Paws News May 2008

Paws Abilities
Behaviour & Learning Centre
Newsletter Number 18 MAY 2008

Hullo to all Paws Abilities students, friends and family! A warm welcome to all new members of our Paws community. As a matter of interest, this newsletter travels far and wide. I have received positive feedback from various parts of SA so to those who forward the newsletter from all over the country. Keep it up!

The more people we educate into using positive methods of learning and behaviour modification, the better it is for all animals. Changing mindsets is not easy, but the motto should be “Never Give Up”. I believe that even if we only change ONE person’s attitude, from punishment based methods to positive reinforcement – we have made a difference! In fact – imagine if each one of us, changed one persons attitude, it would then make a HUGE difference. So think about that, when faced with pessimists who say “Saving one animal or changing one person’s harsh training method does not make a difference”. It certainly makes a big difference to that one animal!

TRIUMPH AT LAST! FEEDBACK FROM THE CORNELIA HORSE ABUSE CASE:
I am thrilled: No delighted: No euphoric. No - - - - - Well I really can’t express my feelings about the fantastic results and amazing sentence passed by my hero - Magistrate Green from the Eastern Free State.

We travelled down to the Cornelia Magistrate’s Court, on the 8th April. A group of us left early in the morning, and battled thick, pea-soup, mist, so were a bit worried that we might not make it in time. This concerned me more than the others, as I had been subpoenaed as a witness for the prosecution (I had supplied a behavioural report based on viewing the video of the abuse) and would have been arrested if I did not appear if and when called (sorry for those who were disappointed – I was not arrested). Luckily, after battling the elements, and managed to arrive in time. Of course everything was running late. The Magistrate first had to deal with several other cases, so it was late morning by the time our case came to be heard.

Cornelia is a tiny village in the Eastern Free State. It does not have it’s own courthouse, so a room is set aside in the Municipal buildings (which used to be an old schoolhouse). The community is not very well off and there is a large amount of unemployment in the area. As there is no coffee shop or restaurant for miles and miles (Villiers 50 km away, or Warden 68 km) we had stopped on the way and bought sandwiches and cold drinks to last us for a few hours. It was definitely going to be a long day!

At that stage, we had no idea if the video was going to be permitted to be used prior to sentencing. The lady prosecutor (sorry I can’t remember her name!) had been unsuccessfully attempting to get hold of Magistrate Green in order to enter the video as evidence prior to sentencing. Remember, the family had all, already pleaded guilty to the charges, and our concerns were that they would receive a “token sentence” and retain possession of their current animals and Rina Marx/Venter might be permitted to continue to “train” horses as a means of obtaining an income. The vast majority of Magistrates are not prepared to make an example or set a precedent in regards to more severe sentencing. Boy were we all worried for nothing!

The forces of good were definitely on our side that day. To our relief, we were informed that the video had been entered as evidence as permission had been granted by Magistrate Green. A good many of the local people had turned out to see the results of this case and there were also several of us Gauteng folk present, and the E TV crew. Magistrate Green said that the video was to be shown with the court not being in session. He warned those present that it might be disturbing. On that note he was sadly very accurate.

The owner of the horse was also there. An older man, who looked a bit confused about what all the fuss was about. He sat next to me whilst the video was screened. He was impassive, not showing any emotion. It was hard to read his expression or feelings. . . . . . uumm one wonders if he knew about the abuse or not? I personally find it difficult to believe, that as a registered member of the Nooitgedagcht (spl?) Horse Society, he did not have the common sense or intelligence to check up on his property (Rina Marx/Venter had “trained several of his horses prior to the current charges), to check that his horses were being handled, fed and cared for correctly. But that is just my own opinion, don’t quote me on that one!

Within a couple of minutes of the video being played, the response of the public was very, very obvious. One large policeman got up and left the room in obvious distress. Several women in the courtroom were also in tears, one sobbing uncontrollably. Glancing around the room it was obvious that the video footage did not only have an emotional affect the women in the room, several men also were battling to control their emotions. I was at that stage, too angry to cry, having viewed the video again and again in order to put together the behavioural report. Even so, to see such disturbing images projected on a large screen in fine detail was difficult, very difficult to watch.


The sentence passed was:-
A six months prison sentence - Suspended for 5 (five) years. At that moment there was an almost inaudible groan from those present. I thought that this was it. After all the time, (petrol money) and effort, it was all to have been for a stupid suspended sentence! Then, much to everyone’s surprise Magistrate Green continued …… and furthermore ............
Denial of ownership of ANY animal, or bird for five years – thereafter, prior to owning, or having anything to do with any animal, the family will individually, have to provide a competency certificate from a registered animal welfare organisation (with proof of competence) at their own expense and............

If Rina Marx – wishes to ever work with horses or any animals again, she is required to undertake education in horse riding and training at her own expense, This was also coupled with obtaining a competency certificate as mentioned under the previous heading at her own expense (number 2). Proof of competency is to be obtained at the family’s own expense and......

The family was sentenced to (twelve) 12 months supervision by a correctional officer and ..........

The family was sentenced to (twelve) 12 months house arrest,. Which means that they are not permitted to leave their place of residence between 18:00 hours to 06:00 hours each day for one year (12 months). They are permitted to go to church, work (if they find employment – as presently the entire family is unemployed and receives various pensions), and the grocery store and ...............

However, the correctional services officer must be informed of their every move and grant permission for such. They are not permitted to buy or consume alcohol or drugs (nor to visit a bar/pub or any place where alcohol is sold) - to the extent that when grocery shopping, if the store where they are shopping also sells alcohol, they are not permitted to go down the isle where the alcohol is on sale/display and ..................

They are also to attend whatever life skills courses that are deemed necessary - as specified by their correctional services officer and ...........
They are also sentenced to 196 hours of community service – which the magistrate would have like to be at an animal welfare society so that the family could learn to treat animals properly. However, as there were no such institutions in the area, the community service will be, as specified by the correctional services officer.

On sentencing - Magistrate Green described his own affection between his pets and himself, how they greeted him with pleasure and confidence, he even went so far as to describe how his pet bird would whistle when it heard his voice.

He said whilst to most people, the denial of ownership sentence would be considered a very severe sentence, HOWEVER, he did not believe that the Marx/Venters would be particularly affected by this decision.

To Rina Marx/Venter, he stated that her lack of compassion was incomprehensible, and what would have happened if she had lost her temper with a small animal or bird? Would she have just ripped off its head off and thrown it away in the dustbin? He said that the family were not fit to own, or be around any animals, not even a small bird.

He also said that when the video was being played, members of the public viewing the film found the contents so disturbing, that several people broke down. Magistrate Green said that if a film of about 5 minutes duration, could have such a dramatic effect on the public, he could not understand how Rina Marx/Venter not have comprehended that what she did was so wrong. He continually expressed his own total lack of comprehension at Rina/Marx Venter’s actions and the fact that her parents had actively aided and encouraged her to commit these acts.

He did express sympathy for the young woman's upbringing and background of poverty etc, but chastised the parents for being such poor role models and poor parents, e.g. permitting her to leave school at the age of 13/14 years of age, and not ensuring that she received a proper education. But, the fact that they had actively encouraged her to perform such acts (and financially profit from the abuse) also had to be taken into account, as he had been informed that she had been doing similar things to horses for at least five years, and he wondered how many other animals had suffered a similar fate.

He also ruled that the existing animals were to be removed by the SPCA. They were taken to Johannesburg SPCA and made available for adoption.

Magistrate Green delivered a sensible, intelligent sentence. He also provided the family with a chance to turn their lives around if they so desire. They have been given an opportunity to better themselves, if they take the opportunities provided, they could become productive members of the community. The choice is now theirs! They can take the opportunities provided, or carry on the way they always have.

So – all’s well that ends well. I am content in the fact that his family will not be in a position to harm any animals, for a long, long, time (if ever).

Footnote:
This weekend I travelled down to Durban for my dad’s 88th birthday (happy birthday dad!) and on route, decided to stop at the police station to deliver over 50 letters that I received addressed to the officers involved in the case. I printed out all the letters, and put them in a file for easy viewing. Paws Abilities also presented them with an “Award of Honour” after it was voted by our entire student body. (10 different classes held each Saturday). I framed the award in a glass certificate frame. I also got them 2 Kg’s of biscuits for the whole station to enjoy with their tea break – which was really only a very small token of appreciation, but we felt that we just had to do something to let them know that their hard work and efforts were so appreciated by the public. We wanted them to know that they made a difference!

Being a Saturday, most of the officers were off duty, but the Sergeant at the desk, called the Captain (who lived down the road) who arrived within minutes. (wish my local cops were so quick in their response)! He was delighted by the letters and I promised to forward any more mail that I received. SO IF YOU HAVEN’T WRITTEN A LETTER OF THANKS YET. IT IS NOT TOO LATE! Please forward any correspondence for these guys to me at louthomp@mweb.co.za The Captain also said that he would show the letters of appreciation to the area Commissioner!

Remember, that without these guys, there would have been no case, no sentence and certainly no happy outcome. Captain De Vos filmed the abuse and initially got the ball rolling in order to stop it from continuing. The investigating officer Inspector Van Der Heever, went out of his way to collect evidence and put in may extra hours in preparing the case.


OK enough of the horse case …………… There is more in this issue, lots of info to share and new ideas to learn.

QUESTION AND ANSWER!
ByTurid Rugaas
QUESTION:I have a Hovawart. He’s 4.5 years old, we compete in obedience trials and I’m an obedience instructor. He’s a lovely dog except for one problem. When I begun going to practices with a new instructor, he was defined as disobedient when he started acting up and lunging during training sessions. In an attempt to stop him from taking off, I put a long rope on him. I had trouble holding him back, and he was able to escape several times. The result was a tremendous jerk on his neck from the rope. After all these jerks the training got really bad. I asked for alternative ways in which to train him, but none had any other suggestions. As it would have ended with a fight between my dog and myself, I quit practices altogether and have since been training on my own. He’s still marked by the bad experiences he had on the training field. I’ve been to a (biopat) who has helped with the stress, but I am hoping that you can suggest a training method that can solve the problem, that is; the lunging and acting up as soon as the leash is hooked on to the collar. It’s a huge problem when there are other dogs present in the ring in dog shows. I’d be so happy to see him be safe and confident, rather than insecure like he is now. I hope you can help me.
ANSWER:Acting up and lunging at other dogs has nothing to do with obedience. He’s not being disobedient when he is acting the way he is. He’s acting defensively and has learned be more so by the actions he’s been exposed to in those situations. In addition he is stressed, which makes the problem worse. and that is adding to the situation. There may be many, many things that initially caused him to behave the way he did, but more obedience training will not help. His reactions has to do with strong feelings, whether it’s anger, anxiety or something else. It’s impossible to order feelings to go away.

A child that is afraid will not be less afraid if you order it to “sit still”, or similar. If someone has been mean to you and you are furious, ordering you to do the dishes will not make you less angry. Trying to decrease the dog’s stress level is fine, but since it’s likely that there is something in the dog’s everyday life that is making him stressed, the stress will not disappear until the stressors are found and changes made. The Hovawart is a breed that will easily get defensive. Those who constantly try to discipline and give orders to a Hovawart will find themselves in a tricky situation sooner or later.. This is the reason why so many Hovawarts are put to sleep at a young age. I know too little about your dog to be of adequate help and it’s best if you find an experienced behaviourist who uses ONLY positive, non-confrontational methods of behaviour modification.
What usually happens is that ….
1) When a young dog barks at and jumps towards another dog in pure happiness, it gets a strict “NO” and a jerk from the leash so that it starts to associate the other dog with the pain and aggression from its owner. In turn, this leads the dog become more and more defensive.
2) Some interprets the dog’s behaviour to be caused by insecurity, and they try to comfort it by stroking it and talking to it, which is only reinforcing the behaviour.

In most cases, aggression isn’t even the part of the problem in the beginning, but the way we deal with the situations, make it the problem. The way we handle the situation by for instance jerking a long rope, which is not only incredibly painful, but may cause damages to the neck as well. I suggest that you find a skilled, experienced animal behaviourist and get help. In addition, no more obedience training for now. What your dog needs is to develop a positive association with other dogs. There are several ways to go about this, but no matter which method you use, it’s important that you do not use any unpleasant stimuli such as jerking and pulling of the leash, as well as saying “NO”. Make sure that he gets plenty of space and distance to other dogs during this period of training so that he doesn’t get a chance to lunge or act up. When he is calm and quiet while seeing another dog, if only a second, praise and reward him for it. But remember that you never walk into a situation. Instead move away from it and increase the distance so that your dog is given a real chance to remain calm. It’s very effective! I’ve used it on numerous dogs, including one of my own, and it’s incredible how fast they get the idea. Again, forget about robot-obedience and being in control, they won’t help with feelings anyway, and feelings are what cause him to behave the way he is.

The stress will not go away until he gets a chance to not have such strong feelings all the time. Without being able to calm down, the stress will never go away either.

If you are taking him to any classes or practices, you need to stop taking him there for a period, until he has learned to master being around other dogs. And that has to happen in other ways than in classes and with obedience training, unless you have an instructor/behaviourist who knows about critical distance, has a large enough, safe, training area where the dog can be calm and feel safe at a distance where he is not put in a position where he is likely to react to feel threatened by other dogs. Then once a “critical distance” is established (that is the distance where the dog does not feel threatened by other dogs, people or whatever he is worried about) you can then, VERY GRADUALLY begin to close the gap. If at any time he reacts negatively, you probably have progressed too rapidly and need to take more time in habituating him to the “scary” things.

Good luck – Hovawarts are lovely dogs if you learn to cooperate with them. Turid Rugaas

ANOTHER REASON NOT TO USE PUNISHMENT! Do dogs know when they've done something wrong?
Dogs who have been punished before for something often give the impression that they 'know' they have done something wrong. So what does this really mean, when have they really learned not to do something, and how will it help you with training?
Dogs who are punished will often display what behaviourists call 'avoidance behaviour' or 'appeasement behaviour'. They very quickly learn how their owner behaves prior to dishing out a punishment, and will display this avoidance or appeasement behaviour before the punishment even commences. This is the dog’s natural response (to avoid conflict) of what he perceives as a dominant behaviour from his leader.
Many dog owners interpret this as proof that the dog "knew" what he did was wrong. Unfortunately for both dog and owner, this is a misunderstanding. Why unfortunate? The owner thinks his dog is deliberately being naughty, and the punishments can escalate. What's more, the owner now believes that the dog is simply being disobedient, and can fail to take a course of effective behaviour management or training.
A dog will demonstrate that punishment has been effective when the punished behaviour stops. Whether the dog knows it is 'wrong' or not is not something we can really 'know' at this stage in our evolution - after all, dogs can't talk and we can't read minds.
An example - one dog owner complained that his dog was escaping from his yard. The owner had heavily scolded the dog for this behaviour in the past, as his last dog was run over and killed after escaping from the yard.
Now the dog would cringe when returning from his outings. To confuse the issue even more, when a third party told the owner that his dog had been seen outside the yard, the dog again cringed, picking up the subtle signs that his owner was angry and upset. Dogs are very attuned to this sort of thing.
The dog had learned what to look for when a scolding was about to come. He had also learned that returning to the yard resulted in a scolding. He did not learn to stay in the yard at all, had he learned this he would not have escaped. We only know that a punishment is effective ONLY if the behaviour stops.
The owner escalated scolding to the point of physical abuse, desperate not to lose another dog on the road. He believed that his dog knew that leaving the yard was 'wrong', because his dog cringed when he returned. With this belief firmly in the owner's mind, it didn't make sense to take more effective action such as installing a better latch on the gate and a spring to automatically shut the gate when visitors forgot to shut it. He was blinded to these more sensible and effective options, because he truly believed that his dog already 'knew' not to leave the yard.
I can only feel sorry for this dog and his owner. Yet another of this poor fellow's dogs will probably be lost, stolen or run over by a car and I know that he genuinely has a deep love for his dogs. Unfortunately, he was convinced that his dog 'knew' he had done something wrong and was therefore only being disobedient. Even if his dog did know that he had done something wrong, the scolding was clearly not effective as the dangerous behaviour continued unabated. Why bother? There are better options than resorting to such cruel punishments, such as improving fencing and gates, providing environmental enrichment by way of toys or treat-balls, and taking daily walks on-lead.
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WHAT IS YOUR DOG TRYING TO SAY?
(Taken from “A dog’s Blog”).

Is your dog “just barking” or are you not listening properly.
Hopefully these insights will help you understand your dog better.

1. Continuous rapid barking, midrange pitch: “Call the pack! There is a potential problem! Someone is coming into our territory!” Continuous barking but a bit slower and pitched lower: “The intruder [or danger] is very close. Get ready to defend yourself!”

2. Barking in rapid strings of three or four with pauses in between, midrange pitch: “I suspect that there may be a problem or an intruder near our territory. I think that the leader of the pack should look into it.”

3. Prolonged or incessant barking, with moderate to long intervals between each utterance: “Is there anybody there? I’m lonely and need companionship.” This is most often the response to confinement or being left alone for long periods of time.

4. One or two sharp short barks, midrange pitch: “Hello there!” This is the most typical greeting sound.

5. Single sharp short bark, lower midrange pitch: “Stop that!” This is often given by a mother dog when disciplining her puppies but may also indicate annoyance in any dog, such as when disturbed from sleep or if hair is pulled during grooming and so forth.

6. Single sharp short bark, higher midrange: “What’s this?” or “Huh?” This is a startled or surprised sound. If it is repeated two or three times its meaning changes to “Come look at this!” alerting the pack to a novel event. This same
type of bark, but not quite as short and sharp, is used to mean “Come here!” Many dogs will use this kind of bark at the
door to indicate that they want to go out. Lowering the pitch to a relaxed midrange means “Terrific!” or some other similar expletive, such as “Oh, great!” My cairn terrier, for example, who loves to jump, will give this single bark of
joy when sent over the high jump. Other dogs give this same bark when given their food dish.

7. Single yelp or very short high-pitched bark: “Ouch!” This is in response to a sudden, unexpected pain.

8. Series of yelps: “I’m hurting!” “I’m really scared” This is in response to severe fear and pain.

9. Stutter-bark, midrange pitch: If a dog’s bark were spelled “ruff,” the stutter-bark would be spelled “ar-ruff.” It means “Let’s play!” and is used to initiate playing behaviour.

10. Rising bark: This is a bit hard to describe, although once you’ve heard it, it is unmistakable. It is usually a series of barks, each of which starts in the middle range but rises sharply in pitch - almost a bark-yelp, though not quite that high. It is a play bark, used during rough-and- tumble games, that shows excitement and translates as “This is fun!”

CLICKER TIPS - ARE YOU A LEADER, OR JUST A TREAT DISPENSER?
By Aidan Bindoff

Who's in charge?
Have you ever felt that you really have no leadership role in your relationship with your dog because your dog is just performing for food?

You are not alone!
There is a common belief that dogs, being pack animals, should behave simply because they are subordinate. The problem with this belief is that behaviour doesn't work quite so arbitrarily. Behaviour doesn't change simply because someone said it should (it might appear to sometimes, but there is always more to it than that). Operant behaviour is increased, maintained, reduced, or stopped by consequences, which are either reinforcing or punishing.These consequences can come from great leaders, poor leaders, machines, or, frequently, even by accident—consider this the next time someone tells you "you need to be alpha!"

Envisioning and reinforcing behaviour
Great leaders don't allow behaviour to simply occur unguided, appearing random and chaotic. They have a vision of which behaviours they want to see and which ones they don't. They see to it that the behaviours they want to see are reinforced and the behaviours they don't want to see are not reinforced.

Clicker trainers focus on positive reinforcement of desired behaviours.
Frequently, this positive reinforcement will come through food. Clicker trainers focus on positive reinforcement of desired behaviours. Frequently, this positive reinforcement will come through food. Why not? Food is convenient, cheap, quick, and all dogs need to eat anyway.

What is important is that desired behaviours have been reinforced. If a dog performs for food or performs to avoid a correction, that dog has performed for reinforcement. In the first case, for positive reinforcement and in the second case, for negative reinforcement. In neither case did the dog "behave" just because someone said it should.

The clicker and the ABC model
Why do dogs only seem to perform when their trainers have food? Consider the ABC model of operant conditioning (sometimes called "Three Term Contingency"):
Antecedent -> Behaviour -> Consequence
If a trainer always has food, then food becomes an antecedent. The trained behaviour is less likely to follow without the antecedent of food. The same could be said if a traditional trainer always had a check chain on the dog; the check chain would become an antecedent.

One of the main benefits of clicker training is that the clicker is used as a "bridge" between behaviour and reinforcement. This means you can put the food somewhere else and fade it from the antecedents. In time, and if required, you can then put a finished behaviour on a schedule of reinforcement and have the behaviour performed without always using a reinforcer.


10 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR (by Suzanne Clothier)

At one time or another, every owner has to deal with problem behaviour. Understanding why your dog does what he does, and how to handle the situation correctly can help resolve problems quickly. Here are some basic guidelines that apply to nearly all problem situations:

ONE: Control the dog and you control the situation. By putting on a training collar and lead, you can control the dog. For many dogs, their training equipment means business, not playtime, and this can help in a problem situation. A dog who is on lead cannot run away or chase people or other animals, and his owner has a chance to help him understand what he should do by guiding him with the leash and collar.

TWO: Be positive. Instead of saying "NO", try giving your dog something positive that he can do for you, such as "Sit", or "Heel". This positive approach means you can praise generously for his good actions, instead of simply yelling at him. For example, a dog who jumps up can be told to sit, and helped if necessary, then praised for sitting.

THREE: Allow a dog to be a dog. Often, what owners consider problem behaviour is simply normal dog behaviour that they find unpleasant or annoying. For example, digging is a natural canine activity but distressing to a garden proud owner. Instead of scolding for what comes naturally, it might be kinder to set up an area in which you have buried small treats to make it more attractive than the rest of the yard, and praising your dog for digging in "his" garden. Whenever natural behaviours conflict with what you might like, be creative and see if you can find an outlet for those interests and activities that is suitable for you both.

FOUR: Be consistent. It is unfair to the dog to change your rules depending on what you're wearing, who's visiting or the kind of day you've had. If your dog is allowed on the furniture, he will be confused when you yell at him because Aunt Bess is visiting and she doesn't think dogs should sit in chairs! If he's allowed to jump up when you're wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, don't be surprised if he can't tell the difference between that and your best evening gown. Whatever your rules are, keep them consistent.

FIVE: Have your dog earn what he wants. While everyone needs a few freebies now and then, your dog will not think you are a wonderful owner if you play with him, walk him, feed him and pet him whenever he demands it. In fact, this often creates problems since from the dog's point of view an owner who can be "trained" this well is not one who deserves much respect. Teach your dog to say "please" by sitting, laying down or following some other command before he gets what he wants.

SIX: Be clear. Owners often confuse dogs by changing the words or commands, repeating them over and over again without showing the dog what is meant, and worst of all, assuming that the dog understands. When in doubt, gently show your dog physically exactly what you mean, giving the command at the same time so that he can associate the two. Use clear, matter of fact commands when addressing your dog, and be sure that your praising tone is excited, enthusiastic and upbeat.

Remember that while we use words to communicate, dogs are masters of reading body language. If your body language tells the dog one thing, but your voice tells the dog something else, chances are he will believe your body language. This is why people who bend towards their dog and shake a finger at them while scolding "No, no, no" often receive a playful bark - their body posture is much more like a dog inviting play than a dog who is annoyed or angry.

SEVEN: Exercise, exercise, exercise! The most common cause of problem behaviour is boredom and a lack of sufficient exercise. While you work or go out, your dog has little or nothing to do, and his need to exercise will not go away. A familiar yard or house is boring, and few dogs exercise on their own without interaction with their owners. Take the time to play with your dog, jog with him, walk in the woods, swim or take long brisk walks each day. A tired dog is always a well behaved dog!

EIGHT: Provide mental stimulation. Dr. Roger Abrante's suggestions regarding using 1/3 of your dog's diet for treats to be earned during training, 1/3 to be given as usual in a food bowl, and 1/3 to be "hunted" (try a Buster Cube, an ingenious toy which the dog must persistently work with to receive a few kibble at a time. Even a border collie will be amused by this for hours! Buster Cubes are available from your local pet store or from DogWise.com.) This "home alone" 1/3-1/3-1/3 program helps your dog expend some energy and provides much needed stimulation.

NINE: Understand your dog's genetic heritage. Whether you own a Doberman or a Beagle, a Samoyed or a Westie, it is important to understand what your dog was bred to do. Owners often forget that the behaviour that prompts a dog to run or stay close, hunt or guard, chase and kill or herd, work with people or work independently are all the result of generations of carefully selected traits. Research your breed's history, and talk to people who understand your breed's characteristics. You may find that Rover's tendencies, while annoying or amusing, are precisely what makes him what he is. You can then decide how best to work with your dog's instincts and where you need to concentrate training efforts.

TEN: Train your dog. Every dog should have basic manners, but dogs are not born knowing how to behave. Take the time to train your dog on a consistent basis using kind, positive methods. Find a class near you whose methods and philosophies you like. If faced with a behaviour problem you can't solve, ask people you trust for a recommendation of an experienced trainer and get professional help fast. The sooner you begin working on a problem the sooner you will have it solved.


TEN THOUGHTS TO A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOG!
Author Unknown

ONE Your dog can never take responsibility for getting trained. You must take the responsibility, time and effort to educate your dog. This means that you must also take the responsibility of learning to communicate with your dog. Without communication there can be no education.

TWO In the canine world there are no such things as equals. You will either lead or follow. Dogs' reasoning ability is similar to a two-year-old child. A two-year-old child does not make an effective leader. You must be the leader.

THREE Every time you interact with your dog, he is learning something. If you are not teaching him the right behaviour he is learning the wrong behaviour.

FOUR “Negative attention” to a dog, is still attention. If the only way your dog can get attention is by being bad, you will train him to act bad for attention. Remember to always reward your dog for good behaviour. Pay attention when he is doing something right and let him know that you like it.

FIVE The consistency of your dog’s behaviour good or bad will mirror the consistency of your training. If you train your dog repeating the command 10 times, you can expect the dog to respond 10% of the time.

SIX A dog’s concept of right and wrong is very different from ours.
Do not expect your dog to know what you may think of as right or wrong

SEVEN If you are correcting the dog, are you certain that the dog understands why it is being corrected? Have you educated and then generalised the concept?

EIGHT In nature there is no form of punishment, only consequences. If you can stop thinking punishment and focus on what the dog perceives as the consequences of his actions, you will make more headway in any situation.

NINE If you are constantly reacting to the dog’s behaviour, it is the dog that is training you! You must decide what behaviour you want and educate the dog to that behaviour.

TEN You are your dog’s primary role model. If you want quiet calm behaviour, then your must role model quiet calm behaviour.


THE SHAPE OF SHAPING: SOME HISTORICAL NOTES - TAKING SHAPE
Shaping is defined a concept that many pet owners find hard to grasp. We're used to making animals do things by leading them or pushing them into the behavior we want—and it is hard to believe that there is another way. Common sense tells us that there is no possible way to get an animal to do something it has never done before, doing nothing yourself but reinforcing spontaneous movements.
The word "shaping" is scientific slang for building a particular behavior by using a series of small steps to achieve it. Shaping allows you to create behavior from scratch without physical control or corrections, but rather by drawing on your animal's natural ability to learn. Even B.F. Skinner did not start out training animals by capturing and shaping spontaneously offered behavior. Initially, he taught his laboratory animals to press levers and accomplish other tasks by making small changes in the environment: raising the height of a bar in small increments until an animal had to reach higher, or increasing the "stiffness" of a button so a pigeon learned to peck harder. This method was called successive approximation.
In 1943, while waiting for a government grant to come through, Skinner and two of his graduate students decided to see if they could teach one of their experimental pigeons to bowl in a laboratory on the top floor of a building in Minnesota. They started by putting the pigeon and a wooden ball in a box rigged with an automatic feeder, planning to trip the feeder when the pigeon swiped at the ball with its beak. But the pigeon did not swipe at the ball as they had hoped, and they grew tired of waiting. Skinner decided to reinforce any movement toward the ball, even just one look toward it. When the pigeon looked in that direction, he clicked the switch, opening the feeder briefly so the pigeon could get a bit of corn.
Skinner later wrote, "The result amazed us. In a few moments, the ball was caroming off the walls of the box as if the pigeon had been a champion squash player." Skinner had made a discovery that astonished even him: It was much easier to shape behavior by hand than by changing the environment. Skinner's daughter, behavior analyst Julie Vargas, Ph.D., has told me, "His realization at that moment was that if you could do this, you could shape behavior anywhere, in any environment." You did not need to manipulate the task or build elaborate apparatus. You could just reinforce moves in the right direction. Skinner named this newly discovered method shaping, to differentiate it from the mechanical process of successive approximation.
Instant gratification
Even B.F. Skinner did not start out training animals by capturing and shaping spontaneously offered behavior.
Shaping depends on reinforcing the desired action instantaneously, as it is happening. A key factor in Skinner's early research setting was that the feeders made noise as soon as they were tripped. This click became the conditioned reinforcer that meant food was coming. It was the marker signal that identified the move being reinforced.
Skinner recognized the value of the conditioned reinforcer. For the cameras of Look magazine, he trained a dog to jump higher and higher up a wall using a sound and some food; in a popular magazine article in 1951, he recommended the toy cricket or clicker as a good conditioned reinforcer for dog training.
Some people in the behavioral and animal communities have taken to using the word "shaping" to describe any training that increases a response in small increments, even though the response may be generated or elicited by luring, force, verbal instruction, environmental manipulation, or other external pressure, rather than being offered spontaneously. The correct term for these non-spontaneous methods would be successive approximation, however. Many animal trainers and sports coaches have used successive approximation for years, gradually raising the height of jumps, the distance of a race, and the heaviness of weights, all to improve performance. The terms "free shaping" and "cold shaping" have arisen as additional ways to identify true shaping, when the animal's volunteered or spontaneous behavior is the key factor in the development of the behavior.
Gifted trainers have also used timely praise and play to reinforce spontaneous behavior, and thus develop new kinds of performance without baiting or forcing the movements. The scientific importance of Skinner's discovery was that these principles became generally applicable by any user and in any learning situation, not just by the rare, intuitive, or masterful individual.
Sometimes faster is better:
An important characteristic of shaping is the speed with which new responses can develop. This is not a method that requires a lot of practice and repetition.
Often, as Skinner reported with his ball-playing pigeon, complex new behavior can develop in a few minutes. Francis Mechner, Ph.D. suggests that one explanation for this rapid increase in behavioral topographies is that the marker identifies not only a position—the paw is three inches in the air—but a vector, a movement in a direction. By clicking during the upward movement of the paw, the shaper reinforces not only the current outcome—a three-inch lift—but also the action that is taking place: lifting upward. Reinforcement quickly leads to stronger paw movements and higher lifts, giving the shaper even more and larger behaviors to select.

Birth of clicker training:
The terms "free shaping" and "cold shaping" have arisen as additional ways to identify true shaping, when the animal's volunteered or spontaneous behaviour is the key factor in the development of the behaviour. Keller Breland, one of the graduate students present at the moment of Skinner's discovery, left psychology to develop a business based on animal training. In the 1960s, he was one of several behaviorists who carried shaping by use of a marker signal (usually a whistle) into the relatively new world of marine mammal training. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, after nearly thirty years of development in oceanariums around the world, marker-based shaping spread further, from the marine mammal world into the zoo world, carried to the management of other species by keepers, curators, and consultants, some of whom began their careers as marine mammal trainers.
Over the next decades, however, the behavioral research community largely dismissed the importance of the marker signal, focusing instead on the value to the learner, whether animal or human, of the primary reinforcer, usually food. In shaping behavior in the modern research setting, cooperation is often still guaranteed in animals by increasing hunger, keeping research animals at 85% of normal body weight. In humans, as when teaching necessary skills to children with developmental deficits, cooperation is sought by identifying and using highly preferred food items.
Clicker training, a popular method of training dogs, horses, and other pets using shaping and a marker signal, the clicker, to replace traditional prompting and correction-based training, dates to two presentations in May of 1992. One, organized and led by myself, occurred at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis in San Francisco and included dog trainer Gary Wilkes (first to locate and use a commercially available plastic box clicker with dogs), San Diego Zoo curator Gary Priest, and Sea Life Park head trainer Ingrid Kang Shallenberger. That same weekend, Wilkes, Shallenberger, and I presented a seminar for 250 dog trainers outside of San Francisco. The subsequent rapid expansion of the clicker training community was fueled by the widening availability of the internet.
The shape of things to come: The uses and practices of shaping and its application continue to evolve. In 2001, horse trainer and gymnastics coach Theresa McKeon, together with biochemist and dog trainer Joan Orr and dance teacher Beth Wheeler, began developing the use of the marker signal in teaching physical skills to humans, a practical applications system dubbed TAGteach. As with any emerging technology, new practices ask questions of the basic underlying sciences.Clicker training and shaping-related studies of both the underlying principles and their applications are underway in behavioral ecology, behavior analysis, sports psychology, and neuroscience.
We've covered a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time. Stay tuned for the shape of things to come. Happy Clicking! Karen
CLICKER QUESTION & ANSWER BY KAREN PRIOR:
Dear Karen,
We just returned from a visit to New Zealand where we visited many sheep farms. We were shown several demonstrations where sheep dogs herd sheep in the direction indicated by a whistle signal from the dog handlers.
I asked one of the people demonstrating the dogs’ skill why, if the sheep also hear the whistle signals, they do not automatically obey the signals BEFORE the dogs start to guide them. After all, they hear these very same signals over and over. His answer to me was that sheep are not very intelligent animals and are deathly afraid of dogs.
I am not satisfied with his answer and ask you to help sort this out. As far as intelligence is concerned, we said the same about cats and pigs before we found ways to train them. So the intelligence factor may lie with humans; perhaps humans are not intelligent enough to know how to train the sheep directly instead of setting them up to respond to the barking and threatening moves of dogs.
We were also told that one good sheep dog could control up to 2000 sheep. To me, this means that some of the 2000 sheep may NEVER see a dog but respond to her/his barking. So then maybe sheep could be trained to respond as we wish by using sounds other than a dog barking, and dogs themselves are not actually necessary. What do you think?
Dr. William Reese: Sun City, Arizona

Dear Dr. Reese, Thank you for your question about sheep dogs, sheep, and signals.
The question is not one of training but one of logic. In fact, quite often neither the dogs nor the sheep know where they are being made to go. It might be to one gate or another, or it might be to a pen in the middle of the field, or maybe the shepherd just wants the dogs to gather the sheep and hold them for visual inspection.
So the whistles don’t indicate destinations; they indicate actions. The whistles tell the dogs, principally, five things: go forward to the left, go forward to the right, come back (going left or right around the sheep), and stop where you are.
There are other commands, such as slow and fast, but these five are the main ones. With these whistles, the shepherd moves the dogs around like chess pieces, and thus moves the sheep. Since you might be moving two dogs in different directions, often each dog may have its own individual whistles for each of the commands. (If you buy a new dog in New Zealand, you also get a tape of its whistles. If you lose the tape and forget a whistle, you’d better be able to reach the seller by telephone, or you’re in trouble!)
In New Zealand, where the fields are huge, the dogs may not always be able to see all the sheep and vice versa; that is one reason New Zealanders use dogs that bark a lot. Bred to do so, they are called huntaways.
In the smaller fields of, say, Wales, the dogs (called eye dogs) are silent, and can actually move the sheep just by glaring at them in a predatory way. In both cases, the sheep probably do learn that if they move away from the dogs, the pressure will ease. Therefore, they do not necessarily move with panic.
In the vast terrain in New Zealand, I have seen farmers team up and use as many as eight dogs at a time. Since the whistles are commands to the dog, not destination indicators, and since there are so many whistles that may change from time to time, the sheep have no opportunity to attach much meaning to any individual whistle.
In simpler situations, such as the smaller fields and flocks in England, you are right about sheep training themselves without needing or waiting for dogs to guide them. If there is one flock of sheep, and one frequently used gate to the field, the sheep can learn enough about dog whistles to steer themselves. Kay Laurence demonstrated that to me in England. She parked the car at a roadside pasture full of sheep. We walked over to the fence and Kay whistled a typical “command to a sheepdog” whistle. Even though no dog was present, the hundred or so sheep in the field quit grazing and started calmly toward the exit gate which was downhill near the farmhouse. They knew what to do.
Is that a more satisfying answer?
Happy Clicking!
DOG OBEDIENCE TRAINING – AN OVERVIEW:
Dog Training can be divided into Three Categories.
1. Restrictive routines
2. Active routines
3. Combination routines

The “Sit Stay”, “Down Stay”, & “Stand for Examination” are wholly “Restrictive routines.
Dog jumping and retrieving are “Active Routines.”
Exercises such as “Heelwork” and “Recalls” may be considered “Combination routines”.

One of the problems with dog training is that in the beginning the usual sequences of exercises learnt in training are normally “restrictive routines”. As the first year of a dog’s life is the most physically active period of his life, it has two distinct disadvantages!

1. It fails to take into account, and fails to capitalise on the young dogs natural tendencies. The young dogs’ natural tendencies are to be active and playful. Young dogs also have very short attention spans and need constant direction of their attention.

2. It also introduces exercises that the young dog finds boring and sometimes even unpleasant, which could hinder attempts to build a positive attitude towards working with his handler.

The positive association of “play”, can form the beginning of a strong human canine bond, thus develops the positive attitude so desirable in future training. This could be called the “desire to learn” or the “will to please” without which, no learning can take place!

TO MANY PEOPLE, “TRAINING” MEANS PUNISHMENT, YELLING, BEING FORCEFUL AND HEAVY HANDED!

It has been proved beyond a shadow of doubt, that positive reinforcement, and reward based learning methods, are far more successful than any negative methods of training!

Play and fun in training – especially in the early, impressionable age is often neglected!
By beginning with play exercises, the handler learns to relax, be happy and encourage his young dog/puppy, thus developing a positive attitude, which is so necessary when training any species of animal.

As the young pup matures and develops – the reward of play (combined with any other motivations necessary i.e. treats, toys, ball etc) becomes a wonderful habit. Learning and working is such fun the dog actively looks forward to his training sessions.


WHAT IS AN ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR CONSULTANT - What does the profession involve?
Animal Behaviour Consultants, consult with pet owners and members of the public with regard to the prevention, evaluation, control and cure of all forms of behaviour disorders. Pets are companion animals ranging from hamsters to horses. Consultants specialise in certain species. Puppy socialising classes are conducted by many Consultants for early owner orientation, canine socialisation, an aid in the prevention of future behaviour problems and basic training.

Other services offered by some Consultants:
Settling of pups and kittens, Pet compatibilities and character assessment,
Pet integration advice, Dog training,
Early puppy learning programmes, Owner counselling,
Veterinary services, (Practising veterinarians who are also accredited as animal behaviour consultants),
Pet care services, Animal training for stage and screen,
Grooming, Breeding,
Showing of animals etc. Practical assistance,
Home visitations,

Seminars, meetings and newsletters are organised on a regular basis by Consultants as a continuing education requirement to keep up to date with all the latest developments in the science of animal behaviour. Most cases seen by consultants are variations and exaggerations of normal or natural behaviour, but the behaviours are felt to be inappropriate or undesirable by the owners.

Do you have what it takes to become an Animal Behaviour Consultant?
This is not a job for the fainthearted! You need to be a special kind of person to be able to deal with the stresses and pitfalls of this profession. A vast knowledge of animal behaviour, both practical and theoretical is needed as well as academic achievements in the study of Ethology.
Notwithstanding these essential skills, one of the most important aspects of this job, is that you need to be a “People Person”. This is not a profession primarily “Working with Animals!” In fact, as an animal behaviour consultant you will be dealing mainly with the owners and their families!

To be successful, you need to be a fairly level-headed practical type of “hands on” person. A person who can look at problems objectively, and even admit that you are not able to solve every problem! Not all problems have the desired solutions! You also need to be able to take a knock and not take things too personally, or indeed get too personally or politically involved with clients and the issues surrounding their problems. Not all clients are cooperative, compliant or pleasant; some are highly sensitive, belligerent, argumentative and some are just plain nasty. You are also sometimes the bearer bad tidings! You will need a vast array of skills to be able to deal with difficult kinds of people and still retain your own sanity! One can sometimes feel emotionally “drained” after a session!

Profit Vs “Calling/Vocation”:
This is not a financially lucrative occupation. With the time and costs involved in the actual consultation (from 1 – 3 hours, average about 1 ½ hours) and the added time involved writing reports for clients and referring veterinarians, you are looking at an immense amount of time and energy spent with each client. Not usually associated with making a fast buck! That is not including the usual running costs of a practice, consulting rooms, observation areas, phone accounts, transport expenses and other equipment. All these things unfortunately cost money! So, forget about having enough money for fancy waiting rooms, receptionists and other luxuries. You will need to be a jack of all trades, with an answering machine, a mobile phone, a good attitude and probably a bad wardrobe! So, if this is the line of work for you “your, calling” in life - Then start thinking now for some additional way to earn some cash – you are going to need it! This may be the career with the greatest job satisfaction in the world, but to think of it as financially rewarding – Never!


The Pooh Rhyme:
See a Pooh and pick it up
and all the day you’ll have good luck

See a Pooh and let it lie
and ……………..
some poor sod is bound to put his foot in it!

Be a good dog owner and don’t forget to CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG!


LASTLY:
Anyone wanting to send letters of thanks either to the Cornelia police officers or to Magistrate Green please – it is not too late! You can still mail them to me (ideally as an attachment) and I will gladly forward them.

I would also like to motivate EVERYONE to write and send/post a letter of appreciation to Magistrate Green (Yes snail mail still operates)!

I think it would be a wonderful gesture to provide affirmation to Magistrate Green that we appreciate his hard work and his insightful, and sensible sentence. In fact, this appears to be one of the most in-depth, and severe sentences that has been passed in this country for a long, long, time. Let’s let Magistrate Green know that we appreciate his wisdom! It’s a rare day when abusers get exactly just what they deserve! I hope and prey that this sentence now sets a new precedent in sentencing animal abuse offenders!

Send your letter of thanks/appreciation to
Magistrate Green,
C/O Villiers Magisterial Court.
Private Bag X1
Villiers
9840


Best Regards
Louise

P.S. Where are my Letters to the Editor??? You can also contribute, comment or start any new topic on the Paws Abilities News and Views Blog Page - where the newsletter and any other questions or comments will be answered.

The Blog is situated on the M Web Home Page and entitled “Paws Abilities News and Views”.