One of the most difficult cases to work through and resolve are cases involving a dog that is afraid and aggresses towards strangers. These cases are very taxing and complicated for many reasons, but one of them being that the trainer (me) is at the beginning also a stranger to the dog.
Needless to say, my personal safety and making sure that the dog does not continue engaging in aggressive behaviors is of the utmost importance.
These are the cases when chicken (or any other high value food) and LOTS of carefully orchestrated details are a trainer’s best allies.
I will not get into the specifics on the techniques of counterconditioning and desensitization here, but I do want to comment on what is called a [positive] Condition Emotional Response (CER). In essence, my job for the first sessions with a dog that is afraid of me is to teach the dog that I am good news for him/her. And in addition the dog needs to trust that I will not threaten or hurt him/her either.
This incredibly powerful technique works because it targets the emotional (fear being an emotion) center of the brain. In essence counter-conditioning pairs a powerful and positive (from the perspective of the dog) association between a scary stimulus and a reinforcer, which is something that the dog wants (hopefully really bad) or would work for.
So that is the skinny-on the "dry" yet crucial behavior modification plan for an animal that is suffering from emotional issues such as fear or aggression. Now, what I am looking for as I am working with the dog with counterconditioning is for as visible indication that the dog sees me no more as a foe but as a very dear friend that can produce chicken on a dime.
There are many particular behaviors that will give away the change in perception the dog has had. What I need is affiliative (friendly) non-threatening behaviors directed at me. For example: The dog looks at me and turns to look for the chicken - a clear indication that the dog has now associated me with the reinforcer. Other visual signs can be drool or salivation – both autonomous responses… Which is exactly what Pavlov discovered in his experiments with bells, food and his canine friends. I pay close attention to softening of the expression and an overall relaxed body language – other indications that the dog is feeling more relaxed and comfortable with me.
So between training sessions with dogs that are afraid of strangers, I come home to my own dogs whom have had lots of opportunities for developing a strong positive CER from me. Because of their trusting nature towards people in general I don’t have to work so hard in convincing them that people are fantastic! However, every time I do something real nice for my dogs I can’t help thinking that it is helping to continue building a positive association between my own pups and me, and this is the basis for a great relationship.
Needless to say, my personal safety and making sure that the dog does not continue engaging in aggressive behaviors is of the utmost importance.
These are the cases when chicken (or any other high value food) and LOTS of carefully orchestrated details are a trainer’s best allies.
I will not get into the specifics on the techniques of counterconditioning and desensitization here, but I do want to comment on what is called a [positive] Condition Emotional Response (CER). In essence, my job for the first sessions with a dog that is afraid of me is to teach the dog that I am good news for him/her. And in addition the dog needs to trust that I will not threaten or hurt him/her either.
This incredibly powerful technique works because it targets the emotional (fear being an emotion) center of the brain. In essence counter-conditioning pairs a powerful and positive (from the perspective of the dog) association between a scary stimulus and a reinforcer, which is something that the dog wants (hopefully really bad) or would work for.
So that is the skinny-on the "dry" yet crucial behavior modification plan for an animal that is suffering from emotional issues such as fear or aggression. Now, what I am looking for as I am working with the dog with counterconditioning is for as visible indication that the dog sees me no more as a foe but as a very dear friend that can produce chicken on a dime.
There are many particular behaviors that will give away the change in perception the dog has had. What I need is affiliative (friendly) non-threatening behaviors directed at me. For example: The dog looks at me and turns to look for the chicken - a clear indication that the dog has now associated me with the reinforcer. Other visual signs can be drool or salivation – both autonomous responses… Which is exactly what Pavlov discovered in his experiments with bells, food and his canine friends. I pay close attention to softening of the expression and an overall relaxed body language – other indications that the dog is feeling more relaxed and comfortable with me.
So between training sessions with dogs that are afraid of strangers, I come home to my own dogs whom have had lots of opportunities for developing a strong positive CER from me. Because of their trusting nature towards people in general I don’t have to work so hard in convincing them that people are fantastic! However, every time I do something real nice for my dogs I can’t help thinking that it is helping to continue building a positive association between my own pups and me, and this is the basis for a great relationship.
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