Why Questions Are Silly Questions - Mostly

At some point or another we all want to know why our dog is doing this or that behavior. Perhaps we are just curious and want to know. However, most of the time we want to know because we would rather our dog stop doing the behavior in question. Under these circumstances the “why” question is plain irrelevant! There is much we know about dogs' ethnology, physiology and behavior in general, but there is perhaps much more that we really don’t know or understand about these incredible creatures. Besides, much of what we know is at best an educated guess, because so far there has been no (real) dog that has spilled the beans as to why they do certain things.

The most important questions however, to ask ourselves are:
1. What would I rather my dog do instead of “x”? And...
2. How can I motivate my dog to this instead of that?

When we have identified an alternative behavior that we can live with we then should ask if this is a fair alternative for the dog. Yep. We need to make sure the need that is behind the “why” behavior satisfies the need. Not only because as the keepers of our dogs its frankly our duty to satisfy their needs simply because many of them can’t be satisfied by themselves, but also because by doing so we can be best assured that the “why” behavior will go into extinction or at least become easier to manage.

There is, however, instances that having some knowledge as to why the dog is doing something can prove to be quite helpful in making some lasting changes. Say, for example, that a dog was attacked while being a young dog by a black large dog.

Now, months later this youngster sneers and lunges at any dog he sees while on walks or when a dog comes into his proximity.  We being aware that the dog we are working with was attacked by a large black dog when young can shed some light onto the situation.

Now, having said that, the remedial work to be done in order to boost the dog’s confidence that most dogs are friendly and are not out to hurt him will be the same if we are unable to determine the immediate cause behind the aggression, for example. But if working with a dog like this, I would probably not begin to work with him with a large black dog!  Instead I would begin building his confidence with a smallish "fluffy” dog and gradually approach the real trigger for his fear.

The take-home message then should be: not 'why is my dog doing this,' but 'what would I rather have him do' and then find practical ways of achieving this. Sometimes the alternative is right in front of us and easy to implement while other times the alternative will require some behavior modification and, of course, management but in most cases this is worth a shot especially if it means a better quality of life for us or our dog.

Is giving praise good enough?

Recently I was asked in class by a participant if she could stop using treats and instead praise her dog to motivate her to do the behaviors they were learning.

I know that every single trainer that uses food as a reinforcer has heard this same question thousands of times. A different variation to the question is: when can I stop feeding my dog for doing “x” or “y” thing?

While I think it is crucial for owners to question procedures, this one in particular amuses me and frustrates me at the same time. It frustrates me because I think people in general lack generosity and empathy towards their dogs when it comes to requesting the dog to do something they want but expect the dog (or the child, the spouse, yes, fill in the blank - it applies to all of us) to just change their behavior or comply with us because WE want them to! This is the amusing part!

Using food as a reinforcer is a wise choice. Food is what we call a primary reinforcer.

That means in plain English that the dog does not have to learn to “love” it. It is something dogs want or would work for and if they don’t, well they die.

Other primary reinforcers are: water, mating (sex), control of environment and play/social interaction. Each of these reinforcers, or anything that is reinforcing for a dog, are also valuable to us as a way of achieving behaviors that we want from them.

So where does praise fall under as a potential reinforcer? For some dogs praise might be really high on the list of powerful reinforcers. However, if this is the case it is because praise has been paired (associated) with another powerful reinforcer for the dog. i.e.: a primary reinforcer. So the dog has learned that after the happy tone of voice: Good girl!, Great!, etc. comes the treat, the toy toss, attention, etc. Or at least and this is important no harsh consequences! It will take a very twisted person to praise and then smack the dog. Ugh!

Here is an analogy that will hopefully explain the above: When your boss tells you that you have done a terrific job, you will most likely experience many positive emotions such as pride, happiness and even anticipation for something that most people want: recognition in some salient way such as a perk - that they value such as a promotion or an increase in salary.

Now, if one gets lots and lots of: 'good job!' but nothing else comes of it… how long will this person continue to do terrific work just to earn the 'good job!' from their superior? Or, how many of us would continue to go to work (joyfully) because:

A. I should do it (moral stance)
B. Strong work ethic (value stance)

Now, wouldn’t you feel much happier going to work if you not only get told you are a valuable member of the team or something like that, BUT you are also getting paid for it? In other words, money is a very powerful (primary) reinforcer for almost everyone!

Yes, of course, there are other reasons why we do things: ego, sense of obligation, etc. But I assure you that this will not last if none of the above reasons on their own are not a primary reinforcer.
The bottom line - and this is not my opinion but straight from research done in over 200 different species of animals other than dogs - in our case, dogs need a reason why to comply with our request. To clarify, punishment (something the animal wants to avoid or escape from) can also a very powerful reinforcer. BUT how very sad to have our dogs comply because they are so afraid of being hurt, being afraid so escaping the blow becomes the motivation… not my game!

The good news is that our dogs have to eat!!! Otherwise they will… die. So why not use their daily food to train them to be happier dogs, more obedient dogs (ugh, I hate this term; feels so one sided…) -so let’s say instead: dogs that are wonderful, joyful companions - who love to participate in our requests of coming when called, getting off the sofa, waiting politely at the front door, etc. because there is something of value to them?

Giving your dog treats for his complying is not buying his love. Same thing with our significant other: They most likely (unless you just started dating :)) are not taking the garbage out or bringing our favorite wine home because they want to make sure we love them. It probably has to do more with being in relationship and as such we both are getting something that we truly want.

My suggestion to my client was to think of having a (fair) relationship with her dog by paying her handsomely with what her dog wants and to use those reinforcers to her advantage. Remember: whenever we think: my dog should do…. our dog is asking 'Why should I?' There is nothing strange or wrong about this. It just proves that our dogs are alive and as such, they too need reinforcers to continue engaging with life.

Breaking my heart - Just a little

I had been away for a week in a dude ranch in Wyoming working with horses and TTeam. While my trip was filled with many fun adventures and I got to learn from fantastic horse trainers I was ready to get home. John picked me up at the airport and before heading to the car I was wondering if he had brought the pups along. As we got closer to the car I noticed Rio. She spotted me and in her excitement she was trying to get over the metal barrier that keeps her and Deuce in the back. I approached the window and I said an enthusiastic "hello" while asking her to stay in the back. I peeked further looking for Deuce. I spotted him either waking up from a nap or just relaxing. He saw me but did not jump up nor did he appear that excited to see me. I felt my heart kind of aching - just a little. I have been away for a whole week and this is how you receive me??

My thought took a more self-righteous turn as I admonished Deuce inside my head: Who feeds you every morning? Takes you for walkies and sheepherding? Who plays soccer with you and trains you? And on and on and on…

Then suddenly I stopped and realized that I was clearly taking Deuce lazy-fair (aloof?) response really personally.

Once at home, I let both dogs out of the car. Rio jumped out of the car excited as she began to whine and ask for my attention. Deuce got out of the car still cool as a cucumber.

Before going inside John and I took a short stroll. As I am walking towards the house I spotted Deuce laying just next to me with his ball between his front paws. My gaze met his. Ahh… this is the way he is saying “hello” to me.

I reached down to pick up the ball to throw for him.

While I felt “dissed” at the airport by him, I soon realized that for me giving my dogs choices and options when possible is way more valuable than demanding their attention when laden with feelings of quasi-rejection.

Apparently though, my feelings of wanting Deuce’s attention are not that unusual. In a study by Christy Hoffman, PhD, assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation, at Canisius College, reveals some interesting findings regarding the bond people create with their dogs. You can read about the study here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140606120403.htm

Intimate Ways

I am looking at this photo of Deuce and Rio and I am trying to decipher what Deuce is “thinking/feeling”. I am still left wondering - even though I was there when John took the photo and I know the context surrounding it.

My previous background as a professional photographer also informs me that images are not as “innocent ”as we think they are.

They are open to many interpretations.  In the 19th century when photography was the new kid on the block, people believed in the concept that images exposed “reality”. Now we know better.

When it comes to learning about dog’s body language and communication, our best option is video as we can see their language and communication unfolding. Behavior is always in flux!

But just for the heck of it, here are my thoughts about what I think is going on in this picture.

Firstly I will try to keep it factual: Only commenting on what I see, and move away from “interpreting” (at least as my first line of defense) as to what I think is going on. Here we go…

Rio is standing in front of Deuce and to his left side- blocking some of the pathway in the direction where Deuce is moving.

She is looking at Deuce - mouth closed; not open and relaxed. Deuce is taking a step in the direction where Rio is standing, also mouth closed and his eyes looking in the direction of Rio , his expression ambivalent.

When it comes to interpreting dog body language, we must look at the entirety of the dog’s body. Focusing in on only one body part will most likely send us down a rabbit’s hole.

I think this process is made easier when we take a quick overall look at the entirety of the dog’s demeanor and then go back to paying attention to specific body parts and the environment.

Once we have done that bit, we can begin to interpret. The good news is that there is scientific data regarding dog communication so we are not altogether going out on a limb when we “interpret” what the communication might mean.

Dogs are masters at controlling each other's movements (approach and avoidance, for example) by how they position themselves in relation to one another. A dog that has good dog/dog communication will “read” this space- management cue and respond accordingly by giving the other dog ample personal space. Don’t you love it when people around you respond to your cues about wanting more
personal space? Same with dogs.

Since I was already inside, I have no idea if Deuce continued to walk towards Rio, or if he stopped or even turned around making a bee line for the front door, which was behind him.

Deuce and Rio are really good buddies so they might take certain liberties with one another that they probably would not do with another dog who did not know as well. On the other hand, they remain good buddies precisely because they respond with good social graces towards each other’s cues.

Here is an example: I am reading in bed with both dogs next to me. It is early in the morning. Rio is ready to interact, bringing me her tug toy for me to pull. I resist and instead flash her a smile and send the toy flying… she loves this game too and it will give me a few seconds of reading. Deuce is lying quietly, not interested in high-level activity from Rio. Without missing a bat, Deuce gives Rio the most subtle look (so subtle I almost missed it) and Rio stops in her tracks. Her expression is one of deference (an interpretation :)) towards Deuce.

She is now lying quietly and she appears to be holding her breath. Eyes averted away from Deuce. This got me thinking… can you imagine how much better our relationships with our significant other would be if we responded with such swiftness to our partner’s desires and corporal cues?

I pat Rio to give her some comfort now that the wind has been taken out of her sail and I go back to reading, yet distracted wondering about dogs and their very intimate ways of communicating.

Flexibility

I was talking to my sister on the phone and among the topics covered we were exchanging stories of our dog’s latest mischievous activities. As I was describing Rioja’s I heard myself telling my sis that Rioja is more “flexible” in her learning than Deuce. Later on I was thinking about what I meant by “being more flexible." I wondered about this for the next couple of days.

So this is what I mean by “flexibility” be it for learning or as a temperament trait if you will. I will give you an example involving Deuce and Rioja: As I have written in a past blog post: Deuce It’s Soccer, We are Playing Soccer, it took me literally months to teach Deuce how to retrieve and bring the ball back to me. I won’t repeat here what it all entailed, but I will just mentioned that one of the major stumbling blocks I had with Deuce was that if the ball was not kicked in a certain direction, in relation to where Deuce was laying he would not go after the ball. If Laika was nearby, or Rioja now for that matter, Deuce refuses to engage with the ball. The conditions for his retrieving of the ball had to be just "right."

Figuring out what “just right” meant for Deuce required flexibility on my part. Similarly to the example above, Deuce’s willingness to eat out of food dispensing toys is contingent upon “certain Deuce rules”… He will only eat out of them if he has spectators- be it Rioja or myself. I think he has made a game out of "terrorizing” Rioja with a game of “I got a food/toy and you don’t” kind of a thing. And since she is the opposite, and will engage with the food dispensing toy with gusto finishing her meal in a flash.

Here goes another example: Deuce will only jump on the bed to say “hello” to us in the morning when he wants to regardless of how much calling and inviting we do. Once he is on the bed, he will only stay on the bed for a few minutes regardless of how much coaxing we do. He has trained me (John is still a “work in progress”) not to ask him to come to bed to visit with me. Instead I reinforce him for doing so.

Of course, it is so easy to think that Deuce is just begin “stubborn." This is one of the reasons I hear frequently as to why our dogs refuse to do what we ask them to. However, I beg to differ. Not so much in defense of Deuce, but I differ based on what science tells us about animal learning and the role of motivators for an animal to engage in behaviors or in learning.

Any living animal (including humans) must be motivated to partake in a given behavior. Period. The motivation, of course, varies depending on the environment and the needs of the individual at a given moment.

Are motivators internal processes or external? You might ask. And the answer is that they are both. We are always in relation to our environment, learning and living do not take place in a vacuum, but at the same time because motivators are valuable to the individual then they are also internally driven. Now back to dogs and flexibility – (or lack of thereof) Rioja in my experience is more flexible when it comes to training. I notice this by her ability to respond with less effort to changes in contingencies. It amazes John and me alike how quickly she learns and adapts!

When it comes to our training sessions, regardless of what the content or my goals for the sessions are, I must plan my training with Deuce very carefully. Even so, Deuce very often surprises me with his responses. I also plan ahead of time my sessions with Rioja as I think that everyone training their dogs should for the sake of clear communication. It is true that sometimes Rioja also surprises me with an unexpected response but so far I find her responses to my requests more “predictable.”

Here is another example of a recent session. As I am working with Rioja, Deuce is auto-feeding from a food dispensing machine in the same room behind a baby gate. Just about the time Deuce’s meal is over, it is time for me to switch the dogs. Rioja will eat kibble from the machine behind the baby gate and Deuce and I will train (with higher-value “stuff” otherwise he will not work- Rioja is good to working with the same kibble she just gobbled at the machine). Normally both dogs would rather be training than eating out of the machine but they have also learned that their turn will come. Now this particular morning, Deuce decides that he wants nothing to do with me no matter how yummy the treats or how “fun” and engaging the training session. He decides instead to stare at Rioja and whine expressing frustration over not working with the feeding machine.

What gives Deuce? You just spent a few minutes eating boring kibble from it! So I put him on leash and walk him to our training spot. He is still unmotivated to train. I change gears- testing my own flexibility and I engage him next to where Rioja is eating in a furious game of tug- now he is working! My goal here is to have him engage in a super rewarding behavior (tugging is way up on his list) when Rioja is with the machine/toy thus creating a positive association for Deuce of Rioja and the toy - something he struggles with most of the time but not all the time (ai-yay-yay).

Being flexible or not has nothing to do with how “smart” a dog is. I think that in part what is at play is the dog’s breed. Is the dog a “full”- breed or a “mix”? Of course the particular make-up of the individual is also relevant.

Now, if we look at breed-specific behaviors we can clearly identify what are called Fixed-Action-Patterns (FAPs). In essence FAPs refers to how a dog’s brain is “wired.” FAPs are stereotypical behavior sequences that require no learning and which are ‘triggered’ or displayed when a releaser (a given stimulus) is presented. Some FAPs are breed specific, but not all. When it comes to breed specific FAPS … retrievers will point at prey, herding breeds gather (or herd) stock, terriers will hunt prey by going underground, etc. In the case of Deuce, a full Border Collie, his lack of “flexibility” I think, is a result of a “spilling-over” of typical herding-dog behaviors into other kinds of training or even everyday activities. This is just a “hunch” more thinking/research on this theory is needed…

My “job” however, is to notice the dogs different learning be it my own or a client’s so that the learning experience is efficient and with the least “wear and tear” for the dog.

Nicely so, their different learning modalities keeps my own flexibility in check! I have a policy when training, which if a dog I am working with makes three mistakes in a row- mistakes from my point of view or my goals-not the dog’s I must acknowledge this and change something. This is what I mean by “wear and tear.” Of course all learning involves some level of frustration but if the dog (or horse, human etc.) finds the learning experience too frustrating or stressful no learning will take place.

Training dogs never ceases to surprise me! Through the process of interacting with dogs and our working and learning together I can better “witness” my own process (am I being flexible etc.?) Once I have been made aware of my own approach during the training session (or when not formally training but just interacting with the dogs) I need to find creative ways to reach my goals while honoring the individual dog I am training- and that for me makes getting up in the morning really worth the shot.