow a scent (so that they can find it and chase it…) investigate a noise or a potential pal or just plain lay in the sun. So the bottom line is this: you must find whatever motivates your dog so that when you want him/her to come to you they will. No motivation to come -from their point of view, remember? No recall- it's that simple!

Trainers, like guardians, also need to have their pets come to them. And as you probably guessed it, we also need to practice and practice with our pups if we want to stand any chance of a recall. Once a dog is not a puppy any longer (and a very young puppy) the natural tendency of coming when called goes by the waist side.

I practice recall with Deuce every day. We have a new “game” as part of our recall repertoire. Yeah, make it a game for your dog and you will see better results - you will see rocket-speed recalls.

What I love about this form of recall is that it incorporates some very powerful reinforces for dogs: predation and anticipation.

Predation –  A food acquisition behavior which is one of the strongest motivations in dogs. Every dog has it. Period. Learning to work with predation is not only a lot of fun but very smart because when it comes to “natural” behaviors (the pre-wiring in dogs brains) it is wiser to acknowledge it and work with it rather than to "attempt” to extinguish it. No luck here.

Expectation. Ahh… I can relate… I don’t know about you, but so many times in my life the expectation (thinking about, imaging it and the planning aspect) of a desired upcoming event has been much more satisfying than the actual event.

I use expectation a lot in my training with my own dogs and my client's dogs. I can create a pins & needles scenario by the use of my voice (changing the pitch to a high pitch is one way of doing it) by my movement here -- direction and a random pattern are helpful. I love to watch the dog waiting, waiting for your next move, the next throw or release cue.

If you too would like to have a super reliable recall while you have fun working with your dog, follow the plan below. A couple words of caution though: be mindful that once your dog is coming at ya with rocket speed to get to the toy/ball it might be wise to let go of the object otherwise your arm holding the toy might be bent backwards causing discomfort or pain. In my case, I need to hold on to the toy instead of releasing because Deuce still loves to keep the toy for himself. If I hold on to the tug toy, then we can engage in a quick game of tug before resetting once again.

Secondly, please use common sense when practicing this game or any other activity with your off-leash dog. Be realistic about what your dog can handle and the potential dangers of your pup not coming back to you and getting into real trouble.

The Rocket Speed Recall:

See video link below.

• Hold your dog’s favorite toy or ball. Show the item to your dog and move it around to grab your dog’s attention. Do not use your recall cue just get the dog interested in playing with the toy.

• When he is focused on the toy and close to you, open your legs and hold the toy behind your open legs so that your dog goes thru as well.

• Repeat over and over to get the dog going through the legs.

• When the dog is going thru your legs with no hesitation, put the dog on a sit/stay about 10 ft. away.

• Call the dog with whatever verbal cue you are using in a happy tone (high pitch tone of voice).
• When saying the verbal cue send the dog through

• Delay the throwing until you're sure that the dog will go through your legs. If the dog attempts to go around, delay the throw.

• Only throw when the dog has gone thru the legs.

• Throw the object behind you (and thru legs) as horizontally as possible (instead of upward) to maximize on the chase aspect of it.

• Take it on the road by asking your dog when he/she less expectant to come to you, as you produce the toy/ball and open your legs.

• Practice where you want the dog to perform. And do practice often!