How NOT to use a clicker!

ON SHODDY CLICKER TRAINING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PREMACK

by Casey Lomonaco KPA CTP

HOW NOT TO USE A CLICKER

"The other day my puppy was outside off leash.  She took off chasing a deer.  I called and called and she didn't come back.  I clicked her a few times and she still didn't come back.  She returned about an hour later, breathless.  I put her in her crate when she came back to punish her for running off."

Every time I hear things like this, I get a few new grey hairs. 

The first problem is, puppies should not be off leash unless they are in a securely fenced enclosure.  A reliable recall, especially calling a dog off chasing a prey animal, is PhD level training.  Most puppies are only at kindergarten level training.  Even if they "normally" have a nice recall, chances are the behavior is not reliable enough to stand up to the holy grail of dog events, the deer chase.  If dogs could receive titles in the sport of recall, I think the titles would include calling the dog mid-deer chase, thus earning the championship title TDC.  Other notable levels of achievement in recall training include TSC (the squirrel chase) and RFP (recall from play). 

Many people want to start their dog out with TDC, TSC, and RFP titles.  Much like you can't write your dissertation before you know your ABC's, your puppy cannot be expected to recall off a prey chase if he hasn't received adequate training, and this type of training requires a substantial training commitment and investment. 

That's all I'll say about recall training today.  It's such an important topic it really is deserving of its own blog entry.  Included in that entry will be a word of caution about ever punishing your dog for coming back to you, which will address the problematic last sentence in the quote above. 

What I want to address in this particular post is this section:  "She took off chasing a deer.  I called and called and she didn't come back.  I clicked her a few times and she still didn't come back." 

Let's review the things that a clicker is and the things that a clicker does briefly.

A clicker is:  a conditioned reinforcer.  The most easily recognizable conditioned reinforcer for people is money, or a paycheck.  Just as there is nothing inherently rewarding to people about possessing green pieces of papers covered in pictures of deceased presidents, there is nothing inherently rewarding to a dog about the sound of the clicker or the presentation of any other marker.  The clicker has value because it is repeatedly paired with access to things the dog wants, most frequently food or play.  Paychecks have vallue because they open the door of opportunity - through our paychecks, we can acquire the things we want or need.  The click must always be followed by a reinforcer.  Clicking without giving providing a reinforcer is like having your paycheck bounce.  Would you go back to work the next day?

A clicker is:  an event marker (also known as a "bridge").  I tell students to think of their clicker as a camera.  You are using your clicker to "take a picture" of the behavior you like as the dog offers the behavior.  The clicker functions in this capacity to tell the learner, "I like that behavior.  Do it more often.  Reinforcement is on the way!"  (Can you see why a clicker is a more concise marker?  It takes a long time to communicate all of those sentiments through spoken or written word!)  When you are taking a picture, you can click the shutter button too early or too late and miss the shot.  New photographers and clicker trainers are often too late and end up "taking a picture" of the wrong behavior.  (You see this frequently in targeting.  Students try to click when the dog's nose hits their hand.  If the click is a fraction of a second too late, you click the dog turning away from your hand.  Four or five clicks later, the dog won't even look at your hand, because she had been clicked for looking away.  Click when the dog is in motion toward your hand!)

So what did the dog in the previous example get clicked for?  Blowing off a recall and chasing a deer.  We clicked her for running away after we cued the recall.  What reinforcer followed the click?  The opportunity to chase a deer, which more frequently than not trumps any kibble, hot dogs, or turkey you may be holding.  (In my experience, no single treat will trump the allure of quickly moving prey.  Liverwurst usually doesn't compete with something as exciting as a prey chase - a strong reinforcement history does.)  Never underestimate the power of environmental reinforcers to work for (Premack) or against (blowing off cues) you in your training.  When it works for you (Premack), you control access to environmental reinforcers.  When it works against you, the dog controls access to environmental reinforcers and learns the owner is irrelevant in distracting environments.     

So we called the dog, she ran away, and we clicked as she was running away.  The behavior was reinforced heavily by what was likely one of the most exhilerating, exciting experiences of this young dog's life. 

When you use the clicker as an "attention getter" or signal to your dog to focus on you, what you are actually doing is reinforcing the behavior of looking or running away from you.  The clicker is a wonderful, precise communication tool but it is a double-edged sword - to be most effective, clicker trainers must really practice honing the mechanical skills of appropriate timing and reinforcement delivery. You must also be clear in what the clicker is (a conditioned reinforcer and an event marker) and what it is not (a recall cue or focus cue). 

Instead of clicking your dog for looking or moving away from you, use it to capture any focus on you.  Build a strong reinforcement history for focused attention. 

Behavior is changed through the handler's ability to manipulate its consequences effectively.  We must appropriately manipulate reinforcers, be they conditioned or unconditioned, primary or secondary, environmental or gastrointestinal, to work for us instead of against us. 

BE THE BROCOLLI

Many dog handlers see deer, squirrels, other people or dogs, fast moving objects as hindrances, obstacles blocking the path to their dog's reliability.  In fact, too frequently, the dog sees the owner as the obstacle, coming in between the dog and everything she wants in the world.  I believe a paradigm change may greatly increase training success for dogs and their people. This paradigm shift is known as the Premack Principle.  In dog training, Premack often means "thinking outside the treat bag." 

The Premack Principle states that more probable behaviors (squirrel chase) will reinforce less probable behaviors (look away from squirrel and at mom).  In laymen's terms, "if you eat your brocolli, you can have your ice cream." 

Don't feel bad about being the brocolli. I'm the brocolli too.  We're all the brocolli when it comes to competing with prey distractions.

We may be able to prevent our dog's access to these environmental reinforcers some or all of the time, but the fact is that we frequently can't modify our dog's instinctive attraction to prey objects, things that move fast or squeal, etc.  What we can do is modify our training approach to take advantage of these doggy instincts.  Change the focus from competing with these stimuli to putting them to work with you.  "I see my dog wants this.  How can I channel their attraction to this object into our training sessions?"

By becoming a squirrel chaser yourself.  That's right, I said it.  Be a little more "doggy" in your training style.  If your dog is staring at a squirrel and then finally breaks her stare to give you eye contact, use a a clicker or other marker followed by an on-leash squirrel chase to reward the focus.  Chasing the squirrel she was staring at is probably, in this context, more important to her than your hot dog bits.  Following an event marker with something as exciting as a squirrel chase is something your dog will not soon forget. 

This can be a revelation for some dogs.  Instead of thinking, "I might be able to chase that squirrel if I could find a way to get past mom," your dog learns, "I might be able to chase that squirrel if I find a way to please mom!"  A "mom" who will chase squirrels is infinitely more interesting to a dog than a "mom" who is a spoilsport and says "No squirrel chasing, no way, no how!"  Vary your rewards so that your dog doesn't expect a squirrel chase every time he sees a squirrel...sometimes tug, sometimes great treats, sometimes a ball throw, sometimes do the "happy dance" with your dog, sometimes reward with an all-out sprint on the leash (running is a very potent reinforcer for my Chow!).  If chasing the squirrel is a jackpot for your dog, save that platinum reinforcer and use it to reward her best efforts - the fastest eye contact, the quickest hand targets. 

Clicker training is effective, but only if you use the clicker effectively.  You get what you click.  Only click behaviors you want, use effective reinforcement and management strategies, and put that deer to work for you instead of against you in your future training endeavors. 

Happy training!

 

A vets assessment of the book Ceasar's Way ......

Book Review: Cesar’ s Way, by Cesar Millan. Cesar’s Way: Definitely NOT a Whisper

By Kathy Meyer, VMD

Although the jacket claims that the book offers a “natural, everyday guide to understanding & correcting common dog problems,” Cesar’ s Way, by Cesar Millan (aka the Dog Whisperer) delivers very little usable information for dog owners. The book is aptly named, as its main focus is Cesar, not the dogs. Instead of providing revolutionary insight into dog psyche, Cesar’s Way largely describes Cesar’s own interpretation of various problem dog behaviors and his methods of treating. The typical dog owner can’t use these methods, as they involve 4 or 5 hours of vigorous exercise a day, time with a pack of 40 to 50 dogs, and physical corrections and intimidation to achieve submission. Cesar’s various and sometimes peculiar philosophies and beliefs are woven throughout the book, making it more a treatise on his views of how dogs and owners (and even men and women) should construct their relationships rather than a useful guidebook to promote a harmonious life for dog and owner.

The most glaring faults of the book are not so much what is included, but what is not. First, there is no acknowledgement of the dog’s ability to quickly and easily learn dozens of words to create a common vocabulary between dog and owner. This is otherwise known as training...something that has been very helpful over the thousands of years of human/dog interactions. Communication in this way has allowed dogs to be trained for very complex, useful behaviors in their complex lives as 21st century pets in a developed country. Cesar, however, strives for a “primal” relationship between dogs and their owners, epitomized in his view by homeless people and their dogs. In this primitive construct, Cesar uses no words to communicate with his dogs. Instead, the only sound he will issue is a harsh hiss, which will generally cause dogs to display submission when he is displeased. So, instead of teaching a dog to sit or down/stay and then asking the dog to remain calm so it can “earn” its dinner, Cesar expects the dog to just “figure it out,” regardless of how confused, hungry, and frustrated the dog becomes. Likewise, the poor fearful dogs Cesar “rehabilitates” could be easily taught to sit and stay while desensitized to his approach rather than being subjected to forceful, terrifying intimidation tactics described in the book. Cesar states that he will repeat these techniques “a thousand times” if necessary with fearful dogs.

Also related to training, or lack thereof, is Cesar’s method of “discipline.” The book doesn’t specifically advise owners on how to stop their dogs from doing what Cesar feels should be forbidden. Other than taking the dog on long marches on the end of a short lead with a noose around the most sensitive area of the neck and projecting calm, assertive energy, the reader is at a loss as to how he or she is to change her dog’s behavior. Based on his “Dog Whisperer Show,” the method of discipline appears to involve punishment delivered verbally (his “hiss”) or through tightening of the choke collar to the point of shutting off the airway. Cesar does discuss the “alpha roll,” in his book, but wisely cautions owners from doing it on their own dogs except under theguidance of a trained professional. I suspect the advantage to this is that the trainer will end up in the emergency room rather than the owner. The purpose of discipline is to educate the dog, and the approaches alluded to in this book do not instruct the owner to show the dog what the owner would like him or her to do instead of the undesirable behavior.

In addition to the above-mentioned omissions, there are no recommendations made for simple environmental manipulations that could minimize or even solve many problems. For example, Cesar mentioned a dog that bit mail carriers to the point that the USPS would not deliver mail for the entire neighborhood. This case was featured on a Dog Whisperer episode, which I did review. Not once did Cesar advise the owner to keep her dog under control by not allowing it to run at large, unsupervised, in the neighborhood. Although Cesar’s appearance dressed up in a postal uniform was perfect TV schmaltz, it’s unlikely this one-time encounter will affect that dog’s future behavior toward the real mail carriers. Another case described in the book involved a dog that walked in perfect submission, unleashed down a city street to its owner’s photography studio. However, at the studio, the dog began to display aggression toward clients. Cesar dramatically described the horrible outcomes, including euthanasia, if this behavior could not be stopped! However, he did not mention simply leaving the dog at home or using a leash, gate, or crate at the studio until adequate training could be achieved. More to the point, he didn’t even describe how the owner was to stop behavior. Cesar simply advised him to act like a leader. Sadly, Cesar not only missed opportunities to easily direct the reader to successful strategies, but glamorized the walking of a dog off-lead in a busy city, which is unlawful in many jurisdictions and could prove fatal for a dog.

While Cesar’s opening autobiography in the book provides a touching “rags to riches” story, it is of no particular help to the dog owner. However, it does provide great insight into Cesar’s perception of the perfect life for a dog. His ideas were clearly formed during his childhood, where he observed the behavior his grandfather’s nearly feral farm dogs. The dogs lived outdoors, were not regularly fed, and received no health care, save hosing for severe infestation of external parasites. The dogs were not trained, but just “naturally” knew what to do. This construct of the perfect life for a dog reappears later in the book, when Cesar declares that the happiest dogs in America are those owned by homeless people, as they engage in the proper following behavior required of all dogs if they view their owners as “dominant”.

As Cesar goes on to describe various types of aggression he treats, he uses terms such as “unbalanced” and “negative energy.” These vague terms do little to help advance our understanding or aid owners in preventing or treating problems. His rehabilitation techniques, while interesting, are simply descriptions of what he, himself, does at his facility. In general, it involves heavy exercise to induce a “calm, submissive state,” exposure to the pack of dogs, and a feeding process where only the calmest dogs are given their food. As previously noted, these techniques do not easily transfer to the typical dog owner.

Throughout the book, much is made of popular “dominance theory” and its application to dog training. Cesar maintains that a dog that jumps up during greeting, pulls on a leash, or walks through the door first is dominating the owner. These assertions are patently false. Many dogs jump during greeting while displaying obvious submissive behaviors. They are whining and licking! The reason they jump is to sniff the owner’s face, which is simply vertically oriented rather than horizontally oriented, like other dogs. Likewise, pulling on the lead or going through the door first usually relates to a simple lack of training and the dog’s ability to move much faster than its human companion. Cesar’s description of wolf pack behavior is not supported by the latest research. There is no constant scrabbling to be top wolf. The pack structure is simply a family, with mother and father at the top and several years’ worth of maturing offspring. Placement in the hierarchy is based on sex and age.

In the final section of the book, Cesar offers up the closest thing to advice for owners in the book. I do agree with many of his questions prospective owners should ask themselves prior to taking on a puppy. However, while I agree exercise is important, his recommendations for exercise in excess of 1.5 hours of walking per day, are not practical for most people. I am particularly concerned about the potential for injuries to dogs worked out on the treadmill, and joint damage to dogs under the age of two who may be asked to wear a backpack full of filled water bottles, as he suggests. Under the discipline section, Cesar repeatedly will advise owners what not to let their dogs do, such as wake them up in the morning or greet them too enthusiastically upon their return. As noted above, he doesn’t tell owners how to stop the behavior or what alternate behavior the dog should be taught! The most concrete advice I could find was for owners to always behave in a calm assertive way. I do endorse this concept but it would be much more helpful for Cesar to instruct readers on exactly what they should do with the dog while being calm and assertive.

“Cesar’s Way” will make a fine read for you if you want to learn about Cesar and how he claims to dramatically rehabilitates dogs to live in his pack. His is an impressive story of human ambition and resolve, which makes a nice marketing package for simplistic, outdated, and sometimes downright dangerous techniques. However, if you are a dog owner looking to deepen your relationship with your dog and/or improve your dog’s behavior, I would direct you to authors such as Patricia McConnell, Jean Donaldson, Ian Dunbar, and Sophia Yin. By using more advanced, humane techniques of true dog training, you will surely improve the quality of life for both you and your dog. And the book won’t be centered on the messenger; it will be centered on the message.

ANOTHER GEM FROM LEAH IN THE USA LOOSE LEASH WALKING!

How to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash without pulling

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Leah Roberts

, Orlando Dog Training and Behavior 

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I want to go OVER THERE!!!

Credits: 

Photo Courtesy of Laura Felgenhauer

Why does a dog pull on leash?  When that question is asked in a classroom, usually at least one person will answer, "Because he wants to be in charge."  In truth, the reason a dog will run out to the end of his leash and lunge has absolutely nothing to do with a desire for world domination.  The simple answer is that your dog pulls because he wants to go over there.  Wherever over there is, there are smells or activities going on that attract him.  Most of the time when your dog pulls on the leash to get somewhere, you oblige him by walking in that direction.  So one answer to that question is a dog pulls because it works. 

If pulling on leash works for your dog, it follows that the way to teach him not to pull is to stop it from working.  He wants to keep walking in a certain direction.  As soon as the leash tightens, the walk should stop - or even suddenly continue in the opposite direction.  If your dog learns that he only gets to go where he wants when the leash is loose, he will begin to pay more attention to where he is in relation to you so that there is no tension on the leash.  To even further strengthen your dog's choice to remain by your side, he should receive yummy treats and praise when he is in the desired position.

Loose-leash walking, commonly referred to in training circles as LLW, is not the same as heeling. A heeling dog is required to walk with his nose at his owner's leg at all times.  This is necessary in an obedience trial, comes in handy when walking across a busy street or in a crowded area, but too restricting for most casual strolls around the neighborhood.  LLW simply requires your dog to stay on one side (no criss-crossing to trip you up) and pay enough attention to you to keep himself within the length of the leash.  He can sniff, look around, and thoroughly enjoy his walk while at the same time allowing you to enjoy yours - without you becoming his tug toy!

The bad news is that LLW is one of the most difficult behaviors for your dog to master.  Reasons for this include:

• He knows how to sit and lie down.  You're just teaching him the names for these behaviors.  But when you try to teach him to walk beside you, it's an entirely new concept to him.

• Whenever you teach a dog any behavior, it's best to start in the most quiet, distraction-free environment possible so that he has the best chance to succeed.  If you look at this as a "kindergarten environment," as soon as you step out the front door you're in "graduate school." 

• Not only does your dog have to break the habit of pulling on the leash, so do you!  Chances are that you are so used to keeping tension on that leash in order to try to control your little Tasmanian devil that you will have a difficult time training yourself NOT to hold it tightly or yank it.

The ultimate answer to the question, "Why does a dog pull on leash?" is simply:  "Because he hasn't been taught another way!"  Learning to LLW with your dog is like both of you learning to dance together. 

Continue reading on Examiner.com How to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash without pulling - Orlando Dog Training and Behavior | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/dog-training-and-behavior-in-orlando/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-walk-on-a-loose-leash-without-pulling#ixzz1fs7KNVDU

DOGS IN NEED OF SPACE

Hi All,

I just love this post! Hope you all enjoy it and in a way – think we can all relate to this one!

Cheers for now

Lou

There is epidemic happening across the country and no one is safe.  It’s occurring on crowded city sidewalks and spacious country walking trails. It doesn’t discriminate based on race, age, or economic status.

Innocent dogs and their owners are being terrorized, chased down the street, pinned into corners by…other dog owners.

But, you ask, don’t all dogs like to meet, greet, and play with other dogs, even unfamiliar ones? How rude of them not to greet me and my dog!  Not so, kind hearted dog lovers, not so at all.

In every city, town, and suburb, loving, law abiding families share their lives with dogs that, for a variety of reasons, cannot or would rather not, socialize with other dogs.

Today I call on all dog lovers to take a stand on behalf of dogs that walk in public while they simultaneously cope with one or more of the following:

• contagious diseases
• leash reactivity
• service or working dogs
• injuries and painful physical conditions
• intolerance of other animals
• recovery from surgery
• fearful of unfamiliar or rowdy dogs
• aging and elderly
• learning self control around other dogs
• are owned by people that want to be left alone  

To keep it simple, these dogs and their owners shall be known as Dogs in Need of Space (DINOS)™

These DINOS have every right to walk the streets, using a standard 4-6 foot leash, without interacting with strangers, human or canine.  And yet…they are hounded, day after day, by cheery, well meaning dog owners who insist on meeting them. 

Despite frantic efforts to cross the street or hiding between parked cars, DINOS are chased down by other people walking dogs, who refuse to believe that there is someone out there that do not want to meet them. 

How do you spot these terrorists? You can recognize these people by their battle cry, “My dog is friendly!” Henceforth known as My Dog is Friendly (MDIF).

Pick any corner of any town in America and you’re likely to see a scene similar to this one:

A DINOS is working on his manners, let’s say it’s leash reactivity. He has some issues with strange dogs, but is in training so that he can learn to stay calm in their presence.   DINOS spots another dog coming and, like their trainer instructed them, they create some distance and do a sit-stay with eye contact. The goal: to keep cool while the other dog passes.

But they didn’t realize they were being stalked by an eager MDIF. Look! There’s one now, crossing the street, speed walking in a beeline right towards the seated DINOS, their own dog straining at the collar. 

The DINOS steps further away, trying again to create distance.  Any anthropologists (or kindergartner) can read the clear body language in play from DINOS.  Observe: no eye contact or smiling, they are facing away from MDIF, perhaps glancing frantically around themselves, looking for an escape. 

MDIF is impervious to body language and insists on coming closer.  The DINOS signals become escalated, and like a dog losing its patience with a rude puppy, DINOS issues a quiet, but firm warning, “My dog doesn’t like other dogs.”

Unable to understand their native language, MDIF continues their advances until DINOS is trapped and begins to lose his ability to stay cool.  See: lunging and barking, coupled with awkward struggles to get away.  Now, like a dog that’s being humped relentlessly by a teenage dog with no manners, DINO snaps, so the message is clear, “Stop! Don’t come any closer!”  

And, without fail, MDIF calls out their cheerful, pleading battle cry, “My dog is friendly!”  Usually this is received by the back of the DINOS as they jog away.

Then, often followed by a hurt look, the MDIF mutters, “What’s your dog’s problem?”

The DINO, shaken, wonders why they are working so hard on improving their dog’s manners when the humans around them have the social skills of, well, a dog with no social skills.

A brief interlude from the author:

Quickly, let’s turn to the similar epidemic of off leash dogs that are not under voice control. It’s the law: Put your dog on a leash.  No one but ME gets to decide who my dog interacts with.  Not you, with the “friendly” dog who just wants to say “hi” or you, with the dog who “knows” not to leave your property, but charges me up my porch steps. I, and I alone, will decide if my dog will be interacting with your dog and when you let your dog run loose you are ROBBING ME of my right to choose whether or not we want to interact with your dog. Not cool.

And now back to our Public Service Announcement:

Dogs In Need Of Space are good dogs. They may not want to socialize with your dog, but they have the right to walk with their owners, on leash, without harassment from strangers who insist on a forced greeting.  Their owners do not want to cause a scene or yell, in a panic, at strangers. They don’t want their dog to act inappropriately, get hurt, backslide on their training, or frighten anyone. Please, dog lovers of the world, allow these dogs and their people some space and, if they are walking or turning away from you, keep your dog close by and pass them without comment.

All they want is to walk their dogs in peace, without having to hide under a park bench in order to escape the relentless pursuit of dogs owners who call out…

 “My dog is friendly!” 

Why it is GOOD when a dog growls!

Thank your dog for growling

By Leah Roberts, Orlando Dog Training and Behavior Examiner

Dobie’s story

Dobie started growling at children while on walks.  On a recommendation by his vet, his concerned owner brought him to see a trainer who followed traditional training methods.  Here she was taught to correct Dobie’s growling by giving a short, quick yank on a choke collar and saying “No!”  After a week or so of following this advice, she was very happy to see that Dobie had stopped growling at children.

And then a while later, a child ran up to the dog while on a walk and reached out her hand to pet him.  Because Dobie didn’t growl, the child was not hesitant and the owner was not concerned.  Suddenly Dobie turned and bit the child’s hand.  His owner described this incident later as “It happened out of nowhere!”

Growling is a valuable warning signal

Did it really come out of nowhere?  Not at all.  Dobie’s growling was a way of telling his owner, “I am afraid of these children who come by while we are on a walk.”  It was also his way of telling the children, “Please get away from me.”  For whatever reason, Dobie had begun to perceive children as a threat.  Correcting his growling forced him to inhibit his warnings, but his feelings about children did not change.  Therefore it was only a matter of time that some child would step over his fear threshhold, and without the warning growl Dobie’s only way to cope was to escalate to a bite.

Correcting a growl, snarl, or even a lunge/snap is like putting a bandage on an infected wound.  It will disguise the problem for a period of time, but not solve it – in fact, it will fester and get worse.  Aggressive acts are simply reactions to a fearful stimulus.  Like humans, when dogs become fearful they have the choice of fight or flight.  Some dogs hide behind their owners’ legs.  Others act out in an aggressive manner.

When a warning display is inhibited and escape is not an option, the dog (or human) who feels helpless will shut down.  Though Dobie appeared to be in no distress, one experienced in reading dog body language would have seen his signals.  His head was down, his ears were tensely held close to his head, the whites were showing in his eyes, and his tail was held clamped down.  Feeling cornered and with no way to express it, he panicked and bit the hand that he perceived as attacking him.

Not only does correction inhibit the dog’s way of communicating his discomfort, the owner’s tone and body language exacerbate it.  To the dog, the child’s approach not only makes him nervous, it causes his owner to tense up and yell.  This is powerful confirmation to the dog whose owner is his whole world that his fears are well-founded.

Wouldn't you prefer this warning to none at all?

Heal the cause, not the symptom

Fortunately, due to modern research in behavioral science,  more humane and effective ways of dealing with aggressive acts have been developed.  These methods are grounded in the use of desensitization and counter conditioning.   On the Clicker Train USA website, it states: “We want to counter condition our fearful dog to accept other dogs.  By combining counter conditioning and desensitization we can accomplish that.  We will start exposing our dog to other dogs at a very low level – in this case a far enough distance (that’s the densensitization part).  In addition, we will give the dog very tasty treats when he sees the other dogs (that’s the counter conditioning part).  Gradually, we can convince the dog that other dogs mean good treats.”

Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT took this concept one step further when she developed the Look At That (LAT) game detailed in her book, “Control Unleashed.”  Previously counter conditioning protocols required the dog to look away from the aversive stimuli (person or dog that frightened him).  With this method, the dog is actually rewarded for looking AT the object of fear.  The result is that the dog starts to seek opportunities to look at, and even eventually approach, the object that used to cause him to growl, lunge, or snap.  Instead of thinking, “uh oh, here comes something scary,” his response changes to “oh yay, here comes something that makes GOOD things happen!”

Kellie Snider, MS, the Manager of Animal Behavior Programs at the SPCA of Texas, developed Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) as her graduate thesis under the direction of behavior analyst Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, PhD.   In this revolutionary treatment, the dog is rewarded for calm behavior by allowing him to increase his distance from the feared object.  Since it’s very important that the dog be kept below his fear threshhold at all times, the procedure requires that the initial distance be easy for the dog to handle, therefore helping to increase his feeling of safety when in the vicinity of the person or dog that frightens him.

On her website Kellie states, “In the CAT procedure we use the reinforcer the dog is already working for.  It is usually distance from the aversive stimuli.  In our treatment we provide the outcome he wants only when he behaves in safe, friendly ways.”   As with the LAT method, there is an additional benefit that is not a result of procedures using corrections.  ”But a funny thing happens in the treatment,” she continues.  ”He learns to like other people and dogs.”

His body language will tell you everything you need to know.

Get help!

If your dog is displaying aggressive behavior, you need to see a trainer/behaviorist who is both a practitioner of dog-friendly methods based in modern behavioral science and also experienced with aggression issues.

If these issues aren’t addressed, it could result in a human or other dog receiving a serious bite.  One of our local behaviorists is Belinda DeLaby, CBC, CPDT, the owner of Canine Action, Inc. in Oviedo.  Belinda has been training dogs for 15 years and has extensive experience dealing with aggression.

Other resources for finding a good trainer who has the necessary experience and education in modern methods for aggression issues can be found at the bottom of the page of the Helpful Links page of the Dog Willing website.  These listings include Orlando area trainers and behaviorists, but also list international resources.

What can you do?

Meanwhile there are several important things that you, the owner, should do if your dog is displaying aggressive behaviors towards a human or other dog:

• Avoid contact with whatever it is your dog fears.  If you usually walk him in a heavily populated area and he’s reactive to strange people, choose another more quiet place to walk him.  The more exposure he has without therapy, the worse his fears are likely to get.
• If you suddenly come upon an aversive stimuli (something that makes your dog react aggressively), STAY CALM.  He will be taking his cues from you.  Keep breathing, keep your voice calm and cheerful, and take him out of the situation as quickly and nonchalantly as you can.  If possible, don’t put any tension on his leash – that tension travels right through him.
• Call your local experienced behaviorist as soon as possible and make an appointment for evaluation.

Lastly, don’t assume that just because your dog is displaying aggressive behaviors, you have an aggressive dog.  He is not a bad dog, he is a dog with a problem that can very often be resolved with the right behavioral modification therapy.

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Leah Roberts has been training pet dogs in the Central Florida area for the last eight years. She specializes in clicker training, socialization.