Trouble in Paradise part 2

This is a continuation of last week’s post on same household dog fights.  As I mentioned on that post, having to manage and live with dogs that are injuring one another is not a picnic.  It can be very stressful for the dogs as well as the people. Also, depending on the severity and frequency of the fights, one needs to consider the imminent danger to people. I once consulted with a young couple that had a baby and two of their four dogs were getting into bad fights.  One of the things that made this case so complicated is that the husband did not want to do much in the way of managing the dogs or training and refused to let go of the dog that was causing the injuries.  The wife was mortified to learn that the chances of their child being in between two fighting dogs once he started crawling was definitively a possibility. Of course, this sounds like an extreme case when it comes to someone getting seriously hurt; not all cases are like this.

To begin with, I suggest that dogs are taught to be comfortable wearing basket muzzles so that when they are not being closely supervised and in proximity of each other at least they will not hurt one another.  The idea is to get the dog comfortable with wearing the muzzle, and not simply plop the muzzle on and be done with it. It goes without saying that people must be very diligent in making sure that the dogs are wearing the muzzles.  I know that it’s really hard to be on top of everything all the time, but the reality is that this is what it takes to have dogs that are fighting regain an ability to co-exist peacefully.

Both dogs need to also learn some basic obedience so that they can reliably go to their crate or a bed when asked to do so. They must also learn to take turns going in and out of any door or exiting the car. Since these are amongst the typical situations where dog fights take place.

If the fights have been a result of either one of the dogs guarding an object be it a toy, food, snack, they should not be allowed to have any of these items together.  If what they guard is a location such as a bed or a person, things change a bit here, but in essence the same rule applies.

Once these measures are put in place, dogs need to be taught that in fact, their nemesis actually produces really good stuff for them!  One can achieve this by the careful orchestration of presenting valuable resources only when the other dog is present.  Again, really careful management must be in place.  I would argue that while doable to do it with only one person, it is always best to have one handler per dog.

Now, if one of the dogs is the one that is constantly harassing the other, intimidating or controlling the other dog’s movements we must then also be super proactive in teaching the bully that any intimidation will result in social isolation. This protocol works wonders when again folks have been taught what to look for and are willing and able to follow up implementing the protocol every single time the dog engages in any intimidating behaviors towards the less fortunate dog.

Please forget the nonsense of “supporting the alpha” advice that is still given by many veterinarians and dog trainers that have not looked into the scientific literature regarding social dominance. Moreover, how does one know which one is the “alpha”?  As some of my clients have attested they are confused as to which dog is the alpha as they try to implement rules and protocols that require they support the alpha.  I cannot say this loud enough!  Not only will these measures not work, but most likely they will continue to make the life of one of the dogs (the one that folks consider the subordinate) a living hell.  How unfair is this?

When it comes to behavior we must think critically.  Rarely is behavior simple in its expression. Dogs are one of the most sophisticated species when it comes to their social relations. For us to imply that we can delve into the intricacies of their complex social relationships with simplistic advice- such as being the leader and supporting the alpha, is really a rotten proposition.

If you have dogs that are fighting in your home, consider carefully all your options. I disagree that love is all that dogs need in order to resolve this issues.  Sure, love is nice but they need understanding of who they are as a species and as individuals.  They need our care and for us to be true advocates so that they can remain safe and thrive in the household.

Re-homing is a good option when the family realizes they do not have what it takes to tackle all what it will take to make the dogs be in good terms again. And if an appropriate alternative is found - which is really not that easy.  On occasion euthanasia, might be a consideration. In my professional opinion, all possibilities need to be explored with good judgement as well as honesty as one- size- fits- all approach is not really a consideration.

I Can’t Believe You Did That!

While taking a break from playing with the whippet, I spot Rio peeing on the toy.  The coffee cup that I am holding in my other hand prevents me from reaching towards it in an effort to stop her from continuing peeing on it because at some point during the game I am going to have to hold on to this messy toy!

I claim defeat as I am trying to figure out why Rio peed on the toy. She has never done this before. I then remember that I had taken it with me to a training just a few days back. Ahh, I think to myself that is probably the reason why.

Behaviors like this have intrigued researchers for years and today, it intrigues me. Why now? I have taken the toy to many, many sessions. The thing is, I will probably never know.

What research do know today is the many reasons why dogs mark with bodily fluids and indeed their many possible uses.

As Alexandra Horowitz mentioned in her book: Inside of a Dog, Konrad Lorenz- the early 20th century ethologist pronounced that dogs urinate to mark territory. However, more recent studies have discredited Lorenz hypothesis as being the main reason or the only reason why dogs urinate in certain spots. It is now believed that dogs may indeed mark their territory but more likely their urine markings serve as a rich form of communication between dogs way beyond mine and yours…

Yes indeed, both sexes mark. Their markings similar in their function as our modern “text”: I was here … how is it going?  Are you ready for sex???  Yes! You are…  

Horowitz also mentioned that based on the observation of sniffing dogs, it is believe that the chemicals found in the urine are indicators of female’s readiness for mating, and in the case of males their social confidence.

It is also interesting to note, that based on observations of markings made by free-ranging dogs, only about 20% of them were “territorial” - that is markings on the “boundary” of a territory. Markings also changed by seasons, and events such as scavenging and courting related behaviors.

Horowitz continues on to explain that it is believed that more than the marking of territory, dogs can learn quite a bit about each other as a result of urine markings and deposits.

Another important function of marking is the sharing of information with other canines about one’s whereabouts. Ah! The canine-selfy as in: Look where I was this weekend…  

As such, the scent of the one who peed last becoming the predominant one with other previous markings relegated to the status of having [just] a nice weekend at home!

Quiz of the week

What do you think leads behavior?

1. The use of a verbal cue/command?
2. A marker such a “click” or a “yes” when our dog (or any other animal with a spinal cord) does something we like?
3. Consequences: good and bad (from the perspective of the learner)?  

Drum roll… the correct answer is: # 3!!!

Indeed it is the consequence immediately after the behavior that will increase or decrease the behavior from happening again or being suppressed. Consequences though MUST be delivered immediately after the behavior otherwise they are useless in directing which behaviors we want to see more of (or less of). Understanding this important principle of animal learning really put us in the driver seat. If instead of getting frustrated at the dog because they are not “listening to us” we focus in giving timely consequences for behaviors we would not only communicate more effectively with our dogs our “desires” but we would begin to reap the benefits of our sound application of learning theory, which by the way, is not a “theory” in the strict use of the term. It is a science – the science of learning.

One of my biggest pleasures in life is relaxing in a hot tub. Lucky for us, our current home has a one. It is part of our daily routine to get in for a quick soak in the am. Deuce and Rio often come with us and either lay down wondering how long before we do something “fun” or engage them in play. Some mornings, they bring a toy – expecting us to play with them.

Have you ever tried training your dog from a hot tub? I have and it is not easy! Especially if you can’t reach for the toy. I have been encouraging Deuce to bring the ball close enough to me so that I can throw it for him but instead Deuce lies next to his ball exchanging quick glances between my eyes and the ball and wondering what the heck is wrong with me!

I realize that I need to teach this boy that in order for me to throw the ball for him, I need to be able to reach it. Okay, okay somethin’ else on the training list.

This morning, however, Deuce tried something different - really different: He gently nudges his ball towards me. Now I was able to reach the ball while hoping I would not crack a rib as I leaned forward from the hot tub. Immediately I threw the ball back at him and I continued to do so as long as he continued to nudge the ball back in my direction - ignoring any other response from him.

Ahh, the beauty of consequences leading behavior! Two points for me for:

1. Noticing that Deuce was engaging in some novel behavior within this context.
2. Seizing the opportunity to reinforce what I have been trying to “explain” to him: If I cannot reach the ball, I can’t toss it.

Now that you know the answer, try this at home. Stop getting frustrated or plain angry at your dog when he refuses to “listen” or respond to your cues. Instead, focus your attention on implementing consequences for behaviors that you want to see more of or applying consequences for behaviors you wish your dog would stop doing.

 

Blame it On Computer Work

I am sitting at my desk doing the usual computer related work. Deuce is taking a snooze in his crate and Rio is behind me chewing away on a leather glove that she found. She had, in fact, carried the glove around and played with it by tossing it up in the air for a few days.

As she is busy chewing behind me, I didn’t think much of her chewing and dissecting the glove since she has never consumed anything she dissects. As a matter of fact, she destroys her toys on a regular basis leaving the “insides” of the toy - such as the squeaky behind for someone else to pick up.

Lately I spotted one of her stuffed toys completely turn inside out. Some dogs, I tell you, know how to keep themselves busy!

I give her a couple of glances and return back to my work. After a few minutes I get up only to see just a small piece of glove on the carpet. Oh no… she actually ate the whole freakin' glove! It is around 5:30 pm and I am wondering if this requires a vet visit or… she appears fine. Full belly and ready for the evening “activities”. I am pretty upset at myself. I can’t believe my dog ate a whole leather glove.

I am beating myself up about how I should have known better, thinking about the long talks I have with clients about the importance of management and bla, bla, bla.

I go back to observing Rio. She seems perfectly “normal”… after all don’t they occasionally chew on rawhides?

Finally I decide not to make two big mistakes in a row. I call the emergency clinic, you know that emergencies like these always happens when your dog’s “regular” vet is closed…The ER receptionist tells me to bring her in just in case. I know about obstructions in dog’s stomach - a real medical emergency. I spent three hrs. at the clinic. They induce vomiting on Rio (sorry Rio, I should have known better) and she vomits almost the entire glove.

Final instructions are to keep an eye on her (and her poop) to make sure that she is able to pass whatever might still be in there. Tomorrow will be a week after the glove-eating incident and Rio appears to be fine! Oh, dogs and their chewing habits…

Oh, dogs and their well-intentioned yet (sometimes) spacey parents.

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.